THE YOUNG 



_ 



was very loosly put together, and was 

 much exposed to the weather. --J. H. Pashlev, 

 64, Troughton Street, Liverpool. 



Tameness or Sea-Gulls. — During the 

 last week or ten days a most interesting ex- 

 hibition of the effects of want of food — con- 

 sequent on the severity of the weather — in 

 causing animals, usually very shy of man, to 1 

 put aside their fear, has been observed in ' 

 Liverpool. During this time the river Mersey | 

 has been covered with floating ice, so as to I 

 seriously impede traffic, and thousands of 

 sea-gulls have flocked round the landing 

 stage, attracted by pieces of bread and bis- 

 cuits brought for them by visitors. So tame 



•were they that they flew within a yard or so 

 of the stage, or drifted by, settled on floating 

 ice at an equally near distance, screaming | 

 and fighting for the food thrown them. 



: Some were even noticed to settle on the 

 ferry boats on their passage across the river, 



• in their eager desire to obtain food. I was 

 forcibly reminded of passing Ailsa Craig, 

 tn route for Glasgow, when the remains of 



, breakfast had been thrown overboard. Most 

 of the species were the Black-headed Gull, 

 ;. but there were several very large brown 

 . birds, probably skuas. — John W. Ellis, 138, 

 Crown Street, Liverpool. 



Scarce Birds at Hartlepool. — During 

 :the storm I have had brought me several 

 birds that are not generally common about 



• here, including the following : — One young 

 Golden Eye Drake, shot on the North 



. sands; another very fine bird in adult plum- 

 :;age, also a drake. I also saw one swimming 

 : in the outer harbour, perhaps this may be 

 the same bird ; three or four Ring Dotterels, 

 .one Dunlin, several Snow Buntings, all but \ 



• one in the light plumage. Earlier in the ( 

 : season the Short Eared Owl was unusually j 



numerous, and a fine specimen of the Red- 

 necked Grebe was brought me at the same 

 time. — J. J. Dixon, Alliance Street, Hartlepool. 

 J Harpella Bracteella. — I have the plea- 

 ...sure to announce the capture of a specimen 

 .. of this rare species in my own garden here, 



NATURALIST. 115 



in .lune last. Not being a micro-collector, I 

 only take such small things as by their beauty 

 or some other striking character attract 

 special attention. This specimen flew to my 

 lamp one evening when I went to the green- 

 house to take moths at light. It was so very 

 pretty, and insects generally were so scarce 

 that evening, that it was killed and set, but I 

 did not trouble to make out what it was. It 

 was in my duplicate box until the other 

 day, when Mr. John Sang, of Darlington, was 

 looking over it, and at once picked this out, 

 as something he had not seen. The Manual 

 was turned up, and his conjecture as to what 

 it was, verified. It would appear that only 

 few specimens are known to have occurred 

 in England before, though it was previously 

 in the list of reputed British species. The 

 late Mr. Backhouse sent specimens to Mr. 

 Stainton, to name, which had been taken by 

 a young collector, in a garden, at Shotley 

 Bridge, near Gateshead, in the summer of 

 1857. These were recorded in the Intelli- 

 gencer, Vol. Ill, p. 179, and in the Entomolo- 

 gists Annual, for 1859, P a £ e r 5 2 . m the plate 

 to which it is figured. Mr. Sang, tells me 

 that one specimen has occurred since, in 

 Wales. The larva feeds in rotten wood, and 

 probably fed in a decayed tree stump, in the 

 hedge, not very far from where I took the 

 insect. I hope I may be able to obtain more 

 next season. — John E. Robson, Bellerby 

 Terrace, West Hartlepool. 



EXCHANGE. 



Duplicates. — Meticulusa. A pribhia, Suffusa, 

 Pistacina, Libatrix, Artemis, Bland ina, Vacinii, 

 Spadicea, Stabilis, tns!.ibtlis, Gothka, Lubrlcepeda, 

 Maura, Carpini. Desiderata. — Very nu- 

 merous, pupae pr ferred. — R. J. Attye, 

 care of Rev. F. Vernon, Storrington, 

 Sussex. 



I have several Snow Buntings alive and 

 stuffed, I shall be pleased to exchange for 

 Local Lepidoptera or for Varieties. — C. S. 

 Gregson. Rose Bank, Fletcher Grove, Edge 

 Lane, Liverpool. 



