90 J. E. LITTLEBOT NOTES ON BIRDS 



birds were shot during the month of January on Mr. Ginger's farm, 

 at Boxstead, near Hemel Hempstead. They are at present in the 

 possession of Mr. Bowers of that town. 



The Hedge-Spaerow (Accentor modnlaris). — Mr. W. Hill, jun., 

 of Hitchin, reports the taking of a hedge-sparrow's nest with two 

 eggs on the first day of January. Tlie birds were watched during 

 the building of the nest, and Mr. Hill carefully examined the yolk 

 of one of the eggs and found it to be perfectly fresh. 



The Siskin {Carduelis Sj^inus). — Flights of siskins are reported 

 to have been observed in several localities during the months of 

 January and December. In December they were repeatedly noticed 

 abdut the alder trees near Hunton Bridge. 



The Cirl Bunting (Emberiza Cirlm). — One of these birds was 

 shot near Boyston on the 14th of February, in company with a 

 flock of yellow-hammers. 



The Snow-Bunting (Plectrophanes nivalis). — Mr. W. Norman 

 informs me that several of these birds were seen, about the be- 

 ginning of the year, in the neighbourhood of Royston, and that 

 two were caught alive in nets, together with a number of larks. 

 Mr. W. Hill, jun., reports a specimen being shot near Hitchin in 

 February, and it is now in his collection. The snow-bunting is a 

 circumpolar bird, breeding principally within the Arctic circle. It 

 has only once before been reported, and we are probably indebted 

 to the extreme severity of the winter of 1880-81 for its appearance 

 in our county. 



The Wryneck {Yunx TorquiUd). — Mr. A. J. Copeland has kindly 

 forwarded the following note: — "Yesterday afternoon (July 22) 

 my gardener brought me a very fine specimen of the wryneck ; he 

 had caught it in the greenhouse. The bird was the most self- 

 possessed I ever saw, almost tame ; he stroked its head, and it 

 showed, to perfection, the peculiar habit it has of twisting its neck 

 with a slow, undulatory movement, like that of a snake.* When 

 released it flew away, as lively as possible, into the Cassiobury 

 woods." 



The Cuckoo {Cuculus canonis). — On the 9th of July a young 

 cuckoo was taken from the nest of a pied-wagtail which had built 

 for the second time during the season in some ivy growing against 

 the mill-house, Hunton Bridge, only about ten yards from the mill. 



The Kingfisher [Alcedo Zspida). — Dr. Brett reports the finding 

 of a kingfisher's nest, with eight eggs, in a bank near Hamper 

 Mills. A workman at the mills informed him that, on two previous 

 occasions, he had seen eight young kingfisliers in the nest. 



The Hobby (Falco Suhhuleo). — Lord Ebury informs me that a 

 nest of the hobby with four eggs was taken by his gamekeeper 

 from a fir tree in Moor Park. This is the first time that the nesting 

 of the hobby has been reported within the limits of our county. 



The Partridge (Perdix cinerea). — A nest with twelve eggs was 

 found early in June, 16 feet from the ground, on a haystack, at 

 Little Muuden. I have once before recorded a similar occurrence, 

 * See Harting's ' Summer Migrants,' p. 245. 



