140 



A farthing, obverse, a small cross on the right of King's 

 neck. Keverse, CAN — , the remainder of the word obliterated. 

 This most likely is a Canterbury farthing of Henry VII., and a 

 coin, which if in good order, would be esteemed for its rarity. 

 Examples are wanting in many of the best cabinets, and it is 

 greatly to be regretted that the very poor condition of the specimen 

 reduces its value to a minimum. 



These coins were found irregularly scattered through the soil, 

 but closely adjoining the site of one of the principal gates of the 

 town. They may then have been distributed as largesse by some 

 of the many persons of distinction who passed through Dover. 

 No doubt coins were lost upon many of such occasions, and if no 

 further discoveries are made when the coming street improvements 

 are entered upon we may assume this to be the true interpretation 

 of the find so far as the early English specimens are concerned ; 

 yet this supposition will not account for the Roman examples, and 

 we believe no explanation has ever yet been offered of the curious 

 fact that that ancient people seem almost to have sown the ground 

 with money wherever they went. 



S. Webb. 



Oenithologt. — On the evening of the 2nd of April, 1894, a 

 pair of partridges alighted in the middle of St. George's Street, a 

 principal thoroughfare of Canterbury, and were without difficulty 

 captured. The birds were either frightened by their novel 

 surroundings, or had received some previous fright, as they did not 

 attempt to make off. A good specimen of the buzzard was recently 

 caught in a trap by the keeper on the Eredville estate, near Dover. 



H. Mead Beiggs. 



CuEious Nesting. — How quickly some of the feathered tribes 

 take advantage for nesting purposes of man's contrivances ! Old 

 kettles, flower-pots, and similar implements, have often been quoted 

 as nesting places for robins and titmice ; disused letterboxes, and 

 pumps, are also frequently mentioned as occupied for a similar 

 purpose. The Baya bird of India speedily found out that the 

 telegraph wires were splendid things from which to suspend its nest, 

 and render it quite safe from attacks by serpents ; not only so, but 

 in such situations it changed its style of domicile to short round nests, 

 as less influenced by wind, as soon as it discovered that the long 

 pendulous nests were no longer necessary, and involved more work 

 in their construction. Now we have another case in point, and 

 nearer home. It is only a few years ago that the Government 

 decided upon utilising the wastes of Lydd as an artillery practice 

 ground ; but the Wheatears (Moticilla oenanthe), have already 

 found out that empty shells afford most capital breeding places. 

 Not in a single instance but in many have these little birds been 



