THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



237 



olive green colour, flying about in the woods ; 

 they glitter like gems. Found a viper's egg 

 in Upper Nut Hurst, it was just underneath 

 the ground, I unluckily trod on it. 



A friend and I have introduced several 

 white rats into the Park, to try and natura- 

 lise them. We put them up a hole in a 

 hollow tree. There are a great quantity 

 about in the town, having escaped out of a 

 friend's pen, and we know that some of them 

 will soon have young. It will be quite a 

 novelty if they thrive. 



"The Elephant and the Tailor." — On 

 bringing the rats into the park, a friend who 

 was with me pinched one of their tails for 

 fun (he was no naturalist). After putting 

 the rats in the tree, he just put his hand in 

 to widen the hole when the injured gentle- 

 man flew at it and nearly bit the end of one 

 of his fingers off. He says that he will not 

 meddle with rats again ! 



Sand Martins. — By the Midland Rail- 

 way banks, close to Black Root Pool, there 

 were thousands of sand martins. They were 

 so numerous that they almost darkened the 

 sky. On a sudden the whole flock would 

 disappear, and again m half a minute they 

 would appear like a whirlwind. Their nests 

 are situated about half way down the em- 

 bankment, and are very difiicult to get at. 



A. Cardamines at Sutton. — On the i8th 

 May a friend brought me a specimen of A. 

 cardamines that he had caught at Middleton, 

 about a couple of miles from here. He says 

 that he saw dozens flying about. I was not 

 aware before that it occurred so close. 

 — W. Harcourt Bath, Sutton Coldfield. 



Birmingham Notes. — ( Asio otns.) A man 

 •whilst taking a walk through a large, thick 

 wood near here was very much surprised at 

 finding a young long-eared owl half down 

 and half feathers at the foot of a very large 

 tree. He picked the bird up and brought 

 it home and sold it to a naturalist of this 

 town. I saw the bird exposed in his window, 

 standing on an old stump, quite erect, with 



the head turning a little and slightly blinking 

 the eyes. There was quite a crowd of 

 people looking at it. A discussion arose 

 between two men as to whether it was alive 

 or mechanical, one contending it was alive 

 and the other mechanical. It terminated 

 in a friendly bet, which was decided by each 

 going inside and asking the owner. The 

 loser could not be persuaded until the owl 

 was taken out of the window and placed on 

 his hand. At last they both joined in a 

 hearty laugh and went away wiser men. — 

 Alexander George Davis, B.N.F.C. 



Weasel taking to the Water. — On 

 the 29th ult., as my brother and I were 

 strolling along the Mardyke, he saw a wea- 

 sel suddenly run across the walk. We gave 

 chase, but it ran through a hole in the wall 

 and dived into a swiftly running stream 

 which flowed under and across the dyke. 

 We waited for some time, but could not see 

 it again. — J. T. Hosford, 71, Grand Parade, 

 Cork. 



Dates of Emergence of Butterfeies 

 as compared with 1881 : — 



{Continued from No. i^o^p. 212.) 





1882. 



1881. 



C. Pamphilus 



April 27th. 



May 2ist. 



T. Tages 



May 5th. 



May 30th. 



A. Euphrosyne 



May 8th. 



May 14th. 



C. Phlaeas 



May 13th. 



May 2ist. 



L. Megaera 



May 17th. 





T. Alveolus 



May 17th. 





P. Alexis 



May 17th. 



May 24th. 



A. Crataegi 





May 30th. 



— A. Davis, Jun. 



High Street, 



Gt. Marlow, 



Bucks. 







The County Cork Bee-keepers Associ- 

 ation gave their first exhibition at the Corn 

 Exchange, Cork, on Saturday, the 29th ult. 

 Owing to the inclemency of the weather the 

 attendance of the general public was not 

 very large, those present being enthusiasts 

 in the keeping of bees. Two very interesting 

 lectures were delivered by the Rev. Mr. 

 Lindsay, of Limerick, explaining the nature 



