508 Our Field Clubs ; [Oct., 



I have no reason to believe that the large Medusae (Lucernaridae) 

 as Aurelia, Pelagia, Bhizostoma, &c., exhibit any luminous powers, 

 having kept specimens which have invariably failed to do so. Nor 

 do I believe that the Physophoridae are luminous. I have never 

 seen a luminous Porpita or Yelella ; and although on one occasion, 

 when magnificent specimens of Portuguese men-of-war had been 

 floating by all day, my attention was directed to shining spots at 

 night, under the supposition that they were luminous Physaliae, I 

 merely replied by pointing to a bucket containing one of these 

 animals, but which was perfectly dark. I have seen a large prawn 

 give out light after death, and a fresh squid was illuminated at 

 night with an irregular glow of whitish light, which remained un- 

 altered as I passed my finger over the surface. Nor do I believe 

 the stories of luminous fish, inasmuch as fish rapidly swimming in 

 a fluid abounding in minute luminous points, as the sea sometimes 

 does, would present an effect which an uninformed or inaccurate 

 observer would readily mistake as proceeding from the fish itself, 

 instead of from luminous points which it disturbed in its passage. 



IV. OUE FIELD CLUBS: THEIR AIMS, OBJECTS, 

 AND WORK. 



1. Transactions of the Woolhope Naturalists Field Club (esta- 



blished 1851), including the first part of the Flora of 

 Herefordshire. By the Eev. W. H. Purchas, L.Th., 1866. 



2. The President's Address and Reports for 1866, together with 



the Rules, List of Members, and Catalogue of Books of the 

 West Kent Natural History, Microscopical, and Photographic 

 Society. 



3. Tlie Proceedings of the Cotteswold Naturalists'' Field Club 



for 1865. 



4. Proceedings of the Bath Natural History and Antiquarian 



Club. 



5. Report of the Liverpool Naturalists Field Club for the year 



1866. 



6. Proceedings of the Bristol Naturalists Society. Edited by 



Wm. Lant Carpenter, B.A., B.Sc. 



Naturalists' Field Clubs, compared with other societies devoted to 

 scientific pursuits, are institutions belonging to a very recent period : 

 the oldest of them, in this country, has not yet celebrated its jubilee, 

 and few have existed so long as ten years ; yet now no season passes 

 without adding to the already numerous list. 



