190 KEPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 



—General Meeting. July 4tb. Mr. S. Wilkins exhibited Merulius lacrymans, 

 the " Dry-rot Fungus." Mx-. W. B. Grove exhibited Polyporus betuHnus, the 

 birch Polyporus, from a dead tree at Harborne, and ion behalf of Mr. C. E. 

 Rohinaon) ^mhaUuinsejjticuiii, tha " lowers of tan," fi-oiu a tree at Edgbastou. 

 Mr. J. Levick exhibited Lophopus crijstaltinua, from Barnt Green. Mr. J. 

 Kabone exhibited (on behalf of Mr. .J. Edwards) an abnormal proliferous I'ose, 

 the centre of which was metamorphosed into three or four distinct but un- 

 developed branches, each bearing many rose-buds. — Biological, Skction. 

 July lltli. Mr. Wagstaffe e.xhibited an abundant su))ply of Cosnuirium hotrijtis, 

 in conjugation, from near Quinton. — Microscopical General Meeting. July 

 18th. Mr. J. Morley exhibited Pi/rola mi nor, from Scotland, and Orohanche 

 Hedene from Conway Castle. Mr. W. B. Gi-ove exhibited three fungi : Chon- 

 driodennu Michelii (a Myxomycete) on straw, I'rocijstiK pompholygodes, on 

 Kanunculus, and Cvleosporiuin tusnilaginis, on Coltsfoot. Mr. S. Wilkins ex- 

 hibited the imago of a large Dragon-fly (JEschna affinis), female, which emei'ged 

 on July 1.5th, with the four preceding moults shed this year (reared in a small 

 aquarium). Mr. Bagnall exhibited ion behalf of Mr. R. W. Chase) a large number 

 of maritime plants, sent by him from Hunstanton, Norfolk. Mr. W. bouthall 

 exhibited two plants with proliferous growth, Allium vineale and Euphorbia 

 cyparissias. 



BIRMINGHAM MICROSCOPISTS^ AND NATURALISTS' UNION.— June 

 5th. Free Public Lecture, " South Staffordshire Coalfield," by Mr. L. Percival. 

 A collection of fossil ferns was shown by Mr. H. Insley. — June l'2th. Micro- 

 scopical AND General Night. Mr. J. W. Neville exhibited microscopical 

 section of Astromyelon and peculiar woody tissue, from coal measures; Mr. H 

 Insley, Stigmaria (Fossil) and transverse and vertical section of the same under 

 microscope ; Mr. Dunn, transverse section of Fern stem from coal measures ; 

 Mr. Boland, Helix Nemoralis and its love darts, also Helix Concinna from 

 Evesham.— June 19th. Microscopical and General. Mr. Bradbury exhibted 

 an abnormal gi'owth of Wallflower, in which nineteen stems had grown 

 together, forming a broad blade-like stem, giving off leaves on each side, and 

 flowers at the apex. The stems could be distinctly counted by the nodes at 

 which leaves were given off. Mr. Betteridge exhibited a collection of common 

 birds shot by himself in the neighbourhood, and the walking stick gun 

 by which they were shot. — June 2Gtli. Mr. J. A. Neville exhibited Phlota 

 plumosa; Mr. Sanderson, Marchantia polymorpha in fruit; Mr. Darley, 

 Bordered White Moth, Sutton Park. A paper was read by Mr. Deakiu, 

 " Notes on Parasites of Lepidoptera." The paper was illustrated by a 

 collection on pupa; and images, and the infesting parasites from various moths 

 and butterflies. Mr. Darley showed ovipositor and proboscis of Ichneumeon 

 Fly, Oj3?ito« J<(fe!//;i, and proboscis of a dipterous parasite, found preying upon 

 various Lepidoptera. Mr. J. W. Neville e.xhibited skin of larva of Emperor Moth, 

 which had been pierced by Ichneumeon Fly. 



BANBURYSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY AND FIELD CLUB.— 

 May 30th. — Evening walk to Wro.xton to collect Microzoa. Some flue 

 specimens of the polyzoon — Pliimatella repens (exhibited at the June Meeting 

 by Mr. E. A. Walfordi— were procured, also many fine Desmids. The rarest 

 species was the minute Dinobryon sertularia. June 3rd. — Excursion to Fenny 

 Compton and Avon Dassett. Dog Roses {Rosa canina), Woodbine {Lonicera 

 periclymennmK and Spindle Tree (Euonymun Europceus) were noticed in bloom 

 on Hardwick Hill. At Farnborough Hill the botanists found the rare evergi-een 

 Alkanet iAiichusa sempervirens) in some abundance. The spoil banks formed by 

 the opeuing of the canal tunnel were then visited, and some of the ordinary 

 fossils of the Jamesoni zone of the middle Lias (Grypha'a obliqua, Pholadomya, 

 Pecten, Lima, Spiriferina verrucosa. Waldheimia numismatis, and numerous 

 Belemnites) were collected. The bank of E. & W. J. Railway was then taken, and 

 the bands of argillaceous limestone crowded with fossils, and the lines of clay- 

 stone nodules so characteristic of the beds noticed. Rain now coming on 



