234 MISCELLAN'KOUS NOTICES. 



Note on the nesting of the Jackdaw, (Corvixs nionedula,) in the Scotch 

 fir. — Having noticed the Jackdaws flying in and out of the evergreens in 

 Woburn Park, very frequently this summer, and knowing there was not a 

 sufficient number of decayed trees to allow of their building in holes that 

 might be in them, in fact where I saw them the most busily engaged was 

 where the bulk of the trees are fir, the outermost ones being mostly rhodo- 

 dendrons, laurels, and other evergreen shrubs, I thought this a singular place 

 for them to build in; but singular or no, they have built there, and not 

 in holes. The Jackdaw has chosen a forked branch, and has built a large 

 nest in the fork; the first layer or foundation of it is composed of small 

 twigs, and the remainder of the nest is built of coarse sedge, and lined 

 with fine dry grass. — G. B. Clarke, Wuhurn, Beds., October Vdth., ]851. 



Alpine Swift, (Cypselus alpinus.) — Tn the Yeovil ^J'imes newspaper, of 

 September 23rd., I see an account of the anniversary of the Somersetshire 

 Archeological and Natural History Society, at which meeting a Mr, B. Fry, 

 of Axbridge, exhibited a specimen of the Alpine Swift, a very rare bird 

 in this country, which was shot by S. L. Fry, Esq. — Idem. 



Carnivorous propensity of the Barn-door Fowl. — One day last winter, while 

 passing a neighbouring farm-stead, I was surprised by the tenant, Mr. R. 

 Morrison, holding in his hand a Hen of the Common Fowl quite dead, being 

 suffocated in consequence of its having endeavoured to swallow a large mouse, 

 which some boys had killed while a stack of corn was being taken down to 

 be thrashed. — A. S. Moffat, Bewick Folly, October 21si., 1851. 



Heronries. — In addition to those already mentioned in "The Naturalist," 

 there is one existing in Chillingham Park, Northumberland, the seat of the 

 Earl of Tankerville. — Idem. 



Materials used in the nest of the House Pigeon. — Having seen in '^The 

 Naturalist" some communications concerning the nesting of the House Pigeon, 

 perhaps the following remarks may be interesting: — In a large Pigeon-house, 

 I last year kept from thirty to forty pair. The laying-holes were built of 

 stone; in some of these I had nests made of hay, and in others of straw; 

 in the former the Pigeons very rarely laid, and, I believe, never hatched their 

 eggs; in the latter some few were reared; but the Pigeons did not seem 

 partial either to hay or straw. The most favourite laying-place appeared to 

 be the bare stones, until, from having reared their young in the same spot 

 time after time, a kind of nest was formed by the accumulation of their own 

 dung. There were five or six nests made of twigs roughly put together, 

 which were principally of elm, of which wood there was a stack close by. I 

 never knew Pigeons use straw or any other similar material in making their 

 own nests; but I was not aware that the use of twigs for that purpose was 

 an uniLSual circumstance, as I have frequently observed it. — A. M. Norman, 

 Fgleifield, Yatton, Somerset. 



