10
at Walton, the coast up to Harwich, Mersea Island
and the Blackwater, the River Crouch and the Thames
estuary.
ALAN WAKE
27 Wesley Avenue,
Colchester, Essex,
C04 3AT.
Editor's Note
The best time for recording is from mid-July onwards
when most of the insects mature.
REF. Naturalists' Handbooks No. 2
Grasshoppers
Valerie Brown
Cambridge University Press £2.95
Includes excellent illustrations and keys
KNOW YOUR NEWTS - SPRING 1987
Newts will be breeding in ponds during April and May
and it is a good time to observe them and record
the species. Records are still required for many
10 km. squares in Essex and a record is not of value
unless the species has been positively identified.
The diagram may be helpful to compare sizes and the
following description will hopefully be useful.
These are of adult, breeding newts and half size.
The young living on dry land are obviously smaller.
The Great Crested Newt is large and black with a
very orange underside. The female is plain but the
breeding male has a crest, broken where the tail
begins, and males always have a silver stripe in the
tail.