]42 



The Naturalist. 



during the past season, including two new to the county — Didymodon 

 hiridus from Wentbridge, and Hypnum imponens from Skipwith Common. 

 Taking Polytrichum juniperum as an example, the anatomy of mosses 

 was demonstrated, and the moving antherozoa exhibited under the 

 microscope. — H. F. Parsons, Sec. 



HuDDBRSPiELD SCIENTIFIC Club. — Meeting March 22nd, Mr, G. T. 

 Porritt, in the chair. — Mr. James Varley exhibited the stonechat killed 

 at Dalton March 5th (see p. 138). A conversation took place as to 

 whether it was an early migrant, or had passed the winter in Britain ; 

 being evidently a young bird the members generally, considered it had 

 probably never left our shores. Mr. John Conacher shewed Zonites 

 radiatilis, from Hey Wood, Honley. Mr. George Brook, a new air-pump 

 for mounting microscopic slides. Mr. C. P. Hobkirk then gave a lecture 

 with illustrations, on " How to examine a Moss microscopically. " Taking 

 Tortnla muralis, Orimmia pulvinata, and Brachythecium rutabulum as 

 types he made dissections of them under the microscope, and detailed the 

 process step by step, which should be taken to ascertain their identity : 

 describing their various parts, and notably the construction of the capsule, 

 and its various phases in different genera and the value of the areolation 

 of the leaf in determiniiig speciejs ; and finally shewed that in thus 

 working out specific distinctions in the mosses, the student necessarily 

 became acquainted with the anatomy and minute structure of the objects 

 he named. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — Monthly 

 meeting, 25th February, Mr. S. J. Capper, president, in the chair. — A 

 paper was read communicated by Mr. J. H. Threlfall, of Preston, con- 

 taining an account of the breeding of micro-lepidoptera. The usual 

 conversazione then followed, at which 92 specimens of German micro- 

 lepidoptera, presented to the museum by the Imperial Museum of 

 Vienna, also a male and female Angosoma, from Guiana, were exhibited 

 by the Pev. H. H. Higgins, and an improved apparatus for drying 

 larvae by Mr. West. 



The Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. — Annual 

 meeting, Mr. James Abbott, president, in the chair. — The eighth annual 

 report showed that progress had been made in various respects, although 

 certain important branches of science were totally unrepresented. The 

 financial statement was satisfactory. Mr. F. Greenwood, M.R.C.S.E., 

 was elected president. The retiring president then delivered his valedic- 

 tory address, in which he briefly reviewed the Society's work during the 

 year, and gave a sketch of the development of various forms of life. Mr, 

 Kell's suggestion that the Union should, during the week of its annual 

 meeting in Leeds, at the end of 1878, hold a grand combined exhibition 

 of natural history objects and scientific apparatus, was then considered. 

 The feeling of the members was strongly in favour of the idea being 

 carried out on an adequately large scale, and a resolution to this effect was 

 unanimously adopted. — W. D. Roebuck, Sec. 



