1894. NEWS OF UNIVERSITIES, ETC. 237 



and includes the results of the author's own work during the last ten years. The 

 Cornish Lepidoptera, as a rule, are larger than their congeners in other parts of 

 Britain. Among brief notes, it is announced that a fine example of Risso's Grampus 

 (Grampus griseus) was stranded near Marazion in April last, and that the skeleton 

 is being prepared for description in the next part of the Society's Transactions. 

 Details of the external characters of the animal are given in the present note. 

 Meteorological observations used to be made at Penzance by Dr. Giddy, but no 

 regular records were made between 1887 and 1893. The Corporation have now 

 instituted systematic observations for the borough, and hope to bridge over this gap 

 from private sources. 



The Malton Field Naturalists' and Scientific Society has commenced the issue 

 of a monthly record of observations on local Natural History, entitled Naturalist 

 Notes. This is one of the most vigorous of provincial societies, and has already 

 formed a museum in many respects unique ; but we doubt the wisdom of it? latest 

 venture, which strikes us as an unfortunate substitute for a well-digested annual 

 report. At the recent annual meeting Professor L. C. Miall retired from the 

 Presidency, and was succeeded by Mr. A. S. Woodward, of the British Museum. 



The Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society has issued its transactions for 

 1893-94 — vol. v., part 5. Mr. C. B. Plowright, M.D., has been appointed president 

 for 1894-5. The retiring president, Mr. T. Southwell, F.Z.S., whose address 

 appears in the present number of the Transactions, took for his subject the past and 

 present history of the society, which is now in the twenty-fifth year of its existence. 

 Many important and interesting contributions appear in the number, and there is 

 issued with it a ^photograph of a specimen of the tropic bird Phadton athereus 

 found dead at Cradley, Herefordshire. 



The Midland Union of Natural History and Scientific Societies held its seven- 

 teenth annual meeting at Ellesmere, Salop, on Friday and Saturday, August 3 

 and 4. The proceedings commenced with the council meeting on Friday 

 afternoon, and eleven delegates from the various societies in the Union attended. ' 

 The report of the executive committee was received, and after considerable 

 discussion adopted. It was decided among other items that papers competing for 

 the Darwin Medal should be published within the area of the Union, and that the 

 Union should be made primarily a record office for the Natural History of the 

 Midlands. 



The new executive committee consists of the secretaries or a representative 

 of each society in the Union, and six elective members as follow : Professors Allen, 

 Bridge, and Lapworth of Mason College, Messrs. Chase, Hughes, and Wilkinson, 

 with Professor Hillhouse and T. V. Hodgson as secretaries. 



The annual meeting was held later, and accepted the recommendations of the 

 council; the other officers were unanimously elected, viz., Brownlow R. C. Tower 

 as president, and E. de Hamel as treasurer. " It was also decided to admit photo- 

 graphic societies into the Union. 



A conversazione was held in the evening at St. Oswald's College, and attended 

 by upwards of 200 members and friends. There was a fair number of exhibits, 

 chiefly local, and the college museum was thrown open. One paper was read by 

 Mr. Bellamy, of Oxford, on the Migration of Birds. 



Saturday was taken up by two excursions, one for archaeologists to Chirk 

 Castle and Valle Crucis, Llangollen, conducted by Mr. A. T. Jebb ; the other for 

 biologists, round the meres and peat mosses of the neighbourhood, led by Messrs. 

 H. J. E. Peake and J. A. S. Jennings. Both excursions were well attended and very 

 successful, notwithstanding the heavy rain which came down in the afternoon. 



The botanists succeeded in finding most of the local plants, including 

 Nuphar pumila, Lobelia Dortmamia, Alisma natans, Utriculatia minor, etc., etc. 

 The meres were all found to be "breaking," Ellesmere and Whitemere with 

 GlceotricUa echinata, Colemere and Crosemere with Aphanizomenon flosaqua ; in 



