Proceedings of Learned Societies. 61 



CHEMICAL SOCIETY.— June 26. 



Artificial Production of Organic Compounds from Boghead 

 Naphtha. — At the last meeting of the Chemical Society Mr. Greville 

 Williams, F.R.S., read a paper, in which he stated that he had suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining- the iodides of several alcohol radicals from Bog- 

 head naphtha. When we consider the almost infinite variety of 

 metamorphoses which these iodides may be made to undergo, it is 

 evident that an almost inexhaustible mine of research has thus been 

 opened. Acids, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, alkaloids, etc., may 

 now be produced from Boghead naphtha almost to infinity. Mr. 

 Williams has already procured the iodides of amyle, oenanthyle, 

 capryle, and pelargonyle ; he has also obtained the new alkaloids 

 cenanthylamine and pelai'gonamine. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.— July 8. 



The red-letter day of every London entomologist is that one on 

 which Mr. Wilson Saunders of Reigate invites the members and a 

 select number of scientific men to meet the President and Council 

 of the Entomological Society. The day is always commenced by 

 an excursion to some neighbouring district ; the locality selected 

 this year being Betchworth Park, Deepdene, and Brockham. The 

 d.ay was one of the most brilliant of this uncertain summer, and en- 

 abled the visitor to enjoy to the utmost the beauty of the Wealden 

 district, that has been so appropriately named the Garden of England. 

 It could be wished, but is hardly to be expected, that each of 

 these scientific explorations should be rewarded by the discovery of 

 some new species. Though not so fortunate on this occasion, the 

 members were gratified by the capture of several rare and interest- 

 ing insects, among which may be mentioned Myrmidonia Haworthii, 

 one of the rarest of the Staphylinidae, also Calomicrus circumfusus, 

 which was found in tolerable abundance on the furze, and Ilobates 

 propinqua. At Mr. Bennett's, at Brockham, the members had the 

 pleasure of seeing several young emeus, about three months old, 

 reared in this country. These birds may be said to have been suc- 

 cessfully acclimatized by Mr. Bennett. The particular species is 

 the Dromius irroratus. 



On the return to Reigate, the members assembled at the New 

 Hall — an elegant and convenient building, erected for scientific and 

 literary meetings— and there partook of a sumptuous repast. After 

 dinner, Mr. Saunders made some observations on the exact scientific 

 value of entomological collections, stating that study of the habits 

 and mode of life of an insect was necessary to render collecting of 

 any real value ; that collectors were not necessarily entomologists ; 

 and that collections, however great, were only the means to, and 

 not the end of, entomological science. He also stated that the in- 



