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REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
Geological Section. February 24tli. Mr. T. H. Waller elected 
Chairman ; Mr. John Udall Secretary. Exhibits by Mr. Waller :— 
I, A case for microscopic slides, by Russell, of Newgate Street, 
London ; 2, a section of one of the old lavas of Ischia. The 
special point of interest is the disposition of the glass inclusions 
in one of the sections of leucite. This is radial instead of parallel 
to the sides of the section. The event of the evening was a 
paper, by Mr. Marshall, on “Niagara and its Physical and Geological 
Conditions.” The paper was admirably illustrated with maps and 
diagrams, and brought together a large and appreciative audience.— 
General Meeting. March 8rd. Mr. R. W. Chase in the chair. 
Mr. Lawson Tait presented a number of photographs of diatoms, 
Ac., which he had received from the Government Museum at 
Washington. The best thanks of the meeting were given to Mr. 
Tait for the present. Mr. Chase gave some very interesting notes on 
the esculent swallow (CoIIocallia esculenta). Mr. J. T. Blakemore 
exhibited the dead bodies of a spider and a beetle which had been in 
water for some time and had become covered with fungi, supposed to 
belong to the genus Saprolegnia. Mr.T.Bolton, Cercarice, or tailed larvae 
of the fluke, which had escaped from their intermediate hosts the 
Livincea (water snail). They were seen under the microscope swimming 
by the vigorous lashing of the tail, and at other times crawling like a 
leech by the alternate attachment of the suckers, one surrounding the 
mouth and the other about the centre of the ventral surface. Prof. 
Hillhouse, a plant of the Hyacinth that had been grown without light; 
the leaves were white, but the flowers retained their natural colour 
and odour. He also exhibited a brass rack for holding a number 
of microscopic slides while they dry. Mr. W. P. Marshall, a singular 
abnormal growth of a hen’s egg containing a second egg. Mr. J. Morley, 
the horned ichneumon fly (Euloplius Nemati j, mounted without pressure 
by Mr. F. Enock.— Biological Section. March 10th. Mr. W. P. Marshall 
in the chair. Mr. Marshall read some interesting notes on the Roraiina 
Mountain in British Guiana, which Mr. Im Tliurm ascended in 
December last, this being the first ascent that has been made. This 
mountain is 0,000ft. above the sea level and the summit is twelve 
miles long by four miles wide, and it may be truly described as the 
garden of orchids. Beside these plants there are also found interesting 
species belonging to the Sarraceniacece , or water pitchers, and the 
Utriculariacece, or bladder worts. Prof. Hillhouse illustrated these 
notes with some excellent models of both these orders, together with 
the Nepenthes , or pitcher plants, and also made some very interesting 
remarks on the various orders, pointing out their differences and 
peculiarities. A discussion followed, in which the Chairman, Prof. 
Hillhouse, and Messrs. France, R. W. Chase, W. H. Wilkinson, and 
J. E. Bagnall took part. Mr. J. E. Bagnall read some short notes on 
the uses of mosses, illustrating these by the plants mentioned, and 
exhibited also a number of mosses from the Nuneaton district; and 
for Mr. J. B. Stone, Hypnum cupressifonne, var. ela turn, from near 
Bletcliley. Mr. T. Bolton exhibited the larvae of Spio seticornis , with 
an illustration, and Diatoms with the filaments referred to by Mr. J. 
Badcock in his paper in the “ Journal of the R. M. S.,” July, 1884. 
Mr. R. W. Chase, Somateria mollissima, the Eider Duck, showing the 
various stages from the young to the adult in both male and female ; 
he also gave some extremely interesting notes on the habits and life 
history of these birds. Mr. W. H. Wilkinson also exhibited a number 
of lichens from near Crieff, Scotland, calling special attention to the 
following :— Parmelia conspersa , Physcia speciosa , Cladonia squamosa, 
