J20 FIELD DIARY. 



breast, and in the bill being; partly yellow ; it is never yellow at the 

 base, but purplish in the male, and brownish flesh colour in the female. 

 At the third moult the male acquires its mature plumage, the feathers 

 on the throat and breast being 1 much more narrow, and sharper pointed 

 than before, and not being tipped with white. About this time the 

 female also acquires a yellow bill. 

 Tooting, Feb. \\th, 1834. 



FIELD DIARY. 



BY WILLIAM THORN, ESQ. 



BEING a subscriber to your " Field Naturalist," and " Magazine of 

 Botany," will you allow me to select a few observations, from my diary, 

 on the past remarkable month ? a liberty I should not have presumed 

 on, had you not given encouragement to lovers of natural history to 

 send you their remarks, or " even the slightest hints." Although I am 

 devotedly attached to this branch of science, yet (as will he but too 

 evident), I am by no means an adept in it. 



I have your " Insect Architecture," " Transformations," and " Mis- 

 cellanies," also the " Alphabet of Insects ;" but I want a Manual of 

 British Entomology, giving a plain description of the size, colour, loca- 

 lities, &c., of those numerous insects which are constantly presenting 

 themselves to our observation. Do you intend to publish a work of this 

 kind, or can you recommend any already published * ? 



Will you permit me to suggest for your consideration, whether it 

 would not be for the advantage of many of your readers, as well as 

 myself, if you were monthly, or occasionally, to give plain descriptions, 

 with wood-cuts, of some of our British birds, insects, reptiles, &c., which, 

 though common in the fields and woods, are not generally known by 

 name ? 



DIARY. 



January 2nd, 1834. Pirus Japonica, and laurustinus in flower. 



3rd. Larks (Alauda arvensis) congregating. A few fieldfares ( Tur- 

 dus pilaris) made their appearance. 



4th. Heard a blackbird ( Turdus merula) singing between seven and 

 eight o'clock this morning. Remarkably mild for the season. 



* My " Conspectus of Butterflies and Moths" is the only cheap English work. 

 For other insects there is no similar work EDITOR. 



