NOTICES OF MEETINGS. 63 
at Killarney in the year 1861. He called especial attention to some specimens 
of Radula aguilegia which he had described in his Gleanings amongst Irish 
Cryptogams, published soon afterwards. One of the specimens was named 
Radula aquilegia var. major, but since that time Dr. Moore and Mr. G. E. Hunt 
had found the male plants, and Professor Lindberg had also during a visit to 
Ireland been fortunate enough to discover the fertile plant. Dr. ‘Carrington 
having recently received specimens, strangely enough, through the executors of 
the late Mr. T. C. Austin, of America, he now no longer hesitates to rank it as 
a distinct species, and names it in honour of his late friend, Dr. Moore, of 
Dublin, as Radwla Mooret. Dr. Carrington said that at the time he collected it 
he was strongly inclined to recognize it as a species, but in the absence of fructi- 
fication, and in deference to the opinions of Dr. Gottsche and Professor 
Lindberg, he had then described it as a variety only. 
MANCHESTER MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY.—The February Meeting 
of this Society took place in accordance with the new rules on the 3rd inst., at 
the Junior News Room in the Mechanics Institute. John Tatham, Esq., M.D., 
the President, occupied the chair. 
After the minutes of the Ordinary and Special Meetings held on January 4th, 
had been read and confirmed, the Hon. Secretary’s resignation was announced 
and accepted. 
Attention was next drawn to the Soiree announced for Saturday, February 
24th, the Members being invited to hand in a list of the objects they pro- 
posed to exhibit. 
Mr. John Boyd drew attention to a slide of Ixodes of the Tortoise exhibited 
under his Microscope, as showing with remarkable clearness the oral appendages 
of which he gave a short description, illustrating his remarks by means of 
diagrams drawn upon the black-board. 
Mr. Thomas Brittain, one of the Vice-Presidents of the Society, then gave an 
interesting account of a visit to the subterranean canal at Worsley, and the 
finding of the fungi AZeralias lacrymans and Polyporus destructor, of which the 
following is an abstract :— 
In 1870, he made one of a party of Science Students who visited the Duke 
of Bridgewater’s coal mines at Worsley. From 20 to 30 descended one of the 
shafts, finding that when at the bottom, they were upon the banks of an under- 
ground canal, whose windings extended for a distance of about eighteen miles. 
After sailing along the canal from shaft to shaft and examining the working 
arrangements of the mine, a visit was paid to the stables, which contained 
animals that had never seen the light of day, except that imperfect glimmer 
which finds its way down the shafts. 
The boat which conveyed them along was furnished with candles, which just 
served to make darkness visible; until out of the rock at one point of the 
voyage they came across a gas jet which shed a strong and welcome light around. 
This gas-light had been burning for about ten years: it was the natural gas 
escaping from coal imbedded in the rock. 
The most interesting objects met with, however, were the two fungi JZerulius 
lacrymans and Polyporus destructor, which occurred in large quantities upon the 
arched roof of the canal. During the passage, large white patches were noticed 
overhead ; but they did not attract special attention until they came upon one of 
them, hanging down, which was seized by several of the company. Upon 
arrival at home it was found that although the greater bulk of the material was 
merely the white cottony mycelium, there was a rounded patch of an orange 
color which contained the fruit, and which was shown to the members by the 
essayist. 
A few years after his Worsley expedition, Mr. Brittain met with fine 
specimens of AZ. /acrymans on some rotten timber from a building in Oldham, 
which had been furnished by a scientific friend, and specimens of which were 
exhibited, 
