THK MIXEKALS Ol' THE MIDLANDS. 61 



GENEKAL KEMAKKS. 



As this appears to be the only iustance on record of the occurreuce 

 (away from the sea) of native chloride of calcium in Great Britain, 1 

 should mention that there are no manufacturing ■works in the neigh- 

 bourhood, nor other obvious means of accounting for its formation 

 artificially. Nothing is known as to its origin ; but Lady Charles 

 Percy, who has long been in occupation of Guy's Cliffe, informs me 

 that she " never remembers to have seen the cliff without it, and 

 that the black slime is now apparent as tn^ual on the face of the rock." 

 Thus, notwithstanding the long continuance of wet weather during 

 the past autumn, the material, if washed away by the rains, is as 

 constantly renewed. This cu'cumstance would point to the existence 

 of hidden salt beds, from which possibly the material may have been 

 originally derived. Dana (" System of Mineralogy,"' p. ll'J) mentions 

 the occurrence of a double chloride of calcium and magnesium in the 

 salt beds of Stassfurt, which has been analysed by Eanmielsberg, and 

 described under the name of Tachydrite. Like my specimen, it is 

 vei'y deliiiuescent. and contains 42 per cent, of water ; but the com- 

 position IS altogether different as regards the relative proportions of 

 calcium and magnesium. The same remark applies to the varieties 

 of Carnallite analysed by Oesten f ibid. ), which contained at most i5 

 per cent, of calcium chloride. Lastly, it may be noted that Mr. David 

 Forbes (Phil. Mag., 1SC)(3, xxxii., IH.")) found from 0-H3 to 0-4'> per cent, 

 of calcium chloride in certain varieties of native nitrate of sodium, 

 worked at La Noria, thirty miles east of Iquicjue, Peru, and at an 

 altitude of 5,050 feet above the sea. 



THE BIRDS OF LEICE iSTEKSHlKE 



BY THOMAS MACAULAY, M.R.C.S.L., ETC. 

 PAKT IV.— OUR VISITORS. 



This portion of my task will, I think, be found to be full of interest 

 to the Ornithologist. Hitherto no attempt has been made, so far as I 

 am aware, to publish a list of rare and occasional visitors to this 

 county, and that which I now offer will be seen to contain many 

 species which on account of their rarity could scarcely be expected to 

 be found in the Midlands. Notably amongst these are the White-tailed 

 Eagle, the Kite, the Dartford Warbler, the Rose-coloured Pastor, the 

 Hoopoe, the Cream-coloured Courser, the White Stork, the Glossy Ibis, 

 Temninck's Stint, the Great Northern Diver, and many others. The 

 list comprises no less than eighty species, and brings the grand total of 

 birds noted in the county to 185. 



It will be noticed that I have been largely assisted by many kind 

 friends, without whose help I should have been quite unable to fulfil 

 my task. My friend. Rev. A. Matthews, Mr. M. Browne, Sir G. Beau- 

 mont. Mr. Davenport, and others have placed their observations at my 

 disposal. To each and all I tender my grateful thanks, and I trust they 



