Correspondence. 
333 
first caller,, crying ‘ cuckoo ’ on the way ; sometimes also the bubbling 
notes intermixed with the ‘ cuckoo ’—evidently male calling female. 
As to behavior of other birds in presence of a Cuckoo, about the middle 
of June, 1922, two Starlings gave a long-distance chase after a single 
Cuckoo, pecking and chivvying it as it flew over the above-mentioned 
field, the pursuit being over about two hundred yards . They were already 
in pursuit when seen by me, and therefore I am unable to say the cause of 
the disagreement. — Frederick D. Welch, M.R.C.S. 
SEPARATION OF THE SEXES OF THE CHAFFINCH IN WINTER. 
In The Naturalist for 1918, page 75, I had a note on the above subject, 
to which is added a note by Mr. R. Fortune, in which he states, ‘ The 
separation of sexes is very marked in this (Harrogate) district, where we 
see flocks both of male and female. Numbers of males have frequented 
the vicinity of my house this winter,’ and referring to these notes Mr. 
Porritt states in The Naturalist for March, 1918, page no, ‘ It must be 
over forty -five years since I controverted (in one of the then natural his- 
tory journals, Young England I think it was) so far as this district is 
concerned (Huddersfield) the statement in ornithological works that the 
sexes of the Chaffinch separate in winter.’ Mr. Porritt will probably not 
deny that this separation of the sexes in winter occurs, and even over a 
wide area, in Britain and on the continent of Europe. I should like to 
know whether any observer can definitely say that no separation of sexes 
ever takes place — even within a limited area such as includes Harrogate, 
Huddersfield and Wilsden districts, are three observers of bird-life, 
each of which gives a different version. Mr. Fortune states that in the 
Harrogate district he sees both male and female flocks of Chaffinches in 
winter, whereas Mr. Porritt states that for forty- five years he had never 
once noticed the separation of the sexes in his district. I have been 
an observer of bird life for over forty-five years in this district (Wilsden), 
and have never once seen a flock of Chaffinches composed exclusively of 
females, or even largely of females. All the flocks in winter I have 
seen have been almost all males, usually only a few females. Seebohm 
says, ‘ It is probable that this peculiar habit is confined to the birds 
that come to our shores in autumn,’ and another naturalist makes the 
statement that it is stated f on good authority that no separation of males 
and females takes place in the south and west of England,’ — both of 
which statements, the latter especially, are open to doubt. — E. P. 
Butterfield. 
Members of the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union might, during the 
coming autumn and winter, make special observations upon the points 
raised by Mr. Butterfield.— R. F. 
CLOUDED YELLOW BUTTERFLY AND HIBERNATION. 
This migrating species has occurred the present year in various parts 
from south coast as far north as Lancashire (in my neighbourhood both 
in May and June, and offspring of above in Aug. and Sept.). As a west- 
country writer (Mr. Harcourt Bath)., raised the question of hibernation 
in one of the August numbers of The Field, it may be worth adding that 
in 1893-4 I lived near Devonport, and although Colias edusa was common 
round there in August and September, 1893, there was no evidence 
of hibernation, even though the winter following was mild. As it did 
not hibernate there in that south-west county, there seems to be no 
reason to think the species ever hibernates in England. — Frederick D. 
Welch, Sept. 21st, 1922. 
Very many years ago, the late J. W. Tutt satisfactorily estab- 
lished the fact that Colias edusa ( croceus ) cannot in any stage survive 
the. severity of our British winters. The early summer specimens which 
1922 Oct. 1 
