sight towards the horizon, after which the repeated cry 'swee ree' first indicates their return."
Prof. A.E. Verrill, in the Amer. Journ. Sci., January, 1897, from information forwarded to him, recorded the capture of a gigantic Cephalopod on the Florida coast, the body having been described by its discoverer as eighteen feet in length by ten feet in breadth. Prof. Verrill remarked that the proportions given indicated that it might have been a Squid-like form, and not an Octopus. Additional facts, however, have since come to hand, and it is found that the remains are not those of a Cephalopod at all. Several large masses of the integument of the creature, preserved fairly well in formalin, have since been forwarded to Prof. Verrill, who has now come to the conclusion "that the mass cast ashore is only a fragment, probably from the head, of some large vertebrate animal covered with a blubber-like layer of great thickness." The record of the giant Octopus, or Cephalopod allied to Octopus, must therefore be considered as completely refuted.
Lieutenant Peary will start his Arctic voyage of exploration about the 10th of next month, having obtained five years' leave of absence from his duties in the United States Navy for the purpose. He will probably be accompanied by three scientific parties, which will land, according to Mr. Peary's intention, on the coast of Labrador, Baffin Land, and Greenland, for the purpose of studying the botany, glaciology, and ethnology of the northern regions. This year Mr. Peary will go to Whale Sound, on the north-west coast of Greenland, and on returning he will pick up the members of the expedition at the three places indicated. We have little doubt that zoology will also receive due attention.
Two Barbary Wild Sheep and two Tozenburg Goats have been born in the gardens of the Royal Zoological Society of Ireland.
The third edition of 'The Naturalist's Directory' has this year been issued by L. Upcott Gill. This small volume, published at one shilling, is intended for the use of "Students of Natural History, and Collectors of Zoological, Botanical, or Geological Specimens, giving the names and addresses of British and Foreign Naturalists, Natural History Agents, Societies and Field Clubs, Museums, Magazines, &c." Zoologists who possess this small book will find it one of handy reference, and can add to its value by forwarding any corrections and additions, which should be included in the next edition, to the publisher, as the Editor's name is not given.
