62 



The Naturalist. 



paper on " The Life History of 



Dicranwa vinula, in which he gave 

 a most exhaustive account of all 

 the stages and peculiarities in the 

 life of this singular insect ; his 

 remarks being listened to with the 

 greatest attention by every member 

 present. At its close a discussion 

 ensued, joined in by Messrs. James 

 Varley, William Talbot, of Wake- 

 field (who was present as a visitor), 

 Joseph Tindall, and the chairman. 

 — George Brook, Hon. Sec. 



The Leeds Naturalists' Field 

 Club and Scientific AssooiATioisr. 

 —190th Meeting, Sept. 29th, 1875, 

 Mr. James Abbott, vice-president, 

 in the chair. — Mr. William' Todd, 

 V.P., read a paper on Applied 

 Science as shown in the Manufac- 

 turers' Department of the York- 

 shire Exhibition of Arts and 

 Manufactures." The discussion 

 was kept up by the chairman, Mr. 

 W. H. Taylor, and the lecturer. 



191st Meeting, Oct. 13th, Mr. 

 Henry Pocklington, F.R.M.S., 

 president, in the chair. — A letter 

 conveying a vote of thanks for 

 assistance rendered in connection 

 with the conversazione at the York- 

 shire Exhibition, was read. Mr. 

 William Nelson exhibited the three 

 British species of Succmea, several 

 of their varieties, and a distorted 

 example of ;S. putris. The rarest of 

 the three species was 8. ohlonga, 

 from BallincoUig, county Cork, 

 where it was found by Mr. C. P. 

 Gloyne. This species is apparently 

 rarer than it was during the Tertiary 

 period. — Mr. John W. Taylor ex- 

 hibited Helix aspersa, var. exalbida, 

 from Bristol, with the type for 



comparison. The variety is rather 

 uncommon. The species is very 

 sensitive to cold, and hibernates 

 early, clustering together in the 

 crevices of old walls, &c., attached 

 to each other by their epiphragms. 

 The fluid that exudes from its body 

 was formerly used to bleach wax 

 for artistic purposes, as well as to 

 make a firm cement when mixed 

 with white of egg. They are sup- 

 posed to have the power of excava- 

 ting holes in limestone rocks to 

 form their winter quarters. Mr. 

 Taylor also showed a living example 

 of Limax maximus, the largest of 

 the British slugs, a very common 

 species, from his own garden at 

 New Leeds. These slugs often 

 chmb trees, and can lower them- 

 selves therefrom by a thread of 

 mucus, which is of a thick and 

 glutinous nature. It is liable to be 

 infested by white parasitic mites, 

 which swarm on its body, running 

 in and out of the respiratory cavity 

 freely. Slugs in general feed on 

 decaying animal and vegetable sub- 

 stances, and are sometimes useful 

 in eating the fungus which is the 

 origin of dry rot." — Microscopic 

 slides, showing the structure of 

 wool, cotton, raw silk, linen, mungo, 

 and other textile materials, were ex- 

 hibited in illustration of Mr. Todd's 

 paper at the previous meeting. — 

 Mr. John Grassham, who assumed 

 the chair on the president's depar- 

 ture, called attention to the fact of 

 starlings having this present season 

 bred in the balance balls of the 

 water tanks at Thirsk Junction. 

 A number of other objects, — moths 

 and other insects, and fungi, were 

 shown by other members. 



