256 NOTES.
colour from pale brown to almost black. This beetle has already been recorded
by M. Bazin as destructive to mangold on his estate, just south of Paris (see Ann.
Soc. Ent. France, for 1846 and 1847), and Curtis ("Farm Insects," p. 396), says
"this beetle is abundant in England, and no doubt affects the crops of mangel-
wurzel in this country." I have most certainly proved the truth of this surmise.
I again drilled the field alluded to with mangold and swede seed together on May
23rd, harrowing it all over twice. Six stetches on which were a few old plants were
left untouched, but the plants disappeared in a day or two. As the new plants
came up they were again attacked, and at the time of writing (July), the swedes
are certainly four times as numerous as the mangolds, although my men had orders
to leave a mangold plant wherever possible when singling the plants out. The
species of the genus Atomaria—of which thirty-one are known as British—are so
small and difficult to determine, that I sent living specimens to Mr. Charles O.
Waterhouse, of the British Museum, who confirmed my determination, and
wrote :—"The little beetles are Atomaria linearis. It is a common species, but
I was not aware that it was ever so abundant as to do serious mischief." The
larva of only one species of Atomaria (nigripennis, Payk.) has been described,
and but little is known of the life-histories of any of the Cryptophagidae; as far as
the small imagos are concerned, which occur in numbers in all sorts of vegetable
refuse, it seems difficult to suggest a remedy that would be directly applicable.—
Edward A. Fitch, F.L.S., Maldon.
Large Lobster at Burnham.—On Friday [Nov. 16th] a very fine lobster,
weighing 7 lbs., was caught in a trawl by C. Witton.—"Essex Weekly News,"
November 23rd, 1888.
The Toper Shark (Galeus vulgaris) at Clacton.—In the "Essex County
Chronicle" it is mentioned that a shark, five feet long, had been captured on
November 1st, off the pier at Clacton-on-Sea. Notice of the occurrence was sent
to me by the captor, Mr. Legerton, and on my going to Clacton to examine the
specimen, I found that the shark was the same species as that I lately recorded in
the Essex Naturalist (vol. ii., 137), viz., Galeus vulgaris, the "Toper." It
is far from common on our Essex coasts, but I have notes of three other specimens
captured within the last four years.—Henry Laver, F.L.S., Colchester,
November 18th, 1888.
Reported Nesting of the Black-Redstart in Essex.—With reference to
the record by Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant ("Zoologist," October. 1888, p. 390, and
Essex Naturalist, ii., p. 192) of this species having bred early in May last, "in
a hole, in an ivy-covered oak tree "growing in Danbury Park—having, through
the kindness of Mr. Ogilvie Grant himself, had an opportunity of inspecting the
nest and eggs at the Natural History Museum, I should like to say that, in my
opinion, the eggs and nest are undoubtedly those of a Robin. The white variety of
the eggs of this bird may almost be called common, and I have repeatedly either
taken or heard of such in this district. The nest is composed externally of dead
hazel and oak leaves, the interior being constructed of bents, fine roots, and
skeletonized leaves, lined with fine grass and a very little hair. I consider it a
typical robin's nest in all respects, except that it contains no moss. The two eggs
which have been preserved differ much in size. The larger and normal one
measures .8 by .6 of an inch, almost exactly, these being the average dimensions of
robins' eggs. The other egg is very much smaller, and is evidently an abnormal
egg, such as might be expected from a weak or injured robin laying colourless un-
spotted eggs. I have not yet seen the site of the nest, but I feel confident that the
nest is that of a robin, and that the "dark-coloured bird with a red tail," which
Mr. Ogilvie Grant's informant thought she saw leave the nest, was a redstart,
with a nest somewhere in the immediate vicinity. The breeding of the Black
Redstart in England has been several times recorded on very doubtful grounds,
but never yet satisfactorily established.—Miller Christy, Chignal St. James,
Chelmsford, December, 1888.