1 74 Natural History in the English Counties* 



Birds, has given some account of the nest of this species, the time and period of their incubation, 

 and the numbers of their eggs, but does not describe them. Under these circumstances, we trust 

 the following description, although now written upwards of forty-four years ago, will not be 

 altogether uninteresting to our ornithological readers : — 



" Some time last summer a nest of the dottrel was found on Skiddaw ; the old one was killed, 

 and the eggs brought away, which were three or four in number, I saw three of them j they are 

 somewhat larger than a magpie's egg, the ground is a dirty clay colour marked with large irregular 

 black spots. February 14, 1785." * 



Common Tern. This species does not visit Solway Frith in any great numiiers, and for some 



years past has been much less numerous than usual. It is there called by the fishermen and 

 others jerky, pickmaw, &c. The lesser tern (S. minuta) rarely visits the Frith, and Allonby is 

 the nearest place we have lately received it from. 



The spring of the present year was one of- the most backward that has occurred in this neigh- 

 bourhood for very many years. 



During the whole of April and the beginning of May the thermometer was frequently below 

 the freezing point, the surrounding mountains more or less covered with snow, and the weather 

 in general gloomy, wet, and extremely cold. 



It was not until the 6th of May that the whitethorn (Crataegus Oxyacintha) in the hedges 

 began to exhibit any very evident symptoms of verdure, and the woods were almost entirely desti- 

 tute of their foliage for some time after ; in short, the winter might be said to have been 

 protracted, with little or no exaggeration, until nearly the middle of May. 



We have been led to make these remarks from its being generally admitted that the early or 

 late appearance of the summer birds of passage depends entirely upon the state and temperature 

 of the weather, &c. ; yet it will be perceived that the swallow and grasshopper warbler arriveel 

 unusually early, and, with the exception of the goatsucker, whinchat, and wood wren, all the 

 others about tlie time they have arrived for the last two years. + A violent storm from the north- 

 east, which commenced on the 28th of April, and which continued, although somewhat abated, 

 for several successive days, will account in some measure for the delay in the appearance of these 

 three species, it having begun aliout the time they commonly made their appearance in this 

 vicinity. Much might be said upon this very interesting subject, and it is probable we may recur 

 to it at some future opportunity. — C. Carlisle, October 26. 1829. 



Ichthyoloi!y. — Doree {Zeus Fader Lin.). Two small specimens of this species were taken in 

 Solway Frith during the late summer ; the first on the 19th of May, the second on the 12lh of 

 June. The former weighed only eighteen ounces, and was 14^ in. long; the latter exceeded 

 17 in. in length, and was upwards of thirty-two ounces in weight. I have been induced to 

 notice this occurrence, as I am not aware that the doree has been met with so far north before, 

 —/rf. 



Pj/rola secunda. — Withering gives one English locality for this plant, in 

 Yorkshire; Smith only mentions Scottish habitats. It is found thickly, 

 though limited to the space of two or three yards, close by a waterfall some 

 distance up a hill on the right-hand side of the road leading from Ambleside 

 to Keswick, and opposite that end of Leatheswater nearer to the latter. — 

 Hewett Cottrell WaUon. Edinburgh, Oct. 1829. 



Somersetshire. 



Rare Plants found in the Neighbourhood of Yeovil. — Sir, Next to a spread 



of vital religion, there is nothing better fitted to enlighten the mind or 



enlarge the heai't than the study of the works of creation. It is therefore 



with much pleasure I have to inform you that your Magazine has kindled 



a taste for natural history amongst us, which I trust will increase more and 



more ; and I am commissioned by the botanists of this place to send you 



a list of the rarer plants found in our neighbourhood ; desiring you, at the 



same time, to erase from it the names of those you may consider too 



common for insertion. We have taken Smith for our guide; and where 



he has not recorded the plant as of frequent occurrence, we have ventured 



to give it a place in the catalogue. I am. Sir, &c. — W. H.y R. N. Yeovil^ 



Jan. 13. 1830. 



Festuca Zoliacea. (761chicum autumnMe. Jb^ris amara. 



sylvatica. Chlbra perfolia.ta. .,4'rctium ZAppa. y 



Triticum caninum. Polygonum Bist6rta. Hypericum ^ndrosae^raum. 



..^nchusa sempervlrens. .Kanftnculus arvensis. Ex\geron hcris. 



Primula elktior. Z/iimium inclsum. Cnicus acaulis. 



Campanula iZaptinculus. amplexicaule. Sen^cio sylvaticus. 



Ery thr£B^a pulch^Ua. ^bsa arvensis. J'nula Heihnium ; a large bed, 



riolahirta. Thymus Calamintha. 20ft square ; certainly wild. 



Finca m&jor. Galeobdolon liiteum. Centaur^a Calcitrapa. 



Gal&nthus nivalis. Erbdium moschatum. O'rchis bifblia. 



Allium vineJile. Pelargbnium lucidum. pyramidalis, 



5e'r6em vulgaris ; perhaps not olumbinum. O'phrys apifera. 



wild. Zathyrus sylv^stris. Phallus impudlcus W/Mm«^. 



* Dr. Heysham's MSS. 



t See the Magazine of Natural History, vol. i. p. 290. ; and the Philosophical Magazine, vol. v. 

 p. 196. 



