beds, with their remains, be liassic or old red, should be left an open one. Caution was also the more necessary, he added, from the circumstance that in that northern district outliers of the lias and oolite are in several instances found resting on and lying to the old red sandstone; and, from the further circumstance that some of the oolitic sandstones bear very much the character of those of Spynie and Brughead. Mr. M. stated, in conclusion, that many years ago he became practically acquainted with a yellow quartzose sandstone, brought from the oolite of Raza, which could not be distinguished from the quartzose sandstone of Brughead; and that an outlier of such a sandstone, resting conformably on those pale sandstones of Moray which contain remains of the Bothriolepis, might be readily enough mistaken for an upper deposit of the old red sandstone, although in reality representative of a widely different period in the history of the globe. 2. Mr. Andrew Murray, W.S., read the Report of the Entomological Committee on the order Coleoptera, which detailed what had been done during the past year towards acquiring a knowledge of the Entomology of those parts of Scotland which had been hitherto only partially or not at all examined. The Committee by themselves, or others employed by them, had examined some parts of Ross-shire, some parts of Sutherlandshire, and the north of Forfarshire, besides extending their investigations in quarters nearer home. Among the interesting acquisitions mentioned by Mr. Murray, were Saperda Carcharias from Sutherlandshire, Magdalis phlegmatica from Kinross-shire, Magdalis carbonaria from Perthshire, and an undescribed Percosia (proposed to be named inflata) from the Clova Mountains. Mr. Murray also mentioned what had been done by Mr. Weaver and Dr. Nelson in the Black Forest in Rannoch, and showed specimens of the fine species there found by them; amongst others - Cetonia obscura, Dej., Saperda scalaris, Astynomus ædilis, Lamia Textor, Rhagium Indagator, Sericosomus brunneus, Clythra quadripunctata, &c. 3. The next paper which was read was one by Mr. Murray, on the genus Cercyon, in which he cleared up the confusion of the synonymy which prevails in that difficult genus, and brought almost the whole of Marsham's and Stephens' numerous species within the number of those recognized on the Continent. Mr. Murray had had peculiar facilities for this, having had the whole of Mr. Little's large collection of Cercyons, all named by Stephens, put into his hands by that gentleman for examination. 4. Notes on the Pe-la, or insect wax of China: by Dr. MacGowan, Medical Missionary at Ningpo. Communicated by Dr. Coldstream. Although this singular substance has been largely used in China since the thirteenth century, and has been occasionally imported both into France and Britain for many years past, its natural history is still very imperfectly known. Its chemical properties were investigated in 1848 by Mr. B. C. Brodie, of London, who showed that, even as it is met with in commerce, it is nearly in a state of chemical purity, and that it most closely resembles cerin, the base of bees'-wax. The Pe-la is perfectly white, translucent, shining, not unctuous to the touch, inodorous, and insipid. It melts at 100° Fahrenheit. It is found adhering to the branches of certain shrubs, whence it is collected yearly in June. It seems to be produced by myriads of minute insects, which either excrete or are changed into, the wax. Dr. MacGowan is inclined to believe that the insect undergoes what may be called aceraceous degeneration, its whole body being permeated by the peculiar product, in the same manner as the Coccus Cacti is by carmine. A seal, cut in figure-stone, and bearing, as its device, ancient Chinese characters expressive of the name of Miller, which had been forwarded from China by Dr. Mac Gowan, for the purpose of being presented to Mr. Hugh Miller, as a mark of the esteem in which his geological labours are held by Christian cultivators of science in the far East, was here put into Mr. Miller's hands by Dr. Coldstream. The Society then adjourned till the first Wednesday of February. The Variegated Sole.-I have seen Mr. Hussey's note on the occurrence of the variegated sole on the Sussex coast (Zool. 3282), and as I know that the feeding-ground has a very great influence upon the sole, and have obtained specimens such as he describes, but which were not the variegated sole (Monochirus linguatulus), I send a few extracts from my note-book on the point. The true variegated sole I have never seen exceed 5 inches (French measure), and I have seen twenty pairs at a time, and not half an inch difference in the whole lot, and many of them had roe. They are called here bastard soles. Previously to procuring any at Weymouth, the fishermen told me of a second marketable sole, which they described as much thicker, and with larger scales than the common sole, and with black blotches on the back; this I thought must be the variegated sole, and I ordered them to bring the first they caught, which were about a foot in length, and as they were described, as to thickness of flesh, size of scales, and colour. This, however, was not the variegated sole, but I have no doubt one of the same sort as that obtained by Mr. Hussey. I then made very full inquiries of many trawlers, and