380 
MISCELLANY. 
Pentliopkera nigricans^ Curtis. —I found another of those case-bearing’^darvee 
on a Furze-bush, October 13, 1836, on Knighton Heath, near Dorchester. It 
fastened to the cage for the winter, and, though in a room with a constant fire, 
it never moved till April 28. As I was unfortunate with those I had before, I 
consulted Mr. Curtis on the proper mode of treatment, when he showed me a 
figure of a Moth, male and female ($, apterous), in a French magazine, which 
had been bred in France. It is doubtful whether it is the same species, but 
is called Psyche -?—The periodical above alluded to says :—“ The larva 
feeds on Lettuce, Solidago virgaurea (and Curtis thinks Dandelion); twenty- 
six days in the pupa state; and the imago appears from the 25th to the 31st of 
August.” My Moth, which is unique as British, was taken by me on a Birch- 
tree at Parley Copse, June 18, 1824. The other larvoe were found on Heath 
and Furze, Sept. 6, 1831, two on Knighton Heath, and another on Parley Heath, 
Aug. 20, 1834, in which, on opening, I found a pupa dead; but the other died 
in larva, after beginning to move, as early as March 1832. I have now sup¬ 
plied this larva with Dandelion, but I cannot see that it touches it, and I fear 
for the result. Mr. Stephens gives Geometra alniaria^ Linn., as British, and 
the specimen in the Linneean Cabinet agrees with Panzer’s figure, but I have 
never seen a British specimen like it.—J. C. Dale, Glanvilles Wootton, Dor- 
setshire^Jidy 9, 1837. 
The Redpoll Linnet (Linaria minor) scratching in the IManner of thf 
Pasores. —During one of those fine days that now and then intervened amongst 
the miserably cold and cheerless weather of last spring, I was agreeably surprised 
to see a pair of those beautiful little fellows the Lesser Redpolls (L. minor\ 
busying themselves in picking up various seeds, &c., from among the refuse left 
by the inundation of the river. What more particularly engaged my attention 
was my observing them scratching^ something after the manner of the Gallinace¬ 
ous birds, in order to obtain their food. They were so much engaged in their 
occupation that they apparently heeded not my presence, although within a 
few yards of them, so that I had ample opportunity of observing their move¬ 
ments, and when I disturbed them they only hovered round for a short distance, 
and again alighted to resume their employment. As I never before witnessed 
them feeding except amongst Alder and Birch trees, I do not know if this 
peculiarity appertains to the species when feeding on the ground. I have since 
watched many of our Insessorial birds, but in no instance have I been able to 
detect this habit, which I had hitherto supposed to be strictly confined to the 
Rasorial order.—J. D. Salmon, Thetford^ Norfolk^ Jidy 11, 1837. 
Some Account of the Ortolan Bunting (Emheriza hortidana J . —In Italy, 
Germany, and various parts of the Continent, the Ortolan Bunting is an abun¬ 
dant species. I am fortunate in being able to give some account of it from an 
