PROCEEDINGS OP SOCIETIES. 
259 
Mr. Thomas Palmer, B.Sc., read a paper, entitled “ An Introduction 
to the Study of Evergreens, by means of the Micro-spectroscope” 
(which will be found printed at p. 224). The subject was illus- 
trated by drawings, and by solutions of the various colouring matters 
and products referred to in the paper, exhibited under the micro- 
spectroscope. 
The President, in conveying the thanks of the meeting to 
Mr. Palmer for his paper, expressed the pleasure which he felt at 
finding that the results of the experiments detailed so fully confirmed 
his own, which wore made some time ago, and which turned out to 
be so different from what he had previously expected. The associa- 
tion of wax or oil with the chlorophyll was of groat interest, and he 
considered it doubtful if anyone had ever seen chlorophyll in its pure 
condition ; what they called the colouring matter of leaves was, he 
believed, a mixture of wax or oil with a substance which had never 
yet been isolated. He was inclined to differ from Krauss as to the 
chlorophyll being dissolved, and he thought it of much importance to 
notice that the band which they got from the fluid was in a different 
position from that which was seen when it was evaporated to dryness. 
There was perhaps hardly any subject more difficult to deal with, 
and he was very glad indeed to find that it was beginning to receive 
more attention. 
Mr. Palmer expressed his entire concurrence with the observations 
of the President, and hoped that others might bo induced to take up 
the study — where they wanted most workers was in the case of young 
leaves. Ho had on one occasion made a solution of arbutus leaves 
when quite young, and found it most difficult to fill the tubes owing 
to the excessive quantity of wax which he found to exist in decreas- 
ing proportions as the leaves increased in age, and as the quantity of 
wax decreased there was a decrease also in the nature of the colouring 
matter. 
A paper by Mr. F. A. Bedwell, “ On the Building Apparatus of 
Melicerta ringens,” was read by the Secretary. It was illustrated by 
some excellent drawings, two of which were enlarged upon the black- 
board by Mr. G. Stewart. 
The President moved a vote of thanks to the author of the paper, 
which ho felt sure must have been highly interesting to all who took 
an interest in these remarkable organisms. The process of dis- 
criminating between what was and what was not proper material, 
which had been so well described in the paper, reminded him very 
much of the arrangement for sorting out the heavy and light sove- 
reigns by the machine at the Mint. 
Mr. Slack, in reply to a question from the President, said 
it was impossible to do justice to such a paper without reading 
it very carefully through, and collecting fresh specimens for ex- 
amination. 
Mr. Ingpcn said that the shape of the pellets varied very much. 
In specimens which ho used to get at Barnes Common they were 
made of a perfectly Mime-bullet shape. In confinement the pellets 
were generally made flatter, but by supplying the creatures with 
