117 



February 24tb, 1878. 



Joseph Sidebotham, F.R.A.S., in the Chair. 



Mr. Hardy made a communication to the Section respect- 

 ing the occurrence of one of the few large bivalve mollusca 

 within the limits of the Manchester district, the species 

 in question, Unio tumidus of authors, having been observed 

 in considerable numbers in the canal at Barton, a little 

 beyond the aqueduct, and in several places between there 

 and Stretford : a few dead shells were also found in the 

 river. 



References were given to works on local conchology in 

 which no notice of this shell as an inhabitant of the district 

 was to be found. Allusion was also made to the record of 

 a, single living example of another species of the same genus, 

 the U. pictorum of Linne, in the canal near Romiley ; and 

 during the conversation which followed the reading of the 

 paper Mr. T. S. Peace announced that this latter shell had 

 3ince been collected in quantity in the same canal some 

 short distance beyond Marple; thus establishing satisfac- 

 torily the occurrence of two out of the three British species 

 of Unio, the third not being at q.11 likely to inhabit any of 

 our rivers in their present condition ; although the speci- 

 mens collected at Barton were many of them much larger 

 than others of the same species collected in more southern 

 and apparently more favourable localities, and exhibited to 

 the meeting. 



Joseph Sidebothaivi, F.R.A.S., exhibited an old micro- 

 scope sent by Mr. Rideout, and explained its construction. 

 The workmanship of the brass-work was very beautiful, 

 and the various motions and appliances much admired ; he 

 also read a letter from Mr. Dancer, who for several reasons 



