1937 - The Vasculum

THE VASCULUM
Vol. XXIII. No. I. FEBRUARY, 1937.
OUR POND IN WINTER.
W. ELTRlNGHAM.
There are high days on the pond in winter whenever the frost is
severe enough to make skating possible. The exhilaration of moving swiftly
through the icy air induces a warmth of comradeship which endures only as
long as the conditions last; with the coming of the thaw the social temperature
drops to its normal level. Till then all is gay and even disaster is made to
contribute to the general merriment; as when my companion, rashly
venturing on doubtful ice, is suddenly immersed and is presently half
revealed, dripping with water and decked with garlands of water-weeds, a
ludicrous companion picture to "Aphrodite rising from the foam" I
But the ice. when clear enough. can be put to other uses. One day I found
a youngster lying prone on the ice and peering through it into the water
beneath. It appeared that he was deeply interested in the evolutions of a larva
of Dyticus marginalis; which set one thinking of the difference in habit of the
water-dwellers in winter. The big beetles are fairly plentiful, but cannot
compare in number with the vast hosts of sticklebacks; yet in winter time not
a single little fish is to be seen except when one happens to die and its body
rises to the surface. In the river and elsewhere the sticklebacks behave in the
same manner, so that like multitudes of their bigger relatives in greater
waters, they have their seasonal movements though on a very much smaller
scale.
Both for skating and for the kind of observation just referred to the
pond is considerably spoiled by the presence of much pond- weed-the species
called the Oblong Pondweed. It is now nine years since the pond came into
existence, and for four years there

2
was no pondweed of any kind in it. Then appeared two small patches of the
species named, and these rapidly increased from year to year till now fully
two-thirds of the whole area (5,000 square yards) is covered. How was the
plant introduced? This raises the question of the dispersal of seeds, i.e., the
various natural devices by which seeds are utilised to maintain the species
within the area fixed for it by the conditions which govern the geographical
distribution of plants and other living things. The seeds were not
water-carried, for no such pondweed existed in the drainage basin of the
pond; wind-carriage is out of the question; so one naturally concludes that
they were brought by birds-very likely our friends the Grebes.
The birds, of course, leave the pond during the icy periods, though
one year all the Waterhens and Grebes were collected together in a space of a
few square yards, the rest of the pond being frozen over. Generally, however,
the Grebes leave before the hard frosts come. The Waterhens do not go far,
and this year, after nearly a week's frost, were seen foraging in the adjacent
fields like domestic hens. I may here mention that one of the autumnal gales
smashed the tree in which a pair of them have nested for several years to such
an extent that it cannot be used again as a nesting site, and that interest will be
lacking next summer.
When there is a slight covering of snow the footprints of many
animals can be seen around the margin of the pond-birds, rabbits, hares,
foxes, and small rodents not determined. Only some fifty yards away a pair of
badgers had their holt last spring, but the female was killed when heavy with
young. The male is still in residence and I propose to pay him a visit at the
next snowfall. Hedgehogs are here also, of course, but seldom appear in
winter; yet their hibernation is not necessarily unbroken, for a friend of mine
saw one in his garden quite recently.
For the benefit of the microscopic population of the pond, I once
introduced some Water Crowfoot. They showed up all right the following
year, but there came a dry period which left them ashore and they have not
been seen since. In another year the whole spawning of frogs was destroyed
in like manner.

3
A line of water-pipes with a pump attached is now laid to the pond,
and in a dry season the water may be wholly drawn off. Such a calamity, if it
happens, may be laid to the charge of the. Glacial Period! If it had not laid
down the sand and gravel the water would not now be required to wash them.
Preparation has, however, been made for another standage and already a pair
of Waterhens have taken possession. During the late summer a solitary Grebe
also spent some time there. It was an only chick of an early hatching on the
old pond, and when new brothers and sisters came was proclaimed "Public
Enemy," both by its parents and by another pair of Grebes. Being persecuted
by all, it found peace at the other pond and will maybe bring a partner in the
spring.
SOME NORTHUMBRIAN PLANT-NAMES.
J. E. HULL.
This is no compendium but the product of one source only- my
own recollections of the seventies and eighties of last century. It is the
evidence of a single witness, speaking in the past tense. Book names in their
local rendering are excluded unless the localisation is unusual. I follow the
sequence of the natural orders.
YALLA GOLl.AN was the Marsh Marigold or Kingcup. See The
Vasculum, XXII, p. 128.
The Corn Poppy (Papaver Rhoeas) took the place of the Biblical
tares; it was the BAD MAN'S POSY-"Bad Man" being the bowdlerised
Satan. Posy, be it observed was used of a single flower, but only for one of
the showier sort.
The common Meadow-cress (Ladysmock, Cuckoo-flower) I have
referred to already (The Vasculum. XXII. p. 127). The name Water-cress was
known, but the plant was not used, and the country folk could not distinguish
it from Veronica becca- bunga. Here I may point out that cress and grass are
etymologically identical and their common original had the general sense

4
of hero; hence such names as Knotgrass, Scorpion-grass, Whitiow- grass,
etc., applied to plants which do not resemble grasses in the least.
As on the other side of the border Charlocl (Brassica arvensis) was
RUNCH. A Scottish writer (Annals of the Anaersonian Nat. Soc . 1893, p.
92) derives this from the Old French ronger, to eat. connecting it wrongly
with the Scottish vero runch, to chew. It is really a cognate or English rough,
being a nasalised form of the Scandinavian root which appears in our English
word rugged. Like the Swedish ruggig. it seems to mean rough and hairy.
DOG-HIPS were the fruit of the Wild Rose; hence, perhaps,
CAT-AAS (Cat-haws), Hawthorn berries, the other member of the
hedge-row fellowship. Dog as a prefix generally signifies inferiority; so we
have Dog-rose, Dog-violet, Dog's Mercury-the last unrecognised locally.
CHlCKENWEED was the equivalent of E. Chickweed; for here in
the north a chicken is always a chick and never applied to an adult bird as it is
farther south.
CUCKOO'S CHEESE-AND-BREAD was the Wood Sorrel, I
suppose because we found it best for chewing in cuckoo time. Observe the
order of the words; we did not say bread-and-butter on Tynesidee, but
butter-and-bread, putting the distinctive adjunct first. in a vernacular song,
very popular in the seventies at village entertainments, the refrain ran-
" Lumps 0' butter and shives 0' breed
Me muthor go' me when Aa stud need."
The widespread "Cheeses," for Mallow (because of the form of the
seed-vessels) was not used in the circles of my youthful acquaintance. Cheese
we knew, but not cheeses; and we called the mallow fruits "buttons." To our
elders the plant was Marsh-mallows; I do not know why.
Furze and gorse were unfamiliar words found in books, but the old
Celtic WHIN was very familiar indeed, the natural mark of a lawful
playground. In Welsh (chwyn) it retains its ancient sense and means any
plants of the waste lands or weeds generally.
HOLLlN still lingered with the older folk, but we were taught to
say Holly.

5
LADY'S-FINGERS (Lotus corniculatus) is the only instance I
remember of the local use of " lady" in plant-names. It refers to the digitate
disposition of the slender seed-pods.
First impressions are very persistent. I have always wondered why
the common Spirea should be known to us as the
QUEEN-OF-THE-MEADOW; and the accepted English Meadowsweet is no
better. Both are names of genuine poetic flavour and delightfully pleasant to
the ear; but why meadow? And why either sweet or Queen? It would never
occur to me to call the plant handsome or fragrant, and the meadow is surely
an ill- drained and unkempt place where it holds dominion. It is a rash thing, I
admit, to generalise about smells, for noses differ notoriously. What is
cloysome (or even noisome) to me may be grateful 'and comforting to
another.
HECKBERRY was the Bird Cherry. Fortunately for me, odour is
not in question here; I can discreetly keep silence. Skeat derives the first half
of this name from Icelandic heggr, and I agree; but he proceeds "a tree used
for hedges," which is at the best very questionable. I am not satisfied that
Norsemen ever grew hedges at all. It seems to me much more likely that it
was used like hazel for making wattle fences and hurdles and hay- racks such
as are locally known as hecks.
ROUNTREE is perhaps the correct way to spell our traditional
name of the Mountain-ash, though the Scots usually make it Rowan-tree.
Rhafon is the special Welsh name for the berry clusters characteristic of the
Pyrus group to which the Mountain-ash belongs, and with the natural elision
of the f (exemplified three times in the couplet quoted above) this is identical
with our roun.
WHICKS was our version of English "quicks," i.e., rooted cuttings
or seedlings of hawthorn, for quick means alive. The resultant hedge was
naturally known as a quick-hedge-a late English term, be it understood. The
like compound in Old English times would mean an evergreen hedge.
GROSER was, as it still is the Gooseberry which is a corruption of
Groseberrv. As the Scottish form is Groset or Grosart, it is possible that these
and Groser represent an earlier Grosewort. Grose is not extant in Old English,
but occurs in Middle English

6
from which, according to Skeat, it passed into Welsh (grwys) Gaelic
(grosaid). It exists also in Old French in the form of diminutive grosele, for
which again Skeat claims a Teutonic origin. This unanimous acceptance by
all three branches of Celtic people of a foreign name for a native plant is hard
swallow. Moreover, the suggested old German original is more than
doubtful; for Skeat refers it to a root signifying crisp curled, supposed to be
due to the hairs on the berry. But compounds of berry are formed in that way;
the first element always refers to the plant itself, not to the berry; e.g., in
Strawberry, Raspberry, etc.
BAD MAN'S OATMEAL was our juvenile name for the flowers
(collectively) of umbellifers generally, but more especially that of the
common Chervil. Evidently the whole family was under suspicion because of
the evil qualities of some of them.
ARNICK or ARNUT was the vernacular equivalent of English
earthnut (Bunium flexuosum).
HUMLICK, E. hemlock, was the general name for all umbellifers,
due to their hollow stalks. I have written it humlick, but the Tyneside
pronunciation is more like hummeleek. O.E. healm (whence E. haulm) is
straw or stubble, but its derivatives are applied to stalks generally, especially
if hollow like straw. O.E. leac, is a plant in the general sense, and appears as
lic in Garlic, lock in Charlock, etc. .
KELKS was our vernacular for Hogweed. It seems to be connected
with E. kex, the dry stalk of any umbellifer. Cf. Welsh, cecys, hollow stalk,
hemlock.
BORTREE was the Elder. It is usually printed Burtree, which
would be "prunes and prisms" to a genuine Tynesider. I take it that the
derivation is from O.E. borian, to bore; for the abundant pith makes the stems
easily bored. Boys know it well, and use them for their miniature blowpipes,
which they call pluffers.
DOG-DAISY distinguished the Ox-eye from the common Daisy,
but not always from species of Matricaria or Anthemis. The prefix is here an
exception to the rule given above and usurps the function of "horse"; for
which, see below.

7
For Coltsfoot we said FOALFOOT, but we had little truck with it. There was
a vague belief that naughty boys used the dried leaves for tobacco, but I never
knew it happen.
GRUNSEL was our rendering of GroundseI. It also shared with the
common Plantain the name of " bord-seed," both being used as food for
cage-birds.
A Thistle we always called THRISSLE; as Burns did-
" Paint Scotland greetin' owre her thrissle."
So also did William Dunbar in his poem "The Thrissill and the
Rois" (The Thistle and the Rose). written in 1503 for the marriage of James
IV with Princess Margaret of England. The converse process-the dropping of
r-is exemplified in Tyneside giss, a pig (Old Norse griss; E. grice).
HORSEKNOPS (Scotice Horseknots) was our name for the
common Knapweed. The prefix horse in plant names implies extra size and
coarseness (e.g., Horse-mushroom). as indeed it does quite generally (cf.
horse-play, horse-laugh. etc.).
BLUEBELL had to serve for both Harebell and the wild
Hyacinth. We were more or less aware of a dispute as to which of them the
name really belonged, but it made no 6
difference to our practice.
Heather in the vernacular was HATHER, but we used either-
according to the company we were in, I suppose. It should be noted that
Hather occurs only where heath is not in use. being represented by moor or
fell, and that the earlier form of Hather was Hadder; so that the word seems to
have no connection with heath.
BORD's-EYE was the Bird's-eye Speedwell; but it was also
commonly applied to the common Stitchwort.
FAT-HEN, properly the common "white" Goosefoot excluding the
dark-leaved species and the Orache. Often used as a pot herb after the manner
of Spinach and Good King Henry, and in my judgment not at all inferior to
either. I take fat to be O.E. faet, a vat or pot; and hen to be Celtic, signifying a
crop, plants grown for the pot.

8
We never said Dock, but always DOCKEN. It was also so times
applied to docklike plants such as Bistort. "Docken' Nettle oot! " was the
incantation which accompanied the rubbing of nettle stings with a dock leaf.
PALMS were of course Willow flowers, because of their
connection with Palm Sunday.
RAMSONS, a collective name for the wild Garlic. It is a double
plural, the O.E. plural being Hramsan.
Rushes were invariably RASHERS. A "rasher whup" used to be a
common plaything. The more practised hands also mad rasher caps and other
trifles.
(Typha).
BULRUSH, when the word was used at all, meant the Cat's-tail .
SEGGS (O.E. segg, sedge) was always plural and was generally of
all the greater water plants with sword-shaped leaves, including only the very
largest of the Sedges. The lesser sedge are called sparts in Allendale and
thereabouts, but I never heard the name or anything like it on Tyneside.
The Quake-grass (Briza media) was the only grass distinguished by
a special name-DOTHERY-DICKS. Dother is simply another form of
dodder; but what dicks might be I do not know. All other grasses were for us
only grass, unless they were wild yets (oats) or whickens, and this last was a
name for the roots only. Ferns also were undistinguished unless they
happened to be "breckens."
"BAKER AND TATE."
Some Further Corrections and Notes.
GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
Those who are interested in the distribution of plants in the
Counties of Northumberland and Durham are much indebted to the Rev. Dr.
J. E. Hull for his valuable article on Baker and Tate's "Flora" in the last issue
of The Vasculum. He has cleared up a great many difficulties by pointing out
and correcting many of the errors, chiefly topographical and typographical,

9
which have so often puzzled readers. Even his keen eye has not yet detected
the whole of them. As a supplement to his list of errata, I venture to draw
attention to a few additional errors and omissions and to say a word or two
about some other matters referred to in the "Flora."
While thus amending "Baker and Tate," it is only fair to remember
that the "Flora" was compiled under very adverse circumstances. The first
misfortune which befell it was in 1864, when the almost completed
manuscript was destroyed in a fire at J. G. Baker's house. This fire also
consumed countless notes and specimens which had been collected together
in the compilation of the work. At that time Baker was living at Thirsk, not so
very far away from our area; but before the work was finally completed he
had removed to London to take up an appointment as First Assistant in the
Kew Herbarium, a post which left him with little leisure to attend to
Northumberland and Durham plants. No doubt this removal made
co-operation with his colleague, Dr. G. R. Tate of Alnwick, increasingly
difficult.
In the first instance attention should be drawn to the method
adopted by Baker and Tate in dividing the area into vice-counties. On page
69 of the "Flora" we read: "We have traced out eleven drainage districts, the
first four of which correspond to the Cheviotland vice-county of Watson's
Cybele Britannica, the second four to his southern division of
Northumberland, which we may call Tyneland, and the last three to the
county of Durham." So far as the two Northumberland vice-counties are
concerned, this is not correct. Watson's vice-counties were not based upon
drainage districts. In Cybele Britannica, Vol. IV, we read: "Cheviotland is cut
off from the more southern part of Northumberland by the river Coquet, and a
line continued to Carter Fell from the Linn Bridge." Baker and Tate drew
their boundary along the water-shed south of the Coquet and not along the
river itself. A glance at the map facing page 47 will show the extent of the
area affected by this difference in the tracing of the boundary line. The matter
is important because modern botanists recognise the Watsonian vice-counties
and register their records accordingly. In looking through the" Flora,"
however,

10
I have only been able to trace four actual records which need correcting to
bring them into line with the Watsonian vice-counties. These are the
following:-
241-Rumex aquaticus. "Area C,N,D." Delete" C." The high-road just west of
Harbottle" is south of the river Coquet and therefore in South
Northumberland (V.C. 67] and not in Cheviotland (V.C. 68).
245-Euphorbia amygdaloides. "Area C." Substitute "N" for "C."
Longhorsley is south of the Coquet and therefore in South Northumberland.
296-Lastraea aemula. "Area C." Add" N." Chevington Wood is south of the
Coquet and therefore in South Northumberland.
298-Hymenophyllum wilsoni. "Area C." Substitute "N" for "C." Simonside is
south of the river Coquet and therefore in South Northumberland.
On page 107 of the "Flora" the date of Vol. 2 of Winch and
Thornhill's "Botanist's Guide" is given as 1867. This should, of course, read
1807.
On page 112 an explanation is given of the use of the capital letters
"F," "R," "T," and "B," which occur after certain records No explanation is
given, however, either here or elsewhere, of the use of the capital letter "A,"
though it frequently occurs. Thus on page 117 a record of Ranunculus
hirsutus is followed by the reference, "R. Embleton A." On investigating the
matter, one discovers that this record by R. C. Embleton is copied from
Winch's "Addenda" to his "Flora," issued in 1836 and referred to by Baker
and Tate on page 108 as an "Appendix." This must not be confused with the
first "Addenda" which followed the "Flora" in 1832. The letter "A" where it
occurs may be taken to imply that the record concerned was copied from this
second "Addenda."
The following errors or omissions occur on the pages relating to
plant records:-
118-Helleborus viridis. "Area N,D." Insert "C." The "Banks of the Aln " are
in Cheviotland.

11
124-Iberis amara. "Hoferd Banks" should read "Howford Banks" -correctly
spelt on page 259. The first may have been an attempt at phonetic spelling
rather than a printer's error. (The name does not appear on the one-inch
Ordnance maps.)
129-Sisymbrium Sophia. "Dunsdale" is here evidently a mis-print for
"Dinsdale"-near Middleton-one-Row, D. The Dunsdale frequently referred to
elsewhere in the "Flora" is in Cheviotland.
158-Rubus saxatilis. "Nounswood near Butsfield." This appears to be a
misprint for "Hounswood"-near Castleside. It is, however, some little
distance from Butsfield.
188-Knautia arvensis. "Area C,N." Add" D."
197-Carduus heterophyllus. "Roadley." This name, which occurs elsewhere
in the "Flora," is probably an old form of "Rothley"-in the Wansbeck valley.
Winch also used this form in his "Flora."
206-Campanula glomerata. "Walldown." This should no doubt have been
printed as two words with a comma between, to read: "In Tynedale ... at Wall,
down past Hexham by the riverside."
209-Pyrola secunda. "Discovered by Dr. Johnston and the Rev. A. Baird."
the story of this discovery is told by Dr. Johnston in his "Botany of the
Eastern Borders," page 140. His companion was not his old friend the Rev.
Andrew Baird, but the Rev. J. Baird. Records from both these gentlemen
appear in the "Flora."
217-Rhinanthus major. "Dilleman" should, of conrse, read "Dillenian."
224-Ballota nigra. "Breardon Burn" is doubtless a phonetic spelling of "Briar
Dene," north of Monkseaton-correctly spelt on page 254.
233-Primula farinosa. "By the Hyslop Burn near Camefield House."
"Combfield House" is the correct spelling. It lies in the Derwent valley near
the junction of the Horsley-hope

12
and the Hisehope burns. Which of these two burns intended is a matter for
conjecture; "Hyslop " might pass either.
240-Polygonum viviparum. "Area N,D." Delete "N." There are no records for
Northumberland.
242-Rumex maritimus. "R. pratensis is recorded by Johnston on the authority
of the Rev. J. Baird as growing on the margin of Paston Lough." This should
read R. Palustris. (See Johnston's "Botany of the Eastern Borders," page I74·)
R. pratensis, it will be observed, has already been dealt with by Baker and
Tate at the top of the page.
251-Myrica gale. "In South Tynedale on the south side of the Tyne near
Hepple." As the Rev . J. E. Hull surmised, this error was transplanted from
Winch's "Flora"; but it has been further confounded in the process. The
original record runs: "On the south side of the Tyne opposite Hepple and
between Woodhall and Harbottle." Substitute "Coquet" for "Tyne" and the
position of both stations is correctly described.
262-H ydrocharis morsus-ranae. "Area D." Add " N." "St. Anthony's" is in
Northumberland. (But the plant is no longer there ! )
In addition to those referred to above, there are several
place-names the spelling of which does not conform to modern usage. Some
of them are obsolete forms, others may represent attempts at phonetic
spelling, while others may be merely printer's errors. It may be helpful to
mention some of them:-Boltburn for Bolts-burn, Brinckburn for Brinkburn,
Bulmer for Boulmer, Careburn for Carey Burn, Cawsey for Causey,
Fleethope for Fleehope, Houn Dene for Hound Dene, Lennel for Linnolds,
Owton for Oughton, Pensher for Penshaw, Slealey for Slaley.
There are one or two places mentioned in the "Flora" the location
of which has been exceedingly difficult and sometimes impossible. The
following notes may be helpful:-
147-Ulex gallii. "On the basalt at Coley Hill near Heddon." This has recently
puzzled the Rev. J. E. Hull. The Heddon

13
referred to is Heddon-on-the-Wall. Coley Hill-variously spelt Coaly and
Coally-is a farmhouse in the parish of Newburn. It is a quarter of a mile from
Coronation Colliery, Walbottle, where there is an outcrop marked on the
six-inch Ordnance map of 1898 as "Great Whinstone Dike." There is a
specimen of U. gallii in the Robertson Herbarium at the Hancock Museum
from this station.
265-Potamogeton lucens. "Lake at Dudley Shiels." This is one of Winch's
records, but he spells it "Dudley Shields." In neither form can I trace the spot.
269-Juncus lamprocarpus var. nigritellus. "In South Tynedale at Lipwood
Moss and in a swamp near the Bourn House." These stations can be easily
located by a reference to Winch's "Flora," from which the records are taken.
There the full record reads: "Near the Bourn House three-quarters of a mile
south of Ridley Hall and in Lipwood Moss two miles north of Lipwood."
Bourn House is now spelt" Burn House" on the one-inch Ordnance map.
The "Flora" makes two references to the Herbarium of N. J. Winch.
On page 109 the statement is made that this Herbarium was "broken into two
halves and divided between the Museum at Newcastle and the Linnean
Society in London." On page 247 a specimen of Betula nana is said to be "in
Winch's Herbarium at the Linnean Society." These statements may have been
true at the time they were penned. but certainly not at the time they were
printed, in 1868. In the year 1863 the Linnean Society. to whom the
Herbarium had been bequeathed by Winch, gave the whole of it to the
Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham and
Newcastle-on-Tyne in whose possession it still remains.
The British section of this Herbarium has recently been re-arranged
and together with the other valuable Herbaria of British plants belonging to
the Society. is now easily available for reference or study. These collections
may be inspected on written application to the writer at the Hancock
Museum. Newcastle.

14
THE CHRONICLES OF THE ARMSTRONG COLLEGE
EXPEDITION TO THE INNER HEBRIDES.
v. AROUND NORTHERN SCALPAY.
ETHEL BOLTON M.Sc.
No matter in what direction one ventures on Scalpay from Camas
na Geadaig, unless one wishes to face the endlessly monotonous and difficult
moorlands, the ascent of the "Allt " gorge must be made. To this rule our
projected journey to Loch an Leoid and Loch Dabh, and home via Allt Liath
was no exception. Hence a brilliant July morning saw us once more, as
enthusiastically as ever, breasting the bracken in the ravine, but this time,
recognising the necessity for wasting as little time as possible, we looked
with disdain on the crowds of Fritillaries and Northern Browns. Nevertheless,
we could not resist the lure of the wild roses when once we discovered that
the Burnet Rose, Rosa spinosissima, totally absent from Raasay, was quite
abundant along the stream. However, our old friends Rosa glabrata and R.
Sherardi formed the bulk of the population. Examining these, studying the
water beetles in the pools, and wondering at the multitude of Currant Moths
on the heather, brought us quite imperceptibly to the shores of the two lochs.
Here, sitting on the rocks fringing the stream that linked the two, we enjoyed
the brilliant sunshine, the cooling breeze, the ripple of the waters, and last,
but not least-our lunch.
Just as the proceedings finished, a rustle caused us to turn, and
there in front of us was a herd of red deer, as interested in us as we were in
them. A single movement and in a twinkling they were in the bracken and
away. This, and a glance at the sun, warned us that, if we wished to get back
home in time, we would have to do the same. Hence, skirting the western
shore of Loch an Leoid, we turned north to reach the Allt Liath just at its exit.
There we were enchanted with the view, a crashing

15
waterfall, a glistening rainbow and clumps of Royal Fern clad with pearly
drops combining to make a picture never to be forgotten.
Nor were the approaches to the waterfall less attractive; rocky cliffs
with twinkling aspens set in heather and fern only tempted us to climb them.
On the aspens we found endless Puss Moths. Pebbled Prominents, and
"Coxcombs"··whilst as usual the heather was bedecked with Currant Moths.
In the end. However the Allt Liath left its " Iron Gates" to slacken into a
slowly moving stream in which grew the Common Reed, Bur-reed, and even
white Waterlilies. These soon ceased although when we approached the
brook to determine why the plants had vanished we quickly beat a retreat. It
was now flowing along a fissure probably nearer fifty than five feet deep
filled to the brim-and the approach was across the slipperiest of rocks!
Quite unexpectedly the fissure ceased and the stream swerved
abruptly to the east and then just as suddenly north again. At this point it
struck an almost perpendicular cliff some forty feet high which supported the
Rose Bay Willow Herb and endless ferns including the ever welcome Royal
Fern. In stations like these the "Rose Bay" is truly at home; it should
nevertheless be emphasised that its flower colour was a very much bluer
purple than with us. In the Allt Liath area too Dr. Clark found his unique Herb
Paris and likewise Guelder Rose the Bird Cherry and Lycopodium
annotinum.
Finally we emerged on the coast opposite the rocky islet Sgeir
Thraid, and quite innocently imagined that our journey homeward simply
meant turning to the west and proceeding. We were quickly disillusioned for
we were soon facing a fierce-looking cliff and reduced almost to despairs-
still there were consolations. The cliffs were clad with Rose Root, Hemp
Agrimony, the Sea Spleenwort, the Hart's Tongue Fern, and other treasures.
Similarly, in the bay crowds of Meadow Browns and Graylings vied with one
another in tempting us to unfurl our nets.
In the end we had to go. One after another. ravines were
encountered and crossed, cliffs approached and outflanked until we came to
the vast system of Torridonian Conglomerates which

16
fringes Northern Scalpay. At one point, however, we were interested to
strike an old village deserted over a hundred years ago. The village had
given-or so the islanders in the south informed us-no fewer than seven
admirals to the British Navy in the l8th century!
Rough as the journey was, it was far from profitless. As we
proceeded, we struck for the only time on Scalpay a colony of Six Spot
Burnets, whilst the Conglomerate produced plants like Tutsan, the Burnet
Rose, Thyme, English Stone Crop, the Black and the Green Spleenworts,
and, deep in its crevices, an abundance of Golden Saxifrage and Hairy Bitter
Cress, with it the Mollusc Clausilia rugosa. At intervals, too, we kicked up
Dark Green Fritillaries, Large Heaths, and Small Tortoiseshells; once even
we discovered caterpillars of the Red Admiral on some nettles.
After what seemed a never-ending tramp, we emerged on the bay
beneath the White Cottage, which, for a time at least, meant home to us.
There, before turning in, our last act was to pick up a series of fine Pecten
shells, which served to remind us of the high average temperature of the
waters surrounding our island.
WEEDS AND QUASI-WEEDS.
J. E. HULL.
Can a gardener (of the right sort) have genuine pleasure-- yea, even
legitimate pride-in his weeds? Surely! On due occasion. Let me recall a
Sunday afternoon at Burnmoor Rectory when Canon A. M. Norman, after a
brief examination of his rock plants, led me with purposeful stride to the
margin of his little lawn and with a gesture of exultant proprietorship
indicated a humble weed, to wit, Conringia orientalis. Field botanists will
appreciate the situation.
Such moments are vouchsafed to all of us, I suppose, and my turn,
or one of them, came to me on Saturday, July 4th, 1936.

17
After the coastwise trip of the N.N.U., a fairly arduous
under-taking for some of us veterans, the last remnant of the party spent a
quiet half-hour or more in the cool of the evening among my rock plants. The
climax of the exhibition was a tiny colony of weeds on the stone-work at the
edge of the lawn, carefully preserved for just such an occasion, and duly
appreciated by at least one visitor, who carried off a specimen. The species
was Epilobium tetragonum, rather stunted in growth, probably because of the
unusual situation, but noted by Baker and Tate as a plant not known to them
as a resident in Northumberland or Durham. How it came to be where it is, I
do not know, but the group has been there some years, passed over, I think, as
poor specimens of E. roseum. It was only in 1935 that I realised their true
identity.
It may be objected that I am straining the meaning of the word
weeds by including under that name such unusual intruders as the foregoing.
Well, let it be granted that they belong to the more or less distinguished outer
fringe which adorns the main body of garden weeds; still, they are weeds
under any definition of the term you may choose, though certainly not
members of the hostile hosts known to the allotment gardener as weeds:
Groundsel, chickweed and shepherd's purse are the rank and file of that army;
things that may vex but not thrill, about which the wildest fancy could no
weave a romance. Add to the three the commonest of all grasses, Poa annua,
and you have the main body of the enemy, hardly ever victorious but never
defeated. They are classed as annuals, a sad misnomer; for they observe no
periodicity and may be found in all stages of growth at any time of year.
Winter may retard their activity and summer accelerate-nothing more. It is
always seedtime with them, and that is the secret of their invincibility; always
the greater part of their forces is unassailable, scattered over the tillage in the
form of seeds.
Others are more truly annual (though not strictly so) and therefore
more vulnerable. Such are the Hairy Cress, Nipplewort, Speedwells
(Veronica agrestis, V. persica, V. arvensis), the two annual Sowthistles
(Sonchus oleraceus, S. asper), and the Red Dead-nettle. With me, the
Ivy-leaved Speedwell is as great a nuisance as the other three; but that is
unusual for the plant

18
really belongs to the next category. The rest, like those previously named, are
entirely at home in the garden, and the proper victims of that useful weapon,
the Dutch hoe.
In passing, I may remark that even from such vermin one may get
an adventitious thrill. A couple of years ago, in pursuit of the perpetual
warfare, I came upon an outpost of Groundsel and withheld the hoe; they
were already suffering severely from the attack of an unexpected ally, the
larva of the Cinnabar moth. It was but an affair of isolated outposts, but after
a lapse of two years it got into the news, as readers of The Entomologist will
remember. It happens that in these islands the staple food of the larva is
Ragwort, of which there is a small forest not many yards away, then as now
untouched by the Cinnabar. It seems that in other lands (as near, for example,
as the Channel Islands) the staple food is Groundsel. Was the mother of my
brood an immigrant? ... That is another story; let us return to our muttons.
The tale of annual intruders is not yet complete; there remains a
miscellaneous company, classed in the books as inhabitants of plough-lands,
pastures, and waste ground. In gardens they are more or less casuals, but
appear too constantly to be listed as such. Once in the garden, they enjoy
better conditions, than elsewhere, except for the interference of the hoe.
Perhaps the seeds of most of them are brought in with byre or stable manure.
Here is my list: Fumitory (2 spp.) , Diplotaxis muralis, Field Pansy (3 or 4
forms), Arenaria serpyllifolia., Geranium molle, G. dissectum, Cleavers,
Matricaria suaveolens, Field Scorpion-grass, Atriplex patula, Euphorbia
Peplus and E. helioscopia. All these occur regularly in my garden and
probably in others of the same size and character, except perhaps the
Diplotaxis and one or two forms of Pansy. The former was, I think,
introduced with seed.
Valerianella dentate. a cornfield Lamb's Lettuce, sprang up in soil
disturbed in excavation a few years ago and I have always permitted one or
two plants to remain. A few casuals came in with turf from Ross links. The
turves were stacked on the drive and afterwards on or near the spot appeared
Spergularia rubra, the Field Sherardia, and the common Yellow Stonecrop.
The last still survives.

19
The perennial weeds common to most gardens are Creeping
Buttercup, Pilewort, Mouse-ear Chickweed, Pearlwort, White Clover,
Common Willow-herb (Epilobium montanum), Daisy, Coltsfoot, Dandelion,
Hedge Convolvulus, Birds-eye and Thyme-leaved Speedwells, Ribwort and
Common Plantain, and the Common Nettle. Very few, like the Plantains, rely
entirely on their seeds for continuity, the common mode of increase being by
lateral offshoots, either erect like suckers round the foot of a tree, or (more
frequently) horizontal like the runners of a Strawberry, but generally
underground. The Pilewort and Creeping Buttercup have practically retired
from business as seed producers. The former has found a more excellent way,
and throws all its vitality into the production of little tubers in the axils of the
leaves. These when mature drop to the ground, take root, and become
independent plants. The Buttercup finds its exceedingly vigorous surface
runners amply sufficient for its purpose. The White Clover is well named
Trifolium repens, as it is one of the "carpeters " of which every shoot clings to
the ground, rooting at intervals as it proceeds.
The worst pests are those which make use of underground runners,
and the most notorious offenders are Coltsfoot, Hedge Convolvulus and the
grasses known locally as "whickens." Against these the hoe is a useless
weapon, and the most determined attack with the spade can effect no more
than a mitigation of the evil. Milk-white and very conspicuous in the
upturned soil, the underground stems would seem to be specially vulnerable;
but things are not always what they seem. Two simple devices can foil the
utmost diligence. First, brittleness, which ensures the breaking off and
consequent escape of sundry bits, which become the centres of new growth.
Secondly, it is only the younger shoots which are so gleamingly white; the
oldest parts are rusted to the colour of the soil, and the most vigilant eye will
overlook many such vital fragments. Coltsfoot, moreover, is fond of going
deep into the solidity of the subsoil, like a waterfowl diving to avoid attack.
The common" whicken," i.e., Couchgrass, employs the same dodge.

