NOTES AND QUERIES. 127 



The Mealy Redpoll in Norway. — As the Rev. H. H. Slater mentions 

 (p. 11) that he only once satisfactorily identified the Mealy Redpoll, it is 

 perhaps noteworthy that late in July, 1878, this species was very plentiful 

 at Hjerkinu and other stations on the Dovre. The young birds were very 

 familiar : I frequently observed them perching upon palings close to and 

 sometimes on the roof of the stations. They appeared to be feeding on 

 grass-seeds. — H. A. Macphlorson (Carlisle). 



Nocturnal Movements of the Coot. — While stayiug at Stackpole 

 Court, Pembrokeshire, on the 23rd January last (a bright moonlight night, 

 with a light wind from S.E., time 12.45 a.m.), I observed from my window, 

 about ninety feet from the water below, a large black object, about twenty 

 feet long and six feet broad, moving through the water at the rate of about 

 two or three miles an hour in various directions ; there was a good deal of 

 splashing about the tail and sides of the object. I called Lord Kensington's 

 attention to it; it had the appearance of some large fish, — a shark or some- 

 thing of that sort, — and, as we could not make out what it was, we went 

 down to the water's edge to investigate, and found it was a mass of Bald 

 Coots, which dispersed on seeing and hearing us. Looking down from the 

 window above there was no interval perceptible between the birds, who were 

 in one solid black mass. After returning to the house we watched them 

 for half an hour from the window ; they all crowded together again, and 

 continued their gyrations about the water in different directions, both up 

 and down wind. — H. W. Campbell (44, Charles Street, Berkeley Square). 



Late Stay of Swift in South Wales. — Swifts should be gone before 

 October, but I saw one here repeatedly in that month and even later, always 

 in the same place, close to the Cathedral. The following are the dates of 

 which I made notes of having seen it: — Oct. 25th and 2oth; the 30th, 

 a cold and cloudy day ; again on Nov. 2nd (stormy, with heavy showers) ; 

 and lastly, Nov. 10th (bright and clear, but cold). I was unable to look 

 for it between Nov. 2nd and 10th. — H. Rogers (Llandaff). 



Hybrid between Greenfinch and Linnet. — A year or two ago I placed 

 in the westeru aviary of the Zoological Gardens a female example of this 

 hybrid, which, for aught I know to the contrary, may still be living there. 

 Another was netted near Reading a few years since, and passed into the 

 possession of my correspondent, Mr. S. Salter, jun., who recently informed 

 me that it exhibited the rosy or carmine breast of the male Linnet in 

 breeding plumage. — H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



Great Snipe in Nottinghamshire. — A Solitary Snipe was shot on 

 October 3rd at Hickling in this county ; it was in good plumage and 

 weighed eight ounces and a half. This is only its second occurrence in 

 Nottinghamshire. — J. Whitaker (Rainworth). 



