134 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
of the sections in the neighbourhood of Northampton, 
specially including the Upper Lias, Inferior and Great 
Oolite, &c.; (3) a Botanical excursion to Fawsley Park, 
Badby Woods, and Daventry, in the course of which it is 
hoped to visit the grounds of E. G. Loder, Esq., including 
his famous Alpine and Winter Gardens, &c. 
Further particulars of these arrangements will be given 
hereafter, but enough has been said to show that Northampton 
has determined to improve upon the high reputation it 
acquired during the last visit of the Union. 
Ihports of Societies. 
BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL 
SOCIETY.— Geological Section, March 20th. Mr. T. H. Waller, 
B.A., B.Sc., in the chair; forty-three members and friends present. 
Professor Hillliouse exhibited two examples of Antipodal Culture 
of Hyacinths, consisting of four bulbs planted in vases; two 
bulbs in each vase, one erect at the top, the other inverted towards 
the bottom. The bottom bulb in each case had grown downwards 
into the water, and one had flowered in the water. Mr. Chas. 
Pumphrey exhibited, by the oxy-liydrogen lantern, a fine series of 
photographic views (geological and others), taken by himself in parts 
of Switzerland and Germany, including Dover Cliffs, Falls of the 
Rhine, The Rigi, “ The Catastrophe at Zug,” Valley of Engelberg, 
Engelberg Water Falls, Briinig Pass, Upper and Lower Glaciers 
of the Grindelwald, the Wetterliorn, and. many others of con¬ 
siderable interest and beauty. A cordial vote of thanks was given to 
Mr. Pumphrey for his kindness in exhibiting these views and so 
clearly describing them.— Biological Section Meeting, held April 10. 
Mr. R. W. Chase, F.L.S., in the chair. The following were exhibited 
by Mr. W. H. Wilkinson :—A collection of Lichens, from South Devon, 
including the rare Parmelia acetabulum , rare Lecanora ferrugiuea , 
L. parella, Lecidea canescens, Placodium murormn, &c. By Mr. W. B. 
Grove, B.A.—Fungi: Peziza nivea and the rare Triposporium elegans , 
both from Hopwood Dingle. By J. E. Bagnall, A.L.S., a number of 
Mosses, Hepatics, and Lichens, from the Warwickshire Stour Valley, 
including Ortliotrichum cupulatum and Didyviodon sinuosus , both new to 
the district, and Orthotrichum obtusifolium, Cryphcea heteromalla, rare, 
&c. ; for Fred. Enock, F.E.S., a series of fourteen sketches of insect 
preparations, No. 11. being specially noticeable. This is alongitudinal 
section through a fully grown impregnated garden spider, Epeira 
diadema, showing all the organs which lie in the line of section, an 
instructive as well as most beautiful preparation. Mr. W. P. 
Marshall having taken the chair, Mr. R. W. Chase then gave his paper, 
“ Notes upon Birds which have become extinct, and those species which 
are likely to become so in Great Britain; illustrated by a series of 
Photographs of Eggs of the Great Auk, Alca impennis .” This paper was 
one of great interest, and was illustrated by life-size photographs of 
most of the existing eggs of the species, seventy-seven in number, all 
being kindly lent for the occasion by Mr. E. Bidwell; also by clutches 
of eggs of allied species, and specimens of the Razor Bill and Small 
