LETTER XIV 



Wagtails Bats Their Flight and Steering Rain on Water 

 Smooth Parts Theory as to the Cause Acanthuses De- 

 scription of their Bloom " Bear's Breech" Gerard's Account 

 Kingfisher's Note. 



2$th October, 1894. 



DEAR MARCO As I have had to be in 

 town four days a week during this month, 

 doing- duty as visitor in the schools 

 at the R. A. I have had little leisure 

 to make notes on anything that would 

 interest you. I saw a tern on September 

 26th, hawking up and down over the river ; 

 it was quite alone and only stayed one day 

 near here. There seemed to me to have 

 been a greater number of wagtails on our 

 lawns during September than usual ; these 



