704 The Zoologist — April, 1867. 



within a gun-shot of the heach, ami a rather strong east wind was Mowing at the time. 

 — J. H. Gurney. 



Savi's Warbler (?), Ptover~and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Bucks. — Last June, 

 in the neighbourhood of Eton, I saw a bird which I am pretty sure was Savi's warbler : 

 it was in a low hedge which I am in the habit of passing nearly every morning, and 

 the favourite resort of sedge warblers, close to the River Thames : having heard a harsh 

 note, like that of the sedge warbler, I looked for the bird, and got a fair sight of it for 

 a moment while sitting ou the top of the hedge, when I discovered it was no common 

 warbler, but a bird with a reddish brown back, with (I think) a black line across the 

 wings: the cheeks and breast were grayish white; I thought it would prove to be 

 Savi's warbler, but I had no idea how closely Morris's plate would describe my bird. 

 Mr. Clark-Kennedy, in his notes from Bucks, might have added that between October 

 and March flocks of plovers continually pass over Eton — probably lapwings and golden 

 plovers. About four Sundays ago I observed a lesser spotted woodpecker on an elm 

 close to my window, but the sparrows soon drove it away. These same sparrows are 

 provokingly exclusive: chaffinches and titmice meet with the same rough treatment at 

 their hands. — Clifton; Eton, Buckt. 



Bohemian Waxwing in Wiltshire. — The last week in November, 1866, a very nice 

 specimen of the Bohemian waxwing was killed at West Wellow, Wiltshire: although 

 these beautiful birds, about this time, appear to have been quite numerous in some 

 districts, this is the only specimen, so far as I can ascertain, that has been killed 

 or seen in this neighbourhood. The lad who shot it said it was quite alone, and that 

 he had seen no others before or since. — Henry Blackmore; Salisbury, March 9, 1867. 



Bohemian Waxwing at Vienna. — A bird, very rare as far south as the Danube, 

 the waxwing, has visited Vienna in large flights during the winter, probably driven 

 from more northerly regions by the unusually heavy falls of snow. This beautiful 

 creature is considered a bird of ill omen by the country people, who call it " pest," or 

 " lodtenvogel,"— plague or death bird,— and believe its appearance to forebode pesti- 

 lence and famiue and war. — From the ' Standard' of March 4, 1867. 



Pied Wagtails in January. — With regard to this subject (Zool. S. S. 634) I noticed 

 that a great many pied wagtails appeared here, in the streets of this town, on the 3rd 

 of January, immediately after the first fall of snow this winter: they seemed to have a 

 great dislike to the snow, and exclusively/requenled patches of roadway from which it 

 had been cleared, feeding at refuse-heaps or any unfrozen parts of the gutters. Although 

 not in flocks they were pretty numerous: I several times counted eight or ten single 

 birds just in front of the house, and into whatever street you went at least two or three 

 were seen, so that the number altogether in the town must have been considerable. 

 Three or four regularly frequented our garden in company with robins, chaffinches, 

 bedgesparrows, tits, sparrows, &c, and fed freely on small scraps of fat, &c, thrown 

 out for them. The robins and wagtails were far more pugnacious than any of the other 

 birds, and combats were constantly taking place between individuals of the two species. 

 Immediately upon the break up of the frost the wagtails left the town, and from the 

 6th to the 12th of January I did not see one: on the latter day, however, snow again 

 fell, and on the 13th there were several wagtails in the streets, where they continued 

 until the return of mild weather, when they again disappeared ; since thcu I have only 

 twice seen a solitary bird in the town, and but very few in the neighbourhood. — James 

 Shorto,jun.; High East Street, Dorchester, March 11, 1867. 



