Ixiv Journal of Proceedings. 



and I have one of them yet — a very healthy bird, thanks to the care of 

 Mrs. Travis. The boy had thrown away the nest, but described it as 

 very much like a linnet's, but smaller. 



Mr. Harting said he should like to make a few remarks on the above 

 list. Many of the birds mentioned were of extreme rarity, and he 

 thought it would be wise to ask for further particulars before giving the 

 list a permanent place in the records of the Club. From experience he 

 could say that in many cases it would be found on examining the 

 evidences on which such lists were based that the writers have been 

 too hasty in identifying their specimens with rare species. The very 

 first bird on the list, to his mind, was very doubtful ; the Dusky Petrel 

 was of extreme rarity in Britain, and has only been obtained on one or 

 two occasions ; he could not help thinking that the bird referred to 

 would prove to be a specimen of the Manx Shearwater; that bird breeds 

 here, and it is often called a Petrel, although it differs from that genus 

 in some respects. Of course it was quite possible that all the birds 

 mentioned were correctly named, but he would strongly urge the neces- 

 sity of caution and enquiry before accepting as absolute facts the 

 statements made in such lists as the above. 



The President thought all would agree with Mr. Harting in the 

 necessity for caution : errors were easily committed and then became 

 difficult to eradicate. He would suggest that the Secretary should 

 communicate with Mr. Travis, with the view of settling the questions 

 raised. 



[The list was returned to Mr. Travis, who, we understand, is 

 a good ornithologist, and it is now printed as revised by him. — Ed.] 



Mr. P. Copland exhibited some specimens of fossil wood from the 

 London clay at Walton-on-the-Naze, and Mrs. Yeates some glacial 

 drift fossils picked up in the neighbourhood of High Beech. 



The meeting then resolved itself into a conversazione. 



Saturday, Dece.mber iSth, 1880.— Ordinary Meeting. 



The Monthly Meeting was held at the Head Quarters, at seven o'clock, 

 the President in the chair. The following works were presented to the 

 library: "Journal of Royal Microscopical Society," presented by 

 W. Emmens, Esq., F.R.M.S. ; " History and Description of Cassiobury 

 Park" (folio), by John Britton, presented by Messrs. Alfred and 

 G. H. Lockyer; "Deterioration of Oyster and Trawl Fisheries of 

 England," by J. P. Hore and E. Jex, presented by the authors. The 

 following persons were elected members of the Club : — Charles 



