NOTES AND QUERIES. 333 



had doubtless been taken being partially worked up into the substance of 

 the nest: yet the nests of the Short-tailed Field Mice found in summer 

 when the grass is cut, rarely if ever (at least according to my experience) 

 contaiu fur. It seems not unlikely that the first spriug litters requiring 

 a warmer material for their bed than grass the parents have recourse to fur 

 (turning departed friends and relations to account), or if these are not at the 

 time available, utilising the fur of any dead animals they may chance to 

 fall in with, this material being discarded as the season advances. The 

 caged female mentioned above worked some cotton-wool into her nest, — - 

 otherwise composed of hay, — biting off the latter and mixing the two 

 substances so intimately together as to form a sort of felt. — G. T. Rope 

 (Blaxhall, Suffolk). 



BIRDS. 



Erroneous Report of Demoiselle Crane in Somersetshire.— At the 

 request of my friend Mr. Howard Saunders I made some enquiries as to the 

 reported occurrence of this bird near Wincanton, in the county of Somerset, 

 a notice of which appeared in 'The Zoologist' for 1876 (p. 4928), copied 

 from ' Science Gossip' of the same year (p. 66). Through the Curator of 

 our Museum I have received two letters on the subject. One, dated Hor- 

 wood, near Wincanton, June 6th, 1883, signed by Mr. W.Galpin, as follows : 

 — " The supposed Numidian Crane [!] was found by Mr. Henry Dyke, son 

 of the late Mr. John Dyke, of Myland. He described it to Mr. William 

 Herridge, now of Ainger Farm, Cucklington, who consulted ' Cassell's Natural 

 History,' and sent the note to ' Science Gossip.' I have written to Mr. Dyke, 

 asking whether the bird was preserved, by whom else it was seen, and other 

 particulars, and herewith enclose his reply. The persons whom he names 

 as having also inspected it are both dead." The other letter, dated May 3rd, 

 1883, is from Mr. H. Dyke : — " In reply to your letter respecting the bird, 

 I do not remember very much about it. We kept it several days, and then 

 it was thrown away. Father and Mr. Jukes both said they had never seen 

 such a bird before. It was some kind of an Heron, but had such a very 

 long tuft on its breast. I cannot say more about it, as I do not remember." 

 I think it worth while to send you the result of this investigation, for the 

 occurrence of Grus virgo in Somerset still stands in both ' The Zoologist ' 

 and ' Science Gossip,' and might lead to difficulties in future, especially as 

 the record has been perpetuated in ' The Ibis List of British Birds,' and in 

 the last number of ' Yarrell' received this morning, though in neither of 

 these works is the bird considered fairly entitled to a place in the British 

 list. I think, however, that all ornithologists will now agree with me that 

 this reported occurrence of Grus virgo must be considered " not proven." 

 It is a pity that records of the occurrence of rare birds should be made on 

 such very unsatisfactory evidence. I have not thought it worth while to 



