The Zoologist/4th series, vol 4 (1900)/Issue 706/Notes and Queries
NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
INSECTIVORA.
Varieties of Mole.—The variety of Talpa europæa mentioned by Mr. Forrest (ante, p. 142) is not at all uncommon in some parts of the country. In their various stages they are known to the Mole-catchers as "blue" Moles. I have several in my possession. The most difficult variety of Mole to get hold of is one spotted with white—at least that is my experience. I have a good series of skins, but have never been able so far to obtain a spotted example.
With regard to Water Shrews being found far from water, I have several times noticed this, and have picked them up dead when shooting on dry sandy land, where the nearest pond or stream was some mile or so away.—Oxley Grabham (Heworth, York).
Lesser Shrew in Shropshire.—The Rev. W. Lightfoot Harrison, of Great Woolaston, sent me, on March 15th, a little animal which he had found in his garden the previous day. On examination it proved to be a specimen of the Lesser Shrew (Sorex pygmæus), a species which has never before been recorded in Shropshire. It will be placed in the Shrewsbury Museum.— H.E. Forrest (Bayston Hill, near Shrewsbury).
UNGULATA.
Equus quagga, L.—I have for some time been collecting information regarding the Quagga of South Africa, which, it is feared, is now wholly extinct, though other members of the family still survive in sadly diminished numbers. I should be glad for any information on the following points: Former range of the Quagga; range of variation in colour, if any; breeding season; Quaggas born in captivity; Quagga hybrids with Horse or other animal; date when a living Quagga was last seen in its old haunts; any aged animal still living in captivity. I have already details of external characters, male and female, and fœtal young; food; museum specimens; Lord Morton's Quagga hybrid, and so on. I should specially like to hear of any specimens preserved in museums; my list already comprises London, Edinburgh, York, Manchester, Paris, Leyden, Amsterdam, Berlin, Berne, and Cape Town. It should be remembered that the true Quagga is meant, and not the comparatively common Bonte-Quagga, or Burchell's Zebra. All assistance would be gratefully acknowledged should enough information be gathered to publish in book form.—Graham Renshaw (Sale Bridge House, Sale, Manchester).
AVES.
Blackcap in March.—On March 12th I heard a Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) singing among the thorn-trees on Clifton Down, and had a good view of the bird more than once. It is natural to suppose that it has spent the winter in England.—Herbert C. Playne (Clifton College).
Wild Swans in North Ireland.—It may interest some of the readers of 'The Zoologist' to learn that there was an unusually large migration of Wild Swans to Loughs Swilly and Foyle this winter. Mr. D.C. Campbell, of Templemore Park, Londonderry, writes me "that one hundred and fifty have been seen in one flock on Lough Foyle, and quite a number have been frequenting the river some miles above Derry." Besides those noticed by me near Bartragh in 'The Zoologist' (ante, p. 39), several other flocks have been seen and heard passing to the various lakes during this winter. — Robert Warren (Moyview, Ballina).
Unusual Numbers of Green Plover in Worcestershire.—During the winter large flocks of Green Plover (Vanellus vulgaris) in this county have been an unusual occurrence. They began to arrive in October, and during November, December, and January the flocks were enormous. They seemed to be plentiful over the whole of the northern half of the county, every suitable field having a certain number on it, the water meadows especially being very much frequented by them. Golden Plover also, which I consider rare in this part of the county, were, during November and December, quite common. For years the numbers of Green Plover in this district seemed to be decreasing for no apparent reason; I was therefore much pleased to see them return in such numbers. I might also mention that Bramblings and Redwings arrived in greater numbers than they have done for ten years, and remained all through the winter, feeding with other Finches on stubbles, except for the first fortnight after their arrival, when, as usual, they fed on the beech-mast.— H.E. Howard (Stone House, near Kidderminster).
