226 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



and in March the revised rules were finally passed and printed ; they further 

 decided to devote ten shillings quarterly towards the purchase of a cabinet, 

 and further any balance which might be in hand at the quarterly audit, was 

 also to be devoted to the same object. 



The success, which had so far attended the society, prompted its members 

 to start a Botanical Society in connection ; but this scheme, although officially 

 decided upon, met with a speedy termination, at any rate very little mention 

 is made of it in the minutes after the entry denoting its being called into 

 existence. Some very rare species were shewn during the first year, amongst 

 which were : C. erythrocepkala, N. bicolora, a larva of D. galii, found feeding 

 on fuschias in "Victoria Park, a specimen of A. sacraria captured on a lamp 

 at Clapham, and the then very rare Smaragdaria. 



Meanwhile the Committee were unable to obtain a suitable meeting in a 

 a private house, although they advertised for that purpose, and in August 

 they were obliged to inform the members of their failure. It was then 

 decided to move to the " Brownlow Arms," and the first meeting in the new 

 room took place on September 15th, 1859, and for 28 years the meetings 

 continued to be held there. 



The first original paper was read before the society by Mr. Miller, and was 

 entitled " Foreigners and doubtful British species," it may be found in the 

 " Zoologist/' for January, I860. In this year the society acquired a 40- 

 drawer cabinet, and Mr. Huckett having planned it out with great care, 

 donations quickly came in chiefly from members, and a notice in the 

 "Intelligencer" brought in a few specimens. In this year also the first 

 annual excursion took place, to the then famous locality of Darenth Wood. 



The society continued to progress, continuing to change the officers every 

 quarter until 1862, when it was proposed that they should be elected annual- 

 ly. This proposal gave rise to considerable opposition, and it was finally 

 agreed that they should be elected every six months, an arrangement which 

 has lasted till the present year. Many interesting items occur in the minutes 

 about this time. The capture of a specimen of 0. lunaris, at West Wick- 

 ham, by Mr. Smith, gave rise to some little commotion, as did an unknown 

 geometer, taken in the Kingsland Road, by Mr. Sayers, which being sent to 

 Mr. Newman for identification, proved to be B.fuliginaria. 



In 1863, Mr. Birchall forwarded for distribution 50 specimens of Z, minos 

 and 60 of iV. zonaria, both species being then of much greater rarity than at 

 present. About this time the society acquired, at a cost of £2 5s., three 

 specimens of N. carmelita and one of A. alni, which at the time was thought 

 a very great bargain. Now also the question of the preservation of Epping 

 Eorest from the repeated enclosures being made, beajan to exercise the minds 



