Miscellaneous. 523 



aperture terminates at the extremity of this fin-ray or rather at the end 

 of the fin itself. Among all hitherto known fishes, the curious Ana- 

 hleps tetrophthalmus , from the rivers of Brazil and Surinam, alone 

 possesses anything analogous. In other respects our fish approaches 

 most nearly in general habit those of the genus Barbus, Cuvier, but 

 has decidedly no scales. The more complete description of it will 

 appear next spring in my intended work on the freshwater fish of 

 Austria, on which occasion all the new species will be most perfectly 

 and truly represented with the aid of my ichthyometer. In the mean 

 time, I will call this highly remarkable new genus Aulopyge, and feel 

 greatly honoured in dedicating the same to my highly honoured Me- 

 crenas Baron von Hiigel, by giving his name to the only species as 

 yet known. 



FORBES*S STARFISHES ECHINUS LIVIDUS. 



Cork, June 25, 1841. 

 ** Upon looking into the above interesting work, I find it stated, in 

 the description of Echinus lividus, that the animal bores into lime- 

 stone only. Now I can say that it is by no means confined to that 

 rock, as all those that occur on the coast of the county Clare, south 

 of the Islands of Arran, an extent of several miles, to the mouth of the 

 river Shannon, are imbedded in a transition slate ? much harder than 

 any limestone with which I am acquainted. The specimen which 

 was sent, some years past, to the late Mr. Bennett by my friend 

 J. D. Humphreys here, and described in the * Linnsean Transactions,' 

 is composed of the same kind of rock. — Samuel Wight." 



Speaking Canary Bird, — In the notice at p. 238. vol. i. of the * An- 

 nals,' the faculty of imitating articulate sounds was noticed as not 

 having been before observed in the Canary Bird. A similar fact, 

 however, is recorded by Madame Roland in the very interesting 

 memoir of her life. Speaking of the good nun, Sceur Sainte Agathe, 

 from whom she had received great kindness when at the convent 

 school, she says, " EUe m'emmenait quelquefois dans sa cellule, oil 

 elle avoit un Serin charmant, familier, caressant, a qui elle avoit ap- 

 pris h. parler." 



BIRDS OF KENT. 



Mr. Mummery has communicated the following notices of Birds 

 lately taken in the Isle of Thanet : — 



" May 6th, at Sacket's Hill, about a mile from Margate, I shot a 

 beautiful specimen of the Oreolus galbula, or Golden Creole, a female 

 in fine plumage. On dissection it was found to contain sixteen 

 small eggs. On the same day I shot a beautiful specimen of the 

 Lanius rufus, or Wood Chat Shrike. I have also seen at Sacket's 

 Hill a beautiful bird, the Nucifraga Caryocatactes, or Nutcracker : 

 I kept in sight of it for about two hours without being able to get 

 a shot at it. 



" Several Limosa rufa, or Bar- tailed Godwits, have been captured in 

 this neighbourhood, especially at North Shore, near Sandwich. A 

 friend of mine shot fourteen in one shot, the largest number at one 

 time I have heard of. I have shot several, some of them being very 

 splendid birds in full plumage, several of which are in skins for sale. 



