254 



THE YOUNG NATUEALIST. 



Short-eared Owl. 



Wood cock Owl, Short Horned Owl, Hawk 



Owl, Mouse Hawk. 

 Dylluan Glostiog, of the Ancient British. 

 Strix braclivotos Montagu, Bewick. 



,, ulula Latham, 

 Otits brachyotos Selby, Goidd. 

 Strix, a kind of owl. Brachyotos, Bra chits, 

 short, due (plural ota), an ear. 



This, if put upon the case, would be very 

 useful for students, but for the general public 

 we would amend it something in the follow- 

 ing manner, 



Short Eared Owl (Strix braclivotos) male 



(or female). 

 " Not uncommon, especially in the eastern 

 and southern counties, from April to October. 

 Feeds on small birds, rats, mice, &c. Useful 

 in clearing off vermin." 



This, we think, would be of more general 

 interest, and would convey to the person 

 possessing the catalogue a great amount of 

 useful information. 



A BOTANICAL RAMBLE IN 

 TEESDALE. 



By Dr. John W. Ellis. 

 Having arranged to spend a week's holiday 

 with my respected friend, H. Ecroyd Smith, 

 of Shotley Bridge, in Teesdale and the neigh- 

 bourhood, I found myself on Sunday morn- 

 ing, July 23rd, 1876, at Riding Mill Station, 

 on the Carlisle and Newcastle line, with a 

 walk of nine miles before me in order to 

 arrive at my destination. After tramping 

 about half-way I was delighted to see my 

 friend who had come to meet me, and after the 

 usual congratulations, &c, we decided to 

 turn a little out of our direct way in order to 

 see some of the views of the neighbourhood. 

 On the roof of an outhouse, close to a ruinous 

 old Church perched upon the summit of 

 Gregmare Hill, and which forms a landmark 

 visible from a great distance around, we 

 found our first botanical specimen worth 

 bagging, — this was the white stone crop 

 (Sedum albliih) and just before arriving at 



! Shotley Bridge, we found by the side of a 

 j pretty brook — the Shotley Burn — specimens 

 I of the oak and beech ferns (Pol} podium Dry- 

 opteris and P. Phegopteris ), growing in greater 

 j luxuriance than I have ever seen them. The 

 I day turning out wet after our arrival, we 

 \ stayed in the house the greater part of the 

 : time discussing our projected excursion. 



The followiug morning we set off for a 

 ramble up the valley of the Derwent, which 

 passes through Shotley, and separates the 

 counties of Durham and Northumberland. 

 ; By the side of the river we found the wood 

 : betony (Stachys betonica) growing plentifully, 

 j and I was delighted, not having been in a 

 a limestone country before, to find the Blue 

 meadow crane's bill {Geranium pratense) in 

 ! profusion. I afterwards found this plant 

 whenever the limestone showed itself. In a 

 wood on the right bank of the river we found 

 ; several good plants, e.g. Lister a nidus-avis 

 \ Epipactis latifolia ; the purple cow-wheat 

 ; (Melampyrum arvensc ) ; Pyrola rotundifolia ; 

 I the Enchanter's nights shade (Circaa hitetiana), 

 I &c. After enjoying a refreshing dip in the 

 crystal waters of the river, and hunting for 

 amythests among the pebbles in its bed, (of 

 which we found a good number), we still 

 j followed the river through thick woods, 

 where we found the finest Blcchnem boreale 

 j (the Hard fern) I have ever seen ; also a few 

 ! plants of Equisetuiu syiraticum . After leaving 

 j the woods we plunged through a dense 

 j thicket of meadow-sweet — many of the stems 

 being five feet high, and bearing such a 

 I profusion of Mowers that, not being Longi- 

 corns, we were almost suffocated with the 

 ; concentrated perfume. After several times 

 ; crossing the river by stepping stones, we 

 1 ascended a steep bank on the Northumberland 

 side of the river, and having arrived at the 

 j top we had (in addition to lunch) the most 

 I charming view possible. The river Derwent, 

 j which here forms a horseshoe-like loop, is 

 bounded on the opposite side by lofty preci- 

 pices, in many parts covered with vegetation, 

 but oftener showing huge buttresses of rock 



