278 



SKisrrllniirDUS Jhlim. 



The Otter, (Lutra vulgaris.)— It appears the Otter is not always partial to a finny repast; 

 several specimens trapped iu this neighbourhood having been dissected, and the stomachs found 

 to contain remains of the Water-hen. — Johx Dixon, Leeds, August 9th., 1852. 



The Pigeon. — Can any of your correspondents furnish me with authenticated instances of the 

 Pigeon laying more than two eggs at one nesting? — Idem. 



The House Sparrow, (Passer domesticus.) — I have paid some little attention to the nesting 

 of the Sparrow in trees, and am led to believe that it is generally a matter of choice, although 

 necessity may have sometimes compelled the selection of such situations. For some years a 

 colony of Sparrows have regularly built in a clump of Scotch firs, close by the high road at 

 Morrtown, near Leeds; some of the trees contain four and five nests, and although there are 

 much safer situations among old farm buildings close at hand, this noisy crew still maintain 

 a dogged position amongst the trees, notwithstanding the volleys of stones and other missiles 

 discharged against them. At Gledhow a similar colony exists, but on safer principles, the nests 

 being built under those of the Book. It may be worth while to state that the Corinthian 

 capitals of the Court House, Leeds, were for many years favorite nesting-places. It was droll 

 to see the bundles of straw projecting from the carved foliage. Fertilizing showers of guano 

 were not congenial to the habits of the "blue bottles," and the luckless Sparrows were accord- 

 ingly served with a writ of ejectment. — Idem. 



Oeeurrence of the White Stork, (Ciconia alba,) in Jierwickshire. — A very fine specimen of 

 this bird was shot near the sea coast at Coldingham, a few months ago, and is now in the 

 beautiful collection of birds at Abbey farm, North Berwick, where I had the pleasure of seeing 

 it last month, through the courtesy of Mr. Paterson, owner of the museum. The bird had 

 been seen in the neighbourhood for some days before it was killed. — KonEiiT Gray, Southci'oft, 

 Govan, October 19th., 1852. 



Bare Birds at t/ie Tees Mouth. — A friend of mine, (Mr. Dunn, of Ilurworth, near Darlington,) 

 one day last week shot, near the Tees mouth, two fine specimens of the Pigmy Curlew, four 

 Sanderlings, a Turnstone, a young specimen of Richardson's Skua, and the Klack-toed Gull of 

 Bewick. — T. S. IIudd, Esq., in a letter to the Editor, dated September 1st., 1852. 



Heronry. — A few years ago there was one in existence at Sands, near Sedgcficld, in the 

 county of Durham. The present owner, Mr. Ord, of Sands, called upon me yesterday, but 

 being on the Tees, I did not see him, and consequently missed the opportunity of ascertaining 

 whether it is still in existence or not. I have heard it is not. — Idem. 



Occurrence of tlis Wood Warbler, (Sylvia sylvicola,) in Suffolk. — A specimen of this diminutive 

 warbler was shot in a plantation at Bosmerr on the 10th. of May last, and was presented to 

 me for my collection : it is considered a rare bird in the centre of Suffolk. — Henry Lingwood, 

 Barking, Needham Market, June 25th., 1852. 



Nesting of the Spotted Flycatcher, (Muscicapa grisola.) The following incident took place 

 under my own observation, and may be worthy recording in the pages of "The Naturalist:" — 

 In the early part of May, a pair of Chaifinches, (Fringilla cwlebs,) selected the trunk of a 

 poplar tree as a suitable situation for their nest, which was built about six feet from the ground, 

 in a conspicuous and much frequented part of my garden, but was deserted by them before they 

 produced eggs. A few weeks after I discovered that a pair of Spotted Flycatchers, (Muscicapa 

 grisola,) had taken the unoccupied nest, just as left by the Finches, and had laid three eggs, 

 which the hen bird was sitting on. Were the Flycatchers disturbed at a former nest after the 

 hen had laid one or two eggs, so that she was tempted to deposit the remainder in the 

 one built by the Finches, or will they take a vacant nest in preference to one of their own 

 structure ? — Idem . 



Curiam death of a Partridge. — Towards the end of last March I found a Partridge, (Perdix 

 cinerca,) dead underneath the telegraph wires at Thungarton, near here. The head was almost 

 severed from the neck just below the diin, and decomposition was already begun. I conjecture 

 it had flown against the wire in the dusk, and that, too, with great velocity, and so met with 



