1 12 REPORTS. 



group to which it approached nearest in form. If tbe number in this form is 

 form should be numbere 1 ."> 1 1, and bo on. A iarwe number of 

 drawings arranged in this manner from Mr. Wills' own gathering, and from 

 urces, were exhibited and examined with mil ib inti rest by the 

 -, and the paper waslistf ned to throughout with eieat attention. 

 — On May 1 Uh a highly successful excursion was made to Biiston, where 

 the members of the party had ao excellent opportunity of observing the nests 

 of the Stickleback in stto, under the guidance of Mr. Siivauus WUkius. — Micro- 

 scopical GENERAL MEETING May 17th. — Mr. E. M. Lloyd read a paper on 

 r Aquaria," which will be printed in full in this magazine. — 

 Geological Section, May 24th. — Mr. J. Levick exhibited two rotifers, 

 Notommata Brachionus and /'< ridinium tabulatum, under the microscope. Mr. 

 Soutball exhibited Equisetum Telmateia, var. frutescens, anil Tremella 

 a fungus growing on Juniperus Sabina. Mr. W. H. 

 laid on the table a collection of plants gathered at Church 

 treajUix-mas,v&r. Borreri, Lastrea montana, Cotyledon 

 iicus, and Viola lutea. Mr. W. J. Harrison exhibited, on behalf of Mr. 

 C. J. i n markable specimen of flexible sandstone from India. The 



1; v H \\". Crosskey, F.G.S., then gave an interesting lecture ou " The Geology 

 of the Glacial Enoch." He gave first a hrief sketch of the structure and mode 

 of occurrence of boulder clay, and then described fully the changes of level 

 which this part of the earth underwent during and subsequent to the Glacial 

 period, mentioning the various localities and sections where the order of 

 succession of the beds indicate these alterations. The lecturer also called 

 attention to the problems still unsolved, and pointed out work which can be 

 in our own immediate neighbourhood to increase our knowledge of the 

 physiography of the Ice age. 



BIRMINGHAM MICROSCOPISTS' AND NATURALISTS' UNION.— 

 April 4th. — Microscopical and General Meeting. — Mr. Dunn exhibited 

 Melicerta ringens ; Mr. Blay, Sea Urchins from the chalk ; Mr. J. W. Neville, 

 microscopical section of Mica, showing dendritic crystals of manganese ; Mr. 

 H. Inslr/y, Pebbles from drift beds, showing oxide of iron in dendritic forms. 

 April 11th. — Mr. Boland showed internal Calcareous Plates from various slugs ; 

 Leaves of Ranunculus Ficaria infested with Mcidiwn were shown by Mr. J. W. 

 Neville, who read a paper ou " Micro Mounting in Media." April 18th. — An 

 excursion to Bentley Quarry. April 25th. — Microscopical and General 

 Meeting. — Mr. Madison showed a specimen of Helix aspersa, var. exalbida\ 

 Mr. Boiand, Helix obvoluta ; Mr. C. P. Neville, a number of Lepidostrobi fouud 

 in coal measures overlap near Rushall Canal ; Mr. Insley micro-section of 

 Basalt from Bentley Quarry; Mr. J. W. Neville, a micro-section of Stem of 

 Calamite aud Bark of Lepidodendron ; Mr. Baxter, Spirogyra in conjugation. 



BANBUKYSHIRE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.— May 2nd, at Wood 

 Green Lodge. Tbe room was well tilled, and the continued interest in the 

 olub is shown in the increasing list of members, the number now reaching 

 seventy. After the reading of the meteorological and phenological reports, the 

 President proceeded to give a botanical address. He took as his type flower 

 the Buttercup, and described its various parts, which were illustrated in some 

 of the diagrams hong round the room. After giving outlines of the broader 

 i his of plant life, he went on to enumerate the plants which might pro- 

 bably be m>t with in the first field excursion of the club, on Saturday after- 

 noon, as well as those of such localities as Hanwell and Tadmaston Heath. 

 Mr. Beesley then instanced plants which had been introduced during the forty 

 he bad studied the botany of the district, and passed on to tbe reverse 

 side of the question, enumerating many which had become extinct, such as 

 the back-bean, grass of parnassus, and henbane. A number of plants from Mr. 

 • y's h< rbariom wi re displayed, and occasional references made to them. 

 Messrs. E. A. Walford and J. B. Davis contributed a paper on tbe " Giant's 

 1 i Banbury, the Bubstanoe of which wiil appear in a future number. 



Amongst the objects exhibited during the evening were specimens of the 

 Wryneck or Cuckoo's Mate, by Mr. P. F. Parker ; a tray of eggs of some 



