196 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



March, see page 172. On the 20th March, 

 I took three Mubricosa, one Instabilis, eight 

 StaHlis, and one Cnida. On the 23rd, one 

 Gothica, one Eubricosa, nine Stabilis, and 

 four Cruda.. On the -asth, one Bubricosa, 

 ten Stcibilis, one Gracilis, and one (query.) 

 On the 27th, one Gothica, two Ruhricosa, 

 six Stabilis, and one Gracilis ; Stdbilis was 

 a perfect pest. I have picked some nice 

 varieties out of them. On the 5th 

 April I caught two 0. vetusta and one 

 A. (sscularia, at Sloe bloom. On the 

 7th, one T. mimosa, at rest on palings. 

 On the 8th, Mr. C. A. Marriott and I again 

 visited the Sloe bloom, and captured one 

 S. Progemmaria, one A. cecularia, three 

 T, Gothica, one Rubricosa, two Instabilis, 

 eight Stabilis, two Gracilis and two C. vet- 

 usta. On the gth, six Gothica, five Stabilis, 

 two Rubricosa, one Gracilis, one Cruda, and 

 one J., cescularia. I find Sloe bloom nearly 

 as productive as Sallow bloom ; I should 

 like to hear of other captures, as I think 

 Sloe bloom is not worked so much as it 

 might be. On the 8th, I saw the first white 

 butterfly P. brassiccs. On the gth, caught 

 one P. ra2?(S, and one Cidaria suffumata. — 

 F. Kerry, Harwich. 



Spring Migrants at Harwich. — The 

 first swallow was seen on the 14th inst. ; 

 three sand martins and two house martins 

 on the 15th inst. ; and many yellow wagtails 

 were seen on the i6th. — F. Kerry, Harwich. 



Birmingham Notes. — March 28th. Saw 

 great quantities of Helix Nemoralis, on the 

 banks at night. The variety Hortensis was 

 very plentiful. 



March 29th. To-day, I was witness to a 

 curious fact of a cat running away from a 

 mouse. It was the first time the cat had 

 seen one, she was not afraid of us, but of 

 the mouse. This does not seem like instinct. 

 Birds build nests the first time as well as 

 they ever can do afterwards. Why do not 

 all cats then kill mice the first time they 

 see them ? They are their natural prey. 



I will mention here that I caught seven 

 mice, and tipped them all out of a cage 

 together, in the presence of a cat. She did 

 not stay to eat them, but simply gave one 

 bite each and swallowed them wholesale. 

 It was done like magic ! Only one escaped. 

 When dogs have more food than they want 

 they bury what they have over. 



April I. In Sutton Park I saw a great 

 number of Brown Linnets in a cluster upon 

 one tree. They were having quite a concert. 

 When I made as light noise they flew off all 

 together on to another tree and began 

 singing again. 



April 3rd. Saw a pair of Sparrow Hawks 

 on the look out for prey. A large dog 

 belonging to a friend of mine has lately died 

 from the effects of a bite received from a 

 viper in the Park. The dog was bitten on 

 the mouth. — W. Harcourt Bath. 



(It is doubtful whether birds build their 

 nests as well the first time as afterwards. 

 See very excellent essay by Mr. J. R, 

 Wallace, in The Intellectual Observer, for 

 July, 1867.— Eds. Y.N.) 



Birmingham Notes.— Plants in flower 

 not mentioned in previous list :— Broom 

 ( Cytisus scopai'ius). Shepherd's Purse {Cajp- 

 se.la bursa-pastoris). Common Bitter Cress 

 iCardamine hirsuta), and Bilberry (Vac- 

 binium onyrtillus) at the Lickey Hills, near 

 Bromsgrove, on 2nd April. Marsh mari- 

 gold ( Caltha palustris), Ladies' Smock 

 {Cardamine pratensis). Blackthorn (JPru/nns 

 sjpinosa), on the bank of the Avon, at Strat- 

 ford, on 7th April. White Dead Nettle 

 (Lamiim album), Black Poplar (Populus 

 nigra). Garlic Mustard {Alliaria officinalis), 

 Dog Violet ( Viola canina), Chervil or Cow 

 Parsley {Anthriscus sylvestris), Red Cam- 

 pion ( Lychnis diurni), at Sechley on 8th 

 April ; and Wood Sorrell {Oxalis acetosella). 

 Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage ( Chryos- 

 flenimn oppositifolivm), at Selly Oak on 9th 

 April. 



