190 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



have seen at least 30 in bloom at once under beech trees in 

 Lord Shaftesbury's park at St. Giles, which is on the Upper 

 Chalk. To this I should like to add what is, I believe, an 

 entirely new station at Canford on a piece of land marked 

 Bagshot on the Geological Survey, but which is, I think, 

 really London Clay, as the soil and vegetation is most unlike 

 Bagshot, so are the insects, e.g., Noctua stigmatica. 



The plant is there growing in a rich humus of spruce needles, 

 oakleaves, and hazel leaves, and is not excessively rare. 

 (W.P.C.). 



Spiranthes autumnalis (Lady's Tresses). Mr. A. E. Moule 

 writes recording this plant on 22nd August, 1915, at Church 

 Hill, Little Bredy. (This record, it will be noted, is on the 

 Cretaceous Beds ; the vast majority of localities given by the 

 late Mr. J. C. Mansel-Pleydell were on soils where carbonate 

 of lime predominates, and I have never seen it, though I keep 

 a sharp look out for it, on any soil except a soil overlying a 

 carbonate of lime rock or a clay admittedly belonging to one 

 of the series of chalk or limestone rocks). (W.P.C.). 



GENERAL NOTES. 



Mr. E. S. Rodd, of Chardstock House, writes : 



Jan. and Feb. very wet, little frost or snow. March, dry 

 generally from the middle to end of month. Dry and fine in 

 April, N.E. winds prevailing. Very late spring, the Dawn 

 Choruses feeble and weak on cold mornings at 4 a.m. 



May beautiful. All crops looking well during May and 

 June. 



A wet July and August, and much hay spoiled. Fine corn 

 harvest from about August 20th. Very little fine, hot weather 

 this summer. November, a sharp frost for a few days, and a 

 wet December. 



The year 1915 closed in very wet, stormy, mild weather 

 the last week. 



The Rev. J. Ridley, of Pulham, writes : 



