HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



'59 



continual stream of immigrants, week by week, and 

 month by month, to the eastern shores of these 

 islands, coming directly across Europe from east to 

 west, and the reverse in the spring. These im- 

 migrants are mainly composed of these common and 

 well-known species which everyy year make these 

 islands their winter quarters, and, as a rule, take the 

 place of our summer birds. They come in one broad 

 stream, but denser on some special lines or high- 

 ways than others — cutting the line of the Orkney 

 and Shetland Isles, pouring through the Pentland 

 Firth, even touching the distant Faroes ; the 

 southern wing crosses the Channel Islands, shaping 

 its course in a north-westerly direction to the 

 English coast. 



Hackney Microscopical and Natural His- 

 tory Society. — The sixth annual report of this 

 society has just been published, containing clear and 

 concise abstracts of a goodly list of papers read by 

 Messrs. J. D. Hardy, W. II. Twelvetrees, C. Upton, 

 J. E. Greenhill, Dr. R. C. Kibbler, J. T. To well, 

 F. Cole, besides the address of the President, Dr. 

 M. C. Cooke. The vitality of this society is further- 

 more shown by a capital list of papers down for 

 reading during the present session. 



The Rochester Naturalists' Club. — No. 2 of 

 the "Quarterly Record" of this society has just 

 appeared, containing original articles on " Natural 

 History Studies in the Medway," by Dr. Sorby, 

 F.R.S. ; "The Microscopic Fauna of the neighbour- 

 hood," by R. E. Banham, and " Kentish Orchids," 

 by the Rev. C. H. Fielding. There is also a good 

 collection of notes, &c. of interest. 



Lambeth Field Club. — This society holds its 

 meetings in the old Vestry Hall, Lambeth Road. 

 The past summer has been occupied with excursions 

 to Wimbledon, the Fisheries Exhibition, Mickleham, 

 High Beech, Bromley, &c, in addition to which 

 papers have been read on " Bacteria," by Mr. 

 Ramsay, F.G.S. ; "A Naturalist's Holiday," by 

 Mr. Loydell ; "The Ocean," by Mr. Baskerville ; 

 and on " Insect Development,*' by Mr. Step. There 

 are announced for the rest of the session papers as 

 follows : " Natural History Names ; their Origin and 

 Meaning," by Mr. Masters ; and a paper by Mr. 

 R. W. Bowers. One feature of the club is the 

 "Gossip Nights," which alternate between those in 

 which papers are read. 



Chester Society of Natural Science. — 

 (President, Professor T. M. Hughes, M.A.) This 

 flourishing society held its twelfth Annual Con- 

 versazione on September 27th, to which all members 

 attending the British Association meeting at South- 

 port were very cordially invited. There was a 

 capital programme, and the exhibits were of an 

 extensive and various character, illustrating every 



department of the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral 

 Kingdoms. 



Norwich " Science-Gossip Club." — The an- 

 nual report of this club, in which science and sociality 

 are happily blended, contains the address of the 

 president (Mr. J. II. Lyddon, M.R.C.S.), which 

 very succinctly condenses the numerous papers read 

 before the members during the past year. 



Conference of Delegates of Scientific 

 Societies. — The usual Conference of Delegates to 

 the British Association from the various scientific 

 societies of Great Britain was held at Southport on 

 Friday, 22nd September ; Mr. W. Whitaker, F.G.S. 

 (of the Geological Survey), being in the chair. 

 Among those present were Mr. H. G. Fordham, 

 F.G.S. (hon. sec. of the committee), Mr. T. Lister 

 (Barnsley Natural History), Mr. C. B. Hobkirk, 

 F.L.S. (Yorkshire Naturalists' Union), Dr. Muir- 

 head (Glasgow Philosophical Society), Mr. G. D. 

 Sawyer, F.R.M.S. (Brighton and Sussex Natural 

 History Society), Rev. G. Robinson (Belfast 

 Naturalists' Club), &c. After a discussion of the 

 report of the committee, which has compiled for the 

 first time a list of British scientific societies, Mr. G. D. 

 Sawyer, F.R.M.S., read a paper on "The Work 

 of Local Natural History Societies," written by Mr. 

 F. E. Sawyer, F.M.S. 



"The Scottish Naturalist." — The October 

 number of this serial, under the new editorship of 

 Professor Trail, is altogether a good one, containing 

 contributions, chiefly on Scottish Natural History, 

 from Dr. Buchanan White, Thomas Edwards, Dr. 

 Stirton, J. W. Taylor, J. W. II. Trail, Geo. Sim, 

 Dr. Mactier, the Rev. J. Stevenson, &c. 



BOTANY. 



Lancashire Botanists. — In the Biological 

 Section of the British Association, Mr. J. R. Byrom 

 gave an account of the work of the Ashton-under- 

 Lyne Biological Society, composed chiefly of work- 

 men, and explained what had been done in classifying 

 the flora and fauna of the district within a period 

 of ten years. As the result of these explorations 

 they had added two new plants to the flora of Great 

 Britain — Caulinia alaganmsis, and CJiara (coronata) 

 Braunii. Mr. Charles Bailey, F.L.S., of Manchester, 

 said Lancashire was pre-eminently the county which 

 produced the largest number of practical botanists. 

 The discoverer of the Caulinia was Mr. James Lee, 

 of Denton, one of a band of naturalists, who, in their 

 hard-earned leisure, were doing good work in their 

 district. Mr. Lee brought it to Mr. John Whitehead, 

 of Dukinfield, who, finding some unusual characters 

 in it, sent it to Mr. Bailey, who identified it as a 



