OCCASIONAL NOTES.’ 301 
I came near the cathedral, though it was not until the next morning that 
I was gratified by seeing them. Every precaution has been taken, I under- 
stand, to prevent these birds being molested, so that we may confidently 
expect a brood to be hatched and reared there in due time.—O. Pickarp 
CamrridcGeE (Bloxworth Rectory, Dorset). 
UNUusuUAL NESTING-PLACE OF THE WHEATEAR.— During an ornithological 
ramble to Adel last spring, I obtained eggs of a Wheatear from a hole in a 
bank which overhangs one of our beautiful streams. The hole was once the 
nesting-place of a Sand Martin. The nest was placed at the far end of the 
hole, which was about three feet in length. I know of only one other such 
instance on record—namely, that given by Hewitson, in his ‘ Eggs of 
British Birds.’ At the same time I procured eggs of the Dipper from a 
boy who had found them near the same stream a few days previously. He 
discovered the old bird on the nest, and took bird, nest and five eggs. He 
kept the bird in a cage for some time, but being unable to obtain food for 
it he was persuaded to let it go, and not knowing the value of the nest, 
destroyed it. The Dipper’s nest is seldom found in this neighbourhood.— 
Wa ter Ratnz (Leeds). 
A srranck Nesting Community.—In an elm tree in a hedgerow 
near Shoeburyness, in Essex, my friend Capt. W. Hubback, Royal Artillery, 
was shown the following most extraordinary collection of nests :—In a fork 
on one side of the tree was that of a Kestrel, containing six eggs, from 
which one of the old birds was dislodged; high up on the main stem a pair 
of Carrion Crows had made theirs, which held three eggs ; and half-way up, 
among the small twigs against the trunk, the flimsy construction of the 
Riug Dove was placed, with two much incubated eggs. This was on the 
6th May last. Why these widely-ditfereut species had all been attracted 
to this one particular tree is hard to imagine. ‘There were hundreds of 
similar trees in the immediate vicinity, but no nests.—Savine J. Rew, 
Capt. R.E. (Brompton Barracks, Chatham). 
Snow Bunzine at Cromer in May.—I was much surprised to see 
a Snow Bunting on the beach at Cromer on May 10th. It was flying 
about in company with a Sparrow, and appeared very tame indeed. Is not 
this an unusually late appearance of this bird?—Cuartes W. Benson 
(Rathmines School, Dublin). 
Woopcock BREEDING IN HerrrorpDsHIRE.—It may be interesting to 
some of your readers to know that a nest of Woodcocks has safely come off 
on Hertford Heath, not two hundred yards from the College grounds. 
I had heard that the old bird with two or three young ones had been seen 
several times on the heath, and on the evening of May 25th had the 
pleasure of examining one of the young ones: tt was nearly full grown, 
