The Zoologist — March, 1874. 8915 



' Natural History of Ireland,' says, " That they may occasionally even breed 

 in some parts of the County of Wicklow, and certain suitable localities in 

 the North, is not improbable ; " but this is only a surmise, and seems not 

 to have been based on any actual observation. I am happy to be able to 

 state that this surmise of Thompson's is correct. In May, 1871, a pair of 

 siskins reared a nest of young ones in our pleasure-ground. The nest was 

 placed about twenty-five feet from the ground, near the extremity of a long 

 branch of a tall larch tree. It could not have been reached without cuttiuo 

 the branch. However, I had no intention of meddling with it ; but, being 

 an invalid at the time, I watched with great pleasure, from a sofa purposely 

 placed close to the tree, the feeding of the young and the habits of the old 

 birds. On referring to my note-book, I find that on the 22nd of July, 1866, 

 I saw either a female or young siskin close to the house : I presume, there- 

 fore, that a brood was reared in that year also. I may add that the siskin 

 visits us almost every winter in greater or lesser numbers, feeding, as is 

 their custom, almost exclusively on the alder, and generally in company 

 with their friends the redpolls. I find that when caged the siskin becomes 

 instantly " at home," feeding and twittering at once as if at full liberty. — 

 Richard M. Barrington ; Fassaroe, Bray, County Wickloiv, Feb. 1, 1874. 



PS. — I have not seen the number of Professor Newton's new edition of 

 Yarrell which contains the siskin. — R. M. B. 



White Woodcock in Ireland.— I saw a beautiful white woodcock a few 

 days since in Dublin : it had been killed in the South of Ireland. — P^ev. E, 

 Robinson, in a letter to Mr. Gatcombe. 



Ferocity of the Jackdaw. — In the January number of the ' Zoologist ' 

 (S. S. 3828) I see a note on the ferocity of the jackdaw. A very similar 

 instance came under my observation during the past summer. When out 

 driving one day in June I noticed, about fifty yards in front of the horse, a 

 thrush, apparently just out of the nest, in the middle of the road. While 

 I was looking at it a jackdaw suddenly flew over the fence, and, regardless 

 of the cries of the infuriated parent, carried off the hapless youngster to an 

 adjoining tree, where he immediately devoured it. — W. J. Kerr. 



The Mute Swan and its Food. — The well-known and majestic mute swan 

 was formerly somewhat common upon several parts of the Avon, where it 

 annually bred, and was, in a measure, but semi-domesticated, and often have 

 I watched the fierce struggles which took place between them at the pairing 

 season, and afterwards the watchful and sentinel-like sailing to and fro of 

 the male to protect the nest and his sitting mate from molestation, and 

 eventually the advent of the four or five (on one occasion I counted seven) 

 parti-coloured nestlings, who for nearly a year bore marks of their immature 

 state. All this and much more I well remember, even the schoolboy 

 achievement of getting to the nest through mud and water up to one's neck, 

 and finding the huge dirty looking eggs amongst a profusion of down, which 



