Natural Hutorii in the English Counties. 



165 



observe no regular times in making their appearance. Great numbers of 

 the former were taken in the county of Northumberland in the latter end 

 of the years 1789 and 1790, before which they had not been observed 

 so far south as that county, and since that time have' never been seen 

 there." 



The chatterer is certainly a very rare bird in this country, and the pre- 

 'sent is the only instance that has come under my personal knowledge, of its 

 having been met with- in this immediate vicinity. Its visits, therefore, 

 being, like those of " angels, few and far between," I thought the occur- 

 rence in the present season might not be unworthy of being recorded in 

 your Magazine. The fact, too, may be worth recording, perhaps, for an- 

 other reason : the periodical arrival and retreat of the swallows, and other 

 summer birds of passage, as well as of many of the winter birds, the field- 

 fares, e. g. redwings, woodcocks, &c., are uniform and constant ; but the 

 -chatterer and the other species mentioned by Bewick " observe" (as he 

 justly remarks) " no regular times in making their appearance." So eccen- 

 tric, indeed, are they in their periods, and their migrations so erratic, 

 that they may be said to be among birds, what comets are among stars; 

 and accordingly we cannot calculate the time of their coming. It is worth 

 while, therefore, to note the dates of their visits, in order, if possible, to 

 •ascertain by what circumstances their motions are guided, and whether or 

 not their approach to our climes prognosticate (as it is often supposed) 

 .severe weather, either in this country or in those which they have deserted. 

 Yours, &c. — W. T. Bree. Allesley Rectory^ near Coventry ^ December 16. 

 .1830. 



The Bohemian chatterer is not extremely rare in Suffolk and Norfolk, 

 as within the last three winters not fewer than twenty have been shot iii 

 those counties, according to notices in the local newspapers which have 

 met our eye. See also a notice of one in Mr. Acton's communication 

 from Suffolk in the present Number (p. 163.) Mr. George Creed, sur- 

 geon. Bury St. Edmund's, shot one of the twenty alluded to, and it now 

 occupies a place in his interesting collection. This gentleman could gratify 

 our readers with many communications of interest, and we invite him to 

 do so. — J. D.for Cond. 



Yorkshire. 



- Rare Insects taken in the Neighbourhood of AsJcam Bryan y near York : — 



COLEO'PTERA. 



Drbmius sigma. 



quadriiiotatus. 



tnelanoc^phalus. 

 Chlae^'nius nigricurnis. 

 Anchomenus obl6ngu3. 

 Agbnum pullum. 

 Syniichus vivalis. 

 Broscus ceplialbtes. 

 Stbmis pumicitus. 

 Patrobus rClfipes. 

 'Pter(Sstichus oblongopunct^- 

 tus. 



macer. 

 Amara tibiklis. 

 Tr^ch-us pallipes. 



Polyummatus Argiolus. 

 Macroglossa stellatkrum. 

 Callimorpha rainiata. 

 Mamestra pisi. 



O^cys melanoc^phalus. 

 Blethlsa multipunctata. 

 Hygrotus scitulus. 

 N6terus crassic6rnis. 

 Colymbfetes piilverbsus. 



dgilifi. 



exsoletus. 



abbreviktus.' 



quadrinotatus. 

 (Of this genus I have taken 

 19 different species.) 

 Hydaticus transversalis. 



Hybnferi. 

 Heter6cerus marginJitus (two) 

 Dytiscus dimidiatus. 



Lepido'ptera. 

 Bryophila p^rla. 

 Thyatir« derasa. 

 Cosmia trapetzina. 



Hydrophilus caraboldes. 

 Necrbdes littorklis. 

 Micropeplus porcatus- 

 Megatoma s(?rra. 

 Byrrhus dors^lis. 

 Campylis dispar. 

 Klicbpis quadripustulatus? 

 Ptlnus imperialis. 

 Rhinch^tes sequStus. 

 Pogonoeerus pilbsus ? j 

 Leptilra abdominalis. 

 Cassida viiidula. 

 End<Smychus cocclneui 

 Cistfrla fulvipes. 

 Not6xus mondceros. 



Hipparchiis oapilionar»us. 

 Biston betularius. 

 M^lia soci^lla, &c. 



I shall not send you any more names at present, as some of your cor- 

 respondents are rather fastidious as to what are, or are not, rare insects. 

 The fertile source of the principal part of the above-mentioned rarities, 

 which are the result of one season's collecting, is Askam Bogs. They are 



M 3 



