MISCELLANEA. 361 



wing, primaries and tail-feathers dark blue, upper tail coverts 

 grey, a few dark-blue spots on the tertiaries, eye dark hazel. 



This is the fifth locality I have to record of this interesting 

 species making its appearance in our two northern counties. 

 For a particular account of these reference may be made to The 

 Birds of IS'orthumberland and Durham, Yol. YI., p. 84, of our 

 Transactions. — John Haneoch, May 1 5th, 1880. 



Preliminary Note on the Discovery of Old Sea-caves and a 

 Raised Sea-heach at Whithurn Lizards.-— hi the spring of 1878, 

 Mr. John Daglish kindly forwarded to the Museum of the jS'atural 

 History Society a box of bones, discovered in an old Sea-cave by 

 the workmen employed in quarrying limestone on the eastern 

 escarpment of the Cleadon Hills, known on the Ordnance Map 

 as the Whitburn Lizards; and he also granted, in the kindest 

 manner possible, liberty to some of the members of this Society 

 to excavate in the Cave, and examine any other part of the works 

 now being carried on by the Whitburn Coal Company. This 

 was the first intimation we had of the existence of seaworn caves 

 on the escarp of the Cleadon Hills, and the occurrence of the 

 remains of an extinct bird, the Great Auk, which, together with 

 the bones of the Red Deer and Eoe, formed part of the first in- 

 stalment sent to the Museum, as well as numerous skulls of the 

 Common Badger and Fox, made the discovery of the greatest 

 interest. Systematic search was carried on constantly in the 

 Caves, and amongst the materials first thrown out ; and a very 

 interesting list of Mammalia and Birds has been made out. 

 Numerous others still await identification. 



In the first Cave, only a few remains of man were secured, 

 two lower jaws and some limb-bones, and these were found im- 

 mediately at the entrance to tlic Cave. In a Cave adjoining, 

 discovered during this year, the skulls of five persons were found, 

 and other portions of the human skeleton. These were all re- 

 moved by tlic workmen before anyone could have an opportunity 

 of examining the position in whitli they were arranged. No 

 artificial implements of any kind have, so far as wc know, been 

 found, l)ut through the cav(>-earth remains of eliarred wood or 



