62 The Naturalist. 



went into the structure and physiology, and closed the lecture with a 

 distinctive account of edible and poisonous fungi, a number of specimens 

 l)eing exhibited in illustration of this part of the subject. A discussion 

 was afterwards joined in by several of the members present. 



229th Meeting, October 17th, Mr. William Nelson, curator, in the 

 chair. — Mr. James Irwin Coates, F.R.A.S., showed a monstrosity of the 

 common daisy from near Monk Fryston, two flowers and their stalks 

 having coalesced. Mr. John W. Taylor showed specimens of Helix 

 hortensis, H. nemoralis, H. sylmtica, and H. austriaca, from Switzerland. 

 The whole of these four species were proposed to be united into one by 

 the eminent French conchologist Deshayes, but now they are generally 

 considered distinct. The specimens of H. hortensis were remarkable for 

 being more richly tinted than ordinarily, and for the noticeable regularity 

 in the banding of some of the specimens. Mr. Wm. Nelson showed 

 Zonites radiatulus from Thorner, new to the Leeds district ; Ancylus 

 Jiuviatilis, var. gibhosus, a local variety from Thorner, near Leeds ; and 

 Helix rotundata, var. alba, from Seacroft, near Leeds, a rare, though 

 widely-distributed variety. Mr. S. Schofield showed some coins, and 

 Mr. C. H. Bothamley six specimens to illustrate the difierent forms 

 assumed by the common mineral quartz, from the lead mines of the 

 Yorkshire and Westmoreland dales. A letter from Mr. F. G. S. Rawson 

 was read, recording the capture of otters near Halifax, and of various 

 birds in the same locality in August and September. — W.D.R. 



Leeds Geological Association. — At the opening of the third session 

 of this Association on Tuesday evening, September 26th, Mr. W. Cash, 

 F.G.S., of Halifax, gave an address on " Ammonites and their Allies." 

 Mr. W. Cheetham presided. Mr. Cash pointed out the distinguishing 

 features of the two great orders of the class Cephalopoda, Tetrabranchiata, 

 and Dibranchiata, to the former of which the family Ammonitidoe belong. 

 He then described in detail the structure of an ammonite, and compared 

 it with the existing species of nautilus and octopus, showing the points of 

 difference and resemblance in each. The lecturer stated that the nautilus 

 was a very persistent form of life occurring in the Paleozoic formations, 

 and extending through the secondary and tertiary periods down to the 

 present time ; while the true ammonite was confined to the secondary 

 period. The lecture was illustrated by a number of diagrams and speci- 

 mens of fossil and recent forms of Cephalopoda. 



MiRFiELD Naturalists' Society. — The second annual meeting of this 

 Society was held on Saturday, the 30th ult., in the Working Men's Clab 

 Room, Snakehill, when the following persons were re-elected : — Rev. 

 Benjamin Wilson, president ; Mr. Simeon Kaye, vice-president ; Mr. 

 Edwin Stoks, secretary ; and Mr. James Buckley, treasurer. Mr. Wm. 

 Buckley was elected librarian in the place of Mr. J oshua Buckley. The 

 secretary's report showed a total of 36 members in the Society, 9 of whom 



