11 
Katcha, and Alma, which we crossed on the way, and at the second I observed 
some going in and out of holes in the high banks over the river, evidently their 
nests. At times they would hang upon the wing without any apparent motion.'* 
In the young birds the colours are said to be not nearly so brilliant as in the adult. 
A first year's bird, described by Mr.Yarrel, had the top of its head green, no reddish 
colour on the back, and no black round the neck, the tail feathers being all of 
the same length, whereas in the adult the central pair of feathers extend beyond 
the others. The female may be distinguished from the males by the paler hue of 
the reddish yellow on the throat. 
I am aware that I have been able to bring forward very little that is new with 
respect to the natural history of this beautiful bird, my only reason for bringing 
it forward at all being Mr. Leipner's representation that the occurrence of such a 
splendid addition to our local fauna should not be passed over without some notice 
of it being brought before the society. 
The Chairman observed that the Society would have been much 
obliged to Mr. Harding, for showing his beautiful stuffed specimens, even 
if he had not read his interesting notes. 
Mr. Harding, in reply to inquiries, remarked that the Bee-eater has a 
chirping note but no song. It eats on the wing, destroying wasps and 
even hornets, and swallowing bees entire. 
Mr. Leipner observed with regard to the bee's sting, he should judge 
of it by its effects on ourselves, and he thought the true explanation of 
the immunity of the bird from injury would be found in the horny nature 
of its bill, tongue and mouth. 
The Chairman thought Mr. Harding's suggestion the most probable. 
Mr. W. L. Carpenter thought that the poison would be innocuous, as 
it would not enter the blood without undergoing a change, and that as to 
the mechanical parts of the sting, such as the barb, they would inevitably 
be crushed by the powerful bill of the bird. 
Mr. E. Willoughby then read a paper on Captain Schultze's White 
Gunpowder. 
After describing the various ancient weapons of war and their gradual 
improvement, the author went on to speak of ordinary Gunpowder. 
This is a chemical mixture of nitre, charcoal, and sulphur, in empirical and 
varying proportions, but usually approaching those represented by the formula* 
2(No. 5 ,KO) a -f-3C-4-SL, or two atoms of nitrate of potassa to three of carbon and 
one of sulphur. On ignition these may be said to form 3 (CO a ) + 2N + KS 3 , or 
three atoms of carbonic acid gas and two of nitrogen gas, leaving one atom of solid 
sulphide of potassium ; but in reality the decomposition is far too complex to be 
represented by an equation. To insure the desired decomposition the ingredients 
must be uniformly mixed into a properly homogeneous mass, and on the mechanical 
form of the resulting compound depends the rapidity with which the decomposition 
takes place. The denser the mass the slower will be the combustion. 
