128 



Norfhcrn A\'ws 



In Bonhotc's recently issued ' Birds oi" Britain,' we notice that the fooci 

 of a certain species consists of worms, shigs, snails, and othev insects ! ' 



Mr. W. Iv. Oiiilvie Grant figures and describes ' Two Supposed Hybrids 

 between the Red Grouse and the Ptarmigan,' in ' British Birds ' for 

 February. 



The editor of a certain natural history weekly is ' afraid that the 

 magazine with the motto " Truth is stranger than fiction " has puplished 

 fictions stranger than truth ' — Et tit Brute ! 



In a paper on ' A Revision of some Carboniferous Corals ' in the Feb- 

 ruary ' Geological Magazine,' Mr, R. G. Carruthers figures a new variety 

 of ZapJireiitis o))ialiusi, under the name ambigua. One specimen is from 

 Harrocksford quarry, near Clitheroe. 



In the February ' Entomologist ' reference is made to the death of 

 one of its referees, Martin Jacoby, and the ' Entomologist's Monthly Maga- 

 zine ' for the same month records the death of Dr. H. G. Knaggs, the last 

 survivor of the founders of that journal. 



At a recent sale of natural history specimens from the Middlebrook 

 ' Museum,' London, a great auk's egg realized £110 ; a ' roc's ' egg, £^6 ; 

 the skull and thigh bones of a mammoth went for £1 4s. ; and a ' remark- 

 able specimen of the red gorilla in a glazed case ' fetched los. 



A proposal emanates from Cambridge to next year celebrate the hun- 

 dredth anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, and the fiftieth anni- 

 versary of the publication of ' The Origin of Species.' It is suggested that 

 the celebration be arranged for the week commencing June 20th, 1909. 



In some * Introductory Remarks on the Coal Measures ' appearing in 

 the transactions of a prominent geological and mining society, a well-known 

 Professor of Geology informs us that ' The character of the Water was 

 shown in some cases by shells : marine shells indicated the presence of sea 

 water, and fresh -water shells, fresh water.' 



In his address to the recent annual meeting of the Entomological 

 Society, the President advocated the establishment of a ' type ' Museum, 

 on the lines of an experimental collection now formed at South Kensington, 

 for the purpose of lending specimens to institutions, whereby it was sug- 

 gested that the existing confusion might be avoided, and the general work 

 of identification made easier. 



The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers 

 has just published a ' Subject-Matter Index of Mining, Mechanical and 

 Metallurgical Literature for the year 1902,' (100 pp.), edited by the late 

 secretary, M. W. Brown. This index is carefully done, and deals with the 

 literature of the various countries of the world. We cannot, however, 

 quite understand the reason for the high price of 42/-. 



Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, of Guy's Hospital, is investigating the ' Wood 

 Pigeon Diphtheria," which has been so prevalent and destructive during 

 the past winter. It is suggested that the disease may also be contracted 

 by other birds, especially game-birds. Mr. H. F. Witherby, editor of 

 ' British Birds,' (326 High Holborn, W.C.), would be glad to send schedules 

 to readers of ' The Naturalist ' who are willing and able to assist in__this 

 enquiry. 



On the subject of ' Newspaper Natural History,' Prof. E. Ray Lan- 

 kester writes to the ' Daily Telegraph ' : — ' The tendency of London news- 

 papers to bedeck themselves every now and again with rank absurdities 

 copied from American rubbish-sheets is a disease. On no subject outside 

 the field of Natural History and INIedicine would any editor dream of 

 printing the stuff which does duty as ' news ' in regard to these depart- 

 ments — stuff which has not even the semblance of being carefully concocted, 

 but yet is found " good enough ' to cheat the managers of some of the great 

 journals of London.' 



Natiiraiist, 



