CORRESPONDENCE. 
37 
WINTER NOTES FROM SOMERSET 
The following brief notes may interest some of the readers of 
the N.J.—December 17th, noticed several small flocks of bull¬ 
finches, also some long-tailed tits, and golden-crested wrens. 
19th, Twelve magpies and two jays got out of a small wood. 
Noticed some goldfinchies among chaffinches; tree-creepers 
seem to be very common this winter. 20th, A goldcrest came 
into the verandah and crept all over the rose bush. Last year 
one used to come every morning. 22nd, Saw a sparrow with 
white wing-feathers. Jan. 4th, Two lesser spotted woodpeckers 
in the garden—the men about here call them the French woodpecker 
Had aileron given me, it is a young bird 6th, Great numbers 
of larks passed over from the north, driven by the snow which fell 
in the North-West. 9th, The larks are passing north again in 
small parties, flying low down. 10th, The larks are still going 
north.— p.b.a. 
JOTTINGS FROM MY NOTE BOOKS. 
Wishing to see how quickly a barren piece of ground could lie 
clothed with verdure in summer, or, in other words, to what 
extent seeds could be transported by birds or air currents, I delug¬ 
ed, with hot water, a portion of ground, chiefly composed of 
gravel, and so effectually destroyed any seeds, etc., which might 
have been in it and thus reduced it to absolute sterlity. In less 
than three weeks the following plants made their appearance: — 
Grass, sow thistles, groundsel, Anthirrhinum, garden snap¬ 
dragon. I fancy the seeds of the snapdragon and grass were 
conveyed by the feet of sparrows as these birds were constantly 
hopping about the garden and then over my barren patch. I did* 
not count the individual plants but the barren tract became cloth¬ 
ed with vegetation in five weeks. 
# *- 
What a remarkably intelligent and cunning moth Camptogramma 
bilineata is! It is not only very adroit at evading capture, but also 
very artful at escaping out of the net when caught if it possibly 
can. 
% % -A' 
The larva of the common cock chafer (Melolontha vulgaris) lives 
more than five years in that state, the beetle coming out in the 
sixth year! It feeds on various roots, even sometimes those of 
trees. 
Rhizotrogus solstitialis is a much commoner species at Cam¬ 
bridge, than the large “ common cockchafer.” It is popularly 
known here as the “ Midsummer dor.” 
Cambridge . Albert H. Waters, b.a. 
