11 
■regarding the destruction by insect life all over the 
world. He hardly knew how to put before them 
the enormous importance of the subject. The 
injury done in England was a mere bagatelle com¬ 
pared with what it was in other parts of the world. 
The coffee disease was a fungoid growth. An 
insect that had been extremely hurtful was a little 
burrowing moth, which burrowed inside the leaf of 
the coffee plant. In the island of Dominique the 
coffee industry was the finest in the world, but 
through that insect the industry became absolutely 
extinct. Now, however, they were again enabled, 
through such observations as Miss Ormerod made, 
to have coffee there, for they had introduced from the 
west coast of Africa a coffee which was so hard and 
tough that the insect was unable to make headway 
against it. In conclusion he again thanked Miss 
Ormerod and her sister for their services to science. 
—Mr. Whyte referred to the general idea that 
insects hadno taste, and also spoke of the destruction 
of furniture and woodwork generally by the white 
ant.—Miss Lydia Becker said that although she had 
not the honour to be a member of the Athenaeum, 
she had ventured to interpret liberally the invita¬ 
tion which a member of the council had given to 
ladies to take part in the discussion. She certainly 
wished that ladies would come forward more 
frequently on these occasions, for she was 
sure the gentlemen had no idea of the debating 
power and elegance of expression of which they 
were capable, but which their natural modesty and 
timidity prevented them from exercising. She 
thought she might speak for the gentlemen in that 
matter, and say that they would be most happy to 
welcome and listen to any ladies who would take 
part in their discussions (applause). She had great 
pleasure in being present and making the personal 
acquaintance of Miss Ormerod, whose name was 
already familiar to her. They had heard a good 
deal from her excellent paper of the injury done by 
these insects, but no remedies had been suggested 
excepting in one case, in which the remedy was 
better agriculture. In coming down that afternoon 
she bought a copy of the Echo , and saw that a 
correspondent who wrote to that paper thought 
that sparrows destroyed these injurious insects. 
They would be glad to know from Miss Ormerod 
whether sparrows really were among the farmers’ 
friends. She was afraid that with caterpillars on 
gooseberry bushes there was nothing for it but to 
have patience and pick or brush them off, as she 
used to do at one time, when she was very fond of 
