The Zoologist— May, 1867. 755 



gull, &c. : all of which, with the exception of the common huzzard and ptarmigan, 

 were taken in Norfolk.— T. E. Gunn; 3, West Poltergale, Nonoich. 



What gives a Bird a claim to be classed as British P — I am anxious to meet with, 

 some definite description of what constitutes the ahove. In the • Dictionary ' the brown 

 snipe appears as a British bird: Dr. Bree, in his Appendix to the • Birds of Europe,' 

 says that bird has no claim to be considered a British bird. Morris figures and 

 describes Sabine's snipe. Is it a distinct species? The 'Dictionary' describes it 

 minutely, and then qualifies that description with the suggestion that it is only a dark 

 coloured common snipe; so I infer does Dr. Bree, and what says Yarrell on that 

 point? Take again Steller's western duck and the buffelheaded duck. The list at the 

 end of the ' Dictionary' gives two instances of the former being captured in Britain, 

 and one of the latter. Why then should the former {vide Dr. Bree and others) rank 

 as a British bird, and why not the latter? Again, Mr. Gould, in his 'Birds of 

 Britain,' figures the American whitewinged crossbill. The talented editor of the 

 'Ibis' differs with him on that point (as usual, doctors disagree). Again, once more, 

 why is Bartram's sandpiper excluded from the list of British birds ? These, Mr. Editor, 

 are a few queries I would ask respecting British birds ; but may I be fortunate enough 

 to elicit some response? — B. T. S. 



Ring Ouzel in Middlesex in March. — On the 23rd of March, I shot a female ring 

 ouzel near some gravel-pits by the Kingsbury Reservoir. My attention was first 

 attracted by the conspicuous white gorget of the male, but he was too shy to allow of 

 my approaching within gunshot; in fact, it was only by chance that I managed to 

 procure the female. This pair seemed the only individuals in the locality, and on 

 visiting the spot a few days afterwards the male seemed to have departed. Even at a 

 distance their habits would make it impossible to mistake them for blackbirds: when 

 disturbed upon the ground they betook themselves to the tops of the tall trees, instead 

 of hiding in some thick hedge. — Charles B. Wharton; Willesden, Middlesex, March, 

 1867. 



Nesting of the Dipper. — Not a hundred yards from our front door, under the arch 

 of a bridge, over which the high road passes, a pair of water ouzels are now nesting; 

 under this same arch is attached transversely a light iron bridge which connects two 

 parts of the pleasure-grounds. This iron bridge is frequently passed over during the 

 day by the gardeners and members of the family, yet in spite of this annoyance the 

 ouzels have built their nest against the arch, about two feet below the iron bridge. 

 They commenced building about the 1st of March : the very cold weather that com- 

 menced about the 6th stopped further proceedings, but building was resumed on the 

 24lh, the very day a thaw commenced: by the 31st the outside of the nest was com- 

 pleted, and on the 7th of April there was one egg in the nest: I have not examined it 

 since. I noticed very particularly each day the progress made on this nest: the birds 

 commenced building from the bottom, and then piled a ring of moss, in the shape of 

 the letter O, against the wall: the birds whilst building laid moss alternately on one 

 side and the other, but from similarity of plumage I could not tell whether each bird 

 had a special side to work on or not: by the time the ring of moss was completed the 

 base of the next protruded four or five inches, and at the top about one inch from the 

 wall, the thickness of the walls of the nest also tapering off from bottom to top. 

 When the ring was completed, as I have described, the ouzels changed their tactics, 

 and commenced building down from the top uutil the whole of the nest was arched 



