A 71 Excursion to Topcliffe, Yorks. 



281 



-experienced this spring, the majority of the summer birds had 

 only just arrived, consequently very few of their nests were 

 found. The Corn Bunting was heard, but strange to say, 

 neither the Whinchat nor Yellow Wagtail were seen, though the 

 country is very suitable ; probably they would turn up later. 



The wet weather has been the cause of many floods in the 

 river, the waters reaching to the newly-excavated holes of the 

 Sand Martin, and in one was found a drowned bird which had 

 been surprised in its nest by the rising waters. 



Altogether forty-eight species of birds were seen. There 

 are only four additions to the list of species seen during the 

 1891 excursion, viz., Kestrel, Corn Bunting, Reed Bunting, 

 and Common Sandpiper. In Mammalia there is nothing of 

 special interest to report ; seven species were observed, of 

 which four, the Fallow Deer, Otter, Fox, and Short-tailed 

 Field Vole are additions to the 1891 list. Of Reptiles and 

 Amphibians, two additions are recorded, Frog and Smooth 

 Newt. Owing to the flooded state of the river, it was nearly 

 impossible to see any fishes, and only three species were noted. 



Mosses and Hepatics. — Mr. W. Ingham, B.A. writes : — 

 An unusual number of bryologists attended this meeting, and 

 good work was done. Mr. Barnes, the original discoverer of 

 the rare Hepatic Cephalozia flititans in 1891 on Leckby Carr, 

 found it again at this excursion. He also added the rare and 

 interesting moss, Plagiothecium latehricola. 



The Hepatic Cephalozia connivens was also found. Numerous 

 Sphagna or Bog Mosses grow on the Carr, but they have not 

 such a plentiful supply of water as they had in past years, 

 and are consequently of shorter growth. The rarest Sphagna 

 are 5. medium var. roseo-pallescens and 5. rubellum var. pallescens 

 The Sphagnum most plentiful was 5. recurvum v. mucronatum, 

 which was spread all over the Carr. One of the commonest 

 Yorkshire bog-mosses, S. cymhifolium var. glaucescens competes 

 with the last mentioned for the possession of the wet places. 



The dominant moss of the Carr is Tetraphis pellucida, 

 which fruits freely here at its proper season. Aulacomnium 

 -palustre is largely mixed with the Sphagna, and when the 

 Agent pointed out blocks of peat that had been dug up, I was 

 able to determine the stems of this moss in a semi-fossil state 

 mixed with the Sphagnum remains. This mixture renders 

 the peat impure. Hypnum stramineum and H. fluitans var. 

 Jeanbernati were found along one side of the Carr. Mr: C. A. 



3908 July I. 



