448 



NEWS FROM THE MAGAZINES. 



The Belfast Museum Publication, No. 19, is ' A Catalogue of Spinning 

 Wheels and Accessories ' (illustrated and sold at one penny) . 



A remarkable photograph of a ' Skull of the great Irish Deer ' appears 

 on page 17 of the useful Quarterly Notes No. 14.' issued by the Belfast 

 Museum. It is the first skull we have seen that has a distinct hybernian 

 expression. 



Mr. R. Lloyd Praeger points out {Irish Naturalist, November), that a 

 specimen of Spiranthes gemmipara recorded in a natural history weekly, 

 and, of course ' [properly identified. — E.K.R.]' turns out to be not anew 

 record, but Epipactis palustris ! 



In the Bradford Scientific Journal for October, there are many interest- 

 ing notes. Mr. Cuthbert Hastings describes ' Gaping Ghyll ' ; Miss 

 M. A. Johnstone writes on ' A Fossil Stump ' ; Mr. H. B. Booth describes 

 ' the Summer Migrants ' ; and Mr. F. A. Lees writes on ' The Lees Her- 

 barium and Library at Bradford.' 



The Irish Naturalist gives the following sample from one of Uncle 

 Westell's books : — ' Creatures who are famous for their hunting powers, 

 creatures who, possessing sharp teeth and sharp claws (known as the 

 law or correlation, and for information upon which we are very largely 

 indebted to the French Naturalist, Curvier), live by means of stalking and 

 tearing to pieces their prey.' 



Mr. G. T. Porritt records that of the only two specimens of Abraxas 

 vavleyata he bred this year, the produce of seven hundred collected pupae, 

 one has both the left-side wings male, i.e.\ with the usual white rays 

 characteristic of the sex, but the right-side wings female, i.e., without 

 white rays, as is usual in that sex. Apparently it is a gynandrous speci- 

 men. [Entomologist, October). 



British Birds for November contains an account of its scheme of marking 

 birds by means of numbered rings. During the year, 4750 rings have 

 been issued, 2200 of which have been used. Of these, some thirteen seem 

 to have been recovered, nearly all near the places where the birds were 

 ringed; one being found ' dead in nest,' so had not got far. Probably 

 better results will be reported next year. 



Mr. Cuthbert Hastings has been pot-holing, and gives his experiences in 

 a contem.porary. On Great Shunner Fell, he was told of a pot hole that had 

 no bottom, and another near by was still deeper. Investigation shewed that 

 the deepest was under twenty-three feet. Lie went to investigate a cave 

 near Grassington, which a dalesman assured him he had followed for a 

 very long distance, and that a friend of his had gone much further. Inves- 

 tigation shewed that the actual distance that could be followed was five 

 yeards [sic.]. We learn that a Yorkshire Anglers' Club has started pot- 

 holing. 



Mr. Edward Mitford of Hunmanby Vicarage, in The Field, Nov. 6th, 

 records the shooting of a specimen of the Glossy Ibis at Hunmanby on 

 Oct. 15th. The plumage of the head and neck indicates an immature bird. 

 The measurement between the tips of the outstretched wings is little over 

 3 ft. There were two others observed at the same time, one of which was 

 seen again. Mr. F. Boyes writes in the same journal for Nov. 13th, that he 

 has reason to believe a Glossy Ibis frequented for a few days a wet pasture 

 field near their river. The description was given by to him by a shooter, 

 a reliable man, who knows most birds v,-hich frequent the river side. 



Naturalist 



