NORTHERN NEWS. 



A fine long-tailed duck was ' obtained ' on Filey Brig on February i6tli, 



'Sir. Joshua Fountain, of Filey, who keeps tame gulls, is retiring from 

 business. 



For the loan of the portrait of Canon Fowler (Plate II.) we are indebted 

 to the Lincolnshire Naturalists' Union. 



The Geological Society has divided the Lyell Fund between Dr. A. R. 

 Dwerryhouse and Mr. R. H. Rastall. 



]\Iessrs. H. B. Booth (Ben Rhydding) and G. A. Booth (Preston) have 

 recently been admitted as Fellows of the Zoological Society. 



From a recent report of a Yorkshire museum we learn that ' the main 

 collection of eggs is housed in the drawers under the bird cages ! ' 



At a recent meeting of the Yorkshire Numismatic Fellowship, a society 

 devoted to the study and acquisition of money and medals, Mr. T. Sheppard 

 was elected President. Oddly enough, the previous President was Mr. 

 William Sj'kes! 



In a ' nature magazine ' a Middlesborough correspondent tells of a dog 

 that ' died in the most horrible convulsions ' at the feet of a violin player 

 who would play to the dog. What would have happened had it heard the 

 Filey trumpet ? 



Another way of ' marking ' birds. We learn from the weekly press, 

 under the head of ' Holme on Spalding Moor,' that ' a crow, with bell 

 attached, has been seen and heard during the week flying over Holme 

 Common. If he should happen to see it, this item of news will interest 

 the person who fixed the bell.' 



The Filey launchers recently went on .strike, but the matter was 

 amicably settled by an extra crab. For helping to launch the fishing 

 boats each man has hitherto received one fish or two crabs. In future 

 they will receive one fish or three crabs. Thus has a national strike of 

 cobble launchers been averted by allowing one extra crab per man per 

 launch ! 



The late G. H. Verrall has left his collection of British Diptera, and 

 the cabinets in which it is contained, to his nephew, J. E. Collin, condition- 

 all}^ upon his offering to the British IMuseum three pairs of each species 

 of which he possessed a full series, i.e., six pairs. He has also left all his 

 real and personal estate in the parish of ^^'icken, Cambridgeshire, to the 

 National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty. 



The following is a fair example of the news in our daily papers during 

 the cold weather a little while ago : — ' Rare Birds Shot. — During the last 

 few days some rare birds have been shot at Hull, including mallards and 

 large and small grebe. While two sportsmen were shooting at Marfleet, Hull, 

 a large bird appeared on the horizon. It fell to two shot of the sportsmen, 

 and was found to be a splendid specimen of the cormorant.' Another "sports- 

 man " shot a "pooker," and another got a " puttin." 



For the meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science, which is to take place at Dundee on September 4th and following 

 days, under the presidency of Dr. E. A. Schafer, F.R.S., the following 

 presidents have been appointed to the various sections : — Mathematical 

 and Physical Science, Professor H. L. Callendar, F.R.S. ; Chemistry, 

 Professor A. Senier ; Geology, B. N. Peach, F.R.S. ; Zoologj^ Dr. P. Chalmers 

 Mitchell, F.R.S. ; Geography, Sir Charles M. Watson, K. CM. G. ; Economic 

 Science and Statistics, Sir Henry H. Cunynghame, K.C.B. ; Engineering, 

 Professor A. Barr ; Anthropology, Professor G. Elliot Smith, F.R.S. ; 

 Physiology, Leonard Hill, F.R.S. ; Botany, Professor F. Keeble ; Educa- 

 tional Science, Professor J. Adams ; Agriculture, T. H. Middleton. Agri- 

 culture will form the subject of a full section for the first time. Professor 

 W. H. Bragg, F.R.S., ana Professor A. Keith, M.D., have been appointed 

 to deliver the evening discourses. 



Naturalist, 



