"N^iTURAL HISTORY OF HASTINGS AND ST. 

 LEONARDS." 



This little work, wliicli appears to be the joint production of several 

 members of the Hastings and St. Leonards Philosophical and Historical 

 Society, is confessedly only intended as a first provisional list, and 

 includes the whole of the authentic information obtained up to the 

 present time. It comprises lists without localities of the species of 

 animals and plants found in the district, and it appears that some of 

 what we call " neglected orders," are not neglected by this society, 

 as the list includes the Polyzoa, Hymenoptera (170 species), Diptera 

 (179), Hemiptera (55) Musci (97), Lichenes (102), Algse (159), and 

 Fungi (131). It is rather a pity that localities are not inserted, as 

 this would materally have increased its usefulness, but still as it stands, 

 it is a good basis from which any naturalist in the district may make 

 his starting point for further observations. Such works as these are 

 always useful, and we earnestly wish that every county in the Kingdom 

 would undertake to publish a similar list as a working basis, or where 

 they have already got such a one, would supplement it by works like 

 Baker's North Yorkshire, or Davis and Lees' ^Vest Yorkshire. 



Sljort flnli^s anb Queries. 



Mviacov a8vaa)v ^Ovea noXka. — On the evening of June 26th — a calm, 

 quiet evening after a succession of scorching hot days — when returning 

 homewards through Temple Hirst, near Selby, I was struck by a remark- 

 able appearance. Every tree as far as the eye could reach was surmounted 

 with one or more narrow vertical wavy wreaths of what appeared to be 

 black smoke. Some of the thickest could be seen fully a mile away. On 

 a nearer approach, each of these clouds was seen to be composed of 

 myriads of .gnats, and the whole air was filled with a humming noise hke 

 that of a swarm of bees. The gnats were no douht developed in these 

 enormous numbers under the influence of the intense heat in the filthy 

 black water of the Aire, which runs past Temple Hirst, but what is the 

 cause of their partiality for the tree-tops ? Even the hedges had long 

 narrow lines of gnats hovering above them. As the sun set, the clouds 

 of gnats melted away and rapidly disappeared. — H. Fraxklix Parsons. 



Notes on N^ttjkal History. — The exhibition of Natm-al History has 

 so much occupied the time of members, that there is httle out-door 

 observation to record. In a walk by Cawthorne to Denby Dale on the 

 15th I only heard the songs of the yeUow bunting, titlark, skylark, 

 whitethroat, bluecap, lesser redpole, and green hnnet, and the call-notes 

 of the whinchat and grey linnet. Swallows and martins were numerous 

 in their favourite haunts, although in some places they are reported 

 to be scarce. Sand martins, spotted flycatcher and young, were seen 

 about the quarries at Monk Bretton, — T, Lister. 



