of the trees; some on the gravel walks, and many apparently feeding on the blades of grass, to which they adhered by a thin pellicle. Upon extending my walk further, I found they had also migrated to the neighbouring fields and gardens of the cottagers. As I had never met with anything of the kind before, I was naturally surprised at the immense quantities that were accumulated there. I am certain there were millions. It seemed as if they had dropped from the clouds. Upon reaching home, I consulted Turton's Manual, one of the latest works upon the subject, and there found some elucidation upon the subject.

After describing the species and its varieties, he observes (p. 41. and 42.), - "In autumn these shells are often suddenly collected in such great numbers as to give rise to the popular notion of their having fallen from the clouds; and, in very hot weather, the young, both of this species and the H. cingénda, may be found in clusters adhering to the stalks of various plants." I have sent with this a few specimens, and will give some of them to any of your conchological friends.George Hubbard, Surgeon. Bury St. Edmunds, November, 1836.

Sphinx Atropos.-That this large and beautiful insect has become more abundant of late years in England, and especially since the increase of the cultivation of the potato, seems certain; but whether from increased propagation, or emigration, may, perhaps, be questioned. That, at least, it is capable of the will to cross the Channel, the following incident will show; while its powers of flight leave but little doubt of its capacity to cross in safety: - Sept. 29. The wind strong from the east. The death's-head sphinx flew on board a fishing boat, at about the distance of three leagues from the east coast of Cornwall, and, knocking itself against the mast, it fell to the bottom. After being sufficiently examined, it was left to itself; when it again took flight, and, though not in the direct course of the wind, flew away seaward. Jonathan Couch. Polperro.

Award of the Woolaston Medals. The council of the Geological Society of London has this year awarded the Woolaston Medals to Captain Proby Cautley of the Bengal Artillery, and to Dr. Falconer of the Bengal Medical Service, for their geological researches, and their discoveries in fossil zoology in the sub-Himalayan Mountains. (Proceedings of the Geological Society, Feb. 1837.)

THE MAGAZINE

OF

NATURAL HISTORY.

MAY, 1837.

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS.

ART. I. Notice of the Teeth of Carcharias megálodon occurring in the Red Crag of Suffolk. By EDWARD CHARLESWORTH, F.G.S.

THERE are, perhaps, no fossiliferous beds, the history of which, at the present time, involves points of greater interest, than the tertiary formations bordering our eastern coast; and in noticing several of the more remarkable fossils from these deposits, and the conditions under which they occur, it is with the hope of imparting some information respecting them, which may facilitate the researches of others who may feel disposed to enter upon the same field of geological investigation.

Palæontologists will readily recognise in the annexed figure a well-known Maltese fossil, and, perhaps, feel some surprise at the announcement of its occurrence in this country. Within the last few years, however, many specimens of these extraordinary teeth, belonging to a species of the genus Carcharias, probably of gigantic size, have been found on the shore and in the red crag of Suffolk. No other portion of the skeleton has yet been observed, by which we might ascertain how far the general dimensions of the animal correspond to the proportions exhibited by the teeth; nor is it probable that future discoveries in the crag will throw any light upon this point, since the preservation of the dental structures is the only record of the presence of cartilaginous fish during the formation of that deposit. The remains of fish, and of chelonian and saurian reptiles, which are often found in a very complete state in the tertiary strata of Harwich and the Isle of Sheppey, usually owe their preservation to the nodules of indurated clay which have formed around them. Nothing at all analogous to these nodules occurs in VOL. I.-No. 5. N. s.

S

the crag; and, from the very slight consolidation of the beds, and the general lithological character of the deposit, the discovery of connected skeletons can never be expected. All the information that we can acquire, respecting the vertebrated animals whose remains are there embedded, must be derived from the examination of detached bones and teeth. These latter, belonging to various species of the shark tribe, occur in abundance; but, with the exception of the genus Carcharias, all the forms may be identified with those in the London clay; from which deposit it is highly probable that many of them have been removed. The circumstance, however, of specific agreement would not alone lead to the above supposition, since, throughout the whole tertiary series, and even in the more recent secondary rocks, many of the squaloid fish appear to have closely resembled existing types.

