I here present you, in a tabular form, with the first and last appearances of the swallows and martins for the year 1831: First seen. Swallow April 11.* (at Allesley.) (Do.) (Do.) Last seen. October 17. (at Mitcham, Surrey.) Sept. 10. (Dover.) I had no opportunity of observing the migration of the sand Martin - May 6. Swift - May 13. martin this year. I am, Sir, yours, &c. Allesley Rectory, Nov. 29. 1831. W. T. BREE. ART. VII. The Little, or Barred, Woodpecker (Picus minor L.). By JOHN F. M. DOVASTON, Esq. A.M., of Westfelton, near Shrewsbury. Sir, AFTER all that has been so perspicuously said in the very able and admirable review of The British Naturalist in your last Number, about this surprising and minute bird (p. 63.), I have yet a few remarks to add: particularly as I observe that authors collect the scattered scraps sprinkled throughout our Magazine, to further the augmentation of their respective histories; which shows the great_utility of these short communications from divers places. This bird is a very frequent, but uncertain, visiter to the woods around my residence here; but never fails in April to astonish me with his prodigiously loud churr on the ranpikes of trees; which, the atmosphere being favourable, may be heard more than a mile. White elegantly observes, that "whereever there is love, there is music." Now, if this, as the judicious reviewer opines, be a "love-note" (and many insects use similar amatory serenades), the bird has a taste consonant to that of the magnanimous and delicate Bully Bottom, who averreth that he has "a reasonable good ear for music," • The dates above recorded relate only to what fell under my own observation. Swallows, I am told, were seen by others at Allesley on the 10th of April. I am informed also, by an attentive observer of these birds, that he saw three martins [sand martins?], late in the evening, flying over the reservoir near Daventry, on the 23d of March; and one swift at Leamington, on the evening of the 1st of May; and also that two swallows were seen near Coventry so late as the 28th of October. I may state, too, that my friend the Rev. Thomas Whately of Cookham, in Berkshire, informs me, that, in the year 1830, he saw swallows (Hirundo rústica) in that neighbourhood, on the 22d of March; and this year (1831), on the 8th of April. when he preferred "the tongs and the bones" to the seraphine harmonies of the Fairy Queen and her elves. It much resembles the snorting of a frightened horse, but louder and longer. I have, indeed, occasionally heard this churring in autumn; but very infrequent, and far feebler nor does this militate against its being a signal of love; as Nature often, with a fading though sunny smile, flings many a vernal glance and expression into the serene features of Autumn. My friend Bowman long ago suggested this was a love-note, as our conversations were startfully interrupted by it, amid the forest-like woods of Erddig, near his residence at the Court. The acute and accurate Ray, with his amiable integrity, doubted the mode of its performance, by his repetition of the word vel (either). His emphatic words are well worth quoting "Avis hæc, vel rostro suo in rimam arboris inserto et celerrimè huc et illuc agitato, vel creberrimâ percussione, sonum efficit crepitantem clarum, qui è longinquo exaudiri potest."* Now, I can assure your readers, from the closest observation, that the bird does not slurr his beak round a hole or fissure; but, with inconceivably rapid percussion, vibrates it against the tree. The motion is so quick as to be invisible, and the head appears in two places at once; like that of the ivory ball on the end of a long and very elastic whalebone, used for the playing on the pretty instrument of unequal bars called the staccato: and it is surprising, and to me wondrously pleasing, to observe the many varieties of tone and pitch in their loud churring, as they change their place on boughs of different vibration; as though they struck on the several bars of a gigantic staccato. When actually boring they make no noise whatever, but quiet and silently pick out the pieces of decaying wood; which, lying white and scattered beneath on the ground and plants, leads the eye up to their operations above. They have several favourite spots, to which they very frequently return. Their voice is a very feeble squeak, repeated rapidly, six or eight times, ee ee ee ee ce. They bore numerous and very deep holes in decayed parts, where they retire to sleep early in the evening; and, though frequently aroused, will freely return. Whatever be the purpose of this enormous noise, they certainly do very nimbly watch, and eagerly pick up, the insects they have disturbed by it. The white "This bird produces a clear clattering sound, which may be heard a great way off, either by its beak inserted into the chink of a tree, and most rapidly agitated to and fro, or by excessive thickly-close percussion." (Ray's Synopsis Avium, p. 43. 8vo, 1713.) bars on the back are very beautiful. They fly in jerks like their congeners; always alight on the side of a tree; and the cock has a very rich crimson spot on his head. Your ingenious correspondent, the Rev. W. T. Bree, with his neverfailing felicity, calls him the pump-borer. (Vol. I. p. 301.) Indeed, the communications of this gentleman, on whatever subject, display such versatility of knowledge and elegance of taste, that they always elicit the most cordial admiration of, Sir, yours, &c. Westfelton, near Shrewsbury, JOHN F. M. DOVASTON. ART. VIII. On the Claim of certain Lepidopterous Insects taken in England to be considered as indigenous. By W. A. B. THAT most interesting branch of natural history relating to the geographical distribution of organised existence, is making that progress towards perfection which the daily discovery of new forms, and the most accurate discrimination of specific characters, can alone effect. In this, as in all other departments of science, till settled down on the firm and immutable basis of evident truth, we may allow ourselves the aid of theory as of a scaffolding to assist in the erection of a pile which is to endure for ever; cautious, at the same time, how we argue upon facts stubbornly at variance with our preconceived ideas; resistance to which