REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
27 
2nd. Mr. Evans exhibited a polished rock from Lyme Regis, con¬ 
taining caudal vertebrae of Ichthyosaurus, and specimens of Cyrena 
obovata from the Mid. Eocene, Bentley. Mr. Moore, under the micro¬ 
scope, stomach and gizzard of beetle, Colymbetes fuscus ; Mr. J. W. 
Neville, foraminifera, etc., from chalk washings. — November 9th. 
Annual meeting. The reports of the Secretary, Treasurer, and Curator 
were read and adopted. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to the 
President, Mr. C. Beale, C.E., who was re-elected for the ensuing year. 
Messrs. W. Dunn and J. A. Grew were elected Vice-presidents, and 
Messrs. H. Insley and P. T. Deakin, Hon. Secs. An address was 
delivered by the President. The speaker dwelt at length upon the 
utility of a knowledge of natural science, and the effect it necessarily 
has upon the formation of the character, giving a tone to the mind, 
and forming, without exception, a healthy and hopeful trust and faith 
in the power that formed and sustains the universe. The various 
sciences were passed in brief review, and their essential nature and 
specific work remarked upon. A resume of the work of the year, 
and good wishes for the future, brought the address to a close.— 
November 16th. Mr. Deakin showed specimen of spider crab, Maia 
Squimado and Portumnus puber; Mr. Madison, specimens of Limncea 
rejiexa var. exilis from America; Mr. Evans, Orthis Budleighensis in a 
pebble from Moseley; Mr. J. W. Neville, several rough and polished 
specimens of “coal balls” from the Lancashire coal measures, a 
material unknown in our local coal-fields, and remarkable for the 
perfect preservation of enclosed plant remains. Under the microscope, 
Mr. Moore showed odontophore of Zonites cellarius, stained ; Mr. Dunn, 
Nais worm ; Mr. J. W. Neville, section of coal ball with transverse 
section of llachiopteris oldhamium. Mr. Sanderson then read a paper on 
“ The Yorkshire Dales.” The writer regretted so picturesque a district 
was so little known, but thought the dialect spoken there might to some 
extent account for it. The paper described the geological features of 
the fells and dells, subterranean streams, the peculiar features locally 
known as “ pots ” and “ pot-holes,” and the abundant evidences of glacial 
action. The tarns were spoken of as beautiful in their loneliness, their 
silence only being broken by the cries of the snipe, lapwiDg, and coot. 
The paper concluded by surmising that the district was getting colder, 
from the fact that cereal crops were grown fifty years ago on sites that 
will not produce them now. The paper was illustrated by a series of 
photographs of the Whernside and Cliapel-le-dale districts.—November 
23rd. Mr. C. F. Beale exhibited a specimen of Magilus antiquus, a 
shell found among corals, &c., from the Red Sea. Mr. J. Madison, 
specimens of the following foreign helices :— H. candicans, H. depressulu, 
H. explanata , and //. muralis. Mr. Corbet, fossil wood from Portland. 
Mr. Deakin, cocoon of puss moth, Centra Vinula. Under the micro¬ 
scope, Mr. J. W. Neville, section of bone of cuttle fish, Sepia officinalis. 
—November 30th. Mr. Moore showed a collection of helix nemoralis , 
including type specimens, and a large number of varieties. Mr. Hawkes, 
a collection of dried plants from South Africa, including a large number 
of heaths, and remarked that these plants were only distributed through 
Europe and Africa. Mr. Hawkes also exhibited a collection of plants 
from Llandudno. Under the microscope, Mr. J. W. Neville showed 
antenna of flombyx pernyi. A paper was then read by Mr. J. Madison, 
“ Notes on the Eocene,” which explained the meaning of the name and 
described the situation of the beds in the London and Hampshire 
basins. The Thanet beds, Woolwich beds, London clay, and Bagshot 
series were passed in review, and their typical fossils enumerated, and 
the fine section at Alum Bay referred to for its richness in leaf 
