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The Naturalist. 



ment of Natural History, and to do something to furnish that depart- 

 ment. The society's cabinet might be fitted-np with local collections of 

 insects, shells, eggs, &c., and placed in the museum. Natural History 

 was much neglected in giving an education to the young, and children 

 left school with very little to occupy their minds. A museum could bo 

 made a centre from which a love of nature might be made to radiate in 

 all directions, and either a love of nature or art will, more than anything 

 else, keep young men and young women from evil habits and intem- 

 perance. 



Manchester Cryptogamic Society. — Fifth annual meeting of the 

 society. Dr. B. Carrington in the chair. — The honorary secretary 

 read the annual report, which briefly reviewed the work done during the 

 last year, noticing the cry^Dtogams which had been discovered by the 

 members and their friends^ ?s being new to science or to the British flora. 

 Two new continental species had been brought before their notice by a 

 Frendi corresponding member, and quite a number of new localities for 

 rare species had been made known, as well as fruiting specimens of 

 species which had not hitherto been found in this condition in Britain. 

 The most noticeable of those being found in fruit ma}^ be mentioned : — 

 Gymnostoimim calcareum a,nd Mnium stellare, in Derbyshire, by Mr. Holt, 

 and Fissidens rv.pdns in Yorkshire, by Mr. West. The literary work of 

 the society had been pleasant and interesting, including papers by Mr. 

 Cash, on " The History of Cindidium styginm as a British moss," and 

 the " Early Bryological Work of Mr. Wm. Wilson in Ireland, Scotland, 

 Anglesea, Cheshire and Lancashire," Dr. Carrington contributed a large 

 number of letters from eminent Cryptogamic botanists who lived in the 

 present century, and who had been correspondents of the well known 

 artisan botanist, Edward Hobson. It was also satisfactory to know that 

 Dr. Carrington and Mr. Pearson had issued their third Fasciculus of the 

 Hejmticce BritanniccE Exsiccatoe. The following were elected officers of the 

 society for the ensuing year : — President, Dr. B. Carrington, F.R.S.E., 

 secretary and treasurer, Mr. Thos. Hogers. During the evening Mr. 

 Forster exhibited a splendid series of twenty-two varieties of the common 

 Folijpodinm vvdgare, all of them very remarkable, and some of them most 

 beautiful in form ; these were from the fernery of Mr. J. M. Barnes, of 

 Milnthorpe. Mr, George Stabler sent specimens of Lophocolea spicata, 

 Tayl., collected by the late Mr. Wilson, near Conway. The species had 

 not hitherto been recorded as growing in Wales, Mr, Stabler also sent 

 Jung. Schraderi from a new locality near Sedbergh, collected by himself, 

 Oct., 1882. Another rarity was Bry nm concinnatum (S-pruce), from the 

 Pass of Llanberis, collected May; 1883. Mr. Cash exhibited specimens 

 of Andreoea sparsifolia, which had been collected on Helvellyn, in Sep- 

 tember last, by the Rev, C. H. Waddell. The thanks of the society were 

 accorded to Dr. R. Braithwaite, F.L.S., for all the parts yet published of 

 his British Moss Flora," and to the Royal Microscopical Society for 

 their Journal and Proceedings. —T. Rogers, Hon. Sec. 



