CORRESPONDENCE, REPORTS. 179 



Ornithological Notes from Oxfordshire. — -About the beginning of 

 May an immature Black-headed Gull was picked up here. I am sorry 

 to have to record two male Golden Orioles as having been shot near 

 Great Tew about the same time. I have the following list of summer 

 migrants : — April 23rd, Sand Martin ; 24th, Landrail ; 24th, Grasshopper 

 Warbler ; 26th, Common Tern, (canal, near Somerton) ; 26th, Ring 

 Ouzel, (Epwell) ; 29th, Whimbrel, (Bloxham) ; 29th, Common White- 

 throat ; 30th, Nightingale ; May 1st, Cuckoo ; 1st, Lesser Whitethroat ; 

 7th, Tree Pipit; 7th, Redstart; 7th, Sedge Warbler; 11th, House 

 Martin ; 13th, Wryneck, (scarce this year) ; loth, Swift, (very plentiful) ; 

 19th, Garden Warbler ; 19th, Wood Wren ; 22nd, Spotted Flycatcher ; 

 28th, Whinchat, (Chinnor, Oxon) ; 29th, Turtle Dove, (same place). 

 Three of these, Tern, Ring Ouzel, and Whimbrel, should more properly 

 be called rare visitants to this county, but as they are summer migrants 

 to England I have included them in the list. On the 23rd of April last 

 I observed a large Gull flying over, but was unable to make out the 

 species. An Oxford taxidermist showed me a Common Buzzard and a 

 male Great Spotted Woodpecker, killed at Bletchington and Hanboro' 

 respectively some time last month. I saw about a dozen Fieldfares on 

 May 9th ; this is rather late. — Oliver V. Aplin, Bodicote, Oxon, June, 1880. 



Reports of S>nmtm. 



BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL 

 SOCIETY. — Geological Section. — May 25th. Mr. Morley exhibited for 

 Mr. Short Primula farinosa, from Ambleside. Mr. T. Bolton exhibited Clava 

 Squamata, from the Menai Straits. Mr. W. Graham exhibited a spiral form of a 

 Nostocaceous Alga, from Earls wood. Mr. Montagu Browne exhibited a pied 

 specimen of Rook ( Corvus frugilegus) and a Water Shrew (Sorex aquaticusj 

 Mr. C. Pumphrey exhibited Helleborus foetidus, and a double specimen of Geum 

 rivale. Mr. Goode presented to the Society's Library ten volumes of the 

 '• English Mechanic," for which a hearty vote of thanks to him was passed. 

 Dr. Deane then read a paper on " The Study of Geology," showing how favour- 

 able the Midland Counties of England are for the study, bringing before the 

 members of tbe Society the various branches of the science, and indicating some 

 lines of research which are awaiting more workers. The paper was very interest- 

 ing, and gave rise to some discussion at its close. — Special General Meeting. 

 — June 1st. This meeting was devoted to the discussion and adoption of several 

 proposed alterations in the laws of the Society. The whole of the laws had been 

 revised by the Committee. Each law was proposed separately, and passed unani- 

 mously. The most important alterations were the formation of a new order of 

 free membership for persons of either sex, between the ages of fourteen and 

 nineteen, under the title of Associates, (their number being limited to twenty,) 

 and the appointment of seven trustees, in whose name the property of the 

 Society is invested by a deed. The special general meeting then resolved itself 

 into an ordinary meeting. Mr. T. J. Slatter exhibited Polygonatam officinale, 

 (Solomon's Seal,) Anemone Pulsatilla, (Pasque flower,) A. Apennina, (.\iountain 

 Anemone,) Thlaspi perfoliatum, (Perfoliate Pennycress,) and Hypnum cuspidatum, 

 from Worcestershire. Mr. W. Southall exhibited Veratrum album, tue plant 

 from which the Hellebore powder of commerce is obtained. Mr. J. E. Bagnall 

 exhibited Veronica montana, from New Park, Middleton. Mr. W. R. Hughes 

 exhibited egg capsules of the Gooseberry grub (Nematusgrossulariai.) showing 

 caterpillars escaping, and others free from the egg. Mr. W. H. Wilkinson 

 exhibited Solarium Dulcamara and Hippocreyis comosa, from near Cheltenham. 

 Mr. J. Levick exhibited Pandorina morum in various stages, as ellipsoidal sacs, 

 containing sixteen or thirty-two gonidia, and as large spherical masses containing 

 a number of these groups. — Biological Section. — June 8th. Mr. W. Southall 

 exhibited Geranium sylvaticum, (rare,) Aquilegia vulgaris, Convallaria mqjalis, 



