MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 



51 



there have been circumstances analogous to those at present in Siberia, 

 where the plains — something like the old Coal Measure plains — are 

 surrounded by lofty ice-covered mountains, and boulders are borne 

 into these plains by glaciers. A leading London newspaper, in recently 

 reporting a similar specimen, gravely alleged it to be a meteorite. 

 This singular idea would, however, be instantly rejected by the most 

 credulous novice as being utterly untenable. The matter has lately 

 been twice brought up before the Geological Society of London, 

 when interesting discussions took place. This report by Mr. BroWn- 

 ridge was rightly deemed by the members to be extremely valuable, 

 the more so that the paper was accompanied by specimens of rocks 

 composing the boulders. Thanks were expressed by the author to 

 Messrs. W. Brogden and J. Parkin, of Messrs. Ingham and Sons, for 

 their kindness in rendering every facility in furnishing the specimens. 



NOTE—GEOLOG V. 

 Ancient and Modern : or, Scenes in the History of a Glacial Pebble. 



— Some two or three years ago when pulling down some old cottages near 

 Driffield there was discovered at a considerable depth beneath the foundations a 

 very fine specimen of an ancient British stone-hammer. This, however, appears 

 to have attracted very little attention, for in a very short time it was cast on one 

 side amongst other rubbish which was being carted away for the purpose of forming 

 the foundation of a new road to a gentleman's house close by ; one of the men 

 seeing this curious looking stone with a hole through it, thought that if he could 

 only get a shaft in, it would do to break up the lumps of stone bricks and chalk 

 that were too large to set without. Acting on the spur of the moment a shaft was 

 procured and fixed into the head, the man at once commenced work, and to the 

 astonishment of everyone it stood the test well, giving every satisfaction as though 

 it had been made of iron. It has been used for similar purposes for above two 

 years, and when rescued from its dangerous work it had apparently suftered very 

 little misfortune, considering the rough work it had been put to. it is made out 

 of a piece of Dark Blue Whinstone (probably an old glacial boulder from the coast), 

 and has evidently been about 9 in. long, 314 in. square at the thickest end. The 

 hammer with the shaft in has been presented to the Malton Naturalists' Society, 

 and is now in their Museum, where it will be treasured amongst many other links 

 in the history of the past. — S. Chadwick, Malton, October 9th, 1887. 



NOTE— POL YZOA. 

 Note on Paludicella Ehrenbergi. — Those who study the development of 

 the freshwater Polyzoa may be interested in the discovery, at this season of the year, 

 of the Hybernacuhan, or resting-bud of this beautiful Polyzoon. I have for several 

 years watched its development from the Bybe?'nacuhijn, about the month of April, 

 but have not till now seen it in the autumn, before the darker coating of debra 

 had partly obscured its shape. No statoblasts having been found with this species, 

 it seems pretty certain that \\\e Hybernactihmi (first discovered by Van Benedin) 

 is the only means of development. The club-shaped terminating tubes have 

 within them an oval semi-transparent kind of nucleus or cell, which evidently 

 contains the resting germ, and supplies the place of the free statoblast of all the 

 other species. — Thomas Shepheard, Ringsley Lodge, Chester, Dec. ist, 1887. 



JVO TE—HYMENOPTERA. 



Sirex juvencus at Hull. — A specimen of this insect was caught last August 

 in Hull, in the vicinity of the Albert Dock, and is in my possession. — N, F. 

 DOBREE, B everley, E. Yorks, Jan. i6th, 1888. 

 Feb. 1888. 



