Vol. 70.] FROAi THE 11ADSTOCK COAL MEASUBES. 127 



wing acted as hooks to catch on to the hinder margin of the fore- 

 wing, because, so far as he was aware, no recent dragon-fly possessed 

 them, and it was difficult to think that so useful a structure, once 

 acquired, would ever have been lost. If their function was as the 

 Author suggested, he thought that it was not a case of the fore- 

 shadowing of the typical wing of the Hymenoptera, but more 

 probably an instance of homologous evolution. 



Mr. E. A. Mabtix suggested that certain marks between two of 

 the veins were evidence of recent folding, and that the wing was 

 that of a young individual. He referred to the hidden ancestry of 

 this giant dragon-fly, and thought that perhaps after all, in early 

 geological times, evolution did move per sal turn. 



The Avthob, in reply to Mr. Young, said that, as only a third of 

 the wing Avas known, it was difficult to decide whether the spines 

 upon the hinder margin served for the interlocking of the two wings, 

 or foreshadowed what is seen in recent Hymenoptera. 



In reply to Mr. Martin he stated that, in his opinion, the wing- 

 fragment was that of an adult insect, for he considered that the 

 frontal coriaceous bar upon the costa could hardly have reached 

 so mature a state of development in a young form. He thanked 

 the Fellows present for the kind way in which his paper had been 

 received. 