20
The Dandelion and the Dock seek permanence by sending deep
into the ground a great tap-root. To hoe them is worse than beheading the
Hydra; for every head removed you presently have half-a-dozen or more.
Moreover, they seed profusely, and there is no limit to the range of the
Dandelion seed since it is winged like that of other Composites.
Before dealing with less common "undesirable aliens," it is perhaps
well to set down a few facts about my garden. In form it is a reversed L, and
when it came into my hands only the lower three-fourths of the upright (the
south end of it) was actually garden; the extremities were two bits of sheer
Woodland-the northern comprising four great plane-trees and two limes, with
a jungle of Privet, Hop and Nettle; the other contained five big elms, all over
60 feet high, a yew, a lime and a few lesser things. The total area is just under
half an acre, and it was probably enclosed as a garden about 1770.
The probable origins of uninvited guests are therefore:
(a) The woodlands (abolished in 19 2 4).
(b) Plants formerly cultivated.
(c) Introductions with (I) manure, (2) seed or plants, (3) turves.
(d) Casuals-which have dropped in by ways unknown.
What I have called woodland_two separate areas-involved in each
case a rough grassy bank dividing it from the garden proper. To this strip I
refer the Bush Vetch, Meadow Vetchling, Wild Strawberry, Herb Bennet,
Enchanter's Nightshade, Wood-ruff, Corn Sowthistle, Wood Forget-me-not,
Bird's-eye Speedwell, Stachys silvatica, White Deadnettle, Foxglove and
Dog's Mercury. The Enchanter's Nightshade had invaded the cultivated part
of the garden long before my time, and some still remain with their fragile
white underground runners inextricably mingled with those of fruit trees and
bushes and box edging. The same subterranean parts of Mercury, Bush
Vetch, Meadow Vetchling, and Corn Sowthistle (an odd plant in such
company) were sifted out of the soil to the best of my ability when the banks
were converted

21
into rockwork, but inevitably some scraps were overlooked and the pests are
still there, in spite of frequent lifting and cleaning of sections where they
appear.
Of plants intentionally introduced in times past and now
permanently established as weeds I may mention Rosebay Willow-herb,
Feverfew, Winter Heliotrope, Orange Hawkweed, Rampion, Campanula
persicifolia, Linaria repens, Mullein, Wild Hyacinth and Gladiolus
communis. Perhaps the Willowherb and Hyacinth should have been included
in the preceding group, but my own view puts them both here. The Hyacinth
is certainly a silvan plant, but some at least (nearly all, in fact) had obviously
been planted in the open garden at some time or other. The Mullein,
Foxglove, and Feverfew persist by virtue of the abundance of seeds they
produce, the first being biennial, the others quasi-biennial. The Hawkweed
ripens seed as rapidly and plentifully as a Dandelion and at the same time
sends out vigorous runners. If it had the stamina of a Daisy it would populate
the countryside in a season or two; but it is a hectic creature, the natural prey
of legions of aphids, which multiply on it like mites on cheese. Both Petasites
and Rosebay run an underground grid, a far-reaching system of fleshy cables
with local transformers at intervals, each producing an aerial shoot which the
sunlight converts into a new power station. These subterranean activities are
easily dealt with in free soil; as usual, it is when they become involved with
things that are not to be disturbed that the trouble begins.
The Gladiolus is, of course, the most unusual of these legacies. I
found it firmly established among the roots of Wisteria at the base of the
south front of the house. The latter had to be removed, but the roots were not
dug up, so the Gladiolus was not disturbed, at least not in its own proper
territory next the wall. But it insisted on trying to occupy the whole border,
and even succeeded in invading the border on the opposite side of the drive,
wherefore merciless sanctions were applied to the aggressor, more or less
successfully.
Farm manure usually brings in the common annuals already
enumerated, but a few perennials may have entered in that way, notably the
Corn Mint. Twice I have had turves from Ross Links

22
and naturally they included a great many things besides the grasses. Some of
the dwarf plants like Astragalus danicus persisted for several years, but the
regular close mowing soon removed most of the unwanted constituents,
except the daisies and Montia fontana. What trouble I had cropped up at the
margin where the grass ran up to the stonework. There, before I was aware of
it, Festuca rubra, by means of its wiry underground branches, established
itself firmly among the stones. Rumex Acetosella also got a footing there, and
these two with other pests already in occupation make it necessary to take
down my walling periodically, clean up and, rebuild. The second lot of turves
was not so good a sample as the first and still produces a few Spear Thistles
and a good deal of the common Yarrow. Mowing down seems to stimulate
them and uprooting seems impossible.
Introductions with seeds and plants merely means the transference
from one garden to another of familiar weeds, but occasionally a stranger of
note may appear. Once among seedling daisies I had two or three fine
specimens of Centaurea Calcitrapa, the Star Thistle, but they were not
encouraged to prolong their visit. Poultry feed is a sort of seed mixture and
has given me (and the countryside generally) the Rayless Chamomile
(Matricaria suaveolens). About thirty years ago I first noticed it in a West
Allendale farmyard, and since then it has apparently been a constant
ingredient of poultry feed with the result that it is now firmly established
everywhere and has spread into places quite remote from poultry runs.
Last summer I was agreeably surprised to find a healthy plant of
Malva pusilla among strawberries which were being cropped for the first
time. The plants came from a nursery at East Ord, near Tweedrnouth, and I
suppose the seed of the mallow had come with them though it did not appear
till the second year.
If I here name one or two plants as sheer casuals it is because I
cannot in any way account for them. For instance a robust specimen of the
Ox-tongue sprang up on a rockery where there were no recent introductions.
It was removed and no other has since been seen. Perhaps Epilobium roseum
should be included here, though the circumstances were quite different. This
garden

23
had been in my possession two or three years when 1 first noticed it. There
were several plants, and it may have been overlooked previously among the
multitudes of the common Willowherb. It was also present in my garden at
Ninebanks, but no plants were transferred directly from one garden to the
other. A somewhat similar case is that of Geranium lucidum. My impression
is that it was established in this garden before 1 was; but it is only an
impression. Certainly it has increased its range very much, but that is no
doubt due to the multiplication of congenial sites.
An experienced gardener will have noticed one very obvious
omission from my catalogue of weeds-the Goutweed. It is the one pest of the
first magnitude from which 1 am free (I touch wood!), though it is plentiful
enough in the next garden, just over the wall. Moreover, with a lively
recollection of much toil and sweat in bygone years, 1 am deeply grateful for
freedom from one of my Ninebanks enemies, namely Stachys ambigua.
Commonly accepted as a cross between S. Palustris and S. silvatica, it
possesses "cross-bred vigour" in a high degree, which expresses itself in
irrepressible and rapid extension by underground stems.
WHAT IS GOSSAMER?
J. E. HULL.
What the word itself may be taken to imply has already been
discussed pretty fully (The Vasculum, XVI, 140), and it has been suggested to
me that 1 should add an explanation of what gossamer is and how it is
produced. To the first question let the Oxford English Dictionary reply: "A
fine filmy substance, consisting of cobwebs, spun by small spiders, which is
seen floating in the air, especially in autumn, or spread over a grassy surface."
That may be taken as representing the common English usage of the word;
the scientific use would seem to require the omission of the last clause, as will
presently be seen. The latter is the way in which Gilbert White understood it,
as readers of the Natural History of Selbome will remember. It meant the
same to John

24
Blackwall, the founder of British araneology, and his description is well
worth quoting: "The webs named gossamer are composed of lines spun by
spiders, which, on being brought into contact by the mechanical action of
gentle airs, adhere together, till by continual additions they are accumulated
into irregular white flakes and masses of considerable magnitude."
That was written in 1861, and to this day no man has been able to
better it, though the general knowledge of spiders has advanced so far that the
work in which it appears is entirely out of date-as it ought to be after a lapse
of 75 years. I quite agree with Blackwall's statement (as I suppose others do)
because it is the natural inference to be drawn from an examination of the
gossamer " flakes"; but I am not aware that anybody has even attempted to
put the theory to the proof. One reason for this is that the occurrence of
gossamer is a rather rare thing. For instance, it is over forty years since I saw
an exhibition of it on such a scale that it might have been possible to learn
something of its origin if I had been able to follow it up.
I happened to be sojourning in the Pytchley territory of
Leicestershire in the early autumn of 1895 and about mid-fore- noon of a
bright and tranquil day was following a pathway through a wide pasture.
There I beheld something like the beginning of a Brobdingnagian snowstorm.
The whole field was flecked with drifting patches of white, dipping and rising
in their course after the manner of breeze-borne thistledown. Some were
compact and not much larger than a cricket ball; others larger, shapeless and
ragged. The former never rose very much, but trundled along near the
ground; the others often barely touched the sward and then seemed to bounce
upward as a slightly deflated balloon might do. Occasionally these ragged
wisps rose so high that they were lost to the eye for a moment, but presently
dropped into visibility again like falling snowflakes. After spending some
time in examining their structure and satisfying myself that no spiders were
clinging to them, I had to pass on. When I left the drift was still going on as if
the source was inexhaustible.
The Rev. O. Pickard-Cambridge, in speaking of gossamer (Spiders
of Dorset, Vol. I, p. 23) is a little more explicit than

25
Blackwall. He says: "The flake-like form of gossamer is produced by the
aggregation of numerous floating lines, and depends upon atmospheric
conditions, being most common in early autumn, and only in very fine settled
weather." Here again the real problem-i.e., where and why the component
lines are produced, and how and when they become entangled-is left
untouched.
Professor A. A. Thomson, addressing a gathering of field
naturalists at Winchester in 1931, pointed out the excellent opportunities that
any of them who lived in the country had for the study of certain simple
biological problems, and proceeded to indicate sundry matters which greatly
needed such attention. One reference was to "gossamer spiders," under which
head he remarked that "the problem of· gossamer was more than half solved
by a boy of fourteen-Jonathan Edwards." I do not remember what
contribution Edwards actually made to this inquiry, but I gathered from what
the Professor went on to say that it had something to do with the aerial flights
of spiders. That, I think, was also in the mind of Pickard-Cambridge when he
wrote of "floating lines." If so, then it would seem that both he and Thomson
inclined to the belief that the lines emitted by parachuting spiders are the
material of which gossamer is composed.
It may be well, therefore, to describe once more the manner of these
aerial expeditions. The impulse to indulge in this mode of travel occurs
periodically, in spring and autumn, and only when the atmospheric
conditions are right. These last include sunshine, very light winds, and a
moderate degree of humidity; if other things play a part, they are not so
apparent. On a day which fulfils the conditions a very large proportion of the
lesser Linyphiids exhibit a very marked wander-lust. They forsake their
ordinary avocations and are impelled to seize every opportunity of climbing
up into free air. They may then be seen, in the earlier hours of the day,
swarming on the tops of walls and fences and similar places of vantage. Four
years ago (see The Vasculum, XVIII, p. 37) a representative list of species
participating in this kind of activity was given by me. I may now add that
nearly all of them were adult and only two were not Linyphiids, both of them
quite young.

26
If the spiders be watched it will be observed that they are
continually on the move along the line of the wall or fence, leaving a thread
of silk behind them as they go, so that in a very short time the line of march is
a webby tangle of threads. Some of the cables are traversed by one spider
after another and consequently become compounded of many strands. When
a sufficient number of strands are thus combined the translucent gray colour
of the single thread is lost and the thickened cable becomes opaque and
therefore snow-white. Occasionally a spider reaches the summit of some
outstanding pinnacle and may be detected in the act of taking to flight. Being
above the level of other threads, the spider faces the gentle breeze, and
elevating its abdomen, begins to pay out a thread or threads which the current
stretches out horizontally while the spider adds to its length. When the pull is
strong enough the spider lets go and floats away. The operation seems to be
assisted by an upward current caused, I suppose, by the rise of aqueous
vapour from the damp ground. I have once or twice arranged an exhibition
flight for the benefit of persons interested in such things. On a morning when
the spiders are very busy on a fence, all that is necessary is to confine one of
the little black Linyphiids to the tip of a finger held up in the air. If satisfied
that other ways of departure are not practicable, it will proceed to " take off "
in approved style. A photograph of this performance is reproduced in
Emerton's Common Spiders (of New England).
Years ago, having swallowed the common assertion that these
aeronautical spiders were nearly always immature without taking the trouble
to verify the fact, I was willing to believe that the flights contributed to the
dispersal of broods. I am no longer inclined to that view, but my experience
of the practice of any other family than the Linyphiidae in this particular way
is negligible, and I have no alternative theory to offer.
Another kindred phenomenon is familiar to lepidopterists who go
"dusking " along the hedgerows or woodland paths, as indeed it is to all
strollers in such places at the proper time and on the right kind of evening-the
humid gloaming of a night in late summer or early autumn when the breeze is
of the gentlest. If the

27
temperature is right, the pedestrian finds himself passing through a
continuous succession of spiders' threads streaming horizontally across his
path (assuming that the air current takes that general direction), chiefly at the
level of the ordinary person's face. Obviously these threads are also the
production of arboreal spiders, and probably for the most part of Linyphiids;
but again I cannot suggest their purpose.
There is, however, one use of the single threads which is fairly
obvious even to the makers of legends. It is exemplified by Brace's spider,
which must have been an extraordinarily inexperienced and feeble creature.
Arboreal spiders (again it is the Linyphiidae and their nearest allies) at any
sudden alarm drop from their retreat or web, emitting a lengthening thread as
they fall. This is not to avoid injury, but to provide a means of return when the
danger is past. The common gray Salticus, a hunting spider which prowls all
over the surface of sunny walls or rocks, emits such a thread continuously as
it proceeds. The thread adheres to the wall, so that a glance along the surface
of any sunny wall will reveal a complete map of the spider's perambulations,
and thus betray the presence of the spider, which is itself a very
inconspicuous creature. Being always attached to the vertical surface by this
line, the spider is able to spring a considerable distance upon its prey without
fear of a fall. Ground spiders have no such need of a life-line and rarely use
anything of the kind.
To which of these uses of the free line are we to look for the
material of gossamer? Consider what is required. There must be a very large
number of practically free lines. They must be in such close proximity that
they become tangled together so intimately as to appear white, and then
aggregated into ragged tufts. Finally they must be entirely freed in time to be
blown about as gossamer at about eight to ten a.m. (Greenwich time).
The streamers of the dusk seem to me to fit these conditions best.
Floating free as they do, it is certain, .if they are in sufficient number, that
eventually they will be tangled together. This, and perhaps the drying of
exposure, would probably help them to complete freedom.

28
The multitudinous travelling lines on walls, fences, and open sward
are out of the question altogether; they are still to be seen while the gossamer
is floating above them. There remain the lines of the aeronauts. If you can
suppose them to be produced in sufficient number and in some way brought
together in wisps, the problem of detachment would not arise (assuming that
all this could happen in mid-air).
I do not offer a solution, but have tried to state the case so that
anyone may see just what still needs to be observed, for they seem to be
things which any intelligent and interested person (blessed with time and
opportunity) might easily make a note of.
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION.
The autumn meeting was held at the Hancock Museum on
November 21st and was attended by forty-five members and associates. The
President (Mr. Guy L. Drury) gave a most interesting lecture on "Bird
Migration," illustrated by maps and some beautiful photographs, and a brisk
discussion followed in which many took part.
The Annual Meeting will be held in the rooms of the Darlington
Naturalists' Field Club on Saturday, February 20th, when officers will be
elected for the year, and Dr. J. Maclagan will lecture on "The Biological
Control of Insect Pests," a subject of great interest to which he has paid
particular attention.
Part 4 of the Transactions is in the press and will be issued in a few
days; it is hoped that Part 5 will be ready in May.
1936
WALLIS CLUB.
INDOOR MEETINGS.
October 12th.-Members' night. Exhibits of local marine algae by
Dr. Blackbum, Japanese privet by Mr. Watson, a Lusitanian slug from
Ireland by Mr. E. P. Blackbum, and beetle larvae parasitic on Juncus by Mr.
Beadle.

29
October 26th.-Dr. Day gave an interesting lecture on the "Floating
Population of the Sea." He dealt mainly with planktonic animals, the
conditions under which they live and the methods by which they can be
investigated.
November 9th.-Members' night. Exhibits included Dytiscus lapponicus
from Raasay by Dr. G. H. Harrison, and Niphargus, the blind well shrimp
from Alderney by Professor Hobson.
November 23rd.-Mr. W. P. Mail gave a lecture on " The Natural
History of Angling," showing many beautiful slides of places, birds, fish, etc.
December 7th.-Members' night. Exhibits included British
dragonflies by Dr. G. H. Harrison, 30-40 species of local marine molluscs by
Professor Hobson, supplemented by other local shells by Mr. Temperley, and
three species of wigeon grass (Zostera) by Dr. Blackbum.
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.
October 13th.-Opening of the Autumn Session. The President (Mr.
H. Sargent) and Mr. C. Bennett gave an exhibition of cinematograph films
entitled "Nature as seen through the Films." Among those shown were: Pond
Life under the microscope, Amoeba under the microscope, the Golden Eagle
with young, Wild Life in the hedgerow. All proved very interesting, the
President describing the films while Mr. Bennett worked the instrument.
October 2oth.-Mr. O. C. Hill, of the Dorman Museum,
Middlesbrough, gave a paper entitled "Pond Life Marvels," speaking of a few
of the inhabitants of ponds and streams, among which were Entomostraca,
Coleopterous and other aquatic larvae, Rotifers, Hydrae, etc. A particular
feature of this paper was its illustration by tanks of living specimens
projected on the screen by aid of the lantern.
October 27th.-This meeting was held at the Darlington Free
Library: members were received by the Chairman of the Library committee
(Alderman S. Hardwick), and Councillor R. Luck (Mayor-elect), who is a
member of this Club and a Past-President.

30
The Librarian, Mr. F. Dallirnore, and his staff, exhibited Natural
History books and records of great interest, many of considerable value. The
gem of the library is the beautiful manuscript book by the late official
photographer of the Club, W. J. Mountford, entitled "Sunny Saturday
Afternoons amongst the Churches and Villages round Darlington."
Refreshments were kindly supplied by the Library Committee.
November 3 rd .-The President announced that Mrs. O. E. D. Sibson
had presented to the Club her late husband's collection of Ammonites and
other fossils. The Hon. Secretary announced that the late F. A. Mason's son
had presented his father's collection of photographs and lantern slides of
Fungi to the Club. These are two valuable additions to the Club Museum.
November 10th.-Phenological Records for 1936. Mr. J. B.
Nicholson reported on plant and insect life. He reviewed the weather,
speaking particularly of the great gale on January 9 th ; the first dates of
flowering, etc., of plants; and the first appearance of insects given in the
Royal Meteorological Society's list. He also stated that wild fruits of all kinds
were particularly abundant this autumn, but fungi were in different case, for
after the wet summer they have disappointed expectations, mushrooms in
particular having been few and far between.
Mr. H. A. Inness reported on the fruit crop as having been one of
abundance, particularly apples, pears and plums; strawberries, raspberries
and currants were all good crops, but the weather was bad at gathering time,
and much fruit was spoilt by mould.
Mr. C. W. Murray, in reporting on farm crops, said that barley was
not of good quality; much did not get ripe and was wet and dry several times
after cutting. Wheat was only two-thirds of last year's crop, corns were rather
small, and much was not in good condition, having been harvested wet. Sugar
beet, moderately good crop, but lower sugar content owing to the wet.
Mangolds, moderate crop. Beans and peas, good crops. Potatoes, fairly good
crop, but diseased, in some cases as much as one-third bad; they will not
keep. Hay a good crop, but very late; little was got in without weathering, the
feeding value being reduced by wet.

31
Mr. A. Stainthorpe reported on bird life. He said that the losses in
bird life owing to the severe weather were comparatively light; the mild
periods coming between the hard frosts enabled the birds to recuperate.
Redwings suffered from lack of food during the hard frost, as they do not eat
berries. A Waxwing was found dead at Blackwell in January, its poor
condition having possibly something to do with its death. The great majority
of the spring migrants arrived, in our area, a little later than usual.
On February 16th a Skylark was heard in full song, near the town.
The first House Martin was seen in the town on April 19 th , the first Swallow
on the 20th-three and eight days later, respectively, than in 1935. The Willow
Warbler arrived in the town on April 21st. The Cuckoo was heard at
Sadberge on April 29 th . The Swift arrived on May 5th (same date as last
year), and the Comcrake was heard within the Borough on May 14th and 17 th ;
the Redstart at Bowes on May 17th; the Spotted Flycatcher in the town on
May 18th: the Sedge Warbler on the banks of the Tees on May 20th, much
later than usual. Early April was a bad time for moorland birds, but judging
from the large numbers of Curlew, Plover, Snipe, etc., seen later in the year
the young birds had fared very well. Visiting migrants and resident alike
nested fairly successfully, judging from the number of young birds seen. The
main body of Swifts left Darlington on August 10th. Another large party was
seen over the town on August 15 th , and a straggler on September 12th. The
last Swallows were noted at Winston on October 11th and a House Martin in
Staindrop Lane on October 20th. The Sewage Farm keeps up its reputation
for rare birds.
November 17th.-Mr. B. Anderson gave a paper on the bird and
insect friends and foes of the gardener. A hen's egg of a blue colour was
exhibited, the blue being much the same as that of a Starling's egg. All eggs
laid by this particular hen are of this colour.
November 24th.-The Rev. A. E. McNay gave a paper entitled
"Middleham Church, Collegiate and Peculiar," giving a most interesting
historical account of this old church.
December 8th.-Mr. A. Stainthorpe read, on behalf of Mr. GL.
Drury (who was ill and unable to attend), a paper entitled

32
"Migration," dealing with bird migration in a most exhaustive manner, from
the first observations on the subject to the latest known facts.
December 15th.-Mr. H. D. Pritchett gave a paper entitled "Eight
Hundred Years of Old Darlington." Taking the period from A.D. 1000 to
A.D. 1800, he gave a large number of interesting historical facts, many of
which were previously unknown to many people present.
January 5th, 1937.-The first meeting of the spring session. Mr. H.
C. Pincher, B.Sc., gave a lecture on Marine Biology, illustrated by diagrams,
shown by Episcope. The lecturer spoke of marine fauna and flora found at
various depths, from tide level to the great depths of the ocean.
The President announced that the Darlington Corporation had
acceded to a request from this Club to take appropriate steps for protecting
the rare birds which abound on the Sewage Farm, the Town Clerk to give
notice to terminate as soon as possible the agreement for the letting of
shooting rights at the farm.
EDITORIAL NOTE.
JOHN E. NOWERS, Hon. Secretary.
As subscribers in general find three volumes in one a convenient
size for binding the index to XXII-XXIV will be issued with the last number
of Vol. XXIV.

33
Late Flowering of wild Roses.
NOTES AND RECORDS.
NOTES.
During recent years I have often observed, and had occasion to record, the second flowering of
Eucanine wild roses. However, only this year for the first time has Rosa spinosissima behaved
similarly. A bush, which had flowered profusely in June, produced a new crop of flowers on
October 14 th .- J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
Self Sterility of Rosa spinosissima
One very frequently notes the remark that the Burnet rose has failed to fruit in some special
year. Had the recorder observed the phenomenon over a period of years he would have discovered
speedily that the same bushes, year after year, behave similarly. In 1918, I transferred a plant of
Rosa spinosissima from Penshaw Hill to the garden, and this for a series of years has produced a
magnificent show of flowers, but no fruits. Two or three years ago, another set of plants from
Blackhall Rocks was planted alongside the original lot. Now both series fruit freely. This confirms
the view that sexual roses are self sterile as had been determined otherwise by special experiments
planned for the purpose.-J. W. H. H.
Ergots on Mollinia caerulea.
In the last number of The Vasculum I recorded the finding of Ergots on the grass Ammophila
arenaria. I can now report their occurrence on the above-named grass, on Waldridge Fell, in
enormous numbers.-J. W. H. H.
Galls on Salix phyllicifolia.
Except for its specialities, Pontania phylicifolia and P. pustulator. few galls have been detected
locally on this willow. However, in October, as I wanted galls of the two species of sawflies just
named for figuring, I visited representatives of this species which grow along the Wear banks at
Eastgate. My special quest was unrewarded but, instead, I found great quantities of the two midge
galls Oligotropus major and O. capreae upon them. This, I believe, is the first record for these
Cecidomyids on the substrate in this country. There was present also a huge quantity of rolls of the
sawfly Pontania laucapsis.-J. W. H. H.
The Distribution of Salix Andersoniana in Durham.
For many years I have realised the enormous abundance of this willow in certain coast and
upland regions, and have also known of the existence of odd bushes near Birtley. However, I can
now report that the plant is far from rare in the Team Valley above Bewick Main.-J. W. H. H.

34
Winch's Record of Radiola millegrana.
Two or three days ago I had occasion to turn over the pages of Winch's Botanist's
Guide (1805), and was once more reminded that it records the present species in the following
words: " On Newcastle Town Moor, by the road leading to Benton N.-Rev. Mr. Burket." In view of
the importance of this record, can anyone give a reason for its neglect in Baker and Tate and other
publications?-J. W. H. H.
The Snow berry at Eastgate.
It is often alleged that this shrub always fails to establish itself in this country. When
such a statement is made I imagine that its establishment by means of seed is intended. In any case
its abundance along the Wear at Eastgate certainly suggests that, whether by seed or vegetatively, it
has every appearance of being thoroughly at home.-J. W. H. H.
Drosera anglica and Insects.
One is accustomed to see small flies of all kinds on the various species of sundew , but
I was really surprised, on one of our walks on the Island of Scalpay, to find partially enclosed leaves
of this plant such a large insect species as the Dragon Fly Agrion minium and the Northern Brown
butterfly. -J. W. H. H.
A Third Brood of the Green Veined White Butterfly.
This butterfly, as far as this area is concerned, is a resident not reinforced regularly by
immigration. Throughout the years I have had it under observation in Durham, it has always been
more or less regularly double brooded. In August this year, as I have already stated elsewhere, I
collected a lot of eggs of the species from Cuckoo flower on Birtley Fell. Although the larvae and
pupae were kept in a cool place, nearly a third of them emerged in October, thus producing a third
brood.-J. W. H. H.
The Local Scarcity of Polia chi in 1936.
Wet years or dry years, ever since I have been a student of insect, this interesting
species in the form of its greenish variety olivacea, has never failed to occur in some numbers
locally. This year very, very few indeed were seen by any of us. In my opinion, the excessive zeal
displayed for cleaning hedgerows, and cutting out all undergrowth, has at length had its effects. It
seems a pity that such incessant and heedless hedge-trimming should take place. Already in various
areas, our fine rose, Rosa mollis, has gone, with many another plant and insect, through this
needless (in most cases!) vandalism; is it not possible to apply the brake of common sense before all
the beauty of our local hedgerows is destroyed ?-J. W. H. H.
The Willow Beetle attacking Salix repens.
One is not surprised at poplar trees and the Fragilis and Pentandra group of willows
suffering serious disfigurement at the jaws (I nearly wrote "hands"!) of this insect. Never, however,
until 1936 have I noticed the damage to extend to the Creeping Willow. On Birtley Fell, in October,
nearly every leaf had been destroyed.-J. W. H. H.

35
Records of Bombus smithianus in Various Northern Counties.
The late Mr. Chas. Robson and other northern collectors, on many occasions, sent the
local form of the bee Bombus muscorum to Mr. E. Saunders ; these he invariably named Bombus
smithianus. On this basis, many erroneous records have been made and should be corrected. All
bees so treated are Bombus muscorum race pallidus Evans.-J. W. H. H.
Lepidoptera in the Barnard Castle Area.
Of the more or less noteworthy species observed in the area there can be reported the
Orange Tip, seen in June, half a dozen Mullein Shark (Cucullia verbasci) larvae noted on Mullein,
and a number of those of Plusia moneta taken from Delphiniums and Monkshood. In addition,
Apamea unanimis; and Melanthia bicolorata also put in an appearance.-J. P. ROBSON.
White's Thrush at Hexham.
Whilst watching some Song Thrushes, Blackbirds, Missel Thrushes and a single
Redwing feeding upon berries hanging in profusion on a White Beam tree growing in the grounds
of Hexham House, on Thursday, October 22nd, I noticed a stranger among them. Having my
binoculars with me I soon got it under close observation and was greatly surprised to find that it was
a fine specimen of White's Thrush. Through the kindness of Mr. Temperley I have examined a skin
and also a set up specimen in the Hancock Museum collection and feel quite confident about the
identity of the bird.-T. H. WELCH.
Other Notes from Hexham District.
A Waxwing was seen at Fallowfield Fell, November 11th, and others in Dukesfield
district, same month. There were six Goosanders on the river east of Hexham on November 29th.
Two Crossbills were noted at Newbiggen Hill on November 22nd, and a small flock at Beacon
Grange on December 25 th . A Song Thrush was in full song on December 26th, and a Great Tit was
heard singing on the same day. Fieldfares, Redwings and Bramble-finches are fairly numerous in
the district at present (January).
WELCH.
Red Squirrels are more abundant here than they have been for some years.-T. H.
Toads and their Breeding Habits.
The notes under this heading, written by J. W. H. H. in the May Vasculum tempt me to
add some brief remarks of my own on the same subject.
A pond was formed in the middle of a young plantation about ten years ago. It
measures roughly 30 yards long by 15 yards wide, and the depth varies from an inch or two at the
shallow end to some 3 feet or less at the other. The feeder is a tiny stream, not more than 9 inches
wide, coming- from a small iron spring in the plantation itself.
It was not until 1932 that I observed any toads visiting this minute sheet of water,
although a few frogs did so from the first.
In that year, however, some score or so of the former species began spawning
operations in March, and the increase since then has been very rapid. During one day in March of
last year, before any spawn was to be seen, I

36
counted at least 250 toads in the pond itself, and judging by the chorus of "song" coming from the
feeder and from the long grass all round, the total population could not have been far short of 300.
This year, owing to the late spring, the arrival of the toads at the pond was delayed; and
the growth of weed in the water prevented any attempt at an accurate census.
Although the toads themselves are evenly distributed all over the pond, spawning only
takes place in the deep end, and in a restricted area, some 4 yards square. On the other hand the
frog-spawn, such as there was, was divided, half being at the shallow end, in not more than 6 inches
of water, and the remainder in the very middle of the toad spawn. The lump of frog- spawn was
sunk rather deeply in the weed, and the ropes of toad spawn were all round, though not actually
touching it at any point.
Before spawning has actually taken place, after which all toads are in the water, many
of them sit upon the banks quite in the open, while others bury themselves in the grass, and when
removed, leave a bare earth "form" where they have been.
Upon a warm day the creatures' vocal powers seem to be increased, or at any rate
encouraged, and the chorus is audible at a considerable distance. I have several times had one or
more soloists performing on my hand.- J. M. CRASTER.
Fulmar Petrels on the Northumbrian Coast.
One or two additions to the above may be of interest.
The powers of the bird underwater are considerable, and well worthy of further study.
One day, at Cullernose Point, I amused myself for the better part of an hour by feeding the birds on
herring. The following points soon became clear: (1) There is no hesitation in submerging to the
depth of a foot or so, but beyond this seems to require a certain amount of thought, but one
bird--easily distinguishable by a mark on one wing-went several times to a depth estimated at a
fathom. (2) The mode of progression under water is similar to that of the "Auks," that is to say that
propulsion is by wing and steering by leg and foot. (3) Small pieces of herring can be swallowed
under the surface, but anything over half the fish must be brought to the top and "coaxed "! (4)
While some Individuals waited on the water for their share, others seemed to prefer to glide past
and drop upon each mouthful as it arrived.
The Fulmars from Cullernose, or at least one or two of them, seem to be acquiring an
increased pleasure in flying overland.
Last year the west-facing heughs between Cullernose and Craster often held a few
resting birds, while others cruised along the face. This year one pair (presumably the same birds)
were to be seen daily circling two grass fields adjoining the grounds here during March and April,
while for the last three weeks a single bird has paid extended visits even nearer, spending a part of
almost every day gliding round the tree-tops and over the shrubs, nearly touching the tops of the
latter, and of the hedge, as it does so: a very welcome addition to the normal avian population.-J. M.
CRASTER.

37
"Double-brooded" Grasses
The following grasses in flower with ripe pollen were noted at Beaumont Hill,
Darlington, on October 3 1st , 1936:-
Dactylis glomerata L. Cocksfoot.
Holcus lanata L. Yorkshire Fog.
Arrhenatherum avenaceum Beauv. False Oat-grass.
Phleum pratense L. Timothy-grass.
Sundew and Big Game.
-J. E. NOWERS.
The note on a previous page concerning captures made by the Long-leaved Sundew
vividly recalls an experience of my own on Meathop Moss in Furness. While my companions were
(as far as temperature and clegs would permit!) eagerly racing about the Moss in pursuit of
"`Blouded Cuffs" and the local form of the large Heath, my less violent employment-the bottling of
Arachnida--drew my attention earthward. It was thus that a Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) came
under my eye which held in its clutches a pair of victims nearly identical with those recorded by
Professor Harrison for Drosera longifolia. The Dragonfly was the same but the Butterfly was the
Large Heath.- J. E. H.
A Berry Year.
Victims of the "superiority complex" are busily writmg letters to the papers registering
(that's right, I hope) their lofty condemnation of the old saw about superabundant berries and a hard
winter. It may be wise to lie low and quote another bit of ancient wisdom: "Don't halloo till you are
out of the wood." Still, the berries are real enough, and our crimson hedges are only a fragment of a
general phenomenon. Our hollies were equally prolific an as a consequence have suffered most
barbarous treatment. About a mile away a whole row of them vanished in a night, a few days before
Christmas. All the berry-bearing shrubs seem to have been productive far above the average, but the
finest show I have seen is that of the local spindle-trees. All of them that are favourably placed have
borne a profusion of fruits which looked like sprays of starry salmon-pink blossoms.-J. E. H.
Tbe Berries of the Elder.
Some time ago I wrote of elderberries black and white, not knowing at the time that
Elders were to be found bearing ripe fruit of quite another colour. The berries of this third type are
as green when full ripe as when they are first formed. The bushes which bear them are much the
rarest of the three kinds, and this season the fruit was not found in sufficient quantity for wine-
making, so I cannot make any report on that head; but I am confirmed in my opinion that the wine
product of the palest berries is much superior to that of the purple berries.-J. E. H.
Migrant Lepidoptera in 1936.
As already reported (page 97) migrants were unusually rare throughout the country in
the early summer, and although there was some improvement after midsummer they were generally
scarce in the North East.

38
Vanessa cardui-THE PAINTED LADY. Single specimens were reported from few
localities-near Barnard Castle on June 27th, and in Darlington on September 16th (J. E. Nowers);
Sunderland, September 15th (T. W. Jefferson); Alnmouth, October 7th (F. C. G.).
V. atalanta-THE RED ADMIRAL, was much less common than usual but odd
specimens were seen in most places the latest records being Barnard Castle, October 4th (J. P.
Robson) and Alnmouth (quite fresh), October 6th and 7th (F. C. G.).
N. io-THE PEACOCK. This beautiful insect paid one of its very rare visits to us, a
battered specimen being seen at Barnard Castle on August 28th (J. P. R.), and other individuals just
over the border at Croft on September 15th, and Thirsk on September 18th (1. E. N.).
N. antiopa-THE CAMBERWELL BEAUTY. As reported on page 149 a single
specimen was seen near Birtley on September 1st, but no others were reported.
Aglais urticae-THE SMALL TORTOISE-SHELL. This butterfly, which is included in
the list as a control, was extraordinarily common in most places through the late summer and
autumn.
Acherontia atropos-THE DEATH'S HEAD MOTH. A very fine male was taken at
Barnard Castle on September 13th by Mr. J. P. Robson who seems to be the only English
entomologist to have taken it this year. My Lincolnshire correspondent, who usually has plenty of
pupae, received none this autumn. It will be remembered that there was a doubtful record from
Blaydon Haugh earlier.
Plusia gamma.-THE SILVER Y. After the great influx at the end of June this moth
was, naturally, very common in all parts, and was flying at Alnmouth until the 20th of October.-F.
C. GARRETT.
BIRDS.
RECORDS.
Turdus v. aureus. White's Thrush. 67
Grounds of Hexham House, October 22nd. See Notes-T.H. WELCH.
Rallus aquaticus. Water Rail. 66
Seen at Ketton, Darlington, October 31st.-J. E. NOWERS.
INSECTS.
TRICHOPTERA. Caddisflies.
Limnophilus bipunctus Curt. 66
L. rhombicus L.
Halesus radiatus Curt.
Micropterna sequax McL.
All of these were turned up not uncommonly at various points in the Team Valley ltetween Birtley
and Beamish.

39
Limnophilus hirsutus Piet. 66
L. elegans Curt.
L. sparaus Curt.
Stenophylax permistus McL.
Colpotaulius incisus Curt.
Holocentropus stagnalis Alb.
These were captured in the area including the stells and fleets at the Tees Mouth, and Billingham
Bottoms. It should be noted that several of them, like L. elegans and H. stagnalis, are quite rare.
Halesus auricollis Pict. 66
Limnphilus vittatus F.
On the Rowletch Burn, south of Birtley.-J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
HEMIPTERA-HETEROPTERA.
Anticorixa sahlbergi Fieb. 66
A. linnei Fieb.
A. castanea Thorns.
A. moesta Fieb.
Callicorixa praeusta Fieb.
C. striata L.
C. distincta Fieb.
C. limitata Fieb.
C. scotti Dgl. and Se.
C. fabricii Fieb.
C. hieroglyphica Duf.
Notonecta glauca L.
N. obliqua Gallén
The whole of these waterbugs, of differing types, was found in the ponds on Birtley Fell and near
Oxclose, generally in some abundance. It will be noted that the list includes the new British species
A. castanea as wel1 as the species A. moesta, with which it used to be confused. This forms a very
welcome new record for Durham. In the last issue of The Vasculum it was stated that Dr. George
Heslop Harrison was responsible for the introduction of A. castanea to the British Fauna on the
strength of Barra and Raasay specimens; for that statement neither myself nor my son were
responsible.-J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
MOLLUSCA
Late Pleistocene species, from Cockerton near Darlington.-B. R. LUCAS. 66
Limnaea peregra Mull.
Planorbis spirorbis L. (leucostoma Millet).
P. crista L.
Succinea pfeifferi Rossm.
Vertigo parcedentata AI. Braun.

