CORRESPONDENCE. 139 



Double Anemone nemorosa. — Several specimens (one of which I 

 enclose) of this flower were found by Rev. C. Jarvis with a second row 

 of petals. They grew by the roadside together with the usual form, 

 but none of them were so large. I also send a primrose, gathered from 

 a plant transplanted a year or two ago from a wood to the garden. 

 There are double the usual number of petals and sepals, and two 

 pistils. — A. E. I., Wragby. 



Flowering of Plants. — Cardamine pratensis, in Derbyshire, April 

 30th, and in Shropshire, May 6th; Ranunculus auricomus, in Derbyshire, 

 April 30th ; Silene dvurna, in Derbyshire, May 3rd, and in Shropshire, 

 May 6th; Erysimum AUiaria, Vicia sepium, Galium cruciatum, and 

 Fragaria vesca, in Shropshire, May 6th; Orchis mascula, Ajuga reptans, 

 Lamium album, Chcerophyllum sylvestre, in Shropshire, May 7th; 

 Ranunculus acris, and Lamium Galeobdolon, in Shropshire, May 10th ; 

 Scillanutans in Shropshire, Mav 12th ; Asperula odorata, in Shropshire, 

 May 15th.— O. M. F., Frankton. 



Notes on Birds. — Arrival of summer migrants first noticed in 

 1881 :— Chiffchaff, April 8th. In 1869 I heard one on March 9th ; the 

 general time is about March 20th to 30th. Willow Wren, April 13th. 

 Swallow, April 13th. Tree Pipit, April 14th ; generally arrives about 

 the 20th. Blackcap Warbler, April 20th. Sedge Warbler, April 23rd. 

 Yellow Wagtail, April 23rd ; very late, often noticed in March. Swift, 

 May 1st. Cuckoo, May 1st. Wood-wren, May 3rd. Landrail, May 

 5th ; generally heard by May 1st, rather numerous this year. Fly- 

 catcher, May 11th. Nightingale, May 1st. We rarely have this bird. 

 The one this year has taken up its abode in a very small shrubbery 

 between the River Trent and the high road where it sings, especially 

 by night, apparently taking little notice of, or but little alarmed at, the 

 constant traffic. It is one of the best singers I have ever heard. It has 

 now been here a fortnight, from which I should fancy it will breed 

 here. There is an echo very distinctly heard in some neighbouring 

 buildings. (Morris alludes, in his account of the Nightingale, to the 

 fact that the bird is said often to choose situations for singing 

 where this effect is produced.) I heard the echo before I read the 

 statement, which is interesting. The last two nights being very cold, 

 it has not sung much. Warblers are very numerous this year, but 

 Starlings, Thrushes, Titmice, Finches, Golden Crests, and King- 

 fishers seem much less common than on previous years. — H. G. 

 Tomlinson, The Woodlands, Burton-on-Trent. 



On the Occurrence of the Cornish Chough in the Neighbour- 

 hood of Banbury, Oxon. — On the 8th of April last, our village bird- 

 stuffer called me in to see a rare bird which he had just received, and 

 which was unknown to him. I found a nice specimen of the Chough, 

 Pyrrhocorax graculus (Linn.) It appeared to be immature, the legs 

 being reddish orange and the bill yellow — the latter seemed to be 

 unusually short. On dissection, I found it to be a female. The ovary 

 contained a large number of rudimentary eggs, some of which were 

 about the size of a mustard seed. In the stomach, which was very 

 hard and strong, I found the remains of several small beetles and one 

 caterpillar, entire, about an inch long. From the fact of the bii'd 

 being in very good condition, and the stomach being well stored, I 

 should say it had been in the neighbourhood for some little time. It 

 was killed in Broughton Park, probably on the same day that I saw it. 

 Of course, it is to be regretted that rare birds should be killed in the 

 breeding season, but in this case the bird is so little likely to have nested 



