Botanical Locality Record Club.—The officers of this Club have issued an appeal, asking the co-operation of Botanists in general, but more especially of Bryologists, to aid in a scheme for investigating the geographical distribution of Mosses in the British Isles. Mr. C. P. Hobkirk, F.L.S., and Mr. H. Boswell, have consented to act as recorders. The subscription is 4s. per annum. When thirty additional Botanists have joined the Club, the funds will justify the issue of a report on mosses. Names should be sent to Dr. H. F. Parsons, Goole; or Mr. C. P. Hobkirk, F. L. S., Huddersfield. We trust some of our readers may be induced to join this useful Club.
Reports of Societies.
Birmingham Natural History and Microscopical Society.—Biological Section.—August 13th. This meeting was devoted principally to the exhibition by Mr. W. R. Hughes of the specimens taken by members of the society during their recent excursion to Arran, and to a summary of its general results. As a detailed report will be presented at the society when the examination of these specimens is completed, it will suffice for the present to state that among them are numerous representatives of the principal orders of marine animals, from Rhizopoda to Pisces, many of them of very high interest. Mr. Hughes also showed on behalf of Mr. Simpson, of Wylde Green, the egg of the common Tortoise, Testudo Græca, laid in that gentleman's garden by a tortoise lately placed there, and being one of seven which she deposited between eight a.m. and seven p.m., in holes about four inches deep scooped and in the soil. It was nearly spherical, and of a pure white colour; also, on behalf of Mr. C. J. Woodward, eggs of Cuttle-fish, Sepia officinalis, from Bournemouth. The outer shell of one of these being removed, the contained embryo forms a beautiful object when viewed in the microscope by dark back-ground illumination, Mr. Short contributed specimens of the flower of Agave Americana, from Sir R. Wallace's gardens, in Suffolk, (see ante page 254.) A large number of botanical specimens were also exhibited by Messrs. J. Bagnall, G Caldwell, T. Buttertield, and others—Biological Section.—September 10th, Mr. A. W. Wilis showed on behalf of Mr. Wm. Spencer a remarkable specimen of an oyster shell, bought by that gentleman as apparently containing a pearl, but which on being split open was found to enclose a small but perfect individual of the genus Pinnotheres pisum, a crab belonging to the decapodous short-tailed crustacea. This animal inhabits the shells of living bivalves, such as the common mussel, cockle, oyster, &c. One species of this genus inhabits the large Pinma of the Mediterranean, and was well known to the ancients, who believed that a kind of "commensalism" existed between the two animals, the crab warning the mollusc of approaching danger, and receiving house room and shelter as a quid pro quo. Mr. Spencer also contributed specimens in which a small pebble and the operculum of a Turbo had respectively been covered with the pearly secretion. In the course of the discussion which ensued, Mr. W. Graham mentioned that the natives of the Chinese seas are in the habit of preparing small leaden images of Buddha, which, being inserted between the mantle and the shell of certain species of oyster, are covered with nacre and then sold as charms. The thanks of the section were unanimously accorded to Mr. Spencer for his interesting contribution. At the same meeting Mr. Bolton exhibited a small submerged leaf of Bladder-wort, (Utricularia vutgaris,) with a crown animalcule (Stephanoceros Eichkornii) attached to it, together with many specimens of Melicerta ringens, Limnias ceratophylli, and Œcistes crystallinus, a Philodina, and a Brachinnus. In addition to the preceding Rotifers, this little bit of weed, although not exceeding a quarter of an inch square, was covered with numerous attached specimens of Infusoria, including several species of Vorticella, Carchesium polypinum, three species of Epistylis, Stentor Mülleri, Cothurnia imberbis, Dendrosoma radians, and two other species of Acineta. This was the only piece of weed he had found time to examine under the Microscope out of a