they all agreed in stating the colour of the sole depended upon and varied according to the quality and depth of the feeding-ground; and they named four prevailing varieties: — 1, a dark sole; 2, a shrub sole, from the markings on the back having the appearance of shrubs; 3, a lemon sole; and 4, a spotted sole. No. 1 is, I believe, caught in the shallowest water; No. 2 next; and Nos. 3 and 4 in the deepest water. The black patches in the true variegated sole run in a transverse direction, and, on the fins, are in the shape of bars, and pretty regular both in size and distance from each other; in the other sole mentioned by Mr. Hussey, the blotches are very irregular in every way. In five specimens of the variegated sole which I purchased this morning, there are no black marks whatever on the body, which is reddish, with light markings, the fins however are barred with regular, black, transverse bands in the direction of the rays.-William Thompson; Weymouth, January 20, 1852. Method of obtaining Trox sabulosus.-Time was, when the meeting with, upon our forest hills, a rabbit-skin or a bundle of old bones, was hailed with delight, as a treasure ever longed for but seldom met with, as "luck was not in 'em" if they did not hold a specimen or two of the far-famed and interesting Trox sabulosus. Now, like the man in the farce, who never had an idea of his own, it was not, until advised by my friend, George Guyon (well known in your pages), that I saw, by simply taking over and placing in favourable localities, a few skins and bottles of bones, how easily the above-mentioned casualty might be converted into a "dead certainty," and a good supply of Trox be readily procured. Accordingly, on my next trip, behold me with the pockets of my entomological coat standing out some half a yard from each side of my person, owing to the deposition therein of some half a dozen rabbit-skins, and two soda-water bottles partly filled with bones. Selecting suitable situations, I deposited my skins, and burying my bottles up to their mouths, left the field. Upon returning a fortnight after to see the result of my experiment, judge of my delight when, on examining the skins, I had the lively satisfaction of extracting therefrom thirteen specimens of the much-desired Trox. Like the burying Necrophori, they had partly entombed the skins; and I would recommend any one laying similar traps, to well dig up the soil with their barking-knife or digger, and carefully examine it beneath the skins, as most of my specimens were taken from thence: they having gone thither and taken with them some choice morsel to be disposed of at leisure, in content and fancied security. Like the Necrophori, too, the Trox emits a peculiar squeaking sound when disturbed in its haunts. Having securely bottled my specimens of Trox, my attention was next directed to the buried bottles of bones. These I found completely filled with specimens of Necrophorus humator and mortuorum, Oiceoptoma rugosa, two species of Ptomophagus, several specimens of Serica brunnea (but rarely met with in this county), Nitidulæ, Brachelytra and effluvia.—Fredk. Bates; King St., Leicester, January 23, 1852. Occurrence of Necrodes littoralis in considerable numbers. — Five years since last summer, as I was passing down a lane in the vicinity of this town, I saw stretched on the sward the remains of a horse that had perished in a pit hard by. It was afterwards cut up on the spot and the members taken away, their use being to stay the craving appetites of sundry of the canine species; the entrails only were left, and cast aside as worthless. The weather was excessively hot at the time; and in a few days, on revisiting the spot, I found the remains completely alive with a maggot or grub, about half an inch in length. But the dreadful effluvia arising prevented me from making any close examination. However, a day or two afterwards, I boldly advanced, determined at all risks to have an examination. I found it literally swarming with Necrodes littoralis, an insect I had never heard of before as occurring in this county. It was an exhilirating sight to see me, with beaming countenance, bending over these remains, puffing out huge volumes of smoke from my meerschaum, in order to keep the effluvium (not small I assure you) off my stomach; ever and anon diving with my fingers into the unctuous mass, to secure the Necrodes which were rolling and rollicking about, evidently luxuriating in their filthy feast. Having secured a sufficiency, and my pipe having expired, I left the remainder to the full enjoyment of their repast. Upon again visiting the spot a few days afterwards, both matter and life had entirely disappeared. Thus does Nature, by her ceaseless and ever-wakeful energy, preserve herself. Everywhere present are her myriad agencies, whose task it is to turn back into the great stream of life organic matter on the verge of dissolution. The great circle of life is complete and unbroken. Among my specimens of Necrodes were a number with the thighs of the hinder legs greatly enlarged. Can any one inform me the cause of this, as I have been led to understand they are not the males of the species, as I at first supposed? By what earthly sense were these insects guided, and from whence could come an army sufficient, in a few days, wholly to consume the entrails of a horse ?