THE Zootocist—May, 18735. 4457 
for its courage by finally escaping. In its flight the chaffinch wheeled and 
jerked, rose high in the air, and sunk within a few feet of the ground with 
amazing rapidity; but for all this it several times escaped its death-blow by 
a mere hair-stroke. The crow’s mode of attack was not with its bill but its 
wings, with which, when sufficiently close, it made an eager swoop down- 
wards in a transverse direction. As soon, however, as the chaffinch had 
manceuvred its flight from the open and darted to the neighbouring shelter 
of a cluster of trees and shrubs, Corvus gave up his pursuit, evidently being 
aware that any further attempt on his part would be useless, for with the 
advantage of trees and bushes his nimble prey would have easily baffled 
him. While going to Ayrshire on the same day I noticed from the carriage 
windows what seemed to be a crow with some small bird in its bill, but as 
the train was an express I could nat distinguish with absolute certainty 
what the object was; and a reason for thinking it was possibly a bird lies 
in the fact that if it had merely consisted of some attached twigs, or other 
favourite nest-building substance, the crow would have been flying straight 
for its nest, and high in the air, as the Corvialways do: it is besides rather 
after their usual period of nidification. But I have previously seen, and had 
in fact seen that very day, a crow beating about the hedge-rows, evidently 
seeking to drive some of the concealed passerines from their shelter out to 
the open ground, where he would have a pretty sure chance of making a 
capture. Still, I make this statement guardedly, and am quite ready to be 
convinced of the contrary if it should be disproved, for I do not remember 
ever reading of a similar case, and have never myself before observed such 
an occurrence.—W. Sharp ; Glasgow. 
Moorhen and Snipe feeding on Bread.—During the extraordinarily 
severe weather of the last week in the old year, when the snow lay here 
from a foot to fifteen inches deep on the level, and was drifted in places 
from six to ten or even twelve feet in thickness, great distress of course was 
experienced among the birds. The constant custom of the house is, all 
through the winter, to throw out on to the terrace below the dining-room 
window, a good supply of crumbs, soaked crusts, &c. In the very cold 
week noted above the supply was provided twice a day, namely after break- 
fast and at the children’s one o’clock dinner, and among the daily visitants 
or pensioners were a waterhen and a snipe; and strange to say the latter 
was seen, on occasion of each visit to the feeding ground, to partake eagerly 
of the bread crumbs which had been thrown out. This was at the same 
window below which, in two consecutive springs many years ago, I received 
visits (? of enquiry) paid by a pair of corncrakes.—J. O. Atkinson. 
Nesting of the Teal in Hampshire.—During the summer of 1874 I had 
the gratification of obtaining eggs of the teal from the valley of the Avon, 
having found a nest myself in the forest, the incidents attending which may 
not be uninteresting. On the 27th of April I and a friend were in the forest 
