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The Naturalist. 



and drawings of a hepatic new to Britain — Jungermannia Juratzhana 

 (Limpriclit), which he had detected in a collection made by Mr. West 

 of Bradford, last year, when on Ben Lawers. Mr. Pearson also read a 

 translation of a paper by G, Limpricht on Gymnomitrium adustnm, in 

 which he clearly establishes the fact of a true Gymnomitrium adustum 

 (Nees.) He therefore alters the name of Sarcoscyphus adustus (Spruce) 

 to Sarcoscyphus Sprucii (Limpricht). Specimens and drawings of the two 

 species were afterwards shown. Mr. Pearson exhibited specimens of the 

 new Radida commutata (Gottsche), which had been collected by Mr. 

 C. J. Wild, in the same locality, as previously mentioned at the last 

 meeting. — T. Rogers, Hon. Sec. 



OvENDEN Naturalists' Society. — Meeting, March 26th. — The 

 president (Mr. James Spencer) exhibited a series of interesting micro- 

 scopical sections of coal plants, including another new sporangium. It 

 is about the same size and form as the one shown at the last meeting, 

 containing Zygosporites brevipes. The present one contains microspores 

 of a most peculiar form ; they are shaped almost like a cockle shell, and 

 very much smaller than Zygosporites brevipes. At the first glance they 

 look like a miniature copy of the large fringed microspores so common in 

 our coal balls, but upon closer inspection they are seen to be of a more 

 decidedly triangular form, and the fringe, of extremely delicate hair, is 

 chiefly confined to what may be termed the base of the triangle, or mouth 

 of the spore. The spores are arranged in groups, each group containing 

 four spores, hence their name of tetraspores. Some idea may be formed 

 of their minuteness from the fact that the sporangium or " bag " which 

 contains them is only about the one hundredth part of an inch in breadth 

 by about the thirty-fifth part of an inch in length, and yet it contained 

 many hundreds of spores. He also exhibited the fossil fungus Peronos- 

 porites antiquarius in several coal plants, and, for comparison, sections of 

 the recent pine (Pinus sylvestris) containing fungus mycelium. The wheat- 

 ear was heard in Ovenden on the 20th March, and a kittiwake was found 

 dead in Shroggs Wood on the 22nd. 



Meeting, April 11th. — A lecture on " The Fossil Flora of the Coal- 

 measure " was given by Mr. James Spencer, illustrated by specimens of 

 plants from the splendid collection of the Society's Museum, and by a 

 large series of diagrams illustrative of the various fossil plants, shewing 

 their internal structure, found by the lecturer in the coal strata of the 

 district. 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Union'. — The inaugural excursion of the 

 present season took place in the West Riding, at Skipton, on Easter 

 Monday, the 18th of April. In addition to the immediate vicinity of the 

 place of meeting — the Church, the Castle and its woods, — the following 

 localities were visited and explored by the members : — Barnoldswick, 

 Gisburn, Elslack, Thornton, Draughton, and Cracoe. Geological parties 

 were arranged and successfully led by Mr. Jones, the local secretary for 