40
Columella edentulum Drap.
Trichia hispida L.
Vitrina pellucida Mull.
Pisidium cinereum Alder.
P. hibernicum Westl.
P. nitidum Jen.
P. personatum Maim.
P. pulchellum Jen.
P. subtruncatum Maim.
Holocene species, buried forest on the shore between Hartlepool and Seaton
Carew.-A. S. S. KENNARD.
Vertigo substriata Jeffs.
V. pusilla Mull.
Lauria angllea Fer.
Acanthinula lamellata Jeffs.
Marpessa laminata Mont.
Holocene species, Filpoke near Cranham Dene (along with micro- flints).--G. B. GIBBS. 66
Cepaea nemoralis L.
Littorina littorea L.
FLOWERING PLANTS.
Equisetum variegaturu Schl. 68
This Horsetail, so rare and local with us, was observed in some
plenty in the dune hollows on Ross Links.-R. B. COOKE and
J. W. H. H.
FLOWERING PLANTS.
Equisetum variegatum Schl. 68
This Horsetail, so rare and local with us, was observed in some plenty in the dune hollows on Ross
Links.-R. B. COOKE and W.H.H.
FUNGI.
Coprinus macrorhizus (Pers.) Rea. 66
Flourishing in cucumber frames at Haughlon-le-Skerne.
Amanita rubescens (Pers.) Fr. and var. annulo-sulphurea Gillet. 66
Russula lutea (Huds.) Fr. 66
Puccinia cirsii Lasch (on C. heterophyllum). 66
On the Durham bank of the Tees near Winch Bridge.
Pleurotus sapidus Schulz. 66
On Elm, Fishlocks Wood, Low Dinsdale.
Tricholoma lascivum Fr. 66
In Black Wood, Neasham.
Diatrype disciformis (Hoffm.) Fr. 65
Ustulina vulgaris Tul. 65
On a dead Beech, at Halnaby near Croft Spa-J.B. Nicholson
66

THE VASCULUM
Vol. XXIII. No. 2. MAY, 1937.
THE LAST WEEK IN MARCH AMONG NORTHUMBRIAN BIRDS.
W. R. PHILlPSON.
While in the north recently I visited some of my favourite spots to
watch birds, and feel that an account of my observations may give a picture of
the state of bird life in the county at that time of year.
On Good Friday, March 26th, I visited Holy Island in the company
of Mr. C. J. Gent. There was neither the variety nor the numbers of waders to
be seen on the flats as during the autumn migration, but Dunlin, Curlew and
Ringed Plover were to be found wherever there was sand, and a few
Oystercatchers were seen on the rocky coast. Where sea-weed was thrown up
on the rocks numberless Turnstones searched for food, and in all these
situations and also among the dunes, Redshanks called continuously.
Ducks were not present in great numbers, but Eider could be made
out all along the coast beyond the breakers, and with them were Scoter, jet
drakes and brown ducks with light marks on their cheeks. A pair of Teal and
a few Widgeon were resting on a lagoon left by the tide among the sand, and
we put up several ducks from the Lough, where they were feeding in
company with Coot and Moorhen, which I think were Scaup. As we were
watching a Red-Throated Diver from Keel Head, a drake mew flew in to
settle by a bird we could now see to have the white cheeks and ruddy crown
of the duck. From near this vantage point we saw a Fulmar, several
Cormorants, and also Gannets which were all moving steadily northwards,
probably on migration.

42
A very large flock of Brent Geese was first seen at low tide feeding
on the flats and later they were straggled out on Goswick Sands. As the tide
reached the ebb again they went over in flight after flight towards Fenham.
Only four Grey Geese were seen and the species could not be determined. A
flock of Swans was swimming on the flats and from their stiffly-held necks I
thought them to be Whooper Swans, but we could not get near enough to see
the bill. Gulls were, of course, plentiful-all the four. commonest species-and
a few Greater Black Backs were seen over Goswick Sands.
Of smaller birds the two Pipits, Rock and Meadow, were the most
numerous, but our most interesting find was three Wheatears in the fields
between the Lough and the sea; this is an early date. Larks were common
among the dunes, where Linnets and other finches were .hidden among the
marram grass. We also put up a Snipe and some Partridges on the Snook.
On March 28th I went to Rowlands Gill, where I had heard
Waxwings were to be seen. I searched a long time in the woods about the
village, but did not come upon the birds until I had driven a mile or two
homewards, when I caught sight of one silhouetted just as in the photograph
in Coward's book. A little thicket was full of the birds and I obtained
excellent views of them. They were never still as they fed upon the haws and
kept up a continual noise, low and musical. A bus eventually put them all up
and they settled in the top of an ash where I could count them; there were
eighteen, and now their tinkling call sounded in chorus and was very sweet
but subdued. At last they went off in a body behind some houses. On the way
back I was interested to see a pair of Redshanks feeding in a flooded field
beside Scotswood Bridge.
In the afternoon I went to Tecket Dene and saw most of the
passerine birds resident during the winter in the more cultivated part of the
county-tits, thrushes, finches, etc. The flocks of Fieldfares were large on
Ouston Moor and were consorting with Starlings, and everywhere Peewits
were in great numbers; magpies too are plentiful in this part of the county. A
party of Redpolls was seen in the Dene and a Great Crested Grebe on Whittle
Dene Reservoir.

43
On the 29th I visited Dipton Wood and was struck by the dearth of
birds among the younger plantations. In an hour I saw two birds, a pair of
Gold Crests, and heard three Robins. Not a Thrush or Wood-pigeon was to be
seen. On my way along the road back to the car I saw a stumpy bird fly into a
Scots Pine with something in its bill, and though I could make out a nest, the
leaves were too thick to detect the bird. But I gave my attention to a bird
singing over the road and saw it was a cock Crossbill. I. could see the crossed
tips of the bill when it turned its head and the red rump and breast. It sang
there while the hen made several visits to the nest, singing a low . twittering
warble.
Finches were going to roost in the woods and those I could make
out were Greenfinches.
On the 30th I visited several of the. reservoirs to the north-west of
the county. Passing Bolam Lake I counted eight female Goldeneye, a drake
Goosander, a few Tufted and Pochard, and a pair of Mallard. On Sweethope
Lough were several Tufted, a single duck Pochard, and a pair of Mallard. On
Colt Crag there were eight Pochard and Moorhen at the west end, and twelve
Goldeneye at the east end. Little Swinburn Reservoir was bare of water fowl,
but a party of Siskins flitted in the birches on its shore. A drake Goosander
went over south and on reaching Hallington there were five of these birds in
company with a female Smew and thirty Goldeneye. There were also several
Tufted, a few Mallard, and a single duck Pochard.
Moorland birds were seen during this run. Near Sweethope at one
time I could see Peewits in pairs, a pair of Curlew, a pair of Golden Plover in
summer plumage, and three Snipe calling and flying very erratically. On the
same day a flock of thirty-two Golden Plover anti one of forty Curlew were
seen on farmland.
In the afternoon I visited. St. Mary's Island, but could not cross to
the island as the tide was full. However, I saw Scoter out to sea and was very
interested in three Teal which kept just outside the breakers off some rocks.
There was a cock Stonechat in a break in the low cliffs.. At high tide a pair of
Purple Sand- pipers were disturbed from their resting-place by some boys
and

44
settled for a short time with a little party of Dunlin. On the sand I could get a
very good view as they waddled about on their rather short and widely
separated legs.
On March 31st I again visited the Crossbill's nest in the company of
Mr. Edward Allan. The female was building; she pulled grass that was
hanging from the side of the nest and went into the cup with it. The cock was
again singing in the poplar over the road; he now gave a low wheeze like a
Greenfinch, only occasionally breaking into the twitter. We went along the
south edge of the wood in .a valley where the trees are older and more birds
were seen than on the 29th. Gold Crests were everywhere and Jackdaws and
Jays were plentiful. Cole Tits and a Tree-- creeper were feeding together in a
Scots Pine. Woodpecker marks were everywhere, but we heard only the loud
yaffle of the Green Woodpecker and could not catch a glimpse of it, though
we got very close. In Swallowship Woods I saw a Gold Crest display to a hen
and at fifty yards distance the crest suddenly flashed out like a lamp in the
woods; it was a fine sight. While watching a Treecreeper I caught sight of a
female Crossbill on the topmost twig of a larch tree. In the beautiful glen of
the Devil's Water we watched a Dipper.
On April 1st I visited Gosforth Park Sanctuary. It was misty, so I
searched the wood until the lake was clear. I watched and listened to a
Willow Tit feeding on the bark of a Scots Pine, caught a glimpse of the
Greater Spotted Woodpecker, and watched a Sparrow Hawk performing a
spring flight above the trees. Around the lake Reedbuntings were frequent,
and near the boat house the call of the Water Rail-startled me; it is the most
horrible of all our bird calls. On the lake itself surprisingly little was to be
seen. Mallard and Teal were there in good numbers, although the latter were
mostly lying up among the reeds. There were perhaps a score of Tufted,
half-a-dozen Pochard and seven Widgeon. No other ducks were present, the
most notable absentee being the Shoveller, which is normally numerous on
the spring passage which is usually at its height at this time of year.
In the hedge of the golf course between South Gosforth and the
East Lodge a single Waxwing was seen both coming and

45
going. In the afternoon I could see no sign of the Waxwings, which until
recently had been seen in Eldon Place.
So ended a very interesting week of bird-watching. In all I saw
ninety species, which gives some indication of the variety of birds that the
county has to offer, even at this not too favourable time of year.
ORNITHOLOGICAL REPORT FOR NORTHUMBERLAND AND
DURHAM FOR THE YEAR 1936.
Compiled from the Records of the Members of the Ornithological Section of
the Natural History Society and others by George W. Temperley.
Migration.
With few exceptions the summer migrants were reported as
arriving from two to seven days later than in the previous year. The cold, dull
weather of mid-April, culminating in the exceptional frosts of April 17th to
26th and the .north to north-west gales of 26th to 30th, did not encourage
early migration, so that it was well into May before the normal summer
population was established in the district.
Contrary to usual experience, the first Wheatears were seen inland
instead of on the coast; Mr. Craigs recording its arrival at Catcleugh in Upper
Redesdale on March 20 th -more than a week before it was reported elsewhere.
This was not an isolated case of an early arrival in Redesdale, for the first
Redstart, Whinchat, Spotted Flycatcher and Sandpiper were also reported
from Catcleugh. Spotted Flycatchers were unusually scarce in many parts of
the district and particularly in the Tyne and Derwent valleys; though Mr.
Craigs found them plentiful in Redesdale. Pied Flycatchers were quite up to
their usual numbers and Mr. Craigs reported them to be in Upper Redesdale
for the first time in his experience of many years.

46
Winter visitors were fairly numerous. Bramblings were well
distributed. A flock of 30 to 50 descended into the streets of Newcastle on the
evening of October 22nd, and spent the night in St. John's Churchyard in
Westgate Road. Fieldfares and Redwings were not much in evidence during
the autumn, but their numbers increased early in 1937.
Classified Notes.
HOODED CROW (Corvus cornix).-Again most rarely reported.
This species is becoming merely a casual winter visitor.
HAWFINCH (Coccothraustes coccothraustes).-A single bird was
seen in Jesmond Dene in mid-June and again in mid-July.
GOLDFINCH (Carduelis carduelis).-Small flocks were seen
several times in the winter months, but no records of breeding were reported.
SISKIN (Carduelis spinus).-The only report received was that of a
flock seen at Catcleugh on October 20th. The same thing occurred in the
previous year. Upper Redesdale seems to be the only district where Siskins
may be seen with any regularity.
CROSSBILL (Loxia curvirostra).-Reported to be breeding in
Redesdale. Flocks were seen there repeatedly from July, 1935, to July, 1936,
after which date they were no longer seen. Winter flocks were noted from
several places in the Tyne and Derwent valleys from September to
December.
STONECHAT (Saxicola torquata).-Reports of birds remaining at
or near. their breeding haunts throughout the winter were received from
Hexham, Minsteracres and Redesdale.
WHITE'S THRUSH (Turdus dauma).-As already reported by him
(The Vasculum, vol. XXIII, p. 35). Mr. T. H. Welch records having seen a
specimen of this rare vagrant Thrush at Hexham on October 22nd, 1936.
LITTLE OWL (Authene noctua vidalii).-A few specimens
continue to be shot in Northumberland.
COMMON BUZZARD (Buteo o. buteo).-A single bird remained
at Prestwick Carr from about March to the end of the summer. It kept to the
thickest cover of the woods and was seldom seen. It was thought to have been
a "pricked" bird. One was seen near Milfield in April and another in Upper
Teesdale on July 16th

47
and 17th. Considering how plentiful Buzzards have become on the west of
the Pennines, it is surprising how seldom they are seen in Northumberland
and Durham.
WHOOPER SWAN (Cygnus cygnus).-Flocks visited most of the loughs and
reservoirs in Northumberland during the winter of 1935-36. In addition to the
usual loughs, they were reported from Catcleugh, Coltcrag, Hallington,
Capheaton and Bolam. Bewick's Swan was not once recorded.
"GREY GEESE."-In January and February a flock of about 20 Geese
regularly visited some fields near Gosforth Park. There is some doubt as to
their species; but most of the evidence points to their having been
Pink-footed (Anser brachyrhynchus). On March 5th a flock of 22 Bean Geese
(Anser fabalis) was definitely identified on fields near Grindon Lough, and
on the 8th three birds, thought to be of this species, visited Gosforth Park.
PINTAIL (Anas acuta).-A pair was seen on Gosforth Park lake on February
1st. The only record of the year.
GREAT CRESTED GREBE (Podiceps cristatus).-Birds were noted on
Whittle Dene Reservoirs several times during June and July. The usual
breeding pair arrived at Hallington between March 17th and 22nd but owing
to molestation did not rear any young.
GREEN SANDPIPER (Tringa ochropus).-One was reported in the Team
Valley from January 2nd to March 1st, and three at the same place from July
28th to August 10th.
GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius apricarius).-Returned to their breeding
haunts in Redesdale on February 19th and in the Derwent Valley on March
12th.
REDSHANK (Tringa t. totanus).-Reported on their breeding haunts at
Grindon Lough on March 8th, and at Catcleugh on March 11th,
CURLEW (Numenius a. arquata).-On the moors beyond Rothbury on
February 11th, Catcleugh February 20th.
WOODCOCK (Scolopax r. rusticola).-One was picked up alive in Eldon
Lane, Newcastle, on April 1st. It had evidently struck a wire as it was
disabled and eventually died.
In order that these Reports shall be as complete as possible the
Recorder will be glad to receive notes about birds from all interested readers.

48
THE CHRONICLES OF THE ARMSTRONG COLLEGE
EXPEDITION TO THE INNER HEBRIDES.
VI. THE SHORE FROM FEARNS TO HALLAlG.
Once again a hot sunny morning saw us, fully equipped, toiling up
the moorland road to Fearns in search of new treasures in the marshes and on
the cliffs. Despite the clouds of Northern Brown and Fritillary butterflies that
crossed our path and served to lighten our journey, no excuses for frequent
rests were neglected. It was really wonderful how often we appreciated the
view looking down the Arish Bum and across the Sound to Skye, with the
familiar Glamaig in the foreground, and the Cuillins far behind. We loitered,
too, to see what progress the little plants of Juncus capitatus and Cicendia
pusilla were making in their favoured nook along the bum-side. There also
we failed to resist the temptation to visit the Lesser Skullcap, the various
Sundews, Butterworts, and other bog plants, and to catch the glorious
dragonflies as they buzzed along.
However, every excuse for halting was exhausted in the end. and
nothing was left but to march steadily forward, only delaying when
compelled by the caterpillars on the heather; these belonged to the Emperor
Moth, Oak Eggar, Fox Moth. Beautiful Yellow Underwing, the Longwinged
Pug and so on. At length. the slopes of Beinn na Leac were reached. There
across the masses of fragrant Thyme, we knew that shoals of the very rare
Oban Burnet (Zygaena achilleae), as well as of the Common Sixspot, must at
times boom along; we looked in vain. only odd examples of the rarer species,
hopelessly worn assuring us that it existed.
On this same bank, we found Tutsan (Hypericum Androsaemum).
and soon afterwards began to descend, skirting as we did so the crofter's
fields, to the marshes, where the ubiquitous Northern Brown Butterflies,
jostling with Green Veined Whites and Meadow Browns, crowded the
knapweed and thistle heads.

49
Here, likewise, we captured those great rarities in these parts, the two bees,
Bombus ruderarius and B. lapidarius, which seemed to favour Meadow
Sweet and Devilsbit Scabious.
The marshes swarmed with flowers, none more welcome than the
Spotted Orchids, the Butterfly Orchid, and various hybrids of the former with
Orchis purpurella. Present, too, were Water Cress, and Red Campion, both
very rare on Raasay, whilst both species of Marsh Marigold occurred freely.
Caltha radicans looking very distinct when once it was recognised. With
them were hosts of common things-Ragged Robin, Angelica, Marsh Thistle,
Blue Vetch, Marsh Hawksbeard, Marsh Ragwort, and so on. Behind these, as
drier conditions successively prevailed, first sallows appeared, and then a
tangle of hawthorns, wild roses and brambles, the former genuinely wild.
Passing along, and gazing first at the kestrels overhead, then at the
gannets diving into the sea with a "plop," and next at the shingle plants,
comprising the Greater Skullcap, Herb Robert, Cleavers, etc., we discovered
the remains of a "very" dead Basking Shark. Giving them a wide berth, and
scrambling over rock bedecked with Thrift and Pink stonecrop, and higher up
with Thyme and Birdsfoot Trefoil, we came to the cape, Rudha na Leac. Not
far away, we studied with interest the rare rock- dwelling White Beam
(Sorbus rupicola), perched precariously on the cliffs. Moreover, we
examined the ledges and crevices, some supporting Roseroot, others the Sea
Spleenwort, and (let me whisper it!) still others the Holly Fern.
Quite unexpectedly, on grassy places at the base of the cliffs, we
detected colonies of the Reedgrass, Calamagrostis epigeios, new to the
county, and far to the north of its previously recognised stations.
Finally, we reached a grassy slope up which, with many. a halt, we
scrambled for about 400 feet, until we came across the old Fearns-Hallaig
path. Above this, on the cliff ledges, grow some of the rarest island plants.
Naturally, we wished to introduce the new members of our party to them. On
this ledge we pointed out the Mountain Avens, and on that the Mossy
Campion, competing with the Alpine Rue and Viviparous Knotgrass. At

50
other points the Mossy Saxifrage, Draba incana, Arabis petraea, the Sea
Campion, the Fragrant Orchis, the Tway Blade, served to sustain our interest,
whilst, in fissures and clefts, countless ferns, in the form of various
Spleenworts, the Hart's Tongue and others, simply swarmed.
On the other hand, insects in this locality were quite rare, only the
Purple Barred and Common Carpets being observed.
For our homeward journey, many of the party preferred to return by
the old Fearns road, but others, much more venture- some, determined to
lessen the amount of walking by climbing to the top of the cliff and tramping
across the moorlands directly for "home." No one realised until the journey
actually commenced what the second possibility really meant. Almost
immediately. huge fissures in the limestone. of great and unknown depths
appeared, and these had to be outflanked. Thus it happened that only after a
tedious and seemingly never-ending task did the open moorlands appear.
Striking a promising-looking escarpment and climbing to its ledges at
intervals, we. jogged along, the only "worth-while" plant collected being the
Mossy Saxifrage. Curiously enough, this was a very different variety from
that noticed near Hallaig.
Soon, the ground became boggy and pools of water interfered with
our passage. Nevertheless, these proved interesting for drowned in them were
countless Currant Moths, all so much alike as to seem struck from the same
die. One fine female however, belonging to var. lacticolor, was taken
clinging to heather, and boxed for breeding purposes. After what seeemd to
be an interminable succession of pools, streams, and bogs. in the end the
ironstone mine was sighted. Veering slightly northward to strike the Arish
Burn, we were surprised to find a sward composed of moorland grasses and
the New Zealand Burr (Acaena microphylla
Then, proceeding by gentle stages, we came across the descending
Dun Caan path, and finally reached our abode, where, perched more or less
insecurely on tea-chests and orange-boxes. we were soon investigating the
mysteries of a cup of tea and a biscuit.

51
NOTES ON SOME ALIEN PLANTS OF POSSIBLE BALLAST-HILL
ORIGIN.
GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
The plants mentioned below are growing on a piece of waste land
on the north bank of the Tyne, not far from Northumberland Dock (V.C. 67),
which was investigated by Mr. Edward Emley in the summer of 1936. They
have established themselves on a part of the river bank which was most
probably used in the past for the deposit of sand-ballast from sailing-ships
entering the Tyne. Most of them are of alien origin and some may be the
direct lineal descendants of plants whose seeds were originally brought to the
Tyne in ballast.
Lepidium Draba L.-The only mention of this plant in Baker and
Tate's "Flora" is in the list of ballast-hill plants, and the only habitat given is
Hartlepool; where it was gathered by Rev. H. E. Fox in 1864 and 1889. It is
still abundant in that neighbourhood and has since been recorded on railway
embankments at Bradbury (1907), Blaydon (1907), Corbridge (1909), Blyth,
North Wylam on the river bank, and near Sunderland (1936). Many railways
were constructed upon embankments derived from ballast carried inland
from the coast.
Diplotaxis tenuifolia DG.-Baker and Tate classed this species as "a
denizen of English type. . . . Frequent upon embankments and by road-sides
about Shields, Sunderland, Hartlepool, etc., but perhaps originally introduced
with ballast." It has since established itself at inland localities, as at Bradbury
(1907) and Birtley.
Sisymbrium altissimum L. (= pannonicum Jacq.) .-Not recorded by
Baker and Tate; but since their time (1867) has invaded both our counties and
may be found here and there on waste ground, railway embankments,
road-sides, etc.
Bunias orientalis L.-Not recorded by Baker and Tate, but found in
1911, with other ballast-hill plants, on the railway embankment near
Bradbury. This embankment contains the remains of many marine shells,
proving that it was constructed of material brought from the coast.

52
Melilotus alba Desr. (=vulgaris Willd.}.-Known as a ballast- hill
plant to Baker and Tate. Now a casual alien both on the coast and inland.
Melilotus indica All.-Not mentioned by Baker and Tate, but
previously recorded as a ballast-hill plant by Winch. It was recently reported
from Birtley by Prof. J. W. Heslop Harrison and from near Durham by J.
Robertson in 1915.
Medicago falcata L.-Recorded by Baker and Tate as a ballast- hill
plant of the Tyne, Wear, and Tees, and, as far as I know, it has not been found
elsewhere.
Medicago denticulata Willd.-Included in Baker and Tate's list of
ballast-hill plants for the Tees only. There is a specimen in the Belt
Herbarium labelled "Jarrow Ballast-hills, 1851." So far as I can discover, it
has not since been recorded.
Potentilla argentea L.-Considered by Baker and Tate to be a
"native." The earliest records, however, by Winch and others, were from the
Sunderland ballast-hills and on the cliffs between Sunderland and South
Shields. It is now met with occasionally on waste ground and also on the sites
of felled woodlands, in both counties.
Pastinaca sativa L. (=Peucedanum sativum Benth, and Hook).
Baker and Tate considered this species to be "probably indigenous on the
magnesian limestone," occurring elsewhere only as a ballast-hill plant on the
coast. It has long been well established at Seaton Sluice and Blyth.
Salvia verticillata L.-Not recorded by Baker and Tate; but quite
recently found on waste ground near Heaton railway-siding . It may possibly
have been introduced as a garden outcast.
Allium vineale L.-This species is a " native" of rather in frequent
occurrence. It is not normally associated with ballast hills; but it has recently
been found on a railway embankment at Blyth harbour on which many of the
typical ballast-hill plan are well established; it has the same associates here.
It is probable that other old ballast-hill sites on the Tyne Wear and
Tees would repay a careful examination. Local botanists might well give
some attention to the matter this summer
(For further notes on Ballast-hill Plants see The Vasculum, Vol. XIX, p. 131

53
AN OLD PIT -HEAP.
J. W. HESLOP HARRISON
In my mind there is only one more dismal sight on a Durham
landscape than a derelict pit-heap, and that is one which, through carelessness
or other means, has been allowed to catch fire. So depressing are the effects
of these masses of rock and shale, that, of recent years, many attempts have
been made, with a considerable measure of success, to "beautify" them by
planting suitable shrubs and trees. In this connection, unless one has devoted
time and study to the matter, it is difficult to realise how many and varied are
the plants which will flourish in such spots. To aid such work, I have from
time to time supplied lists of plants, tolerant of these situations, to responsible
authorities, and these have been "tried out." However, as satisfactory as these
tempts have been, it seems to me that the procedure is capable of
improvement. If one can find pit-heaps which, left to themselves, have been
colonised naturally so that a balanced and successful plant community now
clothes them with verdure, then such a set of plants should be ideal for
introduction to other and bare heaps. Such a pit-heap, naturally beautified,
and easily a century old, may be found near Birtley.
No matter what the time of the year, this heap presents its charm. In
the winter the birches, with the combination of their silvery trunks and their
delicate twigs, glistening in the low-slanting rays of the sun, at once catch the
eye. With the approach of the milder days of spring, and even before it, these
yield to glowing masses of yellow gorse. Next come the hawthorns, followed
by the deep rose flower of Rosa mollis which, driven from all other habitats,
has now reached many abandoned heaps, and even dominates them, so
abundant and free flowering are its representatives. Then, gradually,
hawkweeds and knapweeds come into the picture until, in September, the
huge cernuous globes of

54
Rosa mollis hips provide another variant to the changing colour- schemes.
Amongst them birds revel and feast until. with their disappearance. the silver
birches once again occupy the picture.
This briefly is " our" pit-heap. If we are tired of work, or feel the
need of a change, we find a haven of rest amongst its greenery, and a constant
source of interesting subjects for study whether of bird, insect or plant. Often
as we have visited it, we never return without detecting something new and
we feel fully persuaded that such will be our luck to the end.
After this, I feel that some of our readers will become impatient,
and wonder when I am going to produce the list of plants we have found.
Well, it is neither long nor wonderful; still it seems interesting when one
considers that its members are all self-sown, and grow on weathered shale
and stones. Here it is:-
Oak Betony
Ash Woundwort.
Elm Selfheal
Birch (abundant) White Deadnettle
Sycamore (with hosts of seedlings) Earthnut
Crack Willow Hedgeparsley
Crab Apple Cowparsnip
Hawthorn Dandelion
Privet Burdock
Elder Mouse-ear Hawkweed
Rosa mollis Hieracium boreale
R. dumetorum Ragwort
R. Lutetiana Tansy
R. mollis x R. dumetorum Knapweed
Brambles Thistle
Whin Shepherd's Purse
White Campion Lady Fern
Stitchwort Various grasses like Holcus, Dactylis, Aira, Poa, etc.
Common Dock Several lichens (Cladonia spp.)
Sorrel Mosses (chiefly Hypna)
Sheep's Sorrel
Nettle.
Since this is a successful and self-developed community, I suggest that, with
the omission of the undesirables, it could reasonably expected to grow on
pit-heaps locally. Thus a respectable covering of vegetation could be
provided for many a hide eyesore; it is surely worthy of introduction and
trial!

55
A NOTE ON THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE RED SQUIRREL
(SCIURUS VULGARIS) IN NORTHUMBERLAND.
C. J. GENT.
During recent years naturalists in other parts of England have been
greatly perturbed at the decrease in the numbers of our native Red Squirrel
and the possibility of the species becoming extinct. In many quarters the
falling off in its numbers was attributed to competition with the alien Grey
Squirrel (Sciurus cinereus), which had been introduced from America into
several parts of the country and had spread very rapidly as a result of its
prolific breeding capabilities. Now, however, reports are coming to hand
from many districts that the native Red Squirrel is once again increasing in
numbers, having apparently recovered from the adverse factors which caused
its decline, and, at the present time it would not be inopportune to compare its
present status locally that of former years.
Writing of the Red Squirrel in the Transactions of the Tyneside
Naturalists' Field Club in 1863-4 (Vol. VI), in their account of the Mammalia
of Northumberland and Durham, H. T. Mennell and V. R. Perkins state,
"Abundant in many parts of our district especially about Riding Mill,
Hexham and Shotley Bridge, and in the woods north of Morpeth, but not by
any means universally distributed."
This seems to be very much the distribution of the species at the
present time if we substitute "not uncommon" for "abundant," as I have notes
of the mammal from a number of points in the vicinity of Hexham, as well as
from the Derwent Valley above Consett, Hallington, Gosforth Park, Plessey
Dene and Fallodon.
The Grey Squirrel cannot have had any influence on the abundance
of the Red Squirrel in Northumberland, as, whilst

56
there have been a number of reports of the occurrence of the former in the
county, many of these are undoubtedly attributable to the greyish tinge of the
sides of the Red Squirrel during the winter months when it acquires its thicker
coat of fur, and we must look elsewhere for the cause of its decline.
Undoubtedly the felling of many of our local plantations has contributed, but
the main cause must undoubtedly be one of the periodic cycles when the
numbers of a particular species decrease for no apparent reason, but it is good
to find that the delightful little mammal is apparently once again on the
upward path and that there is little possibility of its ceasing to add to the
beauties of our northern woods.
THE NUTHATCH IN COUNTY DURHAM.
JOSEPH BISHOP, R.S.P.B. Watcher.
Apart from meeting with this interesting little bird in South of
England and seeing an occasional wandering band in Cleveland during the
autumn months, my personal experience the species has been slight. I was
aware of the birds having nested in the Darlington South Park during the
years 1927 to 1931 (The Vasculum, Vol. XIV, p. 34), also of parties of birds
having been seen in autumn on the Durham side of the Tees near Eggleston
during the same period (British Birds, Vol. XXV, p. 203)
During the early spring of 1934, while passing through seemed to
me to be suitable Nuthatch country in North Yorkshire I heard the distinctive
boyish whistle of a bird of this species. My immediate investigations proved
successful, as two pairs birds were met with under nesting conditions. In
1935 I found that the birds were still in the same area, but I was unable to
investigate further.
In the spring of 1936 I was sauntering in the wooded outskirts of a
village in South Durham when the tell-tale note of a cock

57
Nuthatch again caught my ear. Later I found that "mud- stopping " operations
had already commenced on a fairly large hole in a beech tree. Both birds were
present and showed a certain amount of anxiety whilst I was in the
neighbourhood. Some ten days afterwards I was in another part of the county
some miles distant from the pair of birds just mentioned. Passing through a
wood of mixed timber, I observed a Nuthatch working head downwards on
the trunk of an oak tree. After a short burst of song the bird flew to a
neighbouring larch, where he joined his mate who was also working
industriously. Within a few seconds the female flew past me, within a few
yards, carrying a flake of bark in her bill. The nesting hole, I found, was, in a
small elm, at the height of some sixteen feet. The hen bird, for she appeared
to do all the nest building, showed little concern at my close proximity. She
was very amusing; entering the hole from any angle with mouse-like actions.
Particularly striking was the "Jack-in-the-box" performance of the bird while
in the nest. Every now and then her head would bob up to the hole to see that
all was well. On a later visit I found that the bird had laid a clutch of six eggs,
which she was about to sit. The nesting material consisted of a mass of pieces
of dead leaves and flakes of the bark of Scotch pine and larch. The entrance
hole was beautifully finished off and some 11/4 inches in diameter. Whilst I
was examining the nest the hen perched on a nearby branch. She betrayed a
deal of anxiety by fluffing her feathers and twittering plaintively. Her mate
showed great solicitude by coming on the scene, sidling along the branch
towards her and presenting what I took to be a spider: a very pretty and
touching picture. The birds eventually reared their brood successfully.
During my subsequent wanderings I met with several pairs under nesting
conditions.
It gives me pleasure to forward the above notes and thus to throw a
little further light upon the status of one of County Durham's rarest nesting
species.

58
THE FLOWERS OF THE WHITE CAMPION, RED CAMPION, AND
RAGGED ROBIN.
UNA WEATHERLEY.
For several years I have taken an interest in the variation of the
flowers of the common White and Red Campions, as well as of the Ragged
Robin. Consequently, I have never missed any opportunity that has presented
itself for examining new colonies of the plants. It never struck me that my
observations would be worthy of relation to others until I read Professor
Heslop Harrison's note in The Vasculum (Vol. XXII, No. 3, p. II), describing
the occurrence of white-flowered forms of the Red Campion in Durham. I
then decided to put my observations on record.
Very early, indeed, in my studies did I discover that the two
common campions had very distinct preferences in respect to habitat, the Red
Campion selecting more shady places and even penetrating far into woods,
and the other rejoicing in hedgerows and stations in which quite a good
exposure to sun was possible. Quickly, too, I observed that, wherever the two
plants came into contact, they crossed to produce hybrids. These hybrids,
when- ever they occurred singly, appeared with clear rose-coloured flowers,
but when in any quantity the variation was wide. In such stations as the latter,
I was able to collect plants with flowers ranging in colour from the white of
the White Campion to the red of its ally. The strict intermediates were, in my
mind, set down as first crosses, and the others as backcrosses and inbred
hybrids.
Another phase of variation which came under my notice was that in
petal shape. Therefore I looked up various authors. to determine what they
had to say in the matter. Bentham and Hooker refer to the petals of the White
Campion as "2-cleft," and make no reference to the state of affairs in the
red-flowered

59
plant. Johns remarks of the former plant that its petals are deeply bifid, with
ligules, and also ignores the matter in the other. In my observations. I noticed
that both plants could have the petals quite entire and both similarly could
display quite deep lobing.
As the name Ragged Robin indicates. the third species to quote
Johns. Reveals "Petals deeply cut into linear diverging segments"; whilst
Bentham and Hooker say "Flowers remarkable for their petals cut into four
linear lobes, the two middle ones the longest." Both trivial name and
description however are very misleading if many plants from separate
habitats are studied; in my experience. the Ragged Robin can produce petals
displaying lobing much less in evidence than in either the White or the Red
Campions. In point of fact. I have collected Red Campions and White
Campions with the petals so deeply cut that it required careful study of the
plants, and their dwelling-places to dispel the notion that the plants in
question were of hybrid origin, with one parent the Ragged Robin.
Of course, as is the case with its two relatives, the Ragged Robin
occasionally produces white-flowered forms.
If the study of the possibilities in such common plants as these can
give me so much pleasure. I suggest that a similar examination of equally
common species, or even an extension of mine on the Campions to other
characteristics would be well worth making.

