GLEANINGS REPORTS, 119 



Mr. Charles Darwix, the greatest of naturalists, died on Wednesday, 

 the 19th ultimo, in his 74th year, and was buried on the Wednesday 

 following in Westminster Abbey, close to the spot where Sir Isaac 

 Newton was buried in 1727. The funeral was attended by such numbers 

 of the representative men of the time, of all classes and shades of 

 opinion, as showed in the most decisive manner the national apprecia- 

 tion of the claims of Mr. Darwin as a man and as a philosopher. In our 

 next number we hope to present our readers with a woodcut portrait of 

 the great naturalist, reproduced from the exquisite medal cut by Mr. 

 Moore for the "Darwin Prize,"' which is open to members of the 

 ^lidland Union of Natural History Societies. 



Sir Herewali) Wake's Prize. — We remind our Entomological 

 readers of the prize offered by the ex-President of the Midland Union 

 for " The best original Essay on the Life History of any one Genus of 

 Insects indigenous to the Midland Counties, written by a member of 

 one of the Societies in the Union." The essays should be sent without 

 delay to Sir Herewald Wake, Bart., Courteen Hall, Northampton. 



Ilfports of ^otietics. 



BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.- - 

 Geological Section. — March 28th. Mr. W. Han-isou exhibited a fine speeimeu 

 of pseudomorphous salt crj-stals from the red marl at Yardley. Mr. W. J. 

 Harrison, F.G.S., gave an interesting lecture on " The Quartzite Pebbles in the 

 Drift." TheSe hard pebbles of various colours are very common iu the midland 

 counties of England, where they are used for road paving and repairing. They 

 appear to have been derive 1 from the pebble beds of the Bunter Conglomerate, 

 one of the lower divisions of the Trias formation. This is, however, still doubted 

 by some geologists, though the weight of evidence seems to be iu its favour. 

 The lecturer then proceeded to discuss the various theories which have been 

 propounded to account for the first origin of these pebbles. Mr. Hull, of the 

 Geological Survey, considered that they were brought from the Old Red Con- 

 glomerates of Scotland ; but the distance is very gi'eat, and a recent investiga- 

 tion of the latter has shown that the fossils in the quartzites are very different 

 to those in this neighbourhood. Professor Bouney ascribes them to currents 

 from the north-west of Scotland, basing his theory principally on microscopical 

 examination. Others think that they came from Normandy, where the I'ocks 

 are found in situ with similar fossils to those found in the pebbles of the 

 drift. Similar fossils occur in great immbers in the jjebble beds at 

 Budleigh Salterton, iu Devonshire. The Rev. P. B. Brodie advanced the 

 opinion that they were due to a former land surface of older rocks which 

 ran like a barrier across England. The lecturer adopted this view, and 

 ably supported it by numerous facts and arguments, pointing out that 

 the old rocks of Charuwood Forest, Malvern Hills, and the Wrekin appear to be 

 remains of this ancient reef, and also tliat deep borings have proved the ju'esence 

 of bosses of these Paheozoic formations under the newer beds. In the discus- 

 sion which ensued other evidence in support of this view were adduced. The 

 lecture was illustrated by many maps and diagrams, and by numerous 

 specimens, princii^ally from the Drift Beds at Moseley, including some excep- 

 tionally well-preserved and unique specimens of Limjida Lesueuri. — April 4th. 

 Ml-. R. W. Chase exhibited Lants miniitus, the Little Gull, and Phalaropics 

 fu'iicarius, the Grey Phalarope. ISIr. J. Levick made a few remarks on the pro- 

 gress of the Society's work during the past year, in which he mentioned the 

 increased energy displayed iu the study of tishes, birds, and fungi, and 

 enumerated still un worked fields, iu which rich harvests might be gathered. 

 Dr. .J..\nthouy, F,R.C.P„ exhibited and described about ton kinds of pocket magni- 



