correct the statement that a Moa's egg was sold in London a few days ago for 200 guineas. That amount was bid, but, as the reserved price was not reached, the egg was not sold. Although this egg must have been lying embedded in the banks of the Molyneaux Kiver, N.Z., for some hundreds of years, it is practically perfect. The egg was found by miners, who, in carefully exploring the river bank, detected it lying on a bed of loam, probably originally exposed, but, when found, covered by river drift. There is (our correspondents say) but one other 'whole' egg of Moa in the world. There is a complete skeleton of the bird in the Melbourne Zoo, and as it stands it is about 12 ft. in height."
In the 'Avicultural Magazine' for this month, Mr. George Carrick, in a description of a "live bird" expedition to Australia, states that in lat. 39° 03' S., long. 26° 46' E., 306 miles from the nearest land, and almost due south of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, a common Nightingale flew on board the steamer by which he travelled. The bird "was immediately captured and caged, and, with a plentiful supply of mealworms, he was soon quite at home, and seemed most thankful for the little kindness shown him, taking readily to artificial food." The bird was ultimately left safe and well at Melbourne.
Mr. G.H. Verrall has published a second edition of his 'List of British Diptera.' In the first List, published in 1888, 2500 species were enumerated; but of these 170 have been since expurgated, while 427 have been added, and 130 are included in the British fauna for the first time in the present edition, making a total of 2887 species; and it is considered there would be little trouble in bringing up the enumeration to 3000 species.
The recent death of Mr. Samuel Butler, the author of 'Erewhon,' commands comment in 'The Zoologist.' He was the son of a country clergyman, and grandson of the well-known scholar and headmaster of Shrewsbury, who was afterwards Bishop of Lichfield, and was fond of telling how his grandfather had attacked Darwin's grandfather, that his father had been in controversy with Darwin's father, and he seemed to regard himself as Darwin's hereditary enemy, showing his hostility by the publication of his vindication of Lamarck.
