MISCELLANKOUS NOTICES. 113 



young oak tree grows at the side of the shed, and I found that the birds, in going to their 

 nest, invariably alighted on the lower portion of this tree, and climbed up the stem, until 

 they were opposite their entrance, when th(;y flew direct in ; they never on one occasion out of 

 the many times I observed them enter either flew into the hole from any other tree, or 

 climbed up the side of the building itself. So familiar did they at last become, that, with 

 caterpillars in their bills for their young, they would climb up to their nest on one side of the 

 tree, while I was leaning on the other. — C. M. 0., Glencorse Cottage. 



Note on the Hooded Croiv, (Corvus cornix.) — The following curious circumstance has just been 

 related to me by a gentleman in this neighbourhood:— One day last month, while walking near 

 the salt marshes that border this coast, he observed a pair of these birds chasing a small species 

 of Grallidce, I believe a Dunlin, (Tringa variabilis,) which they knocked down, killed, and 

 afterwards devoured. I should be glad to know if any of your readers have observed a similar 

 instance. — C. H. Dashwood, Thornaye, Norfolk, March 10th., 1854. 



I was in hopes that the last month would have produced accounts of the capture of many- 

 scarce birds, but inquiries among my ornithological friends have confirmed my own observation 

 in that respect, that, though the winter has been unusually severe, there has been a great 

 scarcity of the rarer occasional visitors to this country ; the Natatores no doubt were completely 

 frozen out, and retired from their inland winter haunts to the sea-coasts. The only strangers 

 I procured, (very common in many localities, but only seen by myself once before in this 

 parish,) were specimens of the Mountain Finch, ( F. montifringilla.) Of these large flocks 

 remained during the storm, feeding about some retired corn-stacks, and under the shelter of 

 some neighbouring beech trees, to the mast of which, according to my friend, the Rev. F. 0, 

 Morris, in his "History of British Birds," they are partial.— R. P. Alington, Rectory, 

 Swinhope, Lincolnshire. 



Little Auk, (Alca alle,) near Northampton.— Mr. T. Dickens, the animal preserver of this 

 town, purchased on Saturday last, a Little Auk. It was found dead upon the ice in the lord- 

 ship of Great Houghton, about two miles from this. He is also stuffing a young Kittiwake, 

 (Larus tridactylus,) killed at Pattishall, in this county, during the frost. He has preserved two 

 fine specimens of Pied Blackbirds, C Tardus merula,) killed at Lord Spencer's seat at Althorp. 

 — W. Brooks Gates, Derngate, Northampton, in a letter to the Rev. F. 0. Morris, January 

 23rd., 1854. 



Skeletons. — My method of preparing skeletons of small quadrupeds and birds is the same as 

 that many years ago practised by Sue, also by Daubenton, and many others, by first boiling the 

 object in water, and then throwing cold water upon it by the force of a syringe. By this 

 simple process the flesh is soon detached from the bones, which remain perfectly clean. If any 

 flesh remains, which is often the case, I use a sharp knife and scrape it off. By this method 

 I have preserved the heads of the following animals: — The Horse, Ass, Ox, Badger, Fox, Cat, 

 Dog, Boar, Wild Boar, young Deer, Fallow, and Roe, Donnouse, Hare, Hedgehog, Mole, Rat, 

 Mouse, Otter, Squirrel, Stoat, Rabbit, and Bat; with about one hundred of the skulls of birds. 

 Specimens of which I will be pleased to send you, should you wish them. — J. Mc' Ixtosh. 



A White Variety of the Common Mallow, (Malva sylvestris.) — Last July I found a pui-e 

 white variety of this plant. It was growing on a dry sandy bank, with a great many of its 

 purple brethren, which it exactly resembled, with the exception of the flowers being white. — 

 C. H. Dashwood, Thornaye, Norfolk, March 10th., 1854. 



Orchidacece with White Flowers. — I beg to send you a list of the Orchidaceae, which I have 

 found round here, with white flowers. — Orchis morio, 0. mascula, 0. pyramidalis, 0. latifolia, 

 Gymnadenia conopsea, Ophrys muscifera, and 0. apifera. Most of these I could to a certainty 

 find with white flowers almost any day in the season, if required, All of them I have at 

 different times brought home with roots, and have had them in flower in the garden. Whether 

 they will again come up white, remains to be seen. Several other plants not unfrequently 

 flower white round here. In many places the chalk is covered with a A'ery slight soil, and I 

 suppose that the absence of material, from which the plant can elaborate colouring matter, 

 must be the explanation of ^the frequent occurrence of this 'lusus' in this locality.— J. L. J. 

 Winchester. 



