Museum News. Z77 



^ Diatoms of the Hull District ' under that title. Since then, 

 however, Mr. C. Mereschkowsky has published an interesting 

 paper (' Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist.', S. 7, Vol. VIH., pp. 424- 

 434, PI. VIII.), in which he points out that it has features 

 which separate it distinctively from any of the three genera to 

 which it has previously been assigned. He considers that the 

 only proper method of dealing with it is to place it in a genus 

 by itself, and proposes to give it the name of Stauronella 

 ■constricta (Ehr.) Mer. 



It is rather curious that, although according to Norman's 

 record it was not at all uncommon in his day in this neighbour- 

 hood, it seems to be very little known to some of the leading 

 diatomists of our time. Dr. Van Heurck for instance, who 

 describes it under Donkin's name of Navicula simulans, states 

 that he does so only from Donkin's work, never having himself 

 seen any authentic specimen. M. Peragallo also (' Diatomees 

 Marines de France ') figures under the name of Stauroneis 

 constricta (Ehr.) Sm. ,a dwarfed and emaciated form, which one 

 can hardly recognise as the same thing as that found at Mar- 

 fleet, and says, ' I have never seen the large forms of this species 

 recorded for the Ocean and the Arctic Seas. Small forms such 

 as that I have drawn are perhaps special to the warm seas.' 

 It is possible, therefore, that outside of this district, it is some- 

 thing of a rarity, and even here I have only found it once pre- 

 viously (in the Victoria Dock Timber Pond). The Dairycoates 

 and Garrison Moat localities, named by Norman, have long 

 ceased to exist. 



The figures in Dr. Smith's ' British Diatomaceas,' usually 

 so excellent, do not do justice to this species. In the valve 

 view, the sides are made to taper towards the median constric- 

 tion, which is not the case in any specimen I have seen. In the 

 girdle face aspect, the drawing of two young frustules that have 

 hardly completed self division, gives but a poor idea of the 

 w'ell-developed connecting zone of a mature specimen. 



^^ 



Mr. Wm. Blackstock has presented a good collection of minerals to the 

 Haslingden Museum. 



A collection of butterflies, etc., said to be valued at about ;^2ooo, has 

 been presented to the Accrington Museum by Mrs. Robertson-Aikman. 



From the annual report of the Kings Lynn Museum we learn that 

 amongst the additions are one hundred skulls of Norfolk Birds ; a ' Cam- 

 berwell Beauty,' taken at Hillington in 1884, and several rare moths, 

 including three taken in West Norfolk, which are additions to the British 

 insect fauna. 

 1909 Nov. I. 



