182 



THE YOUNG 



NATURmST. 



FIELD CLUBS. 



The Hartlepools Naturalists' Field 

 Club was formally commenced on Saturday 

 last at a meeting held at the residence of 

 Mr. J. E. Robson, 15, Northgate. Eight 

 members were present, and several more 

 are expected to join. The business was 

 chiefly formal. Mr. J. E. Robson agreed to 

 act as secretary jfiro tern, and it was arranged 

 to have the first excursion to Black Hall 

 Rocks. Mr. Hall reported that he had 

 found the nest of the yellow bunting on 

 March 29th with one egg hard sitting. Mr. 

 Tritschler reported that a blackbird's nest 

 was found on 25th March with four eggs. 

 Mr. Dixon reported that the bird recently 

 recorded in the Young Naturalist as the 

 woodchat shrike was now in his possession, 

 and proved to be the shore lark. It was 

 shot on the North Sands, beyond the end of 

 Hart Lane. He also reported that a speci- 

 men of the little gull had been brought him, 

 which had been shot opposite the barracks 

 in November last. Mr. Newbegin exhibited 

 L. multistrigana taken that day, and larvae 

 of N. zanthographa and X. rurca. Mr. Robson 

 exhibited bred T. populeti and some Shetland 

 lepidoptera. The next meeting of the club 

 will be held on 15th April, at six o'clock, in 

 the same place. 



Birmingham and Midland Counties 

 Naturalists' Field Club and Scientific 

 Society. — Mr. W. H. Bath has resigned 

 the office of president of this society to take 

 the more onerous one of secretary, and Dr. 

 Hiepe has agreed to take the post so vaca- 

 ted. A meeting will be held in Birmingham 

 to discuss rules, &c. All who wish to join 

 should please send their names and addresses 

 to the Secretary, W. H. Bath. Manor Villa, 

 Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. 



(This last announcement ought to have 

 appeared last week but was accidentally 

 omitted. With reference to the woodchat 

 shrike we are glad to have the matter put 



right; our readers will remember we ex- 

 pressed our doubt at the time as to the 

 correctness of the record. — Eds. Y.N.) 



BRITISH BIRDS, THEIR 

 NESTS AND EGGS. 



By S. L. Mosley. 



19, BARN OWL. 



Strix fiammea, Linn. 



Dylluan wen (Anct. Brit.) 



Flammea. — Flame-coloured, from flamma 

 (L.), flame. 



Size. — Male, length ift. 2in. ; expanse, 

 3ft. I in. Female slightly larger. 



Plumage.— The delicate plumage of 

 this bird is perhaps the most beautiful of 

 all the British owls. The two sexes differ 

 very little, if at all, and may be described 

 as follows : — Bill, yellowish white ; eyes, 

 dark hazel brown. The whole of the upper 

 parts are dull, the feathers tipped with blue- 

 grey, and with a black spot including a 

 white one. Tail buff, with slightly darker 

 bars. The face and all the under parts are 

 pure silken white, but sometimes in the 

 female the breast is spotted or tinged with 

 buff. The feet are but very barely covered 

 with hair-like feathers. The figure is from 

 a specimen in my own collection. 



Immature birds are duller and paler in 

 colour. 



Young in down are white, the down 

 similar to swan's down. 



Varieties similar to one in Mr. Hancock's 

 collection are not very rare, in which " the 

 whole of the under parts, which are usually 

 white, are of a dull tawny colour, as are 

 the legs and thighs ; the face is also tinged 

 with the same colour, and the upper parts 

 have a tawny richer than usual" (Birds of 

 Northumberland and Durham). Meyer 



