PROCEEDINGS OF THE BRITISH ASSOCIATION. 
97 
highest honour to its author. It would be well, the writer said, to use the same 
map in investigations on the distribution of all departments of the British Fauna, 
as we never can arrive at just views by the study of one department alone. 
Mr. Forbes was requested by the General Committee to draw up a Report on 
our knowledge of the geographical distribution of the Mollusca. 
44 A notice of the annual appearance of some of the Lestris tribe (Skuas) on 
the coast of Durham,” was read by Mr. Edward Backhouse. He stated that 
the young of Lestris Richardsonii is the earliest in appearance on these shores. 
They came in September. They were followed in the middle of the month by 
L. pomarinus, and in October these were followed by the mature Pomarine Skua. 
The latter is a much more powerful bird than L. Richardsonii. Early in the 
autumn of 1836, he shot a specimen of what he believed to be the young of L . 
parasiticus. Its admeasurements are :— 
Length. 17 inches. 
Expanded wings .. 32 44 
Elongated tail feathers project. Ojths of an inch. 
Bill from the forehead to the tip .. . 1 inch. 
Length of the bill to the gape of the 
mouth... Ifths of an inch. 
Length of tarsi . If 44 
Middle toe. IT 44 
Lestris catarractes (the Great Skua) is also met with, though rarely, on the 
same coast. 
Mr. Selby had no doubt that the bird alluded to was the young of L. 
parasiticus. Mr. Thompson observed, that there had been some doubt as to the 
correctness of Mr. Selby, in figuring Lestris Arcticus as a British bird; he had, 
however, shot one at Belfast.—Dr. Charlton thought all the Lestris tribe might 
be considered British. There were two of these birds distinguished, which he 
thought the same, Lestris Buffonii and Lestris Richardsonii. Lie thought the 
first name should be retained.—Dr. Richardson observed that although the bird 
was named after him, he had no objection to the alteration. Mr. Swainson 
thought there was a difference, and had named them accordingly.—Mr. Jenyns 
exhibited two undescribed species of the genus Cimex as restricted by entomo¬ 
logists of the present day. One of these, which has been alluded to by Latreille, 
though never characterized, was found inhabiting in great numbers the nests of 
the common House Martin. The other was taken from a Pipistrelle Bat. It 
was proposed to^call these two species C. Hirundinis and C. Pipistrelli. At the 
same time the peculiar characters were pointed out, by which each was distin¬ 
guished from the other, as well as from C. lectularius of authors, the common 
Bed Bug. 
VOL. IV.—-NO. XXVI. 
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