268 The Zoologist — June, 1866. 



hours' mauoeuvring, in shooting: the male: the female at once disappeareH, and bas 

 not been seen there since.' — Jokn Pratt; 44, Ship Street, Briffhton, May 8, 1866. 



Golden Oriole at East Grinstead, Sussex. — A male specimen of the gohlen oriole 

 was picked up dead, lying on its back with outsireiched wings, near East Grinstead, 

 Sussex, on Monday last, the 14lh of May. — William May; East Grinstead, 

 May 17, 1866, 



Gulden Oriole in Suffolk. — I have just examined an adult female of this hand- 

 some species, which was killed about the 3rd of May, at Chedistone, near H^lesworth. 

 • The pluinaj^e is of the usual yellowish green liut, with the tuil-fealheis broadly edged 

 with yellow. In the slomacli I found the hard purtions of some lar^e berry, part of a 

 caterpillar and the abdominal parts of a good-sized humble bee. — Henry Stevenson; 

 Norwich, Alay 8, 1866. 



Golden Oriole at St. Just. — Yesterday a specimen of the golden oriole, in fine 

 plun)age, was observed throughout the day in the Vicarage-grounds of Si. Just; the 

 Rev, G. Hadow reported the fact to me, and he informs me that a magpie made a 

 furious onslaught on the bird and drove it off; it returned however, afterwards, and 

 seemed inclined to adopt ihe locality of the garden, the only suitable covert for its 

 nidificaiion in ihe parish, for its residence. Mr. Hadow informed me that he heard 

 the cuckoo on the 7th, and this leads me to note a few dates of ihe arrival and song of 

 our sunimer visitants up to this morning, at this place and at Trtbartha, in the east 

 of the county : — 



April 20. Willort' Wren sings. 



„ 21, Blackcap and Cuckoo sings. 



„ 24. Tree Fipii and Wood Wren (Tiebarlha) sing; Gray Wagtails paired; 



Sand Martin appeared; Spotted Woodpecker chirping, 

 „ 25. Dip|ier jiaired. 



„ 27, Corn Cr.ike heard ; Whiiethr()at;iGrasshopper Warbler. 

 ,. 28. Sedge W'athlev.— Edward Hearle R»dd ; Penzance, April 27, 1866. 

 Nesting of the Dipper. — The dipper is a common bird on the upper portions of the 

 River Lynher, where several mountain torrents contribute to the stream. 1 observed 

 several paii^ in ihe last week, and they were busily engaged in their nidificatiun, 

 I thought they were much earlier in their nursery pursuits, but )irob.ibly they 

 have synipalhized with the (;eneral and extraordinary backwardness of the spring, 

 I found two localities of their breeding- this year, one under a bridge spanning the 

 ri»er, and the oilier a covered drain conveying a large stream from a pond : my nephew 

 wriits me word that he watched the bridge afier I left for home, and soon observed a 

 dipper alight with a piece of moss: alter remaining a few minutes it perched on a 

 slone in ihe river under ihe bridge, and flew up under ihe centre pier, and as quickly 

 as a wagiail darts up alter a fly ; it flew off almost immediately after a few bobs of the 

 tail (m tlie same slone. My nephew very soon took to the river to examine the locality, 

 and at the top of the pier, under ihe centre of the bridge, there were three nests of 

 this year's buildinj;, iwo in a rudimentary stjte and the third approaching completion, 

 but evidently only recently begun, as it was composed of & mass of waler-weeds and 

 wet grass — a regular wet podge, in fact. The under part of the nest was nearly 

 finished, and the dome commenced, but not lined ; the other two nesis were dry, but 

 fresh, and the fact of the floods of ihs past winier having reached lo ihe floor of the 

 bridge is a clear proof of these would-be nests being the " sport" of this year, as they 



