508 



^nturiil pistorn §!ott$. 



The Barbastelle. Barlasiella barhadellus. A specimen of this 

 Bat, not I think recorded for Wiltshire up to tlie present, was killed in 

 the Church at Clyffe Pypard on May 10th, 1908. As it was a species new 

 to me, I identified it from the description and fifjure in Bell's British 

 Quadrupeds, i^,nA then sent it up to the Natural History Museum, South 

 Kensington, to make sure of the identification. The authorities there 

 tell me that this is correct. This bat is distinguished, even at a casual 

 glance, from the common species by the length and dark rich colour of 

 its fur. — E. H. GoDDARD. 



Bitterns in Wilts. The Devizes Gazette, Feb. 6th, 1908, notes 

 from a Swindon paper the fact that "a very fine specimen" of a Bittern 

 had just been killed in the park at Lydiard Tregoze. The Gazette very 

 rightly omits tlie name of "the sportsman" who shot it, and strongly 

 deprecates the senseless shooting of this and all other rare birds. 



On Feb. 6th, 1908, at Melksham, a young man named Arthur Escott 

 was charged with having shot a Bittern near Bowerhill, and was ordered 

 to pay the costs, 9*. 



Yellow Sll3<nkS, Totanus Jlavipes. This Sandpiper is common in 

 North America, but only a few stragglers have been recorded in England. 

 A specimen, shot hy Mr. Carey Coles at Winterbourne Stoke, in 1908, 

 has been preserved by Mr. White, and is now in the possession of Mr. 

 Carey Coles. 



The bird is not mentioned in Smith's Birds of Wilts, and this appears 

 to be the first record of its appearance in the county. — E. A. Eawlence. 



Scrophularia VernaliS. A considerable patch of this plant was 

 found flowering in a hedge bounding a wood close to the Knowle Gravel 

 Pit, in Savernake Forest, by Miss Kendall, who kindly showed me the 

 plant, at the end of April, 1908. It has not, I believe, been recorded for 

 the county before, as it is not included in Preston's Ji'lora, and is un- 

 known to the Marlborough College Natural History Societj'. There is 

 no doubt as to its correct identification. — E. H. Goddaed. 



laizard Orchis. O. hirdna. Some ten or twelve blooms of this rare 

 orcliis, recorded for Wiltshire for the first time in 1907, near Devizes, 

 were picked in the neighbourhood of Wilton (it does not seem desirable 

 to point out the exact locality), during last summer (1907). 



O. aranifera, the Spider Orcliis, was found also at the same spot. 



E. A. Rawlence. 



Cerastiuni arveUSe. A few plants were found in old sand pits near 

 Bowood in 1906, and again in 1907. 



Stellaria uliginosa, occurs commonly near Calne, and Valeriana dioica 

 is found near the canal. — E. S. Ferguson. 



