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THE BRITISH NATURALIST. [September 



The Yellow-billed Sheath-bill (Chionis alba) in Ireland. — 

 A specimen of this bird was shot by Mr. Richard Hamilton, Carl- 

 ingford, Co. Down, on December 2nd, 1892, a detailed account of which, 

 along with a full description of the bird, and an excellent plate, are 

 given in the June part of the " Irish Naturalist," from which the 

 following particulars are taken. " Chienis alba lives like our Oyster 

 catcher, singly or small flocks, on the shores of Antarctic islands ; it 

 feeds on mollusca, carrion, seaweed and eggs." It "inhabits the 

 coast of Patagonia, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia " ; 

 " Darwin and other voyagers remark the great distances from land at 

 which the bird is to be met with in the open ocean, and, according to 

 Prof. Newton, the most northerly record is latitude 44 0 S., 260 miles 

 off the coast of Patagonia, which is very remarkable for a wadle ; 

 44° S. lat. is also about the northern limit of drift ice, which the 

 Sheath-bill is said to frequent." The writer argues at great length on 

 the possibility of the bird having wandered far from its usual haunts, 

 wandering still further, in its endeavour to seek a climate similar to 

 that of its native home. He also argues that it is not a bird likely 

 to be brought home by sailors. It would certainly be very interesting, 

 if it could be established that the bird had so visited the Irish coast, 

 but though the facts appear to point in that direction, actual proof is 

 not likely to be obtained. 



Saturnia carpini two years in pupa. — From the Cavpini pupae 

 I had I have only reared three insects, I thought the others were dead, 

 but on opening one of the cocoons last week I found the pupa was 

 alive. Do they often lay over to another year ? — H. T. Robson, 

 Stockton-on-Tees. 



My brother sent me a supply of these pupae bred from larvae found 

 on the Cleveland Moors. Part of them were sent out to India, but 

 from those I retained not one moth emerged. I expect they are all 

 alive but I have not opened the cocoons. I do not know what others 

 may have experienced, but I never had this pupa lie over before. — 

 John E. Robson, Hartlepool. 



The Early Season. — Early appearance of insects other than 

 Lepidoptera. April 6th, Limnobia punitata^ and Tipula vittata. April 

 22nd, Bibio marci, Tipula vernalis, Phalacrocera replicata, Agvion ntbellum, 

 and Libellina depressa. April 28th, Andvena fasciata, fulva and other 

 spring bees out at Hastings ; also Tipula fascipennis and Limnobia mono. 

 May 3rd, Bibio venosus, Agriotybus armetus ; 5th, Bibio hortulamis ; 6th, 

 Bibio punctum- album ; nth, Tipula nubeculosus, Pwsopus pictipes, Megachile 

 centuncularis ; 13th, Hylotoma enodis, Pcecilostoma submuticum, Prosopis 

 confusa; 18th, Eumenes coarctata, Isopogon cinctus; 19th, Hylotoma ustulala; 

 20th, Lyda inanita, Callomyia spcciosa ; 24th, Tephrites cardui. — C. W. 

 Dale, Glanvilles Wootton. 



