1889.] 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 133 



larva, like the majority of hymenoptera do not change to pupa until 

 about a fortnight before the perfect insect appears. — G. C. Bignell, 

 Plymouth. 



Nyssia hispidaria. — A new locality for this insect we discovered in 

 Surrey woods. Three fine males found low down on oak trees. This 

 species occurs now in Richmond Park, Epping Forest at Chingford, 

 and would be probably found in other directions near London, if 

 looked for at the right time, although the well-known habitat of Rich- 

 mond is well worked and still yields the most specimens. 



Crepuscularia. — We met with four specimens on March 31st, in 

 the Surrey woods, a few others on April 4th, April 7th, and four on 

 April nth, although this, we were told is " a month too late for 

 Crepuscularia.'" — J. Henderson and C. H. Watson, London. 



Early Nesting. — On p. 107 of the Young Naturalist, Mr. D. H. 

 Stewart, Oxford, speaks of a nutcracker's nest with eggs having been 

 found by a friend of his on March 30th. Might I venture to ask Mr. 

 Stewart what bird is here meant ? The nutcracker (N. caryocatactes) 

 is a very rare visitor to this country. Probably the nuthatch (S. 

 europcea ) is intended ; if so, the date is most certainly very early. — W. 

 H. Warner, Fyfield, Abingdon. 



Dianous ccerulescens. — I was very pleased to turn up this species 

 somewhat abundantly at Eggleston, in Teesdale, at Easter, it occur- 

 red under stones beneath a small waterfall, very rarely among the 

 moss, which is generally given as its hiding-place. — John Gardner. 



Bryoporus Hardyii. — I took a specimen of this rare beetle upon 

 the sandhills here on April 27th. — John Gardner, Hartlepool. 



Spring Notes. — April 21st, and hardly a lepidopteron seen by me this 

 year. Jan. 31st. — Went to Morton and Bidston Hill larva? hunting ; 

 driven under cover by a rain storm — nothing seen. Feb. 21st — Went 

 to Eastham Wood ; never saw a moth. Feb. 22nd. — Went to Formby 

 to survey the Euphorbia pyralis. Walked through hundreds of thous- 

 ands of plants growing thickly on blown sand for quite a mile in 

 length ; the flower stems still retaining the form of the old flowers 

 quite freshly. Formerly, odd plants of this interesting plant used to 

 grow on the sandhills up to Sandhills Bridge, then close to Liverpool, 

 through Bootle and Waterloo to Crosby and Hightown ; now these 

 sandhills grow nothing but houses until we got beyond Crosby. In a 

 prospecting journey last year I did not find a plant of the Euphorbia at 

 the Liverpool side of Hightown, but as stated above it covers large 