60
MAY.
J. E. HULL.
If there is anything in our landscape more distinctively English
than another it is the hawthorn hedge. I can believe that a visitor from any
part of the globe travelling through this country by road or rail, must feel
himself threading his way through the intricacies of a sort of magnified
Hampton Court maze. But to us-even those of us who must spend the greater
part of our time cooped up in unromantic streets-the green hedges of England
are of the texture of our life. Save for upland and fen, they are an integral part
of any rural scene in England and repay their human maker and preserver by
a competent fulfilment of their primary purpose also with a liberal bonus of
varied delights. So beneficent is their presence to their own natural kin that an
innumerable company of plants have adopted the hedgerow.as their ideal
home, a fact testified to by such names as Hedge Parsley, Hedge Mustard,
etc. Every bird-nesting boy, every marauding cat, every questing dog, draws
the hedgerow first and for excellent reason.
So firmly are the hedgerows established in our natural world that
we often fail to realise that after all they are quite modern things, unknown to
the England of Hotspur and the Englishmen of Cressy and Agincourt, even to
them of Flodden. Their growth was, in fact, practically coeval with the
stabilising of the English tongue and the appearance of the English Bible;
which is much the same as saying that books and hawthorn hedges began life
together. Both existed many centuries before; but the books were not in print,
nor did the hedges .enclose "fields." The word field in its modern sense we
owe to the introduction of hedgerows; to our old English forefathers the word
(O.E. feld) meant simply a tract or region without definite bounds.
All the Nordic races had two words (or rather two forms of the
same word) for hedge or boundary. In Old English these

61
were haga and hecg. From the former we derive E. haw, which survives in
haw-haw and hawthorn; the second is represented by hedge (in place-names
it is often hay and it is hey in the old folk- dance" Shepherd's Hey"). Haw
(haga) springs from an Aryan root which means to surround, and therefore its
original sense is a fence or hedge; but in Old English it was used also for the
space enclosed by the fence, and so was commonly equivalent to E. yard, or
might (as in modern Danish) be applied to a garden. Obviously in those olden
days the enclosures were of no great size and may (or may not) have been
fenced in with a living hedge of hawthorn. There appears to have been an
O.E. word cwic-hege, i.e., quickhedge-not necessarily, as now, a hawthorn
hedge, for cwic was sometimes if not always applied to trees in the sense of
evergreen.
The question arises, was hawthorn so-called as the material of
which hedges were made, or because it was generally used as marking a haw
or boundary? In the O.E. charters a " thorn " is so often referred as a landmark
on the line of a boundary as to suggest that a thorn was frequently planted to
serve that purpose. Where Hawthorn occurs as a place-name there can be
little doubt that the reference is to some such solitary thorn. For this reason I
am inclined to believe that our hawthorn acquired its name from this
particular use, rather than from its being the usual material for a hedge.
Haw, the fruit of the hawthorn, is of equally dubious origin. The
Oxford English Dictionary makes it (with a query) a shortened form of a
hypothetical haegberie (hedgeberry)-a view which is more or less supported
by the common use of rasp for raspberry. To me it seems much more
probable that when the meaning of haw was forgotten, popular etymology
took hawthorn to be the thorn which produced haws; and this would explain
why the word in this sense was so late in appearing.
It is a relief to turn to the historical fact that hedgerows, nearly
always of hawthorn, came into being in late Tudor times- one of the many
pleasant things which we inherit from those "spacious days." While we still
had them everywhere, enjoyed them and were proud of them, they were well
cared for by that

62
skilled person, the hedger and ditcher, who, equally with the ploughman, year
by year competed with others of his kind for the rewards of superior skill:
Such contests still linger here and there, but the zest is gone out of them; and
since nobody has devised (or is even interested in devising) a machine for
ditching and trimming hedges, what will be the outcome? Leagues of post
and wire where once the hedgerow flourished? Already there is no lack of
hedges far advanced in senile decay, pitiful to see, in which no greenfinch or
"bottle-Tom" could think of making a home, "mended" anyhow and with
anything that may serve to give pause to an erring sheep.
Let them be forgotten! Forgotten, too, the chilly fogs of this present
April, while I stroll once more-was it the last day of February or the first of
March?-along a grassy brae of the Wansbeck in the pale morning sunshine.
Naturally I follow the hedgerow, and at its sheltered foot I find a patch of
sweet violets, with here and there a venturous purple bloom. Thereafter a
stately curving "bullfinch," delicately tinted with the faintly blushing purple
of awaking spring. The keen air itself has caught something of the same
quality of new life; lungs respond, and one lifts one's head and steps more
freely. It is the vital breath of spring, and presently there is a barely
perceptible added sweetness in it, a vague reminiscence of summer
honeysuckle-- imagination, or reality? Real enough to cause a halt; and as I
gaze with speculative eyes I presently become aware of a miniature
palm-grove in the very heart of the hedge. Daphne laureola, of course; never
a very sightly plant and here making unseemly display of bare leg. But that
first delicious fragrance of the new spring amply atoned for an unattractive
figure.
Still, though the Daphne is very partial to the kindly hospitality of
the hedge, its scent is after all merely an accident; the authentic scent of the
hedgerow is the hawthorn's own. To the eye as it follows the interminable
lines of verdure sheeted in bridal white, it is a vision of delight; to the sense of
smell it is equally agreeable when you draw near to closer terms of intimacy.
If your visit is well-timed and the blossoms are still vigorous and actively
discharging their duties. another of your senses will assure you of a

63
warm welcome. The epithet is here most strictly true; the spicy breath of the
hawthorn on a calm day will envelop you in the warmest and friendliest of
caresses.
And what is the season when such things may be expected?
Age-long experience and tradition give a very definite answer- May. The
thing is so certain that the tree and blossom have been identified with the
month. Yet from earliest youth I wondered how this could be; at any rate my
limited experience would make it June rather than May. Later, when I
understood that blossoming time was nearly a fortnight earlier in the south of
England than on Tyneside, it seemed that this might be the solution. Later
still, when told that there was a time (the very time when our English tongue
was forming itself) when May-day (the first of May) fell ten days or more
later in the season than it now does, I was at last more or less satisfied.
All of which brings to mind another youthful puzzlement. We
have, I suppose, all of us at one time or another, in season or out of season,
heard the gay and reiterated invitation.-" Come, and let us all go Maying!"
Surely that should indicate a search for may-blossom. Not necessarily: for the
witness is suspect. Does .he not also say " Here we come gathering nuts and
may? "- which is either nonsense or incredibly figurative language! Will it be
an evidence of " mental defect" to suggest that the invitation to go maying is
only another form (or was, originally) of the equally well-known " Come
lasses and lads"?
Well, after all these divagations and indecisions, it would be very
natural to heave a long sigh and remark, " After all, may is may, .and
hawthorn is hawthorn," which undoubtedly has the ring of truth. But the
sense of relief may be a little premature; the botanists will certainly claim to
be heard and will insist that we cease to talk of the hawthorn (Crataegus
oxyacantha) because that name covered two distinct species which are now
known as C. oxyacanthoides Thuill. and C. monogyna Jacques. Look up your
J. D. Hooker and you will find the former figuring as the principal form and
monogyna as a subordinate. Now go to the fountain-head, i.e., the nearest
hedgerow, fortified with the latest diagnoses. One distinguishing feature will
suffice for a beginning:

64
it can be checked by others afterwards. One of the most obvious is the
number of flowers in a truss. Most you will find bearing fine trusses of 30
flowers or more; here and there a rather gaunt, thinly-leaved plant will carry
"scanty-looking" trusses of hardly a score of blossoms. These last are not
unhealthy specimens; indeed it may be something of a surprise to find that
they are what Hooker considered the principal form, the hawthorn, though all
over England they are in a decided minority.
The blossoming of the may is over all too soon, but the hedgerow is
far from destitute of flowers beyond that period, both before and after. First
appears in spring the multitudinous umbels of the wild chervil, drawing a
continuous broad band of creamy foam along the face of the hedge, more
especially by way- sides. Then comes the may itself, followed presently by a
mixed company of wild roses, ranging from deep pink to white. These have
some claim to be considered the natural companions of the hawthorn,
whether in hedge or thicket.
WANTED.
The season for field work is at hand, and as naturalists are usually
kindly people, very ready to help each other, the following appeals for help
should meet with a liberal response. Observations and specimens are of very
little value, however, unless accompanied by notes of the place and date at
and on which the records were made.
Birds.-Mr. G. W. Temperley (" Restharrow," Stocksfield) wants
information as to the birds occurring in all parts of the two counties, their
abundance or rarity, etc.; he wishes to revise Hancock's list and to bring it up
to date, and such information is more valuable than reports of rare visitors.
Botany.-Mr. Temperley is also confirming and amending " Baker
and Tate" and wants notes on the plants in all parts of the area, their
abundance, etc., and information as to their habitats.

65
Dr. K. B. Blackburn (Armstrong College, Newcastle, 2) is
preparing a list of our wild pansies and would be very grateful for specimens,
especially of those of the small-flowered types such as occur in cultivated
fields or on waste land. Whole plants are desirable and should be sent to her
promptly in a tin if possible, or else pressed and sent when dry.
Dr. Blackburn would also like living plants of Draba (Erophila)
verna L., the Whitlow Grass, or pressed ones, with ripe seed if possible.
Crickets, etc.-The Orthoptera of the North-East have not been
investigated, so Dr. F. C. Garrett (South View, Alnmouth) is trying to get this
done, and will be glad to hear from others who will take up this very
interesting little group as a side-line. He will also be glad to receive
specimens from all parts.
Marine Zoology.-An attempt is being made by the staff of the Dove
Marine Laboratory, Cullercoats, and of the Department of Zoology,
Armstrong College, to collect as much information as possible about the
marine organisms of the Northumberland and Durham coast with the ultimate
object of publishing an annotated faun list. Information is wanted regarding
the occurrence and local distribution of organisms, variations in seasonal and
annual abundance, and breeding periods and habits. For the present purpose
any organism living at or below the high-water mark of spring tides may be
considered as marine. It is hoped that entomologists will help with sea-shore
insects and Arachnids. It should be emphasised that information is wanted
about common forms as well as rarities. From the evidence already available
it is clear to us that many changes have taken place in the marine fauna during
the last fifty years or more, therefore all data, even if not recent, may be
valuable. To take only one example, the Clam, Mya arenaria, is abundant at
the present day in estuarine mud; in the middle of the last century it was
accompanied by another species, Mya truncata, of which we have not seen a
living specimen. Is M. truncata now extinct in this area? If this is so when did
it disappear and why? This is a typical question which we want to answer.

66
It is probable that there are in this district collections and notes, old
or new, which have not been recorded and which would be of great assistance
to us in our work; if any of these can be made available we should be most
grateful. If, as we hope, we can publish ultimately a fauna list of this region,
any information given would, of course, be duly acknowledged. Anyone who
is able to help is asked to communicate with Professor A. D. Hobson,
Department of Zoology, Armstrong College, Newcastle upon Tyne, 2.
To the above appeals, which reach me through my colleague Dr.
Garrett, honorary secretary of the N.N.U., I must add a reminder of similar
requests which have already appeared in these pages and are just as urgent as
ever. First, my own desiderata. Our local Arachnidal fauna is lamentably
incomplete in the difficult section of the Acari. I am still very anxious to
receive dead birds (not too dead ! ), especially birds of prey and aquatics of
all kinds; but water mites or any others will be very welcome.
In the field of Botany I shall be very glad to co-operate with any
botanist working between Alne and Tweed, either in identification of species
and forms, or in any other way. As already announced, Professor J. W.
Heslop Harrison, Department of Botany, Armstrong College, Newcastle
upon Tyne, is preparing a Flora of Northumberland and Durham, and would
be grateful for records of rare and other plants. He would also be willing to
name specimens of critical groups like the Roses, Sallows and Willows,
Willowherbs, etc. Professor Heslop Harrison is also assembling the
necessary material for the expansion and correction of Robson’s List of the
Lepidoptera of Northumberland and Durham. In addition, he has taken up our
local Trichoptera or Caddis-flies, so that eventually the two groups may be
discussed together. He will, therefore, be glad to receive specimens of these
insects from our area for examination.
J.E.H.

67
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION.
The annual meeting was held in the rooms of the Darlington Field
Club on February 20th, with the President-i-Mr. Guy Drury -in the chair and
about 45 members and associates present. The revised code of rules proposed
by the Council was considered, and was adopted with a small amendment;
one feature of the new rules is that school societies will be given special
inducements to join the Union. Provision having been made for the election
of a very few Honorary Life Members, it was agreed unanimously to confer
that honour on Mr. J. E. Nowers and Dr. J. E. Hull.
The Treasurer-Mr. J. E. Ruxton-reported that although the Union
was far from wealthy, its financial position was very sound, the General
Account showing £23 19s. 6d. in hand, even though £2 had been transferred
to the Publication Fund; thanks to the generosity of various members and of
the Wallis Club, that fund had £28 9s. 3d. in hand, but all that and some more
was likely to be spent this year. The Secretary-Dr. F. C. Garrett- said that the
year had been uneventful but successful; the Transactions had not appeared
because "copy" had not been received at the proper time, but Part 4 was out
now. Part 5 was likely to appear at mid-summer, and possibly Part 6 in the
autumn, the Publication Committee having decided to publish more often.
More members and more donations were much needed.
Professor A. D. Hobson was elected President for 1937, with as
Vice-Presidents Mr. G. L. Drury, Dr. B. M. Griffiths, Professor J. W. H.
Harrison, Mr. T. A. Lofthouse, Mr. R. H. Sargent, and Mr. G. W. Temperley.
The other officers were re-elected.
Dr. S. MacLagan then spoke on " The Biological Control of Insect
Pests," a subject on which he is an authority, and illu trated his lecture with a
number of very interesting lantern slides. Unfortunately there was not time
for much discussion, but after

68
tea members returned to the rooms, where the Darlington Society had
arranged a number of very interesting exhibits, a fitting close to an altogether
satisfactory meeting, characterised by the usual spirit of good comradeship.
As requests had been received for more field meetings, the Council
has decided to hold three this summer, two being at places which are
generally accessible, and one at a more remote spot. The first will be at
Broadwood Hall, near Lanchester, on June 19th, the second at Crag Lough on
July 3rd, and the third at Edmondbyers on August 21st.
It is expected that Part 5 of the Transactions will be published in
June, so naturalists who have papers which they would like to see published
should send their MSS. to the Editor as soon as they can do so.
NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF NORTHUMBERLAND,
DURHAM AND NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE.
The most important event of the winter season has been the
unveiling of the North Country Memorial to the late Viscount Grey of
Fallodon. Outwardly the Memorial takes the form of a simple and dignified
inscription engraved on the masonry of the Hancock Museum near the
entrance, which reads:-
EDWARD VISCOUNT GREY
OF FALLODON, K.G.
1862-1933
STATESMAN AND LOVER OF NATURE
PRESIDENT OF THE NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY 1924-1933
This inscription was unveiled on February 9th by Earl Grey of
Howick. In spite of inclement weather a representative gathering of
subscribers assembled and Earl Grey's fine tribute to his late kinsman was
much appreciated. To commemorate

69
Viscount Grey's interest in birds, and his part in acquiring the Fame Islands
for the National Trust, a case representing the bird life of the Islands in
summer is to be prepared and set up within the Museum. The Memorial
Endowment Fund, for the upkeep of the Hancock Museum, has now reached
the sum of £6,150. The Fund remains open and donations are still coming in.
The Annual Conversazione on February 25th was a very successful
gathering, in spite of the fact that it synchronised with one of the worst
blizzards of the winter. Lord and Lady Armstrong, who were to have received
the guests, found it impossible to cross Longhorsley Moor and were forced to
return to Rothbury; while many other members and friends were prevented
from attending. Colour Photography was the subject of most interest. Mr. A.
F. Park gave an exhibition of Cinema Films in natural colours by the
"Kodachrome "process. The films shown, depicting flowery garden scenes
and the activities of a robin, proved how well the process lends itself to the
photography of plants and birds. Mr. Randle Cooke showed a series of his
beautiful natural colour lantern-slides of plants and shrubs. He also provided
a wonderful display of early flowering plants from his Corbridge garden.
Miss Urton showed specimens of wild plants-flowers, catkins and leaves;
while Mr. Watson exhibited some interesting specimens from Armstrong
College Botanical Gardens.
The usual programme of public lectures was carried through. The
lecture of outstanding local interest was that delivered by Professor G.
Hickling, F.R.S., on "The Scenery of Northumberland and Durham in
Relation to Geology."
He demonstrated in a most convincing manner that the physical
geography of the two counties is determined by the distribution and structure
of the underlying rocks.
Sectional Meetings were held throughout the winter. In the
Botanical Section Mrs. B. P. Hill's talk on "Flower Hunting in the Pyrenees"
was illustrated by Mr. Randle Cooke's beautiful natural colour photographs
of the plants and scenes described. Of great value to local botanical students
and flower-lovers were Dr. B. M. Griffiths' talk on the ecology of Butterby
Marsh and

70
Miss M. E. Urton's description of "Some of our Rarer Wild- flowers." Miss
Urton illustrated her subject by many beautiful lantern-slides, made by
herself from her own photographs, and by specimens from her herbarium.
The Ornithological Section held four meetings. Mrs. Hodgkin's report on "
Recent Results of Bird-marking" and Mr. S. E. Cook's paper on " British
Birds in Norway" were of special interest. The Geological Section also
carried out a regular programme of meetings.
The Hancock Essay Prize was divided between three competitors
who sent in essays of quite equal merit. These were Mr. R. Craigs of
Catcleugh, Mr. G. D. Sinclair of Gateshead, and Mr. T. Studdert of Gosforth:
all three being associates of the Society. Each received instruments or books
to the value of £3. Three minor prizes were also awarded.
In the Museum the outstanding event has been the completion of
the re-conditioning of the Hancock Collection of British Birds. The cases
have been re-arranged and re-painted; the specimens have been re-labelled
with the modem nomenclature, the plumage cleaned and the soft parts
correctly coloured, so that the whole collection now appears full of life. This
has added greatly to its value as an aid to the identification of birds seen in the
field, a purpose for which it is much used by local bird-lovers. The
cataloguing and re-arrangement of the Society's Herbarium of British Plants
has also been completed and it is now available for study by local students
and others. The whole of the Geological Collections are now in process of
re-arrangement and up-to-date labelling. Amongst many new accessions is
the valuable collection of Butterflies and Moths made and presented by Mr.
D. Rosie. The interior of the Museum has been redecorated throughout and
some additions have been made to the lighting arrangements, to the great
improvement of the appearance and usefulness of the building and its
collections.

71
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.
January 12th.-The annual conversazione was held. Mr. R. H.
Sargent, the President and his daughter, Mrs. C. Bennett, received the guests.
The President delivered his address taking for his subject "The Balance of
Nature." He pointed out that nature usually keeps a correct balance, but
sometimes there is a surge of some particular species such as a plague of
locusts or caterpillars that upsets the balance. Man is more often responsible
for upsetting the balance by introducing a species of animal, insect or plant
into a new locality. Refreshments were provided by a committee of ladies.
Among the exhibits were five sets of Fungus photographs, taken by the late F.
A. Mason, F.R.M.S., of Leeds; these were, Fungi of the Fields, Fungi of the
Birds, Fungi of Deciduous Trees, Fungi of Deciduous Forest Trees,
Miscellaneous Fungi. A number of drawers of the late Mr. E. O. D. Sibson's
collection of Ammoni were explained by Mr. B. R. Lucas, F.G.S. A small
collection of some uncommon grasses was exhibited by J. E. Nowers, who
gave a short talk on them.
January 19th.-Mr. T. H. Brown, L.D.S., of Middlesbrough. gave a
paper on Heraldry, with a full explanation of the origin of coats-of-arms.
January 26th.-Miss R. E. Dowling, M.Sc., gave a paper entitled
"Some Methods of Seed Dispersal." She spoke of a few species each having
more than one method of dispersing their seeds, and suggested to members to
take note of any plants in seed and how they were dispersing the seeds, all
these notes to be brought together and examined. It would then be possible
that some unknown method of seed distribution by some species might be
brought to light.
February 2nd.-Mr. C. P. Nicholson, under the title of "Dipping into
the Records," spoke of the club records which he, with the assistance of a few
other members, are getting together.

72
They consist of 35 articles typed, some with sketch-maps or photographs;
others are accounts of outings taken last year. The subjects include the
Stockton and Darlington Railway, Manfield Church, Roman stones found at
Windlestone, Bainbridge and Greta Bridge; the old divisions of what is now
the Borough of Darlington; the first schools in Darlington. Two articles are
biographical, the subjects being the late Dr. Manson and John E. Nowers. A
number of the articles were exhibited, and all are to be bound up in one
volume and kept at the club.
February 9th.-Mr. Joseph Bishop (R.S.P.B. watcher at the Tees
Mouth) gave a paper on the Birds of the Tees, saying that the gradual increase
of industrial areas did not help the increase of birds, but he did not think the
birds at the Tees Mouth were decreasing. He gave a long list of birds recently
seen, including Shell-duck, Tufted-duck, Widgeon, Golden-eye, Bar-tailed
Godwit, Dunlin, Whimbrel, and many others. He mentioned the young
gunners who would fire at anything, often in places where it was impossible
to recover the killed and wounded, which are left to die a lingering death. He
said that the bird-catchers had been nearly wiped out. Large numbers of "
oiled" birds had been seen lately. A demonstration was given of the song of
several birds by means of gramophone records.
February 16th.-Mr. W. W. Allen, B.Sc., F.L.S., gave a paper
entitled "Digestion and Diet." He thoroughly explained the human digestive
organs by the aid of a large scale diagram, and the action of the various
digestive juices by chemical experiments.
February 23rd.-Mr. J. B. Nicholson, M.A., gave a paper on the"
Fungus Foes of the Forester," and spoke of the great damage done to trees by
fungi. Sixty-five lantern slides from the " Mason" Collection were shown.
March 2nd.-The delegate's (Dr. K. B. Blackburn) report on the
Conference of Corresponding Societies at the British Association Meeting,
1936, was read by the Hon. Secretary, together with Dr. A. B. Readle's
address on " The Preservation of our Native Flora."

73
March 9th.-Mr. G. R. Collinson, B.Sc., M.lnst.C.E., Engineer of
the Tees Valley Water Board, gave a most interesting lecture entitled
"Water." He showed by the aid of lantern diagrams how the rainfall on the
eastern side of the country is much less than on the western side, and that July
and August have the greatest rainfall in the year, owing to thunderstorms.
The construction of the reservoirs was explained; also the methods of
filtration; and the fauna and flora of the reservoirs was discussed.
March 16th.-Mr. J. B. Nicholson read a short paper on the Flora of
Teesdale.
March 23rd.-An exhibition of Cine Films by Mr. C. J. Seward,
including one of the Tees from its rise on Cross Fell to the South Gare.
April 6th.-Mrs. H. W. Elgee, B.A., gave a highly interesting lecture
entitled "Early Man in North Yorkshire," illustrated by lantern slides.
April 10th (Saturday).-An excursion took place to Bowes Museum,
Bamard Castle, where Mr. S. E. Harrison (Curator) conducted a party of
twenty over the museum, including the new rooms, not yet open to the public,
one of which is fitted with window and fireplace from Mr. Humphry's shop
and other furniture of the time of Dickens. Another is fitted as an old-
fashioned farm-house kitchen.
JOHN E. NOWERS,
Hon. Secretary.

74
NOTES.
The First Appearance of the Small Tortoiseshell.
Although the weather has been so cold and broken locally, the Tortoiseshell Butterfly
was not much, if at all, behind its usual time, for I observed the first specimen on April 5th.-G.
HESLOP HARRISON.
The Late Spring.
Naturally, owing to the prevalence of snow and frost recently, spring this year is very
late. In spite of this, some very curious happenings have been observed in the matter of local
phenology. During the last week in March, whilst walking between Birtley and Chester-le-Street, I
observed a hawthorn, not only fully in leaf but, in addition, with its flowers well advanced.
Similarly, although almost the whole of our sallows are now (April 10th) just at the grey silky stage,
on April 1st one in the "Brooms," Birtley, was in full catkin. As the bush in question was a hybrid
Salix aurita x S. cinerea, this precocity may take its origin in heterosis. Again, in the Target Wood,
along Urpeth Bottoms, in the third week in March, the Dog's Mercury was in full flower whilst the
foliage of the Wild Hyacinth was very far advanced. On the other hand, the Coltsfoot here has still
to reach its best, and the first violet of the year has yet to be observed.-J. W. HESLOP HARRISON
The Magpie in the Birtley Neighbourhood.
Long as I have studied natural history in this vicinity, I cannot recall the occurrence of
this well-known bird actually in this parish. Nevertheless, within a week I have come across it
twice. On the first occasion I found a characteristic nest, and on the second, about a quarter of a mile
away, a pair of the birds was observed in the Folly Plantation just east of Birtley.- J. W. H. H.
The Shepherds Needle (Scandix pecten-veneris) Locally.
This cornfield weed, so common in some areas and so rare with us, has, up to the
present, escaped my observation. Last week, however, a sample of oats, was submitted to me for
examination in view of the presence of considerable numbers of an unusual weed seed. These
proved to belong to Scandix pecten-veneris.-J. W. H. H.
The Occurrence of the Common Hazel in Hedges.
This shrub, until recently, has always occurred to me as a typical under-shrub in Oak,
Ash and similar woods. During the past few months, however, in connection with certain
investigations on distribution, I have closely examined the hedges east of Birtley. Practically
everywhere I find that the hazel forms a far from negligible element in them. Has the hazel been
regarded as a suitable plant for hedgerow purposes in the past?-J. W. H. H.

75
The Destruction of Rosa mollis in Certain Areas in Northumberland and Durham.
On several occasions previously I have drawn attention to the gradual extermination of
this fine and characteristic rose in our counties. Until recent years there seemed hopes of its
surviving the "beautifying" influences of roadside trimming in the west and "middle-west." Now,
the process of hedgerow trimming has struck these areas like an epidemic, and during the past few
months I have seen thousands of representatives of this species uprooted and burnt. It should be
realised that, on account of its straight prickles, this rose does not possess the scrambling habit, and
must grow in flattish places alongside the less frequented roads. If these are interfered with, then the
rose must vanish. Surely operations on roadsides can be conducted with a fair amount of
discrimination and common sense!- J. W. H. H.
The Turkey Oak (Quereus cerris) Suitable for Planting on Pit-Heaps.
Elsewhere in this number of The Vasculum. I have drawn attention to the natural
vegetation of a certain pit-heap, and also to the fact that I have supplied lists of plants suitable for
planting in such situations. None of these included the Turkey Oak. A day or two ago I observed
several very successful examples growing on the shale of an old heap.-J. W. H. H.
Crosses between Grey Durham Taeniocampa gothica and Aviemore obsoleta Forms of the
Same Species.
To the west of Birtley, in the Team Valley, the whole "Hebrew Character"
population has a blackish grey facies, and it struck me that it would be extremely interesting to
secure reciprocal crosses with red Aviemore specimens lacking the "gothica " marks, i.e., forms
belonging to the variety obsoleta. The resulting F1 insects have just been reared, and they are rather
remarkable for, except for a slight blurring of the "Hebrew Character," they would pass for Cheviot
or Highland Scottish examples of var. rufa -J. W. H. H.
A Waxwing Winter.
The Waxwing, which has of late become almost an annual winter visitor to this
country, has been more than usually plentiful and widely distributed in our district this season. Its
arrival this winter was late; for, with the exception of one or two birds seen near Hexharn in
November, none were reported until nearly the end of February. It seems probable that most of the
birds arrived with, or immediately before, the sudden north-east gales of February 25th and
subsequent days. A few were seen on February 27th and 28th, and during the first days of March
small flocks were reported from such widely separated places as Berwick, Catcleugh in Redesdale,
Netherwitton on the Wansbeck, Bardon Mill, Stocksfield, Rowland's Gill, West Hartlepool and
Stockton-on-Tees. The largest flock counted was one of 81 birds seen near Rowland's Gill on the
same patch of Guelder-rose scrub that proved such an attraction to them in 1931, 1932 and 1935.
Three birds took up thei

76
r abode in some of the gardens of Eldon Place, near Armstrong College, Newcastle, where they
remained for three weeks. They were seen almost daily at very close range by many interested
observers.-G. W. T.
Grebes, Smews and Little Auks.
Following the strong north-easterly gales which began on January 28th, 1937, a
number of Grebes of various species and a few Smews appeared upon our local inland waters. The
probability is that they were originally blown in from the sea, and, finding suitable food in our
ponds and reservoirs, they remained there. This was not merely a local occurrence, however, for
similar reports have come from the reservoirs round London and Birmingham. The Red-necked
Grebe (Podiceps griseigena) has been most in evidence. One was picked up dead at the mouth of
the Tees on February 5th. One appeared on Saltwell Park Lake. Another spent some time on a
brick-pond near East Boldon. For some days there were as many as five on one of the Whittle Dene
reservoirs. On the same reservoir were two Great-crested Grebe (Podiceps c. cristatus) and a couple
of Slavonian (P. auritus). A Slavonian Grebe was also seen on Colt Crag reservoir. In all 24
Red-necked Grebes and 5 Slavonians have been reported in the two Counties.
An immature Smew spent several days on a brick-yard pond near East Boldon; three, an adult
female and two immature, were seen on Colt Crag reservoir and an adult male was seen on an
inland sheet of water in County Durham. At least 9 separate individuals have been reported. About
the same time a Little Auk appeared on Leazes Park Lake, where it lived for a time before it
eventually died. Many other Little Auks were blown inland during the gale and were picked up
dead.-GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
A Curlew Serenade.
I was called out on Saturday, March 27th, at 11.45 p.m. to hear an extraordinary
calling of Curlews. It was a foggy night and the street lamps lit up a considerable overhead space;
but if any of the birds ever came within it they were never seen. The direction of sound under such
circumstances is notoriously difficult to determine, but there was no doubt whatever about the
intensity of the notes, which did not vary either by way of crescendo or diminuendo. In other words,
the calling birds were not travelling but to the best of one's judgment circling round above the
illuminated area. Probably when the lights went out at 12.10 a.m, they would continue the journey
to the moorlands. On succeeding nights when it was misty only rather than foggy, the chorus was
much diminished.-J. E. H.
More Waxwings.
Mr. Temperley's note (supra) covers the two counties from Berwick to Stockton, but
there is a very large interval between Tweed and Wansbeck. I can lessen the gap considerably by
reporting that during the month of March little parties of Waxwings visited certain gardens in
Belford where Pyracanthus berries were plentiful.-J. E. H.

77
A Correction.
By inadvertence I grouped Mr. Eltringham's notes on p. 158 of Vol. XXII under the
head of "Tyneland Plants." It should have been" Mid-Tyne and Derwent Plants "-vice-counties 66,
67. The localities which fall in 66 are Ryton, Crawcrook, Greenside, Blaydon, Stargate, and
Winlaton.-J. E. H.
Little Auk at Close Quarters.
On January 27th, 1937, at the little creek near Chevington I saw a Little Auk. The bird
flew within a few feet of me as I was in conversation with one of the gunners, and later was
swimming on the smooth water within 20 yards. Although it was evidently seeking shelter from the
powerful easterly gale it showed no signs of distress.-W. R. PHILlPSON.
A Disappearing Bird Resort.
Our northern naturalists, and particularly our bird-lovers will view with regret the
passing of a unique bird sanctuary at BiIlingham, namely, the brick-pond there, locally known as
Charlton's pond. Together with the surrounding land it measures some 4 acres in extent, and forms
a natural paradise for birds. It is bordered on two sides by newly-erected houses, and the Port
Clarence and BiIlingham branch railway and the Imperial Chemical Industry works are close
by-nevertheless it has been unique in the north of England for its wealth of bird life. Fringed by
hawthorn bushes and rough natural vegetation, its islands thickly clothed with bulrush and willow
herb, it has been a wonderful nesting site for many species of birds. Some time ago Mr. Charlton,
Treasurer of the Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club converted the brick-pond into a fish-pond and so
made it still more ideal as a bird resort.
Mr. J. Bishop, the Teesside birdwatcher for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds informs
me that the mallard, pochard, tufted duck, coot, water hen, little grebe, sedge warbler, willow
warbler, yellow wagtail, corn, yellow and reed buntings, etc., have reared their young successfully
from year to year. Throughout the year such rare interesting birds as the mute, whooper and Bewick
swans, brent goose, shellduck, shoveller, widgeon, pintail, golden- eye, teal, long-tailed duck,
smew, green shank, red shank, snipe, dunlin, common and green sandpiper, woodcock, water rails,
great crested and Slavonian grebes resort there.
Now, in a laudable effort to provide paddling pools, a boating place and a small park for the
residents of the district this brick-pond is being drained. From the point of view of the preservation
of our national beauty spots, and of our fauna and flora, it seems a deplorable thing that another site
could not have been provided for the recreation of people; and it is up to every lover of nature to
endeavour to preserve our fast disappearing countryside. The nineteenth century spoiled our towns;
it is reserved to the twentieth century to destroy the countryside.-H. W. ELGEE.
Still More Waxwings!
A small party of these birds frequented some scrub and gardens on the outskirts of
South Gosforth during March, but I was not fortunate enough to see them personally owing to being
absent from the vicinity during the daytime.

78
Two "strange" birds were reported on the 7th of the month, and from the description given I had no
hesitation in identifying them as this species. On March 26th three were observed by my father in
our own garden, and on the 29th about fourteen were reported as being seen on a tree in a
neighbouring wood. One was found strangled in a neighbour's garden and was brought to me for
identification. Mr. W. Raymond Philipson informs me he saw one in the lane near the Golf Course
on April 1st.-C. J. GENT.
BIRD NOTES FROM DARLINGTON.
Great Spotted Woodpecker seen by A. Stainthorpe at Hummersknott and
at Brinkburn Dene, Darlington, during the first week of April.
Mr. Stainthorpe reports having heard Sky Lark, Meadow Pipit, Golden
Plover, and Thrush at 2.20 a.m, on April 5th over the centre of the town
near the market place, he thinks that the bright light given by the
electric-discharge lamps attracts the birds, they were quite low down, he
estimates them to have been not above 100 ft. high.
RECORDS.
BIRDS.
Loxia c. curvirostra. Common Crossbill. 65, 67
One seen in Cliffe Woods, Piercebridge, on April 4th.-E. W. MARKHAM.
A party of four feeding on larch cones in a wood near Corbridge, April 11th.-C. J.
GENT.
Bombycilla garrula. Waxwing. 66
Five seen feeding in a hawthorn in a garden on Grange Road, March 15th.-J.
BURGESS and C. P. NICHOLSON.
Five seen in Brinkburn Dene ; possibly the same as the foregoing. The places are about
11/2 miles apart, and the date, March 24th.-A. STAINTHORPE.
One seen (April 8th) by the road between Harrowgate Hill and Haughton-Ie-Skerne.-J.
E. NOWERS.
(All these localities are within the borough of Darlington-J.E.N.)
Fuligula cristata. Tufted Duck. 66
Four on the lake in South Park; one on a Brick-pond, Neasham Road, Darlington.-J.
BURGESS
INSECTS.
LEPIDOPTERA.
Acronycta leporina. The Miller. 68
I took one specimen of this moth at Cragside, Rothbury, during the last week of July,
1936.-J . NEWTON.
Plusia moneta. Golden Plusia. 66
Three larvae taken on Delphinium in allotment gardens at Fulwell July, 1936.-J.
NEWTON.
66
66

79
MOLLUSCA
Theba cantiana Mont. 66
Taken at Hindley, near New Ridley by Mr. George W. Temperley and by myself near
Capheaton.-E. PERCY BLACKBURN.
FLOWERING PLANTS.
Centaurea Scabiosa L. Great Knapweed. 66
This is not a record of an occurrence but of a disappearance! As is well known this
plant grows freely on the Magnesian Limestone; nevertheless, it had a station at
Birtley away from that formation. This has now been quite destroyed by
road-widening operations.- J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
Plantago maritima L. Sea Plantain. 66
Abundant inland on the Magnesian limestone in many stations in Mid-Durham
between Sherburn and Cornforth.-J. W. H. H.
Ligustrum vulgare L. Privet. 66
The wild form may be found quite commonly pit-heaps in the Birtley area.-J. W. H. H.
Tamus communis L. Black Bryony. 66
In hedgerows near Bowburn.-J. W. H. H.
Agrimonia odorata Mill. 67
This plant is probably commoner than the few records in "Baker and Tate" would
suggest. We found several plants on the road-side nr Shilvington.-KATHLEKN B.
BLACKBURN.
Salsola kali L. 66
This plant, on the other hand, seems to be much less common than the flora would
indicate for last century, but it was gathered on the foreshore at Roker last year.-K. B.
B.
Plantago maritima L. 67
This plant, usually either a shore plant or an alpine which may travel down the rivers,
was recently found in considerable quantity by the roadside near Ingoe. Since this is a
quite inland locality one wonders if by chance it was introduced with road-making
material, though it now populates the whole of a wide and flowery verge.-K. B. B.
Centaurea Cyanus L. 67
Last summer I inspected a large proportion of the cornfields within a twenty-miles
radius of Newcastle in search of Pansies. Strangely, to one used to the fields of the
south, I only found the Cornflower once, near Ebchester. I have never seen the Corn
Cockle (Lychnis Githago L.) here. I presume this must be put down to improved
farming since "Baker and Tate" describe it as common.-K. B. B.

80
Acer campestre L. 68
In a wood with Beeches on the N. bank of the Coquet near Guyzance are growing
some astonishingly large trees of the Wild Maple. They are as tall as the neighbouring
Beeches and at a height of 4 ft. a tree chosen at random, gave a girth of over six
feet.-K. B. B.
Paris quadrifolia L. 68
The Herb-Paris is found in large quantities in a wood near Guyzance.-K. B. B.
PTERIDOPHYTA.
Equisetum hyemale L. 66 and 68
The new shoots of this Horsetail were observed at Guyzance on June 2nd last year, and quantities of
the evergreen shoots have been noted this spring on the river bank at Wylarn, standing up clearly
above the dead grass.-K. B. B.
E. maximum Lam. 68
Large quantities of this plant have been noted in very wet woods at Guyzance and at Powburn.-K.
B. B.
"STOP PRESS" BIRD NOTES.
The following notes were received too late for inclusion with the rest. They are
specially valuable as helping to close up a rather wide gap in the Northumbrian records of the recent
influx of Waxwings, and so to prove that the visitation was general and not, as usual, local. They
come from Mr. J. M. Craster, of Craster, who records:-
1. Steady passage movement of Little Auks northwards over Boulmer Point during the
flood tide of January 27th.
2. Seven Waxwings at Howick, February 26th.
3. One Waxwing at Craster, March 6th.
4. Peregrine Falcon at Craster, January 3rd.

THE VASCULUM
Vol. XXIII. No. 3. AUGUST, 1937.
EDITOR LOQUITUR.
HOW TO CONTRIBUTE.
I wish to draw special attention to the "Notice to Contributors"
printed on another page, to which I would add that whenever possible
contributions should be typewritten. Happily that is a stipulation now quite
generally observed, which makes it all the more annoying and troublesome
when a contribution, quite neatly typed, has nevertheless to be wholly
re-written because it is not in the right form. This applies particularly to
matter intended for " Notes and Records." It seems so simple a thing that I am
always amazed that there is so much re-writing to be done; so once mere I beg
intending contributors of records to write out each record exactly as they find
them printed in The Vasculum, adding name or initials to each separate
record.
It will be further seen that MSS. which definitely come under
certain heads must be sent to one or other of my colleagues, who will
consider and (in case of acceptance) prepare it for the printer. To have a
chance of appearing in the next following number of The Vasculum, it must
be received one calendar month before that number is due to appear. If the
writer has any doubt whatever as to the person to whom his MS. should be
sent, he should send it direct to me.
SYSTEMATIC FIELD-WORK.
The sectional survey of Dipton Woods which is now being carried
out has deep interest for me, as I have long advocated that kind of thing, and
in default of anything better have often published descriptive articles as a
kind of basis on which a more satisfactory superstructure could be built. In
collecting material

82
for such papers I have always felt my limitations more than any- thing else
and longed to have sundry other pairs of competent eyes• to behold the same
things, and even more especially the things I did not see. Yet even the Dipton
Woods enterprise is not quite so thorough as, for example, the activities of the
Armstrong expedition to certain of the Inner Hebrides. Another illustration of
how the thing may be done is furnished by the London Naturalists. Their
ecological section is devoting its season to a definite area-Limpsfield
Common. A sketch map has been drawn and printed showing the Common
divided into a good many parts. This makes it possible for a single person or a
small party to select one such portion and report on it independently.
Whatever method is adopted, the result must be much more satisfactory than
the records of parties or persons visiting the place, possibly with certain
things in mind, but seldom with any set plan of procedure or conscious
co-ordination with other observers.
THE GREY SQUIRREL.
There are two sides to every question, they say; but time was when
there was no question at all as to the evil-doing of the Grey Squirrel. Delenda
est was the universal cry. Remote from the centre of things, we heard the
tumult and accepted what seemed to be a unanimous verdict. Perhaps we
should have waited till authentic evidence was produced, remembering that
noise is more wont to hide the truth than to proclaim it. The din of the
scaremongers has considerably diminished and it is now possible to hear
calmer voices. First, the head of the Forestry Commission declares that he
has no grievance against the Grey Squirrel: it is in fact less destructive than
the red-at least, that is the experience of his men. To this it is retorted that if
the Commission planted English hardwoods, as they ought to do, instead of
foreign conifers, a different opinion would be held. Finally, we have a report
from Kew to the effect that there the great offence of the Grey Squirrel is the
destruction of leaden plant labels! This confirms the complaint of another
witness, so that this extraordinary taste of the animal is fairly established. As
lead is not the only possible metal for plant labels, this would not seem to be a
capital offence.

