78 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



to whom Mr. Cooke- bequeathed his magnificent collection, that a few drawers 

 from it shall be placed on the table at the monthly gatherings of the Society, 

 which, we have no doubt, will add largely to the interest of the meetings. 



DERBY NATURALISTS' SOCIETY. 

 This Society held their first exhibition of Natural History objects on 5th 

 and 6th March, at St. Andrew's School, by the kind permission of Mr. G. 

 Sutherland, E.R.G.S., Vice-President. /Vmong the exhibitors Mr. J. Hill 

 shewed fine specimens of S, ocellatus ; preserved larvae of A. atropos and Lig- 

 niperda, with the perfect insect ; fine varieties of Caja ; bred specimens of 

 Apicaria ; black varieties of Betularia ; papilionaria captured at Little Eaton ; 

 varieties of grossulariata, binudularia from the usual type to black ; dark 

 variety of Polyodon ; and a fine series of T. cosmorphorana, Rubiginosana, 

 Cinnamoneana, Picana, Ulmana, Mediana, Udmanniana, Opthalmicana ; 

 hymenoptera and coleoptera ; preserved larvse ; land and freshwater shells, 

 and a fine collection of coins. Mr. Hey exhibited lepidoptera and a collection 

 of land and fresh-water shells \ very neatly arranged photos aiw? fossils. Mr. 

 Nixon, lepidoptera, amongst which was A. atropos captured last season, and 

 a fine bred specimen of A, alni ; hymenoptera, diptera, and a collection of 

 marine shells and fossils. Mr. Pullen — lepidoptera, coleoptera, hymenoptera 

 and diptera j a collection of marine shells, amongst which were specimens of 

 Conus princeps, C, augur, C. nobilis, and Scalaria pretiosa. Mr. Walton 

 coleoptera, and a collection of minerals. Mr. Ereckleton a collection of cole- 

 optera. Mr. Hutchinson a fine pair of otters, shot near Derby ; a pure 

 white variety of the robin ; a fine buff variety of the common house sparrow ; 

 and a nice collection of British birds' eggs. Altogether, the collections 

 formed a very attractive and interesting exhibition. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



Newts. — I read with much interest Mr. Warner's article on % Frogs," in 

 which he gives as a personal proof of so-called showers of frogs, an instance 

 of the smooth newt being found in a pan of fresh rain water, and substantiates 

 it by remarking that, as far as he knows, newts cannot climb perpendicularly 

 — with this I differ. Some years ago I collected 2 or 3 dozen of these newts 

 and placed them in one of the upright glass aquaria, about half-full of water, 

 in my bedroom, next day I noticed that their number had greatly diminished, 

 and on seaching found them among my bedclothes, under the carpet, and in 

 all sorts of crannies where they could hide. Now although I did not actually 

 see them climb up the glass side, they must have done so, or how else could 



