144 



The Naturalist. 



the Davy lamp in preventing them. The paper was illustrated by 

 experiments. An interesting discussion followed on the effect of carbonic 

 acid on animal life during the carboniferous period. 



York and District Field Naturalists' Society. — Annual meeting, 

 Mr.'O. D. Wolstenholme in the chair. There was a large attendance of 

 members. The annual report was read by the secretary, which 

 mentioned that during the season several very interesting excursions had 

 taken place, one in conjunction with the Leeds, Huddersfield, and Rich- 

 mond Societies to Copgrove Woods, Staveley Carrs, and Aldborough 

 being a great success. Members have also attended several excursions of 

 the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. Many valuable and rare specimens of 

 natural history had been exhibited during the year. Notably amongst 

 birds were the rough-legged buzzard, common buzzard, white jay, knott, 

 turnstone, great grey shrike, hawfinch, bittern, &c. In oology many rare 

 and local eggs have been exhibited by Messrs. Wolstenholme, Gillah, 

 Helstrip, C. S. Prest, and others ; and a successful excursion was made 

 by the veteran naturalist, Mr. J. Harrison, and Messrs. Wolstenholme 

 and Gillah to the Shetland Islands, where they succeeded in taking some 

 rare eggs. In entomology several rare and local species have been 

 exhibited — G. fraxini, C. celerio, N. ditra^ezium, B. roboraria and 

 abietaria, P. empyrea, JSf. hispidaria, bred from larvse taken at Cawood ; 

 T. leucographa, E. orhicularia, L. purpurarea, L. viretata, &c., and two 

 specimens of E. suhciliata taken by Messrs. Prest and Jackson during the 

 excursion to Copgrove in August last, and new to Yorkshire. The report 

 having been unanimously adopted the foUovtdng offices were filled for the 

 coming year : — President (the Lord Mayor), vice-presidents, honorary 

 secretary (Mr. Wm. Prest), &c. Mr. J. Harrison, of Wilstrop Hall, 

 exhibited a magnificent collection of birds and eggs, including all the birds 

 of prey inhabiting the British Isles. Amongst the birds exhibited were 

 the golden and white-tailed eagles, osprey, Iceland falcon, marsh harrier, 

 hen harrier, Montague's harrier, kite, honey buzzard, rough-legged 

 buzzard, hobby, and orange-legged hobby. Mr. J. Ripley exhibited a 

 white specimen of the skylark {Alaiida arvensis) shot in Askham Bogs ; a 

 pied blackbird {Turdus merula), from Gilling Park ; and a fine specimen 

 of the hawfinch, shot in Aldby Park — all of them occurring in January, 

 1877. The chairman (Mr. C. D. Wolstenholme), a preserved specimen 

 of the shark, evidently not many days old. Mr. Helstrip, a skin of the 

 bearded vulture from India. Mr. Hartley, a Brazilian mat, made of 

 grass. Mr. M. Smith, a reference book of British mosses, Mr. J. 

 Robinson, Lohophora lohulata, Nyssia zonaria, and Ypsipetes riiberata, all 

 bred this season. Mr. Webster, shoots of yew with gall midge {Cecidomya 

 taxi), and the bean weevil {Bruclius rufimanus). The secretary, two large 

 specimens of the rhinocerous beetle from Brazil, and a box of Tortrices. 



Erratum. March No., page 127, line 17, for "pidal " read " pedal." 



