THE ZooLocist—JANUARY, 1876. 4763 
Nesting of the Hawfinch at Beverley.—Last May I had brought to me 
two sets of eggs of the hawfinch, taken the same day in one of our commons 
called Westwood. ‘The lads who had taken them were at a loss to find out 
to what birds they belonged; indeed I myself mistook them for the eggs of 
the common bunting, until they told me where they had been taken and 
the situation of the nests. I need scarcely say I was somewhat astonished 
at the discovery of the hawfinch’s eggs so near the town, not having 
previously heard of an instance of the hawfinch breeding in this district ; 
but there was no mistake, as oue of the nests had been left in the white- 
thorn bush just as they had found it, and I went and examined it myself to 
make certain. After telling the lads never to take eggs unless they saw the 
old bird on the nest and properly identified it, I gave a good exchange of 
other eggs and took possession of the hawfinch’s eggs. I have been informed 
that a hawfinch’s nest containing four young ones was taken in a wood 
a few miles from Sheffield the summer before last (1874) and the young 
ones reared.—F’. Boyes ; Beverley. 
Macqueen’s Bustard, Caution! —Let me give a word of caution about a 
supposed British-killed Macqueen’s bustard, which has found its way into 
Norfolk, duly labelled and handsomely cased, which, if not noticed and 
corrected now, is sure in a few years to pass current as a genuine 
‘ Britisher,” like many other birds which I could name, on the strength of 
a ticket. I saw the specimen in question last Tuesday at the house of 
Mr. Gunn, and instantly recollected that [ had seen it before, viz. at the 
Argyll Street Auction Rooms in London, in 1871, where it was sold as— 
“ Lot 689. A Macqueen’s Bustard, shot at Harwich in 1823, and preserved 
by Hall, of Finsbury Square.” I then “spotted ” it as being the same one 
which was in Martin Barry’s catalogue, where, to give an air of probability, 
we have the additional information that it was “ obtained in company with 
the little bustard,” i.¢. the specimen formerly Mr. Yarrell’s, and knew that 
if it came out of that collection its authenticity was simply worthless. 
Several severe criticisms on the Barry catalogues—which are supposed to 
have been compiled from his note-books after his death—will be found in 
the ‘Ibis’ for 1863. They contain all sorts of unheard-of rarities, which 
I will not give further publicity to; but any who wish to read them will 
find several of the grossest at p. 477 of the ‘Ibis’ for 1863.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Spotted Gallinule near Kingsbridge On Wednesday, November 3rd, 
a male specimen of the spotted gallinule was killed near Kingsbridge, — 
R. P. Nicholls. 
Cranes near Inverness. —On the 6th of November four cranes appeared 
in a field on the banks of the Nairn at Inverernie, about nine miles from 
Inverness. Two were shot by Mr. Hill’s party on the 8th, the other two 
remaining in the neighbourhood till the 11th, when they appeared to leave 
