148 
March 16 th, 1874. 
Joseph Baxendell, F.RA.S., Vice-President of the Section 
in the Chair. 
Mr. Huest laid on the table some of the expensive 
Natural History works it had been decided to purchase 
with the fund given by the Manchester Natural History 
Society. 
Mr. SiDEBOTHAM exhibited an old book cover of the date 
1683, mined by a very rare beetle, Hyj^othenemus eruditus. 
This species was discovered more than 40 years ago by 
Professor Westwood and named by him, since which time 
no other specimen has been seen until this year, when it 
was met with by Mr. Janson. Mr. Sidebotham met with 
several specimens in this old book cover, one of which was 
living. 
Mr. Sidebotham also mentioned that during the frost last 
week he noticed the steam from an engine at London-road 
Station speedily converted into snow, and on examination 
of the crystals with a pocket lens found them to consist of 
unusual forms of the most simple description, equilateral 
triangles, reels with triangular ends, &c., and a total absence 
of all wheel-like forms. 
