24 NATURAL History NOTEs. 
end of Aoril till perhaps the middle of June we have a long 
occurrence of pretty strong southerly and south-easterly winds. 
These were known to bring migratory birds to Great Britain in 
augmented numbers, and it would appear also that they brought 
these strong winged species of lepidoptera. That migratory 
process had again become very pronounced of late years. The 
last warm period occurring in the early spring months came to 
an end somewhere about 1865, but for thirty or thirty-three years — 
before that it had continued. Since then there had been a 
marked absence of these seasons till within a few years ago, 
when these moths had become very noticeable. 
Hoppom Bripce. By the late GrorcE IRVING. 
The following correspondence, which relates to the building 
of a bridge over the River Annan at Hoddom, followed upon 
an agitation for its erection as a substitute for the old ferry boat, 
led by the Duke of Queensberry on the west and Sir James 
Johnstone of Westerhall, Sir William Maxwell, and other county 
gentlemen on the east. Nothing could be done so long as Mr 
George Sharp was laird of Hoddom, but pressure was again 
brought to bear upon his brother Matthew on his succession to 
the estate. 
“Dear Sir,—Upon Tuesday’s night the water waxed un- 
expectedly, and as I suppose the Boat had opened by the strength 
of the water betwixt the Keel and the Boards, and being very 
crasey, the reason for me thinking so is; That I found the pouls 
and other Pieces of Timber that were louse within her floatins 
in the Boat Pool, on Wednesday, which undoubtedly had gon: 
out when she had sunk; I went next morning down to the foot 
of the River; and to the Seafield, and Battlehill, and along the 
coasts of Newby, in search of Her, but could Find nothing. On 
Thursday morning I found her mostly all gone in Pieces in Scale’s 
Pool, opposite to Turnshawhead, and thought to have got her out 
but could not make it with all the hands I could get. Next day 
I went to her again in order to see if I could get her out; and 
took the Trows along with me, and went into the Pool and fixed 
Ropes to the chain in order to draw her out, and the Stern, and 
some of the Beams came from her along with the chain, and 
Ropes, and the water being Pretty Big we lost sight of the 
