Rev. F. R. Simpson's Zoological Jottings. 437 



After this, Harbottle castle seldom appears in the page of 

 history ; and the time came when the union of Scotland and 

 England, under one Sovereign, brought peace to the Borders, 

 and led to a gradual change in the lawless habits of the 

 Border men. Castles, peles, bastiles, and barmkynes, being 

 formed for defence against an enemy, rather than for comfort 

 to a resident, were not adapted to the new and improved 

 social conditions, and were allowed to fall into ruin, or to be 

 utilised as quarries, whence stones were taken to build 

 modern halls and houses. Some, indeed, fell before a royal 

 mandate ; for James I., in order to extinguish the memory of 

 past hostilities, proscribed the use of the name Borders, and 

 substituted that of 3Iiddle- shires, and ordered all places of 

 strength therein to be demolished, excepting the habitations 

 of noblemen and barons ; their iron gates to be converted into 

 plough-shares, and the inhabitants to betake themselves to 

 agriculture and the peaceful arts.* 



Zoological Jottings at North Sunderland in 1868. 

 By the Rev. F. R. Simpson, Vicar. 



On February 11th, Partridges paired. 



March. Plovers paired on the 5th, Humble Bees were 

 abroad for the first time on the 26th, and a Bat was abroad 

 on the evening of the 30th. 



April. The first Brown Butterfly ( Venessa urticce), was 

 seen on the 14th; the Smaller White Butterfly {Pieris 

 Rapce), on the 25th; and the Corn Crake {Crexpratensis), on 

 the 27 th. 



May. The Queen Wasp (Vespa vulgaris), was seen on 

 the 1st; the Painted Lady Butterfly (Cynthia Cardui), on 

 the 6th ; the Large White Butterfly (Pieris brassica), on. 

 the 8th; the Cuckoo on the 16th; the Flycatcher on the 

 22nd; and the Red Admiral Butterfly (^Venessa atalanta), 

 on the 27th. 



June. The Holly Blue Butterfly was seen on the 4th; 

 and a covey of Partridges were able to fly on the 10th. 



August 8. White Butterflies have been very numerous 

 during the past week, and their Caterpillars very destructive 

 of cabbages and broccoli. 



* Redpath, p. 706. 



