THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



95 



think my observation tends to show that 

 the insect in question emerged during the 

 night. It may be worth while to mention 

 that growing by the side of the pailings are 

 a number of oaks, at the foot of which 

 Leucophearia probably pupates. It is curious 

 fact that the male insect is generally found 

 on the palings, comparatively few being 

 found on the trees, on the other hand, I 

 never find a female on the palings. 



H. Rvpicapraria — I notice that this insect 

 rarely rests on palings or tree trunks ; the 

 best way to get it is to box them as they 

 hang at the tip of the whitethorn twigs at 

 dusk. I can never find the female Rupicap- 

 raria. — Wm. P. Ellis, Enfield Chase. 



Early Appearance of P. Pilosaria. — 

 I took a fine male specimen of this species 

 on the 17th December, 1 83, and another 

 on January 23rd, 1884, at rest on some 

 trees on Newmarket heath. — Emma Hutch- 

 inson, Kimbolton, Leominster. 



Early Appearance of Nyssia Zonaria. 

 On looking through my breeding-cages on 

 the 10th inst. I found four females and two 

 males of Nyssia zonaria had emerged. They 

 were kept in a place without a fire, and I 

 think their emergence very early. Four 

 more females have appeared since.— H. 

 Murray, Carnforth, 18th Feb., 1884. 



COLEOPTERA. 



February ioth, took a fine specimen of 

 Cychrus rostratus and a pair, in copula, of 

 Othius fulvipenne under stones. — J. W. 

 Carter, Bradford. 



Dorcus Parallelopipedus. — I found a 

 fine specimen of this beetle on the 29th 

 December crawling at the bottom of an old 

 ash-tree. Is this the usual time for its 

 appearance ?— J. Bates, Orchard Terrace, 

 Wellingborough. 



BIRDS. 



Birds Singing in January. — Birds 

 heard singing during January, 1884 : Song 

 Thrush, Missel Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, 



Chaffinch, Skylark, Wren and Hedge- 

 sparrow. — W t m. P. Ellis. 



REPTILES. 



The Sand Lizard {Lacerta agilis.) — 

 Walking out one noontide with a friend, 

 in the interval between school hours, we 

 turned down a little frequented lane leading 

 to some brick fields. Suddenly my friend 

 exclaimed " Waters ! look here !" I looked 

 immediately in the direction indicated, and 

 to my pleasurable surprise espied five or 

 six sand lizards, which, having previously 

 been sunning themselves on the bank under 

 a fence, were now preparing to dart away. 

 To pounce on them was the work of a 

 moment. They instantly scattered in all 

 directions, but I, nevertheless managed to 

 secure one individual who fought most 

 valiantly, and gripped my fingers like a bull 

 terrier. However, I was not to be induced 

 into letting him go with all his biting, and 

 his tiny teeth made little impression on me. 

 I soon transferred him into my pocket 

 handkerchief ; which said handkerchief, like 

 that of most schoolboys, gifted with a taste 

 for Natural History, came in handy for 

 many and varied purposes over and above 

 that for which it was originally intended. 



My friend's "line" was birds eggs and 

 Zoology for rather Herpetology) possessed 

 j little interest for him, so that he readily 

 I permitted me to retain my captive, although 

 he had observed it and its companion 

 saurians first of all. I carried it home safely 

 and transferred it to a case with a glass 

 front to it, where it lived for some months, 

 but eventually escaped and got tread upon, 

 whereby it was so much injured that it 

 eventually died. 



I gave it flies but it seemed to care little 

 for them, but appeared to relish aphides 

 somewhat. I had, however, great trouble 

 in getting it to eat. 



This was several years ago ; since then I 

 have had more experience of the ways of 



