The Zoologist — Decembeb, 1871. 2869 



Sept. 15. Crop contained 118 grains of barley and one clover-leaf. This 



and the preceding bird were shot in stubble-fields. 

 „ 28. Crop contained three beans, three acorns and two beech-masts ; 



gizzard full of acorns. 

 Oct. 10. Crop contained thirty-seven beech-masts; in the gizzard were 



eight nearly whole, as well as others too far digested to be 



counted. 



„ 10. A young bird, with down still on its feathers, had thirty beech- 

 masts in its crop. 



„ 14. Crop contained twenty beech-masts. 



„ 24. Crop contained seventy-seven beech-masts and one acorn. 

 Nov. 25. Crop contained wheat, barley and acorns.— Cecil Smith. 



Wood Pigeou building in a Tlirush's Nest. — During my rambles, on 

 the 5th of May, I saw a wood pigeon's nest built on the top of that of a 

 thrush, and constructed so shghtly that one of the wood pigeon's egf^s had 

 fallen through into the thrush's nest ; one egg, therefore, was fresh, having 

 escaped all the warmth of the pai-ent bird ; the other considerably sat upon° 

 —E. C. Moor. 



White Variety of the Wood Pigeon.— I have previously recorded in the 

 ' Zoologist,' the occurrence of a beautiful albino variety of the ring dove. 

 I have now the pleasure to record a second individual of this variety, which 

 was shot at Westwick by the keeper, on the 26th of July last. This also 

 passed into my hands for preservation. — T. E. Ounn. 



Partridge laying in a Teal's Nest.— The following curious circumstance 

 has lately come to my knowledge. A gentleman, whoms a sportsman is well 

 acquainted with both species, this summer flushed a common teal from her 

 nest, amongst some marram-grass on the sand-hills at Dunwich, Suffolk, 

 and to his surprise found the nest to contain, beside four or five teal's eggs, 

 as many of the French partridge. — H. Stevenson. 



Is the Corn Crake Polygamous? — Throughout the last spring I con- 

 stantly heard a corn crake in a meadow field near this town, and though 

 I often passed the field I never at any time heard more than one bird 

 calling in that immediate neighbourhood, yet when the grass was cut no 

 less than three nests with eggs were found within an area of about an acre 

 of ground ; they contained seven, eight and nine eggs respectively, those 

 with eight and nine being partly incubated, and the one with seven quite 

 fresh. Another nest of eggs was also found just through the fence in the 

 adjoining field, and a very short distance from the othei-s. I have many 

 times called the birds within shot by an imitation of their note, and on 

 dissection proved them to be all males ; in fact, never knew of a female 

 being shot to the call. Do not these facts tend to show that the corn crake 

 is polygamous ? — F. Boyes; Beverley. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. VI. 3 N 



