310 Miscellaneous. 



a country, and being a native of Germany and the northern parts of 

 Europe, it must be considered as one of the most interesting addi- 

 tions that has been recently made to our native flora. — C. C.B. 



TEGUMENTS OF GASTEROPOD MOLLUSCA. 



Among the kinds of covering of Gasteropod Mollusca, no solid bodies 

 have been noticed bu* such as are known under the name of Shells. 

 In two genera near to Boris, all the fleshy part of the body is strewed 

 in every direction with calcareous spiculse. In one of them, these 

 spiculcG stick out in such a manner that the animal has its body all 

 bristled with prickles. Similar spiculse have been met with in the 

 mantle of a young Bulla. At a time when, thanks to the labours of 

 Ehrenberg, the study of microscopic fossils has made an unexpected 

 stride, these facts may be of some value in guarding zoologists against 

 referring to Infusoria the remains of animals belonging to a much 

 higher group. — Comptes Rendus, July 15, 1844, 



NEST OF THE DINORNIS. 



Description by Captains Cook and Flinders of Birds' Nests of enormous 



size on the coast of New Holland; by Prof. Edward Hitchcock, 



Dec. 22, 1843. 



In lecturing on the huge footmarks of sandstone in the Connec- 

 ticut valley, I have been in the habit for many years of reading to 

 my classes, as the poetry of the subject, some statements from the 

 twelfth volume of the ' Athenseum, or Spirit of the English Maga- 

 zines ' (p. 48), respecting enormously large birds and birds' nests. 

 As some of these statements are manifestly fabulous, it never oc- 

 curred to me till today to inquire whether any of them were true. 

 I was led to make the inquiry probably by the astonishing discoveries 

 of Prof. Owen respecting the danger bird of New Zealand ; and the 

 result is, that I have almost persuaded myself, that with the help of 

 Captains Cook and Flinders / have found the nest of the Dinornis on 

 the coast of Neiv Holland. These navigators have given the follow- 

 ing statements in their published voyages. I quote Cook's account 

 from Ken-'s ' Collection of Voyages and Travels,' vol. xiii. p. 318. 

 It was Cook's first voyage. Lizard Island is near the north-east coast 

 of New Holland, not far from Cape Flattery, and in about 15° S. lat. 



" At two in the afternoon," says Cook, " there being no hope of 

 clear weather, Ave set out from Lizard Island to return to the ship, 

 and in our way landed upon the low sandy island with trees upon it 

 which we had remarked in our going out. Upon this island we saw 

 an incredible number of birds, chiefly sea-fowl ; we found also the 

 nest of an eagle with young ones, which we killed ; and the nest of 

 some other bird, we knew not what, of a most enormous size. It 

 was built with sticks upon the ground, and was no less than six and 

 twenty feet in circumference, and two feet eight inches high. To 

 this spot we gave the name of Eagle Island," &c. 



Capt. Flinders found two similar nests on the south coast of New 

 Holland in King George's Bay. Not having his work at hand, I quote 

 from the 'Quarterly Review' for October 1814 his description of 

 these nests : — 



