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to entomological literature which has recently appeared is 
The Natural History of ' Eristalis tenax,' " by our Fellow, 
Mr. G. B. Buckton. 
Turning to the papers that have been given to the scientific 
world during the past year, through the medium of our 
Transactions, I should like to put upon record my recognition 
of the interest which attaches to Mr. Oswald Latter's dis- 
covery of the secretion of potassium hydroxide by Dicanura 
vinula and other Lepidoptera. This is certainly one of the 
most remarkable observations in insect physiology that has 
been made of late years, and adds to the many mysteries still 
surrounding the chemical processes which go on in living 
organisms. The results will appear all the more valuable if 
we remember how few are the definite compounds which have 
as yet been isolated from the secretions of insects. In calling 
special attention to this paper I do not intend in the least 
degree to detract from the value of the numerous other com- 
munications which have been pubhshed in our Transactions ; 
it simply happens that Mr. Latter has been dealing with a 
subject in which I have of late taken great interest, viz., the 
vital synthesis of chemical compounds. Many other papers 
of general interest have been published during the year by 
our Society, and it gives me great satisfaction to be able to 
state that the twenty-two papers comprised in our annual 
volume are fairly equally divided between systematic subjects 
and subjects relating to insect bionomics, life-histories, and 
physiology. 
Among the papers not communicated to this Society and 
which have come under my notice, I may call attention to one 
on the Seasonal Dimorphism of Lepidoptera by Dr. Weis- 
mann,* who must be regarded as the first systematic in- 
vestigator in this field, and whose work has done so much to 
stimulate experimental investigation into the influence of 
temperature on lepidopterous pupae both in this country as 
well as in America and Germany. One other paper, a con- 
tribution to the physiology of insect pigments, appears to me 
of sufficient interest to merit serious consideration by ento- 
* Zool. Jahrb. Bd. VIII. Abdruck : Jena, Gustav Fischer, 1895. 
