proceedings of societies. 313 



Occurrence of the Pied Flycatcher in Nottinghamshire. 

 To the Editor of the Naturalist. 



Sir, — Being unknown to you, and moreover quite a tyro in Ornithology, you 

 may consider it presumption in me to trouble you with this letter. I merely 

 wish to call your attention to a bird which I believe is generally considered very 

 scarce, viz., the Pied Flycatcher, of which species I was fortunately enabled to 

 obtain a specimen the other day. It was shot by a gardener at Rufford Hall, 

 near Ollerton, Nottinghamshire, on the 19th of April, 1838. It had been observed 

 by him, with its mate, flying about the trees in the orchard. The other bird, I 

 believe, was not seen afterwards. 



If you can inform me in what part of Britain and in what quantities these birds 

 are found, in your valuable Magazine, you would greatly oblige 



Your obedient humble servant, 



Harrow, Middlesex, H. J. T. 



May 4, 1838. 



[[The Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa luctuosa, Temm.) is in Britain a very rare 

 and local bird. It is supposed to be indigenous, but we feel little doubt of its 

 being a summer visitant, appearing in spring and departing in autumn. The 

 counties in which it chiefly occurs are Yorkshire — especially the West Riding — 

 Cumberland, Westmoreland, Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. Mr. 

 Selby has seen specimens from Dorsetshire. The Pied Flycatcher of course breeds 

 with us. — We thank our correspondent for the above notice, and are happy to 

 give it insertion, although it is preferable, in every possible case, that notices of 

 the occurrence of facts should not be anonymous. Where reasoning alone is 

 concerned, this is of ho importance ; and it is certainly far better that anonymous 

 facts of interest or importance should be published than that they should be 

 altogether lost to science. — Ed.] 



PROCEEDINGS OF NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETIES. 



ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



There is a nest of the Bean Goose in St. James's Park, containing seven eggs, 

 being the first known instance of the species propagating in domestication, if 

 domestication it can be called, for the Society's birds are under no restraint 

 whatever, enjoying the full use of their wings, of which, at times, they do not 



