190 
REPORTS OF SOCIETIES. 
hornstones from Charnwood Forest. Miss Taunton exhibited a 
collection of photographs of countries round the Mediterranean, also 
some interesting specimens of plants from the same localities. Mr. 
W. B. Grove, B.A., exhibited the following fungi, from North Wales: 
—OEcidium leucospermum, GE. lapsavce, Puccinia anemones, P. umbilici , 
Trichobasis Scillaram, Uromyces jxcarice, and Kntyloma Jicarice from the 
neighbourhood of Dolgelly ; and CEcidium yrossularice, from Menai 
Bridge. Mr. W. P. Marshall, M.I.C.E., read the report of the Oxford 
excursion on Whit Monday. Mr. T. H. Waller, B.A., B.Sc., gave an 
exhibition of rock sections, illustrating the process of devitrification 
of volcanic glasses, which he described and further explained by thin 
sections under a series of microscopes. —Biological Section, June 14. 
Mr. JR. W. Chase in the chair. Professor Hillhouse gave a paper on 
“ Investigations into the Function of Tannin in the Vegetable King¬ 
dom,” describing an extensive series of several hundred experiments 
that he had made in the investigation of the subject. The conclusions 
arrived at are that tannin is an intermediate product between glucose 
or sugar and starch, and is left as a bye-product in the formation of 
starch, and remains inert without being used up in the process of 
growth. In the fallen leaves of winter the starch is found to have 
been all transferred, but the tannin that has been formed remains in 
them without diminution.—A specimen was exhibited by Mr. Bagnall 
of a wall-flower with abnormal flowers, in which the petals and 
stamens were absent, and the calyx and pistil were doubled. Mr. 
Edmonds exhibited an abnormal tulip flower, which had one of the 
petals displaced and situated 1£ inches below the others. Mr. 
Marshall exhibited Sagitta bipunctata, dredged in the Menai Straits, a 
very transparent object of much interest, allied to the nematode 
worms ; also, Hippolyte varians, a small stalk-eyed crustacean, dredged 
at Colwyn Bay. Mr. Chase exhibited Phormium tenax, the New Zea¬ 
land flax; and Mr. Bolton exhibited a specimen of the cowberry, 
Vaccinum vitis-idcea, from Cannock Chase. ---Sociological Section, May 5. 
“ On the Effect of Complexion in the Constitution of Offspring,” by 
by Mr. W. H. France.—May 19. On Mr. Herbert Spencer’s essays on 
“ Beauty ” and “ Use and Beauty,” by Mrs. Alfred Browett.—May 24. 
On “ Data of Ethics (Psychological and Sociological Views of Con¬ 
duct),” by Mr. W. R. Hughes, F.L.S. An interesting discussion 
followed the reading of each of the above papers. 
LEICESTER LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 
—Section D, Zoology and Botany. Chairman, F. T. Mott, F.R.G.S. 
Evening Meeting, June 15 ; attendance twelve (three ladies). A vote 
of thanks to the retiring chairman was moved by Dr. Cooper, and 
carried unanimously. The chairman reported that at the Field Day 
last week five members went to Swanningham Bog, and collected a good 
many of the less common plants, among them Scirpus pauciflorus, Erio- 
phorum polystachion, and the fine moss Hypnum commutatum ; all of 
them recorded previously for this station, but for very few other places 
in the county. The following objects were exhibited, viz. : by Dr. 
Finch, three distinct forms of the purple lilac, and a number of other 
garden plants ; by Dr. Cooper, specimens of Claytonia perfoliata and 
alsinifolia, and of Potentilla verna from Wales ; by Rev. T. A. Preston, 
Asarum Asarabacca in flower, and several abnormal cabbage leaves, 
some funnel-shaped and one pair grown together along the mid-rib. 
Mr. Carter reported that Miss llidger, of Ashley, had found Vaccinium 
