3998 The Zoologist— May, 1874. 



by the roadside." These nests were probably those of the house spaiTow, 

 which frequently builds its nest in the branches of trees ; but this is never 

 the case with the tree sparrow, which invariably builds in holes in old trees, 

 as pointed out by the late Colonel Montagu. Some years ago I saw several 

 pairs which had their nests in the holes of some old pollard-willows near 

 Aldwinkle, in Northamptonshire. — H. Doiibledmj ; Epplncj, Aj^ril 16, 1874. 



Peculiar Position in Feet of Certliia faniiliaris. — A short while ago, 

 when attentively observing the movements of a creeper as it ascended 

 several trees, I was struck with the position of the feet. Instead of the 

 tarsi being parallel to each other or nearly so, and concealed with the toes 

 beneath the body of the bird (of course I do not mean concealed from a 

 person viewing the bird sideways), as I had always supposed, the legs were 

 extended laterally and a little forward, so as to have the toes on a level, so 

 to speak, with the neck, and both toes and tarsi were visible. I have little 

 doubt but that every creeper puts its legs in a similar position, and I attri- 

 bute the fact of my never having noticed them before to the great similarity 

 which exists between the colour of the legs and the bark. You must get 

 quite close ; if you are content with watching from a distance the logs are 

 apparently concealed. If the three points of support be joined, namely, the 

 toes and the extremities of the shafts of the tail-feather, an isosceles triangle 

 will be formed, the vertical angle of which is very much larger than I had 

 supposed it to be. I am not sufficient mathematician, nor have T the data 

 to determine the size of the angle which in the case of the creeper gives the 

 maximum amount of stability. In all probability the bird chooses the best 

 position itself. Perhaps there may be nothing new in the fact above 

 mentioned, but no mention is made in any book I have examined. — Richard 

 M. Barrinijton ; Fassaroe, Bray, April 20, 187i. 



Wood Pigeons laying in January. — Two young wood pigeons were taken 

 from a nest by Mr. Marshall's man servant on the 15th of January, 1874. 

 On the 15th of February Mr. G. Barrett informed me that he knew of three 

 wood pigeons' nests, two containing young, the other eggs only. — William 

 Stafford. 



Curious malformation in the Handibles of a Sliortfaced Tumbler. — As 

 soon as this bird left the nest it was evident that the mandibles did not 

 meet in a natural manner, the points slightly crossing by reason of the 

 upper mandible bending to the right; the extremities, particularly of the 

 upper mandible, were slightly dilated and slightly spathulate, a formation 

 which that eminent pigeon-breeder, Mr. Tegetmeier, considers a necessity 

 of the well-known mode in which young pigeons take their food : throughout 

 the winter the form of the mandibles was continually changing, and always 

 in one direction, until in April they have attained the form represented in 

 the figure, the upper mandible being much the longer and more curved, 

 and terminating in a point as sharp as a needle ; between the mandibles is 



