NOTES. 59 



which are not very strongly developed. The tongue is black 

 with a white tip, and a pair of white spurs at its base. 



The first nest was quite normal in position, but the second 

 had, unfortunately, been placed actually on the ground, and 

 some five or six yards from the water. I first visited this 

 nest on June 8th and photographed the young in situ. The 

 photograph proving unsatisfactory, I returned on the 11th 

 for the purpose of making another attempt but found, to my 

 dismay, that a tragedy had happened. In the nest lay tw^o 

 dead and bleeding young, while around the nest lay the 

 remaining four, all more or less mangled. The burying 

 beetles had commenced their work of interment, and at first 

 I wondered whether they had gathered in force and worked 

 the mischief. Reahzing how highly improbable this was, I 

 removed the nest and, tearing away the grass on which it 

 had rested, discovered, beneath, the runs of a mole ! About 

 these there could be no mistake, and we must assume, 

 therefore, that a mole had worked the mischief — a not 

 unprecedented event . 



The nest I pulled to pieces on the spot — it was already 

 greatly damaged — and found that while it w^as typical in its 

 general conformation — leaves of the reed forming its outside, 

 the fiower-heads thereof its lining — it differed from all .the 

 published descriptions I have so far met with in having a 

 number of feathers interwoven with the lining. I detected 

 feathers of Swan, Mallard, Water- Hen and Snipe. 



W. P. Pycraft. 



NUTHATCHES BREEDING AT LLANDUDNO. 



In view of the fact that up to the time of publishing my 

 " Fauna of North Wales " no authentic occurrence of the 

 Nuthatch {Sitta ccesia) on the north coast of Wales was known, 

 it is interesting to note that a pair took up quarters in 

 Gloddaeth Woods, Llandudno, early in the present year, 

 and bred there later on. They were first observed by Mr. 

 R. W. Jones, who showed me the nest-hole on May 10th. I 

 heard the bird calHng close by at the time. 



H. E. Forrest. 



GOLDEN ORIOLE IN SHROPSHIRE. 



Mr. J. A. JucKES (Acock's Green, Birmingham) reports seeing 

 a male Golden Oriole {Oriolus galhula) at Cleobury-Mortimer, 

 Shropshire, on April 26th {Birmingham Daily Mail, May 2nd, 

 1908). The Golden Oriole has occurred previously on two 

 or three occasions in Shropshire. 



H. E. Forrest 



