48 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
Feb., 1890 . 
treating on “Primitive Man — Intellectual.”— Geological Section 
Meeting, December 17th. Mr. T. H. Waller, B.A., B.Sc., in 
the chair. A circular from the British Association on 
“Geological Photography” was read by the chairman. A paper 
was read on “ Grey Wethers and other objects of interest met 
with on a recent holiday tour,” by Mr. W. R. Hughes.—January 
‘21st. Mr. T. H. Waller, B.A., B.Sc., in the chair. The chairman 
announced the appearance of a new periodical for scientific and 
unscientific readers, “ The Field Club.” Mr. T. H. Waller, B.A., 
B. Sc., and Mr. John Udall, F.G.S., were unanimously re-elected as 
president and secretary respectively. Mr. C. J. Watson read a paper 
on “ The Magnesian Limestones of Durham.” Photographs illus¬ 
trating the paper were projected on the screen by the oxyhydrogen 
lantern by Mr. Chas. Pumphrey. Other photographs, taken by Mr. 
C. J. Watson at the British Association meeting, were shown. They 
included views of York, Durham, Newcastle, &c. 
BIRMINGHAM MICROSCOPISTS’ AND NATURALISTS’ 
UNION.—December 9th. Mr. Cardwell read a paper on “ Domestic 
Bird Life,” in which he mentioned a number of birds he had kept in 
confinement, and the many interesting points he had observed in their 
modes of pairing, nest-building, feeding, and treatment of their young, 
and related several anecdotes of the vagaries developed in individual 
specimens in his aviary. Although it is said the pigeon will not hatch 
out eggs other than its own, the writer noticed that they will usually 
hatch the eggs of other individuals. Parent birds, he was convinced, 
paid special attention to feeding the young of their own sex. He was 
of opinion that young birds did not break the shell by repeated blows, 
but by scraping it with the sharp point of the beak so that it readily 
fractured in a certain direction.—December I6th. Mr. J. W. Neville 
exhibited a specimen of fibrous coal from Hamstead, also a slide 
prepared from the same, showing dotted vessels; Mr. Linton, a 
collection of birds’ eggs; Mr. Corbett, specimen of Cystophyllum 
Siluriense from the Wenlock limestone ; Mr. J. Collins, a collection of 
local mosses; Mr. J. Moore, molluscan palates.—December 23rd. 
Special. —Conchology. Mr. J. W. Neville showed tropical land shells ; 
Mr. P. T. Deakin, operculated land and freshwater shells; Mr. J. 
Madison, a case of twenty-five species of helices, all that are now 
living in the British Isles ; Mr. Corbett, specimens of brain coral.— 
January 6th. Mr. J. W. Neville showed fossils from Llandovery 
limestone and Caradoc sandstone; Mr. J. Collins, a collection of 
mosses from Scotland ; Mr. H. Hawkes, a rare marine algae, Sporochnus 
pedunculatus, in fruit, from Devonshire. —January 13th. The President, 
Professor Hillhouse, M.A., F.L.S., in the chair. Mr. Lassetter exhibited 
a kingfisher shot at Olton. The subject of the evening was “ Practical 
Microscopy,” and exhibition of slides. Mr. H. Hawkes showed a 
series of botanical slides mounted in various media, and gave his 
experience of each ; Mr. J. W. Neville, a collection of whale insects, 
in balsam, and a series of marine polyzoa, dry; Mr. J. Collins, 
preparations of freshwater algae in media that still left something to 
be desired, for, though useful for scientific purposes, their beauty was 
much impaired. The President remarked that the arrangement of the 
chlorophyll could be fixed by the use of picric acid although the colour 
was lost. Mr. J. Mooie showed mounts in balsam and glycerine, with 
observations on these media. A discussion on the best methods of 
sealing fluid mounts closed the meeting. 
