Reports of Societies. 



119 



Bradford Naturalists' Society. — Meeting, Jan. 10th. — The president 

 (Mr. W. Jagger) gave his inaugural address, and after congratulating the 

 society upon its healthy state, he urged upon the members the more exact 

 study of the sciences they were working at, shewing that every science 

 is so wrapt up in its technical terms, that progress must always be un- 

 satisfactory where these terms are not thoroughly mastered. He then 

 gave instances from various natural phenomena, to show that the eternal 

 fitness of things " was no empty phrase, but one, the full force of which 

 can only be understood by those who are diligent students of nature, in 

 her various moods. He concluded by advising members to bring the 

 difficulties they meet with before the society, at its fortnightly meetings, 

 and so make the society of additional value. Several interesting natural 

 history objects were shown, among which were two shells, new to the 

 district record Hsts, collected by Mr. H , T. Soppitt, and a miscellaneous 

 collection of insects, &c. , found in wool from Russia and Australia, shown 

 by Mr. J. W. Carter. 



Manchester Cryptogamic Society. — Capt. CunlifFe (president) in the 

 chair. — The hon. secretary made a statement in reference to the record 

 of Weissia mucro7iata, and through the kindness of Dr. J. B. Wood, of 

 Broughton, was enabled to place before the members specimens of this 

 mucronate moss, which had been gathered at Parkside, April, 1847, by 

 Mr. Wm. Wilson, and near Mottram by Mr. J. Whitehead, in 1868. 

 The society's herbarium specimen had been presented by the Todmorden 

 Botanical Society, from the extensive Nowellian collection in their 

 possession, and had originally been gathered at Airth, in Scotland. This 

 meeting being the annual one, the following officers were unanimously 

 elected: — Dr, B. Carrington, F.R.S.E., president; Captain Cunlilfe, 

 F.R.M.S., and Mr. Thomas Brittain, vice-presidents ; and Mr. Thomas 

 Rogers, hon. secretory. A brief annual report was read, which showed 

 that the work of the society had been both satisfactory and interesting. 

 Three new species of Hepaticae had been discovered as new to the British 

 Flora, by members of the society ; two of these had been named by Herr 

 Jack and Dr. Spruce, in honour of Dr. Carrington and Mr. Pearson, as 

 Kadula Carringtoni and Lepidozia Pearsoni. When Dr. Carrington first 

 determined the specific characters of the Kadula, he proposed a 

 provisional name in honour of his late friend, Dr. Moore, of Dublin, as 

 Radula Moorei, but the publication had been preceded by J ack's name as 

 B. Carringtoni. The secretary, as treasurer of the society, stated that 

 the financial condition of the society was improving, and that the debt 

 incurred for herbarium purposes would soon be paid off. The thanks of 

 the society were accorded to the Royal Microscopical Society for copies 

 of the Proceedings and Journals of their society, and to Miss Marian 

 Ridley for a copy of an excellent little book she has had published, under 

 the title of "A Pocket Guide to the British Ferns." Capt. Cunliflfe 



*The names of these should have been recorded. — Eds. Ifat, 



