SCIENCE- GOSSIP. 



347 



Humming-bird Hawkmoth. — A lively specimen 

 of Macroglossa stcllatarum was taken on February 20 

 in a shop in the village of Lynmoiith, North Devon. 

 It seems rather early for this species to emerge from 

 hibernation ; this is especially the case as the weather 



had been very cold Thomas H. Briggs, Rock 



House, Lynmouth. 



Plovers Flying at Night. — I do not know 

 whether it is a usual occurrence, but in the fields 

 opposite this house, during the bright moonlight on 

 Saturday, March 10, the peewits were flying and 

 uttering their plaintive cry at 8 P.M. It is the first 

 time I have heard them so late at night. — (Rev.) R. 

 Ashington Bullen, Axeland, near Horley, Surrey. 



[We have often seen plovers flying at night when 

 moonlight, whilst returning from entomological ex- 

 cursions in Yorkshire. We have frequently been 

 followed by these birds for more than a mile, as late 

 as midnight, when crossing a piece of marshy ground. 

 They then uttered their cries as vigorously as in day- 

 light.— Ed. S.-G.] 



Localities for Land-shells. — We have re- 

 ceived from Mr. R. Welch, of Belfast, the first of a 

 series of photographs which that gentleman proposes 

 to take of the more important localities for land- 

 shells in Ireland. Mr. Welch's fine photographic 

 work is so well known that we feel sure many of our 

 readers interested in malacology would be glad to 

 have such a series to compare with the habitats with 

 which they are familiar. 



Petrology. — Could any one kindly check some 

 of my penological observations, and give some other 

 information of a kindred nature ? I have several 

 good books on the subject by Harker, Rutley, Cole, 

 and others ; also some thirty typical slides and a 

 Dick microscope. My profession does not give me 

 opportunity to join societies and attend meetings to 

 find out if I am proceeding correctly. I am anxious 

 to meet with a correspondent who will look over my 

 mineral slides, and tell me if my own determinations 

 are correct. I should also like the titles of any 

 journals or proceedings of societies which might assist 

 me.— (Lieut.) D. St. A. P. Weston, R.N., R.N. 

 Gunnery School, Sheerness. 



An Emu Omelette. — A luncheon, which every 

 one present agreed would have delighted the heart of 

 the late Frank Buckland, was given on February 27th 

 by Mr. Henry Stevens, of great auk fame. The 

 entertainment, which was held at the Camera Club — 

 for Mr. Stevens is perhaps .as well known as a leading 

 amateur photographer as he is in the capacity of an 

 auctioneer where natural history is concerned — was 

 primarily intended to do justice to an "emu's egg 

 omelette," made from an egg laid in England on Sir 

 Cuthbert Peek's estate in Dorsetshire. The bird, 

 strange to say, is certainly thirty-five and most likely 

 approaching fifty years of age. The menu on the 

 auspicious occasion included, among other delicacies 

 more usual in this country, kangaroos' tails and a 

 saddle of reindeer. The writer, who was one of the 

 eight guests, can speak from personal observation — or, 

 one should say, by experiment — that kangaroos' tails 



were excellent ; the reindeer was like mutton some- 

 what in taste, but with a beef-like grain and a 

 suspicion of flavour approaching that characteristic of 

 hare. With regard to the omelette successfully con- 

 trived by the Club's chef, after the egg had been 

 opened at table, it must be said that the majority, if 

 not all, of those present indulged in a second helping. 

 Perhaps the greatest fun during the afternoon was 

 experienced while Mr. Stevens was dexterously saw- 

 ing off the top of the egg, for the shell is to be 

 mounted on silver as a memento of the occasion. 

 The side dishes and ornaments of the table included 

 eggs of all kinds : snails' eggs, crocodile eggs, alliga- 

 tors' eggs, etc. Very interesting, to make special 

 mention, was the most perfect example of a great 

 auk's egg that has yet been placed in Mr. Stevens's 

 hands, and which may probably realise ,£400, to judge 

 from the bidding at the sale of the last specimen sold 

 in the Rooms at Covent Garden. To return tq the 

 emu's egg : it weighed two pounds, and the yolk, as it 

 lay in a soup-plate, was over four inches across. 

 We must not forget, too, that Her Majesty's health 

 was drunk in a magnum of 1851 port, which Mr. 

 Stevens brought from the King Street cellar for the 

 occasion, and that it was found to be in prime 

 condition. — Wilfred Mark Webb, 2 Broadway, 

 Hammersmith. 



Collection ok Coleoptera. — I have a collec- 

 tion of about 900 Coleoptera, the majority of which 

 I have obtained by exchanges. They are mounted 

 on cards of all shapes and sizes, most of the cards 

 being no larger than the beetles themselves ; conse- 

 quently they have a very untidy appearance. I wish 

 to remount them for the cabinet. What I have 

 mounted I have put on cards of one size lor each 

 species, the beetle being gummed in the centre, and 

 its name written at the bottom. They look very well 

 arranged like this ; but I do not know whether it is 

 the correct method. I shall be much obliged for any 

 instructions you or your readers can give through 

 your columns. What is the best modern handbook 

 to the British Coleoptera, costing up to, say, a 

 sovereign? I should like to see a monograph on 

 beetles running through Science-Gossip on the lines 

 of the Butterflies now appearing. Is there any pro- 

 bability of this occurring? — T/ios. IV. Wilshaw, 

 She /field, March 1900. 



Geologists' Association "i London. In the 

 course of a paper on Wind-worn Stones, read before 

 the Geologists' Association on March 2. by Mr F. A. 

 Bather, M.A., F.G.S., the author gave an epitome of 

 the various theories that have been put forward to 

 account for the characteristic features of certain more 

 or less pyramidal stones with peculiarly polished 

 surfaces, met with in various parts of the world. 1 le 

 stated the reasons for believing that in most casc^ 

 these characters are due to the action of wind-blown 

 sand. He compared such stones with certain 

 examples found in the British Islands. One specimen 

 in particular was a stone found by Mr. K. 1>. 

 Darbishire in a drift deposit at Bowdon (Cheshire), 

 but derived from the Bunter Pebble Beds. This 

 stone was a good example of the three-sided pyramidal 

 form known as the " dreikanter " type. Mr. Bather 

 believed that the reason why so few examples were 

 known from geological deposits was that the characters 

 of such stones were not sufficiently well known to 

 geologists, and he appealed to workers in the field to 

 pay more attention to the subject, which might be 

 the means of throwing considerable light on former 

 geological conditions. — Percy Emory, 12 Alwync 

 Square, Canonbury, London. X. 



