CORRESPONDENCE — 1-iEPORTS. 199 



Ornithological Notes. — Most of our song birds are silent now though 

 at times we hear the Thrush, Blackbird, Hedge Sparrow, Wren, Linnet, 

 Chiff chaff, Blackcap Warbler. The Cuckoo has as usual been silent all 

 the month. We have still some nests with eggs in of the Reed 

 Warbler, Redpole, Green and Common Linnets, plenty of House 

 Sparrows, with eggs and young ones, and some young Thrushes. — H. G. 

 Tomlinson, Woodlands, Burton-on-Trent, July 23, 1881. 



Dragon Fly's Eye. — In dissecting a small Dragon Fly (Agrion) a 

 few days ago I noticed some peculiar markings on the eyes ; they were 

 of deudritic form, and covered a considerable part of the cornea. Each 

 eye was marked to about the same degree, but they differed much in 

 their arrangement ; for while one had a finely branching piece and five 

 small ones, the other had about ten small, though similarly-shaped, 

 markings only. I have dissected many insects, including several kinds 

 of Dragon Flies, but do not recollect seeing such deudritic spots ou the 

 eyes before. The thought occurred to me, could they be veins ? but if 

 so the two eyes would probably match. However, I have looked over 

 several slides of Dragon Flies, about ten in number, and find the eyes 

 of two of them snow similar markings, though not to the same extent ; 

 so thinking a note on it might be interesting to readers of the " Mid- 

 land Naturalist," I record it, hoping if such marks are not of unfre- 

 quent occurrence some light may be thrown on their purpose ; or if 

 rare, (which I do not think they are,) that Entomologists may notice 

 the conditions under which they are to be found. — J. W. Neville, 

 Wellington Road, Handsworth, June 30th, 1881. 



Neolithic Celt from Leicestershire. — In June, 1880, I examined 

 a finely-finished stone implement, then in the possession of Mr. Nixon, of 

 Claybrooke, near Stoney Stanton. It had been found in " Coley's 

 Field," about 2J feet beiow the surface. It was 5J inches long, 2§ 

 inches broad, and li inches thick, broad at the cutting edge, and tapering 

 thence to the other (blunt) end. It had a ground semi-circular 

 cutting edge. The material appeared to be the local Syenite. — W. J. H. 



Pal.eozoic Rocks Beneath Northamptonshire. — Many members of 

 the Midland Union, who attended the annual meeting at Northamp- 

 ton, in 1880, will remember their visit to the site of the boring then 

 in progress near Northampton, the object being to obtain a supply of 

 water for the town. The boring was then in the Lias, but it has 

 since passed through that formation and struck the O&rboniferous 

 Limestone at a depth of 890 feet. From the cores brought up, Mr. 

 Etheridge has determined the fossil corals Lithostrotion junceum and 

 Lonsdaleia floriformis in abundance. This discovery seems to show a 

 southerly extension of the Pennine axis, and renders probable the 

 existence of a coalfield between Northampton and Nuneaton. — 

 W. J. H. 



rts of S>mdm. 



BIRMINGHAM NATURAL HISTORY AND MICROSCOPICAL 



SOCIETY. — A meeting of the Geological Section was held at Mason College, 

 on the 28th June, the President (Mr. W. J. Harrison, F.G.S.) in the chair. 

 Mr. J. Bagnall exhibited a fragment of a fuugus, Polijporns squamosus, from a 

 specimen two feet in diameter, growing ou an elm tree at Drayton Bushes, 

 near Stratford-upon-Avon. Mr. H. W. Jones showed a fine specimen of tb.p 

 Toper fish or Miller's Dog, Galeus cards, caught in Colwyn Bay. Mr. W. J. 

 Harrison exhibited a microscopic section of gneiss, or micaceous schist, as it 

 is termed by some geologists, from Brazil Wood, Charnwood Forest. Dr. C. 



