MEETINGS AND SOCIALS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16268, 19 July 1918, Page 5

MEETINGS AND SOCIALS.

| YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIETY. St. Pool's Young People's Society fold it* fortnightly meeting on Tuesday,' when a lecture was given by the Bev. John Patereon, on "Light on the Monuments of tho Old Teaiament." The lecture was most interesting, and much enjoyed by all present. •Mr Smellie, in thanking r Peterson, expressed the hope that, as suggested, he would be able to give a course of leotures on the eame subject daring nexl winter.. , . . . - MICROSCOPICAIi SOCIETY. An interesting lecture on crabs was given to members of-tho Microscopical Society by Dr. Chilton last evening. . Dr. Chilton said a> crab was not a fish, it was not even a shellfish. He explained its anatomy, and showed Now Zealand Bptcimens, illustrations, grams, and' lantern slides of crabs. Dealing with the reproduction o£ crabs. Dr. Chilton stated that a crab '6J inches in length"'had 400,000 eggs attached to it, another of»the same sise had 750,000 eggs, a crab of 5 16.16 inches had 1,010,000, eggs, and another of 7 IMS inches 8,000,000 eggs. Dealing, with .the migration of crabs he stated that' investigations made at Home showed that in the spring time the; came into shallow waters, and in the winter went into deeper watersNo definite decline in the number of crabs at Home had been noted. There was an-im-portant crab industry in Europe, but in New Zealand ths crabs were not sufficiently-large for food nses. At Partobello imported'crabs hod been released* but none recaptured. There was, of course, a lucrative trad* in- New- Zealand in connexion with crayfish. In .'Gaps Colony crayfish were being tinned, and . there was no reason why the same should not be done in Now Zosland.