174 



The Natukalist. 



whitethroat, garden warbler, sedge warbler, and whinchat May 4t}i, and 

 greater whitethroat May 5th. — W. H. Stott, Sec. 



Wakefield Naturalists' Society. — Meeting May 2nd, Mr. Lumb, 

 V.P., in the chair. — Mast. H. Shaw exhibited a quantity of eggs — one a 

 variety of chaffinch, Mr. Wormald a variety of blackbirds' eggs, Mr. Sims 

 0. pudihunda, B. hirtaria, A. hetularia (var. type), 0. sambucata, and 

 larvae and pupae (all bred) : Mr. J. Wilcock, amongst others, Agriotis 

 lineatus, A. obscurus, and A. pilosus ; Mr. Fogg, skins of short-eared 

 owl, dotterel, ruff-and-reeve, and fieldfares. — J. W. Shaw, Corr. Sec. 



York and District Field Naturalists' Society. — Monthly meeting 

 April 10th, Mr. Wm. Chapman, v.p., in the chair. — Mr. T. Humphries 

 read a very interesting paper on " Four Species of Arctic Gulls," giving 

 a graphic description of the habits, food, &c , of these curious sea-birds. 

 Mr. G. Bacon exhibited the following birds' eggs : — Hed grouse, wild 

 duck, red-backed shrike and quail ; Mr. Button, Tceniocampa popideti 

 and Nyssia hispidaria ; the hon secretary, Xylina semibrunnea, taken by 

 himself at sallow bloom, March 16th, at Darenth Wood, near London ; 

 Selenia illustraria, bred this season ; a fine series of Argyrolepia ^neana 

 and Ablabia argentana, the latter species recently discovered in Scotland, 

 and taken by Sir Thomas Moncrieff in Perthshire. 



Monthly Meeting, May 8th, Mr. M. Smith in the chair. — Mr. Ripley 

 exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Aid. Melrose (one of the vice-presidents), a 

 remarkable example of the starling, Sturnus vulgaris, shot by that gentle- 

 man at Clifton Croft, April 21st, which, instead of being the usual 

 colour, was a dirty white, or light stone colour ; Mr. G. Bacon, eggs of 

 the golden plover, Charadrius pluvialis, and the shag, Phalacrocorax 

 cristatue ; Mr. Wm. Simmons, larva of Urapteryx sambucata, very finely 

 preserved ; Mr. Webster, specimens of Hypnum imponens taken by 

 himseK on Strensall Common ; the hon. secretary, a fine specimen of the 

 rare beetle, Carabus nitens, also taken on Strensall Common May 4th ; 

 a specimen of a very rare British moth, Fhibalapterix lapidata from 

 Scotland ; and one of P. polygrammata, another rare species. The 

 Transactions of the Entomological Society of London were presented to 

 the Society by Mr. G. T. Porritt, F.L.S., of Huddersfield, and a vote of 

 thanks to that gentlemen was passed. — Wm. Prest, Hon. Sec. 



The Yorkshire Naturalists' Union. — The opening meeting for 1878 

 was held on Easter Monday, April 22nd, at Pontefract, for the investiga- 

 tion of Went Yale. This beautiful valley was traversed by various 

 parties starting from Pontefract, Tanshelf , Norton, Womersley, South 

 Elmsall, and Wakefield Stations. At the general meeting, which was 

 held at the Red Lion Hotel, the chair was occupied by the president, 

 Mr. H. Clifton Sorby, F.R.S., &c., of Sheffield. There were about 

 eighty members present, representing the Huddersfield, Heckmondwike, 

 Clayton West, Barnsley, Wakefield, Stainland, Holmfirth, Liversedge, 

 Mirfield, Honley, and Bradford Naturalists' Societies ; Leeds Naturalists' 