This affinity is, perhaps, most strongly marked in several species of the genus Lámna, the teeth of which are abundant in the crag and London clay, and are even occasionally met with in some of our lacustrine deposits, associated with Auviatile and land shells. In the coralline beds, and in those marine strata containing the bones of land animals, which have been usually regarded as a part of the crag formation, the teeth of the Carcharias megálodon have not been detected; and they would, therefore, appear to be characteristic of that deposit which extends from Walton, in Essex, along the south coast of Suffolk. As this species has a vertical range from the secondary to the more recent supercretaceous formations, its fossilised remains afford the geologist no assistance in the identification of particular strata, if separated by great. horizontal distances. Similar teeth are figured by Dr. Moreton, in his synopsis of the cretaceous fossils of the United States; and they are there said to occur in deposits both of the secondary and tertiary periods. The finest specimens that I have seen are in the Hunterian collection, belonging to the College of Surgeons, from the well-known beds at Maestricht; and along with these there is one which has been recently brought over, by Mr. Darwin, from South America. In the Island of Malta, the teeth of this shark have been procured in the greatest abundance; but I am not aware that we possess any definite information respecting the geological relations of the beds in that locality, throughout which these fossils appear so plentifully distributed.

The foreign specimens are usually in a very perfect state; but those from the crag have lost their covering of enamel and serrated edges, probably depending upon the attrition to which they have been subjected. William Colchester, Esq., of Ipswich, whose collection of crag fossils is one of the choicest extant, has in his possession the tooth from which the accompanying figure was made. Specimens are also in the Ipswich Museum, and in the hands of other collcetors in Norfolk and Suffolk.

ART. II. Climbing and Gallinaceous Birds of Devonshire. By E. MOORE, M.D. F. L.S., Secretary to the Plymouth Institution. To pursue my catalogue of Devon birds, I send those of the two succeeding orders, Scansòres and Gallìnæ.

It is very possible that the race of the black cock may soon become extinct in Devonshire, as the cultivation and enclosure of great part of Exmoor, and other causes, depend

ing on the want of attention to the preservation of the red deer, in consequence of the decline of the hunt, equally operates against the heath fowl, and will probably lead to the latter becoming ultimately as scarce as the bustard.

The stock-dove is often seen in large flocks in the woods in winter. The rock-dove also occurs in flocks, sometimes, in winter, associating with the tame pigeons. In the breeding season, they are mostly found on the north coast, which is more mountainous and secluded than the south; and the sea cliffs where they build are more precipitous, and afford greater facility for nesting: but Lundy Island is the chief resort of this bird at that period.

Gen. Pi'cus.

ORDER III. SCANSO`RES.

1. Pìcus víridis, Green woodpecker. Common all the year.
2. Picus major, Greater spotted woodpecker. Frequent.

3. Pìcus minor, Lesser spotted woodpecker. Not so common as the last. Specimens in my collection; also at Drew's and Bolitho's. Gen. YU'NX.

1. Yúnx Torquilla, Wryneck. Rather scarce near Plymouth; more plentiful near Dawlish, where they breed, as I am informed by Mr. Comyns of Mount Pleasant, who has specimens.

Gen. Cu CULUS.

1. Cùculus canòrus, Cuckoo. Common, from April to July.

Gen. TETRAO.

ORDER IV. GALLINE.

1. Tétrao Tètrix, Black grouse. This is the only Devonshire species of grouse. They were formerly abundant on the borders of Dartmoor and Exmoor; but the increase of population and cultivation has diminished their range. Specimens are still, however, often procured. I have purchased both the male and female in Plymouth market; Sir G. Magrath, Drew, and Pincombe have specimens.

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Montagu states that Lord Caernarvon endeavoured to produce, but unsuccessfully, hybrids between the heath grouse and pheasant that such, however, does occur, is verified by the fact that, in September, 1829, one of this kind was shot at Whidey, near Plymouth, by the Rev. Mr. Morshead. A male pheasant, female grouse, and one young, had been observed in company for some time by the keeper. Mr. Morshead shot the pheasant, and, in a few days, the young hybrid; but the grouse escaped. The young bird bears the marks of both parents, but the most prominent characters are those of the grouse. The space above the eye, however, is not bare, as in the grouse, but entirely feathered, as in the pheasant; the whole of the neck is covered with black feathers, somewhat mottled; the tail is not forked, but fan-shaped, and half as long as that of the pheasant; the tarsi are bare, as in the