100 



The Haturalist. 



also sent a number of entomological 

 specimens, which were exhibited 

 and named by Mr. J. Ogden. Mr. 

 R. Earnshaw exhibited a number 

 of birds' eggs, including curlew, 

 coot, and sheldrake ; Mr. T. Hirst 

 a number of British and foreign 

 birds, including curlew, sandpiper, 

 golden plovers, and a sky-lark 

 eleven years old, in very good 

 feather, pair of sun birds, and a 

 pair of scarlet-crested humming 

 birds. 



Ramble and Meeting June 3rd, 

 to Luddenden Valley, from Booth 

 to Low Bridge, and a portion of 

 Warley Moor on the north side of 

 the valley. Mr. R. Earnshaw, 

 V.P., presided at the meeting 

 afterwards. Amongst the botanical 

 specimens collected during the day 

 were Paris quadrifolia, Drosera 

 rotundifolia, Listera ovata, Pingui- 

 cula vulgaris, Viola lutea, Viola 

 palustris, and a large number of 

 others common to the district. 

 Mr. J. Spencer described the geo- 

 logical formation of the district. 



Wakefield Naturalists' So- 

 ciety. — Monthly meeting June 1st, 

 the president, J. Wainwright, Esq. 

 F.L.S. in the chair.— Mr. Hall ex- 

 hibited eggs of the redstart, lesser 

 redpole, bullfinch and whitethroat ; 

 Mr. Wormald eggs of lesser red- 

 pole, sedge warbler, and chiff-chaff; 

 Mr. G. H. Lumb, eggs of grass- 

 hopper warbler ; Mr. J. Wilcock, 

 eggs of the tree sparrow and several 

 nests. The president then gave an 

 interesting account of a day's visit 

 to Kew Gardens. He exhibited 

 specimens of ZygophyU/umFaMaGe<B, 



remarkable for the hardness of the 

 wood, also its exciting properties, 

 the foliage being very detersive, fre- 

 quently used to scour floors, and said 

 to be better than soap ; the flowers 

 are used as a substitute for capers, 

 Sconzonera hispanica (scorpion grass) 

 grows about two feet high ; it has a 

 beautiful pointed leaf with white 

 veins. Ceratonia siliqtia (St. John's 

 bread) : the dry pulp in which 

 the seeds are buried is very nutri- 

 tious, and supposed to have been 

 the food of the apostle St. John 

 in the wilderness, hence it having 

 been called "St. John's bread." 

 Singers chew the fruit for the pur- 

 pose of improving the voice. Olea 

 enropea (the olive) : it grows abun- 

 dantly in Lebanon, olive oil being 

 expressed from the ripe fruit. Csd- 

 letia horrida. The leaves of this 

 plant are armed with sharp 

 spines, branching out in all direc- 

 tions, and presenting a very horrid 

 appearance. Pistachis terebinthus : 

 this class are remarkable. Bn- 

 nias orientalis : this class produces 

 the earth nuts or pig nuts. B> 

 ferulaceum has also edible tubers 

 which are termed Tapana. Mr. 

 Talbot reported a large quantity of 

 the spotted flycatchers having been 

 seen on the Horbury-road and in 

 Thome's Grounds.— J. Spuhling, 

 Hon. Sec. 



West Riding Consolidated 

 Naturalists' Society. — Ramble 

 AND Meeting at Askern. — The 

 usual Whit-Monday excursion and 

 meeting of the West Riding Con- 

 solidated Naturalists' Society took 

 place at Askern, when a strong 

 muster of members from various 



