Bepoets of Societies. 



171 



included a few botanical and local 

 geological : Stigmaria, Lepidoden- 

 dron elegans, Neuropteris, Splieyiop- 

 teris, Pecopteris, &c. ; a pair of 

 squirrels, born in captivity the third 

 week in January last, of one caught 

 last December ; and a few specimens 

 of larvse, chrysalis, and moths. Mr. 

 John Brooke, who exhibited the 

 squirrels, remarked that they were 

 about one month old before they 

 could see. The birds reported to 

 have been seen were the king-fisher 

 on the 14th, swallow on the 15th, 

 crested wren on the 20th, and the 

 stone chat on the 24th. Eggs were 

 exhibited of the song thrush, col- 

 lected on the 3rd, missel thrush on 

 5th, blackbird on the 15th, starling, 

 hedge sparrow, and robin on the 

 28th. — J. Dearden, Hon. Sec. 



HUDDERSFIELD NaTURALISTS' SO- 

 CIETY. — Meeting May 1st, the 

 president, Mr. G. T. Porritt, 

 F.L.S., in the chair. Mr. Lister 

 Peace exhibited a specimen of 

 Sigillai'ia from sandstone, but the 

 markings were not sufficiently dis- 

 tinct to determine the species. 

 Messrs. Richard Jessop and John 

 Armitage shewed an interesting 

 series of botanical specimens, in- 

 cluding all the British species of 

 Draha except one ; a very remark- 

 able specimen of Agraphis nutans, 

 originally from Hopton, having 

 very long bracts, which appeared 

 to be quite permanent, &c. The 

 president exhibited the larvae 

 of Acidalia degeneraria, sent him 

 by Mr. J. G. Ross, of Bath, who 

 took the parent moth in the Isle of 

 Portland. Mr. S. Bairstow shewed 

 the larvsB of Tryphcenajimhria, from 



Grimescar. Mr. George Brook, 

 with the aid of the microscope, 

 shewed mounted slides of Orthosira 

 arenaria, a fossil diatom, and 

 Foraminifera, from the Kent chalk. 

 Mr. C. P. Hobkirk exhibited a 

 sample plate of a book proposed to 

 be published by Mr. W. C. Unwin, 

 entitled "Illustrations and Dissec- 

 tions of the Genera of British 

 Mosses," in ten monthly parts. 

 The plate was very good. Mr. S. 

 Bairstow read a very enjoyable 

 paper on ''Dame Nature and her 

 doings." The subject must of 

 necessity be general, and after a 

 few introductory remarks, Mr. 

 Bairstow attacked man from his 

 own standpoint, avoiding as far as 

 possible any discussion on the Dar- 

 winian hypothesis. He promised 

 to complete the subject in two 

 future papers, one on "Animals, 

 Birds, and Fishes," the other on 

 "Insects." 



Meetinc May 13th, the president 

 in the chair. The chairman read a 

 letter from Mr. Gilbert Wilson, 

 steward to the Earl of Dartmouth, 

 requesting the members to disturb 

 the coverts at Woodsome as little as 

 possible, until the first week in 

 July, as the pheasants were now 

 breeding. In geology, Mr, Sims 

 Dyson exhibited a specimen of 

 Gryphoea incurva from the lias lime- 

 stone, found at Blackpool. Mr. 

 Joseph Tindall shewed fossils from 

 Middlestown of a species of Cu- 

 cullea. Messrs. Joseph French and 

 John Conacher shewed a nice series 

 of botanical specimens, those of the 

 latter included some aquatic species 

 he had brought that day from 



