THE ANNUAL MEETING 
141 
mass of minute seedlings, smelling very strongly of peppermint, 
and expressed the belief that they were seedlings of peppermint. 
He looked the matter up, but without result, not one book giving 
a figure of what the seedlings of peppermint were like. Collec- 
tions of plants did not, as a rule, contain seedlings. lie knew 
some that did, and it made them far more interesting. He 
would add a suggestion to those offered by their President. It 
was not necessary to collect in order to study living things. If 
they wanted to study a life-history the commonest plant would 
serve just as well as the rarest — perhaps better. There was, 
therefore, no necessity to root up rarities if they wanted subjects 
of study. There were plenty of plants to be found everywhere. 
There was a considerable danger in the multiplication of private 
collectors if the collector was always to suffer from the mania 
of a want of rarities, attaching great importance to an animal 
or a plant because it was rare. They might remember that 
there were some people to come after us, and we did not want 
to see the British fauna and flora reduced for our successors. 
Mr. Avenell formerly seconded the vote of thanks, and it was 
carried with acclamation. 
The President having briefly expressed his acknowledg- 
ments, the thanks of the Society were, on the proposition of 
Mr. Webb, seconded by Professor Hulme, and supported by 
the President, accorded to the Civil Service Commissioners for 
their kindness in lending the use of their building for the 
occasion. 
Professor Bertram H. Bentley, M.A., F.L.S., then delivered 
a lecture on “ Flowers and their Insect Visitors.” After defining 
a flower as an arrangement found in certain plants to ensure the 
production of fertile seeds, he explained the process of pollination 
by the wind, and indicated how cross-pollination is affected by 
bees, butterflies and other insects. He pointed out that certain 
flowers, such as the foxglove and the honeysuckle, were so 
formed that they could only be entered by certain insects, and 
that in many cases they were provided with what he termed 
“ path finders.” In illustration of his remarks a number of 
particularly good photographs were thrown on to a screen by 
means of a lantern, showing Hazel, Willow, Lords-and-ladies, 
Wood Anemones, Foxgloves, Snowdrops, Honeysuckle, and 
other well-known blossoms. Anent the honeysuckle, the lec- 
turer alluded, amid some laughter, to the popular song asso- 
ciating it with the bee, and remarked that while the latter did 
occasionally visit this particular bloom, it had very little to do 
with its pollination. 
A vote of thanks to Prof. Bentley was proposed by the Rev. 
Prof. Henslow and carried unanimously. 
Subsequently a second lecture was given by Mr. Fred Knock, 
F.L.S., F.E.S., who, with the assistance of some sixty excellent 
slides of insect life in natural colours, taken by himself on the 
Sanger-Shepherd process, told of ‘‘ Nature’s Protection of Insect 
