PKESIDENTS ADDRESS. 
121 
In the latter, he showed by careful analysis and by calculation of 
the percentages of species, that the fauna of this Crag is southern 
in character, and closely resembles that of the Mediterranean and 
West European province, inferring therefrom that there was at 
some time, subsequent to the coming into existence of the present 
fauna, a more direct and open communication between the Mediter- 
ranean and the seas of Great Britain than exists at present. 
In October, Mr. Southwell read some notes on remarkable Birds 
in the Castle Museum collection, confining himself on that occasion 
to the Megapodes or Mound-builders, and to the Apteryxes or 
wingless birds of New Zealand; and, in November, lie continued 
his observations, taking the Crows, Birds of Paradise, Kitle Birds, 
and Bower Birds; then the South American Bell Bird and the 
Hornbills, concluding with the Parrots, especially the Nestors and 
the Owl-Parrot. On this latter evening the Members of the 
Norwich Science Gossip Club were present by invitation, a departure 
from the ordinary routine of our Society which it is to be hoped 
may serve as a precedent, and be frequently repeated. 
Dr. Emerson also, in October, sent lissome notes from Lowestoft, 
concerning the birds which he had observed on the north hills and 
denes near that town. 
In January, Mr. Stacy- Watson addressed us on the “ Herring 
Fishery of 1895, Yarmouth and Lowestoft,” with valuable statistics 
of the season’s fishery which we print. Mr. J. 11. Gurney read a 
paper on “The White-faced Owl of New Zealand,” now supposed 
to be nearly extinct. Professor Newton sent an interesting note of 
the breeding of the Spoonbill in Norfolk, extracted from the Patent 
Rolls of King Edward I., A.D. 1300; and Mr. W. II. Tuck sent a 
list of additions to the Aculeate Hymenoptera from Sutfolk, found 
in 1895. These are valuable contributions to our ‘Transactions.’ 
In February, Colonel Feilden read us two papers: “The Flowering 
Plants of the Island of Kolguev,” and “ The Flora of part of Russian 
Lapland.” The former contains important additions — about thirty 
species — to one of the least known floras of the European Arctic 
regions ; and the latter described some of the plants of a not very 
frequently visited portion of the Kola peninsula. We ought to 
k 2 
