112 REPORTS. 



NOTTINGHAM LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY, 

 NATURAL SCIENCE SECTION— March 13tli.— A paper was read by Mr. G. B. 

 Rothera, ou " The Physiography of the Yorkshire Coast," iUustrated by maps 

 and sections. March '20th.— Microscopical evening. The Rev. G. E. C. Casey, 

 M.A.. F.G.S., introduced the subject of " The Epi<lerraal Appendages of Plants." 

 March '27th. — A paper on " Rotifera," part of which appears in our current 

 number, was read by Mr. E. Smith, M.A. 



NOTTINGHAM NATURALISTS' SOCIETY.— February 20th.— A paper 

 on " A Feather " was read by Mr. Blaudy. February '28th. — The Annual Soiree 

 was held at the Mechanics' Large Hall. There was a very large attendance. 

 Several societies in the Union were represented. There was a good display of 

 microscopes and other objects, including local collections of sliells, rocks, birds' 

 eggs and nests, butterflies and moths, &c. At 9.15 Mr. A. H. Simpson exhibited, 

 by means of the oxy-hydroceu microscoi^e, a series of photographs for the lantern. 

 Amongst others was one of the cover of the " Midland Naturalist." Altogether 

 it was a most successful evening. March 6th. — " Life History of a Butterfly," 

 by Mr. C. T. Musson. March 13th. — Microscopical evening, " Insects." 



RUGBY SCHOOL NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY.— February 23rd.— 

 The President read portions of the Meteorological Report. The rainfall of the 

 year was 28-72in., being less than 187(5 by l'9in. Rain fell ou 195 days. Papers 

 were read as under : — By Mr. G. .Tones on " The Rise, Progress, and Fall of 

 Gothic Ecclesiastical Architecture in England ;" by Mr. H. .J. Else, ou "Cam- 

 panology ;" and l)y Mr. Percy Smith, on " Mushrooms," in the course of which 

 he described the various edible and poisonous kinds. Mr. Bloxam exhibited two 

 Roman lu'ns and bones found b^' Mr. E. A. Bird, at Soreham, Cambridgeshire, 

 and described the ancient British, Roman, and Saxon modes of burial. Numerous 

 specimens were exhibited. March 16th.— Mr. M. H. Bloxam, F.S.A., read a 

 paper, full of interest, on "Rugby School Close." Among the exhibits at this 

 meeting were some beautiful specimens of arborescent copper ore. 



STROUD NATURAL HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY.— 

 March 12ih. — The Rev. W. Farren White, M.A., read a most interesting and 

 elaborate paper on "The Slave-making Ant," ( Formica sangiiiucu,) illustrated 

 by diagrams and specimens, and a living colony of the species of ants forming 

 the subject of the paper. There was a large attendance. 



TAMWORTH NATURAL HISTORY, GEOLOGICAL, AND ANTI- 

 QUARIAN SOCIETY.— February 18th.— Mr. F. A. Grayston read a paper on 

 " The Correlation of the Leicestershire, Warwickshire, South Stalfordshire, and 

 Shropshire Coalfields." He showed that they were portions of one extensive 

 formation, and gave it as his opinion that probably large deposits of coal and 

 ii-onstone existed beneath the Permian and Triassic rocks, which, ou the surface, 

 separate the coalfields. In support of this view Mr. Grayston stated that the 

 7ft. coal of that district, and also the strata between that seam and the " Smithy " 

 coal, could be i<lenlilied in each of the other three coaltiolds, aud that there were 

 many reasons for assuming that the thick coal )f South Staffordshire was repre- 

 sented in Leicestershire, Warwickshire, and Shropshire, by the numerous thin 

 seams of coal found there in the upper part of the coal measure series. 

 Several plans and diagrams in illustration of the subject were exhibited. 

 March 4th. — Mr. R. W. Hanbury, M.P., gave a description of his ride through 

 Asiatic Turkey to India, in the course of which much interesting information 

 was given. Mr. Hanbury exhibited a bronze sword, found near Diarbekr, and 

 presented to him by some monks. It is supposed to bo the oldest sword iu 

 the world. An inscription, in cuneiform characters, cut deeply ou the blade, 

 has been translated thus : — " Palace of Vuluirari, King of Nations, son of 

 Pudil, King of Assyria, son of Belnirari, King of Assyria also." Vulnirari 

 reigned between 1390 — 1350 B.C., and 500 years before David and Solomou. 

 Mr. Hanbury also exhibiteil severiri tracings of inscriptions from the walls 

 aud stones iu many interesting; places visited by him on his journey*. 



