di6 



THE NATURALIST. 



nouncing that he had brought with 

 him at the last moment a few little 

 objects which he hoped the Society 

 would accept for exhibition, not on 

 account of any intrinsic worth which 

 might attach to them, but as an 

 evidence of the sincerity of his desire 

 to contribute anything which he 

 believed would be for their instruc- 

 tion or interest. These objects 

 comprise a specimen of a bird cap- 

 tured on his estate in Staffordshire, 

 and known as the Velvet Scoter 

 (Anas fiisca) a bird which was rare 

 in the midland counties, but better 

 known in the north ; also a few pho- 

 tographs not remarkable except for 

 some artistic peculiarities which he 

 pointed out, and as reprssenting a 

 happy scene at a haj)py English 

 home — his own. 



The Secretary (Mr. B. Bradley) 

 then read a short report of the pre- 

 sent state and future prospects of 

 the Society, which now numbers 

 about 100 members ; and although 

 the subscription to the Society is 

 only 4s. 'per annum, they now pos- 

 sess two Microscopes and a Library 

 of 98 volumes of Natural History 

 Works, some of them of a most ex- 

 pensive character. 



The President (Alfred Beaumont, 

 Esq.) expressed regret at the absence 

 of the Rev. Thomas Hincks, B.A., 

 of Leeds, who was announced to 

 appear, but was prevented from do- 

 ing so by indisposition : and he also 



stated thatE. A.Lea tham, Esq., M.P., 

 had been invited to be present, and 

 that he had replied by forwarding a 

 cheque for £5 in aid of the Society's 

 funds. In briefly explaining the 

 leading features of the Society, the 

 President remarked that it was ac- 

 cessible to every person, how- 

 ever humble his circumstances or 

 position. The object of the Society 

 was not so much to obtain funds as 

 to cultivate the study of Natural 

 History, 



Joseph W. Dunning, Esq., F.L.S., 

 Hon. Secretary of the Entomologi- 

 cal Society of London, then addres- 

 sed the meeting on the advantages 

 accruing from the study of Ento- 

 mology. Entomologists were not 

 now looked upon with mistrust and 

 suspicion as was formerly the case, 

 but the advantages arising from a 

 more intimate knowledge of even 

 such minute creatures as Insects 

 were felt and acknowledged by com- 

 mercial as well as scientific men. 

 Mr. Dunning adduced the deteriora- 

 tion of the silk crop, and the efforts 

 which were being made by Ento- 

 mologists to ameliorate the disease 

 in the silk worm, in support of his 

 view, and also dwelt at some length 

 upon the cause of the failure of the 

 turnip crop during the past summer. 



Leo H. Grindon, Esq., Hon. Sec. 

 of the Manchester Field Naturalists' 

 Society, also enforced upon the 

 meeting the desirability of an active 



