Co-operation of Naturalist's Clubs. By Sir W. Elliot. 563 



Pheasant and its Food.— Kelso, April Ist, 1881. — " I had a peculiar case 

 last week : a Pheasant that was found dead, in good condition, but no wound 

 upon it anywhere. The crop was full of Lastrea dilatata, and a few oats. 

 Could the ferns be the cause of death ? I never before saw them in any bird. " 

 — A. Br other ston. The only case that I know in point is that mentioned by 

 Dr. John Walker in " An Economical History of the Hebrides," vol. i., p. 

 337, in a note :— * The stomach of the Tetrao tetrix, L., or Black Cock, after 

 the bird had lived in woods during winter, was several times found stuffed 

 with the foliage of the Polypodium vulgare, L. , or common polypody. This 

 is the only certain instance that has occurred of any animal living upon a 

 plant of the fern kind in this country." In opening spring in New Bruns- 

 wick, young fern fronds— " fiddle-heads," as they are named— are greedily 

 devoured as substitutes for green vegetables, to which the residents have been 

 strangers for many months.* This shews their salubrity. 



Marsh Titmouse.— Hitherto this has been passed over as a resident in the 

 Pease-dean and adjacent woods. On May 21st I had an excellent opportunity 

 for a considerable time to see a fine male engaged about the flowers of a willow, 

 above the Pease mill. It was without the white spot on the nape, and the 

 transverse white bands on the wings, and was a little larger than P. ater. 

 March 13th, 1882. I saw a pair in Aikieside woods. They were leaping into 

 the air occasionally and catching the spring Tipula — Trichocera regelationis. 



CHAPPrNCH FEEDING ON Haws.— Dec. 27th, in the Pease dean I noticed ten 

 Blackbirds feeding in a hawthorn hedge well loaded with fruit, but a number of 

 haws were accumulated on the ground with the fleshy part undevoured while 

 the stones were cracked, and the kernel was extracted. This was effected by 

 the chaffinches, one of them being detected, which had left several fresh tokens 

 of its occupation. 



Golden Oriole.— A very fine specimen was obtained in the end of May 

 in the woods of Middleton Hall near Belford. It is a male, and is believed 

 to be the only example of that sex got in Northumberland. It has now passed 

 into Mr George Bolam's collection.— /oAw Aitchison. 



On the Representation of the Club at Meetings of the British 

 Association, and onthe Co-operation of Naturalists' Clubs. 

 By Sir Walter Elliot, K.C.S.I., F.E,.S., etc. 



Having been nominated to represent the Club at the fiftieth anniversary 

 meeting of the British Association held at York, on the 28th September last, 

 I gave a short account of my mission to the meeting of the Club, at Inner- 

 leithen, on the 28th of the same month. On former occasions of a similar 

 nature I had little of interest to communicate, but the proceedings in which 

 I took part at York, were of a more important character, and deserve to find 

 a place in our Transactions. 



Up to 1880 a few Societies only were in the habit of sending delegates to 

 the annual meeting of the Association. In that year it was proposed by those 



* Adams' Field and Forest Rambles, p. 290. 



