Notes and Observations 18 Part 4

NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS Harbour or Common Porpoise (Phocoenaphocoena

(Linn.))

A beached specimen of this small whale was noted at Covehithe on 3rd October 1980. Specimen teeth were sent to Martin Sheldrick (British Museum, Natural History). It was a sub-adult male, some 142 cm in length.

Would members please notify the mammal recorder of any stranded sea mammals they come across? Several have, in recent years, turned up but they were not identified positively.

Peter Quinn White beaked Dolphin (Lagenorhynchus

albirostris Gray)

A skull was brought into Barnby VCP School by a pupil whose father dredged or trawled it from Lowestoft harbour in the mid-1970s. It was identified by P . Q . as belonging to this species of cetacean.

Grey Seal (Halichoerus

grypus (Fab.))

A live pup of this pinniped was observed by pupils of Stradbroke Primary School at Dunwich on Ist December 1981. It was taken from the foot of the cliffs by an inspector of the R . S . P . C . A . to the Seal Rescue Centre at King's Lynn. The R . S . P . C . A . dealt with fifteen grey seal pups from along the East Anglian coastline during the past winter. (P.Q.) Early breeding of Fox (Vulpes vulpes (Linn.))

A fox-cub snared at Kelsale on 3rd March 1981 was particularly well grown—weighing 4 lb. (1.8 kg) and measuring 16 in. (41 cm) in length. This suggests very early breeding, with conception around late November and birth around mid-January. (P.Q.) Beaver tooth (Casterfiber

(Linn.))

Beaver have been extinct in Britain since about 1200 A . D . A sub-fossil incisor—the lower right—was found on the 8th May 1981 on Minsmere beach by children of Elm Tree Primary School, Lowestoft. It has a black and polished enamel on the front face only, being stained dark grey along the sides. ( P . Q . ) Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc. 18 part 4.

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Stoats in Ermine {Mustela ermineä

Linn.)

Stoats showing white winter pelage do not seem to be common in our region. H o w e v e r , for the winter of 1980/81 examples were recorded from C a m p s e a A s h e , Benacre and H e n h a m Park. Düring the last winter a female was shot near O r f o r d , and it was quite white save for its black-tipped tail.

All its canines were noticeably flattened at their tips.

Sue Baldry, R e g Clarke, David Murphy and Peter Quinn Weasel versus Water Vole O n the 8th S e p t e m b e r 1979 the following incident was observed at Haiesworth near T h e Molly (A stream with a foot-bridge over it. E d . ) A water vole (Arvicola terrestris (Linn.)) was feeding about two feet above stream level when it was attacked by a weasel (Mustela nivalis Linn.). Both m a m m a l s struggled furiously for about ten seconds, the weasel gripping its intended victim's neck. T h e water vole, very wisely, rolled with its attacker down into the stream and within seconds the little carnivore retreated. prowled about the bank and peered intently into the water, but the vole was well away. T h e time was 18.55 h. ( P . Q . ) Blackbird v. Bat O n 31st May 1981 at 09.00 h a cock blackbird ( T u r d u s merula Linn.) was observed Aying across Goldings Lane, Leiston, with a bat gripped in its bill.

It d r o p p e d its stränge morsel onto the road. T h e bat was a pipistrelle (P. pipistrellus (Schreber)) and. although wet and bedraggled, was alive and superficially u n m a r k e d . O n release later in the evening it flew quite capably.

Individuais (probably of this bat species) were observed on the wing during the last winter at Aldringham (2nd N o v e m b e r 1981) and Kelsale ( 2 2 n d J a n u a r y 1982). ( P . Q . ) Noctule Bat in Owl Pellet A pellet, p r o d u c e d by a tawny owl (Strix aluco Linn.), which was found u n d e r a scots pine at Kelsale Primary School contained in it the skull of a noctule bat ( N y c t a l u s noctula (Schreber). This underlines the importance of analysing bird pellets as an aid to the recording of less obvious mammal species. ( P . Q . ) An unusual Spindle ( E u o n y m o u s europaeus

L.) in West Suffolk

Beside the r o a d leading south f r o m D a l h a m there are a number of wellestablished Spindles. In A u t u m n one of these stands out very noticeably f r o m the rest. Instead of the familiar pink berries, it bears a mass of white

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ones! W h e n these capsules split, they reveal the usual bright orange-coated seeds. I first noticed this bush in 1975 and found it again quite easily last year.

Only in the Flora of Wiltshire by Donald Grose (1957), can I find a reference to a similar plant, though there must undoubtedly be others disguising themselves in the hedgerows.

E . M. H y d e Another unusual Spindle When making routine checks for the eggs of 'blackfly' (Aphis fabae group), which can be a pest of beans and sugar beet, in January 1982 I noticed a n o t h e r unusual spindle bush, although it was not as strikingly abnormal as that reported by Mrs. Hyde. T h e 'normal' spindle twig has smooth greygreen bark and pairs of grey-green buds arranged more-or-less opposite and alternate. Characteristically, a line runs down the stem f r o m each side of the leaf scar at the base of each bud, and this may be thickened into a ridge by growth of cork. The twigs I collected f r o m a spindle bush near Bury St. E d m u n d s had buds arranged in threes. Professor M. J. Way of Imperial College teils me that he has noticed such formations, but only rarely, and on young, vigorous growth.

G. D. Heathcote

Abnormal spindle

Normal spindle

The Ray Society The Suffolk Naturalists' Society numbers amongst its m e m b e r s two pastPresidents of the Ray Society, Mr. F. J. Bingley (our President) and Mr. E. M i l n e - R e d h e a d . Some of our m e m b e r s may know little about this important British learned society and wish to know more.

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The Ray Society was founded in 1844 by a group of prominent British naturalists. Its object then, as now, was the publication of learned books on natural history, with special relevance to the British fauna and flora. The name honours John Ray (1627-1705), one of the greatest British naturalists. Many of the works published have become classics and the high-quality illustrations associated with authoritative text give most of them a lasting value. Although these publications are mainly systematic monographs on the fauna and flora of the British Isles, they possess a more general appeal and utility on account of the interest of many authors in morphology, ecology and history as well as in taxonomy.

By providing workers in many fields of biology with Standard reference books, the Ray Society in turn merits their support. Membership of the Society is open to any person Willing by subscription to promote its work.

Members are entitled to purchase one copy of each new work at a special concessionary price; they have also the privilege of purchasing, at a reduced rate, further copies of each work published by the Society. Ray Society publications include, for example, British Spiders (1951, 1953, 1974), three volumes by G. H . Locket, A. F. Millidge & P. Merrett, and Watsonian Vice-counties of Great Britain (1969), an introductory booklet and maps by J. E. Dandy.

Membership details can be obtained from: The Honorary Secretary, The Ray Society, c/o British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S W 7 5 B D .

The Wildlife Sound Recording Society Members who enjoyed the recordings made by Mr. Ron Smith in the Breckland which where played after our Society's A . G . M . might like details of the Wildlife Recording Society. The W.S.R.S. publishes Spring and A u t u m n Journals which cover all aspects of wildlife sound recording, arranges Field Meetings (e.g. there was one to Wicken Fen last spring) and Local Meetings, and issues a 'circulating' tape on a cassette and open spool.

The Society also arranges competitions, etc.

Membership details can be obtained from: The Honorary Secretary, Mr. R. Boughton, 'Dippers Beck', Ennerdale Bridge, Ennerdale, Cumbria.

David M. S. O a r r

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