REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 191 



heavily the visit to Avon Dassett was not attended with much advantage. June 

 5th.— Monthly Meeting.— Mr. T. Beesley, F.C.S., President, in the chair. The 

 President read his Meteorological Report for .\pril and May. Mean height of 

 barometer for .Vpril, reduced to 32-, '29348 in. : .highest 30'040 in. on tlie 8th, 

 lowest 28'774 on the 28th. Mean temperature 4G'7'^ (1 above average), ma.ximuni 

 on the 21st G3 . minimum on the IGth 32 . Rain on nineteen days amounting to 

 4 inches. Mean height of barometer for May, 29'687 in. : highest, 17th, ,30'145 in., 

 lowest, 26th, 29'021 in. Mean temperature .52'3\ about the average, maximum on 

 ;iOth 70 \ minimum on 17th 35 . Rain on fourteen days amounting to 2'13 inches. 

 .\ violent thunderstorm on the 22nd. Mr. O. V. Aplin. read the I henological 

 report for the first quarter. The report showed an unusually forward state of 

 vegetation. Many plants such as Red and White Dead Nettles, Shepherd's 

 Purse, Whitlow Grass, and Field and Ivy-leaved Speedwells were in flower all 

 the winter. By the third week in March the hawthorn hedges were quite green 

 in slightly sheltered situations, and even the flower bmls on some favoured 

 bushes showed white by the end of the month. By the end of .January many 

 birds were in song, indeed some, as the Missel Thrush, Robin, Hedge Sparrow, 

 and Wren, might be heard nearly every day through the winter. Gnats and 

 Bees wei-e to be seen on most days after the middle of January. The following 

 were some of the earlier dates in the forms returned to Mr. .\plin:— Hazel, 

 .lanuary loth ; Sweet Violet, February 1st ; Coltsfoot, 15th Pilewort, 10th ; 

 Blackthorn, March 12th ; Marsh Marigold. 17th. Rooks were building on March 

 4th, and Frog spawn was noticed in masses on the 8th of that month. Mr. J. H. 

 Coombes gave an interesting account of the River Lamprey iPetromyzon 

 fluviatilis) which is found in most of the streams of the district. He minutely 

 described the structure of this curious species, and explained that the 

 Ammoccetes branchidlis (which has no teeth and undergoes metamorphosis) is 

 now regarded as the young of the Lamprey. It takes four years to reach 

 the adult stage, in which there is a ))ersistent notochord but no true vertebne. 

 It has a distinct skull, but no part of the skeleton is ossified, being represented, 

 where present, by cartilage only. After some little discussion on the paper, a 

 warm vote of thanks was awarded to Mr. Coombes. Mr. S. Stutterd and the 

 President then spoke of an electrical phenomenon observed during the storm of 

 the 22nd of May ; some discussion followed, and it appeared to be the general 

 opinion that the phenomenon was an instance of ball-lightning. The 

 President recorded iflwjH HI maculatum from Lower Tadmartou, which was 

 new to the district. Mr. E. A. Walford exhibited a minute scarlet fungus— 

 Peziza tiechispora, from the railway bank at Fenny Compton, and noticeable 

 for its spinulose spores. The President exhibited a " Snailery " containing 

 some fine living specimens of the Great Roman or edible Snail Helix powntia) 

 from Stonesfield, Oxon. 



PETERBOROUGH NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPIC.\L SOCIETY.— 

 On Whit-Monday, May the 29th, forty members and friends of this Society made 

 an excursion to the Decoy in Boro' Pen, Croyland and Thorney. \t the former 

 place the party was received by the owner, .1. B. Williams, Esq., and conducted 

 over the Decoy and initiated into the art of taking the '■ wild fowl." This Decoy 

 is situated between Peakirk and Croyland, in a very retired spot, being reached 

 by a road which is planted on each side with willows flanked by ditches, the 

 waters of which were carpeted with the delicate flowers of Banunciiliis aquaticiis, 

 while the lovely showy spikes of Hotioniit 2)(ii'intriin and the gay heads of Iris 

 Pseud-aconts rose through its midst. The area of ground enclosing the Decoy is 

 about nineteen acres, that of the water 2A acres. The pool is octagonal and has 

 eight pipes leading from it wliich lie in the direction of the main points of the 

 compass, i.e., N. N.E., S. S.E., &c., &c. Every approach to the margin of the pool 

 is carefully shut off by reed screens Gft. high, or by trees and underwood. The 

 eight areas between the pijiesare thickly planted with willows i.Sn/i.r Eusselliandi 

 from the trunks of which multitudes of Aspidiuin f iVix-ma.s niid Polijpodium 

 vulgare have sprung. Osiers iS. vitellina) are also thickly planted, and other 

 trees and shrubs which afford good shelter. Coniiim maculatum is very 



