Short Notes and Queries. 



beautiful canary ; tail, with the exception of about three or four feathers, 

 white. — S. L. Mosley, Primrose Hill, Huddersfield. 



Stonechat. — During the visit of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union to 

 Askern, on Whit-Monday, 1.875, 1 distinctly remember that when climbing 

 the side of a disused quarry (to get a plant growing almost out of reach ), 

 disturbing a bird from its nest. The bird was seen, its nest and eggs 

 examined, one egg broken during examination, and by some of the 

 persons present, who I presume were ornithologists, was said to be a 

 stonechat. I have not myself the least knowledge of ornithology, but 

 perhaps this may recall the above incident to someone present, who may 

 be able to verify or correct my note that the stonechat was seen at Askern 

 at that time. — Thomas Birks, Jun., Old Goole Mill, Goole, March 6th. 



Grasshopper Warbler at Bingley, — Referring to Mr. Carter's note 

 (vol. iii. , p. 138) on the occurrence of the grasshopper warbler near 

 Bingley, I may state that I did not wish it to be understood that it did 

 not frequent this district. At the same time, I think that the mere fact 

 of hearing a bird does not identify it beyond the possibility of a doubt. 

 When we take this into consideration, also the nature of the habitat 

 where heard, and the advanced season — when nearly all our " feathered 

 songsters " are absolutely silent — it is just possible Mr. Carter might have 

 been mistaken. May it not have been the " jocund voice " of " the sweet 

 prophet of summer " — I mean the large green grasshopper {A. viridissima), 

 which (the male) sings almost incessantly during the fine sunny days of 

 July and August 1 — E. P. P. Butterfield, Wilsden, April 12th. 



Migratory Arrivals. — I saw a solitary swallow on the 13th April, in 

 the Ryburne Valley, and have every day since constantly seen the same 

 bird (at least I presume it to be the same) on the wing, but no others 

 had up to the 18th of the month appeared here. It is nearly three weeks 

 earlier than the first swallow seen in this district last year, and consider- 

 ably earlier than the average arrival, and is the more remarkable on 

 account of the severe weather at the beginning of the month. The willow 

 wren came about the 10th April, and the wheatear reached the moorlands 

 in the vicinity of Halifax the previous week. — F. G. S. IlAWSOisr, Halifax. 



Saturnia carpini Cocoons. — Having had occasion to cross the moors 

 very frequently which surround this village, during the last autumn and 

 winter, I noticed that a very large quantity of the cocoons of Saturnia 

 carpini were empty. Upon examination, I found they were all perforated 

 near their base, and the chrysalis extracted. The greatest destruction 

 took place at the end of October and the beginning of November. Are 

 you in possession of any information as to the cause — whether it is the 

 birds, as I suppose it is, and if so, whether it is any particular species ? 

 Fieldfares visited the moors in great numbers at this particular period, 

 but whether this was a mere coincidence, or they were the cause of this 

 destruction, I am not in a position to determine. — E. P. P. Butterfield, 

 March 12th. 



