152 



FIELD NOTES. 



MAMMALS AND BIRDS. 

 Gamekeeper's Hoard near Scarborough. — The larg^est 

 I have ever seen is at Irton, near Scarborough, erected at the 

 edge of a close-set plantation of Spruce. About 12 yards long- 

 and three yards high, its several upright posts support four 

 horizontal battens to which the specimens are nailed. In 1890 

 the exhibits were as follows : — 4 Sparrow Hawks, 2 Kestrels, 

 20 I.ong-eared Owls, 4 Short-eared Owls, 7 Tawny Owls, 2 Barn 

 Owls, 2 Magpies, i Jay, 17 Carrion Crows, 354 Weasels, 146 

 Stoats, 36 Hedgehogs, 100 Cats' tails, about 100 Rats' tails,. 

 besides a great quantity of remains beyond identification. On 

 4th March of this year the rack displayed 4 Kestrels, i Sparrow 

 Hawk, 2 Carrion Crows, 2 Hooded Crows, 2 Jays, 130 Stoats 

 (3 being in white winter fur), no Weazels, 31 Cats' tails, 380 

 Rats' tails, and upon an auxiliary rack close by, apparently 

 erected for this exhibit only, about 1,500 additional Rats' tails. 

 Ornithologists will note Vvith pleasure the entire absence of 

 Owls from this year's list which, compared with that ma d 

 15 years ago, indicates notable changes either in the methods 

 of local gamekeepers or the comparative scarcity or abundance 

 of the various so-called vermin. Speaking of the birds only, 

 I think there is neither increase nor diminution in their numbers 

 here, except in the case of the Short-eared Owl, a winter visitor 

 whose numbers vary greatly. — W. Gyngell, Scarborough. 







COLEOPTERA. 

 Wintering Habits of the 7-Spot Lady-bird. — I was much 

 interested in the note under the above heading in the March 

 ' Naturalist,' having myself found a colony of some hundreds of 

 this insect in a semi-dormant condition in furze bushes growing 

 close to the summit of Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, on 26th 

 December last. This hill rises 500 feet above sea level, and the 

 furze bushes referred to are at the top of the steep northern slope. 

 The insects had chiefly packed themselves in and around the 

 leaf axils, but numbers were also found inside the rolled-up 

 dead leaves of the beech trees, scattered upon and beneath 

 the furze bushes. These Lady-birds have been abundant and 

 noticeable all about this district during this winter, and though 

 inactive their hibernation has certainly been very incomplete. — 

 — W. GvNGELL, Scarborough. 



Naturalist, 



