200 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



bearing on the question whether there is any homology between the 

 hibernacula of Paludicella and the statoblasts of Phylactolsemata. 



The Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, at its Annual 

 Meeting this week, elected Miss A. M. Geldart as President for the 

 corning year. " Miss Geldart is, we believe, the first woman to hold 

 that office. A scientific society knows nothing of differences of rank 

 or of sex amongst its members, but only of efficiency and of those 

 qualities of mind that make for efficiency in the work of the Society. 

 We hear a good deal nowadays of what is woman's sphere and what 

 is man's sphere in industry, in politics, and so on ; but in science and 

 art and literature there is no question of separate spheres, but only 

 of human attainments ; and we welcome the election of the first 

 woman President of the Society on her proved merits as a naturalist." 

 — ' Eastern Daily Press,' May 1st, 1913. 



Mr. F. H. Sikes, F.L.S., of Burnham Abbey, Burnham, Bucking- 

 hamshire, has presented his collection of British Shells to the Natural 

 History Museum, South Kensington. This collection, says the 

 1 Times,' is very rich in authentically named varieties, a fact which 

 will cause it to be greatly valued by British collectors. It also con- 

 tains a large proportion of the species and varieties enumerated in 

 J. W. Taylor's monograph of the land and freshwater mollusca of 

 the British Islands. 



The ' Pall Mall Gazette,' in commenting on this national gift, 

 remarks : — " When the shells are in place, a few afternoons spent in 

 studying the cases will be worth months of poring over text-books, 

 and ought to teach thousands of people how to add to the attractions 

 of a seaside holiday by searching intelligently for the delicate treasures 

 of our shores." 



