172 



The Naturalist. 



place as to the best means of destroying them. Mr. Geo. Jannain gave 

 a most interesting lecture, in which he explained a new system of 

 decimalizing weights, on somewhat the same principle as Messrs. J. J. 

 Griffin and Sons had decimalised the gallon. In illustration he showed a 

 neat series of weights in mahogany box, made to decimals for him by 

 Messrs. Avery of Birmingham. He shewed clearly the immense advan- 

 tages of using them for weighing different materials, especially from 

 Continental formulae of dye mixtures, &c. By his method this could be 

 done without the least calculation, whilst now the ordinary English 

 artizan is utterl}^ at a loss to translate these formula into ordinary 

 British weights. We believe Mr. Jarmain proposes shortly to bring the 

 method thoroughly before the public. The last report of the West Kent 

 Natural History Society was laid upon the table. 



Lancashire axd Cheshire Entomological Society. — Monthly 

 meeting, April 26th, the president, Mr. S. J. Capper, in the chair. — Mr. 

 Scowcroft, of Ormskirk, read a paper on Special Adaptions in insect 

 Structures." The paper had special reference to the honey bee, and was 

 illustrated by microscopical preparations. 



The Leeds Naturalists' Club and Scientific Association. —377th 

 meeting, April 20th, Mr. B. Holgate, F.G.S., president, in the 

 chair. — Eggs of the swan, goose, Canada goose, (Methley Park) eider 

 duck, pochard, scaup, scoter, golden-eye, wild duck, pintail, longtailed 

 duck, garganey, and teal (Adel) were shown by Mr. John Grassham ; and 

 of the white-tailed eagle, Egyptian vulture, osprey, honey buzzard, and 

 peregrine falcon, by Mr. Walter Raine. The proposed lists of the fauna 

 and flora of the magnesian limestone district were then gone into at 

 considerable length, and numerous additions reported, the work having 

 been added to by Messrs. W. I. Baynes, of Ulleskelf, and W. J. Milligan, 

 of Wetherby. Desmids were shown by Mr. Barwell Turner, F.C.S., 

 F.R.M.S.; microscopic sections of coal plants by the president ; minerals 

 by ]\Ir. H. Marsh ; and other objects by various members. 



Excursion, Saturday, April 24th, was made to Castleford, for the 

 descent of a new coal pit at Briggs' collieries, under the guidance of JVIr. 

 Thomas Bees. 



378th Meeting, April 27th, the president in the chair. — Lecture on 

 The Two Great Limestones of the West Biding of Yorkshire," by Prof. 

 A. H. Green, M.A., F.G.S. 



Excursion, Saturday, May 1st, made to the neighbourhood of 

 Garforth, chiefly geological in its interest. 



379th Meeting, May 4th, Mr. H. Lupton, president of the Entomo- 

 logical Section, in the chair. — A letter from the Leeds Town Clerk was 

 read, stating that compliance would be made with the Club's request that 

 fishing be suspended in Boundhay Park during the ''fence time." An 

 earwig was shown, which infested boxes of Indian cigars at Masham, 



