SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



2I 5 



of the water varying greatly from time to time. 

 Dr. Sharp exhibited a small portion of the collection 

 - . made by Mr. Perkins, in the Hawaiian 

 Islands, for a committee of the Royal Society and 

 British Association. They included 700 or Soo 

 specimens, representing five or six very closely 

 allied forms. He stated that these forms were so 

 extremely closely allied that it was reasonable to 

 consider them as modifications of one species that 

 had undergone change in connection with difference 

 of locality. Some of the forms, however, were 

 from the same island, so that it was not possible to 

 consider the geographical isolation as the immediate 

 or sole cause of the distinctions. 



N TTINGHAM NATURALISTS' SOCIETY. — At the 



meeting of November 9th, the Rev. A. Thornley, 

 MA., F.E.S., the recently elected President of the 

 Society, gave his inaugural address. Among other 

 points, Mr. Thornley said : As a member of the 

 natural history societies of the neighbouring 

 counties of Notts and Lincolnshire, he had from the 

 quiet vantage ground of his parish watched the 

 working of both, and had arrived, wrongly or 

 rightly, at some very definite conclusions about the 

 work and functions of a local natural history 

 society. In these days they saw such an expansion 

 of scientific teaching, that what with University 

 College courses and public lectures of various kinds, 

 unusual opportunities for study had been provided 

 for nearly all, in the great towns at least. So that 

 the question might well arise — What was the 

 ordinary status of a natural history society like 

 theirs in the educational system of their own day ? 

 Was there any need for such an institution ? He 

 proposed in his succeeding remarks to answer that 

 question. Having dealt with the definition and 

 scope of such a society, Mr Thornley submitted 

 that its functions should embrace at least instruction, 

 stimulation, field work, and protection. With 

 respect to the first element, he remarked that an 

 admirable series of lectures promoted by the 

 Nottingham Society during the winter months had 

 been most profitable in the way of instruction to 

 the members, and must have done a great deal 

 towards the removal of that narrowness which 

 almost invariably followed too exclusive work in 

 any one branch of natural history. Their own 

 society, whilst it did well to supplement its 

 ordinary work in that way, would make a mistake, 

 he contended, if it did not do a great deal more 

 than that The fact that a number of students of 

 nature were brought together, to know one another, 

 to exchange views and ideas, to compare results, to 

 view specimens, and to give mutual aid, supplied 

 at once, without any further argument, a magnifi- 

 cent rat n d'etre lor the existence of such societies 

 as their. Mr. Thornley commented upon the 

 importance of held work, asserting that to work 

 out it. is botany, its living forms, was 



their firM duty I hich was within the 



capacity of ;il! their members. Thai bra 



.!! mor<; thoroughly over all 

 the coot tain He dwell a\ 



subject of entomo Ins it to b 



mini neglc •• for further 



■ 



ded what mi^lr 



lid hf; 

 interested to ascrrlain v.t, 

 botanist* would agree with him I : 



borough, and the 

 ct. 



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CORRESPONDENCE. 



J. K. (Stoke Newington). — Adams' new edition of his 

 manual of " British Land and Freshwater Shells " will be 

 found the most modern and handy work of reference for 

 studying British extra-marine mollusca. 



EXCHANGES. 



Notice. — Exchanges extending to thirty words (including 

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 or less. 



Duplicates.— About 700 species of neatly carded and 

 correctly named British Coleoptera; desiderata, local 

 Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, or stamps. — A. Ford, Rosemount, 

 Hannington Road, Boscombe, Bournemouth. 



Wanted, offers for the whole of Science-Gossip, 1865 to 

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Birds' Eggs of Normandy.— M. Paul Noel, Directcur 

 du Laboratoire d'Entomologie agricole de la Seine-lnf., a. 

 Rouen, desirerait ^changer une collection tri^s complete des 

 ccufs des oiseaux de Normandie, 2,500 specimens, tous bien 

 determines. 



" Knowledge," 1890-91, 2 vols, bound in one, good as new. 

 What offers?— F. Mayor, 2, St. Alban's Villas, Heaton 

 Chapel, Stockport. 



Books for Sale. — Newman's "Butterflies and Moths" 

 Cox's " Handbook of Coleoptera," 2 vols. ; " Entomologist," 

 vols. 15, 16. 17, 21, 22, bound. What offers ?— Charles Incc, 

 76, Godolpmn Road, Shepherd's Bush. 



NOTICES OF SOCIETIES. 

 don Amateuk Scientific Society. 

 Dec. 17.— Meeting, one week earlier than usual on account of 



tinas. 

 North London Natural History Society. 

 Dec. 2.— "Insectivorous Plants." R. W. Robhlns. 

 ,, 16.— General Bu Iness Meeting— Election of Officers 

 for 1898. 



d Club and cieni ific Society. 

 Dec. 6.— "Fossils, and the ways In which they are found 

 ed." Dr. H. F, ('arsons. 



1 J. ■ ral History Mi , Sh. 'II Gallery, 



,. rapbi Demonstration. C.J.Stokes. 



■ ..ley and Ridge. 

 North I Hi ros and Scientific Sock ry, 



;in and P I Desi rlptlon of tin: liartli 



.v fumer 

 ., 13. '■ ' '■ ■■'■ Wm cot 1 



,, ig, ■ 1 bi Mil ros< ope." I no, Stai 1 , 



Jan. 1 J. 1 '.rooks. 



i ■ Q ighton, 

 Lea Structure and Usi I ■'■ 1 01 pei 



., Urn immi n Pel ." [no. Potli r, 



Mar g 11 li 1. mi- . 



1 D, Miller. 



April I 11 Pini 



