4380 THE ZooLocist—Marcg, 1875. 
and a female northern diver shot at Rocquiene Bay. On the 1st of January, 
1875, a male redbreasted merganser shot off the Sallierie Battery. On the 
Qnd a bittern shot on the beach near the Vale Church; kittiwakes, black- 
headed, and common gulls in immense quantities,—in fact it was a beautiful 
sight to see those birds at Rocquiene Bay; herring and blackbacked gulls 
have been very scarce this season. A few grebes about from the 4th to the 
13th; I had one rednecked, three Sclavonian, and four little eared grebes. 
From that date to the 19th all water birds suddenly disappeared ; they then 
“put in an appearance again, when I got a blackthroated diver and the only 
brent goose that has been shot on the island this season. On the 30th I 
had two redthroated, one blackthroated, and a great northern diver, a red- 
necked grebe, and, best of all, a beautiful male specimen of the little auk. 
The little bustard shot here in November last (Zool. 5.8. 4296) was a male. 
I had it within three hours after it was shot, and I observed the delicate 
rose tint at the base of the feathers as mentioned by Mr. Gunn. I have 
also seen a much darker tint at the base of the feathers on the breast of the 
herring gulls an hour or two after they have been shot, but when cold and 
dry they have lost it; whether that was the case with the little bustard I 
cannot say.— James Couch ; 7, College Street, Guernsey, Feb. 12, 1875. 
Birds Nesting in Confinement.—I was very glad to see (Zool. 8. 8. 4289) 
Mr. Stevenson’s interesting notes in your last number. His experience of 
birds in confinement seems remarkably similar to mine. The first year I 
built my aviary I had only six pairs of birds, and they all built nests, laid 
eggs, and brought up their young. Last year I had nearly a hundred 
birds, and hardly a single pair reared their young. If they escaped having 
their eggs destroyed, the young were sure to be killed. I attributed it at 
first to a thrush, but the same thing went on when he died; then I thought 
it must be the mice, though I never saw a mouse in a nest in my aviary, 
and besides the eggs and young did not generally disappear as though they 
had been eaten or taken away for food, but the eggs were simply broken or 
the young lying dead in the nest, or just outside. I managed to get rid of 
the mice, but it made no difference. I think it must arise from mischievous- 
ness on the part of the birds in the aviary, particularly those that are not 
paired, who, like human beings that have nothing to do, get into mischief. 
The snow bunting has nested the last two years in the rock-work that 
supports the fountain in my aviary, but from the situation I had very little 
opportunity of noting their habits at this season. The male always was 
perched at the top of the rockery, as though he was keeping watch, and I 
neyer once saw him fly from the crevice where the nest was. The first nest 
that was built contained three unsat eggs, which they deserted for some 
reason, as 1 found when altering the rockery later on in the year. Last 
year they brought forth three young ones, which died very soon after they 
left the nest.—Francis Nicholson ; Chesham Place, Bowdon, Cheshire. 
ae eT eT el 
