1 86 The Field Naturalist 's Quarterly May 



also be given — all for the weasel : Whitrit, whitret, whitred, quhittrit, and 

 whassel (Scottish) ; club-tail cane, little cane, and kine (Surrey) ; beale 

 (Sussex) ; ressel, rezzel, rizzle (Yorks) ; mouse-hunter and mouse-hunt ; 

 mouse-killer ; clubster (Cleveland) ; whitethroat (the male in Suffolk). 



" The stoat is known also as lobster or lobstert (Norfolk). Mr Forrest 

 gives hardy-straw as a local Shropshire name for the common shrew 

 (F. N. Q., vol. ii. p. 89) ; this is artystraw in Yorkshire. Hardy shrew 

 is a further form of this name."— H. B. Watt, 3 Victoria Drive, Glasgow. 



Rutland Birds. — "With reference to Mr Haines' most interesting 

 account of birds in Rutland, I should like to ask if the following birds 

 are not included in the avifauna of that county : Marsh tit (Parus palus- 

 tris), long-tailed tit (Acredula rosea), chiffchaff (Phylloscopus rufus), 

 tree-sparrow {Passer montanus), and coot (Fulica atra). 



"On p. 43, F. N. Q., vol. ii., Turdus viscivorus is given 'missel- 

 thrush.' Surely ' mistle-thrush ' is better, as reflecting its fondness for 

 the mistletoe berries. This bird has many local names : in South 

 Lancashire it is the shercock, and from its alarm cry the stormcock, 

 which also refers to its habit of revelling in a January storm, singing 

 then from high tree-tops amid wind and snow. 



" I should like to urge the positive necessity of giving the scientific 

 names of every species of bird mentioned, in view of the local confusion 

 in the numerous local bird names." — C. E. Reade, Manchester. 



(We cannot enter into the controversy of "missel" versus "mistle," 

 which has recently been debated at great length in the columns of the 

 ' Field.' We quite agree with our correspondent that the specific name 

 of a species should be given unless there can be no possible mistake in 

 the bird referred to. Contributors, please note. — Ed. F. N. Q.) 



[Advance Copy.] 



Cheltenham, April 1903. 



Dear Sir, — Recently it was proposed to form in Gloucestershire an 

 Association for the Protection of Wild Plants upon the lines of the 

 Devonshire Association. The Cotteswold Naturalists' Field Club was 

 asked for its advice and approval. The club, seeing that the matter 

 was full of difficulties, referred it to a committee. 



After a thorough investigation of the facts and of various evidence, 

 and after much correspondence, a visit to Devonshire by one of the 

 committee, and an interview with Mr G. Claridge Druce, F.L.S. (author 

 of ' The Flora of Oxon,' ' The Flora of Berks,' &c), the committee have 

 issued their report. The club has adopted this report and passed 

 resolutions based upon it. 



At the interview with Mr Druce he stated that as regards the amend- 

 ment of the law (vide the report) he had already seen Lord Avebury, 

 and intended seeing him again about it this summer. At the same 

 time, he said that it would strengthen the hands of the framers of any 

 Bill if they received the resolutions of the chief Natural History Societies 

 on this question of amendme.nt : he also asked the secretary of the 

 committee to obtain these resolutions for him where possible. 



As the questions have been thoroughly discussed by the club, it 



