19:2 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



plentiful in 1882, but very worn before they 

 visited the ragwort, Umbrosa. common in 

 1 88 1, but not before nor since. Baja, com- 

 mon ; xanthographa-, common. Suspecta, 

 swarmed in 1881, particularly one night, not 

 met with at all at ragwort the next year, 

 although judging from the number found at 

 rest by my brother and I, we thought it not 

 at all improbable that it might have been as 

 abundant as the year before. C. vaccinii only 

 in 1879, the ragwort being that year excep- 

 tionally late in flowering. X. silago (3) ; 

 ferruginea, common in 1880. C. trapezina, r 

 very common in 1878, not common since. 

 P. gamma, common in most years, most 

 abundant this year. M. typica, one or two. 

 C. immanata and H. niciitans are very notice- 

 able for the regularity of their visits, the 

 former insect is very abundant in this 

 locality, whilst, on the other hand, micacea, 

 glareosa, ferruginea, dubitata, are far more 

 irregular in their appearance. We have 

 not taken one species in the genus Agrotis, 

 a most remarkable fact, since it appears to 

 have a special attraction to this genus in 

 some localities, particularly on some parts 

 of the coast. Further information is, how- 

 ever, desirable, as it would be interesting, 

 in furnishing data from which to draw the 

 conclusion whether the flower in question 

 is more attractive to certain insects on the 

 coast than inland. — E. P. P. Butterfield, 

 Wilsden. 



BIRDS. 



On Saturday, June 7th I found two 

 Cuckoo's eggs in a Meadow Pipit's nest of 

 four eggs, one egg had a greenish ground 

 colour, the other a dirty white. On arriving 

 home I looked in my egg book (" Richard 

 Laishley's British Eggs"), and it said that 

 two Cuckoo's eggs in one nest was a very 

 rare occurrence. — Oliver Mitchell, 

 Morton, Near Bingley, Yorkshire. 



CONCHOLOGY. 



Helix cantiana. — I find this shell abun^ 



dantly on our railway banks. It was said 

 in the monograph of British shells, pub- 

 lished in our first volume, to be found 

 " chiefly in chalk districts in the south-east 

 of England." It may have been introduced 

 here in ballast, but it is plentiful now. H. 

 cantiana does not appear to be so fond of 

 moisture as most mollucs, it may be found 

 exposed to the hot sun during the daytime. 

 — John E. Robson, Hartlepool. 



EXCHANGE. 



I have good skins of the following birds :— 

 Landrail, oyster-catcher, purple sandpiper, 

 common tern, starling, yellow-hammer, 

 moor hen, and lapwing, and a Death's-head 

 moth, to exchange for sea-birds' or hawks- 

 eggs. — J. Cambridge, 13, Alliance Street, 

 Hartlepool. 



I still want many young birds in the 

 downy state for figuring, lists of species 

 required sent on application. I have skins 

 of several rare birds I could give in return. 

 S. L. Mosley. 



To Collectors. — I will give the first 

 four half-crown parts of my " Varieties of 

 British Lepidoptera " to the person who, 

 before December 1st, 1884, shall send me 

 the largest number of species of insects of 

 all orders except Lepidoptera. Unset speci- 

 mens not objected to, quantity being of 

 more consequence than quality. The prize 

 will not be awarded unless there be more 

 than one competitor. Should the number 

 of competitors be large, more than one prize 

 will be given. Competitors names and con- 

 signments of specimens to be sent to S. L. 

 Mosley, Beaumont Park Museum, Hud- 

 dersfield. 



I have for exchange a few good specimens 

 of Dasycera sulphurella. Desiderata, very 

 numerous. — John Mckay, 78, Gloucester 

 Street, Tradeston, Glasgow, N.B. 



