The Zoologist — February, 1869. 1561 



jboit in my descriptions until I Lave done so. — John A. H. Brotvn ; St. Peter Port, 

 Guernsey, January 25, 1869. 



Dwarf Meadoxo Pipit.— A very miuule specimen, in perfect plumage, was obtained 

 on November 9th, near Cliftonville, and was taken to Swaysland: from its size and 

 general appearance, thinking it a new species, he sent it to Mr. Slater, who pronounced 

 it a dwarf. It measures five inches and one-eighth from beak to tail. — T. W. Wonfor. 

 Richard's Pipit near Barnstaple.— I shot a beautiful specimen of this fine species 

 yesterday on Braunton Marsh, within a quarter of a mile of the spot where I killed one 

 about three years ago. It is a young male of the year, and evidently a late bird as the 

 >:ape is very large, soft and yellow. I was attracted to it by its loud and peculiar note. 

 Yarrell gives six inches and three quarters as the whole length of the male bird : mine 

 must be an extra large one, as it measui;es a trifle over seven inches and a quarter. — 

 Gervase F. Malheiu ; Barnstaple, January 5, 1869. 



Young Chaffinches in Nestling Plumage. — Mr. Clogg says, in his remarks upon the 

 chaffinch published in the last number of the ' Zoologist ' (S. S. 1514), that the young 

 birds retain their nestling feathers till the spring moult, and that many of those seen 

 in the winter in the plumage of the female are in reality young males : this statement 

 is certainly incorrect. The chaffinch, like all the other finches, moults in the autumn, 

 and the whole of the feathers of the young birds are shed, with the exception of the 

 quill-feathers of the wings and tail, which are not changed till the autumn of the 

 following year. The young males assume the plumage characteristic of the sex, but 

 the colours are not quite so bright as those of older birds. The only change that takes 

 place in the spring is the shedding of the brown margins of the feathers of the head 

 and the back of the neck, after which process the colours appear brighter: there is no 

 vernal moult. Sparrows shed the whole of their nestling feathers the first autumn, in 

 this respect differing from the true finches, and indeed from most of the other British 

 birds. — Henry Doubleday ; Epping, January 1, 1869. 



Haivfinches near Faversham. — In June I observed several hawfinches feeding on 

 some cherry-trees in this neighbourhood : they were very shy, and could scarcely be 

 approached within gun-shot. I succeeded in bringing down one, a fine male. A man 

 living near the spot shot five at various limes afterwards, two of which were young 

 ones. — A. Skinner. 



Variety of the Brotvn Linnet at Brighton. — A speckled variety of the above, with 

 white tail and three white feathers in each wing, was taken near the Race-course on 

 the 20th of November, and sold to Swaysland, of Queen's Road. — T. W. Wonfor. 



Crossbills in Sussex. — Pratt the naturalist informs me two specimens, a male and 

 female, were shot early in November, at Hurstpierpoint. — Id. 



Crossbills near Faversham. — About the end of May I saw a quantity of these birds 

 on some lofty fir-trees : I and a friend shot about twenty of various colours ; the greater 

 part of them were males. Some were in the beajitiful red plumage. After a few days, 

 these birds became very shy: I have had several brought to me since that time: the 

 last I received — four birds, three of which were males — was on the 12th of January. — 

 A. Skinner. 



Variety of the Rook. — As I was walking round Chilham Park one day in the 

 summer I perceived something black on the road, which proved to be a dead rook with 

 a white throat besides the ordinary black plumage. This bird seemed to have been 

 dead a day or two. — /(/. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. IV. L 



