MAY. 117 



central coverts. The scapulars have white edges, and the under parts 

 are white. 



The Spotted Flycatcher is ash-brown above, a dark line on the 

 central head feathers. The under parts are whitish, brown streaks 

 on sides of a longitudinal character; flanks tinged with red. The 

 Spotted Flycatcher is 5M inches in length, and the Pied species 

 5 inches only. 



There are no less than four hundred species of Flycatchers, and 

 they are all confined to the Old World. 



Cold, clear moonlight night. 



14th. Brilliant sunshine, but blowing quite a gale, and very cold. 

 Birds silent. 



15th. Awfully cold again. Sunshine, but cold N.E. winds. Chaf- 

 finch heard singing. 



Mr. W. E. L. Wattam, 54, Towngate, Newsome, near Huddersfield, 

 kindly sends me the dates of arrival of the Pied Wagtail in the Hud- 

 dersfield district for the past nine years. In some districts this bird is 

 found all through the year, but in others, the West Riding of York- 

 shire, for instance, it is purely a Summer visitor. 



DATES OF ARRIVAL OF THE PIED WAGTAIL IN THE HUDDERSFIELD 



DISTRICT. 

 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. 1896. 



March 20. April 1. March 27. April 15. March 21. 

 1897. 1898. 1899. 1900. 



March 27. March 12. March 10. March 4. 



16th. Dull; still cold and blustering. Skylark singing. 



17th. Not nearly so cold; wind dropped considerably. 



It is many years since we have experienced such a cold, blustering 

 May. Skylark singing. 



I attended the annual meeting of the Selborne Society to-day. 

 The Right Hon. James Bryce, M.P., occupied the chair, in the 

 unavoidable absence of the President (the Right Hon. Lord 

 Avebury), and spoke strongly on the destruction of various forms 

 of wild life. Professor G. S. Boulger, the Rev. Professor Henslow, 

 Sir Robert Hunter, and others also spoke. The Society is 

 in a flourishing condition that is to say, there was a good balance 

 on the right side for the year 1899 but the number of country 

 members has fallen off, though this has been made up by an increase 

 in the town members. I can thoroughly recommend the objects of 

 this Society to my readers. It does an admirable work, and the 

 Council consists of men and women who are by no means faddists, 



