21 



TORTRIX TRANSITANA (DIVERSANA), SPILONOTA 

 ROS^COLANA, AND DEPRESSARIA WEIRELLA 

 IN YORKSHIRE. 



GEORGE T. PORRITT, F.L.S., F.E.S., 



Huddersjield \ Author- of the List of Yorkshine Lepidoptera; ^c. 



It is with much pleasure that I announce the addition, during the 

 past season, of the above three species of lepidoptera to the county 

 list. The two first named I captured at EdHngton Wood, near Don- 

 caster, on August 2nd. At the time I was compiling the ' List of 

 Yorkshire Lepidoptera,' Mr. Thomas Wilson, of York, wrote me he 

 believed ,5". roscecolana occurred at York, and sent me a number of 

 larv^ in rose twigs, which he supposed were the species ; but 

 as my attempt to rear them was unsuccessful, the species was 

 omitted, though, in all probability, Mr. Wilson's surmise was correct. 

 D. weirella I found in plenty (when collecting in company with 

 Mr. G. C. Dennis, of York) at Saltburn, during August. We found 

 it along with seven other species of Depressaria — (including several 

 D, douglasella^ whose claim as a Yorkshire species rested previously on 

 the capture of a single specimen at Redcar by Mr. Sang) — when 

 searching for Pterophorus dichrodadylus (which we took freely) on 

 flowers of tansy, after dark. 



NOTES— MAMMALIA. 



An Ingenious Rat's Nest. — In some work I am carrying out it was 

 necessary to drive a heading along the course of an old brick barrel-drain in Dale 

 Street, Liverpool, from Imperial Chambers to the main sewer, when an ingeniously 

 constructed Rat's nest was laid bare. From the crown of the culvert a pipe about 

 three inches in diameter had been driven vertically upwards a distance of four feet. 

 At the top of this pipe, and a little to the side, the Rat's nest was situated, and from 

 it a horizontal gallery, driven in stiff plastic boulder clay, branched off a distance 

 of about seven feet. The gallery was about three inches diameter near the nest, 

 gradually tapering to a point at the far end. In the nest itself was found a silver 

 spoon ^ now in my possession, several stems of tobacco pipes, together with buttons 

 and bones. What the use of the spoon and tobacco pipes could be to the Rat 

 family it is difficult to conjecture. The Rat dropped out of the hole, and was 

 killed by the workmen, who told me it was quite bald on the back. The clay 

 was a solid boulder clay, but very free of stones, and the depth of the nest twenty 

 feet below Dale Street. In this tenacious stuff the excavation of the pipe and 

 gallery must have been a work of very great labour ; also, the pulling- up of the 

 spoon would not be easy. The construction was ingenious, as placing the Rat in 

 a secure retreat above the storm water. Probably the heading, incompleted, was 

 being driven to provide another outlet. — T. Mellard Reade, Park Corner, 

 Blundellsands, November 23rd, 1886. 



Cannibalism in the Long-eared Bat. — On the same date as the 

 observation of the Hawfinch I obtained several Long-eared Bats, all full grown 

 except one which had scarcely any fur on. Having placed them in a box, and 

 forgetting to attend to them for four days, on my opening the box I found to my 

 surprise that the older ones had entirely eaten away the body of the young one, 

 except the head and wings. Has such an occurrence been previously noticed ? — 

 Wm. Sto rey, Pateley Bridge, October 6th, 1886. 

 Jan. 1887. 