83
THE TROLLIUS "BOG" AT BILLINGHAM REVISITED.
J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
For a very long time indeed I have longed to revisit my old hunting
grounds in the Billingham Marshes, but only a day or two ago were my hopes
fulfilled.
Twenty years since, I spent the bulk of my spare time in
investigating the various seasonal aspects of this, as far as our counties are
concerned, unique locality. Then, as now, the sombre hues of the Common
Reed strengthened by those of the Reed Grass (Phalaris arundinacea)
dominated everything, giving from a distance, and at all seasons, the
impression of a deadly and uninteresting uniformity. However, on closer
approach this idea was entirely changed. In spring, Marsh Marigolds and
Celandines threw a mantle of gold over the scene, replaced a little later by the
yellow of the Globe-flower which in turn yielded to the rich purples and
pinks of orchids, Ragged Robin, and the like. Next, as summer waned,
succeeded the delicate white of the Grass of Parnassus, which again gave
place to yellow as the Fleabane broke into blossom. Finally, grim winter saw
gaunt fragments of the reeds, swaying before the gusts of chilly winds from
the sea, slowly disintegrate in preparation for the following spring.
My visit this year was timed to coincide with the flowering of the
orchids, for I had hoped to study the position of Orchis praetermissa locally.
In complete agreement with my earlier notions, from the railway the marsh
seemed an undulating mass of reeds, variegated, as a nearer view was gained,
with huge masses of yellow which resolved themselves into glorious beds of
Globe-flowers and scattered heads of Marsh Crepis. Quite absent were the
eagerly expected purples of the crowds of Orchis incarnate, O. praetermissa,
Gymnadenia conopsea and their hybrids. Only the Spotted Orchid, O.
Fuchsii, served to recall the past wealth of these showy beauties. It seemed so
incredible

84
that the Fragrant Orchid should have disappeared, that I assign its absence to
delayed flowering. Nevertheless, it is quite certain that the other marsh
orchids have vanished, with the exception of Orchis Fuchsii and its less
attractive, greenish relation, the Twayblade.
And to what do I assign the change? In my opinion the vast
expansion of the area occupied by Globe-flowers, and the decadence of the
orchids, arise from a considerable and very obvious fall in the moisture
content in the soil. Without doubt, the area is much better drained, and
therefore drier than formerly; this circumstance, as I have pointed out
elsewhere, favours the success of Trollius seedlings. Recognising the general
habit of Crepis paludosa, I should not have regarded the circumstances as
aiding that plant had I not had the curious experience of observing its
disappearance in one station on Waldridge Fell as that habitat grew
progressively moister.
Confirming these views as to the altered balance in the vegetation
of the marsh is the advent of the Quaking Grass into areas from which it was
previously absent. Restricted twenty years ago to the well-marked drier
zones, it is now widespread in the form of magnificent specimens, truly
giants of their race. As Briza media is most certainly a grass with well
recognised proclivities for drier habitats, the inference to be made is obvious.
Of the rest of the plants recorded by me in the early days, all seem
to be present except those named above, and a further very significant one in
the shape of the Blue Moor Grass, Molinia cerulea. This has always appeared
to be a truly discordant element here, so removed are the conditions from the
acid environment in which it usually flourishes. Although formerly not
un-common, it has now disappeared completely. This, almost certainly, has
likewise been brought about by changes in the amount of water in the marsh,
accompanied by variation in the quantities of dissolved solids.
In spite of the vanishing of the orchids, the extension of the
Globe-flower colony is very welcome. Attaching due weight to the increased
population of the district, the proximity of the

85
houses, and the development of the Billingham Chemical Works, I had come
with a dread of wholesale exterminations in which the Globe-flower was the
chief victim. Instead, I can describe an area as attractive as ever, teeming with
plants, rare, novel and interesting, and still well worth a naturalist's visits
even if a few of my own favourites are there no longer.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COLLEGE BURN.
J. E. HULL.
The stream has been a favourite resort of mine since the summer of
1890, when I followed its course from its junction with the Glen at
Kirknewton to its source on the broad summit of Cheviot Hill (see Vasculum,
Vol. II, p. 16). Like the valley of the West Allen with which I was very
familiar, that of the College opens to the north and has laid out between its
eastern and western walls a similar series of open flats, wholly covered by the
stream when in full spate. There the resemblance ends; agreeing in general
form, they differ more or less in well nigh everything else. For as everybody
knows, there is a fundamental difference between the Cheviots and the
Pennines as the geologists have done their best to teach us, and knowing that
Cheviot soil is not Pennine soil we expect to see some difference in its
products and also in its inhabitants.
By way of illustration, let me tell of one of my first quests along
these Cheviot water-courses. It always seemed strange to me that Trochosa
cinerea (see Vasculum, Vol. V, p. 178), the large grey burrowing spider so
plentiful on the shingle beds of Allendale and similar places, had never been
reported from the Cheviot region. It is still unreported, though I have sought
it there for many years. Very probably, I think, its absence is due to the lack
of suitable soil in which to burrow; for Cheviot has no sand

86
to offer, and that would seem to be a necessity both for T. cinerea and for its
lesser relative, T. perita (which is also in Allendale). The latter can also use
the looser sand of the coast dunes, and is plentiful all along the Northumbrian
sea-board where T. cinerea is never seen. The very small Linyphiidae (Maro
spp., and Diplocentria spp.) which live under boulders embedded in the
sandbanks of our Pennine streams also appear to be absent from the Cheviot
region; at any rate they have not been observed. Another wolf spider living
on shingle beds is present on the College, but not in such numbers as in
Allendale. It has, how- ever, no burrowing proclivities, and therefore no need
of sand. It scampers at large over the shingle and retires to the shelter of any
loose stone on cloudy days or when alarmed.
Access to this delectable valley is almost too easy for motorists, for
B6532 (the Wooler-Yetholm road) crosses the College at one of its most
attractive spots, a few yards west of the now derelict railway station of
Kirknewton. The slightly humped bridge itself might seem of no particular
interest unless a sharp eye happened to detect a tuft or two of the Wall-rue
fern in its wall. There is a great deal more of it on the other side of the wall,
especially on the north side. Whoever goes so far as to make that discovery
will see plenty of interesting things, whether he looks north or south.
The railway bridge is no great distance to the north-about sixty
yards or so, and between the two on the eastern bank of the stream is a natural
flower-garden fronted towards the burn by a strip of loose shingle dotted with
plants which have been left by subsiding floods, in the form of seeds or
otherwise. Some have become more or less permanent, but the population is
always changing. In the course of the years probably every riparian plant of
the College basin has been represented here. Between the shingle and the
ridge which rises above it like an artificial embankment is a belt where a thin
covering of soil has gathered over the underlying shingle. It is adorned with
great spikes of Dyers' Weed, clumps of Wood Sage, and other plants of like
tastes.

87
Above rises the bank, clothed with ragged whins and rough
herbage below and on the summit with a very mixed vesture of plants of little
stature. In May the dominant colours are the blue-purple and white of the
wild Pansy, occupying the front of the border, so to speak; i.e., the moister
region of the foot of the bank. The grass is pretty tall, with the result that the
flowing branches of the Pansy, in spite of their fragility, are drawn up- wards
to unusual length, and where they have the support of a whin branch may be
as much as eighteen inches long or even more. It is curious that the flowers
with purple standard, pale wings and white lip, are in much the greater
number in spring than the others, but later in the season they are outnumbered
by those that are entirely without purple, the standard being white, the wings
white or creamy, and the lip clear yellow.
To the same zone belongs the beautiful Narrow-leaved Vetch
(Vicia angustifolia) which depends even more than the Pansy on the support
of the taller grasses, but it is not in the least gregarious as the Pansy is and is
scattered singly among the herbage. Bright as its fine crimson-purple
blossoms are, they make no show but recline modestly among the grasses.
The crest of the embankment where the whins have not intruded is
the special province of the dwarf xerophytes, typified by Thyme and common
Stonecrop. Neither was in bloom in May, of course, but later they divide the
dominion between them. Contemporary with them is the hoary-coated Filago
minima, its stiff battalions dotted here and there with the heavier headed F.
germanica. A sharp eye may discern the rich violet-purple of Vicia
lathyroides, though the plants are few and of a very retiring disposition. Long
before these hoisted their colours Draba verna had its day, followed by the
common Lamb's Lettuce and the two Forget-me-nots (Myosotis collina and
M. versicolor). I am not attempting a complete roll-call as the botanist will
understand, but just giving names which will indicate the character of the
assemblage to be found on the spot. I may add that later in the season the
common Knawel is a fairly conspicuous member of it.
What I have written applies primarily to the month of May, with
just a glance backward to earlier spring and a slight anticipation

88
of full summer; but whoever visits the place at the latter period will find the
focus of attraction shifted to the immediate margin of the stream, all aglow
with the flowers of the yellow Mimulus. I cannot exactly say when this plant
was introduced, but I can bear witness that it was not seen on the College in
1890 and when I came north in 1922 there were already large masses of it
above Hethpool and occasional little settlements lower down the stream.
The florula of the shingle bed, as I have remarked above, is always
changing, and in my notes I have recorded that on it in 1890 we found a fine
specimen of Mentha rotundifolia, which I have never since seen in
Northumberland. It grew quite isolated on the shingle as the drifted plants
usually do; but where could it possibly be found higher up the College? But
the Mimulus offers no such insoluble problem; evidently it has been
water-borne from the upper reaches, and chiefly, it would appear by the
stream at its normal level, for there are no plants above the level of the water.
Nor is there here any shallow where it may spread itself in such masses as one
may see elsewhere; it stands in extended line on both banks of the stream like
a guard of honour arrayed in cloth of gold.
So far I have confined myself to this limited area on the north side
of the road bridge, but a botanist could profitably extend his observations
either up stream or down. First, however, I should draw attention to two
clovers which I have not yet mentioned. The handsome Haresfoot he cannot
help seeing, but the much rarer Trifolium striatum might easily be
overloooked. Both grow on the summit of the ridge described above.
The burn may be followed in a few minutes to its confluence with
the main stream. Climb the wall at the west end of the bridge, cross the
railway, and the wilderness in the fork of the two streams is at your feet. The
going is rather rough till a broad shelf is reached which Hypericum
perforatum has claimed as its own, and there is no counterclaim. Beyond,
where the tangle of tall grass and bushes begins one may see the gleaming
spire of the great Mullein. On the right the shingly bed is in open view,
bordered all the way with clumps of Mimulus, here showing the

89
same clear yellow as the Mullein. The other stream is invisible till one is right
upon it; and-what a contrast! No upland burn is this, but a deep placid
canal-like stream fringed with flags, among which there are a few plants of
Lycopus europaeus, the Gipsywort. I have not explored the Bowmont Water
(which, following a custom of these parts, changes its name at the confluence
with the College and becomes the Glen), but so far as I could see there was no
trace of Mimulus on its banks. Well out in the current were long streamers of
Ranunculus fluitans, not in bloom but bearing fully developed flower buds.
Can anyone tell me why the flowers of the Mimulus lose all their
spots and blotches in the last hundred yards or so of the College? I may
mention that plants which I brought from Hethpool many years ago and
planted in my garden also gradually lost their spots and for several seasons
have produced nothing but pure yellow blooms.
BIRD JOTTINGS FROM MID-TYNE.
W. ELTRINGHAM.
Strolling up the river in late March, I sighted a pair of Dippers and,
remembering their early habits, sought and found their nest at the first likely
spot. There were indications, however, that others had been there before me.
The nest remained empty during three successive visits; at the fourth it
contained two eggs, at the next one, and later none. Then I destroyed it in the
hope that the birds would go elsewhere; but they did not. When next I
returned to the spot a new nest had been built within six inches of the original
site. In course of time this also was robbed, and the birds proceeded to build a
third on the site of the first. It suffered the same fate as the others; a great pity,
as these Dippers seemed to be the only pair within a pretty wide circuit.
Sand Martins were early this year, for they were noted on April 7th.
The Common Whitethroat was late and was neither

90
seen nor heard before May 6th. There are more Corncrakes this year than in
the last two or three, fewer Wheatears, and for the first time in many years not
a single Redstart has been seen.
Two pairs of Sandpipers have nested within a few yards of the sites
of last year's nests. While looking for one of these I came upon a hole very
likely to be the choice of a Kingfisher and sat down to watch; As I had hoped
two Kingfishers presently appeared, well laden with food; but they passed me
by, continuing their way upstream. I naturally followed, and on my way fell
in with a "local" who, in response to my inquiry said he knew where their nest
was and would take me to it. This he did, and pointed out the entrance to the
nest in the side of a deep sewage cutting assuring me that the same hole had
been used for several years and the young usually reared in safety. Once, he
said he had with the help of a stout branch laid across the ditch succeeded in
getting out the young birds and putting them back again; after which he had
great difficulty in freeing his hands from the stench of putrid fish. The
following week I saw two well-grown young ones at Mickley junction. There
are at least four pairs of Kingfishers between Ryton and Bywell, probably
more.
Wishing to see the eggs of the Lesser Whitethroat, I searched
diligently among the bushes and undergrowth at one side of our pond and
succeeded just in time, for two days later the young were hatched. The
chac-chac-chac-chac-chac-chac call note of this Whitethroat is loud and can
be heard at a distance of a hundred yards but one must be very much nearer to
hear the very thin song. In looking for this nest I came upon an astonishing
number of others-Redpoll, two; Greenfinch, two; Brown Linnet, one;
Common Whitethroat, one; Willow-wren, one. The Greenfinch nests were
both in whins, the more usual place for the Brown Linnet. Both nest and eggs
of the two species are very similar, so I took care to see the birds on the nest.
It is twenty-two years since I saw the Red Grouse on Hedley Fell
and this year I have once again seen a pair-but only once; they have not
appeared again. The Merlin has been known to

91
nest on the fell, and possibly may do so still. Some time ago a Merlin was
shown to me which had been picked up here, unable to fly. In the nesting
season there are always three or four pairs of Snipe to be heard, drumming
and "chuckeying" their young.
Along with the Little Grebes and Waterhens, a pair of Coot are
nesting on our pond this year; or rather, I should say there are three of the
birds, which makes observation more interesting. As I write, the female is
sitting for the second time-with not much: prospect of success. Two pairs of
Grebes have had ten nests and in the last of them each pair has now sat out the
full period. One mother has been seen with her chicks, and the other ought
also to have young ones.
There are only two pairs of Waterhens this year, where often we
have had six or seven. On the new pond a pair have a brood of four, and there
is also a pair of Grebes, as I expected there might be, but whether one of them
is the bird which spent some time on the pond last year it is impossible to say.
A pair of Redshanks frequented a pond a mile south of Ryton for
over two months. Their nest was sought for in June, but never found.
Curlews, Cushats, Jays and Magpies are all on the increase. The first have
nested at Ryton, Crawcrook, and Blaydon Burn, where a few years ago they
were unknown.
In a ramble after writing the above notes I was led to the nest of a
Greater Spotted Woodpecker by the continuous clamour of a nestling;
apparently the outcry was interrupted only when the bird was in the act of
swallowing something. It seemed to be the only occupant of the nest. If all
youngsters of the species are equally noisy there should be no difficulty in
finding the nests. The cry is something like that of a Blackbird when it sees a
cat approaching its nest.

92
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE BIRD LIFE OF SIWA THE OASIS
OF JUPITER AMMON.
W. E. ALMOND.
Siwa, in western Egypt, is situated some fifty to sixty miles east of
Italian Libya and about two hundred miles south-south-west of Mersa Matruh
on the Mediterranean Coast. The oasis, famous in ancient time for its oracle
in the temple of Jupiter Ammon, and at the present time the least spoiled by
modem innovations. of all Egyptian oases, lies below sea level in a long
depression in the Libyan Desert Plateau.
Its inhabitants, whose real origin is lost in obscurity, though they
are probably of Berber stock, lead practically the same life to-day as they
have done for many hundred years. Dates, corn, fruits and vines, amongst
others, are cultivated and irrigated by the water from innumerable wells.
With the object of visiting this out-of-the-way, desert-girt spot and
in particular of examining its bird life, I left Mersa Matruh by car about the
middle of March, 1936.
The first few miles across the narrow coastal plain were covered. It
was a region of stony, undulating desert with fair amount of scrub, and
intersected by numerous dry wadis, which the Bedouin endeavour to
cultivate their meagre crops when fickle showers of the Mediterranean
seaboard are favourable. This plain sloped quickly down to the sea. Beyond it
was a steep climb up the escarpment on to the Libyan Desert Plateau.
Little Owls were conspicuous in this area, and stood, with air of
complete indifference, on the tops of piles of stones. Tb permitted a close
approach, and apparently did not associate a car with man and danger. This
bird is probably referable to the Saharan form of Little Owl.

93
A short distance inland the scrub became more sparse, and about
fifty miles from the coast it died away altogether. From thiss point right to
Siwa Oasis stretched a region of unmitigated desert without a single blade or
leaf either green or withered.
There were signs of life other than vegetable, however. The first
was in the shape of a string of camels, plodding northwards under their heavy
burdens of dates. They take some eight days over the journey that I
accomplished in as many hours. At about ninety miles mark, nearly half way,
an Eagle Owl (Bubo b. desertorum) went up from the desert and made off,
heavily flapping near the ground, to pitch down at a small distance, when it
appeared to melt into its surroundings, so well did its colours blend with the
universal colour of sand.
Nearer to Siwa a few Ravens appeared flying along the steep side
of some distant hills. These were Brown-necked Ravens (Corvus corax
ruficollis), a sub-species of our own bird. The Brown-necked Raven is
common in Egypt and is one of the few residents of Siwa, where it may be
seen frequently in flocks of from ten to twenty individuals.
Apart from these Ravens the first bird to greet me in Siwa was the
White Wagtail of which considerable numbers were tripping around the
puddles in the irrigated areas exactly as they do in England, when we see
them on passage in the spring. They were, of course, on passage in Siwa and
do not rest there.
The commonest resident in the oasis is the White-rumped Black
Chat (OEnanthe 1. leucopyga), which in shape and size resembles our
common Wheatear, but in colour is black all over, save for a most
conspicuous white romp, and in adult males, a small white spot behind the
eye.
It is a confiding little bird and has firmly attached itself to man. It
habitually nests in his houses and is permitted to fly in and out, through open
doors or windows without molestation. The people of Siwa, who have an
attentive eye for all birds and other animal life around them, call it
"Hajjemouleyn," which means "the friend of the house." It has a pleasant,
low, warbling song, which is heard most frequently in the early morning,
about sunrise, and in the evening. During the heat of the day the bird

94
is silent. It sings from a prominent roof or other vantage point and has been
observed to sing on the wing. Its feeding habits typical of other Wheatears, as
it feeds on the ground, or on wing, or by dropping down on its prey from a
lofty perch like a Shrike.
During my visit this chat was engaged in nest-building, and I saw
one carrying a beakful of straw into one of the rock-tombs. so numerous
outside Siwa town, in Gebel Muta ("Hill of the Dead"). So these ancient
Siwans, laid to rest many hundreds of years ago, still have the company of the
"Friend of the house."
I was particularly on the look-out for any passage migrants which
might occur, but during the week of my stay a few species only were in
evidence. A Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla f. feldegg) was commonest and was
everywhere in the fields. The Siwa caught large numbers of them in traps,
though, I am told, the friendly little chat is always released when caught. I did
not have an opportunity of verifying this statement. White Wagtails
continued to be fairly common. In addition, there were a few European
Hoopoes, European Swallows, Black Redstarts and Short-toed Larks, the last
in good numbers.
In a rather outlying part of the oasis I saw one day innumerable
marks in the sand as though a large flock of birds had rested there. By the
nature and size of the marks I judged it to have been a party of Cranes. Storks
do not appear to traverse these regions.
The comparative scarcity of migrants at Siwa has been noted in
Nicoll's Birds of Egypt (Meinerzhagen), Vol. I, p. 45:- .
"From Siwa Oasis migrants are not wholly absent. Representatives of about a
score of species were observed in three days but they were never conspicuous
by their numbers. It is interesting to contrast this scarcity with the extreme
abundance of migrants at Mersa Matruh on the coast 200 miles N.N.E. of
Siwat about the same time. It may be a fact that fewer migrants cross the
desert in the longitude of Siwa than in other parts the Western Desert of
Egypt, but many more observations required before it can be regarded as
established."

95
SEA-BIRDS AT MARSDEN BAY.
F. G. G.
Residing in the neighbourhood of Marsden Bay, I have had the
opportunity of noting the increase in the number of birds which breed there.
An account of a recent visit, on the evening of July 6th, may give some
indication of the number and variety of birds to be seen there.
Just south of Marsden Rock, a long peninsular of rock stretches
into the sea at low tide and is a favourite perch for various sea- birds. Most
numerous were the Kittiwakes, ninety-six being counted on the rock, while
several more were flying around uttering their unmistakeable cry.
Cormorants seem to be very fond of such low-lying rocks, and on this
particular stretch were two groups, one of seven and the other of eleven birds,
some of them immature and showing brown mottled under-parts. Two adult
and two immature Lesser Black-backed Gulls were also there; the adults
were fine birds, a few inches bigger than the Kittiwakes, the black of their
backs and wings contrasting sharply with the snowy whiteness of the rest of
their plumage, and the yellow of beaks and legs giving a touch of colour. The
immature birds also showed the yellow legs and a darker tip to the yellow
beaks. One Greater Black-backed Gull was observed, distinguished by its
larger size and flesh-coloured legs. A Common Tern, its black head and black
wing-tips very conspicuous, alighted on the rock, but soon abandoned it to
float nearby. Completing the number of birds on the rock were about fifteen
Herring Gulls showing the brown mottled plumage of immature birds.
Although Fulmar Petrels breed on the neighbouring cliffs, none were seen at
rest on these low-lying rocks.
But the most impressive sight at Marsden is the colony of
Kittiwakes nesting on Marsden Rock itself, a precipitous rock- stack about
eighty feet high, surrounded at high tide but accessible

96
on all sides at low tide. During the few years since the colony was founded
the birds have nested, with a few exceptions, on the seaward (eastern) side of
the Rock; but the colony has increased and the birds are now using ledges on
both the northern and southern sides. In some places three and four nests
touch one another in line, so that the number of nests can only be determined
very approximately. On the southern face one hundred and four were
counted, on the eastern one hundred and sixty-seven, on the northern
thirty-seven. To put the total number of nests at two hundred and fifty would
thus be a safe estimate, not erring on the side of exaggeration. Some of the
young were still in down, others partly fledged and standing about the nests,
numerous birds flying about the Rock, miraculously avoiding collisions, and
the incessant clamour of their cries were bewildering. Particularly
noteworthy amidst the babel of "kitti-way-eks" was a high-pitched mew on
one note, very like an infant's cry.
On reference to some press cuttings, I find that, according to Mr.
Noble Rollin, the Fulmar colony at Marsden was start in 1926. Since then the
number of these birds has increased. I counted forty-four on this visit, and in
many cases I was able to see, through my glasses, the peculiar tubular nostrils
characteristic of this species.
In conclusion, it may be mentioned that Jackdaws and Swifts also
nest in the cliffs and as I left the bay about twenty of latter were swerving and
darting in the gathering dusk.

97
THE QUAIL IN NORTHUMBERLAND.
GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
During the "All Night" Field Meeting of the Natural History
Society at Dipton Wood. on May 29th, this year, the members were surprised
and delighted to hear the call of a Quail (Coturnix c. cotumix L.). It was first
heard very faintly from a distance at about 2.30 a.m. just when the "dawn
chorus" was opening with the song of the earliest larks. Upon the first
hearing, from afar off. the quality of the call suggested the prelude of a black-
bird; until the regular repetition of a three-note phrase became audible.
Following up the sound, it was soon evident that the notes could be none
other than those of a Quail. The "dactylic notes," as Abel Chapman called
them came clear and loud from a grass field adjoining Dipton Wood near
Temperley Grange. An attempt was made to stalk the bird but, in the faint
light it was impossible to see whether the creature was running or flying as
the sound moved from place to place in the field. Later in the morning, in full
daylight. the field was re-visited; but no further sounds were heard nor could
a bird be flushed. On .two subsequent nights the field was under observation
but no call was heard. Probably the bird was merely on passage and did not
remain to breed in so exposed a situation.
At close quarters it was possible to hear the low, short guttural note
which precedes the three. clear. shrill call-notes. This guttural note is seldom
referred to by those who have attempted to describe the call of the Quail. The
clear call, variously rendered by writers as "weet-rny-feet;" "kiss-me-quick"
and other phrases, is always mentioned. but the harsh opening sound has
usually either been undetected or ignored.
The Quail is a strangely unknown bird. It is significant that no
member attending the field meeting had ever previously heard its note either
locally or elsewhere. Its diminutive size-a partridge in miniature-and its
skulking. reticent habits tend to complete concealment. Its presence is only
detected by the call which is seldom heard by day; by the discovery of its nest
of eggs disclosed through the cutting of an early crop of hay; or by an

98
odd bird falling to the gun of a partridge-shooter. Such events occur so
seldom that one is disposed to consider the Quail to be a very scarce bird-and
perhaps it may be. Its reputed status is that of a summer-migrant; but on
occasion odd birds nave been shot so far into the winter as to suggest that at
times it may be an all-the-year-round resident. Its distribution in Britain is
very erratic. It is most frequently found breeding in the Southem Midlands,
though in no locality can it be said to nest regularly or in any numbers, while
elsewhere it is an uncommon visitor, occurring in unexpected places, as when
a pair bred in Shetland a few years ago.
Until rather more than a century ago it was evidently common
enough in Northumberland, but about that time its numbers were
diminishing, for P. J. Selby, in a paper read before the Natural History
Society in 1831, described it as " now a bird of rather rare occurrence in the
northern counties and few bevies are now seen even upon grounds where
formerly it used to be abundant." Since that date Quails have become
increasingly scarce locally. Abel Chapman, writing in 1907 (" Bird Life of
the Borders ") of a bird shot by his uncle at Frosterley (Co. Durham) in 1870
describes it as "the only Quail I have ever seen in this country. " Except in
1893, when Quails were unusually numerous in the north, George Bolam
rarely met with it personally; though by collecting together all the local
border records known to him, compiled a fairly long list of occurrences in his
"Birds of Northumberland and the Eastern Borders" (1912). In his later work
" Birds of Northumberland" (Natural History Society Transactions, 1932), he
writes that the Quail "has latterly been very much less frequent in its visits, or
been very little noticed." In the five years since 1932 no occurrences have
been recorded, the writer's knowledge, in either Northumberland or Durham
with the exception of the one now noted.
Note.-Since the above was written, it has been reported a pair of
Quails has been observed on a farm in another part the Tyne valley. It is to be
hoped that they may be breed there and that they will rear a brood
unmolested. It may be there are others in the district this summer. The writer
will glad to receive reports from other observers.

99
IN MY GARDEN.
UNA WEATHERLEY.
This morning, after the heavy rains of yesterday, the sun shines
fiercely on the garden. Remembering the wireless forecast of thundery
showers, followed by steady rain later, I proceed down the steps to take
advantage of the short respite by observing my flowers and their insect
guests.
Gone are the roses and most of the flowers of the past few days;
only the orange globes of the Buddleia globosa, with a few Campanulas,
Foxgloves, Pinks, Oxeye-Daisies and Cotoneasters, etc., seem to be left
unscathed, so heavy have been the torrential rains experienced recently. In
vain, too, I look for the butterflies which jostled the hive-bees on the
Buddleia heads. Nor does the swift dart of my solitary bees (a little shiny
white species which favours my rock-garden) catch my eye as they have done
for some weeks now. Still, what is that curled at the base of the disc of the
Shasta Daisy? It is what I hoped, one of my favourites. In stooping to
examine the poor bedraggled insect, I twist the flower- head, and there on the
under side rests a second specimen. Head after head is investigated with
success; of a certainty, my solitary bees have not succumbed to the floods.
Next year's pleasure of watching their frantic darts from the flowers to their
tunnels, their curious antics at the mouths of the burrows, their basking on the
bare soil nearby, and all the interesting facts which go to make their life
history will not fail me.
Except for flies and the ever-present nuisance of various species of
green-fly on rose, poplar, lime and alder, little insect life seems left.
However, I approach the Foxgloves, of which my garden produces a wealth
of white and more typical forms, all the product of wild seeds procured
locally. Left for several years to seed themselves, they have yielded a real
bank of magnificent spikes, some seven feet high. Here the air throbs with a
merry hum;

100
if the solitary bees have not recovered from yesterday's drenching and if the
butterflies have all been drowned, the bumble-bees have escaped. In and out
the "folks' gloves" they go. Soon to my mind springs the question. "Do their
visits follow any definite rule?" My early impressions were that if an
approaching insect probed a white flower first it kept to white flowers and
vice versa. Almost immediately I found that this procedure failed as often as
it succeeded. Nevertheless, I recognised that some kind of law governed their
actions. Invariably. they visit the lower flowers first, and just as regularly, as
if discovering that that flower had been sucked previously, they turn in the
bell and fly to the next in succession upward, until they reach one which has
not been robbed of its nectar. Thus they revel until the spike seems as far as
any given bee is concerned is exhausted. Then off they buzz to a second
spike.
Two kinds of bees were thus engaged on the Foxgloves; they were
the orange-yellow Carder Bee and the black, yellow and white Garden Bee.
Wandering onward soon I noted a similar scene of activity
provided by the Cotoneasters. Their tiny pink blossoms are alive; the hum is
really tremendous. One can scarcely realise that the diminutive creatures
darting to and fro are responsible for the whole of it. They are the workers of
the black, yellow and red Meadow Bee.
Now the assembling clouds obscure the sun, the low rumbling of
thunder is heard in the distance, a few heavy drops of rain are felt, the bees
vanish-and so do I!

101
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION.
So much of Durham has been ruined from the naturalist's point of
view by coal that it is fortunate that there are some places were it does not
occur and one of these is the upper part of the Browney Valley. The first field
meeting was held here on June 19th, and the courtesy of Mr. L. T. Penman.
the Consett Iron Co. and various farmers having given the members the run
of a stretch of beautiful country with streams woods and rolling slopes it was
most disappointing that rain fell all afternoon. In spite of the weather, some
two dozen gallant enthusiasts turned out, and although they spent much of the
time sheltering under trees, some useful exploration was done--sufficient to
show the desirability of meeting there again. The only really successful
workers were the conchologists; slugs and snails revelled in the wet
conditions, and the Rev. Percy Blackburn made many interesting captures, a
list of which will doubtless appear later.
The second meeting was held in the neighbourhood of Bardon Mill
on July 3rd and about sixty members and others were present; the morning
was very dull but no rain fell, and Muckle Moss was visited with very
satisfactory results. One of the treasures of this moss is the Brown-and-gold
Sedge, Carex irrigua = magellanica, which was not known in Britain until it
was discovered here; it has not been seen for a long time, but a small patch
was found, with about twenty flowering spikes. Although it is still there, it is
probable that the moss is too dry for it now, and that it is dying out. The
entomologists were glad to find the Large Heath butterfly, C. tullia, flying in
quantity and in variety, but the condition of most of the specimens showed
that it was getting over, and that a rather earlier visit might be more
profitable.

102
On the way to Crag Lough the bum flowing through Milking Gap
was found to be well worth study. Collections of fresh-water snails made
little heaps in the hollows, on the stones Myriophyllum alterniflorum was
very luxuriant and in full flower, the red alga Lemanea formed firm brown
threads, and all round the bases of the stones were bright green fingers of the
freshwater sponge, Spongilla lacustris. In the marshy ground by the lake
Comarum palustre was in full flower, and that abnormal race of the Lady's
Smock, C. pratensis, with flower within flower, was found. On the shore a
swan was sitting on her nest with her partner on guard close by, on the moor
the Black-headed Gulls were breeding, while the Curlews and Plovers were
already in flocks. Rain soon came on, however, driving the party to the
shelter of "Bognor" and an excellent tea, though a few hardy ones visited
Twice-brewed Bog and were rewarded by seeing the Intermediate
Bladderwort, Utricularia intermedia. In spite of the rain it was a satisfactory
day.
The Algal Section had a day on the coast on June 12th, at which
five members were present, and a very low tide allowed good work to be
done at Seaton Sluice, where several new plants were found. After lunch the
streams inland were worked for fresh-water algae, and several things of
interest were lighted upon.
The Entomological Section had arranged to meet at Edmondbyers
on July 10th, but it rained so heavily all day that only the indomitable
secretary, Mr. Ruxton, was at the meeting-point, and he reported that it was
well no one came as the route by which he had planned to lead the party was
impassable.
THE WALLIS CLUB.
INDOOR MEETINGS.
January 11th.-Members' Night. The chief item was an exhibit of
local estuarine and marine Lamellibranchs by Professor Hobson.
January 25th.-Annual Meeting. After the usual business of
presentation of accounts and election of officers, the retiring President,
Professor Hobson, gave an interesting address on "The Study of Life on the
Seashore,"

103
February 8th.-Members' Night. Many good exhibits were shown,
including one by Dr. Maclagan illustrating the main features of the apterous
insects.
February 22nd.-Professor Harrison gave us an inspiring account of
the Botany Department's expedition to Raasay and Scalpay in the Summer,
1936.
March 2nd.-Conversazione. This was a great success. A large
number of exhibits were shown, including a fine collection of early flowers
by Mr. Cooke and various marine animals by the Zoological Department. Dr.
Day gave a short lecture on " Sea- fishes in South Africa" and Mr. Beadle on
"Regeneration in Animals."
March 15th.-Mr. J. S. Leach gave an informative account from
various points of view of the Inshore Fisheries of the Northumbrian Coast.
May 3rd.-Members' Night.-Various exhibits were shown of
specimens obtained in Dipton Woods, including the fungus Mitrula
phalloides, Woodlice, Millipedes and Centipedes, and various slugs.
June 7th.-Members' Night. A large collection of flowers from
Slaggyford was exhibited.
June 22nd.-Members' Night. The main exhibit was a collection of
Plants from East Butfield by Dr. Blackburn.
EXPEDITIONS.
May 1st and June 26th.-Dipton Wood. These visits were the first
two of a series being undertaken in order to make a general survey of the
fauna and flora of this area. On both occasions we had beautiful weather and
made some interesting finds. The results of the survey are to be published
later.
May 22nd.-Mitford. After a delightful walk from Morpeth we
visited Mitford Castle and adjacent woods and meadows, by the kind
permission of the owners. The conchologists had a

104
record day, among their finds were the rare slugs Arion ater plumbea and A.
intermedius alba. Thirty-six birds were seen, including the Tawny Owl,
Sparrow Hawk, Kingfisher, Willow and Sedge Warblers. The flower
collections included Viper's Bugloss, Field Madder, Carex pendula, and
Myosotis oersicolor.
June 5th.-Slaggyford. We were again favoured with good weather
and had an excellent day. The party found sufficient to interest them without
having to wander more than a mile or two from the station. Good collections
were made which did not, however, include anything of great rarity. Among
the molluscs, Oxychilus rofersi was found. Thirty birds were observed,
including the Reed Bunting (with nest), Jay, Willow and Sedge Warblers.
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS’ FIELD CLUB.
April 20th.-Mr. H. A. Inness reported that a new subsidence had
appeared in a line with Hell Kettles on Oxen-le-Flats Farm; its position is 48
yards from the gate leading into the fields, then 28 yards into the ploughed
field next to the field in which the Kettles are situated. This depression
appeared quite suddenly and is about 20 feet by 20 and several feet deep. It
has now been filled with rubbish, and a watch is being kept in case there is
any further subsidence.
April 27th.-Annual General Meeting. The President, Mr. R. H.
Sargent, presided. The Council's report showed a successful year; the
excursions had been carried out as arranged, with one exception; the summer
evening meetings had an increase of 25 per cent. in attendance. Winter and
spring meetings were carried out according to programme, except that one
lecturer was unable to attend. Twenty new members have been elected;
deathh claimed six. The Treasurer's report showed a credit balance of £10 5s.
Id.
The Librarian's report accounted for 595 books in the library. and
64 had been taken out during the year,

105
Mr. H. D. Pritchett, archaeological organiser, reported that two of
the excursions were of particular archaeological interest, viz., the Roman
remains at Piercebridge and Finchale Abbey.
Mr. J. E. Nowers, botanical organiser, reported that several of the
excursions were of considerable botanical interest, particularly those to
Teesdale, Gretadale and the N.N.U. field meeting at Ross Links; some
additions have been made to the herbarium, and other valuable additions to
our collections are the fungus photographs and lantern slides made by the late
F. A. Mason.
Mr. C. P. Nicholson, footpaths section organiser, reported that the
section has had a delightful and very busy year. Many excursions and walks
have taken place both on Saturday afternoons and on Thursday evenings;
some have been close at home, others to more distant places, such as
Deepdale, Stainmoor, Baldersdale and Gretadale. Much valuable work has
been done and interesting matter added to the club records.
Mr. A. Stainthorpe, ornithological organiser said one of the most
pleasing features in connection with the ornithological section is the
increased interest in the study of birds. Two excursions have been for the
specific purpose of bird study. The all-night walk for bird-song at dawn had
an attendance of 18 the largest yet. Two ornithological lectures have been
given. The most outstanding item of interest is the decision of the Town
Council to terminate the shooting agreement on the sewage farm.
Mr. J. E. Nowers reported for the entomological section that a little work had
been done by a few members several additions had been made to our
collections, both of lepidoptera and coleoptera, including the rare Golden
Eight moth. The Elephant moth seems to have quite established itself in the
town; the Bedstraw Hawk moth has also been found and a specimen added to
the club collection.
Three honorary members were elected on the nomination of the
council: Miss Kathleen B. Blackburn, D.Sc. F.L.S. Mr. Guy Drury, M.I.E.E.,
Mr. John E. Nowers, M.I.B.G.
Mr. Albert Stainthorpe elected President. Mr. J. E. Nowers, Hon.
Secretary. Mr. R. H. Sargent, Hon. Treasurer.

