Sectional Officers’ Reports. 313 
October. Miss Stow reports that insect life has been very scarce 
at Grantham, and Mr. F. M. Burton remarks on the great 
numbers of Polyommatus phlwas. Macroglossa stellatarum turned up 
in his garden after several years’ absence, and Vanessa atalanta 
was in small numbers. The Rev. F. S. Alston came across 
Thecla quercus in Haltham Wood. In reviewing the year’s work, 
the season, after a promising opening, turned out rather a 
disappointing one, but the great heat was not conducive to much 
exertion on the part of Members. Some good work is being done 
by Mr. J. C. Shepherd, at Scunthorpe, who has turned up several 
good species in that district. May I appeal to the Members. of 
the Union to collect and send Hymenoptera to Mr. W. D. 
Roebuck, who is about to publish a List for the County. 
Even the commonest are required to show the distribution in the 
County. 
VERTEBRATE SECTION. 
REV. F. L. BLATHWAYT, M.B.O.U. 
The following report contains the chief features of the 
bird news of the County which has come to my notice for the 
year tg1i. I should be much obliged if members of the L.N.U. 
interested in birds would send me from time to time reports 
from their districts. If this is done it will be possible to draw 
up a more complete report at the end of the present year. 
The Little Owl, A. noctua, seems to be getting established 
in the County. Four nests, each containing four eggs, were 
found in the Grantham district early in May this year. The 
species bred near Grantham and Bourne quite five years ago, 
and has been known for two or three years at Haverholme Park, 
Sleaford, where this year they certainly bred. All these are 
probably the descendants of the colony established by the late 
Lord Lilford in Northamptonshire in 1888. 
On June 23rd I found about 12 pairs of Lesser Terns., 
S. minuta, breeding in a certain locality on the Lincolnshire 
coast. 1 have visited other colonies, which I believe still exist 
along the coast, but it is not safe to name the exact localities. 
