Birds. 1325 



NATURALIST'S CALENDAR FOR APRIL. 



Birds. — During this month the greater part of the summer birds arrive. About 

 the 2nd or 3rd, a few swallows (H. rustica) sometimes appear, but the great body of 

 these birds seldom reaches us till towards the end of the month. The soft note of the 

 willow wren {Phyllopneuste Trochilus) is heard, in very early seasons, on the 1st or 2nd, 

 but more usually about the 9th or 10th. The wryneck (Yunx torquilla), tree pipit 

 (Anthus arboreus), common whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea), and the lesser whitethroat 

 (Sylvia curruca), are generally here by the middle of the month. The nightingale 

 (Luscinia Philomela) arrives between the 6th and 20th ; and the whinchat (Saxicola 

 rubetra), reed warbler (Calamoherpe arundinacea), sedge warbler (Calamodyta Phragmi- 

 tis), and yellow wagtail (Budytes Rayi) mostly reach us by the 24th. The wood wren 

 Phyllopneuste sibilatrix) may be heard in tall trees in woods about the 19th, although 

 in some seasons it is not here till quite the end of the month. The garden warbler 

 (Curruca hortensis), swift (Cypselus apus), and red-backed shrike (Enneoctonus Collu- 

 rio) reach us about the end of the month. The green sandpiper (Totanus ochropus) 

 may sometimes be seen in pairs atpouds, and the common sandpiper (T. hypoleucos) 

 arrives in this month, and may often be met with on the margins of streams. 



Insects begin to be numerous at this time of year ; several of the butterflies ap- 

 pear ; the beautiful little wood blue (Polyommatus Argiolus) may frequently be seen 

 settling upon the leaves of evergreens, such as hollies, laurels, &c. ; the various white 

 butterflies (Pontics), the elegant orange-tip (Anthocaris Cardamines), the wood Argus 

 (Satyrus JEgeria), the spotted and dingy skippers (Thymele Alveolus and Tages), come 

 forth from the chrysalis. The emperor moth (Saturnia Carpini) appears, and the 

 males may frequently be seen in the afternoon, flying rapidly in search of the females. 

 The rare prominent moth (Lophopteryx Carmelita) is sometimes, though very rarely, 

 met with at this time, and on the later flowering sallows many moths will be found ; 

 among them Orthosia rubricosa, gracilis and populeti, and in the northern counties, 

 Orthosia opima. This species has not been known to inhabit Britain till within the 

 last two years, and was discovered at York by T. H. Allis, Esq. — H. Doubleday ; in 

 Naturalist's Almanack for 1845. 



Submergence of the Moorhen. In the last number of the * Zoologist ' (Zool. 1255), 

 I see allusion is made to the submergence question, the two sides of which were seve- 

 rally advocated by Mr. Slaney and myself. When I left Mr. Slaney's last notes on 

 the subject (Zool. 877) unreplied to, I was partly, at least, influenced by the hope 

 that other observations on the subject might be recorded. And now that the question 

 has been again referred to, I will forward the remarks which I noted down soon after 

 the perusal of Mr. Slaney's last communication. I should scarcely however venture 

 to trespass further on the pages of the ' Zoologist,' and the patience of its readers, by 

 additional remarks upon an already trite subject, were it not that I desire, so far as I 

 may, to add to the amount of correct information on matters connected with Natural 

 History. In his notes (Zool. 877) Mr. Slaney appears to overlook the fact that the 

 point at issue between himself and me, is limited to the question or subject of complete 

 or entire submergence; and that my arguments are not intended to apply to partial 



