GLEANINGS 215 



GLEANINGS. 



We offer our hearty congratulations to our friend and contributor 

 Prof. W. C. M'Intosh, F.R.S., LL.D., Professor of Natural History in 

 the University of St Andrews, and Director of the Gatty Marine 

 Laboratory, on his election to the presidency of the Ray Society, in 

 succession to the late Lord Avebury. 



The question of the occurrence of the true Wild Cat in Ireland 

 continues to be discussed in the pages of the Irish Naturalist. In the 

 June number (p. 124) Richard M. Barrington publishes a note on the 

 Irish Cave Cat found by Mr Ussher, and in reply to this, Dr R. F. 

 Scharff writes a short article in the July issue (pp. 127-128) on "the 

 Supposed Occurrence of the Wild Cat in Ireland." This is immediately 

 preceded (pp. 125-126) by a paper on the same subject, giving the views 

 of its author, Dr J. A. Harvie-Brown. 



In the Annals and Magazine of Natural History for August (pp. 

 1 53-181) Professor M'Intosh publishes No. xxxv. of his " Notes from the 

 Gatty Marine Laboratory, St Andrews." This paper is divided into four 

 sections, three of which will prove of interest to Scottish naturalists, viz., 

 No. 1 on two killers (Orca gladiator) stranded at St Andrews ; No. 2 

 on the British Ammocharidce j and No. 4 on the British Hermellidce. 

 [Mammalia, Vermes.] 



Mr Ogilvie Grant's remarks in British Birds for June on the pair of 

 Capercaillies in the Pennant collection sound the knell of our hopes that 

 we shall ever discover a specimen of the ancient British race of this fine 

 bird. There are no data with the specimens, which were recently 

 presented to the British Museum, but the birds we are told are 

 undoubtedly those figured in the first edition of the British Zoology, 

 which was published in 1766. At that date Pennant had never set foot 

 in Scotland, and does not appear to have had any Scottish corre- 

 spondents. In his Tours in Scotland 'in 1769 and 1772, he evinced great 

 interest in this species, and obtained the latest reliable information we 

 possess relating to the race, which was then on the verge of extinction. 

 He tells us that he only saw one Scottish specimen, a male at Inverness, 

 and had he possessed a pair of British examples, it is more than 

 probable that he would have made known the fact in one or other of 

 the editions of his British Zoology or of his Tours in Scotland. 



The following records appear in British Birds for July : A Wood- 

 warbler frequented a birch wood by the side of Loch Hope in North 

 Sutherland in June 19 13, where it was frequently heard singing. From 

 20th December 1912 till 10th January 1913 two Firecrests were seen 

 near Tunbridge Wells. On 21st May a Ferruginous Duck {Nyroca 

 nyroca) was seen on a "fleet" on Romney Marsh, while several Gull- 

 billed Terns appeared at Pett, Sussex, in June, three of which were 

 obtained at Winchelsea. 



J. T. Marshall continues, in the Journal of Conchology for July (pp. 

 65-77), his paper on " Additions to ' British Conchology.' " The following 



