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The 2nd International Symposium on Trichoptera was held at the University of Reading, England, 25-29 July 1977. It attracted 68 participants from 22 countries, which was a gratifying response to the circulation of about 250 workers on caddis­ flies. It was H. MALICKY who appreciated the need for a specialized meeting of this kind and organized the 1st International Symposium on Trichoptera, which was held at Lunz am See, Austria, 16-20 September 1974. This volume of Proceedings includes 38 papers; all except one were presented and discussed in the sessions listed in the programme. The papers were given in a lecture theatre of the Palmer Building, and demonstrations were laid out in a laboratory of the Department of Zoology where members met for their mprning and afternoon breaks. Members were accommodated in St Patrick's Hall, one of the University Halls of Residence. They were the guests of the University at an informal reception on 25 July. On the afternoon of 27 July an excursion was made to the River Lambourn at Bagnor near NeWbUry. This chalk stream has been the subject of an ecological study by a team from the Department of Zoology since 1970. The excursion was also an opportunity to see something of the local caddis fauna, and to do some collecting. The final session on 29 July, under the chairmanship of G. B. WIGGINS, was followed by a discussion on future plans.

G.P. MORETTI The Triennial Symposium of Trichoptera would seem to have become a regular event on the calendar. Initiated by Prof. Malicky at Lunz in Austria in 1974, they continued at Reading in England in 1977 (Convenor: Dr M.I. Crichton), the last, this year, took place in Perugia, Italy (Convenor: Prof. G.P. Moretti) and the next will be hosted by Dr J.C. Morse in Clemson, U.S.A. in 1983. The most outstanding points of the 3rd International Symposium on Trichoptera held at Perugia from July 28 to August 2, 1980 were I) the high number of participants; 2) the extent, scientific interest and coverage of the papers presented and 3) the warmth and immediate contact which drew everyone together from the first moment. Twenty-one nations (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czechoslavakia, Denmark, France, Germany-F.G.R., Germany-G.D.R., Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States) were represented by a total of 63 trichopterologists who presented 54 papers and 8 posters during in 8 sessions chaired by M.I. Crichton, H. Malicky, A. Nielsen, O. Flint, L.

When we offered to host the 5th International Symposium on Trichoptera in Lyon in July 1986, we knew that for us the great Adventure was about to begin. On that July morning in 1983 in Clemson (South Carolina), we could only dimly imagine what the future held in store. One of the worst moment came, in fact, when we were told by th official scientific authorities that no subsidies would be forthcoming. This refusal meant that we would be unable to give any financial help to those colleagues with only modest means at their disposal. Let us hope that the publication of the Proceedings will convince certain French scientists, and the powers that be, that the study of Trichoptera represents a valid and exciting field of research. The American raid on Tripoli, which did not at the time seem to have any link with Trichoptera, threatened to act as a deterrent as far as the North American participants were concerned. However, the fears expressed by some of our colleagues (and not without reason, when we consider the series of terrorist attacks later carried out in France) were soon allayed, although the organisers of the Congress must confess to having kept a discreet eye open for any suspicious brown paper parcels or unattended luggage.

In past years there have been several unsuccessful attempts to arrange a symposium on Trichoptera. Letters from fellow workers suggested that now might be an appropriate time, and that a symposium should be held in Lunz. Today it is clear that large congresses are losing their value because of the difficulty of attending all relevant lectures and of finding colleagues. In consequence, small symposia for specialist groups are becoming increasingly important. As I felt that the success of such a symposium must depend on the suggestions from its potential members, I sent out in April 1973, together with a first circular, a questionnaire, asking for opinions on time and length of the symposium, numbers of participants, types of communication, interests within Trichopterology, and lan­ guages which should be used. The majority of answers suggested the following: The number of participants should be between 20 and 50, and the duration, excluding excursions, should be three to five days; main interests were in ecology and systematics, but there were also interests in physiology, behaviour, zoogeography, morphology, cytotaxonomy and evolution. There was a clear preference for local excursions. Languages should be English, French and German, with a preference for English. The symposium should consist of both formal papers and informal progress reports, with adequate time for discussion. The arrangements have therefore been based on these results.