366 



THE NATURALIST. 



Siskins, Fringilla spinus, but owing to my 

 shot being too large I spoiled them all ; 

 they appear to have been very numerous 

 in this locality, for I came across a person 

 who showed me some that he killed behind 

 his house, in a wood, three weeks after I 

 killed mine ; these were amongst a flock of 

 the Lesser Redpole, and would allow one 

 to approach within ten yards of the tree 

 they were in ; going through all the ma- 

 noeuvi'es of theBlue Tit. The bird appears 

 to be almost unknown to this locality. — 

 Sydney Smith, Church, near Accrington. 



Bare Eggs. — It will be interesting to 

 ornithologists to know that I have just 

 added the following genuine eggs, collected 

 in Norfolk last season, by a gentleman, to 

 my collection. Yellow-billed Cuckoo 

 ( Coecyzus Americanus, Gould ), Rock 

 Thrush ( Turdus SaxaMlis, Temm. ), Little 

 Bittern ( Ardea minuta, Ilont.J, Golden 

 Oriole ( Oriohis galhuH, Pew j, Roseate 

 Tern ( Sterna Dougalii, GouUl ), Sandwich 

 Tevji{Sternaca7iiiara, Gould. ) W. B. Shaepe. 



Vanessa urticce. — This beautiful though 

 common butterfly appears to have been 

 rather numerous during the winter months. 

 On the 18th February, some boys followed 

 one of these butterflies for a long distance, 

 but unhappily it went over a wall, and was 

 lost to sight, the ground being covered 

 with snow at the time : also one of this 

 species entered the door of a private house, 

 at Blackburn, on the 7th March ; it being 

 very cold and frosty on this date. I have 

 also seen accounts of a butterfly occurring 

 at Stalybridge, near Manchester, and 

 another at Bury, which I think will be 

 Vanessa urticce. — S. Smith. 



Hypnum purum, <kc. — I find in an article 

 on " Mosses" in your last number, that 

 Hypnum purum and H. triqudrum, are 



said to be rarely found in fruit in Britain, 

 it may perhaps be interesting to know that 

 I have found them in one of our woods near 

 High Wycombe in fruit, and could probably 

 do so again. Climaeium dendroides grows in 

 a very small patch of ground in our park ; 

 perhaps I should say did grow, for though 

 I found several specimens in 1863, I have 

 not been able to find it since. If I am not 

 greatly mistaken a friend of mine also 

 found 0. splendens and H. squarrosum in 

 fruit here. C. dendroides was not in fruit. 

 — LIy. (Jllyett. 



Vanessa cardui — was plentiful with us 

 last autumn : I took several specimens in 

 splendid condition, and varying much in 

 size ; V. atalanta was exceedingly nu- 

 merous ; it ajDpears fond of fruit ; I have 

 seen a dozen at a time feeding on the over- 

 ripe plums on one tree. Arge Galathea 

 was not at all rare in one or two localities. 

 Argynnis Paphia breeds in profusion here 

 every year, but I am afraid we shall lose 

 A. selene, as "Wycombe Heath is being 

 ploughed up. {See Naturalist, Vol. L, p. 

 260). It is hardly worth while mentioning 

 M. stellatarum, as all our magazines and 

 newspapers have been full of letters about 

 it : but I saw one flying up and down a 

 chalk pit so late as Nov. 14th. Larvse 

 of A. atropos were unusually abundant. 

 Among early appearances this year I noted 

 V. urticce in High Street, on New Year's 

 Day, but I judged it to be only disturbed 

 from its sleep in one of the houses, as it 

 was very lazy. To the list of butterflies 

 in Yol. I., p. 261, I must nov/ add Lyccena 

 alsus which I took here last year. It is 

 only found on one bank, but there it sports 

 about by hundreds. To the list of moths, 

 in the same volume, p, 302, I can add 

 Ckmrocampa Elyenor, several larvse of which 

 I found on the willow herbs in the park. 

 Hy. Ullyett, High Wycombe. 



9 a 



END OF SECOND VOLUME. 



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