NATURALISTS CALENDAR. 
46 
whistling with a great variety of notes, whilst seated on a stone on the edge of 
a running rivulet. Redwings (Turdus Iliacus) are now very numerous with us, 
as are also the Fieldfares (Turdus pilaris) one of the former was singing the other 
morning with a sweetness and variety of notes we were not aware they possessed. 
Molluscous Animals. —Under large stones, and amongst decayed leaves in 
woods may be found Virtrina pellucida (6) the shell is half an inch long, not so 
much in height, extremely thin and transparent, of a pale watery green, and 
quite smooth, the animal chiefly lives on wild fruit or herbage. In the gardens 
may be found scattered about, the Testacellus Scutellum. The species of this 
singular genus are found attached to the lower extremity of a slug with the spiral 
apex pointing towards the tail, which Mauge supposes to be intended as a cover¬ 
ing for the orifice of the cleft in which it secretes itself during the day-time. In 
close edges under stones and other sheltered places are secreted numbers of the 
Helix nemoralis (8) a common well known snail, destructive to fruits, &c. in the 
evenings of spring and summer they crawl forth in search of food, and soon 
after the dawu of day retire to their hiding places; they form a delicious ban¬ 
quet to the Song Thrush (Turdus musicus) who with no small ingenuity searches 
them out, and breaks their shells.against a stone. And in damp shady places the 
Helix sericea (9) generally takes shelter, the shell is transparent, yellowish horn 
colour, hairy, with nearly 6 tumid volutions; the animal feeds upon fruits, &c. 
Insects. —Amongst others may be found occasionally under the branches of 
fruit trees. A number of caterpillars of the Pieris crataegi (Fig. 8) they live in 
societies under a silken web, in which they form little cases to secure them from 
the winter. At the approach of spring they break this web, and as they find at 
that time but few buds, they do great mischief to the trees; every evening they 
return to their web, and do not quit it on rainy days. 
8 
Meterology. —A wet summer is always followed by a frosty winter, but it 
happens occasionally that the cold extends no further. The true cause of cold 
is to be found in the winter excess of west wind, being followed by a cold summer ; 
and if there is no cold before, or during a first excess, then a second excess of 
west wind in winter occasions a still colder summer than the first. It also ap 
