56 



A-orthern Ne^vs. 



beds in the series obviously represent the first washings from 

 the Wolds, and the fact that among-st them quartzite pebbles 

 were most plentiful seems to indicate that formerly the Wolds 

 were thickly strewn with them. Several hollows yet remain in 

 places, filled with sand and occasionally well-worn boulders. 



Another record worth noting- in this connection is the occur- 

 rence of a larg-e subangular mass of quartzite, over two feet in 

 leng-th, which I noticed last summer in the fine chalk-wash at 

 the base of the cliffs near Sewerby. As at Hessle, this Sewerby 

 chalk-wash represents the first flood-sweeping-s from the Wold 

 tops. 



Two other records of quartzite pebbles are known in interest- 

 ing- situations, and the actual specimens themselves are in Mr. 

 Mortimer's museum at Driffield. They were obtained from the 

 masses of hard chalk breccia known by the names of the St. 

 xAustin's Stone, near South Cave, and the Fairy Stones, at 

 Burdale, respectively. These masses of breccia, which now 

 stand out some distance above the surrounding- chalk land-level,, 

 were evidently formed in old cracks in the chalk, and the 

 quartzite pebbles would find their way into these cracks tog"ether 

 with the chalk 'grut,' which eventually solidified and formed the 

 cemented masses. 



«i» » 



NORTHERN NEWS. 



Mr. O. Whittaker g-ives particulars of the aquatic water-bugs he has. 

 obtained near Bolton (Lancashire) during- the summers of 1902-3, in the 

 December 'Entomologist.' 



Mr. Harold Pickles contributes ' Trapping- on the Moors,' and Mr. E. 

 Halliday 'Dark Varieties of Moths,' to the December Halifax Naturalist. 

 Both are of local interest. 



Dr. F. A. Bather has reprinted his presidential address to the Museums' 

 Association (see 'Naturalist,' Aug-ust 1903, p. 291) from the Museums' 

 Journal. It is a substantial volume, and is illustrated by 36 excellent plates. 



Miss C. F. Piercy informs us that a Sparrow was shot at Garton-on-the-^ 

 Wolds recently which was quite white, with the exception of a few scattered 

 brown feathers. Another, with a white head, is still in the neig-hbourhood. 



Mr. J. E. Ellis contributes a sugg-estive paper on ' Geologfy for the 

 Schools ' in the Quarterly Transactions of the Leicester Literary and 

 Philosophical Society just issued. The paper is an urg-ent appeal for the 

 close study of geology for scholars in elen;entary schools. 



The Royal Commission on Coal Supplies has appointed Mr. P. F. 

 Kendall, F.G.S., of the Yorkshire Colleg-e, Leeds, to report upon the 

 eastward extension of the g:reat York, Derby, and Nottingham coalfield, 

 under the newer rocks. The inquiry is a very large one and will involve 

 a discussion of the possible extensions to the north-east and south-east, as. 

 well as directly eastward. 



Naturalist,. 



