THE ZooLocist—JULY, 1876. 5003 
whirled around the thrush’s head, almost after the manner of a thrasher’s 
flail. As far as I have seen, the blackbird does not seem to have the power 
or instinct to smash up a snail-shell, much as it likes the contents; conse- 
quently people who keep birds in captivity often prefer the blackbird to the 
thrush as a cage-bird—not so much from a preference for the mellow notes 
of the former as compared with the singing music of the latter, but because 
one is so much more cleanly in its habits than the other.—G. B. Corbin. 
Nidification of the Pied Wagtail and Swallow.—This summer there were 
three pied wagtails’ nests near here,—all in places where there had been wag- 
tails’ nests before,—one in a haystack, one in a summer-house, and one on 
our ivied wall: on the latter the old bird began to sit on six eggs. Mr. Norgate 
tells me that, according to his experience, this is the usual number, though 
Yarrell and Hewitson put it at one less. But the most curious situation 
I have heard of for a pied wagtail to nest in, this year, was near Reigate, 
in Surrey, where—on the 22nd of May—I saw one which had built and 
was sitting in an old blackbird’s nest. At first I could hardly believe there 
was no mistake; but Mr. Norgate has seen a similar thing in a Portugal 
laurel about six feet high. The same day I found a swallow’s nest in the 
loop ofa chain which was hanging down from the roof of a cowshed. A few 
days ago my friend found a nest of five swallow’s eggs on the handle of the 
lid of a “‘ malt-shoot” in a wherry-house in Norfolk.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
“ Black-headed Bunting” (Zool. S.S. 4970).—It was not I, but Latham, 
who assigned this name to the bird we know as Huspiza melanocephala. 
Had I not followed his example (which has an usage of ninety-three 
years in its favour), and that set by all English authorities on European 
Ornithology known to me (including a “ List of Birds observed in Europe, 
being an addition to the ‘ Zoologist’ List of Birds observed in Great Britain 
and Ireland,” prepared in 1856 by Mr. Salmon, and sanctioned by the 
Iiditor of the ‘ Zoologist’ himself), I should have had to invent a new name for 
it—a thing which I abhor. If in availing myself of a long-established name— 
nay, the only English name that was available—I have ‘“‘ committed a grave 
error” I, at least err in good company ; but should a better one be suggested 
I certainly shall raise no objection thereto. Meanwhile I trust I may be 
allowed to ask any of your contributors to provide me with a list of those 
English counties in which the reed-bunting or reed-sparrow (Emberiza 
scheniclus) is “ universally known” as the ‘“ blackheaded bunting,” since, so 
far as my own imperfect experience goes, the use of this name for that 
species is restricted to an extremely select circle of readers, or, perhaps 
I might say, to a still smaller number of writers.— Alfred Newton ; 
Magdalene College, Cambridge, June 1, 1876. 
[This note was not seen by the late Editor.] 
Lesser Redpoll Nesting in Suffolkk—On Wednesday, May 10th, I took 
a lesser redpoll’s nest, with four eggs, from the fork of a young Scotch fir, 
