IO NOTES — FISHES AND LEPIDOPTERA. 



watched, hovering on the wing like a Kestrel, above the boat- 

 house of Easington, Humber side. A few Common Buzzards 

 (B. vulgaris) seen during the autumn. 



Turdus merula L. Blackbird. November 9th. Considerable 



immigration of Blackbirds both on the Lincolnshire coast and 

 at the Spurn, Kilnsea and Easington ; at the latter places 

 during the first week of the month. 



Columba palumbus L. Wood Pigeon. November 12th. 



Mr. Haigh writes from Grainsby : — Several large flocks passing 

 south, very high. December 5th. Flock high to W. at Cotes. 



Stercorarius pomatorhinus (Temminck). Pomatorhine Skua. 



The only one I have seen this season was on November 26th, 

 a freshly-killed specimen in immature plumage, the square tips 

 of the central rectrices slightly projecting beyond the rest. The 

 colour of the legs and base of toes in the young of this species 

 is described in Yarrell (4th edition) as yellow. In this those 

 parts were a lovely pale blue — pearl blue — the feet and toes 

 black. When I saw the bird ten days later the blue parts had 

 faded to a dirty slaty-brown, without a trace of the beautiful 

 early colour. 



December gt/i, 1 895. 



NOTE— FISHES. 



Lophius piscatorius off the Isle of Man. — The cutting below appeared 

 in the ■ Uiverston Advertiser' of October 26th. — L. Petty, Nov. 1st, 1895. 



'Capture of a Sea-Devil off Douglas. — An exciting scene has taken 



place on board the steam trawler ' Skart.' While fishing off Douglas there became 

 entangled in the net a monster fish known as the sea-devil {Lopkiniis Piscatorions)> 

 which was with the greatest difficulty hauled on board. It was two yards in 

 length, and about the same measurement round the head. . . . The fish has been 

 mounted by Mr. R. Coburn, of Douglas/ 



NOTE— LEPIDOPTERA. 



Acherontia atropos in Went Vale : and Query as to Dates of Emer- 

 gence.— On August 23rd last, I received from a potato garden at Little Smeaton 

 a full fed larva of Acherontia atropos , which promptly pupated on being provided 

 with earth ; the imago emerged on Nov. 17th, having meanwhile been kept in a 

 warm room. It would perhaps be of interest to others besides myself if some of 

 our local lepidopterists would give their experience as to the month in which 

 A, atropos emerges in a state of nature. Stainton says the end of August to October, 

 Newman gives the latter month, while Mr. J. Anderson, Jr., writing in a recent 

 number of the * Entomologists' Record ' (Vol. vii, p. 86,) states 4 Some emergences 

 may take place in November, if not the moths will remain in pupa till June or 

 July, unless forcing be adopted.' I had always regarded A. atropos as a late autumn 

 species, the few specimens which have passed into my hands being found at rest 

 in October or November ; but in the case of such emergences, where could the 

 female lay her eggs to give the young larvae a reasonable prospect of feeding on 

 potato, upon which plant I believe most larva; are reported to have been found? 

 -Wm. E. Brady, i, Queen Street, Barnsley, Dec. 12th, i8qs. 



Naturalist, 



