EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 



535 



invented the term xenosite, i.e. stranger, for this condition of parasitism." 

 Eighteen parasites with their hosts are not only fully described, but illus- 

 trated by eight plates. 



In the * Essex Naturalist,' Mr. Wilfred Mark Webb concludes his con- 

 tribution on the " Non-Marine Molluscs of Essex." This is an excellent 

 addition to our county faunas, and the summarized tabulation is as follows : — 



Class or Order. 



Essex. 



British Isles. 



Living. 



Fossil 

 only. 



Extinct 



in 

 Britain. 



Living. 



Extinct. 



Stylomatophora 



Basomatophora 



Prosbranchiata 



Pelecypoda 



60 

 25 

 13 

 12 



7 

 

 2 

 



2 





 1 

 3 



85 

 27 

 14 

 14 



3 

 

 1 

 3 



Totals 



110 



9 



6 



140 



7 



The general classification is according to Lang's * Text-book of Comparative 

 Anatomy,' the families are those given by Fischer in his * Manuel de 

 Conchyliologie,' and the generic names used are those adopted by Pilsbry 

 in his 4 Guide to the Study of the Helices.' 



Mr. Horatio R. Fillmer is the author, and Messrs. Betts & Sons, 

 Lim., the publishers, of an unpretending brochure on ' Waxbills, Grass- 

 finches, and Mannikins; a Hand-book for Beginners in Aviculture.' The 

 author in his preface remarks : — " I should like to accentuate the fact that 

 this is a hand-book for beginners. It does not pretend to contain much 

 that is new, and experienced aviculturists will learn little or nothing from it. 

 For this reason it treats more fully of the cheaper and commoner species, 

 and rare birds are either unnoticed or dealt with very briefly." It will 

 doubtless prove useful to the now fast increasing numbers of bird-lovers who 

 with living specimens study the habits of their pets in captivity. 



Mr. Elias Louis Hett, of Springfield, Brigg, has communicated with 

 us on the subject of a proposed Dictionary of the Call-notes of British 

 Birds. He writes : — " A short time ago I heard a bird-call which I did not 

 recognize, beyond remembering that I had read of it a few days previously. 

 I searched the volume without success, and the identity of the bird remained 

 undecided. It then occurred to me that an alphabetical list of recorded 



