— gytamologists ¥ 
oO “Org 
JOURNAL or VARIATION. 
Vou. XII: No. 8. ; - Aveust 1st, 1900. 
AND 
Field Meeting .of the South London | ‘Entomological and Natural 
History Society, May 1900 (with photograph). 
Some tw enty-eight years ago the South London Entomological and 
Natural History Society first came into existence, and the late Mr, 
J. R. Wellman was, from 1872- 1874, its first President. From 1872 
until now it has been a progressive institution, full of life and virility, 
<> much of its strength has undoubtedly been due to a well- organised 
va .d of excellent e1 ntomologists, who, at weak periods, have provided 
2 sinews of war, and during strong ones haye placed its finances on 
a sound basis, and nursed it until it has now undoubtedly become one 
of the strongest societies of its kind in the country. When one looks 
through its list of members one is not surprised at the success achieved, 
and the list of past presidents contains the names of many men well- 
known in the annals of entomological science. The way.in which old 
members haye supported the society after their more active period of 
work has been passed, is worthy of all praise, and only one past presi- 
dent, Mr. A. B. Farn (1875- 1876), is missing from the current roll of 
membership, except those that have passed. the bourne whence no 
traveller returns—J. R. Wellman, J. T. Wilhams, W. H. Tugwell, 
and, dearest of all old friends, J. Jenner Weir. Mr. J.P. Barrett, 
who has disappeared from active work for a score of years, appears in 
the current roll of members as haying been elected 1 in 1900, yet he was 
‘Secretary of the Society in the ‘ seventies,’? President m 1877, so that 
he is at once one of the oldest and youngest of members. 
One of the features of the summer work of this Society is the 
organisation of a series of field meetings. Une of these was held at 
Oxshott, on May 19th, and our photograph is reproduced . from 
one taken at the end of a pleasant day by that prince of photo- 
orvaphers, Mr. F. Noad Clark, to whom we are greatly indebted for the 
original. Seeing that the photograph included so many entomologists 
with whose pers sonal ¢ appearance our’ proyincial readers would be sure 
to wish to be acquainted, we considered we could not do better than 
have a reproduction made for the magazine. ‘The ‘* Carl Hentschel 
Co.’ has done its share of the work satisfactorily, and we have no 
doubt the printer will do his. 
Of the members present many of the younger ones haye still to win 
their spurs as entomologists in the strict sense, although their keen- 
ness as collectors leayes little doubt that this will come in due course. 
Of the older hands there are seyeral to whom entomologists generaliy 
