Bahnsley Naturalists' Society. — Meeting Mar. 28th^ Dr. Lancaster 

 (president) in the chair. — Mr. E. Brady, secretary, read an interesting 

 paper on the origin and progress of the society, — commencing in 1856 

 with five persons meeting at a member's house, to the time of occupying 

 its room at the Public Hall, 1877, with about 50, now increased to 70 

 members. 



Meeting April 11th, Mr. T. Lister in the chair. — About 50 flowering 

 plants were examined, the result of the societj^'s excursion on Good 

 Friday to New Park Spring, Burntwood Hall, and on Easter Tuesday to 

 Stainborongh Park. A Hst of the dates observed this quarter was read, 

 to be embodied in the Transactions ; amongst these were Lathrcea 

 sqiiamaria, Paris quadrifolia, Adooca moschatellina, Narcissus pseudc" 

 narcissus, &c. The flowering of most plants has been remarkably early, 

 and the same may be said as to the song of resident birds ; the thrush, 

 mistletoe-thrush, black-bird, and skylark have sung during most of the 

 winter. A few spring migrants have come exceptionally early. T. 

 Dymond, Esq., and friends saw two swallows at Brimham, March 18th. 

 a hot day. Frost and snow followed, and they disappeared. He writes 

 that two, probably the same, appeared April 11th. The cuckoo was heard 

 and seen by his men — whom he reassures me he can depend upon — on 

 March 19th ; it was heard and seen at Melton-on-the-Hill March 12th, 

 and seen and heard to call in flight at Day House Wood, near Barnsley, 

 April 2nd. The chifi"-chaff reported at New Park Spring March 27th ; 

 no other migrants noted by the woodman up to Good Friday. Sand- 

 martins seen at Swinton Mar 17, the willow wren April 11, the wheatear 

 April 9 — the two last after average date. A few kestrels, goldfinches, 

 kingfishers, and sparrow-hawks have been noted recently ; also wild 

 geese and ducks, common gull and herons. 



Beverley Field Naturalists' and Scientific Society. — Tenth 

 meeting, March 30th, Mr. J. A. Ridgway, president, in the chair. — Mr. 

 F. Boyes read an interesting paper on The Study of Natural History," 

 which was followed by a discussion on several points raised by the 

 lecturer. On Saturday, April 1st, the members of the society visited 

 Risby Woods and Park, by special permission ; one or two species only 

 of lepidoptera and coleoptera were observed, as, although the day was 

 brilliantly fine, the prevailing east wind made it unfavourable for collect-* 

 ting. The plants noticed in flower were Ficaria verna, Caltha palustris, 

 Fotentilla fmgrariastrum, Prunus spinosa, &c. ; and the hawthorn was 

 seen in bud. Amongst the ferns Lastrcea dilatata was the only one noted. 

 The members of the section of vetebrate zoology reported having observed 

 twenty-eight species ; two mammals, two reptiles, twenty-four birds, 

 including the common gull, carrion crow, ring dove, stock dove, field- 



