REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
79 
exhibited specimens of silicified wood from Chalcedony Park, in Arizona, 
North America. It was arranged, on the proposal of Professor Hillhouse, 
to hold supplementary meetings of the section for the study of special 
biological subjects ; the first series of these is to be devoted to the 
Mosses, and the first meeting will be held on Friday, 25th inst., 
when the subject will be taken by Professor Hillhouse of “ Mosses and 
their Life History.” This will be continued at a second meeting in 
March, after which Mr. J. E. Bagnall will undertake the “ Classifica¬ 
tion of the Mosses.” — Sociological Section, February 22. There 
was a large attendance, including many ladies. Mr. W. R. Hughes, 
F.L.S., was unanimously re-elected president, and Mr. F. J. Cullis, 
F.G.S., hon. sec. Thanks were passed to Mr. A. Browett, the 
retiring hon. sec., for his able and courteous services. Miss Naden 
then delivered a most interesting address on Mr. Herbert Spencer’s 
“Data of Ethics,” the aim and scope of the work. The first portion of 
the address appears at p. 59 of this month’s “Midland Naturalist.” A 
cordial vote of thanks was unanimously passed to Miss Naden for her 
able and valuable address. 
BIRMINGHAM MICROSCOPISTS’ AND NATURALISTS’ 
UNION.—January 24th. Mr. T. H. Waller delivered a lecture on 
“ Inclusions in Crystals.” The lecturer described the consolidation of 
igneous rocks, and how largely the resulting rocks depended on the 
rate of cooling. In a molten mass everything was ready to combine; 
as the temperature fell, oxides crystallised out first and silicates next, 
forming olivine. As the olivine was drawn together it often shut in 
magnetic grains and crystals, although it sometimes pushed them out, 
forming crowns of them on the outer sides. There did not always 
seem to be a definite order in crystallisation, for augite was sometimes 
included in felspar, at others felspar was included in the augite. The 
lecturer spoke of the curious arrangement of some crystals, and said 
that while some were readily determined, others, like quartz, were of an 
arbitrary character. A description of the manner in which air and 
water cavities found their way into rocks brought the lecture to a close. 
The subject was largely illustrated by rock sections under the micro¬ 
scopes.—January 31. Mr. A. T. Evans showed pebbles from the 
Moseley Drift, containing burrows of T r achy derma ser rata, impression of 
spirifer, part of trilobite, calvmene. etc. Mr. P. T. Deakin, specimens 
of fossil wood from the lias of Dorsetshire.—February 7tli. Mr. W. 
Dunn exhibited a curiously constructed nest of a species of weaver bird 
taken from an orange tree in India, also a scorpion from the same 
locality. Mr. J. Madison, specimens of Pisidium amnicuvi, from several 
localities in the neighbourhood, a shell said not to be found in the 
district; Mr. Deakin, a distorted specimen of Unio pictorum. Under 
the microscope, Mr. J. W. Neville showed striated muscles in Pulex 
irritans .—February 14th. Mr. A. T. Evans showed pebbles from the 
Drift, containing gena and tail of a trilobite and other fossils. Mr. W. 
Tylar then read a paper on “ Photography as an adjunct to the study 
of Natural Science.” The writer glanced at the early history of 
photography, and described many of the difficulties it passed through, 
and that it only rose to an art when Mr. Fox Talbot found out a 
method of fixing the pictures. The main portion of the paper was 
taken up in describing the many ways in which this art had rendered 
service to science. The paper was illustrated by a lantern exhibition 
of photographs, and comprised photo-micrographs and an assortment 
of other slides; a series of slides of orchids and of plants covered 
with hoar frost being specially deserving of mention. 
