134 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS. 



[Aug. 10, 1 1 



Of the Rodentia,the dormouse (Myoxus avellanarias) is 

 fairly common, but local, mostly on the margins of woods. 

 The water-vole or water-rat (Arvicola amphibius), is 

 somewhat scarce in the banks of the Avon, but gets 

 more abundant lower down, towards Keynsham and 

 Bristol, where the black variety occurs. The short- 

 tailed field-mouse, or field-vole (Arvicola arvalis), is fairly 

 common. The bank-vole (Arvicola pralensis), although 

 considered a rare and local species, is also fairly common, 

 especially so nearer Bristol, where it abounds in Leigh 

 Woods. 



The black rat (Mas rattus) is very rare, much more 

 so than in Bristol, where in some warehouses they are 

 plentiful, and are said by the rat-catchers to be fiercer 

 than their bigger and too-abundant rivals, the brown, or 

 Norway rat (Mas decumanus). The long-tailed field-mouse 

 (Mas sylvaticus) is very abundant, and is the most 

 destructive species in the neighbourhood. The pretty 

 little harvest-mouse (Mas mcssorias) also occurs, but is 

 rare and difficult to obtain. 



Of birds, the district can show a good list, at least of 

 inland species. Mr. Charles Terry gives a list of 159 

 species, of which, however, twenty are only single 

 instances or purely accidental occurrences. Among 

 the Raptores the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinas) is 

 often seen, sometimes hovering over the town on the 

 look out for some unfortunate pigeon ; but it is very 

 rarely shot, owing to its extreme wariness. The buzzard 

 (Buteo vulgaris) is getting scarcer every year. The 

 honey - buzzard (Pernis apivoras), the little owl 

 (Athene noctua), and the scops owl (Scops gin), although 

 on record, are hardly likely to occur again. The in- 

 stances on which the record is founded are very doubt- 

 ful, and date nearly fifty years back 



, The great grey shrike (Lanias major) has occurred 

 several times of late years, although it generally keeps 

 farther west and nearer the coast, as at Clevedon, 

 Weston-super-Mare, etc. The pied fly-catcher (Mascicapa 

 atricapilla) will be found to occur occasionally, and even 

 stay to breed, if undisturbed. The dipper (Cinclus 

 aquaticas), of which a beautiful nest is in the "Duncan 

 Local Museum," from Wellington, is occasionally seen ; 

 its congener, the ring-ouzel (Tardus torquatas) is some- 

 times seen also, though very rarely, preferring the 

 wilder parts of the county, as, for instance, atDulverton, 

 where it regularly breeds. Our beautiful summer 

 visitor the whinchat (Pratincola rubetra), is commoner 

 than the stonechat {Pratincola rubicola), though the con- 

 trary is the case farther east ; it often nests on the 

 G.W.R. embankments. Of the warblers, the sedge- 

 warbler (Acrocephalas phragmitis) is very common by 

 the banks of the Avon ; and the reed-warbler (Acroce- 

 phalas streperas) is not uncommon, though much more 

 local than the former; it seems to prefer some quiet, 

 undisturbed pond, overgrown with rushes. Six or 

 seven pairs have been iound nesting in such a locality. 

 That rarity the marsh-warbler (Acrocephalas palustris) 

 is also very likely to reward a careful study of the local 

 warblers ; it has nested farther south, near Taunton, and 

 farther north, near Gloucester, and should occur in the 

 many suitable spots near Bath ; it is more than likely to 

 have been overlooked, owing to its resemblance to the 

 reed-warbler. The grasshopper-warbler (Locustellanwvia) 

 is often heard, but rarely seen. The garden-warbler 

 (Sylvia horlensis) is not uncommon, but very local in its 

 distribution. 



The cirl-bunting (Emberiza cirlus') some seasons can 

 hardly be called rare; it nests in the district. The snow- 

 bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis) is also an irregular 

 visitor, vide some good specimens in the local museum. 

 That handsome bird the reed or black-headed bunting 

 (Emberiza scliceniclus) is very common in the Avon 

 meadows. The siskin (Chrysoini/ris spinas) is captured 

 some autumns in considerable numbers. The lesser 

 redpole (Linola rufesccns) is also a regular visitor in 

 autumn and winter ; sometimes a few pairs breed in the 

 district. The hawfinch (Coccothraastes vulgaris) is also 

 an irregular visitor, a nest from Coombe Down is in the 

 local museum. Of woodpeckers, the greater spotted 

 (Dcndrocopas major) and the lesser spotted (Dendrocopus 

 minor) both occur very locally, and are seen year after 

 year in the same wood. Fifteen or twenty years ago the 

 "lesser" was the commoner of the two ; of late years 

 the "greater" has occurred most frequently. The rare 

 visitor the hoopoe (Upapa epops) has occurred several 

 times, as also the bee-eater (Merops apiaster), one at 

 Widcombe, 1850, and three near Bristol, 1870, shot 

 whilst hawking round bee-hives. 



Of the doves the ring-dove, or wood-pigeon (Columba 

 palumbus) is very abundant. The turtle-dove (Tartar 

 communis) is not uncommon in summer ; the stock-dove 

 (Columba anas) is rare. That interesting visitor the 

 sand-grouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus), whose incursion 

 this year has caused so much comment, has come near 

 the district, a fine male having been shot in July on 

 Ken Moor. 



The sandpipers are poorly represented, with the one 

 exception of the common sandpiper (Tringoidcs hypo- 

 leucos), which is numerous in the Avon meadows ; the 

 other species only occur as rare stragglers, keeping, as a 

 rule, farther west, nearer the coast. The grey phalarope 

 (Phalaropus fulicarius) has been shot on several occa- 

 sions ; five were obtained in 1840, and several others 

 as rare visitors since. 



Of the Ardeidas, the common heron (Ardea cincrea) is 

 fairly common, and the bittern (Botaaras stellaris), 

 though scarce, and getting much more so of late years, 

 has occurred several times at Bathampton, Kelston, and 

 Lansdown. The spotted crake (Porsana maruetta) 

 occurs as a regular visitor, though rarely obtained, owing 

 to its skulking habits. The coot (Falica atra) is often 

 seen on the Avon in the winter, and breeds in other 

 parts of the county. Of the ducks, the peat-moors 

 about Shapwick are regularly visited by some rarities, 

 as, for instance, the beautiful shoveller duck (Spatula 

 clypeata). Of the grebes, the little grebe (Tachybaptes 

 fluviatilis) is a resident, and the Sclavonian grebe 

 (Podiceps auritus) and the great crested grebe (Podiceps 

 cristatus) occur now and then as visitors. 



Only the commoner gulls come up the Avon, as, for 

 instance, the common gull (Larus canus), the black- 

 headed (L. ridibundus), and the kittiwake (L. tridactylas), 

 this latter somewhat scarcer, and an occasional herring- 

 gull (L. argentatus). The common and Arctic terns 

 (Sterna fluviatilis and S. macroura) have been seen, 

 though very rarely, over the canal, and once or twice a 

 lesser tern (Sterna minuta). 



The fork-tailed petrel (Procellaria leucorrhoa) and the 

 storm petrel (Procellaria pclagica) have both been 

 picked up in the neigbourhood, evidently driven out of 

 their way by gales. 



(To be continued.) 



