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have been a genuine decrease in numbers
once again. This may be a consequence of
rather patchy increase in rabbit numbers in
the county, although populations of other
prey items including mice, voles and birds
seem more stable. It may, therefore, be
that the stoat, unlike the weasel, is not
sufficiently adaptable, or it may reflect
a general increased pressure on the "prey
pool" by other predators.
It now seems necessary to make a real attempt
to determine the true position of the stoat
in the county and it is hoped that more
information on this species will be forth-
coming .
FIONA HUGHES
FLIES AND DUNG
The only thing that you are sure to find if
you walk through the countryside with your
eyes shut is dung. And every heap of dung
has its residents - on it, in it and under it
On it we will find adult flies, in it larval
flies and quite often beneath it fly pupae.
The flies that inhabit dung are many and
varied and in these brief notes I hope to
take the reader on a short visit to the
enchanting world of the dung flies.
Dung flies are far more important than you
would think. Without them we wouldn't just
step in it occasionally, we would be up to
our necks in it, and probably beyond.