24 BEPORTS. 



Rocks and Scenery of North Wales," by J. J. Harris Teall, Esq., M.A., P.G.S., 

 president of the section, (which will be printed in a future number.) — November 

 26th. " Sandstones, their Composition, Origin, and Colouring," by J. H. 

 Jennings, Esq. — December 10th. General microseopical evening. 



NOTTINGHAM NATURALISTS" SOCIETY.— November 19th.— This was 

 a microscopical meeting, the subject being " The Kidneys," which was illustrated 

 by diagrams of the structure of the organ and sections exhibited under the 

 microscope. The hon. sec, (Mr. L. Lee,) in the course of an interesting address, 

 in which he treated the subject lucidly, gave an instructive account of the 

 food required by a healthy full grown man every twenty-four hours, and of the 

 constituents of that food, and the purposes which each served in the economy of 

 the system in building up tissues, heat producing, &c. The several excretory 

 organs, and their distinctive work in filtering effete organic matter from the 

 blood were next described, the functions of the kidneys in getting rid of the 

 nitrogenous waste of the body being dwelt upon more particularly. This was 

 followed by anatomical details of the structure of the excretory organs, especially 

 of that which formed the special subject of the address. An interesting discus- 

 sion followed. 



NORTHAMPTON NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.— The opening 

 meeting of the winter session was held on November 25th, when there was a good 

 attendance. Sir Herewald Wake, Ban., in the absence of Lord Lilford, 

 presided. — Mr. Crick (for Mr. G. C. Druce, F.L.S., who has removed to Oxford) 

 read the report of the Botanical Section, which detailed the principal " finds " 

 during the year. It stated that a list of plants indigenous to the county had been 

 forwarded to the British Museum, and would shortly be printed in the society's 

 new journal. — The Chairman expressed the hope that Mr. Druce would continue 

 a corresponding member. — Mr. Hull said that the Geological Section had nothing 

 of importance to record. He might say that the geological specimens in the 

 Museum had been arranged by a gentleman who thoroughly understood his 

 business, but a part of the collection, principally the mineralogical, had not yet 

 been named. The only practical work in the neighbourhood that he knew any- 

 thing of consisted of well-sinkings through the lias formation. — Mr. R. G. Scriven 

 said that the weather, which had been disastrous for out-door excursions, had 

 prevented the Photographic Section from doing much, but he might state that he 

 had prepared the negatives of several famous trees, and they had been sent to be 

 copied by the Woodbury process, in order to obtain a sufficient number for the 

 new journal, which, it was expected, would be ready in February. — The Chair- 

 man, who has become president of the Entomological Section, then 

 read a paper. It was, as he explained, rather on the science gene- 

 rally for the purpose of interesting his hearers in it, and, possibly, 

 enlisting recruits. Having alluded to the bad time which the hymenoptera had 

 had this summer, though the coleoptera might have fared better, he expressed 

 the opinion that wet seasons tended to the destruction of insect life. He then 

 showed that insects subserved a very useful purpose in the animal creation, 

 remarking that if the Almighty had not created them, nothing else would have 

 long survived. Their use as scavengers as well as fertilisers, assisting to carry 

 and spread the pollen of flowers, as well as the important contributions of insects 

 to our industries, were pointed out. Sir Herewald then proceeded to touch more 

 especially upon the diptera. Selecting the common gnat, he both interested and 

 amused the audience by explaining its structure and several stages of develop- 

 ment, which were illustrated by drawings, relating several anecdotes, some of 

 which had come within his personal experience when in Florida and other places 

 abroad, concerning that formidable member of the culicidse, the mosquito. En 

 passant, Sir Herewald referred to the earwig, for the purpose of exploding a 

 common error that it has a fondness for taking refuge in the human ear. So far 

 from that, he said, the wax in the ear would repel the insect, and if it got into 

 the ear it would soon be glad to get out again. In concluding, he recommended 

 the study of entomology to the botanists, because botany and entomology, like 

 bread and butter, went well together. Mr. Godfrey gave a short account of 

 local entomology, and Mr. Bailey raised the question of a museum for the 

 society, and made an appeal for support. The meeting then terminated. 



