Miscellaneous. 495 



morphina oblonga, Polystomella striato-punctata, and Nonionina 

 depressula abound on the mud zone of Sluys-Kill. A large synop- 

 tical table is appended, showing the localities and relative abundance 

 or rarity of the 86 recent species MM. Miller and Vanden Broeck 

 have collected. They treat of the difficulty of determining specific 

 types among this low class of creatures (pp. 31 &c), and explain 

 that they give preference to the plan of nomenclature established 

 by the English rhizopodists, Williamson, Carpenter, Parker, and 

 Jones. 



MISCELLANEOUS. 



Mr. Albany Hancock. 



Albany Hancock died, after a long illness, on the 24th of October. 

 He was born at Newcastle-on-Tyne in 1806, and was one of a band of 

 natui'alists gradually passing from our midst, who have made this 

 district famous in scientific circles, especially for British zoology. 

 He was one of the founders of the Natural-History Society of that 

 town, and also of the Tyneside Natural-History Field-Club, and a 

 constant contributor to their 'Transactions,' and for many years 

 an active member of the Committee of the Literary and Philosophical 

 Society of Newcastle, in which he has always taken a lively 

 interest. 



The number of this band of naturalists has gradually dwindled 

 by the loss of Adamson, Hutton, Alder, Fryer, and others ; but we 

 have with us Hewitson, John Hancock, Embleton, King, Norman, 

 Howse, and others, who are still working in their vocation. 



Mr. Albany Hancock, in conjunction with his brother John, mainly 

 by their efforts in the local committee, greatly contributed to 

 gathering together the splendid collection of art and science that 

 was exhibited in the Central Exchange during the meeting of 

 the British Association in 1863. 



Mr. Hancock's contributions were not confined to the 'Transactions ' 

 of his district, but many valuable papers emanating from his pen are 

 in the 'Transactions' of the Royal, and the ' Transactions' and 

 ' Journals ' of the Linnean, the Zoological, and the Geological 

 Societies, and in the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History.' 

 He was a most accurate anatomical examiner and describer ; and 

 his great abilities as a draughtsman enabled him to accompany his 

 papers with beautiful plates. His most celebrated work, prepared 

 and written in conjunction with his friend Joshua Alder, and pub- 

 lished by the Ray Society, is that on the British Nudibranchiate 

 Mollusca, which was completed in 1855. It will be in the recol- 

 lection of our readers that Mr. Alder died in 1867, and that he had 

 been engaged in conjunction with Mr. Albany Hancock in the 

 preparation of a work on the British Tunicata, to be published by 

 the Ray Society. Subsequently to his colleague's death Mr. Hancock 



Ann.& Mag. N. Hist. Ser.4. Vol.-x.ii. 34 



