142 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
June, 1890 . 
Mr. W. H. Wilkinson exhibited Fritillaria meleagris , the Snake's Head 
Lily, from Oxford ; also the following birds from Corwen, Wales :— 
Loxia phyrrhula, bullfinch; Fringi'da ccelebs, chaffinch; Emberiza 
citrinella, yellow-hammer ; and Pams major, the long-tailed tit. The 
report of Mr. E. Burgess on the forarainifera obtained at Hammerfest, 
by Messrs. Pumphrey and Marshall, was read by Mr. W. H. Wilkin¬ 
son. It enumerated 51 species, and contained several new and many 
rare forms. A slide was exhibited, under the microscope, containing 
50 of the species, which were mounted and presented to the society 
by Mr. Burgess. The report will appear in the “ Midland Naturalist.” 
—Biological Section. May 13th. Mr. J. E. Bagnall, A.L.S., gave 
an interesting paper on “ The Flora of Sutton Park,” which he illus¬ 
trated by a number of dried specimens from Sutton Park, of which 
identical species have been found in the Cromer Forest beds.— 
Geological Section. May 20th. Mr. T. H. Waller, B.A., B.Sc., in 
the chair. Mr. W. R. Hughes exhibited, on behalf of the Rev. Gideon 
Livett, M.A., of Rochester, (1) a nodule from the Folkestone sand- 
beds; also, on behalf of Mr. John Amphlett, F.G.S., (2) two photo¬ 
graphs of Llandovery sandstone with Favosites, Stropliomena and 
Lindstromia. Mr. Charles Pumphrey exhibited a collection of 
Alpine plants from Switzerland, now in blossom in his garden, includ¬ 
ing the beautiful Alpine anemone and the wood lily, and many others. 
Mr. C. J. Watson exhibited photographs of fungi. Mr. T. H. Waller 
exhibited and described a large model microscope, specially adapted 
for petrological work, and also, by the courtesy of Messrs. J. Swift 
and Son, the makers, their new model microscope for the same pur¬ 
poses. This has been specially devised by some of the members of the 
Geological Survey, and all the arrangements are directed to facilitating 
the use of polarised light in the determination of minerals. The two 
Nichol’s prisms are separately movable, but can also be rotated 
together by a system of gearing which also rotates the cross wires in 
the eye piece. This does away with the centreing of the stage 
for each objective, which is such a troublesome and often un¬ 
satisfactory operation. It also removes the necessity for a large stage, 
thereby much reducing the size of the instrument. When convergent 
polarised light is to be used the necessary high-angled condensing 
lens is simply slid into place in a slot in the stage, without any other 
disarrangement of parts, and when the suitable focussing lens is 
placed in position by a sliding piece in the body tube, the system of 
interference rings round the optic axis of crystals is very beautifully 
shown, even in the case of crystals whose optic axes are widely 
separated, that is, up to about 75° in air. For examining sections of 
rocks or small fragments of minerals, in convergent light, a much 
smaller focussing lens is provided, also sliding in a light fitting in the 
body tube near the field lens of the eye piece, and by this means the 
optical characters of very minute crystals may be successfully deter¬ 
mined. The analyser is placed over the eye piece, and is attached to 
a hinge joint, which allows it to be very readily turned out of position 
and replaced. The microscope is of the size and general type of 
the “ Students’ Petrological Microscope,” but the special novelties 
in the fittings render working with it very rapid and convenient. 
—Sociological Section. Thirteen meetings of this Section have been 
held during the current year, the President, Mr. W. R. Hughes, F.L.S., 
in the chair, of which four were ordinary and nine supplementary. At 
the latter, the first part of Mr. Herbert Spencer’s “ Principles of 
Sociology ” has been read, discussed, and expounded, the chapters 
being taken in the following order :—Jan. 23rd, Miss Goyne, chapter 
