a Guide to the Birds in the Hull Museum. 
ing the birds’ natural attitudes and habits, which the ordinary camera 
often loses because of its too near approach to the birds. 
Mr. Walter Wilson exhibited a fine series of lantern slides of a pair of 
Grey Wagtails feeding their young at the nest. Both birds brought food, 
and one photograph snewed both the parents at the nest at the same time. 
Mr. Walter Greaves passed round for exhibition a specimen of the 
Spotted Sandpiper (Totanus macularius) supposed to have been obtained 
in the neighbourhood of Hebden Bridge a few years ago. 
The next meeting of this Section will be held in the same room at the 
Leeds Institute, on Saturday afternoon and evening, February 18th, rgrt. 
H.B.B. 
——— iis 
GUIDE TO THE BIRDS IN THE HULL MUNICIPAL MUSEUM. 
(PLATES II. and iv.). 
TuE Committee who have the management of the Hull Municipal Museum 
are to be congratulated upon getting together a very fine collection of Birds, 
and thus filling a very noticeable gap which has existed in the Museums’ 
exhibits, and which has hitherto been a standing reproach to them. 
Mr. Sheppard has, in his usual thorough manner, compiled a most 
excellent and interesting catalogue of about 122 pages, giving a short 
description of every species. 
Altogether there are 420 cases, containing something like 900 specimens 
of 274 British and 45 Foreign species, and as the photograph of the Bird 
Room (frontispiece) shows, they are exhibited under the best conditions. 
Under each species is a short and interesting account of its distribution, 
and the information given is very trustworthy and accurate. It is in no 
spirits of fault finding that we should suggest that when a second edition 
becomes necessary, it would be advisable to give more consideration, after 
the account of its general distribution, to its status as a Yorkshire species, as 
in a few instances the particulars given are not sufficient. 
The only reference to the Pied Flycatcher as a Yorkshire bird is that 
it has been recorded breeding near Beverley ; to the Grasshopper Warbler 
that it is the rarest warbler in E. Yorks. 
We are told that the Eagle Owl is ‘a rare visitor to the northern 
portion of Britain. Examples have occurred in Orkney and Shetland.’ 
It would have been as well to mention that it had been obtained on several 
occasions in Yorkshire. 
The Kite is said to be ‘now practically exterminated in Britain.’ 
It is, however, gratifying to know that it is increasing in numbers in Wales 
The Common Buzzard is not so rare as we are given to understand. 
The White-winged Crossbill and the Spotted Sandpiper are stated to 
have no claim to a place in the British List ; both species, however, have 
well established claims. The first mentioned has several times been shot 
in the County, and a specimen of the latter was obtained quite recently 
in the Hebden Bridge district. 
Under Brunnich’s Guillemot the fact of Mr. Oxley Grabham recently 
recognising a specimen in the cliffs at Bempton during the breeding season 
is well worthy of mention, and it might also be recorded that the Levantine 
Shearwater in the collection, was the first recognised specimen of what has 
since proved to be a not altogether uncommon visitor to the Yorkshire 
coast. It is also worthy of note that the Pectoral Sandpiper in the Museum 
has been made historical by the fact that it is the bird figured in Lord 
Lilford’s magnificent work on British Birds. 
These are interesting notes which might be incorporated in a future 
edition. The Catalogue is a model for any Museum to follow, not only for 
its interesting information, but also for its general ‘ get up.’ The printing 
is in bold and clear type, and the illustrations are both numerous and good. 
Those of the Golden and White-tailed Eagles, Bee-Eaters, Hoopoes, 
Pallas’s Sand Grouse, Bittern, and that of the Bird Room are particularly 
good (see Plate III. and IV.). At the price at which it is issued (3d.) it 
is exceedingly cheap. GRSE. 
Naturalist, 
