NOTES AND NEWS. 237 
to the Huddersfield Naturalists’ Society for their most hospitable 
reception of the Union was proposed in a humorous speech by Rev. 
E. Maule Cole, M.A., F.G.S., seconded by Mr. John Gerrard, and 
having been enthusiastically received, acknowledged by Mr. T. W. 
Woodhead, the President of the Huddersfield Society. A vote of 
thanks to Mr. Porritt for presiding was adopted on the motion of 
Dr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S., seconded by Mr. J. W. Robson, Chairman 
of the Huddersfield School Board, and concluded a series of meetings 
which for their success and interest have been unsurpassed in the 
Union’s history.—W.D.R. 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
We take oo ils jatar ys 4 = renewing our friendly protest against a 
Practice of soi ies, that Z. alterin ering the pagination of oa 
copies,’ and gree soma ai iret the 1 date of publication. This often 
renders the separate copies useless for stestnee or for bibliographical purposes. 
A notable feature of the Liverpool Naturalists’ fu Club is the giving of 
prizes for excellency in the various departments. he it upon looking 
through the proceedings for 1892, that at each ak a description of some 
osen plant is given to the members, = oe plant hee: are Set to search ; 
having found it, it must be named and handed to the botanical referee. The 
most successful competitors during ir swabs i 
s. * Botanical Enigmas’ are apparently oa a feature of the 
society. This is doubtless a good way of teaching botany, t the principle is not 
one which will, in our opinion, be imitat naturalists’ clubs. 
first time in their history our Liverpool friends publish an sopmige ir. meer 
the district. We welcome this, as we also should any further d soionnent ¢ eed 
ne sk taeecak sneeas 8b NE anes hae botanical: 
We are indebted to Mr. Herbert Spencer for a pom of his essay upon ‘ The 
fabaecjuaty of Natural ceg-soned which appeared in the ‘ orig emporary Review’ 
for February and March last ; as this essay has, as might be expected, roused 
some cane a few words with r regard to it Set: be of interest. At the outset 
Mr. Spe cer chooses to bring forward some of Weber's experiments on the sense of 
touch peerage oe the meaning of the varying powers of tactual discriminativeness 
in the human body, and what is the cause which non established these differences. 
Taking the view as implied by the title, fod veteran prs ee endeavours at 
prc, al emt that natural selection sohegte could oocnpangibet 3 If 
we were to assert a frank denial of this it be necessary to go far into 
detail but whilst we will not do so, we must ket some objection to eB the using of 
th nts in question as being unsatisfactory. Mr. Spencer admits that the 
per ess of the fore-finger tip may be accounted for by the 
of the fittest, and after an sepa port) of his article we fail to see why 
y not be extended to other . We have s athy 
it article by Mr. W. P. Ball in the May number of ‘ Natural i in 
which, under the heading of Natural Selection and Lamarckism, 
: lenges 
many of Mr. Spencer’s suppositions. We have not space to enter into eae details 
of this conflict, but can assure those of our readers who have not already 
acquainted themselves with Spencer’s latest, prairie they have somethin g t gain gain by 
so tee Perhaps (for the sake of those who would be misled by the title) we 
iould note that ! han teggmal irect = 
sho Mr. pencer states that y; rather t 
5, ae a the views of is in fact ens the reverse. 
coe as been very much misunderst time past, and cca ok ee” 
a. many of his seeming dissenters are in reality n cacinstend cenattog ale oer jon as 
— = 
August 1803. 
