168 



The Naturalist. 



Areival of Migra^tts in Ryburn Valley. — Willow wren April 12tli ; 

 Ray's wagtail, 17th ; swallow, 18th. Half, a dozen swallows are here 

 to-day, the first seen. Wheatears on the moorlands are plentiful. — 

 F. G. S. Raw^son, Thorpe, near Halifax, April 18th. 



REVIEW. — Topography and Natural History of Lofthouse and its 

 Neighbourhood," by George Roberts. — London : David Bogue, 3 St. 

 Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square. —The first part of this book is devoted 

 to the Topography of Lofthouse, and as a local history, is doubtless full 

 of most valuable information ; as such it will be heartily welcomed by 

 the people at Lofthouse. Part H. on the Natural History of the district 

 is of much more general use, being of almost equal interest to naturahsts 

 all over the county, and to a great extent the country even, as to those 

 of Lofthouse. INIany of our readers are familiar with Mr. Roberts' 



Rural Notes," as published annually in the Yorl'sliire Post, and this 

 part of the work seems to be to a great extent an extended compilation of 

 the "Rural Notes" from the year 1862, to the jea.Y 1875. The 

 additional " General Observations," or " Summary," at the end of each 

 year are most interesting ; and from a comparison of the records of the 

 different years, important and valuable deductions may be made. There 

 are also good lists of "Appearances of Spring Migrants," and of " Spring 

 Songsters," also of the plants and moUusks of the district, with much 

 other information which will be perused with profit by the field naturalist. 

 Altogether the volume is well got up, and appropriately illustrated, and 

 we can thoroughly commend it. 



The " Natural History " Chair at Edinburgh. — We understand 

 that Prof. E. Ray Lancaster has declined to take possession of this chair 

 to which he had been nominated, and had at first accepted, on the 

 grounds of the utter inefliciency of the means which would be placed at 

 his disposal, either for private work or the proper instruction of the 

 pupils. There is evidently a screw loose somewhere, and if the Professor's 

 complaints in his letter to the Home Secretary are correct— and there is 

 no reason to doubt them — Edinbm-gh should see to it. 



OBITUARY.— Chas. Darwin, F.R.S.— It is with deep regret we have 

 this month to record the death of the author of the " Origin of Species," 

 which event took place at his residence, Down House, Kent, on Wednes- 

 day afternoon, 19th April ; and we may safely say that we can ill spare ^ 

 such men, and that the whole civihzed world thereby experiences a great 

 loss. The name of Charles Darwin will always through future ages, be a 

 landmark, indicating a new departure in science. He must take rank 

 alongside Galileo, Newton, Harvey, and similar pioneers in science, for 

 as each of these names, and some few others, stand as a beacon to point 

 out the time and the path for (as we have before said) a new departure in 

 their respective researches, so Charles Darwin stands with respect to 



