REVIEW. 21 



week or so, the elms at Kilnwick Percy, Londesborough, and other parts 

 of the country, were almost as perfectly green as in the height of summer- 

 Last Saturday, the 21st., I heard the Thrush singing in a wood near the 

 first-named place, and gathered three mushrooms in the field by its side. 

 There is no appearance of any change yet, so that we may again have, 

 as I saw some years ago, and recorded the fact at the time in the 

 "Zoologist," the fuchsia in blossom in Christmas week near Malton 

 eighteen miles north-east of York. I hear that it has been very cold in 

 the south in Berkshire and Cambridgeshire, but here we have had nothing 

 but mild fine weather with occasional fogs. — P. 0. Morris, Nunburnholme 

 Rectory, November 24th., 1857. 



P. S. — 27th. — On the 25th. we dined, from choice, with the window 

 wide open, and several times the fires have been forgotten, and let go out. 

 To-day is a lovely, warm, nay hot, sunshiny day, "as mild as midsummer." 

 — F. 0. M. 



"Beautiful ripe strawberries were gathered on Wednesday last, (25th. 

 of November,) in the garden of Fred. Glenton, Esq., at Redcar, (the 

 extreme north east point of Yorkshire, and on the sea coast.") — Yorkshire 

 Gazette, November 28th., 1857. 



A Winter Visitor. — A fine specimen of the Butcher Bird, (Lanius excu- 

 bitor,) was shot last week at Twecher, near Kirkintilloch, by John Duncan. 

 When shot it was engaged at dinner on a mouse, which, according to its 

 usual custom, it had stuck on the point of a thorn in a hedge, to enable 

 it to tear it more easily to pieces. The above expressive name has been 

 given to this bird from its suspending its prey before devouring it. It 

 is an inhabitant of the northern parts of Europe, and is seldom seen in 

 this district. — Glasgow Bulletin, December, 1st., ]857. 



The Natural History Reweio. No. I., January, 1857. London: Highlet, 



Fleet Street. Edinburgh: Johnstone and Hunter. Dublin: Hodges 



and Smith. 



This number contains the following Reviews: — 



Review 1. — "Synopsis of the British Diatomacese." Vol. II. By W. 

 Smith, F.L.S. 2.— "Elements of Entomology." By W. S. Dallas, F.L.S. 

 3.— "Ornithological Synonyms." By H. E. Strickland, F.G.S. 4.— 

 "General Outline of the Animal Kingdom." Second edition. By T. R. 

 Jones, F.R.S. 5.— "Entomologist's Annual for 1857." By H. T. Stainton. 

 6. — "Typical Forms and Special Ends in Creation." By Rev. J. M'Cosh, 

 L.L.D., and George Dickie, M.D. 7. — "Elementary Course of Geology, 



