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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



CLYDESDALE NATURALISTS' SOCIETY. 



The eighth meeting of the season was held in the Society's rooms, 207, 

 Bath Street, on Wednesday, 14th April, Mr. T. J. Henderson, President, in 

 the chair. Mr. R. S. Sinclair was admitted as a ordinary member. Reference 

 was made by Mr. James McGrouther to the list of the lepidoptera of the 

 West of Scotland, which the Society intended publishing, and it was decided 

 that the various lists prepared by the members should be revised for the pur- 

 pose of being arranged for publication in the autumn. Mr. McGrouther 

 exhibited a long and remarkable series of Ypsipetes elutata, shewing a great 

 variety in colour and markings. He also exhibited bred specimens of Tani- 

 ocampa opima, regarding the rearing of which he made some remarks. Mr. 

 George E. Paterson exhibited a beautiful collection of Ruffs (Machetes pug- 

 nax), and read a short paper on the peculiarities and distribution of the 

 species. Mr. James Lumsden, F.Z.S., laid on the table for inspection 

 stems of rose bushes damaged by the Common Vole (Arvicola argestis), dur- 

 ing the severe winter. The manner in which the stems were gnawed bore 

 testimony to the straits to which the lower animals had been put during the 

 cold weather for want of food. Mr. C. B. Cross showed specimens of some 

 of the rarer lepidoptera of Clydesdale, and read some notes giving localities 

 in the neighbourhood for the various species. Mr. T. J. Henderson read a 

 very valuable and interesting paper on the " Eupithecise of Clydesdale," and 

 exhibited specimens of the species found in the district ; of this family he 

 had himself taken no less than twenty species, and he believed that several of 

 the other entomologists in the society had taken species not mentioned in his 

 list. Seven of those mentioned by Mr. Henderson are not included in the 

 list in the " Fauna and Flora of the West of Scotland." A paper by Mr. 

 Bennett Browne was then read on the occurrence of large numbers of part- 

 ridges (Perdix cinerea) in the town of Musselburgh, during severe weather. 

 The birds were found in every part of the town, some in the most extra- 

 ordinary places. One was found on the third-flat of a three-storied house, 

 and a hen pheasant was caught in one of the streets. A lively discussion 

 ensued, in which most of the member took part, but no satisfactory solution 

 was given of the strange problem. Unless, indeed, the one given by a jocu- 

 lar member was true, who remarked that no doubt they had gone to look for 

 " mussels," as they must have been hungry. Even this plausible explanation 

 was rejected amid much laughter. A vote of thanks to the various gentlemen 

 who had contributed to the proceedings brought a most interesting met ting 

 to a close. — John Mackay, Secretary. 



