﻿468 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Scribbling* 
  of 
  a 
  Hedgerow 
  Naturalist. 
  By 
  J. 
  Whitaker. 
  

   Walter 
  Black 
  & 
  Co., 
  Ltd. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  book 
  of 
  natural 
  history 
  observations 
  addressed 
  in 
  

   an 
  epistolary 
  manner 
  to 
  Mr. 
  0. 
  V. 
  Aplin, 
  and 
  contains 
  much 
  

   interesting 
  information. 
  Mr. 
  Whitaker, 
  as 
  a 
  man 
  of 
  leisure, 
  

   appears 
  to 
  have 
  kept 
  his 
  eyes 
  very 
  open 
  while 
  enjoying 
  the 
  

   privileges 
  of 
  what, 
  to 
  judge 
  from 
  the 
  illustrations, 
  is 
  his 
  very 
  

   pleasant 
  demesne, 
  and 
  which 
  he 
  refers 
  to 
  on 
  the 
  title-page 
  as 
  

   "Bainworth 
  Lodge, 
  Notts." 
  

  

  Now 
  that 
  anglers 
  and 
  others 
  are 
  paying 
  much 
  more 
  attention 
  

   to 
  the 
  natural 
  food 
  of 
  our 
  freshwater 
  fishes, 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  know 
  

   that 
  " 
  the 
  Bracken 
  Beetle 
  " 
  is 
  a 
  favourite 
  food 
  for 
  Trout, 
  and 
  

   that 
  at 
  Bainworth, 
  during 
  the 
  short 
  time 
  of 
  their 
  appearance, 
  

   the 
  fish 
  " 
  are 
  simply 
  gorged 
  with 
  them." 
  The 
  Beetle 
  thus 
  

   referred 
  to 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Whitaker 
  is 
  evidently 
  the 
  one 
  known 
  by 
  the 
  

   colloquial 
  name 
  of 
  " 
  bracken 
  clock," 
  and 
  to 
  entomologists 
  as 
  

   Pliyllopertha 
  liorticula. 
  On 
  the 
  sometime 
  controverted 
  question 
  

   of 
  the 
  method 
  of 
  the 
  "drumming" 
  by 
  Snipe, 
  a 
  positive 
  assertion 
  

   is 
  made 
  as 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  personal 
  observation 
  : 
  " 
  This 
  sound 
  is 
  

   always 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  bird 
  when 
  flying; 
  just 
  before 
  making 
  it, 
  the 
  

   bird 
  ascends 
  (often 
  when 
  doing 
  this 
  it 
  calls 
  ' 
  cipik,' 
  ' 
  cipik,' 
  

   ' 
  cipik 
  '), 
  and 
  when 
  it 
  has 
  got 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  it 
  wants, 
  the 
  tail 
  is 
  

   spread 
  out 
  and 
  the 
  wings 
  extended, 
  then 
  the 
  bird 
  comes 
  slanting 
  

   down 
  and 
  the 
  sound 
  is 
  produced. 
  I 
  have 
  watched 
  carefully, 
  but 
  

   the 
  beak 
  is 
  not 
  open. 
  I 
  am 
  quite 
  certain 
  the 
  sound 
  is 
  produced 
  

   by 
  the 
  tail 
  and 
  wings." 
  Another 
  record 
  that 
  requires 
  preserva- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  one 
  related 
  by 
  an 
  old 
  water 
  bailiff 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  

   Swans 
  on 
  a 
  pond 
  attached 
  to 
  a 
  mill 
  where 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  girls 
  are 
  

   employed. 
  These 
  girls 
  in 
  fine 
  weather 
  eat 
  their 
  meals 
  on 
  the 
  

   bank 
  of 
  the 
  dam, 
  throwing 
  bits 
  of 
  bread 
  to 
  the 
  Swans. 
  A 
  bell 
  

   rings 
  at 
  breakfast 
  and 
  dinner-time, 
  and 
  directly 
  the 
  bell 
  starts 
  

   the 
  Swans, 
  if 
  near, 
  " 
  swim 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  they 
  can 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  ; 
  if 
  

   they 
  are 
  at 
  the 
  far 
  end, 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  sound 
  they 
  fly 
  low 
  over 
  the 
  

   water 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  "; 
  and, 
  as 
  the 
  old 
  man 
  said, 
  they 
  " 
  know 
  what 
  

   the 
  bell 
  is 
  for 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  girls." 
  Many 
  similar 
  observations 
  

   have 
  been 
  made, 
  and 
  they 
  require 
  compilation. 
  

  

  We 
  think 
  Mr. 
  Whitaker 
  is 
  on 
  strong 
  ground 
  in 
  stating 
  that 
  

   some 
  birds 
  "have 
  a 
  great 
  number 
  of 
  conversational 
  notes 
  amongst 
  

  

  