434 THE NATURAL niSTORT REVIEW. 



numerous and valuable, which is confirmed by " Domesday Book," 

 where they are repeatedly mentioned. 



The first mention of hawks occurs in documents of the eighth cen- 

 tury, when two falcons were sent by Boniface, Bishop of Mons, to 

 Ethelbert, King of Mercia, which induced a Kentish king to apply to 

 the same prelate for a similar present, and, in doing so, he stated 

 that he could not obtain hawks of the quality he required in his own 

 kingdom. From about this time the kings and nobles laboured to 

 domesticate hawks, though at first in very limited numbers, and with 

 no great skill. They formed, nevertheless, a regular part of their 

 establishment. In the tenth century the custom of more completely 

 training them was introduced, and many persons kept them through 

 the summer, that they might be ready for the winter. 



It would be easy to add much more on these subjects, for the 

 laws and charters contain an immense amount of interesting infor- 

 mation as to oxen, sheep, dogs, cats, goats, poultry, and other 

 animals, all the evidence of which the author thinks points to the 

 conclusion that in the tenth century the more important animals 

 made progress towards, or arrived at, perfect domestication, while 

 attempts which had, up to that time, proved futile, were generally 

 abandoned. 



2. Geological Society, (Somerset House.) 



MarcJi Sth, 1865. 



The following communications were read : — 1. " On the Echino- 

 dermata from the South-east coast of Arabia, and from Bagh on the 

 Nerbudda." By P. Martin Duncan, M.B., Sec. G-.S.— In this paper 

 Dr. Duncan described eight species of Echinoderms, only one of 

 which was new, from Eas Eartak and Eas Sharwen on the south- 

 east coast of Arabia, and four from Bagh on the Nerbudda. He 

 also mentioned five determinable species of other classes from each 

 locality. Of these fossils, Hemiaster similis, D'Orb., and Pecten 

 quadricostatus, Sow., were alone common to the two localities ; but 

 with the exception of the new Echinoderm, which was named Cof- 

 taldia Carteri by Dr. Duncan, all the species occur in European Cre- 

 taceous rocks. He considered the fossils of the two localities to 

 belong to the same period, and discussed the question of the cor- 



