274 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Dec. 1, 1869. 



PALE YELLOW BUTTERFLY. 



IT will doubtless interest your readers to learn 

 that Colias europome has appeared at or near 

 Horsham. I have been fortunate enough to secure 

 one of (I think) five specimens which were taken last 

 year there, by an individual who set no store by 

 them, probably taking them for pale Edusa. There 

 they have lain hidden, badly set, till chance took an 

 entomologist (Swaysland, of Brighton) that way, who 

 lost no time in securing three of them. There is not a 

 shadow of doubt as to their being genuine Horsham 

 captures, as upon reference to Mr. Swaysland, may 

 be fully ascertained. I subjoin a description of this 

 charming insect, my specimen being a male. Ex- 

 panse of wings, If inches. Ground colour of all the 

 wings a peculiar light greenish yellow. Eore wings 

 with an almost diamond-shaped black discoidal spot. 

 The dark border neither so wide nor so much 

 toothed in the inside as in Edasa, nor of so rich 

 a black, and it has but three lines (ground colour 

 of wings) upon its breadth near the apex of wings, 

 which do not reach the hind margin. Hind wings 

 with a double orange discoidal spot smaller than in 

 " Edusa," and with the dark border not so wide, 

 toothing more regular and approaching scallop 

 shape. Beneath, the discoidal spot on fore wings is 

 smaller than in Edusa, and with a distinct pale 

 yellow dot in its centre. That on the hind wings 

 very similar to Edusa, but smaller. Eringe on 

 under side tinged rosy. Antennae somewhat shorter 

 and slenderer than in Edusa, and the club not 

 quite so long. — W. Hambrough, Worthing. 



[Is our correspondent certain that his insect is 

 not a variety of Colias hyale? — Ed. S.G.] 



TURKISH LONG-TAILED TITMOUSE. 



(Accord ula tephronota, Giinther.) 



rpHIS species is generally distributed in Turkey 

 -*- in Asia Minor and Europe, and is more nu- 

 merous than the Long- tailed Titmouse in Western 

 Europe (Parus caudatus). It is principally found 

 in the interior of forests in the spring and 

 summer, and when feeding on the lofty oaks, 

 and hanging beneath the expanded branches of 

 the tree, searching for insect food with its long 

 magpie-formed tail, it has more the resemblance of 

 a grasshopper than a bird. They congregate in 

 families in the autumn, and continue congregated 

 in the winter, when they scatter far and wide, and 

 stroll over large areas in search of insect food. In 

 the winter, they are partial to feeding amongst 

 alders in damp situations, with others of the tit- 

 mouse family ; they are also found feeding in small 

 groups with gold-crested and fire-crested wrens. 

 They have a stronger cry than the south- western 

 bird, but their habits are similar. Their nests are 

 sometimes found on bushes, but principally amidst 



ivy on trunks of trees and on the branches of 

 cypress-trees, The nest is built of similar materials 

 to that of the Parus caudatus, but wants the fine 

 oval symmetry and finish and dome-like form of the 

 latter. The nest lies on branches slantingly to the 

 sun, so that the bird goes in at the end instead of 

 the side, as the south-western bird does. Their eggs 

 are eight in number, small, and of a light brick- 

 brown, spotted, at the broad end. Many of these 

 birds build early in March. It has hitherto been 

 found only in Turkey and is a constant resident in 

 the country. — The Levant Times. 



THE RUFE AND REEVE. 



(Machetes pugnax.) 



\I7"HAT a host of rare birds are conjured up in 

 * ' the mind of the ornithologist at the bare 

 mention of the fens! — the great fens of Lincoln, 

 Cambridge, and Norfolk, which once covered such 

 an immense tract of country, and which were seldom 

 invaded by any one except the inveterate sportsman, 

 whom neither bog nor water could deter, or the 

 crafty fowler, whose life depended upon his trade. 



Here the long -winged, long -tailed Harriers 

 quartered the ground uninterruptedly for miles, 

 pouncing upon the young Teal or Shoveler, or carry- 

 ing off, from the very surface of the water, the un- 

 wary Spotted Crake before it could dive. Here 

 the Short-eared Owl reared its young, and brought 

 them fat Water-shrews and Short-tailed Eield-mice. 

 Here the Bittern " boomed " as ,it crept amongst 

 the sedge, and wove and shaped the pliant flags to 

 receive its olive-brown eggs. Redshanks flew in 

 clouds, and filled the air with their noisy cries, 

 while the loud whistle of the Godwit often told the 

 fowler where the long-legged, black- tailed bird had 

 formed its nest. On the "meres," the beautiful 

 Crested Grebe displayed its coloured frill and white 

 satiny breast, while its smaller relative, the Dab- 

 chick, like a little brown ball, ducked, and dived, 

 and reappeared in the uninterrupted enjoyment of 

 its retirement. The T wary Water-rail threaded its 

 way through the grass, and reeds, and sedge, or 

 rose with slowly flapping wing, and pitched among 

 the yellow water-lilies,, to pick the little beetles off 

 the petals. 



The ear heard, although the eye could not always 

 see, the skulking Grasshopper Warbler, as it crept 

 amongst the reed stems with its curious reeling 

 note ; and a patient search was necessary to find its 

 well concealed and pretty nest at the foot of some 

 waving tussock. Occasionally, the nest of the 

 rarer Savi's Warbler was discovered : a beautiful 

 cup-shaped structure, made entirely of the inter- 

 woven leaves of the reed, and containing beautiful 

 pinky -looking eggs. More conspicuously, the 

 Bearded Titmouse showed himself as he flitted 

 from stem to stem, or crossed the water with an 



