256 



Northern Neixis. 



Mr. W. G. Fearnsides, M.A., F. G.S., has been elected to a Fellowship 

 at Sydney Sussex CoUeg-e, Cambridg-e. 



A Partridg-e nest with fifteen eg-gs has been found on the top of a hay 

 stack, fifteen feet from the ground, at Burn, near Selby. 



In the January ' Popular Science Monthly,' Dr. F. A. Bather g-ives 

 a useful re-survey of his favourite topic — ' The Functions of Museums.' 



The death is announced of Mr. Frank Rutley, formerly of the Geological 

 Survey. He was the author of the first Eng-.lish text book on Petrolog-y. 



In the ' New Phytolog"ist ' (April) Mr. F. W. Oliver has some ' Notes on 

 Trigonocarpiis Brong-n. and Polylophosphenmim Brongn., two genera of 

 Palaeozoic seeds.' 



Mr. R. Standon contributes some notes on the Zebra-Mussel {Dreissensia 

 polymorpha), and refers to its distribution in Lancashire and Cheshire, in 

 the 'Journal of Conchology ' for July. 



We regret to record the death of Mr. Robert McLachlan, F. R.S., at the 

 age of 67, editor of the 'Entomologists' Monthly Magazine' since 1864, 

 and author of various works on entomology. 



At a meeting- of the Leeds Conchological Club held at Cawthorne, 

 Messrs. J. E. Crowther and F. Booth were elected Hon. Sees, in place of 

 Messrs. J. W. Taylor and W. Denison Roebuck resigned. 



In the Transactions of the British Association of Waterworks Engineers 

 for 1903, recently issued, Mr. H. Preston has a valuable paper on 'The 

 Geology and Underground Water Supply of South Lincolnshire.' 



Mrs. Percy Sladen, widow of the late Walter Percy Sladen, formerly of 

 Halifax, in the desire to perpetuate the memory of her late husband, has 

 undertaken to devote the sum of ^^20,000 to the promotion of scientific 

 research. 



The recently-issued ' Journal of the Manchester Geographical Society' 

 contains an address by Prof. W. Boyd Dawkins on ' The opportunity of 

 Manchester,' in which he advocates the utilisation of the Infirmary site for 

 a Free Library, Art Galleries, and a Commercial Museum. 



In the 'Hull and East Riding Teacher' for March-April, Mr. J. F. 

 Robinson contributes 'The East Riding — an appreciation,' in which he 

 proves to be libellous the stereotyped description of this area as ' low-lying, 

 flat, damp and depressing, and generally tame and uninteresting.' 



The ' Cumberland Nature Club ' has been formed for the promotion and 

 fostering by mutual assistance a knowledge and love of Nature. The 

 subscription is 2s. 6d. per annum. Canon Rawnsley is the president, Mr. 

 T. Postgate, director ; and Mr. Oglethorpe, Lorton, Cockermouth, secretary 

 and treasurer. 



Several nesting ' curiosities ' are recorded in the local press. At Hotham 

 (East Yorks.) a Blackbird's nest, with eggs, was found directly on the top 

 of a Wren's nest, with young, the Wren effecting an entrance to her abode 

 through a hole in the side. In the same division of the county a Robin's 

 nest was found in the skull of an Ox, under a hedge. 



Mr. W. H. Thompson (Hull) contributes 'John Phillips, the Geologist,' 

 to the Jvme 'Gentlemen's Magazine.' It is strange that no previous 

 biography of Phillips should have been written. Mr. Thompson states 

 ' The fact that he was a bachelor, and had thus no living son or daughter 

 to keep his memory green, may partly account for the omission. 



Mr. G. C. Crick, F.G.S., has recently figured and described a new 

 Nautiloid {PIeiiro)iaut iliis pulclicr) from the Carboniferous Rocks (Proc. 

 Malacological Society, March 1904). The type specimen, now in the 

 British Aluseum, was obtained by the late J. W. Davis, probably from the 

 Pendleside series of Hebden Bridge. Other examples, undoubtedly from 

 that locality, are in existence. ^ AUb 1904 



Naturalist, 



