Reports of Societies. 



157 



Meeting April 7th, the president in the chair. — A large number of 

 botanical specimens were laid on the table by Messrs. Shaw, Clarke, 

 Mackenzie, and Godward, amongst them were Draha muralis, Empetrum 

 nigrum, Liyiaria Cymbalaria, Petasitesvulgaris, Veronica arvensis, V. serpylli- 

 folia, V. officinalis, Tussilago Farfara, CaltJia palustris, Clielidonium 

 TYiajus, Blechnum horeale. Mr. J. Whitwam exhibited and presented to 

 the Society two fine specimens of Acme lineata, from Royd House Wood, 

 on March 11th. Mr. J. Tindall then read a paper on the Geographical 

 Distribution of Birds." The lecturer began by stating that the most 

 striking fact in the limitation of species occurs amongst birds whose power 

 of easy locomotion seems to place the whole world at their disposal. He 

 then stated of the 26 species of land birds found in the Galapagos Islands, 

 only one is found elsewhere. The lecturer then gave an account of the 

 birds of Australia, which he said was peculiar in its distribution of birds. 

 Parroquets, he said, range from 45° S. to within 10° of the equator, clinging 

 to the highlands, and do not cross the intervening plains or to other 

 mountain chains in the same latitude. The author then gave an 

 exhaustive account of the humming birds. Eriocnemus Derhianus has 

 never been found except in the crater of the volcano of Purace. The 

 lecturer pointed out on a map of the world the geographical distribution 

 of the common fowl — peacocks, nightingales, penguins, birds of paradise, 

 turtle doves, and a large number of other birds. — J. MacKenzie, Sec. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — The opening 

 meeting of this Society was held in the small Lecture Hall, Brown's 

 Museum, Liverpool, on the 26th March, when Mr. S. J. Capper, the 

 president, delivered the inaugural address. The Rev. H. H. Higgins, 

 prefacing his motion with some remarks of a most interesting general 

 character, moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Capper for his very able address, 

 and the meeting then formed itself into a conversazione, several of the 

 members exhibiting objects of interest. 



The Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. — 242nd 

 meeting, April 10th, 1877, Mr. Councillor Gascoigne in the chair. — Mr. 

 Samuel Jefferson, F.CS. gave an interesting lecture on " Cyclones." 



MiRFiELD Naturalists' Society. — Meeting 7th April. Mr. J. Yarley, 

 of Huddersfield, read a very instructive paper on British Song Birds." 



North Staffordshire Naturalists' Field Club. — 12th annual 

 meeting, March 22nd. — There was a large attendance, and the proceedings 

 were of a specially interesting character, the meeting having been chosen 

 as the occasion for presenting the Rev. T. W. Daltry, the hon. secretary, 

 with a revised edition of Curtis's " Flora Londinensis," together with an 

 elegant sterling silver epergne, in recognition of the eminent services 

 which he has rendered to the Club. The hon. secretary also read the 

 treasurer's report, after which Mr. W. S. Brough, of Leek, was appointed 

 president for the ensuing year, and the treasurer and honorary secretary 

 were re-elected. 



