The Zoologist— January, 1870. 1981 



Robin eating Ladybirds. — Mr. Coideaux, writing of the late immigration of lady- 

 birds (S. S. 1922), stales he does not think birds eat them, as he has not found that 

 any of our common species do so, such as the rook, starling, sparrow, &c. I have, 

 however, found this to be the case with the robin, as on the 7th of November last I 

 opened the stomach of a robin, accidentally caught in a gin set for rats, and found 

 amongst other things the remains of at least two ladybirds, the hind wings of one so 

 nearly perfect that it must have been almost the last thing eaten. — Cecil Smith; 

 Lydeard House, near Taunton. 



Food of the Tils. — There is probably a mistake in the statement, published in the 

 ' Field' newspaper (see Zool. S. S. 1927), thai cole tits {Farm ater) have attacked the 

 filberts growing near London: this species does not congregate, and is principally 

 found in woods and plantations of firs, to which trees it is especially partial. I think 

 it very likely that the great tit {P. major) sometimes perforates the shells of nuts, like 

 the nuthalch, for the sake of the kernel, as this species is very foud of the seeds of the 

 yew, which it dexterously holds in its claws, and breaks the shell by repealed strokes of 

 the beak. I now see and hear them daily doing this in my garden, and the ground is 

 strewed with the shells of ihe seeds. The young birds are very foud of green peas, 

 and often severely injure the crop, but they also destroy large numbers of the cater- 

 pillars of the common cabliage builerfly (Pieris Brassicw). The blue tit (P. cceruleua) 

 is very fond of cherries, and also of apples and pears, and often does great injury to 

 the crops. I never saw the oiher British species attack any kind of fruit, but the 

 marsh tit {P. palustris) is very partial to the seeds of the common sunflower. — Henry 

 Douhleday. 



Snow Bunting at Aldeburgh. — During the week before last I saw a flock of snow 

 buntings at Aldeburgh : several were killed at the same time by a medical gentleman 

 of that town. — H. JSI. Wallis. 



Buff Variety of House Sparroiv. — A bufif-coloured variety of the house sparrow 

 (Fringilla domestica) was shot in this neighbourhood during October last. — 

 T. E. Gunn. 



Immigration of Rooks. — The residents of Aldeburgh have lately observed large 

 flocks of the common rook arriving in company with other migrants: the gamekeepers 

 of the neighbourhood have noticed the same occurrence, and are quite clear that the 

 birds seen were not the Kojsion or gray crow. I did not know that rooks either came 

 to or left this country. — H. M. Wallis, 



Late appearance of the Swift. — This afternoon I saw a swift {Cypselus apus) flying 

 over the city of Chester: it was evidently hunting for food, as it circled round and 

 round in its flight. During the summer the swift is most abundant in Chester, but 

 they left two months ago.—//. W. Feilden ; Chester Castle, November 16, 1869. 



Pale Variety of the Common Partridge. — A very pale variety of the common par- 

 tridge, a female, was shot at Siratton, near Norwich, on the 5th of November, and 

 brought me for preservation. — T. E. Gunn. 



Golden Plover on the Dove. — Numbers of the common and golden plovers have 

 frequented for some time the banks of the Dove, and we are expecting they will be 

 followed by a severe winter: the snow is now lying on the ground to the depth of two 

 inches. — Oswald Mosley ; Rolleslon Hall, Burton-on-Trent, December 2, 1869. 



Scarce Ducks in Torquay. — The following ducks were offered for sale in Torquay 

 on the 2ik1 of December, on which day I examined them, but only found the last 



