336 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the course of a hard struggle, managed to release itself from the clutches of 
the bird, and a regular encounter at once commenced between the two, 
victory finally falling to the lot of the sparrow, and the poor mouse was 
apparently lifeless. This sparrow, however, was not permitted to carry off 
his spoil, if such was his intention, for some passers-by unconsciously put it 
to flight, and it mounted to its former place on the housetop. Here it 
surveyed its late antagonist, with an evident desire to renew the combat, 
and give the necessary coup de grace. This, however, it was not permitted 
to do, owing to the interruption of persons going to and fro. The mouse 
was either dissembling death, or was too much exhausted to move, for it 
remained quite motionless for some time. Finding it was left unmolested, 
it gradually recovered courage, commenced slowly to move, and finally beat 
a hasty retreat. It is supposed it was found by the sparrow in its nest, 
and that the above summary mode of eviction was resorted to.—‘t Hastern 
Daily Press,’ June 9th. (Communicated by Mr. J. H. Gurey.) 
SHORT-EARED OWL BREEDING 1N CAMBRIDGESHIRE.—One day at the 
very end of June last, I was fortunate enough to discover a fine young 
Short-eared Owl, while crossing Wicken Fen, between Ely and Cambridge. 
It was of sufficient age to have left its nest, which I could not find, the 
sedge around being of a considerable height. When I went to touch it, 
it commenced a great hissing, accompanied by much snapping of the bill, 
and afterwards turned upon its back, going to work upon my hands with 
both bill and claws. Soon after I twice saw one of the old birds sailing 
about over the Fen, sometimes giving a curious subdued kind of bark. 
From Prof. Newton's remarks in his edition of Yarrell, it seems that the 
last nest he heard of in the Hast of England was at Littleport, in the Isle 
of Ely in 1864.—Roserr M, Curisry (Saffron Walden). 
OccURRENCE OF THE BiackcaP 1n Co. Dongcat.—On the 21st of May 
last, I listened for some time to the song of the Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla, 
amongst trees around Mr. Batt’s garden at Rathmullan House, upon the 
west shore of Lough Swilly. This warbler has not been previously noticed 
in Donegal. I have already recorded the appearance of the Wood Warbler 
in the same neighbourhood (Zool. 1878, p. 348). In the bleaker parts of 
the county, as at Carrablagh in Fenet, north of Rathmullan, other warblers, 
the Chifichaff and the Willow Wren, appear early in the season more 
plentifully than they do later on, no doubt on their way to a more sheltered 
habitat, although a fair proportion of the latter remain to breed. The first- 
mentioned two are probably upon a similar passage. —H. Cuicuester Harr 
(71, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin). 
TreE Pierr EvEcTING CucKkoo’s Kae From 11s Nest.—On June 16th 
a case came under my notice of a Tree Pipit refusing to undertake the 
charge of a Cuckoo's egg. My informant saw the Tree Pipit shovel the 
