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THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



composed exclusively of sticks and reeds, the inside being lined with the 

 latter. In size it was somewhat similar to a coot's nest. . 



The eggs were hidden from view by a thin layer of reeds, which had 

 evidently been hurriedly put on in order to prevent their detection. On 

 removing this I found five eggs all quite warm, which proves that the parent 

 bird must have remained on them until the last minute. Their colour is 

 pale ochreous brown, and they are similar in shape at both ends. They can 

 readily be distinguished from the egg of any other bird on account of their 

 soft velvety touch, and unusually glossy appearance. 



OUR LONDON LETTER. 



In the first part of the month, the weather being mild, the common species 

 such as H. progemmaria, A. czscularia, etc., were very abundant round Lon- 

 don at the lamps, especially in the south ; but towards the middle of the 

 month the east wind set in, and seemed not only to check any fresh appear- 

 ances, but to kill off, or cause to hide up, those which had already emerged, 

 so much so that though a large number of Entomologists visited West Wick- 

 ham Woods about this time, the reports were very disappointing. On one 

 occasion as many as sixteen gentlemen were at work in this locality, expecting 

 to see B. parthenias, C.flavicornis, T. crepuscularia, T. piniperda, &c, but 

 the result was empty boxes to nearly all, though a few L. multistrigaria were 

 taken on the top of Shirley Hills. It was a bright sunny enjoyable day, 

 though there had been a sharp frost in the morning. The sallows and birches 

 in this locality are not at all forward, though the vegetation in London is 

 unusually advanced. 



Mr. Meek, the well known Naturalist, has gone for a trip to the Canary 

 Islands, and will probably bring back with him some interesting specimens. 



With reference to Mr. Hill's communication respecting H. defoliaria, Mr. 

 Southey, a well known lepidopterist in the north of London, who has had a 

 great deal of experience with the species, states that he has repeatedly taken 

 the males drying themselves during January, and has bred them from dug 

 pupae, about the same date; it is also very commonly seen on the trees in 

 Richmond Park by those searching for N. hispidaria during February. 



Easter, with its opportunities for entomological work, will enable me in 

 my next letter to communicate a larger list of species observed, as all the 

 Taniocampa will then be out, and A. badiata, A. derivata, and A. pictaria 

 will tempt entomologists to the familiar rides in Epping Forest, for the first 

 time this season. 



