106 Proceedings of the Boyal Physical Society. 



female flew off, and both Mr Gibson and myself obtained an 

 excellent view of her. The ground on which the nest was 

 placed was so marshy that the keeper was enabled to reach 

 the eggs almost from the boat. They were deeply incubated, 

 and the embryo fully confirmed the species. They are six in 

 number, though the gamekeeper had taken two from the nest 

 on the previous Monday. They vary in measurement from 

 2| in. by 1^-^ in. to 2-5^ in. by If in. 



As far as we are aware, this is the first Scotch nest, as Mr 

 More states in his paper on " The Distribution of Birds in 

 Great Britain in the nesting season,"* that it has never been 

 taken north of Yorkshire, and rarely in Britain at all. 



We also saw several wigeon, but we did not succeed in 

 finding a nest, though the gamekeeper believes that they 

 breed there, and that he has taken the eggs. 



XIII. On the Genus Nemagraptus {Nematolites) of Emmo7is. 

 By Chas. Lapworth, Esq., F.G.S., etc. [Plate II.] 



{Read lUh May 1879.) 



Among the numerous Lower Palaeozoic fossils described by 

 Dr Emmons as characteristic of his disputed Taconic System, 

 some of the most remarkable were the forms to which he 

 gave the generic title of JSfemagraptus.f They were origin- 

 ally discovered by himself in the comparatively barren and 

 partially metamorphic shales and flagstones that floor the 

 eastern slope of the valley of the Hudson Eiver. He 

 appears to have had no doubt of the propriety of classifying 

 them with the true Graptolites, though he distinctly ad- 

 mitted his inability to detect upon them the characteristic 

 marginal serratures of the Graptolitidce, or indeed any appen- 

 dages whatever available for nutrition. The genus is char- 

 acterised by him as follows : 



"Nemagraptus (new genus). 

 "Axis elongated and thread-like; simple or compound 



* Ibis, 1865. 



t Emmons ; "American Geology," vol. i., ]>. 109. 



