REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
171 
BIRMINGHAM MICROSCOPISTS’ AND NATURALISTS’ 
UNION.—April 19tli. Mr. C. F. Beale exhibited two ancient bronze 
celts from a gravel bed at Abingdon. They were of different kinds, 
one was of the winged form, the other socketed and looped ; also 
sections of a coral from the greensand. Under the microscope Mr. 
Hawkes showed a fungus, Venturia myrtilli; Mr. J. W. Neville, 
specimens of Polyxenes lagurus. Mr. Delicate then read a paper on 
“ Staining Vegetable Tissues.” The writer described the cutting, 
bleaching, and washing of sections ready for staining. The following 
aniline dyes were recommended as very suitable—magenta, mauve, 
green, and blue. When the tissues are sufficiently stained the colours 
are fixed with acetic acid. The process of single and double staining 
was shown, and the objects exhibited during the evening.—May Brd. 
Mr. J. Moore exhibited specimens of Physa gyrinea, P. arnillina, Lim- 
noea elodes, and other freshwater shells from America ; Mr. Madison, 
specimens of Vertigo minutissima, from Sheffield ; Mr. Hawkes, Kmpe- 
truni nigrum and Vaccinium vitis-idcea , from Sutton Park; Mr. Baker, a 
wren’s nest built in an old hat that was used to scare away birds ; also 
a wasp’s nest built in a currant tree.—Saturday, May 8tli. The members 
and friends visited the Lye Cross Colliery, near Dudley. The shaft, 
passing through 76 yards of basalt, reaches the heathen coal at a 
depth of 233 yards. The party was conducted through the workings 
by the president, Mr. C. Beale, and Mr. Latham, who pointed out 
various places in which the coal was charred and burnt by contact 
with the intrusive rocks. A portion of the workings was lighted up 
with coloured fire. A hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Latham and Mr. 
Beale brought the afternoon to a close.—May 10th. Mr. Hawkes 
exhibited several fungi, including Tricliobasis scillarum and Puccinia 
anemones ; Mr. A. T. Evans, pebbles from the drift, containing fossils 
of Orthis Budleighensis , and other shells. Under the microscope, Mr. 
Wagstaff showed Melicerta tubicolaria , a rare rotifer ; Mr. Rodgers, 
sporangia of Asplenium viride; Mr. Mulliss, proboscis of honey bee. A 
paper was then read by Mr. Hawkes on “ Buds, their contents and 
development.” The writer described the various kinds of leaf and 
flower buds, and the manner in which they aided the fall of the leaf. 
The large number of aborted buds was noticed, and their effect on the 
form of the tree, and the appearance of the grain of the wood. The 
structure and contents of buds were dealt with at some length, the 
mode in which leaves and flowers were stowed away, the early develop¬ 
ment of the male organs, the simplicity of bud corollas, the special 
development of some buds, as the horse-chestnut, to suit this climate, 
and the large number of flower buds that never reach maturity, were 
remarked upon. The paper w r as illustrated by diagrams and a large 
number of sections under the microscope. 
LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
—Section D, Zoology and Botany. Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.R.G.S. 
Monthly Meeting, Wednesday, May 19th. Attendance thirteen (two 
ladies). Mr. Mott was re-elected chairman and Dr. Cooper secretary. 
Mr. Vice reported that the occupants of the small cocoons on the 
chrysanthemum leaf, which Mr. E. F. Cooper brought to the Section 
last month, had come out, and proved to be dipterous flies, about 
£in. long; probably a species of Pliytomyza. The following objects 
were exhibited, viz. : by Mr. E. F. Cooper, F.L.S., a spadix of Arum 
maculatum. The Rev. T. A. Preston, M.A., described the arrangements 
in this remarkable flower for catching and detaining small insects, in 
order to convey the pollen to the stigmas. Upon this a discussion 
