THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



April, was put off on account of wet weather. 

 The society now numbers nearly twenty 

 members. — W. Harcourt Bath, Hon. Sec. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



Birmingham Notes. — April loth. Corvus 

 friigileus. — Saw about half-a-dozen rooks 

 following the plough and picking up bits, in 

 a field near Pennis, as the men were plough- 

 ing. Parus caudatus. — Found a nest of the 

 long-tailed tit with five eggs in, at Sutton 

 Park. The bird had evidently not finished 

 laying, as the usual number is ten or twelve. 



April 23rd. Hirundo rustica.—Sa.v! half- 

 a-dozen swallows in Oak Tree Lane, Selly 

 Oak. The farmer informed me they arrived 

 exactly a week ago. Erytliaca rubecula. — 

 Heard a Robin singing in the rain. 



Took the following: — Vanessa TJrticce, one, 

 and Anticlea hadiata, one, at Sutton Park, 

 on the loth April ; instabilis and one pro- 

 gemmaHa, on lamps, at Edgbaston, on 14th 

 April, T. stahilis, A. cssonlaria, one, and 

 one Oj>Mon ohsoiirus on lamps at Selly Oak, 

 On 2ist April ; M fluctuata in garden and 

 P. rapoe bred on 25th April. 



Plants in flower not mentioned in previous 

 lists : — Ivy ranunculus {Ranunculus liede- 

 raceus), alternate leaved golden Saxifrage 

 [Chrysospleniuvi alternifolmni) , together 

 with oppositifolkm^ Wild heartsease {Viola 

 tricolor), Mountain Ash [Pyrus auciLparia) 

 and Common Horsetail {Equisetum arvense) 

 at Sutton Park, on loth April ; Hairy 

 Chickweed {Cerastum mdgatum), Bluebell 

 {HyacintJms non-script us), Tuberous Mos- 

 chatel {Adoxa moschatellina) , Ground Ivy 

 [Glechoma hederacea) and Ladies Mantle 

 [AlcJiemilla arvensis), at Northfield, on nth 

 April; Bulbous Buttercup {Ra/nunculus 

 bulbosus), and Ribwort Plaintain {Plantago 

 la/nceolata, at Selly Oak, on i6th April. 

 Sycamore {Acer psoudo-platanus), Spring 

 Vetch ( Vicia lathroides) and Yellow "Weasel 

 Snout {Galeohdolin lutemi), at Selly Oak, on 

 23rd April. Pteris aauilina, the Common 



Bracken was up nearly two feet in height 

 in a wood at Selly Oak on the 23rd April. 



Saw innumerable small light green larvae 

 hanging suspended from the hedges (White- 

 thorn), after a heavy shower at Selly Oak, 

 on 23rd April. -Geo. F. Wheeldon, 6, New- 

 hall Street, Birmingham. 



Date of Emergence of Butterflies 



AS compared with 1881. — 



1882. 1881. 

 V. Urticse (hybernated) Feb. 14 . .March 6. 



V. So do. ,, 22.. April 23. 



G. Rhamni do. March 12. .March 11. 



T. Polychorus do. March 13. .April 14. 



C. Cardui do. ,, 12.. 



V. Atalanta do. '..April 15. 



P. Napi April 3. .April 9. 



P. Rapas ,, 7. . 9. 



S. Egeria ,, 8. . ,, 23. 



P. Brassicag „ 20.. ,, 28. 



E. Cardamines ,, 21.. ,, 30. 



Our Summer Visitors. — Date of arrival. 



Martins, April 14th ; landrail, April 20th ; 



cuckoo, April 20th. — A. Davis, Jun., High 



Street, Great Marlow, Bucks. 



NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS. 



Interesting to Naturalists. — On Good 

 Friday last, as a party of gentlemen were 

 taking lunch on the Braun Island, Killarney 

 Lakes, they remarked a fine mallard resting 

 resting on the water close to the shore, and 

 presently a duck was observed taking flight 

 from a tree close by ; one of the party 

 climbed the tree, and in a bunch of brush- 

 wood was a nest with six eggs, on which the 

 duck had been nesting. After a short time 

 the bird again returned to the nest. As we 

 have never known a duck to nest in a tree 

 before, the information may be of use to 

 naturalists. — Cork Constitution. 



Curious Fishing Incident. — -On Friday, 

 14th April, two Cork gentlemen were fish- 

 ing on the river, near Rathduft, for trout. 

 Early in the day rain put a stop to their 

 amusement, and they sought the friendly 



