Quadrupeds — Birds. 2523 



dorsal, caudal, ventral, one of the anal, and of course one of the pectoral, fins, and 

 remove the viscera : this I do carefully, to avoid breaking or displacing the bones : 

 then I place it out on a piece of wood or cork, with the skin upwards, displaying the 

 fins, and, fixing them with a few pins, expose the specimen to a current of air, — as 

 much as possible in the dark, — to stiffen the skin and fins before it is put into the box 

 of insects. June and July are the most favourable months for the operations of these 

 little anatomists. I have often had a mouse, a small bird, or specimens of other 

 kinds of the size of these, cleaned thoroughly in a night and a day, but there must 

 be a good assembly of the operators to do this. These beetles, in the perfect and 

 larva state, can be procured in tallow-melters' shops, warehouses containing dried un- 

 tanned hides and skins, and other places which contain stale animal substances. 

 They should be kept in a box close enough to prevent their escape, and large enough 

 to receive specimens, with some fur, feathers, or a small animal skin or two ; and in 

 the absence of specimens a piece of suet should be put into the box, which should be 

 kept dry, and where it will have occasional sunshine. — Wm. Baker; Bridgwater, July 

 11, 1849. 



Polecat in Suffolk. — In answer to to the inquiries of Mr. Bird (Zool. 2440), con- 

 cerning a former note of mine (Zool. 2379) on the occurrence of the polecat here, I 

 have only to say that with us this animal is by no means common, for previously to 

 the capture of the specimen already referred to there has not been one caught here 

 for upwards of ten years. Neither do I think that it ever has been plentiful ; for be- 

 fore the making of plantations was generally commenced, the open country— being 

 also flat, dry and sandy — was quite unsuited to its habits ; and almost coeval with 

 the spirit of planting has been the system of strict game-preserving, which effectually 

 destroys any predatory stragglers before they have time to stock the neighbourhood. 

 This is the only explanation which I have to offer your correspondent on the subject; 

 but surely when he speaks of the polecat's being " the most common of our carnivo- 

 rous Mammalia," he forgets the stoat and weasel. With regard to Mr. Bird's remarks 

 on the ferret, I beg to say that I do not think it is the common opinion among the 

 warreners here that the ferret is very susceptible of cold, but that it can endure it well 

 enough to live even at large throughout the winter. An instance of this occurred in 

 the past season, when a ferret escaped and ran wild for nearly two months ; and when 

 it was at last caught, it was fierce and difficult to handle. It may be said, however, 

 that we have had no very cold weather this past year ; but it is of little consequence, 

 for I believe similar cases are perpetually happening. The practice of some of the 

 best warreners about here is to keep their ferrets in a small deep pit exposed to the 

 weather, and as long as they are kept dry they do not appear to suffer from any change 

 in the temperature : such ferrets are generally stronger than those kept in boxes.-^ 

 Alfred Newton ; Elveden, Thetford, June 6, 1849. 



Oology and Ornithology. — I quite agree with some of the observations of Dr. Scott 

 (Zool. 2451), that the rage for collecting eggs will render our rare birds still rarer; 

 but it will not have this effect if egg-collectors will refrain from taking any but the 

 early nests, leaving the second ones alone. In a shrubbery about 200 yards by 10, 



