THE YOUNG NATUEALTST. 



53 



Many wells. I have not seen, neither have 

 I heard from any of my ornithological 

 friends, of any Fieldfares being observed in 

 this district during the present month. 

 (E.P.P.B.) 



Fieldfares and Redwings.— Although 

 I have been much about the country, I have 

 not, up to the end of this month, seen a 

 single bird of either of these species. (S.L.M.) 



November 12th. — Mr. Firth took a very- 

 dark — almost black — unicolourous variety 

 of H. defoliaria at Shipley Glen. I have a 

 similar one from the same place, which I 

 took two or three years ago, but it is not 

 near so common as the analogous variety of 

 //. progemmarta, 



November 23rd. — On this date I skinned 

 a skylark : it contained particles of gravel 

 and seeds of various kinds, many of them 

 v.ere probably convolvulus, a very trouble- 

 some weed in cornfields. (S.L.M.; 



Robins and Hedgesparrows have been 

 singing during fine weather all the month. 

 Ycllowhammers and other small birds have 

 been fairly common, but not numerous in 

 stubble fields. (S.L.M.) 



The month of November has been one of 

 unprecedented mildness. The Hybernidae 

 have appeared in good numbers, and their 

 emergence seems to have been simultaneous; 

 they have presented a most lively appear- 

 ance, flying about in all directions, which is 

 contrary to their usual habits of sitting 

 quietly on the leafless branches. C. vaccinii 

 was quite common to the end of the month. 

 Primroses and other spring flowers have 

 been observed in flower in various parts of 

 Yorkshire. 



SHELL COLLECTING. 



One fine day in September my brother 

 and I took a stroll without any very special 

 object, but eventually settled down to have 

 a hunt for shells. We found Helix fasciolata 

 very abundant at some distance from the 

 sea. It is the commonest shell we have 



here — where it occurs, but it is very local — 

 its numbers considerably exceeding Helix 

 nemoralis. A little further up the lane we 

 found Helix ericetonim, but only got three 

 specimens, though we looked closely for the 

 species which was a desideratum both with 

 my brother and I. In an enclosure, walled 

 on three sides to keep the water in, but open 

 on the fourth to admit cattle to drink, we 

 found among the floating confervae large 

 numbers of Cyclas cornea. We had expected 

 to find this among the mud, but they all 

 seemed to be among this weed. They were of 

 all sizes of growth. In another little pond 

 for cattle we found besides quantities of 

 Linnaa limosa the extremely minute Planorbis 

 crista. This little shell is no bigger, or 

 scarcely so large as a mustard seed, yet is 

 beautifully ridged or crested on the whorls. 

 They were in great abundance on the 

 conferva?, but required close looking for, 

 and we found the best way was to take home 

 a large piece of the weed and get the shells 

 after it was dry. In returning we found 

 under stones the large and common Helix 

 aspcrsa and the small though equally com- 

 mon Pupa cylindracea, as well as one or two 

 immature shells we were unable to name. 

 This was my first attempt at collecting land 

 and fresh water shells, and though we found 

 nothing of any rarity, I was pleased to get 

 so many species in so short a time, and 

 especially to find Planorbis crista, which I 

 certainly should never have taken for a shell 

 had not better eyes than mine called my 

 attention to it. If any beginner wants 

 specimens of it, of Helix fasciolata, Helix 

 hispida, or Pupa cylindracea, I shall be glad to 

 supply them as far as my stock goes. — John 

 E. RoBSON, 15, Northgate, Hartlepool. 



ON THE HABITS OF THE 

 TINENIA. 



By S. L. MosLEY, 

 The British Tineina comprise fourteen 

 different families, very varied in their habits 



