*5* 
THE NATURALISTS’ JOURNAL. 
causing abortion. On account of the stormy weather we have experienced, I 
may state that the rainfall for February, in this district, was about six and three 
quarter inches. 
Our feathered friends have been quite dull, and have given up all thoughts of 
nesting for the present, except the rooks, they having been busy since the be¬ 
ginning of the month. Partridges and missel thrushes, etc., are now to be seen 
in pairs. The heron has apparently left our streams for its breeding haunts. 
A curious incident regarding the latter bird happened a few years ago on the 
banks of the Renby—a good fishing stream, which flows past here and ter¬ 
minates in the sea at Boarhills. A heron and eel were found lvimj dead on the 
bank, the eel being wound round the neck of the bird. The heron had appar¬ 
ently endeavoured to swallow the eel, and the latter determined “not to go 
down,” winding its body round the neck of its adversary, when death put an 
end to the struggles of both. 
Inotice greenfinches and chaffinches still congregating in flocks, and frequent¬ 
ing the corny ards where grain abounds. I am inclined to suppose that the 
female chaffinches, with few exceptions, migrate south, for during the winter, I 
have seen several flocks composed of nearly all males, and during the last few 
weeks I have observed several smaller flocks consisting of about seventy per 
cent females ; thus I infer, that the females have just arrived, and the two 
sexes are about to look for partners for the season, although I have noticed 
several pairs here that seem to remain mated all the year through. — WlLLl AM 
Berwick, March ioth, 1894. 
ROYSTON, CAMBS. 
In my last notes I mentioned the undue number of cock sparrows to the 
hens, I am now able to state that in this locality there are twenty-five per 
cent, more of the former than the latter. What becomes of the surplus ? 
Perhaps some of the readers of these notes may be able to tell me that in 
other localities there is a preponderance of hens ? 
Febuary 27. One or two pair of rooks began building. 
March 8. I found a beautiful specimen of the Angle-shades moth, Phlogo- 
phora meticulosa , this morning. I have never met with one before and it 
must be quite out of season. 
March 11. Rooks building, but slowly, which I think indicates that we are 
to have some more stormy veal her before spring really sets in. 
March 12. A little owl, Anthene noctua , was brought in this morning, I 
have never known this bird to breed here, but being so near the time of nest¬ 
ing and in a locality with plenty of nesting places, it is not improbable that if 
it had not met with an untimely death it would have done so. 
In one of my notes last year I made mention of a common fowl which habit¬ 
ually laid double eggs : it has now been again doing so. I should like to know 
the cause of this phenomenon? 
I am greatly indebted to Mr. Swanton for his remarks on the tape worm 
and tree sparrow, and I hope during the coming season to learn something 
definite about the latter. 
March 14. Up to the present time I have not either seen or heard of a 
nest of the blackbird or thrush.— Rambler, March 14th. 
RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
MAMMALS. 
Otter in Cambridgeshire .—An otter was captured at Haslingheld, on Feb¬ 
ruary 20th.— A. H. Waters. 
