14 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



of eight societies in as many of the Cumberland towns. 

 Their "Transactions" frrm a tolerably large annual 

 volume, and part iii. is now to hand, containing, 

 among other papers, reports, and presidential ad- 

 dresses, one on " Tne Probable Condition of the 

 Interior of the Eart'i," by Sir George Airy, K.C.B., 

 F.R.S. ; on "Quartz," by Mr. J. Clifton Ward, 

 F.G.S. ; " Boulde' Clay," by Charles Smith, F.G.S. ; 

 "Common Beet'es,' 1 by W. Duckworth; &c— The 

 annual report of another nourishing and vigorous 

 society, the Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, is also 

 before us, containing, besides several papers of more 

 than local interest, the result of special geological 

 research in the Silurian rocks of county Down, by 

 William Swanston, F.G.S., and their hitherto unknown 

 and unclassified graptolites, by Mr. Charles Lapworth, 

 F.G.S. Mr. Joseph Wright, F.G.S., also gives a 

 carefully worked out and arranged list of the recent 

 foraminifera of Down and Antrim. These three con- 

 tributions would alone make any report valuable to 

 naturalists and geologists generally. There are also 

 papers, chiefly geological, by Messrs. W. Gault, 

 W. Gray, &c, and well-written accounts of the 

 summer excursions. — The twentieth report of the 

 East Kent Natural History Society has been sent us, 

 showing a healthy state of scientific activity. The 

 abstracts of the papers read at various meetings are 

 very clear. Prominence appears to be given to 

 microscopical examination of natural history subjects, 

 to which Mr. James Fullagar, Mr. Hammond, and 

 Professor Gulliver contribute very importantly. There 

 is also a good abstract of the address by the presi- 

 dent (Mr. G. Dowker, F.G.S.) on flint stones and 

 banded flints. — The Dulwich College Science Society 

 have issued their first annual report, and we cor- 

 dially hope it will be the pioneer of many to follow. 

 It commences well, by "reporting" on the botany, 

 zoology, &c, of the neighbourhood, and contains ab- 

 stracts of papers read at the bi-monthly meetings. — 

 The Eastbourne Natural History Society is favoured 

 by having several naturalists of note among its leading 

 members. Mr. Roper,'F.L.S., has recently addressed 

 the society on ' ' The Additions to the Fauna and 

 Flora of the Crickmere District during the Past 

 Year."— The North Staffordshire Natural History 

 Society have had several important summer outings, 

 at which interesting papers have uniformly been read. 

 — The various societies at Burton-on-Trent, Notting- 

 ham, Birmingham, Leicester, Northampton, Tam- 

 worth, &c. have had capital abstracts of their 

 proceedings published in the " Midland ^Naturalist," 

 which has now reached the conclusion of its first 

 volume, and proves a most ably edited ' ' Journal of 

 the Associated Natural History, Philosophical, and 

 Archaeological Societies and Field Clubs of the Mid- 

 land Counties." 



| The Geographical Distribution of Animals. 

 — We have received a coloured map showing the six 



geological divisions of the globe, according to Wallace 

 and Sclater. It is published by Messrs. W. & A. K. 

 Johnston, and has been arranged by Dr. Andrew 

 Wilson. The map is accompanied by a small hand- 

 book, which gives the necessary explanatory matter. 



The Black-throated Stonechat. — At a recent 

 meeting of the Zoological Society, Dr. Sclater ex- 

 hibited and made remarks on an adult specimen, ir. 

 full plumage, of the black-throated stonechat (Saxi- 

 cola stapazina), which had been obtained in Lanca- 

 shire, and had been sent for exhibition by Mr. R 

 Davenport, by whom an account of it was lately 

 written for Science-Gossip. The species had not 

 been previously recorded as occurring in the British 

 Isles, and is an interesting addition to the list of 

 " Accidental Visitors." 



The Black-throated Stonechat in Lanca- 

 shire. — Your correspondent, " R. Davenport," in the 

 October number of Science-Gossip, may congratu- 

 late himself on being the first to record the occurrence 

 of Saxicola stapazina, or "russet wheatear," in the 

 British Isles. I have for years anticipated and longed 

 to hear of the appearance of this species on our side of 

 the Channel, and wondered why (at least) a straggler 

 should not occasionally appear at the same time with 

 its near relation, S. osnanthe. There is a capital 

 coloured figure and description of stapazina given, 

 amongst other continental or European species, in 

 Bree's " History of the Birds of Europe not found in 

 the British Isles." — John Gatcombc. 



Ziphius curvirostris. — The drawing forwarded 

 to me is undoubtedly that of the skull of a specimen 

 of Ziphius curvirostris (Cuv.), a species often found in 

 the Mediterranean (see my article on " The Seals and 

 Whales of the British Seas," Science-Gossip for 

 February 1878, p. 29). Dr. J. E. Gray, in his 

 " Catalogue of Seals and Whales in the British 

 Museum," says that this species "has long been 

 regarded as fossil. It really exists in the Mediter- 

 ranean. The skull described by Cuvier (' Oss. Foss.' 

 v. t. 27, f. 3) was found by the fishermen of the Gulf 

 of Bouc. Others have since been obtained, and each 

 of them has been described as a new species." See 

 also Professor Flower "On the Recent Ziphiod 

 Whales," " Trans. Zool. Soc." vol. viii. p. 207. Pro- 

 fessor Fowler has seen the drawing forwarded by 

 M. Piercas, and has no hesitation in ascribing it to 

 this species. — T. Southwell. 



Preserving Skins, &c. — The following is a 

 French substitute for arsenical soap : — Savon blanc, 

 625 grammes ; sulfate d'alumine et de potasse, 250 gr. ; 

 sous-carbonate de potasse pulverise, 125 gr. ; chlorure 

 de sodium, 125 gr. ; chaux en poudre, 250 gr. ; 

 camphre en poudre, 60 gr. ; eau, 750 gr. ; huile de 

 petrole, 60 gr. Gently boil the soap and salts together 

 in two-thirds the water. Mix the lime with the 



