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MISCELLANEA. 
THE LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER FIELD NATURALISTS’ 
SOCIETIES. 
I T would be difficult to decide which of the two is effecting the greatest 
amount of good — the “ Manchester Field Naturalists’ Society,” or the 
“ Liverpool Naturalists’ Field Club.” 
Neither has yet terminated the second year of its existence, and already 
the Manchester Society numbers over 400 members, whilst the Liverpool 
Club boasts of considerably more than 500. One of the chief causes of their 
rapid rise and great popularity is the admission of lady members to all their 
meetings, whether in the open air or in the lecture-liall. 
We cannot, in this our first notice, treat in detail of the operations of the 
societies, but the salient features will be gathered from the following narrative 
of a meeting which took place by arrangement between the members of the 
two clubs, at a fine old ruin called Hoghton Tower, near Preston, Lancashire, 
on Saturday, July 20th. On this occasion, the weather being fine at Liver- 
pool and rainy in Manchester, about 300 members and friends constituted 
the party from the former place, whilst scarcely more than 40 persons (the most 
zealous workers, of course) set out from Manchester, and both parties arrived 
at the rendezvous at about three o’clock in the afternoon. 
Here the weather was beautiful, though at first a little dull, but by the 
time that the leaders of the two societies had exchanged courtesies on the 
slope of the hill, the sun shone warm and bright, and the atmosphere became 
as calm and transparent as could be desired. After enjoying the view from 
the Tower, and some botanizing in the woods behind and below it, on the part 
of the ladies and a few gentlemen, led by Mr. Grindon, the honorary secretary 
of the Manchester Field Naturalists, the whole party assembled for tea, the 
leaders of the Liverpool club — Rev. H. H. Higgins, M.A., and Rev. William 
Banister — having kindly remained to see that all preparations were duly 
completed. Tea concluded, all who felt so disposed adjourned to the green 
slope in front of the Tower, where Mr. Grindon soon drew around him a large 
company, and proceeded to deliver an address upon the principal plants which 
had been collected during the day. He stated that it was the custom with the 
Manchester Field Naturalists always to have such an address, by way of im- 
pressing the results of the day’s researches, and giving an agreeable finish and 
consolidation to the objects of the excursion. Drawing attention, in the first 
place, to the Ferns which had been gathered, Mr. Grindon showed that most 
of the large and common species, while in their very young state, so closely 
resemble mature fronds of small and rarer kinds (except that they are destitute 
of fructification), that beginners are extremely liable to be deceived by them, 
