Repouts of Societies. 



95 



Sheffie'Ld Field Naturalists' 

 Society. — The annual meeting of 

 this Society was held 18th Nov., 

 in the Cutlers' Hall. Mr. W. 

 Baker, A.R.S.M., the president, 

 occupied the chair. Mr. F. Brit- 

 tain, the honorary secretary, read 

 the annual report, which stated 

 that the number of members 

 had considerably increased du- 

 ring the past year. At every 

 general meeting several new mem- 

 bers had been enrolled, and there 

 was reason for believing that in the 

 course of time the club may be 

 exceedingly popular. At the first 

 meeting held during the year, a 

 rule was adopted, by which ladies 

 were admitted to the club upon 

 payment of a subscription of five 

 shillings, and the committee had 

 noticed with satisfaction that since 

 then several ladies had been elected. 

 A soiree was held in January, at 

 which the president, Mr. W. Baker, 

 read a paper on the lower forms of 

 vegetable and animal life, illustrated 

 by the aid of oxy-hydrogen light. 

 On the same occasion, Mr. H. C. 

 Sorby, F.R.S., who is now presi- 

 dent of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society, exhibited a very interesting 

 microscope, constructed after 

 designs supplied by himself. At a 

 general meeting held in March, 

 Mr. H. C. Sorby read an interest- 

 ing paper upon his recent researches 

 into the colouring matter of birds' 

 eggs. The lecture was ingeniously 

 illustrated by bands of coloured 

 paper showing the spectra of the 

 various kinds of colouring matter. 

 Early in May the second soiree was 

 held at the Cutlers' Hall, when the 

 president, Mr. W. Baker, delivered 



a lecture on structural botany, with 

 illustrations by oxy-hydrogen light. 

 The committee had been reguldjcly 

 in communication with the Leeds 

 Naturalists' Field Club. The ex- 

 cursions were much better attended 

 than in previous years, and the 

 members present appeared much 

 pleased with the districts which had 

 been chosen for explorations. There 

 were four excursions during the 

 season — viz., to Castleton, Anston 

 Craggs, Bake well and Lathkill 

 Dale, and Osberton. The com- 

 mittee expressed their obligation to 

 F. J. S. Foljambe, Esq., M.P., 

 for his courteous invitation to 

 Osberton in August. The report 

 was adopted, and the following 

 gentlemen were elected ofiicers for 

 the ensuing year : — president, Mr. 

 W. Baker, A.R.S.M. ; vice-presi- 

 dents, Mr. H. C. Sorby, F.R.S., 

 and Dr. Hime ; hon. treasurer, 

 Mr. J. Newbould ; hon. secretary, 

 Mr. Fredk. Brittain. H. Seebohm, 

 Esq., then read a paper on "The 

 migration of birds in the valley of 

 the Lower Pitchora, " illustrated by 

 examples of some of the rarer birds 

 and their eggs. Amongst these 

 were skins, nests, and eggs of a 

 new species of pipit, which will be 

 described in " Dresser's Birds of 

 Europe," as Anthus Seehohmii, eggs 

 of grey plover and little stint, of 

 which few or no authentic examples 

 have been hitherto known, eggs of 

 Bewick's swan, and the Siberian 

 chiffchaff", hitherto unknown, and 

 skins of the Kamschatka titmouse, 

 and Siberian chifichafF, hitherto 

 unknown to Europe. On the tables 

 were displayed in glass cases several 

 birds and eggs alluded to by Mr. 



