REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 283 



mere, Boldmere, Newtoumere, and other meres in Shropshire, to which the local 

 name •' breaking" is apparently confined. Mr. Phillips referred to instances of 

 similar occui-rences in other countries, and mentioned that during the con- 

 tinuance of this excessive growth fishing was entirely stopped ; the fish became 

 " sick," probably from the algaj blocking up their gills, and thus impeding their 

 respiration. Mr. Phillips also exhibited two remarkable objects occasionally 

 found in the same lakes ; one was what are there called "hedgehogs," large 

 round masses composed of larch leaves agglomerated together in some 

 mystei-ious and wonderful way, probably by the constant rolling of the water, 

 in the same way as a rolled snowball increases, although in this case tue means 

 by which the leaves were held together was not obvious ; the other was the hard 

 round stony masses of Conferva crgagropila, which were formed of ri, compact 

 mass of the filaments of that alga, growing radially from a central point. Mr. 

 .\. W. Wills referred to the analogous case observed by him of the development 

 of Hijdrod'cti/on ntriculatum in Blackroot Pool in gi-eat quantity about eight 

 years ago, since which time he had never seen a single frond in that habitat. 

 Mr. J. Miller mentioned that he had observed the same thing to take place in a 

 small lake near Diss, Norfolk, where it was called " sickening." Mr. E. M. Lloyd 

 stated that a similar thing occurred at times in the summit reservoirs of the 

 Birmingham Corporation, and Mr. Wills ihat the Leicester filter-beds were 

 sometimes checked and rendered useless by the growth of enormous quantities 

 of some species of Diatouis in the water. November 13th. — The Annual 

 SoiBKE was held in the Town Hall. The chief feature of the display was, as 

 usual, the show of microscopes, of which there were over sixty, arranged on the 

 floor of the Hall. They were placed so as to lead the visitors successively 

 through the whole of the Animal and Vegetable Kingdoms, except that objects 

 of Pond Life were shown at a separate table, and not in their place in the series. 

 The galleries were occupied by miscellaneous exhibits, including Geological 

 specimens by Messrs. W. J. Harrison, C. A. Matley, C. Mantell, and F. A. Walton ; 

 a collection of the Fungi of the neighbourhood, by Messrs. J. E. Baguall and 

 W. B. Grove ; British Molluscs, by Messrs. W. H. Boland and J. Madison ; 

 British Birds and Birds' Eggs, by Messrs. E. W. Chase, E. F. Felton, H. C. Grove, 

 John Grubb, and J. Hiam. One of the most striking exhibits was a collection of 

 Blaschka's Glass Models of Marine and Terrestrial Organisms, which, from 

 their gelatinous or fragile nature it is impossible to preserve by ordinary 

 methods ; lent by the Mason College, under the care of Professor Bridge. There 

 were also a few collections of drawings, etc., especially twenty Pencil Drawings 

 of Scenes and Antiquities in England and Wales, by Sir. W. Willis, 

 lent by Mr. G. Tangj-e. General IMeeting.— November 21st.— Mr. E. W. 

 Chase exhibited a very rare bird, Buticilla tithys, the Black Eedstart, 

 from near Brighton; also, Uaticilla phanicina, the Common Eedstart, from 

 this neighbourhood for the sake of comparison. Mr. J. Levick exhibited forty- 

 eight very beautiful and accurate water-colour drawings of microscopic objects, 

 the work of Mr. E. T. Draper, F.E.S. These represented many plants and 

 animals, &c., familiar to microscopical students, and were much admired. Mr. 

 W. B. Grove exhibited the following fungi :—3fc?(()icoH is sWbo^foma, on birch 

 bark, from Edgbaston; Nematoijonnm aurantiacdii and Peniza cdycina, from 

 Sutton Park : Polyictis f&scicularis, Trichoderina viride, PoU/porus obducens, 

 Stilbiiin nigrum, Peziza cinerea, and Hclotium paUescens, from Sutton. Mr. 

 W. G. Hlatch read the first part of some remarks upon the Entomology of the 

 Midlands, in which he advocated the publication by the Society of lists of all 

 kinds of the Fauna and Flora of the district, and presented the first instalment 

 of a list of the Coleoptera, including the Hydrodephaga, the Geodephaga, and 

 Palpicornia. Mr. Grove, while allowing the uses and advantages of such lists, 

 remarked upon the impossibility of procuring them to order. Every list, if it 

 should have the slightest value, must be the spontaneous work of some 

 enthusiastic local observer who devotes his wliole spare time to the pursuit. 

 Messrs. E. W. Chase, J. Morley, J. Levick and others also made a few remarks, 

 especially upon the richness of the field which the Midlands offer for such 

 research. Mr. Blatch and Mr. Chase then renewed the offers which they had 