may close our eyes to conviction, that might eventually have burst upon our view with the clearness of noonday. The observations of our distinguished countryman, Mr. Stephens, in his admirable Illustrations of British Entomology, on Sphinx Carolìna, quinquemaculàta, Drurai, and some other American lepidopterous insects that have been captured at large in England, have occasioned the following strictures upon what appears to me very inconclusive reasoning against their right to rank as indigenous productions of this "our favoured isle." In venturing these my opinions, in opposition to so great an authority, I am actuated by no wish to dogmatise, but, by challenging enquiry by others, to clear up what I am incompetent singly to decide. Mr. Stephens seems to consider it as an established principle, that a species predominant in one quarter of the globe cannot with propriety be looked upon as aboriginal when found at large in another, although the frequency of its occurrence might otherwise sanction the opinion of its being indigenous. His views of natural distribution appear on this point as limited as are the boundaries of land and water, within which he would confine the species to whom he denies the rights of citizenship, on the plea of their being interlopers escaped from a foreign land. He puts out of the question the important influence of temperature, and the numerous aberrations of Nature from her own general laws; deviations so numerous, as generally to leave our most specious theorics terribly at fault. A man of such extensive information on all subjects connected with natural science as Mr. Stephens, must, no doubt, be aware that vegetable and animal forms of specific identity are often produced in very distant regions, to the exclusion of those immediately contiguous or intervening; in which case, be it observed, there is for the most part a decided correspondence, or at least approximation, in temperature, soil, elevation, or other requisite condition, between the two countries. Circa a lutetiana is found in the moist valleys of Nepaul*, as in our own climate: many of our plants are truly indigenous to the northern parts of America. Wahlenberg remarks, in Flora Suécica, upon Veràtrum álbum, that it occurs copiously on the alpine ridges of Norway and Switzerland, while we may search in vain for the same plant in any intermediate locality. To confine ourselves to our legitimate class for an illustration, our own beautiful Cynthia cárdui is found without a varying mark, according to Latreille, not only at the Cape, but in New Holland, "though oceans roll between;" this common insect being fitted to exist under very different ranges of temperature. In the same way is Vanessa Antiopa distributed over all Europe and a great part of the northern continent of America. It may be objected to us, perhaps, when advocating the claims of Sphinx Carolina, quinquemaculata, Drure'i, &c., to a place in our indigenous catalogues, that the instances of their capture in this country are too "few and far between" to warrant the concession of such a privilege; that their appearance is of modern date, no mention of them being made by the older entomologists, nor any instance of their capture recorded prior to the middle of the last century. To this we answer, that paucity of number cannot be urged as an objection, without implicating many insects of indisputable British origin in the general suspicion of ex In Smith's English Flora, vol. i. p. 210., is this remark on Galium Aparìne:-"This common European plant has been found wild in the remote country of Nepaul by the Hon. Captain Gardner, from whom Dr. Wallich has sent us specimens.” — J. D. traneous descent. As far as we have had an opportunity of learning, a multitude of our finest insects, amongst which may be enumerated Deiléphila lineàta, euphorbiæ, and gàlii, though pretty widely distributed, were not dreamed of by the old collectors as natives of our own territory; and, if we mistake not, many of those scarcely included inter rariores at the present day, e. g. Papilio Machaon, Vanéssa Antiopa, &c. were hardly known before the time of Petiver, when the votaries of entomology became more numerous. It was reserved for the piercing scrutiny of a more scientific era; for the indefatigable researches of a Stephens, a Leach, a Curtis, and a Dale, to draw the highly interesting species that now enrich and adorn our cabinets, as Eulèpia gramínea, Lycæ`na dispar, Lælia canòsa, with a host of others, from an obscurity as complete as if they were utter strangers in the land. Yet no one, I presume, will venture to arraign their title to adoption, were it only that the greater part, if not all of them, are known to belong to strictly European species. If frequency of occurrence is to be thrown into the scale in favour of Mr. Stephens's hypothesis, then may Sphinx Carolina or quinquemaculata boldly await the issue of the decision, opposed to Deiléphila lineàta or Sphinx pinástri, since it appears that the former, or one of the two (if really distinct), has at least been taken alive in this country nearly or quite as often as the last-mentioned insect; which remark may likewise be extended to species belonging to different genera, of infinitely greater rarity, but indubitably British, as Catocala fráxini, Còlias Chrysótheme, &c. Let us examine the validity of Mr. Stephens's objections grounded on a note appended to his remarks upon Deiléphila Celerio, in his excellent Illustrations of Entomology*, wherein he mentions the capture of nearly fifty species of exotic insects in the West India Docks, and among the rest three of the huge Mygale Aviculària. Then follows an observation upon the extraneous origin of the Bláttæ, so common in the houses not only of the metropolis but also in those of most of our seaport towns, which we think few will venture to controvert. The note then concludes with an enumeration of several exotic coleopterous insects, and one of the Orthoptera, found at large in this country. It remains to be seen what so formidable a cloud of insect evidence can achieve. Mr. Stephens has not favoured us with an account of to what orders, natural or artificial, the insects belonged, stated to have been caught in the West India Docks; but, from the |