PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 299 
general and connected view of its scientific transactions. The 
details having been rendered familiar to all our members by the 
regularly printed abstracts, do not require to be further dwelt on. 
Your Council cannot, however, refrain from pointing with the 
liveliest satisfaction to these evidences of sound and steady ad- 
vance to a high, scientific position, which must be a matter of 
earnest congratulation to all concerned. 
“ They feel, moreover, that the society may now take another 
and very important step in its onward career, and to this they 
would beg to direct especial attention. 
“In the April meeting of this year, your Hon. Secretary ex- 
pressed his views and wishes in regard to the accomplishment of 
a complete history of the Geology, Paleontology, Mineralogy, 
Botany, and Zoology of our locality, and as far as might be 
possible, its entire collective natural history, including the highest 
and lowest forms of animal and vegetable life. A work of such 
large dimensions, and requiring such assiduous labour, can be 
surmounted only by the combined and continuous efforts of many 
naturalists qualified by previous experience and exactitude of 
knowledge in various departments; a work, however, worthy 
of their united powers, and offering great opportunities and a 
high reward. It must be a source of just pride to the society, 
that it can feel able, as well as willing, to undertake so important 
a work, and that it can look forward with confidence to its com- 
pletion in due time. The society has, however, fairly committed 
itself to this undertaking with full faith in the powers of many 
distinguished members, and with the praiseworthy determination 
to carry out their resolve to the best of their ability. At the 
last meeting, your Council was entrusted with the arrangements 
necessary for working out this scheme, and preparations are 
already being made. A careful study of details is, however, re- 
quisite, and the amount of work before the society appears to 
increase daily, as each detail passes under consideration.” 
BirMineHam Naturat History Association. 
MICROSCOPICAL SECTION. 
Mr. Tuomas Fippran in the Chair. 
July 12th.—Mr. Davies read his paper on the Entomostraca, 
commencing by stating that he should only describe the most 
common species. He passed on to give an account of that in- 
teresting creature Cyclops quandricornis ; showed, by the aid of 
diagrams, the different stages through which the young pass 
before arriving at its mature state. 
The Canthocamptus minutus claimed attention, but being in 
many respects so similar to the first described animal, was soon 
