Proceedings of Natural History Society. 135 



urgent claims of the Society for a renewal of the grant, 

 viz., John S. Shearer, Major Latour, P. S. Boss and the Cor- 

 responding and Eecording Secretaries. 



Dr. J. Baker Edwards gave notice of motion to change 

 the date of the Annual Meeting from the 18th day of May 

 to the last Monday in May of each year. 



The following candidates were duly elected : — Wm. Drys- 

 dale, C. N. Bell, F.A.G.S., Dr. T. Wesley Mills and Captain 

 John Lawrence ; while Mr. B. B. Stevenson, Bev. Dr. Wm. J. 

 Smyth, and Dr. Thomas Boddick were proposed as Ordinary 

 members. The Hod. Thomas White was proposed as a Cor- 

 responding member. 



Prof. Penhallow then read a paper on " the Hydration 

 of Wood Tissues in Trees and Shrubs," and Dr. J. Baker 

 Edwards followed with one on "the Danger of Poisoning 

 from the Commercial Uses of Arsenic." 



Prof. Penhallow also read a paper on " Physical Charac- 

 teristics of the Ainos," which elicited some discussion. 



A suitable vote of thanks was passed to both gentlemen 

 for their respective papers. 



Mr. Edward Murphy exhibited some microscopic speci- 

 mens of arsenic in connection with Dr. Edwards' paper. 



The Fourth Monthly Meeting of the Session was held on 

 Monday evening, February 22nd, 1886, the President Sir 

 Wm. Dawson occupying the chair. The minutes of the 

 previous meeting, with that of the last meeting of council, 

 were read and approved. 



Mr. Charles Bobb presented several volumes of rare works 

 to the Society, which were accepted with thanks and an 

 acknowledgement was ordered to appear in the Becord of 

 Science. 



Mi*. Wm. Gr. Oswald, of Hill Farm, presented the Society 

 with a curiosity of vegetation in the form of a natural bud- 

 ding or grafting by the interlacing of Beech root branches, 

 for which a vote of thanks was passed to the donor. 



It was moved by Edward Murphy and seconded by J. H. 

 Joseph, " that in accordance with notice of motion by Dr. 

 J. Baker Edwards, the date of the Annual Meeting be 