-Id. Occurrence of Carabus arvensis in Leicestershire.-On the 6th of April, 1850, I had the pleasure of capturing a fine and brilliant specimen of Carabus arvensis, roaming over the plain of Beacon, situate at the base of Beacon Hill, the first time, I believe, it has ever been met with in this county. The colours of this specimen are so singularly brilliant for the species, as to entitle it, in the opinion of Mr. Thomas Marshall, to the rank of a variety.—Id. Remarks on the Fauna of Western Eskimaux-land. THE polar bear (Ursus maritimus) sometimes attains the height of 9 feet, and inhabits the icebergs of the Arctic sea, preying upon the seal, which, with one blow of its powerful paw, it secures and destroys. The bear rarely, if ever, approaches human habitations, and the icebergs adjoining the coast of Asia appear to be its favourite resort. Man however finds the skin too useful to suffer the animal to remain in quiet. As even a musket-ball would flatten, and an arrow fail to arouse it from slumber, the natives have invented an ingenious artifice to secure it. A thick and strong piece of whalebone, about 4 inches broad and 2 feet long, is bent double; while in this state, some pieces of blubber are wrapped around it, and the contrivance taken into the open air, where a low temperature renders it hard and compact: it is now ready for use. The natives, being armed with bows and arrows, and taking the frozen mass with them, depart in quest of their prey. As soon as the animal is seen, one of the hunters deliberately discharges an arrow at it; the monster, feeling the insult, pursues the party, which is now in full retreat, but meeting with the frozen blubber, dropped expressly for it, swallows the lump. The chase, the exercise of running, and the natural heat of the inside, soon cause the dissolution of the blubber; the whalebone, thus freed from incumbrance, springs back to its old position, and makes such havoc with the intestines, that the beast discontinues the chase, and soon terminates its existence. The other bears are comparatively diminutive. The most common is the brown bear (Ursus Arcticus), which inhabits the woods. The natives kill considerable numbers about Kotzebue's Sound; the animal is not seen much to the northward. It commits great depredations upon the Russian fishing-stations in Norton Sound, and is so daring and voracious that nothing save a well-directed shot puts an end to the mischief. Not unlike the bear is the wolverine (Ursus luscus, Linn.), which is also limited to the woods, and rarely, if ever, seen to the northward of them. Its strength is prodigious, and, although small, it has been * My friend, Lieut. B. Pim, has kindly permitted me to communicate to the 'Zoologist' the following extracts from his manuscript work, 'The Western Relief Expedition, its Objects and Results.'-Berthold Seemann. known to drag an entire deer to its den. The natives never openly face it, but always resort to stratagem. It preys upon any animal that may fall in its way, indiscriminately making a meal from the reindeer or the mouse. Its skin is highly prized, and holds the first rank in Eskimaux currency. The marten (Mustela Martes) appears to be an intermediate species between the sable of the Old and the marten of the New World; it partakes of the dark colour of the former, and thick soft fur of the latter, while the fur on the under part of the foot is a character common to both species. It does not extend its peregrinations beyond the limit of the woods; on the contrary, it appears to increase in size and number as it recedes from that boundary. The peninsula to the southward of Kotzebue's Sound abounds in it; and still further south, inland from Norton Sound, nearly all the natives have outer coats of its fur, which however are not considered so valuable as those of deerskin. Of several hundred skins that I have seen, the colour was never entirely black. The ermine (Mustela Erminea) also is common, and inhabits the banks of rivers. During the winter it possesses, like the Arctic hare, a white skin, with a black-tipped tail. It is occasionally trapped, though from the number required for a single dress, it is not often molested, and its skin, as an article of exchange, is considered of trifling value. The otter (Lutra Canadensis) is highly prized and much sought after. Its skin is used as trimmings for dress, and bartered at a high price with the Russian traders. The fox (Canis vulgaris) is of a bright red colour, and is principally found about the coast, where it obtains plenty of food throughout the year, by preying on the ptarmigan and hares. The Russians give a good price for the skin. The white fox (Canis lagopus) so common on the Asiatic shores, is rarely seen. Wolves are seldom seen alone, generally running down their prey in packs. They do not hesitate, if pressed by hunger, to attack a single individual, although, if two or three people are together, they are easily scared. Scarcely a winter passes without some of the natives being destroyed; this, their own assertions, and my personal knowledge, sufficiently testify. It is always necessary to be on the alert. I remember that it once fell to my lot to cook for the party to which I was attached; and, having prepared some venison steaks for my companions, I fell asleep. Some wolves, however, had been in the |