NATUEAL HISTORY NOTES. 
155 
green from the intervening stratum of clear water. It was about 
sixteen feet long, with a round bluff head. It continued to swim 
along before the vessel's head, a few yards beneath the surface, for 
about ten minutes, maintaining our rate of speed which was five 
knots an hour ; all which time I enjoyed from the bowsprit a very 
good view of it. It could have been no other than the White 
"VVhale, Beluga albicans of Linnaeus, B. horealis of Lesson. I do not 
know that it has been seen on any other occasion in the Channel, 
though it has repeatedly occurred on the Scottish coast." 
A very fine old male Hawfinch f C. vulgaris J was seen at 
Plympton, 24th December, 1870. These birds, once rare, seem 
to be now frequently observed. 
Reference to the occurrence in the IN'orth of Devon of the Great 
Bustard f 0. tarda), by Mr. J. Gatcombe, will be found in the early 
numbers of The Zoologist for this year. 
While writing I may as well mention that the Locusts which 
spread through England in such numbers in October, 1869, were 
after some time agreed on as being of the species Acridium 
peregrinum. 
Our Associate, Mr. C. G. Bignell, writes: — 
**It may be interesting to future entomologists to know that 
the past summer (1870) was very dry and hot, and that it 
produced many good things. Among the butterflies, the larvae of 
Vanessa polychloros was abundant, one young collector having 
obtained a good supply by filling a quart strawberry basket 
with the larvae taken from elm trees on the Saltash road, 
not far from the Devonport Workhouse. The Hawk-moths put 
in a good appearance ; amongst them may be mentioned Deilephila 
gain and livornica, the perfect insect of the former having 
fallen to my lot to take at rest in a garden near my house, 
and the larvae of the latter not far from it. Of the Clear- wings I 
took a number of Sesia ichneumoniformis and philanthiformis, at 
the Ramehead. I took the larvae of Acronycta leporina, and found 
that the hairs on it did not take the direction described in 
Newman's " British Moths," all directed backwards ;" but found 
the hairs on the left side directed backwards, and on the right side 
