6 



NOTE on YORKSHIRE MAMMALS. 



Albinism in Rats near Selby, Yorkshire. — On the rtth April 1901 

 Mr. W. Horsfield, of Scalm Park, Bishop's Wood, Yorkshire, told me that 

 during- the winter of 1898 and 1899 he had killed with the aid of ferrets and 

 dog-s 140 Rats (Mus decuman us) from one stack at Scalm Park, and that, one 

 of the rats was of a sandy colour with pink eyes. — William Hewett, York, 

 18th January 1902. 



NOTES on FLOWERING PLANTS. 



Primroses in Bloom in January in South Lincolnshire. Primroses 

 {Primula acaulis) were to be seen in bloom in Sapperton Wood. Div. 15, in 

 January ; on the 23rd of that month my father saw many plants in bloom, 

 four and five flowers were fully out on some of the plants. — S. C. Stow, 

 Court Leys, Brandon, Grantham, 10th February 1902. 



Plant-Names and Folk-Lore at Newsome, Huddersfield. Advert- 

 ing to Mr. J. W. Fawcett's interesting- notes on ' Plant-Names in the North 

 of England.' on p. 4 of 'The Naturalist' for January, the following- list of 

 local names used by the inhabitants of the village (Newsome) in which 

 I reside may perhaps interest your readers. They are always used by the 

 natives, both upgrown and children, but, most unfortunately, neither one or 

 the other can tell you who taught them these names ; the invariable answer 

 being - , in the case of children, that either father or mother has taught them, 

 and the upgrown people tell you that they were taug-ht them when young-. 

 Of course the answers are always g-iven in the dialect so well known in our 

 neighbourhood. One has, therefore, to be satisfied with the thoug-ht that 

 the names have been handed down from one generation to another, and. 

 despite education, are still cherished. The Foxglove [Digitalis purpurea) 

 is always called the 'Poppy,' the Common Red Poppy (Papaver Phceas) 

 receiving the name of ' Cornflower.' A more wide differentiation of naming 

 species one could not desire. ' Eg-gs and Bacon ' is the title bestowed on 

 the Yellow Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris). The Marsh Marigold ( Caltha 

 palustris) is known as ' Water-blobs ' ; Common Chickweed {S'tellaria 

 media) as ' Chicking-weed' ; Black Knapweed (Centaurea nigra) as 'Horse- 

 knobs' ; Cuckoo Pint {Arum maculatum) as 'Wake Robin'; Cleavers 

 {Galium aparine) as 4 Robin run th' hedg-e ' ; Great White Ox-eye {Chrysan- 

 themum leucanthemum) as 'Dog Daisy'; Yellow Archang-el {Galeobdolon 

 luteum) as 'Yellow Weasel Snout '; Wood Anemone {Anemone nemorosa) 

 as ' Snowdrop.' Local vernacular gives the name of ' Grunsil ' to Groundsel 

 {Senecio vulgaris) ; ' Foal-fooit ' to Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) ; whilst the 

 Greater Plantain {Plantago major) is better known as the plant that yields 

 Canarv seed. The ' Wig*g"in Tree ' is the common name for the Mountain 

 Ash (Pyrus aucuparia), and ' Horse Mint,' strictly speaking, is the Marsh 

 Whorled Mint (Mentha saliva). The Furze (Ulex europceus and [J. nanus) 

 is alwavs better known as the ' He Broom,' whilst the Broom (Surothammts 

 scoparius) proper is termed 'She Broom.' Most people will have it that 

 they are one and the same species, and that the Furze is the male plant, 

 and the Broom the female plant. The Perennial Rye Grass (Lolvum 

 pere7ine) is known as the ' Tinker Tailor ' Grass. A favourite pastime of 

 the children is to pluck a spike of bloom, and, starting' from left to right, 

 touch each spikelet, repeating the following ditty : — 



' Tinker, tailor, 

 Soldier, sailor, 

 Rich man, poor man, 

 Begg-ar man, thief,' 



repeating until the end of the spike is reached. The Quake Grass (Briza 

 media) receives the name of 'Trembling- Grass.' — W. E. L. Wattam, 

 Newsome, Huddersfield, 24th January 1902. 



Naturalist. 



