168 
THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
who thus included in his “ramble” some very heterogeneous species, and he 
went on to introduce his hearers to the giant trees of California, the stories 
about which, like the trees themselves, are often very “ tall.” After this, Mr. 
Holden related a number of legends and superstitions about trees. The 
ancients believed that the bay tree was never struck by lightning, and at the 
present day there was a tree with a similar attribute in Mexico. In this coun¬ 
try it was a common idea that when the oak leafed before the ash, a fine sum¬ 
mer was assured. Mr. Holden then gave a very lucid account of the steaming 
and bending processes to which wood was subjected to fit it for various human 
purposes, and both of these processes were experimentally demonstrated to the 
audience. As the new session of the club (the 47th) will shortly commence, it 
is now a favourable time for any naturalists desirous of becoming members, to 
send in their names to the Secretary, Mr. Charles H. Dedman, 1, Cavour St., 
Kennington Park Road, s.E. The annual subscriprion is 6 - (entrance fee 1 /-)- 
Meetings are held on the first and third Mondays in each month, at 8 p.m., 
from October to March inclusive, and the first Monday only during the re¬ 
mainder of the year. Outings take place in the summer, and visits to museums, 
etc., in the winter, and there are reference collections of mollusca, minerals, 
etc., and a circulating library attached to the Club. Occasionally extra 
courses of lectures on special subjects are delivered, admittance to such being 
free to members. 
Hastings and St. Leonards Natural History Society. —The first 
field day was on Easter Monday, March 26th. About 20 members met at the 
Memorial, Hastings, their destination being Pett Level, a tract of marsh land 
to the east of Fairlight Hill. After a pleasant drive of about five miles, a halt 
was made at Guestling Rectory, to view the splendid collection of lepidoptera, 
possessed by the Rev. E. N. Bloomfield, F.E.S., one of the vice-presidents of 
the society, which gave rise to a lively discusssion on the subject of protective 
mimicry, as exhibited by the lappet moth (B. quercifolia ), the buff tip (P . 
bucephala ), etc. The party then returned to the waggonettes and proceeded 
through the village of Pett to the Ship Inn which is built almost on the beach 
itself, where several members who had preferred to walk joined the company. 
The members then took a short ramble across the marsh until 1.30, when they 
returned to the inn and sat down to the excellent cold luncheon provided by 
Mr. Keillick. In the dining room a splendid stuffed specimen of the spoonbill 
(. Platalea leucorodia ) attracted the admiration of the ornithologists. Luncheon 
over, the members broke up into small groups to follow their own particular 
studies. Amongst the captures were—four grass snakes ( Tropidonotus natrix) 
an adder ( Pelias Berus), in the process of changing its skin, and a fine mole ; 
the entomologists I believe had a good list of captures, thecoleopterists having 
been very busy in the pools and ditches searching for water beetles. At 6 p.m., 
a start was made for home and, after an enjoyable drive in the beautiful spring 
evening the Memorial was reached at 7.45, when the party dispersed ; all very 
well satisfied with their first field day. A very successful meeting w r as held on 
Thursday, April 5th, at 8 p.m., in the Museum, Brassey Institute, over forty 
members being present. The chair was taken by Mi. T. H. Cole, Brit. Arch. 
Asso, a vice-president of the society who in his opening remarks referred to 
the field day held an Easter Monday and expressed his pleasure at seeing that 
so many members had taken part in it. The evening was devoted to the 
inspection of microscopes, slides, andspecimens, and to social conversation. Some 
fine instruments were on exhibition, including two belonging to the Museum, 
one to Mr. A. G. Alletsee, M.C.S., and one to Mr. J. Lockey. The secretary 
stated that the membership roll had now reached 130, which was exceedingly 
satisfactory considering the short time the society had been in existence. 
Among the exhibits was a fine, locally taken, clutch of two eggs of the night¬ 
jar ( CaprimuJgus europceus) shown by Mr. Field.—L. A. Curtis Edwards. 
Hastings and St. Leonards Natural History Society.—A t a 
meeting of this society on March 29th, a very interesting paper was read by 
