72 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



Hybeenating Diurni. — When riding in Caversham Warren, near Heading, 

 on the Oxfordshire side of the Thames, 1 noticed two Brimstones (G. rkamni), 

 and a Peacock {V. Io) on February 11th, an evidence of the mildness of the 

 season. — C. E. Henderson, Reading. 



Wild Rabbit and Poultry.— Some years ago I possessed a wild rabbit, 

 which T found on a road near Linton, in Devonshire, when about three weeks 

 old. It was brought up upon milk, which it sucked through a quill with 

 the finger of an old kid glove attached to it. When about half-grown this 

 rabbit was turned into a yard with some poultry, and was a good deal bullied 

 by the cocks. At length a bright idea of revenging himself occurred to the 

 bunny. Watching his opportunity, when one of his assailants was pecking 

 or standing in a listless attitude, he would charge from behind, with his head 

 down, and almost always succeed in upsetting his enemy, generally sending 

 him head over heels. After he had asserted his authority in the poultry 

 yard, he became quite friendly with the poultry and always slept in the hen- 

 house. At a later period of this bunny's lifetime, he lived in loose box with 

 another tame buck rabbit, whom he bullied unmercifully, till at last gnawing 

 through two inches of oak he made his escape. — R. J. Attye, Stratford-on- 



Avon 



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Glasgow Practical Naturalists' Society. — Allow me to correct one 

 or two inaccuracies in the report of Mr. McKay of the meeting of the above 

 Society, which appeared in the February part of the Young Naturalist. The 

 specimen of the Night Heron exhibited was not an adult but a young female 

 in immature plumage. Neither had it been shot ; it was caught alive in an 

 exhausted condition and lived a few days after its capture. The name by 

 which it was exhibited [Nycticorax Griseus, L.) is a better one than Nycticorax 

 Gardeni, a synonymn, which is not used by our most recent ornithological 

 authorities. I may in conclusion remark that the bird was not exhibited by 

 me, but by my colleague in the museum, Mr. James Connell. My only 

 reason for thus troubling you with the above corrections is that I think ail 

 reports bearing on the occurrence of rare species ought to be perfectly 

 accurate. — J. W. Campbell. 



OBITUARY. 



We have just learned with great regret that Mr. E. C. Rye died on the 7th February, 

 from Small Pox. Mr. Rye is best known as a Coleopterist, in which order he was a 

 constant contributor to the magazines. His largest work is " British Beetles, an Intro- 

 duction to the Study of our Indigenous Coleoptera, " published by Lovell, Reeve, & Co, 

 His collection of Beetles is in the possession of Dr. Mason, Burton-on-Trent. 



