BRISTOL NATURALISTS SOCIETY. 
From the "Bristol Daily Post" of March 7th, 1864. 
Last Thursday evening this society held its usual monthly 
meeting, the sixth of this session, and, notwithstanding the 
incessant rain, the attendance was very large — about 60 
members and 25 visitors, including several ladies. After 
the usual formal business, the president, Mr. W. Sanders, 
announced the election of Mr. J. W. Clarke as a member, and 
then called the attention of the members to the Apteryx, 
purchased by the society at the previous meeting, for 
presfntation to the museum of the institution, which was now 
upon the fable, neatly set up as a specimen. He then 
mentioned the fact reported in the Daily Post of March 2, of 
a microscope, supposed to have been stolen, having come 
into the possession of the police, but no member claimed the 
instrument, 
Mr. W. W. Stoddart, the hon. treasurer of t'^e society, 
then delivered a discourse, entitled " A Naturalist's walk 
near Bristol." As an apologv for so soon intruding 
himself again upon the notice of the society, the 
speaker stated that he had of late been eneaged in 
the preparation of photographs of objects of natural 
history, suitable for exhibition by the oxyhvdrogen light, 
for illustrating lectures, &c. Photographs of this kind were 
also sold by Mr. Highlev, of London, but were not so suc- 
cessful as those Mr. Stoddart had obtained, and he considered 
it right to offer them first to the inspection of the Naturalists' 
Society (applause). After descanting upon the great beauty 
of the suburbs of Bristol, whether east, west, north, or south, 
and the great variety of plants to be found in the neighbour- 
hood, owing to the different geological beds, each forming 
its own soil, and hence each having plants growing upon it 
peculiar to itself, as the geranium tribe on limestone, the 
ferns on new red sandstone, the chicory on the lias, and other 
instances, the speaker said that many people in taking a 
walk passed over many most interesting things, simplv be- 
cause they were common, and he thought it a disgrace to 
Bristol that there was no published flora and fauna of the 
neighbourhood; such a book it should be the special dutvof 
such a society as this to furnish materials for. The first 
point illustrated was Narro way-hill, where the new red sand- 
stone contained remains of a large reptile, the Labyrinthodon, 
a photograph of which, as restored at the Crystal Palace, was 
shown. The lias epoch, beds of which were exposed on the 
South Wales Union Railway, was then dwelt upon, the 
remarks being illustrated by many excellent photographs of 
the huge reptiles then existing, as well as of ammonites, 
nautili, and many other animals, especially theCrinoidea. In 
a field near here was a remarkable bed, about five inches 
thick, containing great numbers of jaws of the Echinus, or 
sea-urchin ; also, growing near, the rare fern, Botrychium. 
Passing on to the Boiling-well, to which extraordinary heal- 
ing powers were once ascribed, several marshy plants were 
found, and a rare snail, Helix sericea, Ashley brook was a 
