96 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
April, 1892. 
H. undata from Madeira; Mr. J. Collins, a small collection of foreign 
land and freshwater shells.—February 29th. Mr. G-. H. Corbett read 
a paper on “ Geological Rambles.” The writer said he should only 
deal with local geology. After speaking of the wear and tear of rocks 
and the building up of the debris, and condemning that mode of 
collecting that appropriated everything regardless of its educational 
value, he described the neighbouring formations and enumerated the 
different localities where the beds were best seen. The writer said on 
a future occasion he should deal with the rocks of a larger area. The 
paper was illustrated by numerous specimens, photographs, and 
diagrams.—March 7th. Mr..G. H. Corbett showed the longitudinal 
and transverse sections of Favosites Forbesii and Plasinopora petaliformis 
from the Wenlock limestone ; Mr. H. Hawkes, a series of plants from 
Coleshill Pool and Bog, including Hypericum elodes and Narthecium 
ossifragum; Mr. J. Collins, fossil diatoms from Canada ; Mr. W. J. 
Parker, Synchceta pectinata ; Mr. Warner, a parasite in human liver.— 
March 14th. Mr. H. Hawkes read a paper “Notes on the Early Life 
of a Scotch Naturalist.” The writer took the early life of Hugh 
Miller and showed how it was influenced by the wild rock scenery, caves, 
fossils, insects and flowers of Cromarty. His school was mainly 
Nature, and his training given him by natural objects. His life up to 
his seventeenth year was carefully traced, and the influence his 
observations exerted over him was detailed. The leading trait of his 
character was indomitable courage ; this gradually elevated him in the 
service of science and enabled him to interpret the hidden language 
of Nature. 
BIRMINGHAM ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—March 14th. 
Rev. C. F. Thornewill in the chair. Mr. R. C. Bradley showed 
several species of Culex taken at Sutton. Mr. G. T. Bethuna-Baker 
showed a boxful of Scopariae from St. Helena, which differed from 
ordinary Scoparise in the possession of deeply serrated antennae, 
some of the specimens also being nearly black. Mr. Baker said that 
even from the mainland of Africa nearest to St. Helena he knew of no 
Scopariae with the same characteristics. Mr. G. H. Kenrick read a 
paper, “ Some Considerations on Insects Confined to Small Areas.” He 
touched briefly upon self-evident causes of localisation—mountain 
chains, &c. ; and then entered more fully into the causes of the 
presence on our coast lines, in the fens, woods, &c., of many species 
only found in those restricted districts in our country, though found in 
similar ones on the Continent. He remarked that it was strange to 
find so many species restricted to so small an area as our fens, for 
example; and showed that they represent a once very wide extent of 
country, all fen, extending over the German Sea to and including 
Holland, and of which our Lincolnshire and Norfolk Feus and those 
in Holland are all that is left. The iusects inhabiting this wide extent 
of country are now to a considerable extent crowded into the few 
surviving spots, and hence we get many peculiar species in a small 
area. He believed the same applied to coast species, our coast line 
having once formed part of a very much more extended continental 
coast line ; and to wood species, our woods being the remains of former 
extensive forests, &c. He concluded by pointing out many much more 
complicated questions of distribution and localisation, of which he 
could offer only slight explanation, and which, he said, opened out a 
wide and interesting field of study. A discussion followed, in which 
the Rev. C. F. Thornewill, Messrs. G. T. Bethuue-Baker, R. C. 
Bradley, and C. J. Wainwriglit joined. 
