354 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
from the Lake district. He also made some interesting remarks 
upon the origin of species in relation to plants. Mr. W. B. Grove, 
B.A., exhibited Triposporium elegaus, on decaying wood, brought by 
Mr. W. H. Wilkinson, from Perth. Mr. W. H. Wilkinson exhibited 
the following lichens :— Parmelia caperata, P. Borreri, P. perlata, and 
Cetraria sepincola , from U. S. America; also Squamaria crassa, 
from Nice, Pilophoron fibula, from Scotland, and Parmelia perforata; 
also, the fruit of Pyrus Japonica, from Acocks Green. —Sociological 
Section. At the intermediate meeting held on Thursday, November 
5th, at the Mason College, Mr. W. R. Hughes, F.L.S., President, in 
the chair, Mr. Alfred Browett, the Hon. Secretary, ably read Chapter 
VIII. of Mr. Herbert Spencer’s “ Study of Sociology” on “ The Educa¬ 
tional Bias,” upon which an interesting discussion took place. At the 
ordinary meeting held on Thursday, November 19th, Mr. C. H. 
Allison in the chair, Mr. W. R. Hughes expounded Chapters IV. and 
V. of the second volume of Mr. Herbert Spencer’s “ Principles of 
Biology,” which treat of the “ Morphological Composition of Animals.” 
In illustration of the subject, Mr. Hughes exhibited under the micro¬ 
scope, with the assistance of Mr. Thomas Bolton, F.R.M.S., a number 
of beautiful living specimens, which included Amoeba, Dijfiugia, and 
Foraminifera, as showing morphological units of the first order; 
Spongilla, Vorticclla, and Hydra, as showing aggregates of the second 
order ; Lopliopus and Cluetogaster, as showing aggregates of the third 
order. Preserved specimens of corals, including Tubipora and Mcidre- 
poraria, exhibited aggregates of the third order ; and Chiton, Octopus, 
and Amphioxus exhibited aggregates of the second order. Mr. W. B. 
Grove, B.A., contributed a number of beautiful illustrations on the 
black board, showing embryological phases and subsequent develop¬ 
ments. An interesting discussion followed the exposition. 
LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
—Section D, Zoology and Botany. Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.R.G.S.— 
Monthly meeting, Wednesday, November 18tli. Attendance fourteen 
(four ladies). The Chairman reported that the annual Fungus Foray 
was held on the 28tli of October, when nine members of the Section, 
accompanied by Dr. Cooke, of London, visited Swithland Wood and 
Bradgate Park, collecting 118 species, of which 61 were hitherto 
unrecorded for the county. The party returned to the Chairman’s 
house, where three edible species were cooked and eaten. These were 
Agaricus uudus, abundant at Hunt’s Hill Spinney, near Bradgate, and 
of good flavour ; Hygrophorus pratensis, and H. coccineus. The two 
latter species were not considered to be of much value. Agaricus 
personatus, commonly called “ Blewitts,” has been sold this autumn in 
some quantities, at the smaller greengrocers’ shops in Leicester. There 
were no exhibits at this meeting. The Chairman read a short paper 
on “ Mr. John Plant’s Catalogue of Leicestershire Mollusca,” which 
was prepared in 1850 for Mr. Potter’s projected History of the 
County, but remained still in MS. This list contained 82 species 
distinctly indigenous, and four either imported or doubtfully named. 
One half of the species recorded had been added to the county Fauna 
by the researches of Mr. Plant himself. The Rev. J. Moden called 
the attention of the Section to a paragraph in “ Science Gossip ” 
respecting a proposed deep boring of a shaft 150 feet in diameter, which 
was followed by an interesting discussion. 
