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REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
specimens of opal, chalcedony, amethyst, &c. ; Mr. A. T. Evans, an 
ammonite showing nacre of shell; Mr, H. Hawkes, a collection of 
seaweeds and zoophytes ; Mr. C. F. Beale, specimens of trilobites from 
the American Silurians, probably species of Calymene. Under the 
microscope Mr. Moore showed a series of preparations of the larva and 
imago of Dytiscus marginalis ; Mr. H. Hawkes, slides of Sporendovema 
muscce on the house fly, and Adilya prolifera on larva of Corethra 
pluviicornis . 
LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
Section D, Zoology and Botany. —Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.R.G.S. 
Monthly Meeting, Wednesday, March 17tli. Attendance, eleven (two 
ladies.) The Chairman urged the members to make notes of their 
observations of plants and animals, and to send such notes to the 
“Midland Naturalist” for publication. Dr. Finch undertook to try 
the experiment of keeping a daily diary for the record of observations 
in the various branches of natural history, to be presented to the 
Section at its monthly meetings. Mr. F. Bates suggested that objects 
brought for exhibition should be accompanied by written notices of 
them, some of which would be acceptable to the “ Midland Naturalist,” 
and he illustrated his excellent suggestion by exhibiting specimens of 
Nostoc, and reading a short description of this interesting alga. Mr. 
Bates also exhibited specimens of diatomaceous earth from eight 
different localities in North America, some of which was distributed 
among members who desired it. The Chairman read a paper on 
“ Scale Insects,” illustrated by drawings of a Coccus infesting the 
White Abutilon, in the various stages of its life. He pointed out that 
the Coccidce had been very little studied in this country, that there 
was no English work upon them, that the standard authority was the 
French monograph by Signoret, and that there was here a wide field 
for original research. Mr. W. A. Vice exhibited several species of 
Coccus on twigs of vine, peach, and apple, 
PETERBOROUGH NATURAL HISTORY, SCIENTIFIC, 
AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—February 18th. Geological 
Section. — Chairman, Mr. E. Wheeler. Portion studied, Lyell’s 
“ Student’s Elements,” chap. viii.—February 25tli. Botanical Sec¬ 
tion. —Address by the Chairman, Mr. J. W. Bodger, “ On the different 
forms of stems, aerial and subterranean,” illustrated with the runner 
or flagellum of the strawberry, the offset of liouseleek, the stolon or 
stole of carnation, the sucker in rose and mint, the rhizomes of iris, and 
of Solomon’s seal, the latter showing scars; various forms of pseudo¬ 
bulb of orchids and cacti, also procumbent, decumbent, ascending, 
scandent, and twining stems; the sobole in Carex arenaria, tubers of 
potato and artichoke ; scaly bulbs of lily and tunicated of onion ; corm 
of Colchicum autumnale ; also cirrhi or tendrils of vine and passion¬ 
flower, leafy thorns of sloe, pliyllodes of Ruscus and of Acacia lietero- 
phylla, the latter terminating with a bipinnate lamina.—March 4th. 
Geological Section. —Chairman, Mr. E. Wheeler. Lyell’s “ Elements 
of Geology,” chap, ix., read and discussed.—March lltli. Botanical 
Section. —Address by the Chairman, Mr. J. W. Bodger, “ On the form 
of the mature leaf, stipules, ligules, and venation, illustrated with 
specimens of Tilia Europoea , Dactylis ylomerata, Heracleum sphondylium , 
Juncus conglomeratus , J. effusus , Plantago major , Astragalus glycyphyllos, 
Vicia liirsuta , V. sepium , Stachys palustris, Orchis pyramidal is, and other 
plants; also specimens of Anemone pulsatilla. 
