
254 THE NORTHERN MICROSCOPIST. 
a — _ ——— -———— - 

winged state; Clieon having two and Heptagenia four wings. 
Amongst the winged insects found the most noticeable was the 
White Plume Moth, Pterophorus pentadactylus, in which the wings 
are divided into plumes, the microscopic arrangement of the scales 
being worthy of notice, W. S. 
VISIT TO THE WESSENDEN VALLEY. 
7 Stalybridge Microscopical Society, which meets once a 
month for outdoor rambles in summer and for indoor meetings 
in winter, had an excursion on Saturday, July 15th,to the Wessenden 
Valley, in conjunction with the Ashton Biological Society and 
under the leadership of Mr. John Whitehead. It being the feast 
of St. Swithin, in the early part of the day the clouds did their 
utmost to celebrate the occasion, the rain descending in torrents 
until noon, but by the time the party reached Marsden the weather 
was all that could be desired. ‘The sun shone brilliantly, and, 
aided by a pleasant breeze, the ground soon dried, making botanis- 
ing very enjoyable. On entering the Wessenden Valley, the party 
were much pleased to see many acres profusely covered with the 
beautiful grass Aira flexuosa in full perfection. After passing the 
last gate that is placed across the cart road, the party made for the 
stream, when the work of the day began, the result of which was a 
rich collection of botanical specimens. Those most deserving of 
notice were as follows :-— 
Grasses: Aira flexuosa ; Agrostis canina. 
Sedges: C. pallescens; C. binervis ; C. laevigata. 
Mosses: Aérichum crispum; Dicranella squarrosa ; Oligotrichum 
hercynicum ; Plagiothecium Borrerianum ; Sphagnum squarrosum ; 
Sphagnum subsecundum v. contortum. It is worthy of note that 
Atrichum crispum, which was found with abundance of male 
flowers, is not known to bear fruit nearer to Manchester than New 
Jersey, U.S.A. 
Liverwort: Scapania undulata. 
Flowering Plants: Campanula hederacea; Melampyrum pra- 
tense ; Myosotis repens ; Narthecium ossifragum ; Ranunculus flam- 
mula v. pseudo reptans. 
The crowberry, Zmpetrum nigrum, was found in fruit. The ferns, 
some of them rare in this district, were observed but not uprooted. 
The cascade, which was full of water from the recent rain, was 
visited, and after tea at Marsden the party left by the 7-30 p.m. 
train, to resume the business of the excursion at the Mechanics’ 
Institution, Ashton, on Monday evening, when the principal finds of 
the day, as enumerated above, were discussed. 


