92 



THE YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION 

 AT SPURN POINT. 



The closing excursion of the present yeaT, held on Wednesday the 3rd of Sep- 

 tember, devoted to the examination of the Yorkshire Land's End, was a very 

 successful one. The weather was all that could be desired, fine, bright, and sunny, 

 and the sea remarkably smooth and favourable for landing. About seventy mem- 

 bers and friends were present, representative of sixteen societies, viz. : — Dewsbury, 

 Driffield, York, Goole, Leeds (3), Selby, Hull, Scarborough, Liversedge, Barnsley, 

 Sheffield, and Bradford (3). The excursion was made by steamer from Grimsby ; 

 Spurn was reached at about noon, and the excursionists had about three hours on 

 shore. Tea was served on board the steamer during the return journey, and the 

 usual formal meetings were not held, as time did not permit of it. The officers or 

 representative members, however, busied themselves in collecting information con- 

 cerning the day's investigations, and this amply compensated for the want of 

 formality. The following are the chief results as so collected : — 



Mr. John Cordeaux, M. B. O.U., the president of the Vertebrate Section, who 

 had collected the observations made upon that class of animals, stated that of the 

 mammalia had been noticed 2, the Common Shrew (Sorex vulgaris), and the 

 Hedgehog {Erinaceus Europcciis), of which one dead and another alive were seen 

 near the Point by Rev. H. H. Slater. The birds seen during the day were the 

 Wheatear, Willow-Wren, Sedge- Warbler, Nightjar or Fern-Owl, Curlew, Whim- 

 brel, Sanderling, Turnstone, Knot, Great Black-backed Gull, Lesser Black-backed 

 Gull, Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull, Kittiwake, Common Gull, Arctic Tern, Com- 

 mon Tern, Lesser Tern, and Cormorant — 19 species. The only reptile seen was 

 the Lizard [Zootoca vivipard), which is so abundant upon the sand-hills, and which 

 is often mistaken for the true Sand Lizard. The Rev. H. H. Slater, M.A., F.Z.S., 

 who had been staying for the previous fortnight in the district, stated that he 

 observed among other species the following: — Rose-coloured Pastor, Wood- Sand- 

 piper, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Knot, Sanderling, and Dunlin — the last-named 

 four in summer plumage. 



The Rev. W. C. Hey, M.A., of York, president of the Conchological Section, 

 states that the sand-hills produced Helix aspersa and H. neyjioralis. Heaps of 

 fragments of the latter occurred near stones, against which they had been broken 

 by birds. Helix virgata (erroneously stated as being most abundant in the circular of 

 the meeting), was not observed, but H. caperata swarmed under stones, together with 

 its pretty variety ornata. Pupa marginata was found in some numbers at the roots 

 of grass, and Viirina pelhicida in damp places, as also was Zua lubrica. Mr. R. D. 

 Darbishire, B.A., F.G.S., of Manchester, found a single specimen of Vertigo 

 edentiila. Of marine shells, Mr. Hey noticed Hydrohia lUvce on the mud-flats of 

 the estuary, and Littorina littorea and Chitoji marginatzis on stones between tide- 

 marks. Telli?ia solidiila, Furpiira lapillics, Bticcinum undatum, and Trophon 

 trimcahts were observed on the beach. 



The observations in Entomology were made by Messrs. J. H. Rowntree of 

 Scarborough, George Rose of Bamsley, R. W. Rusby of Leeds, Edward 

 Howgate, junr. of Dewsbury, and other members. The first-named of these 

 gentlemen, who acted as reporter in the absence of the officers of the Section, 

 stated that in lepidoptera were observed Vanessa Aialania, V. n?'ticcF, V. cardui, 

 LyccEna Alexis, Agrotis tritici, Pliisia Gamma, Pterophorus pterodactylns and 

 Stenopteryx hybridalis, the latter of which is a not uncommon coast species. The 

 larvae of Agrotis riparia were plentiful, feeding on the Saltwort [Salsola Kali), and 

 those of Pieris brassicct and Macroglossa stellataricm were also taken. 



Of other orders of insects, Mr. C. F. George, of Kir ton Lindsey, took some 

 beetles, which were afterwards named as Broscus Cephalotes and JEgialia 

 arenaria, and a sand- wasp in some abundance, determined by Mr. E. Saunders as 

 Pompilus phimbeiis. Mr. George also found under a stone several specimens of a 

 mite (Bdella hexophthahna) which does not appear to have been hitherto recorded 

 as British. There is a good figure of it in Walckenaer's 'Apt^res.' 



Marine and littoral forms of life were investigated by various members. Mr. 

 W. Barwell Turner, F.C.S., F.R.M.S., of Leeds stated that of sea- weeds none 

 were found rooted, all washed ashore ; those gathered included Delessaria sanguinea, 



Naturalist, 



