The Zoologist— May, 1868. 1219 



sparrows, on some railings by ihe railway, near the Stourport Station, Worcester- 

 shire." Another friend tells me that he killed an albino blackbird near Richmond, 

 Yorkshire, during the winter of 1866-7. — Alexander Clark-Kennedy ; Eton, Bucks, 

 March 13, 1868. 



Arrival of ike Wryneck. — On the 5th and again on the 9th of March the wryneck 

 was heard in Great Bealiugs: it was not heard here last year earlier than the 17th of 

 April. — E. C. Moor; Great Bealings, Woodbridge, Suffolk, March 23, 1868. 



Wryneck heard. — I was rather surprised, this morning early, to hear and see a 

 wryneck: I watched the pretty little bird for a considerable lime. Is it not unusually 

 early for them to make their appearance? — Edward Sweelapple ; Cone Mill, Lydney, 

 Gloucestershire, March 27, 1868. 



Chough in Somersetshire. — Two of these birds made their appearance at Bag- 

 borough, a village at the foot of the Quantoch Hilfs, not far from Taunton. My 

 informant gave me the following account: — "They were shot on the 1st of April; 

 they_were at that time on the grass in front of the stable-yard, apparently feeding; 

 but I hear they had been seen for a few days previously about the church porch and 

 lower, as if going to build there, and seemed very tame for wild birds. I confess 

 I was very sorry to hear of the poor birds being shot." With this latter sentence 

 I quite agree, as I think there can be very little doubt but they would have bred 

 ■ there, more especially as there are no jackdaws there to molest them, those birds 

 having all been destroyed by the predecessor of the gamekeeper who shot the choughs. 

 1 obtained the body of one of them from the birdstuffer, as I wanted the breast-bone: 

 on examining the gizzard I found seven or eight oats, which the bird had no doubt 

 picked up near the stable, some grubs, and some half-digested hard brown skins, 

 which I think were those of earwigs, l>ut 1 could not be quite certain. — Cecil Smith; 

 Lydeard House, Taunton, April 13, 1868. 



[Since the sad event recorded above, the following note has appeared in the 

 Taunton papers. St. Audries is about eight miles from Bagburough, where the 

 choughs were killed. — E. Newman ^\ 



A Word for Choughs.— I see, under the head of "rare birds," in your impression 

 of the 11th inst., that two choughs were killed a few days ago iu the neighbourhood 

 of Taunton. I should feel much obliged to you if you would state in your next 

 journal that these birds had paired and strayed away from St. Audries, where I have 

 for years kept a few, hoping that they would breed, and that thus this interesting and 

 rare bird would again become naturalized on our coast. My neighbours for miles 

 around have kindly assisted my endeavours by sparing my choughs, and I am sure 

 I have only to mention that any choughs which may be seen about the county are pet 

 birds which have taken a long flight from their home, to induce all gentlemen to 

 preserve them. The chough may be easily distinguished from the commoner species 

 of the pie kind by its purple-blaek plumage, its bright red legs and beak, and its 

 peculiarly wild cry.— Alexander Acland Hood; St. Audries, Bridgwater, April 18, 



1868. 



Colour of Cuckoo's Eggs.— I have eight cuckoo's eggs in my collection, some of 

 which were laid in the nests of reed and sedge warblers, and they exactly agree in 

 colour with ihe eggs of the foster-parents.— John A. Ilarvie Brown; April 2, 1868. 



Swallows— In Sweden the swallows, as soon as the winter begins to approach, 

 plunge themselves into the lakes, where they remain asleep and hide under the ice till 



