MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 253 



as C Jacobcece, but each wing has got a large patch of buff colour covering 

 nearly half the wing, with the nerves retaining the red colour of the species, 

 so as to give the wings a streaky appearance with red and buff. Had the fly been 

 perfect, it must have been very beautiful; but as it is, with its ragged wings, 

 I prize it much : is it a species, or what is it? Liihosia luridiola^^ (Common 

 Footman,) is not a very abundant Moth, though several are to be taken in 

 a season. Triphaena orbona is a very common Moth; also T. pronuba is equally 

 as numerous, darting out of the grass as you walk along. T. fimbria is by no 

 means common, in fact it is a rare insect, as I have seen but two specimens 

 since ray residence here. The one which I possess, taken in this neighbourhood, 

 an acquaintance of mine, who collects Moths merely for their beauty, gave me 

 the choice of picking out from some duplicates of his, but as his eyes are 

 not so keen in the discriminating of species as my own, he had to be the 

 loser of his Broad- bordered Yellow Underwing. 



Agrotis exclamationis, (Heart and Dart,) is rather a scarce insect; Agrotis 

 Tritici is also a rare species: I have only taken two specimens. GrapJi- 

 iphora plecta, (Flame Shoulder,) is a common insect. The True-Lovers' 

 Knot, {Lycophoiia porphyrea,) is exceedingly rare; I took or rather found one 

 specimen on Haldon in 1850, sitting on a thorn stump in the hedge just 

 at the back of Haldon House; it is the only one that I can learn has been 

 taken in this neighbourhood. Semiophora gotJiica, (Hebrew Character,) is 

 rather a common insect. Orthosia cruda is a common Moth with us. O.f 

 spadicea is not very often to be met with. The beautiful Copper Underwing 

 is a very rare insect indeed; I have only heard of or seen but one specimen; 

 it was taken in the butler's pantry at J. Milford's, Esq., Coaver House; it is 

 now in my cabinet. 



(To be continued.) 



%m\\mum llntim 



Occurrence of the Osprey, (Pandion haliaetos.) — A fine specimen of the Osprcy was shot on 

 September 11th., at Wcjbiidge, by a gentleman, who resides in Chancery Lane, who was 

 out on a fishing excursion. I believe Mr. Yarrell saw the bird on the 12th. or the 13th. I 

 have two specimens of the Little Stint killed last Tuesday on the Black Shelf, near Gray, on 

 the River Thames. — James Gardner, 29, Great Marlborough Street, September 19th., 1853. 



Anecdote of a Chaffinch, (Fringilla ccrlebs.)' — I once observed a species of instinct in this little 

 bird, which, as I do not remember meeting with any similar instance in other birds, and have 

 not met with any one who has, I consider worthy of notice. Chaffinches are suspicious birds, 

 and very clamorous if you approach the nest, even whilst it is building, much more when 

 there are eggs or young; and as they are very neat and cunning architects, and particularly 

 clever in concealing their place of nidification, they thus often neutralize all their care, and by 

 their ciies attract the attention to, and thereby discover what they have taken so much pains 

 to conceal ; and if the nest, in course of building, should be too curiously looked at, or visited 



♦ Quere, Complana, Ed. + Glsea, Ed. 



