N'oies and Co7yime7its. 



days ; Eider Duck in thirtv-one days ; the Guillemot in thirty- 

 two days ; and the Puffin in thirty-six days. Whilst the 

 experiments were being made by Mr. Paynter, he was visited 

 by two members of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union, and some 

 photographs of the birds reared in the incubator were secured' 

 which are reproduced herewith. 



METRIORHYNCHUS BRACHYRHYNCHUS. 



Under the above name, Mr. E. T. Leeds has recently des- 

 cribed two imperfect skulls, to the Geological Society of London. 

 They were found in the Saurian zone in the Lower Oxford Cla}^ 

 near Peterborough. No other parts of the skeleton were found 

 with them, even the mandibles being missing. The two speci- 

 mens belong to the same species, and after comparison with 

 descriptions, figures, and photographs of other specimens, they 

 have been referred to Metriorhynchiis brachyrhynchus. This 

 is believed to be the first recorded occurrence of the species 

 in England ; and the specimens help to throw additional light 

 on the cranial osteology of the species, especially in the parts 

 which are wanting in the type-specimen. 



VARIETIES OF BOARMIA REPANDATA. 



At a recent meeting of the Lancashire and Cheshire 

 Entomological Society, the evening was devoted to an 

 exhibition of Boarmia repandata and its varieties. Long 

 series of the moth from various localities, chiefly from 

 the north of England and from Wales, were shown by Mr. 

 Robert Tait, junr., Mr. C. F. Johnson, and Mr. Wilham 

 Mansbridge. The rich dark mottled form from Delamere 

 Forest, the greyish w^hite blotched race with the locally rare 

 melanic aberration, also with white blotches, from Pen- 

 maenmawr ; melanic varieties from Mansfield and Hudders- 

 field, as well as absolutely black aberrations from Knowsley, 

 Lancashire ; the common London forms from Epping Forest 

 and Wimbledon ; var. conversaria from North Cornwall and 

 New Forest ; besides a series of pale-coloured moths from 

 various localities, were all represented. Mr. Tait stated that 

 in breeding from extremie forms of B. repandMia about 75 % 

 followed the parents, but he had found it difficult to get black 

 varieties to pair. He also remarked how closely the pre- 

 dominating pale form from North Wales resembled the bare 

 rocks npon which it rested in the daytime. Mr. Johnson, in 

 his series from Maer Wood and Burnt Wood, Staffs., remarked 

 on the great difference shewn by the species in these two 

 localities, only four miles apart. Those from the former 

 locality were chiefly very dark greyish black, and the latter 

 place gave a lighter and much hvowneY form. 



Naturalist,. 



