CultRESPONDENCE. 



31 



effects produced. Tlie chair was 

 occupied by Dr. Alcock, and an 

 address was given in the early part 

 of the evening by Mr. R. Holland, 

 on ** The Spring Phenomena of 

 Plant Life." 



Wakefield Naturalists' Society. — 

 The usual fortnightly meeting of 

 the above society was held on the 

 5th inst. Specimens of the whole 

 of the flowers in bloom, in this dis- 

 trict, were laid on the table. The 

 larvae of L. monacha, T. cratsegi, 

 D. cseruleocephala, and P. populi 

 were exhibited by Mr. Talbot. A 

 large collection of shells beautifully 

 mounted was shewn by Mr. Lunn. 

 Mr. Hebden exhibited several dis- 

 torted shells which aptly illustrated 

 the readiness with which nature 

 remedies casual injuries. *' Nature 

 made Paper" was shewn by Mr. 

 Willis, which he had taken from a 

 pond at Hickleton, near Doncaster ; 

 he also exhibited the femur of a 

 rabbit which had been broken and 

 afterwards, in a most curious man- 

 ner, had grown together again ; the 

 muscles of the leg having contracted, 

 drawing the end of the lower part of 

 the femur half an inch beyond that 

 of the upper part, and in this 

 position the sides had grown 

 together, with the sharp jagged 

 ends projecting on each side. 

 Arrangements were made at the 

 beginning of the year for the 

 reading, by the members, of a series 



of original papers on scientific sub- 

 jects. An interesting paper was read 

 this evening by Mr. 0x1 ey, on the 

 ''Fructification of Flowering Plants." 



To the Editors of the Naturalist. 



Gentlemen, — Would you be kind 

 enough to allow me a small space in 

 your Journal, to say a few words to 

 the more enthusiastic Cryptogamic 

 Botanists, in reference to the dis- 

 covery of mosses new to this neigh- 

 bourhood. It must be borne in 

 mind that up to the present time, 

 there has been no channel through 

 which these communications could 

 be made by scientific men, either in 

 Botany or any other branch of 

 Natural History. 



The desideratum being now sup- 

 plied, facilities are afforded for the 

 better cultivation of what has hitherto 

 been somewhat neglected. That 

 this is a rich neighbourhood for the 

 Cryptogamic Botanist no one can 

 doubt who has paid any attention 

 to that study, and I trust that in a 

 short time those gentlemen who have 

 devoted much time to this delightful 

 study, will furnish the readers of 

 this Journal with the fruit of their 

 labours, in the form of lists for the 

 benefit of those less acquainted with 

 the subject. I was informed the 

 other day by a botanical friend, that 

 two mosses had lately been found 

 new to this neighbourhood, but on 

 making further enquiries I found 



