Reports of Societies. 



155 



York Field Naturalists' and Scientific Society. — The first meeting 

 of this newly organized society was held in the Albert Rooms, Stonegate. 

 The following specimens were brought by members for exhibition : — Mr. 

 Alfred Waller, fonr new British plants, Naias alaganensis, Ononis horrida, 

 Agrostis- nigra, and Chara braunii ; Mr. Robert B. Cooke, a group of 

 British marine shells — Pinna pectinata, Anomia ephippium, and Pecten 

 maximus from Brixham, Pecten varius and Nassa reticulata from Torbay, 

 Fusns antiquus and F. gracilis from Lynn, and Cyprcea Europcea from 

 Sheldon, South Devon. The hon. sec. (Mr. S. Walker) exhibited a series 

 of the local Erehia epiphron and Dicroynura furcula. Mr. Bailey's 

 box contained eggs of the following birds : — Capercaille {Tetrao kto- 

 gallus), grey phjver (Sguatarola helvetica), heron {Ardea cinerea), spoon- 

 bill (Platalea leucorcdia), black stork (Ciconia nigra), also a large species 

 of sea star {Asterias) from Brisbane. Mr. Robert Button showed a 

 cabinet drawer of lepidoptera, containing Chelonia plantaginis 0. villica, 

 Arctia fuliginosa, A. urticce, &c. The president read a paper on " Bacillus 

 tuber culosus,^' and showed a specimen under the microscope. Having 

 explained the method of preparing the specimen, he said that Koch had 

 first described these baccilli, which were delicate thread-like bodies from 

 one-quarter to one-half as long as the diameter of the blood corpuscule. 

 They behaved in a characteristic manner with certain of the aniline dyes. 

 Koch had cultivated them for weeks and months apart from the body, 

 and then inoculated animals with them, producing the characteristic 

 disease by this means. Without entering before that non-medical 

 audience upon the great question of the pathology of tuberculi, and its 

 relation to consumption, the lecturer said he might at any rate point out 

 that here was a definite botanical organism, found under very peculiar 

 conditions, and therefore interesting to all naturalists. Certain people 

 were prone to tubercular diseases. It was markedly hereditary. It 

 prevailed especially under special hygienic and geographical circumstances. 

 This and many other facts seemed to show that whether or not the bacillus 

 was the cause of the disease, at any rate it required a specially disposed 

 animal-tissue for its soil. Of course, so far, the case was on all fours with 

 that of the yeast-plant, which also required a special soil, viz., one 

 containing sugar, to produce alcoholic fermentation. A vote of thanks 

 was accorded the lecturer at the close of his able and interesting address. 

 — Saml. Walker, Hon. Sec. 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. — 22nd Annual Meeting, Barnsley, 

 Tuesday, March 4th, 1884. — This was a very successful meeting, and in 

 honour of it the Barnsley Naturalists' Society had organized an extensive 

 and admirably arranged Exhibition of Natural History objects. This was 

 opened at about half-past two by Mrs. T. E. Taylor, of Dodworth Hall, 

 after which the visitors proceeded to inspect the various objects shown. 

 The business meetings commenced at 4 p.m., when the General Committee 

 met to receive the report of the Executive. There were present several 



