MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 



Swallows in Mid" Winter. — We have been favored with the following note 

 dated.Ian. 4 of this year, from Mr Alan Owston of Yokohama. We hope this will 

 call forth mnre observations on the question raised. 



Dear Sir : — I am not sure if you already have a note of the reraarka ble late 

 appearance of a number of Swifts (Cypselas pacificas) which were seen by myself 

 and a party of friends at Odawara on 16th Dec. 1897, but now I have another note 

 of the same kind to make, viz : — on the first of this month my brother and self 

 were at Odawara and we observed a couple of swallows (Hiundo rustica gulluralis) 

 flying about the beach where the fishing boats are hauled out, and catching the flies 

 which were abundant there. 



Is it possible that some Swifts and Swallows remain here throughout the whole 

 wiuter and if so do they hybernate in caves like bats ? 



I hope that attention being called to this interesting subject, some of your corres- 

 pondents may be induced to make such further observations as may serve to elucidate 

 these questions. 



Alan Owston. 



Zoological Society of Tokyo. — The monthly meetings of the Society for 

 the year ending last March were held in the lecture room of the Zoological Institute of 

 the College of Science, as follow : — 



April 16.— Mr. Wakiya on " the Oyster of the Bay of Tokyo." The Tokyo 

 Bay oyster is the Oslrea gigas Thun, and not 0. cuculala Born, which name is to be 

 applied to the spiny form found on rocks in Misaka and other localities. 



Mr. Nishikawa on "the Embryonic Development of Loligo edulis Hoyle." He 

 pointed out the differences from floating eggs. 



May 21. — Mr. Ikeda exhibited two rare cephalopod specimens from the Sea of 

 Sagami and made some remarks on them. One of them was an octopod and is to be 

 referred to the genus Amphitretus ; the other was a decapod and belonged to the genus 

 ■Hi tiopsis. 



Mr. Iijima on a New Human Parasite." This paper has been published in 

 this Journal (Vol. II, Pars III). 



June 18. — Mr. Wakiya on "the Species of Japanese Oysters and their 

 Distribution." 



Mr. Aida on " the Appendiculariae of Misaki." 



September 1 7. — Mr. Iizuka gave an account of his collecting trip in the Pro- 

 vince of Shima. As one outcome of this trip he stated his conclusion that the " gokaV 

 is to be identified with Nereis diverskolor Müller. 



