258 Northern News. 
In this district, at the time of writing (the middle of June), 
many ash trees are quite bare; Chesnuts have leaved and 
flowered for a very short time. The leaves of many have, how- 
ever, quite shrivelled up, as if by the action of frost. Rose trees 
and many others are suffering in the same way. The chesnuts 
are now putting forth a lot of new leaves, and look most 
peculiar. The various flowering plants have had a very short 
show, the blossoms being ruined almost as soon as they 
opened. 
The reverse is the case with fungi, which appear to be 
unusually numerous. The St. George’s mushroom is par- 
ticularly plentiful. 
Birds have suffered exceedingly, and one comes across 
many deserted nests with eggs or dead young ones. Several 
times I have seen a nest full of young birds, ground breeding, 
washed out of the nests and drowned. Warbler’s nests are 
suffering very much, and the other day I even found a Tree 
Creeper washed out. 
There is a great scarcity of some species of migrants, 
notably in Spotted Flycatchers, Whinchats, Grasshopper 
Warblers, and Landrails, and also, I think, Cuckoos. The 
arrival of migrants this year was most erratic. 
Despite this depressing news, it is most gratifying to find 
the House Martin nesting in some of the haunts which have 
been without them for years.—R. FORTUNE. 
‘Collecting Lepidoptera in the Lake District in 1902, 1903, and in 1905, 
1906’ is the title of some notes by Mr. A. H. Foster in the June ‘ Ento- 
mologist.’ 
The York and District Field Naturalists’ Society is issuing elaborate 
excursion programmes, giving hints of species likely to be met with on the 
rambles. But aren’t a// secretaries ‘ organising’ ? 
An important paper on ‘The Geology of the Zambezi Basin around the 
Batoka Gorge (Rhodesia)’ is contributed to the May ‘ Quarterly Journal of 
the Geological Society’ by Mr. G. W. Lamplugh, F.R.S. 
We learn from the ‘Quarry’ that in recent Pompeiian explorations two 
beautiful ‘ Blue John’ vases were found—evidence that the famous ‘ Blue 
John’ mines of Castleton were worked some two thousand years ago. 
We regret to hear of the death of Mr. C. Mossop, of Barrow-in-Furness, 
late goods manager of the Furness Railway. Mr. Mossop took a keen 
interest in natural history. He was President of the Barrow Naturalists’ 
Field Club in 1902, and his portrait appears in the Club's Report for that 
year. 
The Council of the British Association for the Advancement of Science 
has nominated Mr. Francis Darwin, Foreign Secretary to the Royal Society, 
and author of the ‘ Life and Letters of Charles Darwin,’ to be President of 
the meeting next year, when, for the fourth time in its history, the Associa- 
tion will assemble in Dublin. ; 
Naturalist, 
