THE WEATHER OF JULY. 253 



The barometer, with the exception of one drop accompanying the 

 thunderstorm alluded to above, was uniformly high and steady, and 

 there wei-e no strong winds. Many reports speak of the excellent hay 

 harvest, which was secured in good condition. The corn, too, improved 

 greatly. Oats were cut at Waltham in the last week of the month, and 

 barley near Nottingham on the 23rd. 



Of direct solar heat, measured by a thermometer with blackened 

 bulb, in a vacuum, we had at Spondon, 158° on the 20th, and 153° on the 

 21st, l-li'S" at Cheltenham on the 20th, 144° at Leicester on the 20th, 

 138-2° at Loughbro' on the 20th, and 133° at Buxton, also on the 20th. 

 Thick night mists with heavy dew are reported from Rotherham, during 

 the middle part of the month, "owing, doubtless, to the drought of 

 nearly five weeks." 



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Where are the Butterflies ? — May I ask our Entomological 

 friends what has become of the "Diurnal Lepido^jtera " this year? I 

 have scarcely seen a butterfly here, not even a white one. Were they 

 destroyed by the wet May, and has their absence been noted in other 

 counties ? — Umbrella Net, Leicester, August 18th. 



Cristatella Mucedo. — On the 15th of August, for the first time 

 this year, I found the rare and beautiful Polyzoa, Cristatella mucedo, near 

 Birmingham. On that day I found only three specimens, although 

 searching for over two hours ; but on the 22nd I found them in great 

 abundance, and full of their elegant statoblasts or winter eggs. I am 

 preparing a reduced copy of Professor Allman's drawing of this object, 

 from his admirable Monograph on the Fresh-water Polyzoa, which I 

 hope to send out to my correspondents, together with the hving objects 

 if they should survive long enough. — Thomas Bolton, 17, Ann Street, 

 Birmingham, August 24th, 1878. 



Snipe Breeding. — As instances of the snipe breeding in this 

 district are, I suppose, rare, it may interest some of your readers to 

 know that about a mouth or five weeks ago I saw in this neighbourhood 

 a nest of the full snipe with four eggs in it. My friend who pointed it 

 out to me was fortunate enough to see the bird on her nest. This I did 

 not do. She has since hatched out her young safely. Soon after seeing 

 the nest I flushed a snipe on some hill ground, about a mile from the 

 first-named locality. Whether this was the male bird feeding, or 

 whether it betokened another breeding couple of course I cannot say. — 

 Wm. Elliot, Cardington Yicarage, Church Stretton, Aug. 9th, 1878. 



The Cuckoo, &c. — The double note of the cuckoo is not uncommon, 

 but the same cuckoo does not change from the single to the double note. 

 The bird which says cuck-cuck-oo never says cuck-oo. There was a 

 cuckoo with a double call which came here regularly for several years, 

 and fi-om the first day of its arrival to the day of its departure it always 

 used the double call. In this neighbourhood there is now a great 

 scarcity of cuckoos, and this has been the case for several years. It 

 seems desirable to record the alterations in the number of animals, birds, 

 &G., from year to year. There is a gi-eat increase in the number of 

 moles, rats, wood pigeons, toads, frogs, and field mice, and a great f alling- 

 off in the number of landrails, cuckoos, dragon flies, wasps, and grass- 

 hoppers. An epidemic has killed many field mice and fowls in this 

 neighbourhood. — E. J. Lowe, Nottingham. 



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