OCCASIONAL NOTES. 63 
healthy birds, but the other two were weakly; one died in a few days, and 
the other, though sickly, lived to the age of three weeks. It was interesting 
to see how carefully the sickly one was tended by its mother, who would 
wait till the clamour of the others had subsided, and then, gently touching 
it with her beak as a signal for it to open its mouth, would feed it before its 
more vigorous brethren could thrust their ever hungry mouths in the way. 
Even when the others had been handed over to the charge of the cock she 
continued to feed this little one, frequently leaving her eggs for the purpose. 
In general appearance and call-note the young bear a strong resemblance to 
young Chaffinches. The colour of the feet and legs of the wild Siskin, both 
young and old, is dark brown; but, as is the case with some other Finches,— 
Goldfinches and Bramblings, for instance,—they become quite pale after 
moulting in confinement. Hence the term ‘ white-legged” birds amongst 
dealers, signifying birds that have been caged some time. The feet and legs 
of my young birds were, however, always pale. The beak of the wild Siskin, 
when youug, is always dark, nearly black, though it becomes lighter in the 
adult, but in my young ones the beaks were always pale. Three birds were 
reared, but one fella prey toa cat; the remaining two, both of which are 
cocks, have nearly assumed the adult plumage. Moulting is a tedious 
process with caged Siskins, and they suffer a certain amount of pain. Not 
so, however, with the young ones; they moult rapidly and well, and suffer 
so little inconvenience that they are in song the whole time. I have never 
bred Bramblings, but I have little doubt that they would require similar 
treatment.—J. Youne (5, Denbigh Road, Notting Hill). 
Nesrine or THE Woopcock.—I read with much pleasure the interesting 
essay on the habits of the Woodcock (Zool. 1879, p. 433); but, nevertheless, 
felt somewhat surprised to find that the fact of this species breeding in 
England is not more generally known than it would appear to be from 
Mr. Harting’s remarks. While we were residing in Oxfordshire, now 
twenty-five years ago, Woodcocks’s nests were frequently found in that part 
of the kingdom. When I say frequently, I do not mean that Woodeocks’ 
nests were common, but that few years passed by in which a Woodcock’s 
nest was not discovered in one or another of the great woods of Oxfordshire 
and the adjacent counties. In the Midland district such occurrences are 
still more frequent; and in Sherwood Forest, where, in the company of my 
brother, I have spent many very interesting and happy days, the nests of 
Woodcocks may almost be said to abound. There this species annually 
breeds in great numbers, and during the spring and summer months, as 
soon as eveniug approaches—even before the sun has set-—Woodcocks may 
constantly be seen flying in pairs just above the tops of the multitudinous 
oak trees. Indeed it is not unusual to see two or three pairs at the same 
time flying round the trees, and occasionally indulging in graceful evolutions 