106
May 4th.-Mr. Stainthorpe reported a nest of the Great Spotted
Woodpecker on Mowden Estate 41/2 feet from the ground. The young birds
have since flown.
May 22nd.-The tenth annual all-night walk took place to Gretadale,
and 17 were present. The weather was fairly good, with moonlight during the
earlier part of the walk; temperature. 50 o F. Mr. A. Stainthorpe was, as usual,
the leader, and the distance walked was about 17 miles. A total of 26 birds
were recorded against 25 in Swaledale last year.
.May 25th.-Mr. E. Markham reported that on a walk from
Middleton-in-Teesdale to Highcup Nick on Coronation Day. Rough- legged
Buzzards were seen near Birkdale. and a pair of Ring Ouzels above High
Force; a pair of Ravens. Yellow Wagtails. Curlew. Golden Plover and
Redshank were also observed.
On Saturday. May 29th, there was an excursion to Rokeby in which
16 members took part. Scot's Cave. Mortham Tower and the Meeting of the
Waters were visited. A little botanical work was done; Lathraea squamaria
was found growing on Yew by J. E. Nowers.
Saturday. June 12th.-An excursion to Bolam Whinstone Quarry in
conjunction with the Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club, was attended by
twelve Darlington and three Cleveland members. Mr. E. C. Tomkins read a
short paper in the quarry on the Whinstone Dyke. One of the soot pockets in
the floor of the quarry was seen, and the quarry machinery was explained by
the manager. From there the party motored to Piercebridge. where the site of
the Roman bridge was inspected.
Saturday. June 26th.-A party of fifteen visited the Teesmouth; they
were conducted by Mr. Joseph Bishop. the Tees-mouth bird-watcher.
Twenty-seven kinds of birds were noted. including Redshank. Common
Tern. Fulmar Petrel (this bird is increasing on Huntcliff). Curlew. Bar-tailed
Godwit. Shell Duck. Dunlin, Pied and Yellow Wagtails. and Water Rail.
June 29th.-Mr. A. E. Wade said that he had a Thrush's nest in his
garden. One of the young ones had fallen out of the

107
nest; he put it in a cage for safety from cats, hoping that the old birds would
feed it. The old pair and another bird made such a terrible row around the
cage that he liberated it. Then three old birds fed it on the lawn. The next day
Sparrows were bringing grubs to the Thrushes they in turn were feeding the
young one Mr. Wade regularly feeds the birds in his garden and they are quite
tame.
Saturday, July 10th.-An excursion to the Tees Valley Water Board
reservoirs in Baldersdale and Lunedale took place. A party of seventeen
motored first to Hury then on to Grassholm; they were met by Mr. Burton.
one of the Water Company's engineers who gave full particulars of this large
water scheme. A little botanical work was done, but nothing out of the
ordinary was noted.
The footpath section under the very able leadership of Mr. C.P.
Nicholson, has been very active as usual. having had two walks nearly every
week. Reports of these have been read at the weekly meetings which have
been held regularly and have been very well attended.
John E. Nowers
Hon. Secretary

108
NOTES.
The Sallow In April, 1981.
As I have been accustomed to do for several years, I worked the sallows, chiefly Salix
aurita and S. cinerea-aurita hybrids, which lie to the west of Birtley, for spring Lepidoptera. The
whole of the usual Taeniocampids, with Pachnobia rubricosa and Larentia multistrigaria,
appeared. Curiously enough, of the hundreds I saw, all were males until the very last night I was
out, when I got what was really the object of my search, a single female of the grey form of the
Hebrew Character (Taeniocampa gothica). One newcomer was taken in the form of the Herald
(Scoliopteryx libatrix). Only recently have we seen this beautiful insect in the Team Valley when
we bred it on two separate occasions from larvae found in our own garden.- JACK HESLOP
HARRISON.
New Localities for Durham Grasses.
Recently, I have spent a considerable amount of time in determining the distribution of
our Northumberland and Durham grasses, and in the course .of this work several interesting
discoveries have been made. In the Birtley District Bromus arvensis and Avena strigosa have
turned up, whilst in Billingham Marshes, an inland locality, Poa distans was found commonly. In
Chopwell Woods, where it was first detected by Dr. Clark, I collected Melica nutans in
abundance.-HELENA HESLOP HARRISON.
The Lyme Grass (Elymus aranarius) beiween Norton and Billingham.
A day or two ago a very flourishing colony of this sand dune grass was found growing
on the railway embankment just south of Billingham station. It may have been introduced with
ballast.-HELENA HESLOP HARRISON.
The Stridulation of the Green Veined White (Pieri napi).
How the sound is produced I have not yet discovered; nevertheless, amongst the
hundred or so examples of this species bred recently from Birtley eggs, many were able to produce
a distinct stridulatory noise, recalling very closely that of the Vanessids.-J. W. H. H.
The Small Ermine Moth once more a nuisance.
After a period of comparative quiescence the Small Ermine (Yponomeuta
evonymellus) has completely defoliated the Bird Cherry throughout the centre and west of Durham
from Darlington to Birtley and Edmondbyers, and in Northumberland along the Tyne Valley,
wherever the shrub grows.- J. W. H. H,

109
Another Colony of the Bird's Eye Primrose (Primula farinosa).
This year the old colony of this fine Primula, which occupies an area between
Bowburn and Quarrington Hill, has been unusually attractive, so deep was the magenta hues of
some of the inflorescences. An examination of a field, not far away in Cassop Vale, resulted in the
discovery of another large mass of the plant by my boy, Jack.-J. W. H. H.
Green Veined Whites and Sunstroke.
Recently, in liberating surplus females of this butterfly, I found that some would
persist in attempting to return to the greenhouse from the cool floor of which they were being
ejected. Naturally they flew to the upper part of the house where, unfortunately, the heat was too
intense for them. Almost immediately as they entered the hot zone every specimen folded its wings
back and fell dead.-J. W. H. H.
Colour Varieties of the Red Campion.
Several times of recent years I have recorded "white" Red Campions.
In Cassop Vale, recently, not only did I collect white examples, but, in addition, magnificent
salmon-coloured forms. Needless to say, hybrids between the Red and the White Campion were not
involved.-J. W. H. H.
A Curious Variety of the Larva of the Pine Beauty (Panolis piniperda).
In a paper contributed to the Proceedings of the Royal Society a few years ago, I
recorded the fact that many of our local lepidoptera were developing melanic larvae. A few weeks
ago, as I needed the species just named for some genetical work, I beat the pines in Dipton Woods
for it. It fell into the tray in numbers, and amongst those captured were some in which the green was
replaced by black, the white stripes suffused with a smoky blue, the orange subspiracular markings
suppressed, and the head black.- J. W. H. H.
The Fate of the Durham Colony of Rosa micrantha.
This southern rose, so rare with us, has recently been threatened with extermination
owing to the extraordinary changes which have taken place in the area at the mouth of Crimdon
Cut. Fortunately, owing to the fact that Easington Rural District Council have made a public park of
that beautiful dene, both this rose and the mollis-spinosissima hybrid growing there have been
saved.-J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
The Drinker Moth in our Counties.
For many years decadent with us, this fine moth seems now to be on the up-grade. At
Waldridge it was more abundant than ever, whilst at Seaton Sluice the occurrence of a rainstorm
prevented any observation except that the species still existed there. On the sand dunes south of the
Black Halls, the erection of huts and other beautifying structures has completely wiped it out on the
immediate coast. Slightly inland, however, it occurred very freely in late May. In the marshes at
Billingham, cocoons, attached chiefly to Phragmitis stems, were in profusion, and from them I have
bred some magnificent chocolate-coloured males.-J. W. H. H.

110
The Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria) on the Great North Road.
No one travelling between Durham and Darlington can have failed to admire the
enormous masses of Kidney Vetch fringing both sides of the newer sections of the road south of
Rushyford. Perhaps, however, the fact that it occurred in two forms, one with lemon coloured
flowers, and the other with orange coloured blossoms escaped notice.-J. W. H. H.
The Orange Tip in June, 1937.
As far as Durham is concerned, this beautiful butterfly has been quite common this
season. We commenced operations by seeing it on the Wear between Birtley and Chester-le-Street.
A day or two later on Waldridge Fell, in grasping a head of Crepis paludosa, I found a male on my
hand. South of Lanchester, on the Browney, in late June eggs could be found in some numbers on
Cuckoo-flower stems whilst, finally, on June 29th both sexes were still flying along Norton Mill
Race.-J. W. H. H.
The Field Maple as a Hedge Row Plant.
Some years, in recording certain Cecidomyid flies from the Team Valley, I pointed out
that the Field Maple (Acer campestre) formed an appreciable element of the hedges west of Birtley.
This season, in the Redmarshall, Bishopton, Sedgefield area, I have found it dominating the hedges
for miles. -J. W. H. H.
A New Locality for the Green Hairstreak (Callophrys rubi).
In Dipton Woods this interesting butterfly seems to be affected very seriously indeed
by the growth of the newly planted conifers. On the other hand, Professor A. D. Peacock brought a
specimen to me for identification, which he had taken when beating ferns for sawfly larvae at
Roughside, between Blanchland and Edmondbyers.
On Waldridge Fell the insect was much commoner than usual, but one of the strongest
colonies there was saved by the sheerest of accidents, when some of us, coming at a critical time,
were able to extinguish a fire which some imbecile had created amongst the heather and whins.
I have pointed out quite recently that the mania for roadside cleaning has cleared out
many of our most interesting wayside plants. For similar reasons, I should like to protest against the
wholesale firing of Waldridge Fell. The Black Crowberry, once as abundant as heather, is quite
gone, and the heather on the open moor is on its last legs.-J. W. H. H.
The Plants of Gunnerton crags.
A day or two ago I made a journey to these crags in order to determine which, if any, of
the plants recorded by Baker and Tate still existed there. Almost immediately two plants were
encountered in goodly numbers; these were Arabis hirsuta and Geranium lucidum. A climb up the
face of the rocks revealed little of interest, so that an attempt was made to reach the top. In doing so
the Clustered Bell Flower (Campanula glomerata) soon

111
appeared, and thus confirmed Baker and Tate's remarks. On top the Maiden Pink (Dianthus
deltoides) was likewise detected. It should be noted that the natives living close to the rocks called
them Gunnernick Crags.-J. W. H. H.
The Maiden Pink in South Northumberland.
In addition to the locality to which reference has just been made, Dianthus deltoides
was collected on lower crags six miles to the east. Here the plant was quite common and
exceedingly variable. In addition to plants bearing the usual pink flowers, others with flowers of a
deep rose pink and of a very pale pink were observed. Similarly, we examined one big clump with
white blossoms. These however differed from the white form collected by me in the Pyrenees;
whilst the French flowers were pure white, in this case they were white ornamented with a ring of
deep red.-J. W. H. H.
The Red Admiral at Colwell, Northumberland.
Larvae of this species just about half grown were taken from nettles near Colwell on
July 7th. Judging from their size, I should determine that the eggs producing them had been
deposited in mid-June.-J. W. H. H.
The Hazel as a Hedge-row Shrub.
I am surprised that Professor Heslop Harrison is unused to finding hazel in hedges (see
last Vasculum). In the west of England it is common and on the Welsh border it is often the main
element; there also it seems to make excellent fences for stock. There is a good deal about here
(Cirencester) in places.
I don't know whether the botanical composition of hedges has been touched
systematically. It has interested me because I have imagined that thereby we may judge whether a
hedge is ancient and probably self sown, or modern and planted. The hedges along old roads are in
my experience generally very mixed, and I have guessed that they planted themselves on the
uncultivated strip between the field and the road. Hedges between fields are much more likely to be
more pure hawthorn, and historically to have been made deliberately. Some of the hedges about
here (and the same was true in Herts.) contain pretty well every tree and shrub which .occurs in the
district except the moisture-loving willows.-A. E. BOYCOTT.
A Hospitable Barn.
In a barn near Fir Tree Farm, near Darlington, was found a nest of the Little Owl
containing a single egg. The same building sheltered nests of Swallow, Blackbird and Pied
Wagtail.-J. E. NOWERS.
The Inftux of Waxwings.
To the records of Waxwings published in the last number of The Vasculum should be
added two more, viz., four seen in Hurworth Road, Darlington, on March 18th, by Miss R. E.
Dowling; and four at Middleton- in-Teesdale by Mr. C. P. Nicholson.-J. E. N.
A Waxwing frequented some hawthorn bushes at South Gosforth from April 17th to
April 2Ist.-C. J. GENT.

112
Abnormal Eggs.
A Plover's nest found near Newton Ketton, Darlington, on May 16th, contained four
eggs, all normal but one which measured only 24 mm. by 20 mm. Its contents seemed to be quite
perfect. In the same neighbourhood was the nest of a Carrion Crow (some twelve feet from the
ground in a tree) in which were four eggs all quite plain without the slightest trace of markings.-J. E.
NOWERS.
Impatiens glandulifera in South Durham.
This plant is rapidly establishing itself on the banks of the Skeme about and below
Coatham Mundeville. It is working its way into the fields and along the hedges on the Brafferton
side of the river, growing with Conium maculatum and Thalictrum flavum.-J. E. N.
Lepidopterous immigrants.
The number of "spring visitors" we have had in North Durham this season has been the
smallest for years. I had given up all hopes of seeing any immigrants at all until June 10th when I
observed a single Red Admiral in our garden. Later a second example turned up.-GEORGE
HESLOP HARRlSON.
On June 10th a single Painted Lady was seen in Ketton Lane and two more on the 14th.
On the latter date one Red Admiral also appeared. -J. E. NOWERS.
The Belford tale is even more meagre-a solitary Red Admiral on June 26th.-J. E. HULL.
Blossom-time or Hawthorn.
With reference to my remark in the last number of The Vasculum concerning the
blooming of may I may say that I made careful note this year and found that here in North
Northumberland the hawthorn was not in general bloom till May 29th. Of course odd bushes here
and there had shown blossom considerably earlier than that.-J. E. H.
PUBLICATIONS RECEIVED.
A Guide to The Farne Islands. T. Russell Goddard. (Andrew Reid & Co., Newcastle upon Tyne.)
32 pages; with map and many illustrations from photographs. Price 6d.
The sea birds of the Farnes take up two thirds of this little book; which is as it should
be, for with them (especially in the photographing of them) the author is thoroughly at home. This
section alone will give the purchaser full value for his outlay. Notes on history, etc., are added, and
the author wisely keeps them within bounds; the sketch is well done considering that he is here on
unfamiliar ground. The double page map will be very useful to readers, though they may be puzzled
to locate the "Fang" which is referred to in the letterpress below the map. It is the little white but
nameless circle below the E in the name Crumstone on the map.-J. E. H.

113
The London Naturalist for the year 1936. Illustrated. pp. 99. Price 3s. 6d. Published by the
London Nat. Hist. Society, 14th May, 1937
This annual well sustains its character as the organ of an active society.
Here for example is an account of the arrangements for studying the ecology of Limpsfield
Common, illustrated by a sketch map. One misses for once the usual systematic presentation of
some group or other by a specialist. Instead, we have two interesting bird studies-the Dartford
Warbler, by Howard Bentham, and the Hobby, by J. E. Roberts (with two illustrations from
photographs).-J. E. H.
Introducing British Butterflies. Harold Bastin. (Philip Allan, London.) 80 pp., with 9 illustrations
from photographs. Price 2s.
A beautifully produced booklet which my granddaughter (aged nine) highly approves,
even though the pictures are not coloured. Others of maturer age who need introduction to the
butterflies will find it equally satisfying.-J. E. H.
A Moth Hunter's Gossip. P. B. M. Allan. (Philip Allan & Co., Ltd.) Price 7s. 6d.
In introducing this book, its author seeks to disarm criticism by remarking that his
book is not to be regarded as a serious, still less a scientific, treatise on Entomology, but merely as
tittle tattle about certain moths which happened to interest him. Taken in this light the book is a very
readable and, in parts, a stimulating production.
However, one may be permitted to doubt whether a work of this magnitude should be deemed
worthy of publication if at any point its "science" is doubtful. After careful perusal the conclusion is
irresistible that, despite the interest the book calls forth, its writer is not fully equipped for the task
he has set himself.
In chapter one he insists that the Privet Hawk (Sphinx ligustri) is not an "aboriginal"
of the country. Apparently his sole reason for this statement is that the species has a certain limited
English distribution. Concerning this, one can only remark that, if such a distribution is to be
considered as disposing of the claims of any animal or plant to be deemed "British," then many of
our most familiar species are suspect.
Again, one cannot but admire the airy way in which recent work on insect immigration
is dismissed. In the author's opinion it is quite impossible for "D. plexippus" (quite deprived of a full
generic name!) and "X. Zollikoferi" to be genuine migrants. Curiously enough, this does not happen
to be the view of the wretched scientists!
Similarly, on the basis of observations very far indeed from approaching scientific
adequacy, the author urges that male moths pair but once. Had he carried out a series of carefully
planned experiments in the case of the very moth (Amphidasys betularia) cited and its allies, he
would have discovered that their males are capable of mating with, and fertilizing, in some cases,
up to five females.

114
On page 191, a scientifte "climax" is reached. On the basis of some extraordinary
phenomenon termed " in popular language nuclear division in the zygote," confused with " nuclear
division of the germ cells" the author constructs a theory as to the factor governing the length of life
in the Lepidoptera. He seems blissfully ignorant of the fact that the " nuclear divisions of the germ
cells" in Amphidasys betularia are completed nine months before the moths emerge.
To conclude, as stated above, if the book is to be read for interest and encouragement
then it may be commended, but if it is to be considered from the standpoint of the accuracy of its
incursions into the field of scientific Entomology, it is best left alone, at least by the beginners for
whom it is intended.-Q. RAYTOR.
BIRDS.
RECORDS.
Podiceps cristatus cristatus. Great Crested Grebe. 67
One seen on Gosforth Park Lake, April 2Ist.-C. J. GENT.
Locustella naevia Bodd. Grasshopper Warbler. 66
Heard at Catkill Lane and near the Packhorse Bridge, Ketton, near Darlington, two or
three times during May.-J. E. N.
Podiceps auritus L. Slavonian Grebe. 67
One visited the lake at Newton Hall, Stocksfield, on April 17th. It was well on the way
to full breeding plumage.-H. TULLEY.
INSECTA.
LEPIDOPTERA. Butterflies and Moths.
Cucullia chamomillae Schi. Chamomile Shark. 66
Always rare with us, and, apparently neither captured nor recorded in our counties for
60 years, this species was captured at rest on a fence between Lamesley and Birtley in
May.-GEORGE HESLOP HARRISON
Dianthaecia nana Hw. Marbled Coronet. 66
A single specimen at rest on the pit heap near the Wash-houses, Birtley.-G. H. H.
Taeniocampa gracilis F. Powdered Quaker. 66
Although I have taken this species before in this county, I have never seen such
numbers as recently turned up as larvae on the heads of Meadow Sweet in Billingham Marshes.
This, apparently, is the only recent record.
Twice, during the past year or two, all endeavours to get larvae of certain species from the south or
the Continent for urgent scientific investigations have failed. As a last resort I have examined
possible local stations with the faint hope that I would secure my desideratum. In each case I was
successful, and the present is one of them.-J. W. H. H.

115
Thera variata Schiff. Shaded Broad Bar. 67
An odd specimen amongst spruces in Dipton Woods.-J. W. H. H.
Strenea clathrata L. Latticed Heath. 67
In lanes at Corbridge.-J. W. H. H.
Lobophora carpinata Bkk. Toothstripe. 67
Also in Dipton Woods.-J. W. H. H.
Anticlea nigrofasciaria Gze. The Streamer. 67
Larvae on rose in Dipton Woods.-J. W. H. H.
Argynnis selene L. Small Pear) Border. 66
Owing to "lumbering" operations, I was very much afraid that this fritillary would
have disappeared from its Lanchester habitat. Fortunately, although I never saw more than six or
seven at once, in late June it was flying quite commonly in its old haunts, where, I believe, it is
attached to Viola palustris.-J. W. H. H.
Perinaphela lancealis Schiff. 66
This Pyralid has not been seen previously either in Durham or Northumberland so that
its occurrence at Lanchester is a new county record. Its larvae feed on Hemp Agrimony.-J. W. H. H.
Odonestris potatoria L. The Drinker. 66
A female with the coloration of the male was bred from a larva taken in Ketton
Lane.-J. E. N.
Cucillia umbratica L. The Shark. 66
One taken at Beaumont Hill and one on Yarm Road, Darlington.- J. E. N.
Nadaria mundana L. Small Muslin. 67
This interesting little lichen-feeder, apparently not previously recorded for
Northumberland except in the Newcastle area, was noted in enormous numbers on the door and
walls of Thockrington church.-J. W. H. H.
Coenonympha tullia Mull. Large Heath. 67
Very scarce on Molinia patches on the moors in the vicinity of Thockrington and
Carrycoats Hall. As in many Scottish habitats it is clear that the Beaked Rush, so often stated to be
the sole food of this butterfly, cannot play that part here. Almost certainly Molinia caerulea acts as
food-plant.-J. W. H. H.
Aglais urticae L. Small Tortoiseshell. 67
A very dull brown specimen which I did not capture was observed at thyme flowers
near Colwell.-J. W. H. H.
Aphantopus hyperanthus. Ringlet. 68
Abundant in a grassy corner by the road-bridge at Kirknewton, July 13th. Two forms
were represented-var. arete Mult. and var. caeca Fuchs.-J. E. H.

116
HYMENOPTERA. Bees, Sawflies, etc.
Bombus muscorum L. 66
This occurred, in the usual pallida guise, amongst lousewort on the Browney, west of
Lanchester.-J. W. H. H.
*Pontania collactanea Forst. 66, 68
In a recent paper I drew attention to the fact that I considered the gall-making sawfly
attached to Salix repens to be specifically distinct from Pontania viminalis. This
caused Mr. R. B. Benson of the British Museum to write to me for material, which I
was fortunately able to supply. He determined the species as Pontania collactanea,
and I have collected it in Northumberland on Ross Links, in Durham on Birtley Fell,
and on the sea banks at the Black Halls. In all cases it was very abundant. Outside of
our counties I have seen it in multitudes on the Culbin Sands in Elgin, Scotland.-J. W.
H. H.
ORTHOPTERA. Crickets, Grasshoppers, etc.
Omocestus viridulus L. 67
Although generally common, this grasshopper has not, as far as my knowledge goes,
been recorded for Northumberland. It is, however, just at present, plentiful in the
Barrasford-Gunnerton area.-J. W. H. H.
DIPTERA.
The following species are new to the counties of Durham and Northumberland
were taken by Dr. H. B. Cott of Glasgow University at Bamburgh in July, 1935.
Tachydromia annulata FIn. Not previously so far north.
T. minuta Mg. Widely spread preying on small diptera.
T. pallidiventris Mg. Widely distributed.
Dorniphora concinna Mg. Common throughout the year.
Sepsis cynipsea L. (incisa Strobl.) The fly usually known as cynipsea is fulgens Hgg.
S. orthocnemis Frey. Widespread, Cornwall to Rannoch.
Pandora (Saltella) scutellaris FIn (sphondylii Sch.) var. parmensis Rnd. Type widespread.
Oscinosoma nitidissima Mg. Attached to Arundo phragmites.
Chlorops hypostigma Ztt. Attached to Dactylis glomerata.
Scopeuma anale Mg. A slender little species. Rare.
Lucilia ampullacea Vill. Uncommon. Not previously so far north.
Orthellia caesarion Mg. Common and widely distributed.
Crinura (Chortophila) albula F. Uncommon but widespread in sandy places on the coast.
Spilaria (Helina) quadrimaculata Fln. Not previously taken so far north. –W. J. FORDHAM.
68

117
MOLLUSCA. Slugs and Snails.
Oxychilus rogersi B.B.W. 67
Clausilia cravernensis J. W. T. 67
C. rugosa Drap. 67
Balea perversa L. 67
The above four species were all taken at Slaggyford.-E. P. B., J. B., and O. K. F.
FLOWERING PLANTS.
Vicia Lathyroides L. 67
In some abundance on the basalt crags near Colwell.- J. W. H. H. and W. A. Clark.
V. angustifolia var. Bobartii Forst. Spring Vetch. 66
On the Magnesian Limestone near Quarrington Hill; common.- J. W.H. H.
Geranium lucidum L. Shining Cranesbill. 66,67
On the same crags as Vicia Lathyroides and north of Stanhope in Weardale.-J. W. H.
H.
Trollius europaeus L. Globe flower. 66
I found several small colonies, and one larger one, of this fine plant in a wood near
Quarrington Hill.-JACK HESLOP HARRISON.
Conringia orientalis Adams. 66
A casual near Norton.-J. W. H. H.
Senecio Jacobaea X S. aquatica. 66
One plant of a fairly well known hybrid near Birtley.
Bidens cernua L. 66
Rare; Cocken Woods.-J. W. H. H.
Scandix Pecten-veneris L. Shepherds Needle. 66
Several plants on waste ground near Birtley.
Caucalis daucoides L. 66
Of casual occurrence on the railway banks between Birtley and Chester-le-Street.-J.
W. H. H.
Aconitum Napellus L. Monkshood. 66
Single plants, well scattered in the Woods, near Cockenford.-J. W. H. H.
Euonymus europaea L. Spindle tree. 66
Likewise in Cocken Woods.-J. W. H. H.
*Rumex palustris Srn. Marsh Dock. 66
New to V.C. 66, but found very sparingly in the BilIingham Marshes east of the
railway embankment.-J. W. H. H.
Carex pendula L. Great Pendulous Sedge. 66
Very plentiful in Cocken Wood along the Wear Banks.-J.W.H.H.

118
Orchis purpurella Stph. Marsh Orchid. 66,67
Near Lanchester, fine and plentiful, and also in Dipton Woods where the hybrid with
O. ericetorum occurred.-J. W. H. H.
Habenaria viridis L. Frog Orchid. 66
Abundant near Quarrington HiII.-J. W. H. H.
Orchis mascula L. Early Purple. 66
In the form of var. obtusifolia; plentiful in a field near Quarrington Hill.
Carduus heterophyllus L. Melancholy Thistle. 67
In great abundance in a wood a mile east of Thockrington and rare on the roadside near
Colwell.-J. W. H. H.
Plantago media var, lanceolatiformis Dr. Hoary Plantain. 67
The Hoary Plantain does not seem to be of frequent occurrence inland in these
counties so that it was with considerable pleasure I discovered it on a grassy hillock
near Thockrington. However, on collecting it, I actually threw the plants away because
I imagined they were Plantago lanceolata. Only on third thoughts did I realise that the
plant was the extraordinary variety of P. media named by Druce lanceolatiformis-J.
W. H. H.
Lycopus europaeus L. Gipsywort. 68
Among flags on the Bowmont Water at its junction with the College burn. Also by the
Newlands burn above the foot-bridge near Bradford.-J. E. H.
Trifolium striatum L. 68
On the dry ridge (formed of shingle) by the College burn at Kirknewton road bridge.-J.
E. H.
Ranunculus fluitans Lam. 68
In the Bowmont Water and also lower down where the stream is known as the Glen.-J.
E. H.
Ranunculus Lingua L. 67
There is relatively little open standing water in Northumberland so plants of such
habitats are somewhat rare. An apparently new accumulation of water near Ryal is
almost exclusively occupied in parts by this plant. Lythrum Salicaria L. and Comarum
palustre L. were also noticed there.-K. B. B.
OEnanthe aquatica Poir. 68
A similar type of locality to the above, not far from Wooler, yielded the Horsebane.-K.
B. B.
Agrimonia odorata Mill. 67,68
This plant evidently is not rare in Northumberland. It has been found on the roadside at
Mindrum near the N.W. border of the county. It is also very plentiful near Wark.-K. B.
B.

119
PTERIDOPHYTA. Ferns, etc.
Ophioglossum vulgatum L. 67
A considerable quantity of this plant was found growing by the roadside near Ryal and
was most conspicuous where the turf had been removed in the winter leaving the deep
rhizomes of the Adder's Tongue undisturbed.-K. B. B.
ALGAE.
Additions to the Algae list of Northumberland and Durham. Unless otherwise stated
the record is by Dr. K. B. Blackburn. New records starred.
CHRYSOPHYCEAE.
Dinabryon Sertularia Ehr. 67
Newbiggin.
Synura uvella Ehrnb. 67
Newbiggin.
HETEROKONTAE.
Tribonema bombycinum (Ag.) Derb. Sol. 67
Bedlington.
*Ophiocytium arbuscula Rabenh. 67
Newbiggin.
Ophiocytium maius Nzeg. 67
Newbiggin.
*Ophiocytium parvulum (Perty) A. Br. 67
Fenwick.
*Botrydium granulatum Grev. 66,68
Old Burdon; Lemmington.
RHODOPHYCEA.
*Asterocytis smaragdina Reinech. 68
Guyzance.
*Lemanea mamillosa Kuetz. 66
Derwent (B.M.G.).
*Batrachospermum moniliforme Roth. 66,67
Cassop Vale (B.M.G.); Plenmellor Common.
PERIDINIEAE.
*Hemidinium nasutum Stein. 67
Glororum.
CRYPTOPHYCEAE.
*Chroomonas Nordstedtii Hansg. 67,68
Callerton; Lemmington.

120
CHLOROPHYCEAE.
Draparnaldia plumosa (Vauch.) Ag. 67
Glororum.
Draparnaldia glomerata (Vauch.) Ag. 66
Ebchester.
Prasiola crispa Menegh. 67
Gosforth.
*Chlorochytrium Lemnae Cohn. 66,67
Butterby (B.M.G.); near Hartford Colliery.
*Chaetophora incraasata (Hudson) Hazen. 66
Durham.
*Pedlastrum Tetras (Ehr.) Ralfs. 66
Wynyard (B.M.G.).
-BENJ. MILLARD GRIFFITHS,
Recorder for Freshwater Algae.
NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS.
Contributions falling entirely or for the most part under the
categories set out below must be sent to the person named, and must as a rule
be received on or before the first of the month preceding that of the
publication of the number of The Vasculum in which it is desired that they
should appear if accepted. The Vasculum is published in February, May,
August and November.
Ornithology- Mr. G. W. Temperley, Restharrow, Apperley Road,
Stocksfield.
Entomology- Professor J. W. Heslop Harrison, Armstrong College.
Flowering Plants- Dr. K. B. Blackburn, Armstrong College.
Fungi- Mr. A. W. Bartlett, Armstrong College.
Fresh-water -Dr. B. M. Griffiths, University Science Laboratories,
Algae-
Durham.
Ecology
Mammalia -Professor A. D. Hobson, Armstrong College.
Marine Zoology
Geology- Dr. Raistrick, Armstrong College.
All MSS not covered by the above heads must be sent to the Rev. J. E. Hull,
Belford Vicarage, Northumberland.
It is particularly requested that Notes and Records should be cast exactly in
the form used in The Vasculum and sent to Professor J. W. Heslop Harrison,
Armstrong College.

THE VASCULUM
Vol. XXIII. No. 4. NOVEMBER, 1937.
THE "SUMMERING" OF A BRAMBLING NEAR NEWCASTLE.
GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
Through the kind co-operation of Mr. C. A. Hodgson, of the Blue
House on the Ponteland Road, and Mr. J. W. Watson, of King's College
Botanical Garden, I am able to give the following very complete report on
this unusual incident.
On September 18th, 1936, a single Brambling (Fringilla
montifringilla L.) came to Mr. Hodgson's bird-table in the Blue House
garden. This was an exceptionally early date for this winter migrant to appear
and an unusual event for a Brambling to visit a bird-table. This same bird
continued to visit the garden at intervals all through the winter, being
recorded on sixty different days between September 18th, 1936, and April
7th, 1937, after which date it as seen no. more. On May 19th, Mr. Hodgson
heard a very unfamiliar bird-call in his garden, which he describes as a very
harsh or hoarse note like "kah kee." Unfortunately he was unable to see the
bird which uttered it. Shortly afterwards the Green-keeper on the Golf
Course, Mr. Chambers, informed Mr. Hodgson that he had seen a strange
black and white bird, that "bleated like a lamb," on several -occasions near
the Home for Incurables at Spital Tongues and the King's College Botanical
Garden. Mr. Hodgson recognised the description given as that of a
Brambling. Mr. Chambers also asked Mr. J. W. Watson if he had seen this
strange bird; but up to that time he had not done so, though he had heard in
the garden a peculiarly harsh bird-call, like" craa-ee," with one or two low
notes interspersed, which was quite new to him. He kept a look-out and on
June 2nd the bird appeared in the garden. On the 16th it was there again and
he was able to get within a.

122
few feet of it and satisfy himself that it was a Brambling. It visited the
garden and was heard calling in the neighbourhood until July 21st, when it
disappeared. On August 15th it turned up again in the Blue House garden and
from August 31st to end of September its visits there have been of almost
daily occurrence; its favourite time for appearing being between 7 and 7.30
a.m.
Both Mr. Hodgson and Mr. Watson have described the bird's
plumage with great detail. The former refers to its black face, orange
shoulders and white rump and to its yellow bill with a black tip-the winter
plumage and bill colour of a Brambling. The latter, describing it in summer,
mentions its "black or blue- black head " and black bill-the distinguishing
features of an adult cock in breeding plumage.
Mr. Hodgson writes of its habits thus: "As a general rule its visits to
the garden are brief as the bird is very nervous, alert and suspicious.
Sometimes it comes down from the trees to join sparrows, chaffinches and
greenfinches; but seems afraid to eat and immediately flies away; but
sometimes it lingers and is in and out of the garden most of the day; but it is
never a ‘hanger-on' like the other birds." Mr. Watson thus describes its
behaviour when uttering its call: "The head is raised straight up, beak wide
open, while at the same time it gives a peculiar fluttering of the wings."
Normally Bramblings do not remain in England throughout the
summer. They depart in March or early April for their breeding grounds, the
sub-arctic forests of the Old World, in Europe, in northern Scandinavia and
north Russia. Odd birds have occasionally been reported in June and July, but
in such cases it has been suspected that the bird was disabled or perhaps had
escaped from captivity. In Scotland, however, the breeding of the Brambling
has been once or twice reported, though, as far as I am aware, the only
definitely authenticated case was that of a pair whose nest and eggs were
found by Mrs. T. E. Hodgkin in Sutherland in 1920. It is not beyond
suspicion that our bird has escaped from captivity or been liberated from an
aviary, though its marked alertness and timidity suggest that it is a wild bird.

