NOTKS AND QUERIES. 259 



Black-game killed on the Railway.— A bird-stuffing engine-driver in 

 our parish showed me a brace of Black Grouse picked up on the line near 

 Thoruhill, Dumfries, after having been knocked down by an engine. Tlie 

 black cock turned the scale at 3 lbs. 5 oz. Is not tins method of destruction 

 unusual ? The grey hen was crushed considerably, the spine being broken. 

 — H. A. Macphkrson (Carlisle). 



Grey Skrike and Waxwings in Aberdeenshire.— A specimen of the 

 Great Grey Shrike was shot at Banchory, near Aberdeen, on February 8th, 

 and a pair of Waxwings also were obtained near Aberdeen. Another Wax- 

 wing was shot near Edinburgh some time in January last. — J. Whitaker 

 (Rainworth Lodge, Mansfield). 



Swallows returning to their old Nests.— In Gould's ' Birds of Great 

 Britain' there is an accouut of a House Martin returning to its old nests, 

 to which my name is attached, which I communicated to Mr. Gould some 

 thirty years ago when a lad at school. I was asked the other day if this 

 was authentic, and think it right to let it be known that I believe it is not, 

 but only a trick played by one of the boys. — Philip Crowley (Croydon). 



[If our correspondent has good reason to believe that he was deceived, 

 it is of course desirable to correct the statement made by him in good faith. 

 At the same time we may remark that there is nothing at all improbable 

 in the story. It has been proved many times, by catching the birds and 

 marking them, that Swallows and Swifts return year after year to their old 

 nests, and details of a satisfactory experiment of this kind with a pair of 

 Chimney Swallows at Stroud will be found reported in ' The Field ' of 

 June 4th, 1881.— Ed.] 



Mealy Redpoll with curved Mandibles.— I have recently received a 

 Mealy Redpoll, apparently an old female, netted at Skipton, Yorkshire, in 

 which both mandibles curve over one another in Crossbill fashion. 1 do not 

 recollect anything similar recorded of this species, and therefore venture to 

 mention it. — H. A. Macphlrson (Carlisle). 



REPTILE S. 

 Snakes eating Fish. — One of my Snakes, Coluber matrix, is sufficiently 

 tame to feed from my hand. About a fortnight ago he captured a Stickle- 

 back in a large aquarium, and experienced little difficulty in devouring it, 

 though the spines were erect. The fish was devoured head foremost. 

 Yesterday the Snake, which in girth is not greater than a large Stickleback, 

 enjoyed a similar repast. Another Snake of the same species several times 

 tried to swallow another of these prickly little fish, but could not do so as 

 it had seized the fish by the tail. The Snakes caught the fish without any 

 assistance from me. — C. A. Witchkll (Stroud). 



