376 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



June 30th.— Engstlen Alp. (7000 ft.) Here were a few Ring 

 Ouzels (which descend to the valleys in winter, but according to my 

 guide do not leave the country) and Cole Tits, P. ater. I talked 

 with the guide about migration ; he told me of twentj'-two Red- 

 starts having been found in a hollow cherry-tree in Canton Valais 

 in winter, all in a cluster. We talked of the beautiful red-winged 

 Rock-creeper, Tichodroma viuraria, and he told me positively 

 that it loses the end of its long bill every autumn, and that a new 

 one grows rapidly. He says that he told M. Fatio (a Genevan 

 naturalist) of this, and on his disbelieving it sent him specimens 

 to prove it. I afterwards found in the Bern Museum a specimen 

 which had lost the end of its bill. Here also were Redstarts, 

 chirping their little song from the roofs of the chalets, in which 

 they build and bring up young even before these upper pastures 

 are visited bj' human-kind in early June. I see that Bree (' Birds 

 of Europe,' vol. ii., p. 6) gives a " Grey Redstart," R. Cairii, which 

 exactly answers in appeai'ance to some of these on the Engstlen 

 Alp, which I took for young of R. titys ; and this R. Cairii is 

 there said to inhabit the highest Alps, ' where it breeds in old 

 isolated chalets and huts, where one never sees by any chance a 

 specimen of R. titys.' I certainly do not remember to have seen 

 any specimens of the adult male of titys on these Alps ; yet it 

 seems to be now agreed that this mountain bird is not a distinct 

 species. 



July 1st. — Engstlen to Meiringen. The guide was much 

 taken aback by the rising of five wild ducks under his nose while 

 he was enjoying an early pipe this morning ; this was at a little 

 pool of melting snow water about forty paces from the inn. From 

 the feathers they left I should say they were Teal; but Switzer- 

 land boasts of a great variety of wild duck, as I learn from the 

 Bern Museum. We had looked for the Crested Tit, P. cristatus, 

 yesterday ; my guide tells me it is a rare bird even here. To-day, 

 however, he detected it, keeping eyes and ears on the look out, 

 and I had the great pleasure of watching a family of these birds. 

 The note is very much like that of Acredula caudata ; motions 

 and gestures as like those of P. cceruleus as possible. Its black 

 collar also reminds one of the latter. The female seems to be 

 much browner than the male, whose prevailing colour is bluish 

 grey ; in fact the guide erroneously described to me two species, 

 one grey and the other brown. He was right, however, in telling 



