Reports of Societies. 



Gl 



Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. — 226th 

 Meeting, Sept. 26th, Mr. Fred. Coates, V.P., and Mr. James Abbott, 

 V.P., successively, in the chair. Donations to the local museum were 

 announced, and votes of thanks passed. Mr. Benjamin Holgate read a 

 paper on "Limestone Formations," illustrated by , geological maps and 

 numerous specimens. Some of these being microscopic, he was assisted 

 by Messrs. James Abbott, S. S. Peat, Godfrey Carter, and Samuel 

 Jefferson, F.C.S., and the Society lending microscopes. There was a 

 good discussion, after which Mr. Charles Smethurst showed Noctua 

 sohrina from Scotland, and a number of plants from Shoeburyness, which 

 were named by Mr. F. Arnold Lees, F.L.S. 



227th Meeting, October 3rd, Samuel Jefferson, F.C.S., president, in 

 the chair. — Donations to the library and local museum were announced, 

 and thanks voted. Mr. John W. Taylor showed Helix Bednalli, which 

 bad survived a voyage from South Australia ; Helix arbustornm, from the 

 summit of the Gemmi pass, Switzerland, and fr@m the valley below, 

 showing the remarkable effects of altitude, the specimens from the 

 mountains being much dwarfed in size, and more elongate in form ; and 

 Helix ericetorum from the shores of Lake Uri, very much dwarfed, though 

 other species found in the same spot are of normal dimensions. Mr. 

 William Nelson exhibited Flanorbis vermicularis from Oregon, and P. 

 glaher, and showed that the two shells are identical ; Limncea trimcatula, 

 showing its great range of variation ; and several allied species from 

 Cuba, California, &c. ; Mr. Scholefield brought a large American moth, 

 and Mr. Henry Pollard some unidentified fossil shells from Whitby ; 

 Mr. John Grassham showed a case of birds, including the fork-tailed 

 petrel, the puffin, and the little gull. Mr. Charles Smethurst, in 

 addition to twenty-three species of local lepidoptera presented to the 

 Club's collection, showed Pachnohia alphm and other rare moths. A 

 number of the locusts which have occurred in Yorkshire were shown. 

 The secretary showed two specimens from Huddersfield, one taken at 

 Armley, near Leeds, was shown by Mr. Crowther, and one from Wake- 

 field was exhibited by Mr. Wm. Talbot, of that town, who was present 

 as a visitor. 



228th Meeting, Oct. 10th, the president in the chair. — Donations to 

 the library were announced, and thanks voted. Mr. Thomas Hick, 

 B.A., B.Sc, delivered a lecture on ''Mushrooms." He commenced his 

 subject by pointing out the error of supposing that activity of life in the 

 vegetable kingdom was confined to one season. As a fact, there was not 

 one period of the year when there was not some form of active vegetable 

 life existing. Just now, when the giants of the vegetable world were 

 retiring to rest, the mosses, fungi, and lichens presented themselves more 

 directly to our notice, and were now in a better state for study than at 

 any other time of the year. Having spoken of the distribution of fungi, he 