123
The notes of the Brambling have been very variously described by
observers in this country and abroad. Winter flocks keep up a low trilling
chorus, so subdued that it can only be heard at fairly close quarters, whilst
their alarm note is a harsh "scape." The nearest approach to a song heard in
this country is a hoarse wheezing "dwee-e," somewhat like that of a
Greenfinch, but coarser and prolonged into a droning note, uttered by cock
birds just before the return migration begins in spring.
IS IT CREDIBLE?
J. W. HESLOP HARRlSON.
Recently, I came in possession of a book with the title" The
Complete English Dispensatory." This bore in faded ink the date
"Chester-le-Street, 1760," and contained a somewhat curious verse:-
" If aney one this book do find
I pray be not so unkind,
But give the Owner it again
For Ra Roberts is his name."
Its contents are so curious, and to us in the twentieth century so
reminiscent of the remedies of uncivilised peoples, that I cannot refrain from
reproducing some of the "prescriptions."
(1) Prepared Toads.
"Put the Toads alive into an earthen Pot and dry them in an Oven moderately
heated till they become fit to be powdered.
"To avoid so cruel an Operation, it would be well to suffocate them first by
holding them over the Fumes of burning Brimstone. "
Here is another, warranted to frighten anyone into epilepsy rather
than out of it:-
(2) Pulvis ad Guttetam.
Powder against Epilepsy.
"Take of white dittany, mistletoe of the oak, contrayerva, Virginia snake-root
and male piony roots, of the male piony

124
seeds, of burnt hart's-horn, and elk's-hoof, of each two drams; of wild
valerian root an ounce; of red coral and human skull, of each three drams; of
jacinth-stone a dram; of occidental bezoar a dram and a half; of the oriental a
scruple; mix them into a powder; to which may be added at pleasure of musk
5 grains, and of the leaves of beaten gold No. 30."
Next I choose for its very simplicity, and the simple faith of a Dr.
Fuller in its efficiency the following:-
(3) Expressio Millepedum simplex.
A simple Expression of Millipedes.
" Take live millipedes and white sugar, of each 3 ounces; beat them
well together in a marble mortar, and pour upon them a pound of white wine,
which drain out again by hard squeezing."
Dr. Fuller, who has this in his "Pharmacopoeia Extem- poranea,"
says, " that millipedes abound in a volatile salt, as all insects doo; that they
incide and dissolve tough clammy phlegm wheresoever it sticks, attenuate,
exalt, and depurate the blood, penetrate into the glands, nerves, fibres,
smallest pipes and passages, piercing through obstructions, deterging,
cleansing, and comforting, and are famous for their diuretic quality; they are
used in case of gravel, sand, dropsy, jaundice, king's-evil, cough, phthisic,
consumption at the beginning, hypochondriac affections, scorbutic
joint-pains, and dimness of sight; they procure and preserve a good skin and
fine complexion, and are much celebrated for an internal medicine in Sore
breasts, malignant phagedenic ulcers and cancers; they seem not convenient
for a thin, hot blood, and 'tis reported, that, taken in large quantities
overnight, they will give a scalding of urine, and that when they do so, their
true remedy is Balsam capivi."
" Indeed, too much cannot be said in their commendation; and this
way of managing them does most surely retain their full virtues. The
expression may be given for some time together, about three ounces every
morning."
Then what can beat the following as an ointment?
(4) Oleum Lumbricorum.
Oil of Earthworms.

125
"Take of earth worm well washed half a pound; ripe olive oil, 2
pints; white wine half a pint; boil them together in balmeo till the wine is
evaporated; then press out the oil, and afterwards strain off for use."
And is there not promise in this?
(5) Sanguis Hirci praeparatus.
Prepared. Goats' Blood.
"Take a quantity of Blood from a middle-aged Goat, in the
Beginning of the Summer, by opening a proper Artery; the Blood being
received in a clean Vessel, dry it in the Heat of the Sun, or in the Oven
slightly heated."
This, very carefully labelled "From Private Practice," has many
attractive (?) features:-
(6) Aqua Antiphthisica.
A Water against Consumptions.
" Take Garden Snails 6 pound, Earthworms 3 pound, Leaves of
Clary, Comfrey," Sage and Ground-Ivy, each six Handfuls; Nutmegs one
Ounce and a Half, Cloves ten drams; reduce the Spices to a gross Powder,
and bruise all the others together into a mash; and then pour upon them one
Gallon of New Milk; Brunswic Mum and Malaga Wine, each 6 pound; draw
off by a sand-heat 2 Gallons; to which put two drams of Saffron, tied in a
Rag, and half a pound of fine Loaf-Sugar; and keep it in cool cellar for use."
Then isn't the touch of the cherry-coloured silk in the following
really delightful?
(7) Nodulus Hystericus.
An Hysteric Nodule.
"Take Castor in fine Powder, Half a Dram; assa-foetida, one
scruple; oil of amber, half a Scruple. Mix, and tie them up in a piece of thin
cherry-coloured silk pretty loose."
Hundreds more could be quoted, but enough have been copied to
illustrate what our ancestors used in the way of medicine.

126
TWO INTERESTING GROUPS OF LOCAL PLACE NAMES.
J. E. HULL.
In the first decade of the fifth century the Romans finally left
Britain, but it was a full hundred years later when the Anglian immigrants
began to establish themselves in this part of the island. They were plainsmen
for whom the hill country had no attraction; so the Cheviot and Pennine
uplands afforded a harbourage for the retreating Britons. The westward
progress of the Angles was little checked thereby, continuing most probably
along the line of the Roman Wall, always keeping more or less to the
lowlands. Still, when the Norsemen arrived on the Cumbrian coast in the
ninth century the Anglian element of the population was not great, and the
newcomers proceeded to establish themselves by a process of "peaceful
penetration." Unlike the Angles they were hill folk, and knew how to make
the fullest use of the hill pastures. Whether they displaced the Britons in the
hills or mingled with them it is impossible to say, but both the dialect of the
dalesmen and the place-names bear witness that there was a period when their
language was the common tongue in the hill country. A few terms in common
use (such as fell) became familiar to their Anglian neighbours and were
adopted by them. The discussion of various names here following is designed
to illustrate these matters. Middle English (M.E.) is the language of nearly all
our earliest records, and covers the period 1100-1500 or thereabouts. Old
English (O.E.), formerly called Anglo-Saxon, was the common language of
the English settlers in Britain as developed by them in their new home. Norse
and British originals are here indicated by their present form in Icelandic
(Icel.) and Welsh (W.).
1. RIDING.
This word occurs in Riding Mill, Hardriding, Nunriding (all in
Northumberland), and independently in farm names of both counties.

127
It should hardly be necessary to point out that there is no
connection whatever with the Ridings of Yorkshire. There the word
represents a "thrithing," a third part of the country, as a farthing is the fourth
part of a penny. It was also written "thriding " and its initial th was merged in
the final t or th of the preceding word. You have only to say " North Thriding"
to see how easily it became North Riding. It is entirely English, while our
"riding" comes to us from the Norsemen, as is indicated by its appearance in
Glenridding, by Ullswater. The root may be seen in Icel. rydia, to fell (a tree).
Hence the cleared ways through well-kept woodlands are "rides," and an area
cleared of trees is a " riding." So frequently in the middle ages was land added
to a farm in this way that it could be rendered in Latin documents
incrementum (equivalent to English "intake") and cover the preparation of
moorland or other waste land for farm purposes. Such additions were
sometimes extensive enough to originate new holdings and thus "The
Riding" became a farm name.
The best known example of the name is Riding Mill, which
supplies the M.E. forms Ryding and Ryddyng, and as the scribes occasionally
prefix the Norman French article it appears that the speech name was of the
form "The Riding "-the form still in use at Hexham and Allenheads. By way
of distinction, the mid-Tyne place became first Riding Lee and then Riding
Mill, the latter not till the sixteenth century when perhaps a mill was
established there. "Lee" is a Norse word (Icel. hlid, the side of a hill), not in
any way connected with the common English suffix ley. It is used (to this
day, in Allendale) to designate the land rising more or less sharply from the
bottom-lands-eals or haughs-of a valley. In place-names it occurs
independently (St. John Lee, Broad Lea, Sparty Lea) or in composition when
it is often confounded with ley.
Nunriding (M.E. Nune-ryding), explains itself; it was given to the
nuns of Holystone by Roger Bertram as woodland and by them cleared for
farm use. Hardriding has its counterpart in the Icel. hardangr, a place of hard
work and privation because

128
of the poorness of the land. The more usual term for such land was sneap or
snape (Icel. snap. poor pasture) not adopted by the Angles who in some
places made it snipe.
Ridley, better known as the surname of many local worthies, is of
like origin with Riding. The available records (from Beltingham and Bywell)
give the M.E. forms Ryddeley and Rideley . Each represents the site of a
forest clearing. There is little to show whether the suffix is the English ley,
which simply means place, or the Scandinavian lee. which signifies a slope;
the latter is quite appropriate in both cases. In Ridlees the suffix is obviously
the Norse word; it is the first element which may be ambiguous. The M.E.
form is written Reddeleys, which justifies Mawer in referring it to the
vernacular redd (every Tyne- side housewife knows all about "reddin up"),
Even so, there is little change of meaning, for "reddin up" is much the same as
clearing away; in fact, it seems quite likely that this is an instance of an
Anglian word taking the place of a Norse original.
Ritton (near Netherwitton) shows what happens when a "riding"
becomes a farm and takes the suffix ton. Two M.E. forms occur, Ritton and
Rington, representing respectively earlier Rydton and Rydington.
Redpath (Haltwhistle) seems to me as doubtful as Ridlees, and for
much the same reason. The typical M.E. form is Redepeth, The name occurs
elsewhere on the Border and in the vernacular is rendered Ridpeth or
Rippeth. A parallel name is found in Riddlehamhope, the former part of
which takes the M.E. form of Redeleme or Ridlam. Taking lame or lam as a
cognate of W. llam, signifying a course or track (as in Leamside, Lamesley,
Lampert, Streatlam, Cleatlam, etc.), the name is exactly equivalent to
Redepeth, which is certainly "red path". If rede correctly represents the
original the reference must the colour of heather, and both names refer to a
moorland. possible; but Ridlam suggests that it is only an Anglian version of
the more natural Norse rid.
The past tense of the Icel. rydia is ruddi, from the root of which
was apparently formed locally a noun rod (rode) or rud

129
signifying land cleared of trees etc. for agricultural purposes. It is not nearly
so frequent with us as in Yorkshire and Lancashire where its modem form is
royd, As Mawer points out it occurs in Hexhamshire as a field name and its
appearance in the Cheviot foothills at Roddam is well within the limit of
Norse influence. The M.E. forms of Roddam are Roden, Rodun, Rodum. The
um of the O.E. locative dative is quite usually written en, on, un in M.E. So
here we have the locative case "at the rodes." i.e. spaces cleared of heather.
etc .probably for use as meadow land.
The existence of the form rud is debatable. Rudchester (on the
Wall). the Roman Vindobala, appears once (1259) as Rudecastre. It happens
that vind is the Roman version of a British word represented by W. gwent,
open country or cleared land. Was the scribe of 1259 aware of the identity of
the place with Vindobala? And-a thing still more amazing-was he able to
equate vind with rud? Or did he just write what he heard or thought he heard?
The more modem forms. Rudchester or Rutchester, are not helpful. for the
uncritical ear does not distinguish between ch and dcb or tch. The M.E.
records favour Rucestre and one is reminded of the history of Ulchester. The
pronunciation being Oochester some ignorant but genteel person took it to be
a vulgar Oot-chester and refined it into Outchester, which is now the official
designation. I think, however, that the Rudecastre of 1259 is decisive for the
legitimacy of rud,
2.STONE.
This in M.E. may be written either stan, stane (stain). or sten, and
may be either initial or final. All these may represent O.E. stan; all but the
first may equally well stand for Norse steinn, just as O.E. ac and Norse eik
both become M.E. aik or ake, and finally yek. An occasional M.E. stein
appears which certainly has a Scandinavian aspect, but so far as I know it
never occurs in the Norse region. I think it is probably the attempt of a scribe
to reproduce the vernacular. which is monosyllabic in true Tyne-side dialect
(styen). but stressed on the first vowel elsewhere so as to be quasi-dissyllabic
(almost stee-in).

130
It is found initially in Stainshawbank, the Staintons (and Stanton),
Staindrop, Stainforth, Stamford, Stamfordham, Stan- hope, Stanley,
Stannington and Stonecroft.
An important fair used to be held at Stainshawbank. It was a
familiar name on Tyneside sixty years ago and probably still is. On the
Ordnance map it is Stagshawbank, but I can bear witness that nobody in the
neighbourhood used that name in the seventies. Stainshawbank is on the
Roman Wall, which may account for the first syllable. The second is most
probably the Scandinavian shaw (Icel. skagi, the face of a hill), not the
English one. It is exemplified by the series of shaws on the east side of South
Tyne from Willyshaw in Kirkhaugh to Ramshaw in Haltwhistle. They are
steep sloping pastures. So the M.E. Stainscau (1340) is Stonebank, and the
added bank is pleonastic. Stainshawbank and Stagshaw are different places.
Staindrop in M.E. is indifferently Standrop or Stayndrop
(Steindrope, once). The terminal is a difficulty, for as Mawer says it occurs
too early to be regarded as a development of thorpe; but to take it literally
(Icel. dropi, drop) seems to me even more objectionable. I suggest Icel.
trappa, which gives troppugangr, a stair, applied to the ascending road, the
line of which is indicated on one hand by Streatlam and on the other by
Headlam -perhaps a paved road as the first syllable of StreatIam may imply.
The Staintons (including Nunstainton) and Stainforth stand on a
similar road. Stainforth is a doublet of Stanegate (see below), with British
forth instead of Norse gate. The others, all or some of them, may, like
Stoneham in Hampshire, be Ad lapidem, at the milestone; or stain may refer
to the paved road. Stanton, on the Devil's Causeway, is a duplicate.
It is quite natural for nf to become mf, but Stamford and
Stamfordham have both been fixed by the scribes. The vulgar name of the
latter, for example, is Stannerton. Stannington is a secondary derivative
involving a community name (Staningas) founded on the first syllable of the
original name of the village or settlement, viz., stan. It is the tun or township
(dwellings and territory) of the Staningas, so called because they lived in the

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tun of Stan ... (the final element being discarded in forming the community
name). Very probably it was another Stanton. Whatever it was, it suggests the
presence of a Roman road running due north from Pons AElii (Newcastle).
Stonecroft (near Newbrough) appears in M.E. as Stancroft and
Staincroft, book-name and speech-name respectively. By the 17th century it
was anglicized into Stonecroft. It is adjacent to the Roman road called the
Stanegate, and is the croft or enclosure Ad lapidem, probably a Roman
milestone.
Hard by is Settlingstones. A Hexham charter cites "the
sadilyngstan" as a boundary mark, which makes it pretty certain that the
plural of the contemporaneous Sadelestanes and Sadeling-stanes was a
mistake, though it has persisted. The modem version dates from the sixteenth
century-Satlyngstones-and seems to identify sadel with the familiar domestic
seat known locally as a lang saddle or seddle, but sometimes called a sattle or
settle. Mawer cites Heslop's assertion that settling and saddlingstone are local
terms for a whetstone, and when it was pointed out that the particular stone at
this spot had been used as a boundary mark, replied (in litt.) that even so it
could be used for sharpening tools or weapons. I agree; and if Heslop was
Hght it would be a very satisfactory explanation; but I lived twenty-six years
in the South Tyne district and never heard a sharpening stone so named and
naturally would like some confirmatory evidence. It is obvious that M.E.
sadeling is a gerundial form from the O.E. sadel, saddle, and the
Sadilyngstan was a landmark where sadeling was or had been done.
The neighbouring Fourstones must be compared with Fourlaws on
the military road, due north of Haltwhistle. Fourlaws, formerly Forston,
appears in M.E. as Forestan. So also does Fourstones, though in later M.E. it
is Fourstayns. Both are situated on the Roman road called the Stanegate, the
former at or near its western end, the latter at its eastern end (as far as is
definitely known). Whence came stan or stanes in these two names? The road
was paved with stone; it was furnished with milestones: near Fourstones
stone was quarried. Mawer adopts the legend of the four boundary stones
from Tomlinson, a tale

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obviously founded on the traditional speech-name. Stanegate and Stainforth
both owe their name to the pavement; Stainton and Stanton and Staindrop
may therefore have originated in the same way or possibly from a milestone.
To return to Fourlaws and Fourstones. As we have seen, the
common M.E. name Forstan or Forestan, which is O.E. for(u)- stan,
highway-stone. The later plural is a corruption due to the misinterpretation of
the first syllable as a numeral-much the same thing as happened at
Ninebanks. It seems that forstan was probably equivalent to E. milestone.
Incidentally, I may remark that east of Fourlaws, still on the line of the
Stanegate, there is a house called Milestone House; just a coincidence, of
course.
Scremerston at the other end of Northumberland involves another
stan. The M.E. records vary from Scrimestan to Scremerestone, the latter
being the typical form. Scremere is not found in either Scandinavian or O.E.
and I suggest that it is a compound. Scree is a well-known term for steep
boulder-strewn slopes in the hill country of Cumberland and the Border. It is
the Scandinavian skritha, of which the root is skra, sloping, which also would
be scree in M.E. This with O.E. maere, a boundary mark, would give M.E.
scremere, the sloping or leaning boundary mark. When the last syllable of the
familiar compound lost its accent and significance. the equivalent stan was
added.
COLDMARTIN MOSS.
J. E. HULL.
Where is that? Mentally, if not audibly, that will be a very general
remark, I imagine. It has been persistent with me for a good many years, since
my small scale maps of North Northumberland did not contain the name. All
that I knew until quite recently was that it could not be far from Wooler; for
my interest in it arose from a memorable collection of spiders made by James
Hardy (with Richard Howse as a companion) from Wooler as a

133
centre, in the autumn of 1871. The spiders were sent to the Rev. O. Pickard,
Cambridge, who wrote: "It is the richest lot I ever had from any English
correspondent. There are 112 species, of which three are new to Britain and
fourteen new to science." Subsequent rectifications have reduced the
seventeen novelties to eleven, five new to Britain, six to science. The six new
species occurred as follows: Cheviot and Hedgehope. four; Wooler, one;
Coldmartin Moss, one. The last-named produced several other rare and
interesting species, so that my desire to visit the place will be well
understood; but for one reason or another I have never seen it till this year. I
now pass on the knowledge I have acquired.
Weetwood Moor is a short mile east of Wooler. Its summit is
double, consisting of twin parallel ridges lying nearly due north and south.
Coldmartin farmstead stands in a recess at the southern end of the western
ridge, a quarter of a mile south of the direct road from Wooler, which
traverses both ridges and the dip between from north-west to south-east.
About two-thirds of the enclosed hollow lies north of this road and slightly
below its level. It is practically a dead flat with an imperceptible fall towards
the north, and such water as escapes from the basin is gathered into a stream
running eastward below the farm of Drythropple. Its course, therefore, is
literally the "thropple " of the aforesaid basin, and the nomenclator of the
farm apparently recognised the fact and added an obvious epithet to express
the difference in surface conditions; for the basin itself is most decidedly wet.
It is part of the territory of Coldmartin, and is known as Coldmartin Moss.
The pleasantest way to approach the spot is by car from the
Wooler-Chatton road. About three miles out from Wooler, where the road
turns at a right angle for Chatton, you turn to the right at the same angle into a
pleasant, upward-sloping lane shaded by trees on either hand. Presently the
trees cease on the right and give place to heather and bracken. The travelling
surface continues wonderfully good up to the very highest point of the moor
(547 feet). In front the parallel ridge runs up to a similar height (543 feet),
shutting out Wooler but not the domed tops of

134
the hills on Wooler Common, nor the gray summits of Cheviot and
Hedgehope beyond them, and at its foot, on the floor of the valley, lies as
pretty a picture as eye could desire-two sparkling tarns, the lesser on the
hither side on the left, the larger near the farther side on the right, set in a
ground of browns and greens and purples, fenced south and west by a belt of
funereal conifers.
Just below the summit level is a convenient spot to park a car or
enjoy a picnic meal. Beyond it, as a matter of fact, the road turns abruptly left
and becomes decidedly adventurous for cars. From this point a wall runs
directly to the lesser tarn, descending the slope obliquely to the left and
dividing the heather moor which stretches away to the right from a pasture
studded with whins. Naturally one takes to the pasture for the descent,
following the line of the wall till it peters out at the limit of terra firma
exactly on the 500 feet contour line, where a decrepit wire fence forms the
boundary between pasture and swamp, three or four feet above the level of
the water.
Viewed from here, the placid sheet of water looks like a huge
quadrangular tank, so sharply defined and vertical are its boundaries; for the
marginal water-plants stand erect in a dense phalanx, as if held back by an
invisible barrier. The common rush (Juncus conglomeratus L.), ankle deep in
sphagnum, is the chief constituent of this border for three-fourths of the way
around but J. effusus and J. silvaticus, together with Carex ampullacea, are
also present as occasional supporters in the rear ranks. The only noteworthy
intruders in this assemblage of monocotyledons are a few scattered plants of
Comarum palustre.
Away on the farther side all this arrangement is changed. A little to
the right of the middle a ragged little willow marks the spot where a sort of
ditch receives the overflow of the tarn, when there is any. Its course runs
directly away from us as we look across the water, but turns left at a right
angle in the very middle of the moss. Insignificant in itself, this ditch takes on
considerable importance because it marks the limits of the three plant
communities which occupy the moss. Within its two arms

135
it encloses a mixed community in which Juncus silvaticus is the
predominant partner, but the. various species are disposed to segregate
themselves more or less. Thus, viewed from our original standpoint, the area
presents a patchwork of varied hues. In the forefront, where it meets the
waters of the tarn, the space is divided between a sombre patch of Comarum
palustre and a bed, about equal in size, of Carex ampullacea, its pallid colour
set in strong contrast. Immediately behind them stretches a broad band of the
warm brown of Juncus silvaticus. Overtopping this on the right near the ditch
is a short strip of the common rush showing nearly black like the pines in the
distance. It occurs nowhere else in the open of this section, but it is
continuous along the margin next to the pine belt.
The rest of the area appears tender green to the distant eye, for the
taller growths (chiefly Juncus silvaticus) are sparsely scattered, and the
undergrowth of sphagnum and Hydrocotyle, always present but hitherto
hidden, now comes into the open. It is, however, compelled to make room
here and there for patches of Polytrichum and moorland grasses. Being
anxious to gain a general knowledge of the whole moss as a guide to
exploration in the future, I have not been able to give much time to any
special region; nevertheless, that to which I now refer seemed so very
promising that I would gladly have lingered there. As soon as I set foot upon
the Polytrichum swarms of female Piratae appeared, each with her bag of
eggs. There were two species, Pirata piraticus and P. latitans, the latter a
little dark species which I had never seen nearer than Dumfries, though
Professor Harrison found it in Billingham marshes. Here and there in the
heads of rushes were Epeira cornuta and E. ocellata with the usual Dictyna
arundinacea, all of them snugly tucked up in their nests. Sweeping produced
Tibellus maritimus of the variety studded all over with spots of vandyke
brown. Quite unexpectedly I flushed a grasshopper, and was disappointed to
find that it was only the common Omocestus viridulus.
Winged creatures were exceedingly few. A big dragonfly flew by
overhead; Aeschna juncea, I suppose, and apparently a male in search of a
partner, for his flight was direct. No others showed

136
themselves, but a few smaller species were flitting about among the rushes
and of these I took three specimens of Sympetrum flaveolum and one of
Lestes sponsa.
A line from the angle of the ditch above-mentioned to the nearest
point of the larger tarn divides the moss into two very distinct parts, the
eastern a heather swamp full of rifts and sphagnum pits, the western a dark
juncetum. My knowledge of the latter is mainly confined to what I could see
from the firm ground of the pine belt which is its outer boundary. It is almost
wholly occupied by Juncus conglomeratus, six feet high; and there is no
sphagnum. There is much water at the outer edge, but I managed to penetrate
it for a short distance in two places-to very little purpose. From without I
could see a big patch of Phalaris arundinacea, taller even than the rushes,
near the southern end of the tarn. Polygonum amphibium was the cause of my
second incursion; commonplace enough in itself, but it was the first break of
a long monotony. It was the usual terrestrial form, hoary of aspect and barren,
but I could see the dark, glossy leaves of the aquatic form in the swamp and
pushed in to investigate. About a dozen yards in I found a big pool with a
great pink island of Polygonum filling its centre.
The tree belt ceases where it touches the tarn, and in the freer air of
its last stretch tall grasses appear at the margin of the moss-Phalaris, Milium,
and most striking of all, the great broad- leaved Glyceria aquatica. Beyond
the trees the tarn has a visible shore, grassy and much broken, very difficult to
traverse. This continues round the end of the lake and gradually merges into
the heather swamp, the largest and most varied of the three sections of the
moss. It is pitted and riven everywhere into it succession of ridgy hummocks
and the channels between are so masked with heather that it is not easy to
avoid them.
The southern part is pleasantly diversified with trees-fir, spruce,
birch and willow-the two first making three small clumps near the lesser tarn,
the rest dotted here and there. A fairly dry patch on the direct line between the
two lakes and adjacent to the larger was found to be infested with adders.
After encountering four big females. we abandoned that particular

137
spot. The region immediately north of the lesser tarn proved the most
attractive. Insects were plentiful, though there were neither clegs, gnats nor
midges. Several Red Admirals appeared, whereas at that time hardly any
were to be seen elsewhere. Puss-moth larvae were on the willows in all stages
of life; but it was the dragonflies that filled the eye. Aeschna juncea was very
busy everywhere, and one female was observed in the act of laying her eggs.
Of the smaller species Sympetrum scoticum, which looks jet black on the
wing, was equally abundant, often accompanied by the fragile-looking
Agrion puella. Of the spiders, the same two Epeiras (cornuta and ocellata) as
nested in the heads of rushes here made use of the twigs of heather. So also
did Epeira diademata, but fewer in number. Two Clubionas, C. reclusa and
C. lutescens, occupied the heather twigs in like fashion, and one of the latter
was found spun up in the tip of the frond of Lastrea thelypteris, one of the
botanical rarities of the moss.
LOCAL RECORDS OF FUNGI SINCE 1933, WITH HINTS ON
COLLECTING AND STUDYING FUNGI.
A. W. BARTLETT.
The British Mycological Society held its Autumn Fungus Foray
and Annual General Meeting at Newcastle upon Tyne during the week
beginning September 18th, 1933, at the invitation of the writer, by whom the
necessary local arrangements were made. The summer had been an
exceptionally dry one and little rain had fallen for weeks, hence some
members who might otherwise have been present stayed away, believing that
few fungi would be found. The collecting grounds visited were Hulne Park at
Alnwick, Gibside Park, Dipton Woods and Chopwell Wood. The results,
particularly in Hulne Park, turned out to be better than was anticipated,
although not nearly as good as might be expected in a normal season from the
nature of the ground explored.

138
Unfortunately, the much-needed rain arrived on the second day of
the meeting, and on this and on the two following days there were heavy
showers which interfered considerably with collecting.
The report on the Newcastle Foray, including a list of the species of
fungi collected, appeared in the Transactions of the British Mycological
Society, Vol. XIX, pp. 4-9, October, 1934. The total number of species and
varieties of fungi found was 274, of which 120 were new to both counties,
i.e., to the district as a whole. Of these, 100 were new to Northumberland and
52 to Durham. One species, Corticium coronatum, had not previously been
recorded for Britain. The Myxomycetes collected numbered 24, and 8 of
these were new to the district.
From Mr. J. B. Nicholson of the Darlington Naturalists' Field Club,
I have received several lists of fungi, collected mostly in South Durham
during the year 1934. These comprised altogether about 278 species, of
which 58 represent new records for the district.
Through the kindness of Messrs. G. Guy and Alf. Robinson, the
results of two fungus forays carried out by the Consett Naturalists' (;lub in
1935 and 1936 respectively were forwarded to me. The first of these
meetings was held in the Allensford district, and yielded 68 species (2 of
these new), and the second took place in the neighbourhood of Lanchester,
and produced 27 species (1 new). The identifications in both cases were made
by Mr. Nicholson.
Lastly, there appeared in The Vasculum of February, 1936, a list of
59 species (3 new ones), taken in Barker's Plantation, Sadberge in October,
1935, and named by Mr. Nicholson. The entering of these in the card-index
catalogue of local records, together with particulars of localities, dates,
collectors and vice- counties, which required the preparation of many new
record cards, has occupied much time and the task has been frequently
interrupted by other work. I desire to express my gratitude to all who have
helped in the compilation of these records and more particularly to the energy
and enthusiasm of Mr. J. B. Nicholson.

139
Some of the earlier identifications of the fungi mentioned above
were made by Mr. F. A. Mason of Leeds before his lamented death in March,
1936, following on a long illness. Mr. Mason, whom the writer had the
pleasure of knowing, was one of an ardent band of mycologists which
included some well-known fungus experts, belonging to the Yorkshire
Naturalists' Club. Death has gradually been taking its toll of these, and a few
years ago one of this band, in conversation with the writer, deplored the fact
that there were no younger men coming on to take the places of the older
experienced mycologists as, one by one, these have dropped out. Mr. Mason
was well known as an expert on the fungi, and there can be no question as to
the correctness of his identifications.
With regard, however, to the other records mentioned above, some
words of caution are required.
There are several fungi, mostly of frequent occurrence, which an
amateur soon learns to recognise when .he sees them, and which cannot
easily be mistaken for any others. But the identification of the great majority
of the larger fungi, commonly spoken of as "toadstools," is by no means an
easy matter, and requires considerable experience.
In the first place, the species are very numerous. The standard book
on this subject, viz., Carleton Rea's "British Basidiomycetae" (1920),
describes 2,546 species, and several additions have been made to the list
since this book was published.
Secondly, the more important genera often include large numbers
of species, e.g., Cortinarius, 208 spp., Tricholoma, 107 spp., Clitocybe 77
spp., Polyporus 68 spp., Hygrophorus 70 spp., Russula, 65 spp., etc., etc. The
points of difference between several of the species are often small, and many
kinds show a fair amount of variation. Furthermore, a particular fungus often
undergoes changes in form, colour and general appearance during the course
of its development.
Thirdly, a microscopical examination of the shape and markings of
the spores, and of the form of the cystidia (when

140
present), as well as exact measurements of the size of the spores, are often
necessary to confirm one's identification. Good coloured illustrations of the
fungi are often essential to supplement the descriptions contained in
systematic works dealing with this group, and these are usually to be found
only in large and rather expensive works, many of them out of print.
Many of the softer fungi shrivel or undergo decay rather quickly
after they are gathered, and hence they must be examined with as little delay
as possible after being collected. Moreover, when one has determined the
specific name of a certain toadstool to one's satisfaction, no good method is
known of preserving the specimen for future reference, or for subsequent
confirmation by an expert, as can be done with other groups of plants, as well
as with most classes of animals.
On account of the many difficulties associated with the
identification of the species of the larger fungi, anyone who attempts this task
without a long previous experience is likely to make many mistakes. Hence
the reports of the finding of species new to the district by anyone who is not
an expert, particularly when these species happen to be rather uncommon or
rare, must be accepted with a certain amount of distrust.
A card-index list of the fungi which have been found in the
counties of Northumberland and Durham was started by Emeritus Professor
M. C. Potter many years ago, and it has grown very considerably during the
last 17 years, particularly as regards the smaller species and the microscopic
fungi, so that it now includes about 1,100 species and varieties. Many of the
cards bear numerous entries of localities, and the total number of the records
has been estimated to be not less than 7,000. The list, however, requires a
considerable amount of revision, because some of the earliest records, e.g.,
those of Winch, are doubtful, and some of the names may be synonyms.
The writer desires to take this opportunity of thanking all who have
helped him with specimens, and first and foremost, Dr. Kathleen B.
Blackburn, from whom he has received many interesting fungi and
myxomycetes, some of them being new to Britain. My thanks for help in this
direction are due also

141
to Professor J. Heslop Harrison, the Rev. E. P. BIackburn, Messrs. R. B.
Cooke, G. W. TemperIey, J. W. Watson, Miss M. Urton and many others.
HINTS ON COLLECTING AND STUDYING FUNGI.
In case there may be some who would like to find out the names of
some of the commoner fungi, and are not deterred from attempting this by the
above remarks, a few hints on collecting and studying this interesting group
of plants may be useful.
The best books for the beginner are, G. Massee, "British Fungi
-with a chapter on Lichens" (George Routledge and Sons, Ltd., 10s. 6d.), and
J. Ramsbottom, "A Handbook of the larger British Fungi" (British Museum
(Nat. Hist.), 7s. 6d.). The first of these books is illustrated with forty coloured
plates, each plate showing several species, and there are descriptions of a
great many of the commoner fungi. The second book has many excellent
figures exhibiting the characteristics of all the more important genera, and it
contains brief descriptions of the more frequently occurring species of each
genus. There is also a useful key to assist in determining the genera, and a lot
of interesting information concerning the uses, poisonous properties, etc., of
the fungi is also added. A small book, viz., J. Ramsbottom, "Fungi" (Benn's
Sixpenny Series), is also to be recommended as a capital introduction to the
group.
The botanical vasculum is not as suitable for collecting fungi, as it
is for other plants, because, in the first place, it is not deep enough for many
of the larger ones, and secondly, specimens are liable to get shaken about and
damaged. In the fungus forays of the British Mycological Society the
members mostly use baskets for this purpose, together with a supply of flat,
empty tobacco tins for holding the smaller and more delicate specimens. A
strong paper carrier-bag with string handles provides a serviceable substitute
when a basket is not available. It is very important that the specimens shall be
brought back in as perfect a condition as possible, in order not to increase the
difficulty of their identification.

142
The beginner is a vised not to collect all the different kinds of fungi
he may find on a ramble. the variety of which is likely to prove confusing, but
to be content with obtaining only a few kinds at first, and three or four
specimens of each. These should be neither too young nor too old, although it
is often useful to have a certain fungus in different stages of development.
Fungi should always be dug up with a trowel or a strong knife, so as to obtain
the entire plant, because the base of the stem often shows characters which
are important for identification. A strong knife is required also to obtain fungi
growing on trees or on dead wood.
The gill-bearing fungi. usually known as "agarics." which are
distinguished by bearing a number of thin radiating plates or "gills" on the
under-surface of the cap of which the mushroom will serve as an example are
classified into five groups according to the colour of the spores. These may
be either (1) white, or (2) pink, or (3) yellow, brown or rusty, or (4) purple, or
(5) black. Hence the first step to be taken by the beginner in the identification
of a particular fungus is to ascertain the colour of the spores, which often
differs from that of the gills. To do this, the cap of the fungus is removed from
the stalk, and it is placed with the gills downwards on a piece of paper or a
sheet of glass. where it is left undisturbed for a few hours, or better still
overnight. Numerous spores will be deposited in radiating lines forming what
is known as a " spore-print." which will show the colour of the spores.
Another important character used in classifying the agarics is the
mode of attachment of the gills to the stalk, to describe which some special
terms are employed. This character is best seen by cutting a complete
specimen of the fungus vertically through the middle of the cap and the stalk
so as to divide it into two equal halves. This will show also whether the
substance of the cap agrees with or differs from that of the stalk and whether
the stalk is solid or hollow in the centre.
Other characters employed in discriminating between the different
genera of agarics are the presence or absence of a membranous "ring",
surrounding the stalk below the gills. and the escape of a white or coloured
milk when the fungus is cut or

143
wounded. It should also be noticed whether the substance undergoes a
change in colour when the fungus is broken or bruised. It is often important to
find out whether the taste is mild and pleasant, or whether it is acrid (i.e.,
leaving a burning sensation on the tongue). A small piece of even a poisonous
toadstool may safely be tasted without being swallowed. In certain cases the
acrid taste is not at once apparent, but is observable only after several
seconds. The possession of a characteristic odour, which may be agreeable or
the reverse, distinguishes certain species. A note should be made of the
situation in which each kind of fungus collected is found growing, e.g., in in a
wood or a pasture, on soil, a living tree, dead wood, dung, etc.
The beginner will probably soon learn to recognise species of the
genus, Coprinus, which may grow on the soil, on dung, or on wood, and most
of them have black spores and black gills. The popular name for these is
"inky caps," because the cap under-goes a process of self-digestion when
mature, dissolving to form drops of an inky liquid which make a mess of
everything in contact with the fungus. Hence Coprini must be kept separate
from other fungi.
When the correct name of a particular fungus has been ascertained,
a coloured drawing should be made of it, using either water-colours or
crayons, so as to impress it upon the memory. At the same time, a few notes
should be added, stating the characters by which the fungus may be
recognised. This does not require any very great amount of artistic ability,
and the drawing need not necessarily be a good one, since it is intended only
for one's own use and to enable one to recognise the fungus when it is next
met with. A" spore-print" obtained on a piece of paper, which can be
preserved from injury by spraying it with a very weak solution of shellac in
methylated spirit, should be attached to the drawing to show the colour of the
spores.

