NOTES AND QUERIES. 185 
was not sexed, but, from the breast being marked with small semilunar 
dark marks, and the clear grey upper parts giving it otherwise an appear- 
ance of maturity, I imagine it is a female. On February 26th another was 
shot on the borders of Oxon and North Hants, in the neighbourhood of 
Chipping Warden, and came into my possession in the flesh. It has only 
a little white at the bases of the secondaries, quite hidden by the coverts, 
and, although a female, is only very slightly marked on the under parts— 
hardly at all, in fact. To which form would this belong? If a young 
bird of eacubitor, it would be more marked beneath; and the true Pallas’ 
Shrike is said (Yarrell, 4th ed., vol. i., p. 203) to be marked at all ages. 
Is it intermediate? Mr. Darbey has informed me that a fine example was 
shot at Tackley, near Woodstock, in November last; this I have not seen. 
On April 7th (since writing the above) I saw two Grey Shrikes near Banbury. 
They frequented some pollard willows in the vicinity of the Cherwell, but 
made excursions into the neighbouring market gardens close to the town, 
where they resorted to the tallest pear-tree in the gardens as a look-out 
post.—O.iver V. Apxrin (Great Bourton, near Banbury, Oxon). 
Grey Lag Goose in Nottinghamshire—The keeper at Papplewick 
Hall shot one of these geese on the pond near the house on the 16th 
February last. It was by itself and in good condition. The Grey Lag 
is now a rare bird,—at any rate in these parts,—and though sometimes 
afew may be seen passing over, they are very seldom shot. Mr. Walter 
has kindly given me the bird. I need hardly say that, as a Nottinghamshire 
specimen, it is a great prize-—J. WHITAKER (Rainworth Lodge, Notts). 
Netting Wood Pigeons in the Pyrenees.—There is a special phase of 
local sport, if it can be so termed, to be seen within some twenty miles of 
Biarritz, in the commune of Sare, in the shape of Palombieres or Wild- 
Pigeon netting stations, where the birds are caught during their autumnal 
flight. Never having seen anything of this kind, I and a companion 
arranged to pay a visit to the nearest of these stations, and one morning 
started in a pony trap for that purpose. Ascending the hill beyond the 
Biarritz railway, we beheld a splendid panorama of the valleys of the 
“pays Basque,” backed by the chain of Pyrenees, with the “ Trois 
Couronnes” and the Rhune towering high above their smaller brethren. 
It is somewhere behind the Rhune that the point we were bound for is 
situated. After passing the small hamlet of Arcangues there is a choice of 
two roads, both of which lead to the little market town of St. Pée. We 
chose the road to the right, hoping, as it is the less frequented and passes 
for the greater part of its length through a dense forest of oaks, to chance 
on a Pigeon or two or something worth shooting. We did see one lot of 
Pigeons, but much too far off; also, in the distance, a large flock of 
Peewits making their way from the coast towards the meadows, where they 
