KEPORTS OE MEETINGS. 
79 
number of individuals existing, except perhaps in very hot 
and dry summers. Propagation, however, is ensured by 
vegetative process through winter-buds developed at the 
ends of the branches. But, while flowers must always be 
greatly desired for determination, as it is possible to recog- 
nize the respective members of the family by foliage charac- 
ters alone, peaty ditches can be raked in the autumn and 
specimens that seem to grovel in the mud below the water 
can be obtained, whose presence would otherwise remain 
unsuspected on account of the lack of flowers. 
The bladders were formerly considered to be air receptacles 
and supposed to exist for the purpose of floating the plant 
on the surface of the water at the flowering period. Wither- 
ing indeed, 120 years ago, noted that the bladders contained 
fluid with only a small bubble of air, and that this liquid 
“ greatly magnified appeared to contain a quantity of 
minute solid particles.” But it was not until 1876 that Dar- 
Avin in Insectivorous Plants ^ shoAved that the bladders were 
really pitchers or traps adapted for the capture of crustaceans 
and other minute creatures whose bodies are digested and 
assimilated by the plants. In this way is compensated the 
deficiency of nitrogenous food which results from an entire 
absence of roots in this genus. The bladders, in fact, carry 
on some of the alimentary functions that are performed by 
roots in other plants. 
JAS. W. WHITE. 
ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION. 
o 
HREE meetings only were held during 1901, viz. 
A January. 8. Mr. H. J. Charbonnier read an inter- 
esting paper upon the flight of insects, illustrated by dia- 
grams which showed that the motion of the wings was 
