14 



THE YOUNG NATUBALIST. 



the Wood Swift fSylvinus) was fairly plentiful, oneJantkina, a worm Pectin- 

 itaria, 3 L. Complana, some Illunaria, the second brood and rather small, 

 were also turned out of the cyanide bottle. Lighting up our little room, 

 we quickly had our hands occupied, it was a "moth" night, and the room 

 was soon full of Grossulariata, Caja, Xanthographa and other commoners. We 

 got, however, one M. Maura, some B. Neustria, L. Salieis, B. Per la, and 

 one Cleora Licheuaria ; but the majority were slightly damaged from their 

 vigorous attempts at cremation ! There was nothing particularly rare taken 

 during this river trip, but the species that did appear were unusually abun- 

 dant . 



Heme Hill, London. 



PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED. 

 The Naturalist. 



The December part of this magazine contains several items of exceptional 

 interest, the occurrence of the Desert Chat (Saxcola deserti) in Yorkshire, in 

 October last, is perhaps the most important, being the first British record of 

 the species. The Spotted Eagle (Aquila ncevia), is recorded as occurring in 

 Northumberland also in October, this being the eighth British but first record 

 Northern counties. 



On Some Recently Discovered Insecta from Carboniferous and 

 Silurian Rocks, by HERBERT GOSS, F.L.S. 



Yery great progress has been made in the study of .Fossil Insecta duriug 

 the last few years. In 1879, Mr. Goss read a paper on " The Insect Fauna 

 of the Primary or Palaeozoic Period.'" At that time " only 103 fossil 

 insects were known from the Carboniferous rocks of the whole world, whereas 

 at the present time upwards of 1,400 insects, from one European locality 

 alone, are in the hands of M. Brogniart for determination and description." 

 But not only has the number of known species been thus largely increased, 

 many discoveries of great interest and importance have been made. Fossil 

 insects have been found in older rocks than those previously known; addi- 

 tional types have been discovered, and some curious instances of what may be 

 oalled connecting links have been detected. Thus Dictyoneura Monyi, a 

 gigantic species found at Commentry, estimated to measure 70 centimetres 

 (about 2 feet 4 inches) across the expanded wings, is allied to the Orthoptera 

 by its body, and to the Neuroptera by its wings. Others are more or less 

 intermediate between the Neuroptera and Hemiptera, We conclude our 



