The Zoologist— June, 1868. 1255 



the Anthus aquaticus of Bechstein, and the A. rupestvis of Nilsson. Blasius believes 

 it a variety of our rock pipit (An thus pelrosus). — E. Newman.'] 



Nesting of the Crossbill. — Before leaving- Yorkshire for Scotland I wrote to the 

 keepers at Altyre to be on the look out for the early breeding of crossbills, particularly 

 calling attention to the fact, as I supposed, of the birds breeding as early as the end 

 of February and the beginning of March. On my arrival here, early in March, the 

 keepers were most positive in stating that the birds had not paired, and soon I had 

 warty opportunities of convincing myself they were correct. During March and April 

 I bad occasion to visit the forest almost daily, after Endromis versicolor and Brephos 

 Notha and B. Partheuias, and still the birds were in flocks, uttering, while flying, their 

 musical "chink, chink, chink !" When settled on the pine-tree tops, busily shelling 

 the pine cones, they were mostly mute and exceedingly tame. Towards the middle of 

 April they began separating into pairs, and at this period were much quieter in their 

 habits. On the 21st of April the keeper sent me word he had found two nests 

 building, having carefully watched the old birds collecting the materials: both nests 

 were then finished. On the 27th I went over, aud soon came on the first nest, which 

 was on a tall pine, about twenty feet from the ground, and, being quite at the extremity 

 of the branch, very difficult to take. With my binocular I saw the female bird was 

 siltinir. Having with me a gun 1 wished to procure the old birds, if possible, but all 

 attempts to get the bird to leave the nest were in vain. We pelted her with sticks, 

 and hammered the pine-trunk with heavy stones, but all to no purpose. The head 

 keeper fetched a long rope and saw, aud sent the other keeper up the tree. The 

 branch upon which the nest was built was now violently shaken, but the poor bird 

 still stuck to her ej:gs. The man was now above the nest, aud within a few feet of 

 the bird, before he could drive her off, when, I am almost ashamed to say, she fell to 

 my gun. The nest contained four fresh eggs, scarcely distinguishable from those of 

 the greenfinch. The nest was a loo^e structure, externally composed of the dead 

 twigs of piue, inner pine-bark, with a little moss aud sheep's wool ; internally it was 

 lined with fine inner pine-bark and a long hair-like lichen, which I believe is called 

 "old man's beard." The male bird was abseut for a time, but soon arrived on the 

 scene — alas! soon to be laid alongside his male, on a prostrate pine-log, to cool. The 

 other nest was thirty feel or more up a pine tree, also on the extremity of a branch, but 

 much more easily reached: it was ready for eggs. I have little doubt but that these 

 birds are breeding in great numbers in this forest: having, however, procured a nest 

 and the old birds for identification, I shall molest them no more. — George Norman; 

 Cluny Hill, Forres, N.B., May 4, 1868. 



The Cuckoo. — There is an an error in Mr. Smith's translation of Dr. Baldamus's 

 interesting paper on this bird (Zool. S. S. 1 149), which I see is not corrected in the May 

 number. Mr. Smith calls Hypolais vulgaris the chiffchaff, Phyllopneuste rufa the 

 rufous warbler; whereas the former is the melodious willow warbler so rare iu Britaiu, 

 and the latter is our chiffchaff. With regard to the general subject of the paper, I 

 trust that Mr. Dawson Rowley will give us his views on it, for the benefit of those who 

 may not have seen his admirable article in the 'Ibis.' — Edward R. Alston; Paris, 

 May 6, 1868. 



Note on the Breeding of the Bittern in Buckinghamshire.— having just read the 

 interesting communication of Mr. T. E. Gunn in the May number of the ' Zoologist' 

 on the breeding of the common bittern ii 1 Notfolk, I am induced to send you the 



