2IO Notes and Comments. 



air is inherited from generations back,' writes on ' A Girl Cliff- 

 Climber Down Bempton Cliffs,' the girl referred to being 

 Magdalen F. P. Tuck, and she is actually photographed whilst 

 over the cliff. In one of the photographs, she is represented as 

 looking upwards, with a slack rope in her hand, possibly 

 Hewett's swing ! She is evidently an accomplished girl, as 

 early in the article we find she writes ' I lie comfortably on my 

 face,' which is more than many could do. We believe that is 

 the only ' lie ' she relates, though one of the photographs was 

 certainly not taken within miles and miles of Bempton. We are 

 also glad to find that the printers of the ' Girls' Realm ' have 

 a good stock of capital ' I's.' 



EGGS AS TOPS. 



Another magazine, which, for obvious reasons has recently 

 adopted the title ' Science Gossip ' (though why ' Science ' it 

 is difficult to say !) also has an article on ' The Birds on Bempton 

 Cliffs,' the illustrations for which were also certainly not taken 

 at Bempton. In this we learn that ' the Guillemot's eggs vary 

 in size and marking.' The author has omitted to state that they 

 usually have shells. ' Often very small eggs are found, but 

 these, I think, are laid by young birds.' We were not previously 

 aware of the protective colouring of these eggs, but ' as the 

 chalk cliffs are all splashed with black and tufts of grass are 

 seen sticking out of the face of the cliff wherever it can find a 

 place to grow, so it takes one well used to finding the eggs hetore 

 they can he made out properly, unless the ledge happens to be 

 near the top of the cliff, when the eggs can be seen plainly.' 

 And all this from a source that quotes ' unnatural history ' 

 from the press. But perhaps the most unexpected piece of 

 gossip is ' the reason the Guillemot's egg is so pointed is that 

 if the bird leaves the egg in a hurry, or if a strong wind is blowing 

 the e^g, instead of rolling off the ledge as an ordinary shaped 

 egg would do, simple [sic] spins round on the point ' f ! 



THE DESCENT OF DARWIN. 



It is perhaps not generally known that Hull can claim an 

 ancestor of Darwin as a former mayor. In 1707 and again in 

 1720, Erasmus Darwin was mayor of Hull ; and he was buried 

 at Hull in 1737. This Erasmus Darwin married Elizabeth 

 Mason, aunt to Wm. Mason, Poet and Divine. His connection 

 with Charles Darwin is set forth on a pedigree of the Darwin 

 family, printed by Sir Albert K. Rolht, in Wildridge's ' Nor 

 thumbria,' 1888, pp. 138-140. 



Naturalist, 



I 



