Birds. 153 



Bewick's plate represents this bird in its summer plumage, at 

 which time it does not exhibit the white mark under the 

 throat. However little adapted to water its plover-like legs 

 and feet may appear, its powers of swimming and diving have 

 been recorded by writers generally. — S. T. P. 



The Virginian Partridge. — J. C, of Staffordshire, de- 

 scribes (in Vol. IV. p. 16 — 18.) his unsuccessful endeavours 

 to increase this bird, and there states, that, out of his first and 

 only stock of two pairs, the hen of each pair had died. He 

 adds, too (p. 18.), " 1 know that a quantity were turned down 

 upon the large demesne of Edward John Littleton, Esq., 

 M.P., at Teddesley, in Staffordshire, and that they did not 

 breed at all, but straggled away ; and some of them were shot 

 ten or fifteen miles from his estate." Captain Brown, in one 

 of his notes (p. 14.) to his edition of White's Selborne (noticed 

 in the present Number, p. 133.), says : — The Virginian par- 

 tridge has been successfully introduced into Staffordshire, 

 and has become abundant, and spread over part of the adjoin- 

 ing counties. Will J. C. please to state if he is aware of 

 this?— J. D. 



Pertinacious Perseverance in the Martin (Hirundo ur- 

 bica L.) in renewing its Nest in one Place. — Last year 

 (1832) a pair of martins (//irundo urbica) had built their 

 nest in a window at the usual time. On the morning of the 

 5th of June there happened to be a very heavy shower, 

 during which it almost entirely fell, and the eggs which were 

 in it were broken by having fallen out. On the next day, 

 they commenced to rebuild it, and had finished it on the 

 10th. On the 21st, however, it again fell, and whatever 

 eggs were in it were broken this time also. Having begun 

 to rebuild it on the next day, they had it completed on the 

 27th. On the 8th of July it fell for the third time; but, as 

 far as I could discover, there were no eggs in it. The next 

 day they began to rebuild it, and finished it on the 16th. 

 On the 13th of August it fell a fourth time, and the eggs 

 were broken. After this, they seem to have given up all 

 hopes, as I never saw them attempt to rebuild it. — R. Y. 

 Edinburgh^ Feb. 1833. 



Fungus on the Bill of a Hedge Sparrow {Accentor modularis 

 Cuvier). — On Sunday morning, Nov. 1. 1829 (when resident 

 at East Bergholt, Suffolk), a hedge sparrow' was brought to 

 me, which had taken shelter during the previous extremely 

 cold night in an outhouse, and had there been made prisoner. 

 On examination, it was found that his extreme indifference to 

 resist being taken by the hand arose from incapacity. On 

 the upper mandible there was a large fungus, which had com- 



