320 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



correct the statement that a Moa's egg was sold in London a few days 

 ago for 200 guineas. That amount was bid, but, as the reserved price 

 was not reached, the egg was not sold. Although this egg must have 

 been lying embedded in the banks of the Molyneaux Kiver, N.Z., for 

 some hundreds of years, it is practically perfect. The egg was found 

 by miners, who, in carefully exploring the river bank, detected it 

 lying on a bed of loam, probably originally exposed, but, when found, 

 covered by river drift. There is (our correspondents say) but one 

 other ' whole ' egg of Moa in the world. There is a complete skeleton 

 of the bird in the Melbourne Zoo, and as it stands it is about 12 ft. in 

 height." 



In the ' Avicultural Magazine ' for this month, Mr. George Carrick, 

 in a description of a " live bird" expedition to Australia, states that in 

 lat. 39° 03' S., long. 26° 46' E., 306 miles from the nearest land, and 

 almost due south of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, a common Nightin- 

 gale flew on board the steamer by which he travelled. The bird " was 

 immediately captured and caged, and, with a plentiful supply of meal- 

 worms, he was soon quite at home, and seemed most thankful for the 

 little kindness shown him, taking readily to artificial food." The bird 

 was ultimately left safe and well at Melbourne. 



Mr. G. H. Verrall has published a second edition of his ' List of 

 British Diptera.' In the first List, published in 1888, 2500 species were 

 enumerated ; but of these 170 have been since expurgated, while 427 

 have been added, and 130 are included in the British fauna for the 

 first time in the present edition, making a total of 2887 species ; and 

 it is considered there would be little trouble in bringing up the enumera- 

 tion to 3000 species. 



The recent death of Mr. Samuel Butler, the author of ' Erewhon,' 

 commands comment in ' The Zoologist.' He was the son of a country 

 clergyman, and grandson of the well-known scholar and headmaster of 

 Shrewsbury, who was afterwards Bishop of Lichfield, and was fond of 

 telling how his grandfather had attacked Darwin's grandfather, that 

 his father had been in controversy with Darwin's father, and he seemed 

 to regard himself as Darwin's hereditary enemy, showing his hostility 

 by the publication of his vindication of Lamarck. 



