Reports of Societies. 



153 



of Dublin^ and Dr. Brady of Sunderland. Local excursions were proposed 

 for the season, the first of which is to be Edlington and Conisborough. 

 Little to remark as to birds : a flight of long-tailed tits seen about the 

 gardens, SUkstone, Feb, 22 ; chaffinch, song first noted Feb. 15 ; the yellow- 

 hamraer sang on the 16th ; pied-wagtails again noted Feb. 19th, and now 

 becoming frequent ; they partially migrate to warm parts of England in 

 winter, grey wagtails coming in late autumn and leaving in spring ; king- 

 fishers frequently noted every winter. The most unusual occurrence has 

 been a pair of wheatears, Jan. 17th, on Staincross common ; they are 

 usually summer visitors, leaving for warmer southern counties in late 

 autumn. I saw a kestrel, Jan. 7th, hovering low and darting to a hedge 

 bank, near Sandal ; saw siskins again in railway cutting below my house 

 at Victoria Crescent, but not in such great numbers as were reported about 

 Christmas. A heron was brought for my examination, Jan. 12th, shot 

 at Brough : several were seen up to the close of the month Mr. Bond, 

 of Wombwell, reports many sparrow-hawks, kestrels, and gulls ; and 

 two more otters making about seven in the Dearne valley in two years : 

 these are desired by the land proprietors to be protected. From Hems- 

 worth woods and reservoir, which are under wise protection, little grebes, 

 goosanders, herons, sparrow-hawks, kestrels, gold-finches, and gold- 

 crested wrens are reported by Mr. Creighton, who thinks that the bird 

 and gun acts, and trespass laws, are causing some scarce birds to increase 

 in numbers. — T. Listee . 



Bradford Naturalists' Society. — Meeting held Jan. 29th, 1884. 

 Mr. Carter presided. Mr. Firth described a ramble to Shipley Glen, and 

 reported having seen the dipper, creeper, blue titmouse, cole titmouse, 

 magpie, thrush, missel thrush, wren and robin. Mr. Soppitt gave an 

 account of a ramble about Saltaire, and reported having found a fungus 

 (Mycena hyemalis) which he considered very early. Mr. Carter exhibited 

 a box containing the whole of the British representatives of the genus 

 Zygcena (burnet moths), and pointed out their specific characteristics. 

 Mr. Firth exhibited a number of moths which pass the winter in the 

 perfect state, including I), templi, C. vaccmii, C, miata, S. duhitata, &c. 

 Mr. Shackleton, of Keighley, showed a number of mosses collected in 

 various localities. Mr. Soppitt then gave his lecture on Heterojcism of 

 certain Fungi," which he said signifies a species which commences life 

 on one plant and completes it on another. He gave as an illustration 

 the corn-mildew, which is so destructive in the corn-growing districts, 

 but has not been found here. It commences its growth on the barberry 

 {Berheris vulgaris), and completes it on the corn. The lecture was illus- 

 trated by a number of specimens of fungi in different stages of their 

 growth. 



Meeting held Feb. 12th, 1884, Mr. Soppitt in the chair.— Mr. Soppitt 

 reported a ramble about Seven Arches, near Bingley, and in Shipley 

 Glen, and named a number of flowers he had seen ; he also found 



