Ii8 
NATURE NOTES. 
Summer Migrants. — It may be of interest to any readers who notice the 
arrivals of our summer migratory birds, to compare notes in different localities, as 
was the practice of Gilbert White a century or more ago. As my list is now 
nearly complete I beg to enclose it, and hope to see notes on the subject from 
other readers in various districts. 
Chiff-chaff, March 19 ; wheatear, 21 ; redstart, April 7 ; blackcap, 10 ; cuckoo, 
14; whinchat, 16; titlark, 16; nightingale, 16; willow wren, 19; grasshopper 
lark, 19 ; yellow wagtail, 20 ; swallow, 21 ; whitethroat, 22 ; sand martin, 26 ; 
garden warbler, 30 ; lesser whitethroat, 30 ; swifts. May 2 ; sedge warbler, 2 ; 
corn bunting, 2 ; black-headed reed bunting, 3 ; house martin, 6 ; corn crake, 7 ; 
butcher bird, 9; fly-catcher, 12; turtle dove, 13. 
Astwood Bank. Worcestershire. J. Hiam. 
Bees and Jackdaws. — I noticed a rather curious incident a few days ago, 
that of a jackdaw and a colony of bees occupying a hollow tree, apparently on the 
best of terms. An elm tree has been blown off about half its original height, and 
in a hollow cavity near the top a colony of bees are established ; just above a pair 
of jackdaws have built apparently, as the bird flies off when I go to look after the 
bees. J. Hiam. 
Sparrow-Hawks. — An amusing case of lack of knowledge on familiar 
objects was lately shown to me. A man who was gardening, asked if I h.id 
lost a fowl the previous night, as one, he related, had been killed by a fox 
since he passed the spot on his way home on the previous evening, as indicated 
by the large quantity of feathers strewn about. I went some distance to solve 
the problem, and found that, no doubt, a sparrow-hawk had killed and eaten a 
skylark. A few days before the hawk was found in the act of breakfasting on a 
cock partridge he had just killed, it being still quite warm and bleeding. 
J. Hiam. 
Glow-worm and Beetle. — Happening to look out of my study just now 
I saw a glow-worm under the hedge close by. I went down to inspect, and 
then with intent to secure a specimen for examination, struck a match to see how 
the land lay, so as to pick it up neatly. Directly the match flared, out rushed 
a beetle over twigs and leaves, and went straight for the little brown ragged worm 
that lay there and gripped it in the middle. The match burned out ; I struck 
another, which seemed to frighten the beetle, for he scurried off as fast as he came. 
I got my worm into position ready for picking up ; out went match no. two, 
and, alas, the light of the worm was dimmer. The third match was struck and off 
I marched, and by the time it had burnt out the light given by the worm was 
a mere pin’s head in size. I brought it in and found that it was bitten in the 
middle and its inside had been a bit pulled out, and now it gave no light when 
the room was darkened. Can any information be given as to why the attack of 
the beetle should be made directly the first match was struck, the strong light 
of which completely surpassed the glow-worm’s. Is the power of illumination 
given for any purpose of defence to the worm ? The second match struck caused 
the beetle to quit his hold and fly for cover ; there seemed no other cause of 
flight, for I remained neutral, interfering in no way save to strike matches, in the 
sharp short struggle. G. 15 . K. 
A Rook Query. — A friend of mine one day noticed a rook perched on a 
tree near the house, with its beak full of what at first sight she thought was 
caterpillars, but which, on looking at the bird with an opera glass, she found to 
be little strips of bark. The bird flew away, but returned in a few minutes and 
began tearing up the bark off the branch on which it stood ; when it had filled its 
beak it flew away again. Is it usual for rooks to do this? and were the strips of 
bark to put amongst the twigs of which the nest is built? 1 have often noticed 
the way in which a rook appears to balance himself after alighting on a tree, but 
perhaps this appearance of balancing is w'hen he is tearing iqi the bark in the 
w'ay my friend noticed. If anyone else has observed this trait in rooks I shall be 
much interested in hearing of it. 
Hampstead. 
Mary Gedpks. 
