iUjoods of Soticlus. 



Barnsley Naturalists' Society. — Meeting Feb. 13th. — The report of 

 the Conversazione and Exhibition, Jan. 25th, was favourable, there was 

 a small balance to the credit of the Institute. There is little to report as 

 to insects and flowers. Mercuoialis perennis flowered lirst week in 

 January ; Tussilago farfara, February 1st. Mr. H. Garland, of Wood- 

 hall, reports that he has a fine specimen of the Bohemian wax-wing, 

 obtained near that place, Dec. 20th ; this, and the R-ichardson's skua, 

 obtained at Cudworth, Oct. 27th ; the snow-buntings, Dec. 26th ; and 

 the Sclavonic grebe, reported by Mr. M. G. Parkin ; are the rarest 

 occasional winter visitants to this neighbourhood the present season. 

 Song-thrushes are decreasing, and need more protecting. The songs of 

 birds are increasing daily — skylarks, early in January ; chaffinch, Feb. 9 ; 

 yellow-hammer, Feb. 16th. The traces in the snow of an otter were 

 observed at Woodhall, early in January. — Thos. Liste?,. 



Bradford Naturalists' Society. — Meeting Jan. 23rd, the president 

 in the chair. — Mr. Firth reported taking i7. leucophearia, at Saltaire, and 

 also exhibited a beautiful series of H. defoliaria, from Shipley Glen. The 

 president— a drawer from his cabinet, containing, amongst others, S. 

 ocellatus, S. convolvuii, and D. Galii. Mr. Soppitt named some ferns 

 gent from Timsbury, Somerset. 



Meeting, Feb. 6th, the president in the chair. — Mr Soppitt exhibited 

 three specimens of Geaster, from Norfolk. The president exhibited 

 specimens of the whole of British butterflies belonging to the order 

 Papilionidse, and described their characteristics, and geographical dis- 

 tribution. Mr. West — a large number of British and American plants, 

 to illustrate the Nat. Ord. Ericacee. 



Lancashire and Cheshire Entomological Society. — Meeting, 

 Jan. 27th, the president (Mr. S. J. Capper) in the chair. The officers 

 elected for the current session were Mr. S. J. Capper, president ; Mr. 

 Robert Browii, vice-president ; and Dr. J. W. Ellis, honorary secretary. 

 The president then gave a short address, in which, after thanking the 

 members for his re-election, he referred to the entomological work during 

 the past season. The past year had been a most prosperous one, 15 new 

 members having been elected. He believed this was a greater number 

 than in any previous year. Seven members had left through removal 

 from Liverpool and other causes, and the society now numbers 67 against 

 59 members at the beginning of the year. At the eleven meetings which 

 had been held 13 papers had been read, most of which had evinced a 

 considerable amount of care, thought, and talent in their preparation. 

 The secretary read the annual report for 1882, and the financial statement^ 

 showed a good balance in the bank. Mr. E. R. Billington read a paper 

 entitled Fourteen Days in Trinidad," in which he detailed his expe- 

 riences, entomological and otherwise, in that charming West Indian 

 island, describing very vividly, and occasionally with much humour, its 



