168 MISCELLANKOUS NOTICES. 



to the materials of his nest a portion of an old Greek lexicon, which 

 the boys at the Grammar School at Bromsgrove had torn up for "hare 

 and hounds" purposes. — H. Aldham, Vicarage, St. Prior, May 12th., 1858. 

 [With us, here in the north-east, migratory birds were, for the most 

 part, unusually late this spring — I suppose from our proximity to the east 

 coast, and the prevailing cold winds from that quarter. I should like to 

 hear more about the Hairy Woodpscker. The Piefinch is, I suppose, the 

 Chaffinch; indeed, if I remember aright, as an old Bromsgrovian, t it is 

 one of the Worcestershire vernacular names of that bird. — F. 0. Morris.] 



Peregrine Falcon. — A Peregrine Falcon was shot near Newmarket, 

 Cambridgeshire, December 15th., 1857. It was an adult female. — Samuel 

 Parker Savill, Jun., 13, Kegent Street, Cambridge, May 15th., 1858. 



Spotted Crake, (Ballus Porzana.) — On the 23rd. of April I had the 

 good fortune to obtain a male of the above elegant Crake, shot by the 

 side of the River Cam, Cambridge. — Idem. 



Norfolk Plover, (Charadrius (Edicnemus.) — In a fallow field a short 

 distance from the village of Yelling, Huntingdonshire, a fine male Nor- 

 folk Plover was shot. A gentleman in the neighbourhood informs me he 

 never before knew of one being obtained in the above locality. — Idem. 



Greater Spotted Woodpecker, (Picus major.) — I have a specimen obtained 

 at Swaffham Priory, Cambridgeshire, April 24th., 1858. — Idem. 



Blue-ioinged Teal. — A specimen of the Blue-winged Teal, (Anas discors,) 

 was shot near here a few weeks ago. Can any of the readers of "The 

 Naturalist" inform me if it has been met with in Great Britain before. 

 — W. G. Gibson, 75, High Street, Dumfries. 



Letter-box Birds' Nests. — A day or two ago we heard of a bird's nest 

 in the letter-box of Whippingham Post Office, Isle of Wight. Here is 

 a parallel case from a London paper, as recorded by a Belgian journal: — 

 "At Heigne, near Charleroi, a Tom- tit has built its nest in a corner of 

 the letter-box, and has there laid eight eggs, which, for some days she 

 has been engaged in hatching. Though letters are dropped into the box, 

 she takes no notice of them; and when the postman opens the box to 

 collect the letters, she manifests no fear." — F. O. Morris. 



Curious circumstance. — A few days ago a Tom-tit was seen to go into 

 a hovel in the occupation of Mr. Joseph Symonds, at Over, and his 

 brother having suspicion that it had a nest somewhere about, at last 

 discovered it in the pocket of one of his own waistcoats. It had lain 

 six eggs, and is now sitting upon them undisturbed. — Newspaper Paragraph. 