Bleater Snipes (Gallinago cœlestis) near Aberdeen.—My attention was directed on the 5th of last July to a male of this species, which was producing the peculiar noise which gives these birds their name. I again saw a pair of these Snipe on July 16th, which led me to suppose that they were breeding in the locality. Although they were so often seen through the season as to show that they were resident, neither nest nor young were seen to prove that they had nested. The occurrence of these two birds remaining here during the nesting season is worthy of notice, as not having happened, to my knowledge, for many years, although I have sometimes seen a solitary specimen at different times in various summers during that period. The birds are not rare here in winter, an occasional one being frequently seen. It is the appearance of the pair during the nesting season which surprised me. I recollect when several pairs nested near here, but they decreased to only a pair or so nesting in an occasional season. Then they became so reduced that no nesting was known. It would be interesting to know whether there have been any other extensions in the summer range of these birds during the past season. I have a special reason in being interested in the question, because for several years their favourite haunts were practically overrun by Rabbits, which are well known as being very much disliked by various other animals. Means were taken during the previous winter to decrease the number of these rodents on the spots the Snipe frequented during the past summer, and the idea crossed my mind that the Snipe had found their way to the marshy moorland after the Rabbits had been decimated there, and that the presence of the latter had kept the former away on some previous years at least.—W. Wilson (Alford, Aberdeen, N.B.).
Birds Singing during a Thunderstorm.—For some reason or other I have missed reading my 'Zoologist' for July, 1898, until now, and so have only just seen an interesting little note by Mr. Horsbrugh on this subject at p. 322. Mr. Horsbrugh records the singing of many Thrushes and a few Chaffinches during a heavy thunderstorm on May 23rd, 1898. I can add the Wood-Pigeon to his list; and in the 'Irish Naturalist' for October, 1899, at p. 231, will be found a short note in which I mentioned that the cooing of Wood-Pigeons was in no way interrupted by a heavy thunderstorm, accompanied by rain, on Aug. 18th, 1898. The voices of these birds were constantly audible between the thunder-claps.—G.E.H. Barrett-Hamilton (Kilmarnock, Arthurstown, Co. Wexford, Ireland).
PISCES.
Blue Shark in Killala Bay: a Correction.—In my notice in the January number of 'The Zoologist' of the occurrence of a Blue Shark on the island of Bartragh, I erroneously named it the Blue Shark from the description received from a person to whom Capt. Kirkwood related the occurrence. However, on meeting Capt. Kirkwood, and talking about the fish, it was evidently a fine specimen of the Fox Shark (Alopecias vulpes), 10½ ft. large, and the elongated portion of the tail-fin nearly as long as the body, fully 4 ft. in length; and he was so struck with this peculiarity of the tail that he cut it off and brought it home.— Robert Warren (Moyview, Ballina).
[Second-hand identifications are always unreliable. We were under the impression that Mr. Warren had satisfied himself as to the identity of the species.—Ed.]
PRESERVATION OF ZOOLOGICAL SPECIMENS.
Hard-sat Eggs: a Suggestion.—As the nesting season is now at hand, I should like to suggest a method of dealing with hard-sat eggs which I have not yet seen mentioned in 'The Zoologist.' Of course no one would think of taking hard-sat eggs when fresh ones could be obtained, but sometimes we come across valuable eggs which one does not like to leave, even if much incubated. Some collectors endeavour to extract the embryo with fine hooks, with or without previously dismembering it with fine scissors (embryotomy); others cut a door in the shell, which is replaced after removal of the chick; while others again insert chemicals into the shell through the drill-hole. As is well known, skeletons of small mammals or birds may readily be obtained by placing the body of the creature near an ant's nest, when the bones will speedily be picked clean by the swarming and industrious insects. In the same way they would probably devour the contents of a hard-sat egg, as the fœtal tissues, being only partially developed, would be more easily disintegrated than those of an adult animal; and it would be well worth while, in the case of a hard-sat and valuable egg, to drill a hole in the shell large enough to admit an ant, and, after cautiously breaking up the contents a little with a pin, to place it on the ground close to an ant's nest, where it could be left for a few days, if suitably protected from dust and injury. A very delicate and thin-shelled egg might be injured by the powerful mandibles of ground-loving beetles, such as those of the Carabus and Staphylinus type, but this would be only a rare and occasional accident. The embryo, however putrid, being enclosed in a shell, would probably not tempt the efforts of the burying-beetles, such as Necrophorus ruspator or N. vespillo; and I trust that this method may be of service in saving valuable eggs during the coming season.—Graham Renshaw (Sale Bridge House, Sale, Manchester).