330 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
Richardson’s Skua, adult female, showing light and dark forms. 
— Biological Section, October 13tli. Mr. W. P. Marshall in the 
chair. Mr. J. E. Bagnall, A.L.S., read a paper on the “Flora of 
the Anker Basin,” in which he gave an account of the course and 
drainage of the Anker, the physical features of the country, the 
number of plants he had found, their classes of citizenship, geographical 
distribution, and also compared the flora of the Anker with that of 
the Blythe. The paper was illustrated by microscopical preparations 
and numerous specimens, among which were Didymodon flexifolius, L>. 
luridus, Sparganium neglectum, new to North Warwick, and other rare 
specimens. He also handed in full lists of the flowering plants and 
mosses of the Anker district. Mr. T. Bolton, F.R.M.S., exhibited for 
Mr. Blakemore winged aphides, species not determined. Mr. W. Spinks, 
of the Royal Nurseries, Edgbaston, exhibited a living specimen of a 
large green grasshopper, which is supposed to be a South American 
species, introduced with some bulbous plant. Mr. Bagnall, for Mr. 
Henry Groves, Liparis locselii, a very rare plant from Norfolk. Mr. W. B. 
Grove, B.A., gave an account of his visit to the Woolhope Fungus Foray, 
and exhibited a number of fungi from Hereford and the Sutton district, 
among others Lactarius vellereus, L. torminosus, L. mitissimus, Ag. 
Badhami , Ag. rliacodes, Ag. fusipes, Ag. nudus, Ag. gravimopodias, Ag. 
pisciodorus, Ag. hcemorrhoidarius, Geasier Bryantii, Bovista nigrescent. 
B. plumbea, Lycoperdon gemmatum, Cortinarius ochroleucus, C. rnucijluus, 
Gantharellus tubceformis , Hirneola auricul i-judce, Boletus laricinus, Poly- 
porus annosus, all from Hereford ; Ag. pseudo-purus, Ag. butyraceus, Ag. 
dryophilus, Ag. rubesceus (without scales), Ag. galopus var. candidus, Ag. 
leucogalus, Ag. metachrosis, Ag. carcharias, Cortinarius tabularis , C. 
saturnisms, Marasmius peronatus, Lactarius glyciosmus, Ag. asterosporus, 
Russula ernetica, R. ochroleuca, B. citrina, all from Little Sutton and 
Bradnock Hayes; Ag. cirrhatus (with Stilbum vulgare, on decayed 
Lactarius delic.iosus), Boletus jlavus, Ag. terreus, Ag. inamcenus, from 
Sutton Park ; Niptera Riccia, new to Britain, Dendrodochium citrinum 
(sp. nov.), and Actinonema Rosie (in good fruit), all from Sutton ; and 
Diplodia hederce, new to Britain, from King’s Norton. Mr. W. H. France, 
the cardoon, Cynciracardunculus (?), a beautiful thistle, first noticed as a 
cultivated plant by Parkinson, 1629 ; it is esculent, and has the power 
of coagulating milk.- -Microscopical General Meeting, October 20th. 
Dr. A. M. Marshall presented to the Society a copy of a new edition of 
his work upon the frog. Mr. W. B. Grove, B.A., exhibited Helico- 
sporium lumbricoides, Sacc. (new to Great Britain), Tetraploa aristata, 
B. and Br. (very rare), Helotium scutula var. Lysimachice, Pliill., all from 
near Sutton ; Coniothyrium concentricum, Coremium vulgare, and Tripo- 
sporium elegans, from Hereford; also, to illustrate Mr. Grattann’s 
paper, the following sea-weeds :— Cladophora rectangularis and Polysi- 
phonia elongata (in fruit). Mr. W. H. Grattann’s paper was then read 
upon “ The irregularity of appearance of some species of marine algae.” 
After the paper a discussion took place, in which several of the 
members joined. —Sociological Section. At the ordinary meeting, 
held on Thursday, 15th October, the President (Mr. W. R. Hughes, 
F.L.S.), delivered a brief address, in which he alluded to the satis¬ 
factory progress of the Section and to several interesting matters 
connected therewith. Mr. W. B. Grove, B.A., ably expounded Chapters 
I., II., and III. of Part IY. of Mr. Herbert Spencer’s “Principles of 
Biology,” Yol. 2, on “ The Problems of Morphology and on the Morpho¬ 
logical Composition of Plants.” The President was unanimously 
requested to write a letter to Mr. Herbert Spencer, congratulating him 
on the appearance of a third edition of Yol. I. of “ The Principles of 
