FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. H<) 



Blackbirds and thrushes sang through December just as if it 

 was a spring month." (SHERBORNE.) 



Rev. W. Hughes D'Aeth (BUCKHORN WESTON) writes : "I 

 heard a CUCKOO on October 10 singing as merrily as in May 

 three or four times. There was also a great scarcity of CUCKOOS, 

 I think, in the neighbourhood. 



The last week of December there was a nest of young STAR- 

 LINGS in a tree in my churchyard, and ROOKS were busy building 

 not only patching up their old nests, but building new 

 ones." 



Imitations of the cuckoo's note being often so excellent, it 

 would be more satisfactory if the bird could be seen when heard 

 at these unusual seasons, but this cannot generally be managed, 

 and, in the absence of some such confirmation, observations of 

 this sort on the cuckoo, nightingale, &c., .seem necessarily open 

 to a certain amount of doubt. 



Mr. Rodd suggests the omission of the rook, blackbird, and 

 skylark from the list. It would seem, however, important to 

 keep the list intact, without change, for as long a period as 

 possible for purposes of comparison, and the blackbird and rook 

 are specially convenient birds to observe as regards their nesting 

 and eggs, and the skylark as regards its song, which begins 

 early in the year. Out of nine observers there are five observa- 

 tions on the blackbird, two on the rook, and five on the skylark, 

 whereas several birds in the list are less noticed. 



BOTANICAL NOTES. " Dec. 7, dandelion, thistle, and cam- 

 pion in blossom. Between April 15 and 22 the trees came into 

 leaf like magic." (D. C.), CHILDE OKEFORD. 



Mr. Rodd (CHARDSTOCK) writes: "A remarkably good 

 flowering year for trees (stone fruit especially), shrubs, and wild 

 flowers generally everywhere. The great and abundant flower- 

 ing of the apple and cherry, the blackthorn and hawthorn, the 

 elm, the laurel, &c., was remarkable in this district, and I 

 attribute it greatly to the sun and heat of last summer ripening 

 the wood which conveys the sap to the flowers. A good fruit 

 season, but apples were small and scarce in some districts." 



