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PROCEEDINGS OF PROVINCIAL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



The Transactions of the East Riding Antiquarian Society, Vol. XV., 

 have just been published. It includes a lengthy and valuable paper by 

 Dr. C. Cox on ' A Poll Tax of the East Riding ' ; Col. P. Saltmarshe writes 

 on ' Some Howdenshire Villages ' ; the Rev. A. N. Cooper tells ' How- 

 Rowley in Yorkshire lost its Population in the Seventeenth Century, and 

 how Rowley in Massachusetts was Founded,' and Mr. Sheppard contributes 

 Local ArchjEological Notes, with illustrations. The Bradford Antiquary, 

 N.S., Part XII., contains ' The Forgotten Manor of Exley,' by Mr. W. A. 

 Brigg ; ' The Laycocks of the Parish of Kildwick,' by Messrs. J. A. and 

 J. B. Laycock, ' West Riding Cartulary.' by Mr. C. A. Federer, and several 

 shorter items of local interest. 



In the Transactions of the Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society 

 (Vol. XIII., part i) are two papers of special interest to our readers, viz., 

 ' The Cryptogamic Flora of Leicestershire,' by Mr. A. R. Horwood, a valu- 

 able compilation ; and ' Desert Formations with Reference to the Origin 

 of the Trias,' by the late Joseph Lomas. This paper is the last contribution 

 by that gifted worker, and was delivered by him whilst on his way from 

 Liverpool to Algeria, the news of his death being received only a week 

 after he was at Leicester. 



The Memoirs and Proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philoso- 

 phical Society (Vol. LIIL, part 2) contains several papers of great interest. 

 Prof. A. Schwartz and Sir Hugh R. Beevor write on ' The Dawn of Human 

 Intention : an experimental and comparative study of Eoliths,' in which 

 they make out a good case for the artificial origin of these objects ; Mr. 

 J. W. Jackson describes the pre-historic implements found in Irish Dia- 

 tomaceous Deposits ; Prof, \yeiss refers to the submerged vegetation of 

 Lake Windermere as affecting "the feeding-ground of fish, and also writes 

 on ' The Occurrence and Distribution of some alien Aquatic Plants in the 

 Reddish Canal ' ; and Mr. F. Stubbs contributes some interesting notes on 

 • The Use of Wind by Migrating Birds.' 



Transactions of the Carlisle Natural History Society, Vol. I., 1909, 150 pp. 



We should like to congratulate the Carlisle Society upon its first publi- 

 cation. It is ideal, and might well be held up as a model to other societies 

 issuing Transactions. All the papers it contains are strikingly local in 

 character ; all are useful ; there is no ' padding,' and there is evidence of 

 careful and conscientious editing ; though the editors' names are not 

 given. A brief ' Introduction ' gives a history of the Society. Mr. J. 

 Murrav writes a Memoir of T. C. Heysham — ' A Bygone Cumberland 

 Naturalist,' and on ' The Land and Freshwater Shells of Cumberland ; 

 Mr. W. E. B. Dunlop contributes some interesting Westmorland Ornitholo- 

 gical Notes ; ^Ir. H. Britten writes on ' The Mammals of the Eden Valley ' ; 

 Mr. T. S. Johnstone contributes part 1. of ' Plant Life Around Carlisle ' ; 

 Mr. T. L. Johnston gives an account of ' The Diving Birds of the Solway ' ; 

 and Mr. L. E. Hope writes on the Gulls and Wading Birds of the same area. 

 ' The Butterflies of Cumberland ' is the title of a paper by Mr. G. B. Rout- 

 ledge, and Mr. F. H. Day writes on ' The Fauna of Cumberland in Relation 

 to its Physical Geography,' and also contributes part I. of ' The Coleoptera 

 of Cumberland.' It is interesting to note (pp 3-4) that ' In 1842, Robert 

 Dunn, of Hull, wrote to Heysham, offering him two skins of the Great Auk 

 for £7 los. each, and in 1840, Mr. Proctor offered him the egg of the same 

 bird for ;£3. Unfortunately none of these were secured.' We know nothing 

 about :\Ir. Proctor, but Mr. Dunn has since died ! 



The Report of the Perthshire Natural History Museum for 1908-9 records 

 the progress made at that institution during the year, and also includes 

 a list of additions, and a valuable Meteorological Report by the Curator, 

 Mr. Alex. M. Rodger. 



Naturalist, 



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