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following birds, nests, and eggs :—Birds : Tringa subarquata, in summer 
plumage, Breydon Broad ; Xema Sabinii, near Coleshill ; Calcarius 
lapponicus, male and female, in summer plumage, Norway ; Fratercula 
arctica, immature, caught in Broad Street, Birmingham ; Uria grylle , 
male, immature in winter plumage, Fame Islands ; Uria grylle , male, 
in nearly full summer plumage, which is very remarkable, as this 
specimen was shot February 1st, 1884, Fame Islands. Nest and eggs 
of Antlius pratensis, Acrocephalus streperus, Acrocephalus phragmitis, 
Emberiza schamiclus, Fringilla coelebs, and Accentor modularis, e&ch of the 
above containing egg of Cuculus canorus, the common cuckoo. Nest 
and eggs of Panwrus biarmicus, Emberiza, miliaria , and Cinclus aquations. 
Mr. France exhibited a fasciated stem of the garden nasturtium. Mr. 
Lowe exhibited foraminifera from chalk. Mr. T. Bolton exhibited a 
fungus or alga growing inside the body cavity of the bag-rotifer, 
Asplanchna. Mrs. Browett exhibited some nuts from which oil is 
extracted in the South Sea Islands; also pods of a cotton plant 
(? Gossypium). Mr. J. Morley exhibited the head of a parasitic bee 
mounted without pressure. Biological Section and Sociological 
Section (combined meeting), held October 14tli.—W.R.Hughes, F.L.S., 
in the chair. Professor Hillhouse, B.A., gave a most interesting and 
instructive exposition of chapter xi. of Herbert Spencer’s Principles 
of Biology, “ Classification.” This was followed by a discussion, in 
which Messrs. W. R. Hughes, W. B. Grove, B.A., J. T. Collins, and 
F. J. Cullis took part. Mr. Bolton exhibited Paludicella Ehreubergi, 
Fredericella Sultana, Plumatella repens, &c., Miss Jermyn, Glaucium 
luteum, the horned poppy, from Eastbourne; Miss Taunton, lichens, 
Gladonia cornucopioides, C. pyxidata, C. rangiferina, from New Forest; 
Mr. J. E. Bagnall, fungi, Agaricus mappa, Ag. muscarius, Ag. clavipes, 
Ag. maculatus,' Ag. spectabilis, Gantharellus cibarius, Lactarius turpis, 
L. deliciosus, Boletus lundus, &c., from near Sliustoke ; and for Mr. G. S. 
Tye, fungi, Agaricus racliodes and Ag. tdcalinus, from his garden at Hands- 
worth. Microscopical General Meeting, held October 21st.—Mr. J. E. 
Bagnall exhibited, on behalf of tlieRev. D. C. 0. Adams, Agaricus Bloxami 
from near Tetsworth, and on behalf of Dr. Cooke Agaricus pyriodorus, 
Ag. atratus, Ag. rusticus, Cortinarius triumphans, and Geaster fimbriatus 
from near Hereford, and Pax Ulus atro-tomentosus from Surrey. Mr. 
Bagnall also exhibited Agaricus saponaceus, Ag. tuba, Ag. gatericulatus, 
var. calopus, Ag. cervinus, Ag. furfuraceus, Ag. ericceus, Ag. retirugis, 
Cortinarius hinnuleus, ( 7 . caninus, Lactarius controversus, L. pyrogalus, 
Ilussula consobrina, var. sororia, R. fellea, R. depallens, Lentinus 
cochleatus,Boletus parasiticus, B. pachypus ,Peziza badia,Cordycepsmilitaris, 
and many others. Some of these species are new to the district. Miss 
Taunton exhibited Coprinus comatus from St. Thomas’s Churchyard. 
Mr. Bolton exhibited Merismopcedia glauca. Mr. W. B. Grove exhibited 
a fine specimen of Merulius lachrymans, the “ Dry-Rot,” from a manu¬ 
factory at Smethwick ; also Agaricus Jlavo-brunneus, Cortinarius gentilis, 
and Beedalea confragosa, from Windley Pool, Sutton. Dr. M. C. Cooke 
read a paper on “ The Life History of an Alga,” which will appear in a 
future number of the “ Midland Naturalist.” Geological Section, 
October 28th.—Mr. T. H. Waller, B.Sc., read a paper on “ The Igneous 
Rock of Penmaenmawr.” This is a mass of enstatite diabase, 
becoming fine-grained and slightly porphyritic at the edge ; it also 
contains many light-grey veins, which prove to be considerably more 
acid than the general mass of the rock, and to show a beautiful 
micropegmatite structure. The paper was illustrated by photographs 
of views and sections shown by the lime-light. Mr. W. B. Grove 
exhibited Ag. heteroclitus (rare, not found here since 1881), Ag. mappa. 
