Reports op Societies. 



47 



Wakefield Natuealists' Soci- 

 ety. — The usual monthly meeting 

 of this Society was held on Thurs- 

 day, Sept. 2nd, Mr. Sims, vice- 

 president, in the chair. After the 

 usual introductory business, the 

 corresponding secretary read several 

 pommunications from patrons, &c., 

 after which Mr. Wilson exhibited 

 the following insects : — E. apiciaria, 

 Z. ^sculi, L. Monacha, and S. dy- 

 sodea. Mr. Sims also exhibited 

 specimens of E. pimpinnellata, E. 

 suhnotata, C. fiuctuosa, H. Petasitis, 

 H. Chenopdii, H. Genistm ; also a 

 remarkable variety of N. augur. 

 Mr. HaU exhibited some very large 

 specimens of V. lo. After some 

 conversation, the meeting closed 

 with the chairman drawing atten- 

 tion to the annual meeting of the 

 West Riding Consolidated Natur- 

 alists' Society, to be held at Hud- 

 dersfield, on Saturday, the 4th. — 

 W. Talbot, Corresponding Secre- 

 tary. 



West Riding Consolidated 

 Naturalists' Society. — The an- 

 nual meeting of the Societies in 

 this Union was held on Saturday, 

 September 4th, in the Lecture Hall 

 of the Literary and Scientific So- 

 ciety, Huddersfield, the vice-presi- 

 dent, Mr. Geo. T. Porritt, F.L.S., 

 occupying the chair. An interesting 

 address was given by the chairman, 

 in which he reviewed some of the 

 work done by the Society during 

 the past year, and then threw out 

 some valuable suggestions as to the 

 future conduct of their meetings 

 and excursions, and concluded by 

 some observations in which he criti- 



cally examined a statement which 

 appeared in a recent issue of one of 

 our contemporaries, which took a 

 very gloomy view of scientific work 

 in England, which was said to be 

 rapidly coming to a stand-still. The 

 chairman could not agree at all with 

 this view, and was convinced from 

 many observations which he instan- 

 ced that "there never was so deeply 

 rooted a love for science, and for 

 the abstruse parts of science too, 

 as there is to-day ; there never were 

 so many men who were determined 

 to unearth, not only everything 

 above but everything under ground ; 

 there never was such an intense 

 craving after the truth of things 

 as at this moment." The Secretary 

 then read a statement of the finan- 

 ces of the Society, showing a small 

 balance to credit. The election of 

 oflB.cers for the ensuing year was 

 next proceeded with, Mr. J. Wain- 

 wright, F.L.S., of Wakefield, being 

 re-elected president ; the Rev. W. 

 Fowler, M.A., of Liversedge, vice- 

 president ; and Mr. J. M. Barber, of 

 Heckmondwike, was again unani- 

 mously re-elected secretary. The 

 selection of excursions resulted in 

 the following : — Garforth on Easter 

 Monday, Coxley Yalley in May, 

 Askern on Wliit Monday, Elland 

 in July, Honley in August, Whitley 

 Lower in September, and the annual 

 meeting in October at Mirfield. A 

 Naturahsts' Society recently formed 

 at Bradford made an application to 

 be admitted into the Union, which 

 was unanimously agreed to. After 

 tea, a number of specimens collec- 

 ted during the day were laid on the 

 table. The botanical specimens were 

 named by Messrs. R. Jessop and J. 



