188 



The NATUfiALisT. 



Bradford Naturalists' Society. — At the meeting of this society on 

 May 2nd, Mr. Kershaw read a paper on Forms of Water." Mr. Carter 

 exhibited a box of beetles containing Carahus nitens and Cicindela cam- 

 pestris, from Rombalds Moor ; Aphodius prodomns smd A. jimitarius ivom. 

 Shipley Glen ; Clivinia fossor from Frizinghall : and a number of com- 

 moner species. Mr. Eastwood described a ramble to Baildon Moor in 

 search of mosses, and showed several specimens he had collected. 



Meeting, May 16th. — Mr, Oxley read a paper on "The Botany of 

 Sicily." He described the principal fraits grown about Palermo, espe- 

 cially one procured by grafting an orange on a lemon tree, which is much 

 esteemed by the natives ; and concluded by giving an account of a 

 number of wild Sicilian plants, which are grown here under cultivation. 

 Mr. Carter brought a number of beetles from Shipley Glen and Frizing- 

 hall, including Pterostichns orinomus, Nibria brevicollis, Aphodius ater, 

 Lipha rngosa, Harpalus rujicornis, and Byrrhus pilula ; Mr. Soppit, a 

 specimen of Primula farinosa in bloom, also Lyvinea auricularia and 

 Dreissena polymorpha ; Mr. Starling, the following, which are new to the 

 district record list : — Planorhis corneus, P. complanatits, and Lymnea 

 glabra. Mr. Jagger, as president of the society, was requested to forward 

 to the family of the late Mr. Charles Darwin a letter of condolence, as an 

 expression of their sympathy with them in their great loss. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — Monthly 

 meeting, April 24th, in the Free Library, the ^president (Mr. S. J. 

 Capper) in the chair. — Avery interesting paper was read by Mr. S. L. 

 Mosley, of Huddersfield, on " The Classification of British Insects." 

 Mr. Mosley, after adverting to the importance of the subject, and 

 describing in detail the classifications adopted by Swammerdara, Newman, 

 Lamarck, Linnaeus, and Olivier, stated that from long experience he had 

 found that in some of these classifications the connecting links were not 

 so complete as could be wished, and that in other respects they were 

 imperfect. It was possible so to arrange the same collection of objects 

 as to preserve the unbroken continuity of the different species, and this 

 he had attempted. The arrangement which he suggested was as follows : 

 1, Hemiptera, which comprises the land, water, and plant bugs ; 2, 

 Orthoptera, or grasshoppers, cockroaches, earwigs, &c. ; 3, Coleoptera, 

 or beetles ; 4, Neuroptera, or dragon-flies (including the trichoptera, or 

 caddis flies; 5, Lepidoptera, or butterflies and moths ; 6, Hymenoptera, or 

 bees, wasps, ants, ichneumons, &c. ; and 7, Diptera, or the two-winged 

 flies. The exhibits on this occasion were — a splendid specimen of Urania* 

 fidgens, by Lieut. Mason of Nev/ Brighton ; Pterostichus dilicjens, Trechus 

 obtusus, and Bembidinm nigricans, all beetles new to the district ; Mr. 

 Wilding, Bembidinm Stephensi from Aigburth ; Mr. Frazer, a variety of 

 Odonestis potatoria ; and Dr. Ellis, recent captures among the coleoptera 

 at Wallasey and Llangollen. — J. W. Ellis, Hon, Sec. 



