RE POETS. 55 



Reports d Societies. 



BIRIMIXGHA^ NATUEAL HISTORY AKD MICROSCOPICAL 

 SOCIETY.— General Meeting, December 18th, 1877.— Mr. J. F. 

 Goods read a paper on the " Planet Mars," in wliich he especially 

 alluded to the recent " opposition," as having been of more than ordinary 

 interest from the close proximity of the planet to the earth ; the varj-ing 

 distances from which he explained being occasioned by the ellij)ticity of 

 its orbit. The various featui-es of Mars, as seen through the telescope, 

 were discussed, and a description given of its continents and seas ; its 

 snowy poles analagous to those of the earth, its jieriod of rotation on 

 its axis, duration of seasons, and other interesting phenomena, were 

 severally alluded to. Mr. Goode mentioned that the discover}' of two 

 sateUites by Professor HaU, of the Washington Observatory, had rendered 

 the recent "opposition" particularly interesting. These sateUites, he 

 stated, are very small, and are \-isible only by means of the most powerful 

 instruments, under very favourable circumstances. 



CHELTENHAM NATURAL SCIEXCE SOCIETY.— On 15th 

 December, 1877, a pnbhc meeting was held, at which it was resolved to 

 form a Natiiral Science Society in Cheltenham. A committee was 

 appointed, and a secretary ^jro fem. Rules, d'c, have since been franaed. 

 Januarj' 18. — First general meeting, at which it was resolved that the 

 society be called " The Cheltenham Natural Science Society," that Dr. 

 T. Wright, M.D., F.G.S., be president, and Colonel H. Basevi honorary 

 secretary. The report of the committee was unanimously adopted, and 

 the rules as added to and altered passed. The ordinairy meetings will be 

 held on the 3rd Thursday in each month, April to October inclusive. 



NORTHAMPTON NATURALISTS' SOdETY.^Ianuary 7th, a 

 paper "On Beetles" was read by Mr. E. B. Pressland. — January loth, 

 a paper on " Photography " was read by Mr. H. Manfield. 



NOTTINGHAM NATURALISTS' SOCIETY. — January 2nd, 

 Annual General Meeting, when Mr. A. H. Simpson was elected president ; 

 Messi's. H. Blandy and J. Morlej', vice-presidents ; Mr. C. Wheatley, 

 treasurer; Mr. C. T. Musson, hon. secretary ; Messrs. W. Foster, W. 

 Morley, E. Wix, R. T. Higham, T. Bull, and J. S. Radford, the com- 

 mittee ; and Mr. L. Lee, assistant secretary- and hbrarian. — January 9th 

 was spent as a microscopical evening. — January 16th, the President 

 delivered the Annual Address. 



STROUD NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL 

 SOCIETY,— January 8th, Mr. J. T. Fisher dehvered a lecture on " The 

 Spectroscope in relation to Stellar and Solar Physics," illustrating some 

 of his remarks by a nimaber of photographs. — Januaxj' 24th was an extra 

 meeting, at which Mr. C. PlajTie read a paper on " Water as a Motive 

 Power." 



TA]MWORTH NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGICAL, AND 

 ANTIQUARIAN SOCIETY.— On January 7th, Mr. Samuel Spruce, 

 F.G.S., read a paper entitled, " Geological Notes on the Trip to Clent 

 Hills," which he illustrated by plans and diagrams, showing the vEirious 

 strata between Birmingham and Hales Owen. Mr. Spruce showed that the 

 Clent Hills are composed of new red sandstone, and not trap, as erroneously 

 supposed bv Hugh Miller and others. He also compared the trap of the 

 Rowley Hills with that of DosthiU. The formation of the Clent Hills 



