182 MISCEIXANROUS NOTICES. 



to pi-otect the touder skius of the youn<? from the points of the fish-hoties. The hair was not 

 there when tliero were eggs. I ha\-e never found a nest with the bones cemented togetlier. — 

 Charles Dew, Yeovil, June, 1852. 



Common House Sparrow, (Passer doniesticus.)— Some j'ears ago my curiosity was excited, 

 during the month of March, by the manner in which the Common House SpaiTow every evening 

 nssembhid in numbers under the eaves of an old thatched building, and twitched out the straws 

 from the roof. This led me to examine minutely their operations, and on placing myself in 

 a convenient situation to obtain a better view, I perceived their object was to get the insects 

 that were secreted in the thatch. I pulled out several straws, and found many little insects 

 adhering to them.' — E. C. Nunn, Diss, Norfolk, December 22nd., 1851. 



Late nesting of the Ring-dove, (Columba palumbus.) — I discovered a nest containing two 

 half-fledged birds, in Trevan wood, about a mile from this place, September 25th., 1851.— Idem. 



Late appearance of the Home Martin, (Hirundo urbica ) — I saw a single House Martin here 

 on the 18th. of November, 1850. It continued flying over the neighbourhood for about two 

 houi-s, and then disappeared. The weather for some time previous had been wet and cold, but 

 on the day in question it was comparatively warm.— Idem. 



Note on the Hedge Accentor, (Acocntor modularis.) — Twice last summer I heard the Hedge 

 Accentor singing during the night; once at eleven o'clock, and some weeks after at midnight. 

 The moon was shining brightly on both occasions. Query — Is this of common occurrence, or is it 

 not probable that the bird mistook the moonlight for the light of moraing? — Idem. 



Early nesting of the Blue Tit, (Parus caerulcus.) — A person in the employ of Mr. Paull, 

 brought me an egg taken from tlie nest of the Blue Tit, on the 16th. of January last. It was 

 considerably smaller than the e^gi of the same species taken last summer, and the substance of 

 the yolk appeared to be partially congealed. Perhaps this may be attributed to the coldness 

 of the weather. — Idem. 



A neighbour of mine has a Duck which, last spring, laid black eggs, or rather, eggs of a dark 

 brown colour. The first two or three, I was credibly informed, were almost black; after that 

 they gradually became lighter, till they assumed the general colour. Unfortunately I did not 

 hear of it in time to procure one of the first eggs; but a portion of the shell of one of the 

 lighter ones was brought to me. It was covered all over with small brown spots. — Idem. 



Varietg of the C'ommor,, Fhcasant, (Phasianus Colchicus,) at Woburn, Beds. — I have by me a 

 very light cream-coloured Pheasant, which was shot in tlie evergreens, Woburn Park, towards 

 the close of the last shooting season, and since presented to me; it is as regularly marked as 

 another bird : the tail feathers are rather darker than the other parts of the body. It is three 

 j^ears old, and was well known — when the sun shone on it the feathers had a silvery appear- 

 ance. There is also at the present time a pair of Pheasants, the plumage of which is pure 

 white, in the Pheasantry of Mr. Curtis, at Bow Brickhill, Bucks., about tliree miles from here, 

 which were bred there from pied birds which they have shut up with other tame Pheasants. — 

 G. B. Clarke, Woburn, Beds., March 13th., 1852. 



Wild Swan, (Cygnus ferus.)"As I was walking in Woburn Park, on the 9th. of February, 

 I saw a Wild Swan in a piece of water called the Basin, in front of the Abbey, which had 

 been there for about a week previously. It had not long settled there when two tame Swans 

 which were there came sailing up, and began to chase it round and round, until they at last 

 drove it out of the water, when it flew ofi" to another piece of water called Great Drackclow, where 

 it met with the same reception as it had done at the Basin; the tame Swans no sooner seeing 

 it settle in the water, than they began to chase it as the others did before. I was surprised 

 to see it stay here so long as it did — namely, about a fortnight. --Idem. 



The Swallow, (Hirundo rustica.) — Three were seen by me on the 13th. of April. — J. W, 

 LuKis, Heacham Hall, Norfolk, April 29th., 1852. 



Notices of the Arrival or TitR 



HiRUSDINES, ETC, DCniNO THE PRESENT SPttl.VG, AT MiN'EUEAD, SOMERSET.— By CaPTAIN GiPPORD.* 



On the 3rd. April, at six, p. m., saw a bird fly by me to the eastward, which I am positive 

 was a Sand Martin, (Hirundo riparia,) and on Thursday, the 8th,, I saw three more fly 

 • See Naturalist, vol. 1., page 90. 



