REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 71 



Reports 0f S0riet}es. 



BIKMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.— 

 January 31st.— Meeting of the Gkologiial Section. — Mr. Thomas Bolton 

 exhibited a curious Caddis Worm in a chitinous sheath. Mr. F. T. S. Houuhtou, 

 M.A., F.G.S., read an interesting paper on " The Cambridge Coprolite Beds." 

 These beds lie between tlie Upper Gault and the Chalk Marl, and were formerly 

 thought to represent the Upper Greensand. They consist of a sandy matrix, 

 coloured green by grains of glauconite, and containing about ten per cent, of the 

 so-called coprolites. These are in reality nodules, consisting of casts or concre- 

 tions, often with sponge spicules or other organisms as nuclei. The deposit is 

 being extensively excavated for the sake of the iihosphatic nodules, which are 

 very useful for agi'icultural purposes. The organic remains ai'e partly derived 

 and partly indigenous. The derived fossils are much broken and worn, and are 

 principally characteristic of the Gault. The indigenous species appear to 

 belong to the age of the Chalk Marl. It seems probaljle that after the Gault was 

 deposited it underwent considerable denudation, the clay being washed away, 

 and the fossils and nodules left on the surface. These were afterwards covered 

 by the Chalk Marl and mingled with the remains of that period. The paper was 

 illustrated by numerous maps, diagi'ams, and specimens, and was followed by a 

 brief discussion. February 7.— The Annual Meeting was held at Mason College, 

 the president, Mr. Edward W. Badger, in the chair. The Committee presented an 

 encouraging and interesting report of the proceedings for the past year, which, 

 with the treasurer's accounts, was unanimously received and adopted. Ml*. 

 Badger then delivered an address " On the work of Natural Historj' Societies." 

 which, together with the Committee's Re]iort, was ordered to be printed and 

 circulated among the members. The following officers for the ensuing year 

 were then elected : — President, J. Levick ; Vice-Presidents, T. H.Waller, B.A., B.Sc, 

 W. G. Blatch ; Ex-Presidents (who are Vice-Presidents), Edward W. Badger, W. 

 Southall, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., W. P. Marshall, M.LC.E., A. W. Wills; Treasurer, 

 Charles Pumphrey ; Librarian, James E. Bagnall ; Curators, R. M. Lloyd and 

 H. Miller ; Secretary of Biological Section, J. F. Goode ; Secretary of Geological 

 Section, J. F. Goode ; Honorary Secretaries, John Morley and W. B. Grove, B.A. 

 February 14th— Biological Section.— Mr. A. W. Wills was elected chairman 

 and Mr. J. F. Goode secretary for the ensuing year. Mr. Bolton exhibited a 

 curious parasitic gi-owth in and around a desmid (Closterium), which was 

 believed by Mr. Wills to be a low form of unicellular algre, probably a form of 

 Chytridium, distinguished by Pringsheim under the name of Pythium, the 

 cells of which are globular, and occur in the infected alga?, pushing a long 

 tubular ueck out through the cell-wall. Mr. Blatch exhibited 0.ri/teliis fiih-ijjes, 

 a rare and very local beetle, recently found in Sutton Park, the only other 

 English locality for the species being Needwood Forest. Also a number of rare 

 coleoptera from Sutton Park. Mr. R. W. Chase exhibited Ampelis ga)-rulu,<i 

 (female), the waxwing, shot at Rednall, January .jOth, 1882. Mr. W. B. Grove 

 exhibited two 'Myxomycetes—Eneythoiema elegans. Bowman, a very rare and 

 cni-ious species, and Phi/saru)ii cinereum, Batsch, — both from Sutton ; the 

 Plasmodium of the latter was observed for three weeks previously creeping in 

 various directions over a rotten stump and frequently changing its position.— 

 Mr. Pumphrey e.\hil)ited AetinopJn-ijs Sol. Mr. E. de Hamel read a paper on 

 "Beavers and the Bute Beavery," which will be printed in the "Midland 

 Naturalist." The paiier was illustrated by diagi'ams jirepared by Mr. de Hamel, 

 with chips of wood cut from the pine trees, a bundle of deal slivei'S which com- 

 posed their bedding, and skulls, kindly lent for the evening by Professor 

 Bridge. A unanimous vote of thanks was accorded to the reader. — 

 MicKOSCOPicAL General Meeting.— February 21.— Mr. J. E. Bagnall exhibited 

 Erica Watsoni and Pinguicula grandiflora , from Cornwall ; Amini majits, 

 Echitwxpermiiin Lnppiitn, Aiiinninfhit.s irtrnrlcrii^. and Mnlva borcdliK, from 

 near Kenilworth ; and several mosses. Mr. W. B. Grove exhibited a Vaucheria 

 (probably sessUis), gi-owing on damp soil, and tlie Plasmodium of a Trichia (a 



