334 
president’s address. 
been recorded from a cave in Somerset.* On October 25th 
Colonel Feilden sent a note on a Grey Seal, which was killed 
at Wells during the preceding February ; while on January 31st 
Mr. Southwell recorded the occurrence of Sowerby’s Whale at 
Overstrand, and Mr. W. D. E. Bulwer sent some notes on the 
winter-breeding of the Otter at Barton Broad. 
The subject of Birds is one that is sure of attention and regard 
in this Society. A good work, undertaken by a sub-committee, 
was a circular letter on behalf of the Owls and the Hawks, and 
with them were appropriately included the Weasels. Our charity 
towards these birds and beasts may be considered as, to a certain 
extent, interested, for they are the “police of nature,” who arrest 
large numbers of mice and rats, and prevent their undue multiplica- 
tion. Our work, however, would not command the sympathy of 
our fellow-creatures, if we did not take every opportunity of making 
practical use of scientific knowledge ; and in the letter sent forth, 
the claims of the Barn Owl to the friendship of the farmer were 
particularly mentioned. 
On September 27th Mr. Southwell exhibited and described 
a small Sandpiper which had been shot on Breydon. It proved to 
be the Tringa acuminata , a species not previously recognised in 
Europe. Attention was called to other birds by Mr. Southwell, 
Mr. J. Id. Gurney, Or. Wheeler, Colonel Feilden, and Mr. Patterson; 
and Mr. Gurney noticed (November 29th) a remarkable visitation 
of Lapland Buntings to one or two points on the Norfolk coast. 
The subject of Reptiles was not neglected. Sir Peter Eade 
communicated (November 29th) “A Further Note upon Tortoises.” 
This was a continuation of a paper read before the Society in 1880, j- 
and it dealt more especially with the rate of increase in weight and 
size of the common European Land-tortoise, Testudo gmxa; 
examples of which have, for some years, found a happy home in 
Norwich. On the same evening the Rev. W. F. Greeny introduced 
to the meeting a live Alligator from Florida : a young and sportive 
visitor, fortunately no more than a foot in length. 
* E. T. Newton, Geol. Mag. 1890, p. 455. 
t ‘ Transactions,’ vol. iv. p. 316. 
