BY THE REV. R. F. WHEELER, M.A. 29 



Stanhope. — In the autumn of 1866, and in the months of No- 

 vember and December, a number of Bohemian chatterers were 

 shot in this neighbourhood. In Bernard's "History of British 

 Birds" it is stated that they visited the Northern Counties in 

 1796 and 1798. 



Acklam, near Middlesbro'. — A fine specimen of the night-jar 

 was shot in the spring, also two North American cross-beaks in 

 May. 



Seaham. — On the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of January, great numbers 

 of larks passed over here, flying southward. At the same time 

 many snow-buntings and mountain finches were seen about the 

 corn stacks ; they disappeared with the snow. The same re- 

 mark applies to blackbirds and thrushes ; they were unusually 

 scarce during the summer. The green and black aphides were 

 very troublesome this season ; some crops were entirely de- 

 stroyed by them. There was much honey dew in June and 

 July. Garden slugs (Limax agrestis and Arion hortensisj were 

 very destructive. Wasps were moi'e numerous than they had 

 been for years. Butterflies were very scarce. 



North Shields. — "Woodcocks arrived April 4th. Humble bees 

 seen April 12th. Small white butterfly seen April 22nd. Beetles 

 (Geotropes ?) April 12th. 



In drawing this year's Report to a close, the editor ventures 

 to repeat a suggestion of Su- John Herschel's, and to say that 

 he will be extremely thankful to any one, whether a regular ob- 

 server or not, who will be so obliging as to furnish him with any 

 memoranda they may make in reference to it. He " strongly re- 

 commends those whose occupation leads them to attend to the 

 signs of the weather, and who from hearing a particular weather 

 adage often repeated, and from noticing themselves a few re- 

 markable instances of its verification, have 'begun to put faith 

 in it,' to commence keeping a note-book, and to sot down Avith- 

 out bias all the instances which occur to them of the recognised 

 antecedent, and the occurence or non-occurence of the expected 

 consequent, not omitting to put down those cases in which it is 

 left undecided ; and after so collecting a considerable number of 



