PROCREDINOS OP SOCIETIES. 89 



produces it in some numbers. Soon as the shades of evening gather round, begins the Nightjars' 

 rattle, as I call it from its resemblance to the sound produced by that constant companion of 

 the policeman on his lonely round — from this circumstance they may be called "Policemen of 

 the Wood." This is kept up for an hour or more, when it ceases. At a later period of the 

 night they have crossed my path in silent flight; — sometimes as late as twelve o'clock, and so 

 close, that I have expected to have had my hat knocked off as they whirled past in chase of 

 souie favourite beetle or moth. Oft and many are the times on a fine clear night, when 

 entomologizing, that I have sat down on some neighbouring bank or fallen tree, to listen to 

 their mysterious melody, if I may so call it, strangely breaking upon the stillness of the swiftly 

 closing eve. You may blame n«e for keeping late hours. I confess myself a night rambler. I 

 love to watch the moonbeams as they steal through the boughs overhead; to listen to the 

 Nightingale's sweet song; to the rustling of the pendant leaves ; and to the sighing of the wind 

 away up in the tops of the tall trees. — But to resume. A word more about finding their eggs. 

 Notice the spot where you heard the birds commence their rattle ; the next morning repair to 

 that spot — look well, beating the bushes the while to the right and left, when perchance you 

 will see a bird tumble close to your feet, and bobble on a yard or two in advance, trailing 

 its wings along the ground. You follow it, expecting soon to capture the seemingly crippled 

 bird; suddenly its powers of flight are recovered, audit disappears before j'our wondering gaze; 

 its object is attained, itself and eggs are so far safe; but retrace your steps to the spot where 

 you first put up the bird, look well around, and in some dry open spot you will find two eggs 

 laid in a little hollow among grass or heath, which accounts for your correspondent's unsuc- 

 cessful search ; but I must conclude, hoping that my plain remarks may not give offence, and 

 that he may not think me more plain than pleasant. To give instruction was my object 

 in penning these observations. — H. J. Harding, 1, York Street, Church Street, Shoreditch. 



Snow Bunting, (E. nivalis.) — This species is very abundant in the marshes below Louth, 

 during the winter months, on a tract of land in the parish of North Summercoats, which has 

 lately been reclaimed from the sea by my brother, Henry Alington Pye, Esq., of Louth. — R. P. 

 Alington, Rectory, Swinhope, Lincolnshire. 



l^rntBrMEgs nf Intirtie. 



Yorkshire Naturalists' Club.— July 6th., 1853. — W. Anderson, Esa. in the chair. 



Mr. Graham exhibited a cliicken with four legs, and rudimentary wings, which had been 

 hatched at Richmond. 



Mr. 0. A. Moore exhibited a curious specimen of the Common Mushroom, on which a second 

 one had become inverted, with the gills and root upwards. He also exhibited and made some 

 remarks upon some calcareous incrustations, which occur in abundance at St. John's Well, near 

 Sutton-on-the-Forest. The water at this place being strongly impregnated with carbonate of 

 lime, deposits calcareous matter upon the vegetation with which it comes in contact. The 

 vegetable tissue subsequently disappearing through decay, perfect casts of the plants are left 

 in the stony mass, resembling the casts of organic bodies, which occur in the regular fossiliferous 

 strata. 



Mr. Charlesworth exhibited a series of beautiful Fossils, recently obtained from the York- 

 shire coast, including two examples of a large and very remarkable undescribed bivalve shell 

 from the chalk. 



The club decided to purchase a collection of these specimens, for presentation to the Yorkshire 

 Philosophical Society. 



The following works were bought for the library of the Club: — "Gossc's Rambles on the 

 [Devonshire Coast;" "Henfrey and Tulk's Anatomical Manipulation;" "Cock's Sea-weed Col- 

 ►lector's Guide." 



The business of the evening was concluded with an account, by Mr. Charlesworth, of some 

 of the more remarkable facts in the history of the animal of the Paper Nautilus ; in the course 

 of which he detailed the recent important discoveries by Miiller, that the male of the Paper 

 Nautilus has no shell, and that the curious creature, described by Cuvier as a Parasite upon 



