228 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



doors were opened and he could fly forth again in search of his friends. 

 For a long time the postman was chief favourite, and Polly would fly down 

 the avenue to meet him, returning to the house on the postman's cap. 

 Polly next conceived a very warm attachment for one of the farm servants, 

 a milkmaid, and would search the farm until he found her, and would be 

 then happy for the day, accompanying her to the fields for the cows, 

 attending the milking operations, &c., and always returned to his cage 

 before dark. One day when the hounds met here, Polly was greatly pleased 

 and excited by the scene. He flew just in front of the hounds while they 

 were drawing the covers, chattering all the words he knew, and whistling 

 his one tune, "God save the Queen," in a very ridiculous manner. We had 

 a tame Jay about the house, and this bird in a very short time learned all 

 Polly's words and cries, which he pronounced in Polly's own way, much to 

 that bird's astonishment and disgust. It is well known what clever mimics 

 Jays are. They sometimes deceive me by the way they copy the Brown 

 Owls — not their loud hoot, but their soft mating call. Polly was very 

 curious when strangers came, generally alighting on their hats or bonnets, 

 and owing to this we lost him, as one day he descended on some passer by, 

 who appropriated him and carried him off. — Murray A. Mathew (Stone 

 Hall, Pembrokeshire). 



Varieties near Carlisle.— An old male Chaffinch, of a general canary- 

 yellow colour, was shot at Rickerby Park on October 11th, 1883, and was 

 brought to me in the flesh through the kind offices of Mr. W. Duckworth. 

 The crown is sprinkled with a few black feathers, and one or two of the 

 quill-feathers are also black. The throat is pale pink. The general tint of 

 pale yellow becomes intensified into orange upon the back. I may also 

 mention that a male Blackbird, prettily mottled with white, was shot near 

 Carlisle about the same time ; and that a pied Hedge Warbler, two really 

 white Sparrows, and a pied male Chaffinch are all to be found in their haunts 

 near Carlisle at the present time. — H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



Scarcity of Fieldfares and Redwings during the past Winter.— 

 Altliougli during the past winter I was constantly in ditferent parts of 

 Monmouthshire, Gloucestershire, Wilts, Berks, and Kent, I never saw a 

 single specimen of the Fieldfare or Redwing. Starlings, on the contrary, 

 were unusually numerous ; I never remember to have met with such large 

 flocks. I took the opportunity of procuring some, and verifying by 

 dissection the fact that the hen birds have a pale orange rim round the 

 outer edge of the iris, whereby it can be readily distinguished at all seasons 

 and in all plumages from the male bird, whose iris is dark hazel. — J. Young 

 (04, Hereford Road, Bayswater). 



Snipe perching.— Apropos of Mr. Nelson's note (p. 28), I venture to 

 send you the following extract from my note-book: — On June 25th, 1880, 



