MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES AND OBSERVATIONS. 233 



the head, which resembles that of the salmon. "Its flavour was 

 but poor ; the flesh white, and somewhat soft. Mr. Meynell, in 

 his account of the " Fishes of Yorkshire," p. 63, Trans. Brit. 

 Asso., 1844, says that it is "a rare species." Sir C. Sharp 

 has not included it amongst his "Fishes caught on the Coast of 

 Hartlepool," in his history of that place, published in the year 

 1816. — John Hogg, Norton, October, 1865. 



Aurora B or ealis. — On Thursday, October 19th, 1865, at "Whit- 

 burn, about half-past six o'clock, a very beautiful and rather 

 uncommon appearance of the aurora borealis was visible to those 

 who were fortunate enough to be out of doors. An arch of very 

 brilliant light was stretched across the zenith from east to west, 

 apparently about 5° in the broadest part, diminishing towards the 

 east to about 3°. The brightest stars were visible through the 

 edges of the arch ; but the light in the middle and a little to the 

 west of the zenith was too brilliant to allow any star to be seen. 

 The wind was northerly and rather brisk. The common aurora 

 borealis was showing itself in the north, but without any visible 

 motion. The arch commenced in Aries, passing through Pegasus 

 and Cygnus. The bright star Yega, in the constellation Lyra, 

 was shining through its northern border. The arch gradually 

 declined, through the constellations Hercules and Bootes, towards 

 the west, where about five o'clock the sun had set in a bank of 

 clouds too dense to allow the annular eclipse of the 19th October 

 to be seen in this neighbourhood. In a few minutes the arch 

 gradually bent towards the south, as if the wind was moving it 

 onward, and slowly died away. Such a brilliant sight has not 

 been visible here for many years. — Cuthbert Hutchinson, WonJc- 

 wearmouth. 



Naturalists' Field Clubs. — I am requested by the Secretary of 

 the Manchester Field Naturalists' Society, Mr. L. H. Grindon, 

 to correct a statement made in a paper of mine (see p. 109 of the 

 present volume) that scarce plants had occasionally been exter- 

 minated, owing to the plan of proceedings adopted by that So- 

 ciety. Mr. Grindon, who is doubtless well informed as to the 

 facts of the case, informs me that this is an error, and that the 