144
THE SOCIETIES.
NORTHERN NATURALISTS' UNION.
When the Union visited Edmondbyers, on August 17th, it was
more fortunate than at the two previous field meetings for no rain fell, but the
sky was very dull all day, and very few insects were on the wing. In spite of
the unpromising outlook about three dozen made the journey, and the
experiment of holding a meeting in August was certainly justified.
This very attractive piece of country has been described previously
(Vasculum, 18, 144), the Union having visited it in 1932. On the present
occasion most of the visitors turned their attention to the Feldon Burn, those
with cars assisting the less vigorous, and rambled up the fine gorge and over
the moor, a ramble that was as interesting as it was enjoyable, though it was
sad to see the extent to which the bracken is swamping the heather. A single
plant of the Great Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) was seen by the roadside,
while Sundew and Butterwort flourished by the stream, with an occasional
flower of Grass of Parnassus; on drier banks the Autumn Gentian was in bud,
with the slender purple Eyebright. Among the masses of red-fruited
Cowberry (V. vitis-idaea) on the cliffs Mr. G. W. Temperley had the good
fortune to detect the Bearberry (A. uva-ursi). and elsewhere Mr. A. W.
Bartlett noted the Decumbent Heath Grass (Triodia decumbens) and the
Mountain Shield Fern (Lastrea oreopteris).
After an excellent tea at the "Punch Bowl," those with longer
journeys set off to the bus, while Mr. J. E. Ruxton led a small party to a wood
on the bank of the Burnhope Burn, and Mr. J.B. Nicholson reports their
doings as follows:-
Here Oak and Birch predominated, though not a few of the Birches
had been killed by the Birch Bracket (Polyporus betulinus). Amongst the
ground-flora Oak Fern (Phegopteris dryopteris) and Chickweed Wintergreen
(Trientalis europaea) were noticed. A swarm of small black flies (Sepsis
fulgens), much resembling winged ants in general appearance attracted
attention. Ferns and other plants were densely covered with them for several

145
square yards; hither and thither they crept over the fronds, hurriedly but
without apparent purpose, flying but a few inches when disturbed. A
Woodcock was flushed and a Great Spotted Woodpecker, the latter flying
from a nesting-hole. The nesting season being over and the evening then
(7.45 p.m.) drawing to a close, it would appear that it was intending to roost
there.
FUNGI.
The larger fungi were rather plentiful for so early in the autumn,
though no uncommon species were found. An interesting feature was the
contrast between the fungus-floras of (a) the valley of the Feldon Burn, where
the damp hollows were most productive, and (b) the Oak-Birch wood by the
Burnhope Bum, where a greater variety of more conspicuous types was in
evidence.
(a) FELDON BURN GLEN.
Psaliota campestris (L.) Fr.
Anellaria separata (L.) Karst.
Tricholoma panaeolum Fr.
Clitocybe aurantiaca (Wulf.) Studer.
Hygrophorus miniatus Fr.
Hygrophorus conicus (Scop.) Fr.
Hygrophorus chlorophanus Fr.
Collybia maculata (A. & S.) Fr.
Galera tenera (Schseff.) Fr.
Galera hypnorum (Schrank) Fr.
Omphalia fibula (Bull.) Fr.
Marasmius dryophilus (Bull.) Karst.
Clavaria corniculata (Schaff.) Fr.
(b) BURNHOPE BURN WOOD.
Pluteus nanus (Pers.) Fr.
Amanitopsis fulva (Schaeff.) W. G. Sm.
Cortinarius elatior Fr.
Laccaria laccata (Scop.) B. & Br.
Collybia maculata (A. & S.) Fr.
Collybia butyracea (Bull.) Fr.
Mycena rugosa Fr.
Russula nigricans (Bull.) Fr.

146
Russula furcata (Pers.) Fr.
Russula ochroleuca (Pers.) Fr.
Russula rosacea (Pers.) Fr.
Russula fragilis (Pers.) Fr.
Lactarius piperatus (Scop.) Fr.
Lactarius quietus Fr.
Lactarius rufus (Scop.) Fr.
Cantharellus cibarius Fr.
Boletus chrysenteron (Bull.) Fr.
Boletus scaber (Bull.) Fr.
Polyporus betulinus (Bull.) Fr.
Stereum sanguinolentum (A. & S.) Fr.
Stereum hirsutum (Willd.) Fr.
Calocera cornea (Batsch) Fr.
Microsphaera alni Salm.-Conidia on young shoots of Oak.
DARLINGTON AND TEESDALE NATURALISTS' FIELD CLUB.
July 13th.-Miss N. Glendinning reported on a walk taken on
Thursday July 8th, by ten members along part of the Merrybent Railway to
get to a Magnesian Limestone quarry where there is to be seen a very good
example of an Anticlinal. This quarry has been extensively worked but is
now out of use and very much grown up making access very difficult but
when this was forced a good view of the dip of the strata to north and south
was obtained. Some botanical work was done the best plant found being
Spiraea Filipendula.
The Hon. Secretary reported on the excursion to the T.V.W.B.
reservoirs in Baldersdale and Lunedale, which took place on Saturday, July
10th.
Some speaking films lent by Austin Motor Co. were exhibited by
Messrs. A. Bell and C. Bennett.
July 20th.-Miss N. Glendinning reported on a walk taken on
Saturday. July 17th, by a party of five members. Starting from
Middleton-in-Teesdale Station they walked to the top of Kircarrion, a hill to
the south-east of Middleton which is interesting from the fact that prior to
1804 there was a huge cairn

147
on the summit. The size of the cairn is indicated by the fact that a wall (1,263
feet in length) was built round Crossthwaite Pasture with the stones taken
from it. That such a magnificent monument has been destroyed is deplorable,
but there is one saving feature; a record is in existence of what was found
there. The Rev. W. R. Bell, in "Leaves from Laithkirk Parish Magazine,"
states that a cist formed of four flat stones set on edge with a fifth as a cover,
was found in the tumulus, and in the cist was a small cinerary urn which,
according to one of the witnesses, contained some dark matter mixed with
fragments of bone, etc. It was a Mr. Thomas Beadle, of Thringarth, who
found the urn, but when Lord Strathmore heard of the discovery from his
bailiff, Mr. C. Raine of London, he ordered that it be sent to Streatlam. What
has happened to it subsequently I do not know. The following explanation of
the name Kircarrion is given for what it is worth. Some great man, possibly a
chief named Caryn, died and his body burnt on a funeral pyre, his ashes
placed in the urn, put in the cist and the great cairn built over it. This would be
known as Carreg Caryn-the burial heap of Caryn; which has now become
corrupted to Kircarrion. The party then descended into Lunedale to view a
large sandstone boulder 7 feet high, 42 feet in circumference, and resting on a
bedrock of limestone. Local tradition says it was kicked by Robin Hood
across Baldersdale from Shacklesborough.
Mr. Allen Brown brought in a young Cuckoo that had fallen from a
Wagtail's nest at the L.N.E.R. wagon works. He fed it on caterpillars and it
could now fly. It was later reported to have flown away after having become
quite tame.
July 27th.-Mr. Gordon Wood brought in a young female Sparrow
Hawk, one of a family of five, of which two died. As the result of a fight one
was killed and eaten. He still had two alive, which were later reported to have
escaped.
August 10th.-Mr. A. Stainthorpe spoke of visiting a warehouse at
Dunbar old harbour, where there were 24 Kittiwakes nests in the corners of
the window-sills. He counted 27 young birds. On August 3rd he saw
Buzzards at Highcup Nick and also heard two Ravens. Mr. J. B. Nicholson
exhibited dried

148
and mounted specimens of Calamintha ascendens, Stachys ambigua and
Andromeda polifolia, which he presented to the Club herbarium.
Mr. J. E. Nowers exhibited a larva of the Painted Lady Butterfly,
found that day feeding on Scarlet Runner Beans in his garden. Also a number
of Twenty-plume moths.
Saturday, August 14th.-A party of 16 walked from Piercebridge to
Gainford along the Durham bank of the Tees, thence through Selaby Park to
Staindrop, but owing to rain the walk could not be continued to Raby as
arranged.
August 17th.-Before this meeting started members went to the
adjoining "Friends' Graveyard" to look at an enormous clump of Polyporus
giganteus growing at the base of a dead Beech tree.
Mr. C. P. Nicholson reported on a walk taken last Thursday
evening from Haughton-le-Skerne past Barmpton sand pits, along the bank of
the Skerne to the pack-horse bridge at Ketton. He remarked that one of the
most dominant plants along the river side is Impatiens glandulifera, Indian
Balsam. Mr. A. Stainthorpe said that he had counted over 100 nesting holes
of the Sand Martin in Barmpton sand pits, all quite out of reach; so doubtless
large numbers of young birds had flown. Larvae of the Emperor moth were
exhibited by Mr. B. R. Lucas.
Mr. H. A. Inness reported a Great Crested Grebe on the lake at
Halnaby, V.C. 65, August 24th. Mr. A. Stainthorpe reported on a walk over
Darlington Sewage Farm on the previous Wednesday evening, saying that
there were not as many birds seen as he expected. However, a fair list was
made-dozens of Wild Duck, Teal, many Snipe, Waterhens, one Pheasant,
Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Kittiwake, Pewit and Swallow.
Mr. A. Stainthorpe reported on a walk taken by a party of 12
members in the neighbourhood of Aske Park on Saturday, August 28th, when
the Black Plantation and the Jockey Cap Wood were visited.
August 31st.-Miss I. Ayton reported on a walk in which 12
members took part, from Barnard Castle through Flatts Woods by a field path
to Cotherstone, returning on the Yorkshire side

149
of the Tees. A number of galls and fungi were coilected; Dippers and
Gold-crests were seen. Mr. H. A. Inness exhibited an example of "stripe
disease" of Tomato, saying that it was very prevalent this year.
September 7th.-Mr. A. Stainthorpe reported young House Martins
in a nest at the G.P.O. as late as last Friday. The Hon. Sec. reported that 5
members join d the Cleveland Naturalists' Field Club in their excursion to
Wilton last Saturday. The Church was visited, and a very fine Hawthorn tree
5 feet 7 inches in circumference was seen in the churchyard.
September 14th.-Mr. J. B. Nicholson read the Tees-mouth
bird-watcher's (Joseph Bishop's) report to the R.S.P.B., stating that 102
species of birds had nested at the Tees-mouth this year.
September 21st.-Mr. C. P. Nicholson reported on a walk taken by
13 members from Croft by Oakwood to Dalton. A small patch of Heather was
seen, the nearest known spot to Darlington in which it grows. Miss L. J ones
reported on a walk in which 11 members took part from Whorlton by Thorpe
to Rokeby, passing Mortham Tower and the Dairy Bridge, then continuing to
Barnard Castle. Notes were made of a number of erratic boulders seen on the
way. Mr. J. E. Nowers exhibited a recently caught Death's Head Moth.
Saturday, September 25th.-The fourteenth annual Fungus Foray
took place at Raby Park, by the kind permission of Lord Barnard, when 23
members turned out. Some good gatherings of fungi were made, which is
particularly pleasing after the unfavourable weather for fungus growth, and
the very clean state of the woods.
In the evening a meeting was held in the Club Room at which the
spoils of the afternoon were examined and the species named by Mr. J. B.
Nicholson, who gave some account of the more, uncommon ones. A total of
78 species and named varieties were identified. A complete list of species
gathered has not yet been made up.
JOHN E. NOWERS,
Hon. Secretary

150
NOTES AND RECORDS
NOTES
Quails in the Tyne Yalley.
As a result of my note on the Quail in the August issue of The Vasculum. (antea p. 97)
I have received two interesting communications. (1) Mr. Thomas Thompson of Ryton informs me
that for three weeks previous to the Quail being heard near Dipton Wood (May 29th) he had heard a
bird repeatedly in a field not far from Ryton (V.C. 66). He could not find any nest and it may have
been a single bird. Three years ago, near the same place, he had both heard and seen a Quail, and in
1893 a pair of Quails nested in the neighbourhood. The nest was destroyed during hay harvest and
the eggs, eleven out of a clutch of thirteen, were given by him to the Hancock Museum (see Trans.
N.H.S., Vol. lv. (NS), p. 253). (2) An observer writes from near Stocksfield (V.C. 67) that a pair of
Quails was seen occasionally and heard frequently in that neighbourhood for three weeks or a
month from about June 12th, No nest was found, but it is probable that they were breeding or
attempting to do so. Mr. H. Tully heard one of these birds on June 20th, and flushed one at the same
place on September 18th.-GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
Disabled Birds.
Mr. J. Greenwell of Bishop Auckland writes of the unusual number of disabled birds
that he has met with at the end of this summer. In the first week in August he saw a Carrion Crow
stalking about on the ground in a pine wood, which, when approached, made no attempt to fly, the
inference being that it could not do so. On the same day he picked up a fully fledged young Lark
which was unable to fly. It bore no signs of injury, but was very thin and poor looking. The
following week a fully fledged Merlin was picked up on the moor near Wolsingham which was
only able to shuffle along. Next day two Grey-hens were found on the same moor: one had recently
died, but appeared to be in good condition, without injury and showing no visible cause of death;
the other was alive, but in an emaciated condition and quite unable to walk or fly. The same day he
picked up a fully fledged juvenile Cuckoo, apparently in perfect condition and without injury, but
incapable of flight and only able to shuffle along the ground, as if partly paralysed in the legs and
wholly so in the wings. In the evening of September 8th, near Wolsingham he saw two adult
Meadow-Pipits, within a distance of 20 yards of one another, both unable to do more than flutter
along the ground in an apparently disabled condition. There were no telegraph wires or netting near
any of the places where the birds were found, nor had the shooters been on the moors. The most
curious point noted by Mr. Greenwell was that none of these birds attempted to fly or to use its
wings in any manner, nor did they appear to be suffering pain. These successive occurrences may
only have been coincidences, but are of sufficient interest to warrant an inquiry as to whether other
observers have had similar experiences this season.-G. W. T.

151
Fulmars at Craster.
During the week ending September 11th, not only were very heavy shots of herring
caught on Craster "Inner Smooth," but at the same time the unusual concentration of fish on this
famous spawning-ground resulted in tremendous destruction of nets, and many scores of crans of
herring were lost overboard through the tearing of the nets: one St. Abbs drifter actually lost 27 nets
as result of the bulk of fish being so great that the whole lot sank to the bottom.
As a result of this week's activity the sea-bottom, in a depth of from 6-18 fathom, must be literally
carpeted with dead herring; and the sequel is that this morning-I have been told-when the Craster
cobles were passing the area, scores of Fulmars were to be seen busily feeding upon the oil with
which the surface was lavishly coated, and "small gulls," presumably kittiwakes, were also sharing
in the feast.-J. M. CRASTER.
Record Year on the Crawcrook Pond.
No nests were robbed after mid-June and the total hatch is the largest in the history of
the pond. Four pairs of Waterhens hatched clutches of 9, 4, 4,4. One pair of Little Grebes had two
broods of 2 and 4; another pair a single brood of 6. A pair of Coots had a family of 5. For the new
pond he figures were-a pair of Little Grebes (two broods), 2, 6; three pairs of Waterhens, 4, 4, 4;
making a grand total of 58 for the two ponds. Three (two Grebes, one Coot) were unfortunately
soon lost. The terrestrial species also had a good time, and I calculate that in a space of 300 yards by
80 over two hundred young birds were hatched.-W. ELTRINGHAM.
A New Bird!
The other day I heard a bird note which I did not recognise, marked the spot from
which it seemed to come, and watched patiently. Nothing happened; so I approached the place
carefully with open ears. Presently it sounded again from just behind me. I turned but saw nothing
till I looked on the ground-and there was the strange bird. A wee hedgehog had lost its mother and
was using this note-so very like that of a bird to find her.-W. ELTRINGHAM.
Herod Xysticus?
While stalking grasshoppers on Kyloe hills in August 1 came upon a bed of Holcus in
which a numerous colony of Clubionid nursing mothers had established themselves. Some of the
nurseries were large involving the pinning together of five or six of the grass spikes; these belonged
to Chiracanthium carnifex. The lesser nests I found to be those of Clubiona reclusa. Some of the
former were already vacant, so presumably the rest of the mothers should be on the point of letting
out their family. I opened the nest and found the youngsters all hatched and ready to be set free.
While handling the nest, I got a glimpse of a Xysticus (one of the crab spiders which lie in wait for
their prey) sliding off the roof. I took little heed for such spiders often use flower heads as an
ambushment; but when the next unopened nursery also had a Xysticus waiting at the door (so to
speak) it made me think of the Big Bad Wolf.-J. E. H.

152
The Habitats of Bombus Muscorum Race Pallidus.
Richards (Trans. Soc. Brit. Ent., Vol. II., 1935) has remarked that in the south of
England B. muscorum is mainly found in marshy districts, but is very local. Although the bee has
not been as plentiful as usual this year, in these counties it is widely spread from sea-level to 2,000
feet and probably higher. Further, it is very catholic in its choice of localities; if anything it displays
a slight preference for drier stations. It occurs everywhere on heaths as at Blanchland, in Dipton
Woods, Birtley Fell, Waldridge Fell, Rothbury, Middleton-in-Teesdale, etc., on sand dunes as on
Ross Links, on sea cliffs as at Black Hall Rocks, on mosses as in Mucklc Moss, etc., on agricultural
land and in various sand pits in the Team Valley, at Lanchestcr, etc., and so on. Generally it is
outnumbered by Bombus agrorum, but occasionally its numbers far surpass those of its congener.
Both seem to have been affected by the late spring rains of the present season, so that young queens
and males have been much less plentiful than those of Bombus
terrestris and B. hortorum.-J. W. HESLOP HARRISON.
The Peacock Butterfly (Vanessa io) in the Tyne Valley.
Mr. Randle B. Cooke reports that this species visited the Buddleias in his garden at
Corbridge in September. This is the first Tyne Valley record for some time.--J. W. H. H.
Migrant Lepidoptera in Durham and Northumberland during 1937.
In the August Vasculum the available reports of immigrant species were very meagre.
As far as my observations go, there is but little to add now. However, Plusia gamma was noted
sparingly at Birtley and on Waldridge Fell in the period September 6th-September 24th and on
Muckle Moss and Baron House Bog September 27th-September 30th. The Red Admiral was
distinctly more abundant at Corbridge and Birtley than early promises would indicate, whilst the
Large White Butterfly, to judge from the abundance of larvae in September, had obviously been
reinforced locally by the invaders reported early in other counties. Curiously enough, the Small
White, both as imago and larva, has been far from common this year.-J. W. H. H.
The Food Plants of the Green Veined White (Pieris Napi).
Although I have often suspected that this butterfly fed as larva on the Scurvy Grass in
some of its stations, it was not until last week that I was able to prove the truth of my views. Then I
collected quite a number of larvae feeding on Cochlearia danica growing on the rocks near
Dunstanburgh Castle. In addition I feel certain that its chosen food plant at the Blackhalls is
Cochlearia officinalis.-J. W. H. H.
The Abundance of the Small Copper Butterfly in the Team Valley.
I have often drawn attention to the numbers of this species in the area including
Birtley, Lamesley and Urpeth. In early September the numbers at some points were colossal; along
the Team I counted no fewer than 37 on one lot of ragwort !-J. W. H. H.
The Peacock Butterfly-Nymphalis io.
The Peacock has been seen in the North East so very seldom during the last fifty years
that it is remarkable that in so poor a season as that of 1937

153
it should have appeared at places far apart. On August 7th Mr. J. D. Billany found it near
Wark-on-Tyne, Mr. J. Newton saw one in Sunderland on August 27th, Mrs. T. E. Hodgkin one near
Riding Mill on September 19th, and Mr. Hedley two near Corbridge in the same month.-F. C.
GARRETT.
Unusual Food of the Painted Lady (Pyrameis cardui L.).
On August 10th I found a full fed larva of this species on Scarlet-runner beans, with a
second feeding tent. Another larva was found just pupating in a wooden fence and died in two days
without changing in all probability was ichneumoned. The first larva pupated the day after it was
found, the butterfly emerging in 13 days. A perfect insect was seen on August 7th and another on
the 24th, both in my garden, Beaumont Hill, Darlington, which is within half a mile of the lane
where 1 saw three specimens in June.-J. E. NOWERS.
The Small Ermine Moth in N. Yorks.
This moth defoliated all the Bird Cherry bushes by the roadside between Richmond
and Reeth during June and early July.-J. E. N.
The Small Ermine Moth in Northumberland.
In the August Vasculum. I stated that this species had been common along the Tyne
Valley. This can now be extended to cover the Kielder area here the Bird Cherries had endured a
similar concentrated attack. Yponomeuta evonymellus has not been observed in that district before,
and is constitutes, as far as my knowledge goes, a "furthest north" locality in Northumberland.-J.
W. H. H.
The Second Flowering of Certain Wild Roses.
I have reported this phenomenon previously, but not, I believe, for the first species
mentioned now. In the cases of both Rosa mollis and R. spinosissima plants have been noted during
September bearing both hips and flowers.-J. W. H. H.Notes on Diplotaxis muralis and D.
Tenuifolia in Durham.
For many years the latter plant has been known in the Team Valley so at now it has
become firmly established. A fortnight ago, I collected D. muralis in small quantity on Waldridge
Fell. In one of the Birtley habitats of D. tenuifolia, on a still sunny day, the scent of the plant,
although very pleasant, becomes almost overpowering. Although I have beaten both of these
crucifiers to see whether they supported colonies of any of the "white" butterflies, I have had no
success. Nevertheless in captivity, Pieris napi has been reared on D. tenuifolia.-J. W. H. H.
Impatiens Glandulifera in North Durham.
Mr. Nowers, in our August issue, has described the increase of this plant South
Durham. It can be stated that the plant has become equally plentiful for some miles along the Team
west of Birtley.-J. W. H. H.
The Cranberry in Northumberland and Durham.
The British forms of Cranberry, Oxycoccus quadripetalus Gilib., are discussed by J. E.
Lousley in "The Journal of Botany" Vol. 74, pp. 198-200,

154
where, in addition to the typical form, three varieties are recognised and differentiated as follows:-
U. quadripetalus Gilib, Berry 5-10 mm. in diameter, globular or ovoid, suffused with a
rich red (similar to that of the Red Currant) when ripe.
Var. pyriformis Druce. Berries pyriform.
Var maculatus Lousley, loc. cit., 198. Berries uniformly covered with dark brownish-red speckles,
very astringent in taste.
Var. microcarpus Turcz. Very much smaller in all parts. Flowers usually solitary. Berries 5-7 mm.
in diameter. A plant of northern- most Europe, restricted to high altitudes in Britain.
So far as I have observed the only variety found in Northumberland and Durham is
maculatus; the typical form being absent. I shall be glad to know if this agrees with the experience
of other local botanists.-GEORGE W. TEMPERLEY.
Cranberries in North Northumberland.
With reference to Mr. Temperley's note I may say that last year I picked about a pint of Cranberries
on Belford Moor from a boggy patch not more than twenty yards by ten in size. I should guess that
the ratio of speckled fruit to red was something like 6: 1. At the end of August this year all the fruits
in Cold martin Moss were speckled (there were not many !).-J. E. H.
BIRDS.
RECORDS.
Conus c. cornix L. Hooded Crow. 68
One seen in the morning and seven in the evening of September 3rd, at Holy Island.
An unusually early date.-S. E. COOK.
Athene noctua vidalii Brehm. Little Owl. 68
Mr. T. C. Studdert records that in August, 1936, he repeatedly saw a Little Owl
quartering a field near the "Wynding" at Bamburgh. It invariably appeared at dusk,
perching on telephone wires and posts. It was very noisy, repeating a series of sharp
piercing cries. It was never accompanied by a mate. On inquiry locally he was
informed that Little Owls had been observed all through the summer near the castle
walls, but there was no definite evidence that they had bred. On April 8th of this year,
Mr. Studdert again saw a Little Owl on a telephone post at dusk in the same locality.
Anas querquedula L. Garganey. 66 & 68
Two were seen on a pool near Greatham creek, Teesmouth, on April 26th, and a single
drake near the same place on August 7th, by Mr. P. L. Hogg. A drake in eclipse was
seen on the Lough, Holy Island, on August 26th, by Mr. W. de L. Aitchison.
Fulmarus g. glacialis (1..). Fulmar Petrel. 68
One un fledged young was still on the ledges at the caves on Holy Island on September
5th. A late date !-S. E. COOK.

155
Childonias n. niger (L.). Black Tern. 66
One, immature, was seen fishing in a pond near Brockly Whins on August 10th by Mr.
H. Glover.
Tringa nebularia (Gunn.). Greenshank. 67
Two were seen at Hallington Reservoir by Mr. H. Tully on September 4th and one,
with eight Ringed Plover and seven Dunlin, on September 12th . Mr. W. R. Philipson
was at Hallington on the latter date and reports having seen this same group of waders.
Inland records of Greenshank in Northumberland have been infrequent.
Arenaria i. interpres (1..). Turnstone. 67
Two were seen at Hallington Reservoir by me on September 4th. Turnstones are but
rarely seen away from the coast.-H. TULLY.
Puffinus p. puffinus (Brünn.). Manx Shearwater. 68 & 67
On June 9th I saw a single bird near the Farne Islands. On September 11th between
4.30 p.m. and 6.30 p.rn , I saw fifteen birds pass Whitley Bay, all flying north. There
were two parties of three birds, three of two birds and three single birds.-H. TULLY.
Podiceps c. cristatus (L.). Great Crested Grebe. 67
A pair of these birds bred and reared one young in a new in South Northumberland this
year.-H. TULLY.
Oidemia n. nigra (L.). Common Scoter. 67
On October 3rd a solitary duck spent the day on the lake at Newton Hall, Stocksfield.
It was asleep when I first saw it at 10 a.m. but soon began to feed and continued to do
so for most of the rest of the day. I timed several dives and they all lasted between 30
and 35 seconds. The depth of the water is about six feet.-H. TULLY.
Numenius ph. phaeopus (L.). Whimbrel 68
Two, near Holy Island on September 19 th .-C. J. Gent
INSECTS.
LEPIDOPTERA. Butterflies and Moths.
Plusia moneta L. 66
In July cocoons of this interesting Plusia were collected at Wolsingham from
Larkspur.-J. W. H. H.
Apamea unanimis Tr. Small Clouded Brindle 67
Larvae abundant on Phalaris arundinacea north of Haltwhistle, and near Kielder.-J.
W. H. H.
Tapinstola fulva Hb. Small Wainscot. 67
On the site of Shildon Lough north of Corbridge.-J. W. H. H.
Zygaena filipendulae L. Six-spot flurnet. 66
In company with Mr. H. Preston I found this moth flying in fair numbers; in a meadow
near Finchale Priory on July 17th.-C. J. GENT.

156
Plusia moneta L. 68
Two in the garden at Belford Vicarage in August.-J. E. H.
Chaerocampa elpenor. L. Elephant Hawk. 66
This species is again frequent in Darlington as over a dozen larvae have come to my
notice this season.-J. E. NOWERS.
Orneodes hexadactyla L. Twenty-plume Moth .
I took about a dozen of this beautiful little moth on the windows of my house between
the 8th and 13th -J. E. N.
Acberontia atropos L. Death's Head Hawk. 66
A male at Harrowgate Hill, Darlington, September 3rd.-J. E. N.
A male in a garden at Fulwell, Sunderland, last week in July.- L. HAWDON.
Saturnia pavonia L. Emperor Moth. 65
A large number of larvae were found feeding on Birch near Bowes.-B. R. LUCAS.
Pyrameis Atalanta L. Red Admiral. 66
Apparently scarce about Darlington this year. I have only seen three or four, and have
had five or six reported at Field Club meetings-J. E. N.
At least two dozen at Ryhope, September 4th.-J. NEWTON.
Pyrameis cardui L. Painted Lady. 66
Two fine specimens, male and female, taken at Ryhope, September 4th. Their good
condition seemed to indicate they were from early summer arrivals and not autumn
immigrants.-J. NEWTON.
DIPTERA.
Sepsia fulgens Hgg. (cynipsea auct. nec L.). 66
Swarming over ferns and other plants in a wood by the Burnhope Burn, near
Edmondbyers, towards dusk on a damp evening, August 21st,1937. Identified by Dr.
W. J. Fordham, who writes: " It is well-known for appearing in swarms, and I have on
one occasion noted it myself, in 1920, on Seamer Moor, near Scarborough, when the
heather was black with it. " -J. B. NICHOLSON.
FLOWERING PLANTS.
Lythrum Salicaria L. Purple Loosestrife. 66
Beamish Park, in a marsh recently formed by a "pit creep."- EDWARD EMLEY.
Asperula arvensis L. 67
Waste ground near Forest Hall.-M. E. URTON.
Lactuca Serriola L. Prickly Lettuce. 67
Waste ground near Forest Hall.-M. E. URTON.
Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi Spreng. Bearberry. 66
Rocks on the bank of Feldon Burn near Edmundbyers. Two plants only.-G. W.
TEMPERLEY.

157
Plantago major L. Greater Plantain. 67
A strange teratological form on waste ground near Forest Hall bearing large branched
racemes of flowers in place of the normal simple spiked inflorescence.-M. E. URTON.
Solanum nigrum L. Black Nightshade. 67
Waste ground near Forest Hall.-M. E. URTON.
Carthamnus tinctorius.. L. Safflower. 67
Waste ground near Forest Hall.-M. E. URTON.
The flowers of this plant are used for dyeing; powdered and mixed with talc they form
rouge. It is, or was, extensively cultivated in India, China, Egypt, Southern Europe and
other places for this purpose.-G. W. T.
Solanum triflorum Nutt. 68
At the Snook, Holy Island, August 21st, one plant only. Had not observed this plant on
Holy Island for four past years, and never, until now, at the Snook. Its old place at the
Greenshields seems to be all sanded up.- W. de L. AITCHlSON.
Iris foetidissma L. Roast-beef Plant. 65
A large patch of this plant growing by the road side between Croft Spa and Willow
Bridge.-B. R. LUCAS.
Urtica pilulifera L. Roman Nettle. 66
Last autumn I sowed some seeds of this plant in my garden from the normal form with
coarsely toothed leaves. Several plants have appeared this year, of which one is of the
variety Dodartii with quite entire leaves.- J. E. NOWERS.
Cnicus palustris Willd. Marsh Thistle. 66
Plants of this species, growing to a height of 9 ft. 6 in. were observed in Catkill Lane
near Darlington.-J. E. N.
Aconitum napellus L. Monkshood. 66
By the side of a beck at Newton Ketton, possible escape.-J. E. N.
Campanula glomerata L. Clustered Bell-flower. 66
By the Tees side at Low Coniscliffe.-J. B. NICHOLSON.
Euphrasiaa micrantha Reichb. 66
On dry banks by the Feldon Burn, near Edmondbyers. One of the most distinct of the
Eyebrights, of slight, usually unbranched habit, and bearing tiny flowers deeply tinged
with purple. Identified by Dr. W. A. Sledge.-J. B. NICHOLSON.
Gymnadenia conopaea L. Fragrant Orchis. 67
Small, and with very dull coloured flowers in Dipton Woods.- J. W. H. H.
Rosa tomentella (Agg.). 66, 67, 68
This somewhat rare rose has been detected in the form of var. Borreri at Bishopley,
Corbridge and Falstone, and of var. sclerophylla near Craster. It thus seems to be much
more widely spread than has been supposed.-J. W. H. H.

158
Andromeda politolia L. Marsh Andromeda. 66
We had the pleasure of detecting a new Northumbrian locality for this rare plant in
Baron House Bog when we were examining the colony of Vaccinium uliginosum
occurring there.-R. B. COOKE and J. W.H.H.
Cornus suecica L. Dwarf Cornel. 68
Thanks to the help of Mr. G. W. Temperley, we were able to visit the Rimside Moor
locality for this plant in September. Baker and Tate recorded that the Rev. J. F. Bigge
discovered it there, but it seems to have been unnoticed until a year or two ago when it
was detected by Miss Henderson. The colony extends over an area of 250 square feet
and is a mixed one, including Vaccinium Myrtillus. It lies at about 1,000 feet under the
Long Crag.- R. B. C. and J. W. H. H.
Rumex Hydrolapathum L. Water Dock. 67
Plentiful in a bog half a mile south of Cambo and also in Rothley Lakes.-R. B. C. and
J. W. H. H.
Taxus baccata L. Yew. 66
To use Baker and Tate's phrase, this species occurs "truly wild" on rocks along one of
the burns flowing into Bollihope Burn just south of Frosterley. One of the trees, a very
well grown example, grew out of the cliff crevices in a very strange fashion.-R. B. C.
and J. W. H. H.
Ranunculus lingua L. Great Spearwort. 68
Baker and Tate list this species from the fosse at Dunstanburgh Castle. As recent
attempts to rediscover it seem to have been unsuccessful, it is necessary to note that on
September 22nd I collected it there from a very flourishing colony. It was still in
flower-J. W. H. H.
Urtica dioica L. Nettle. 66
This note is to record the occurrence of the tiny-leaved form of the common nettle on
Waldridge Fell where a plant (var. microphylla Hausn), with leaves less than half an
inch long, was discovered.- J. W.H. H.
Orobanche minor Sm. Clover Broomrape. 66
In another part of the same field (near Ryton) where I searched in vain last year there
were this year over a dozen plants-W. EI.TRINGHAM.
Pulicaria prostrata Asch, Small Fleabane. 67
In the river bed near Styford.-W. E.
Hydrocharis Morsus-ranae L. Frog-bit. 66
Near Ryton. Many of the floating leaves are not seen the flower for years.-W. E.
Glyceria aquatica Wahl. Reed Meadow-grass.
Coldmartin Moss.-J. E. H.
Verbascum Thapsus L. Great Mullein. 66
Roadside, Edmondbyers.-A. W. BARTLETT.

159
Scleranthus annuus Annual Knawel. 67
Oatfield, Broomley.-A. W. B.
Lycopsis arvensis L. Small Bugloss. 67
Oatfield, Broomley.-A. W. B.
FUNGI.
Plicaria badia Pers. 68
Ross Links.
Geoglossum hirsutum Pers. 68
Ross Links.
Corticium atrovirens Fr. 66
Gibside Park.
Trichsporium splenicum Sacc. & Berl. 66
Gibside Park.
Merulius pinastri (Fr.) Burt. 67
King's College Botanic Garden.
Morchella elata Pers. 67
Abundant in a shipyard at Walker.
Pluteus patricius Schulz. 67
Wylam.
Fomes ferrugineus (Schrad.) Massee. 67
Dipton Woods.
Puccinia Sonchi Rob. 68
Meldrum.
Torula herbarum Link. 68
Meldrum.
Russula erythropus (Fr.) Peltereau. 67
Crag Lough.
(All the above are new to both counties-A.W.B.)
CORRESPONDENCE
To the Editor of the Vasculum
THE HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS.
Sir,
As many ornithologists are already aware, a new edition of " A Practical Handbook of British
Birds" has been for some time in preparation. We should be very grateful to any of your readers
who would now send us notes of any omissions or errors in the original work, and of any
unpublished observations which would make the work more accurate and complete. Should secrecy
in regard to locality be necessary this will be rigidly respected.
Since the "Handbook" was completed twelve years ago such a vast amount of matter
relating to distribution, migration, breeding-habits and food has been published both at home and
abroad, that the revision made necessary is a very heavy task involving the re-writing of most of
these sections.

160
Moreover field character, habitat, song and" habits" generally, to which very little space was
devoted in the original work, will be greatly expanded, and these new sections are being undertaken
by Mr. B. W. Tucker (with Mr. Charles Oldham's kind approbation).
The new work will be very fully illustrated in colour, the aim being to show all the birds in as far as
possible all their plumages, Such a series of illustrations is not now available to British
ornithologists and it is hoped that this new feature will greatly enhance the usefulness of the work,
especially to observers in the field.
The original "Practical Handbook" will be in fact so much a new work that we consider an
alteration of the title to "The Handbook of British Birds" justified.
As it is proposed to publish in five volumes at six-monthly intervals beginning next spring we shall
be glad to have now any notes relating to the Order Passeres. It would be a convenience if
observations concerning breeding-habits or food were sent direct to the Rev, F. C. R. Jourdain at
Bellevue Road, Southbourne, and all other notes to me at Gracious Pond Farm, Chobham, Surrey.
Yours faithfully,
H. F. WITHERBY.
NOTICE TO CONTRIBUTORS.
Contributions falling entirely or for the most part under the categories set out below
must be sent to the person named, and must as a rule be received on or before the first of the month
preceding that of the publication of the number of The Vasculum in which it is desired that they
should appear if accepted. The Vasculum is published in February, May, August and November.
Ornithology- Mr. G. W. Temperley, Restharrow, Apperley Road, Stocksfield.
Entomology- Professor J. W. Heslop Harrison, Armstrong College.
Flowering Plants- Dr. K. B. Blackburn, Armstrong College.
Fungi- Mr. A. W. Bartlett, Armstrong College.
Fresh-water Algae- -Dr. B. M. Griffiths, University Science Laboratories, Durham.
Ecology
Mammalia -Professor A. D. Hobson, Armstrong College.
Marine Zoology
Geology- Dr. Raistrick, Armstrong College.
All MSS not covered by the above heads must be sent to the Rev. J. E. Hull, Belford Vicarage,
Northumberland.
It is particularly requested that Notes and Records should be cast exactly in the form used in The
Vasculum and sent to Professor J. W. Heslop Harrison, Armstrong College. Records falling under
different heads should be written on separate sheets, and Notes should be separate according as they
relate to Vertebrates, Invertebrates, Botany, and Varia.