Northern News, 



451 



PSITHYRUS BARBUTELLUS Kirb. 



This large species is fairly common in ^e^ardens at West 

 Ayton. 



PSITHYRUS CAMPESTRIS PanZ. 



We never saw this species till quite the end of August, 

 when a large number of males suddenly appeared on the 

 masses of knapweed that line the lane sides that lead to 

 Seamer moor. A black variety occurred with the normal 

 form. In September, I found one female in Forge Valley. 



PsiTHYRUS OUADRICOLOR Lep. 



Not uncommon in gardens at West Ayton. 



The above list includes all the five British species of Psi- 

 thyrus, and nine out of the sixteen species of Bombi — a remark- 

 able result for a few months' desultory collecting within a 

 radius of four miles. 



A party of five Glossy Ibises visited the Northumberland coast at the 

 end of August (' Zoologist,' October). 



]Mr. W. Saville-Kent, well known for his excellent work on the Great 

 Barrier Reef of Australia, died at Bournemouth on October iith. 



Lord Rayleigh has intimated his wish to be relieved of his duties 

 as President of the Royal Society, and the Council has decided to nominate 

 Sir Archibald Geikie, K.C.B., D.C.L., as his successor. 



Amongst the birthday honours we were glad to notice that Knight- 

 hoods had been conferred upon Dr. X. Bodington of the Leeds Universit}^ 

 and Dr. Jonathan Hutchinson, the President of the Museums' Association. 



Messrs. E. and J. H. Howarth inform us that the Adwick shap boulder 

 referred to on p. 424. is now in the Sheffield Museum, and not at Barnsley. 

 Mr. Bayford, of course, was fully aware of this, and is not responsible for 

 the error. 



Mr. Thomas Southwell contributes some Xotes on an Eighteenth 

 Century ]\Iuseum at Great Yarmouth, ' Museum Boulterianum,' to the 

 Museums' Journal for October. Of one museum, Mr. Southwell quotes 

 a contemporary ' metrical advertisement,' which gives an idea of the 

 scope of the collection : — 



' Monsters of all sorts here are seen ; 



Strange things in Nature as they grow so ; 

 Some relics of the Sheba Queen, 



And fragments of the famed Bob Cruso.' 



At the annual meeting of the Y^orkshire Geological Society, held at 

 Doncaster on November 13th, the Chairman, IMr. J. H. Howarth, referred 

 to the remarkable fact that although the Society had existed 71 years, it 

 had only had two presidents during the whole of that period. The first 

 was Earl Fitzwilliam, who was elected president when the Society was 

 iirst formed, and occupied the position until his death in 1857. The 

 Marquis of Ripon was then elected president, and has occupied the office 

 ever since, being elected to the post for the 5Tst time at the Doncaster 

 meeting. 



igo8 December i. 



