380 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Europe ' and ' Siberia in Asia ') of the interbreeding of the Hooded and 

 Carrion Crows, which always takes place where the breeding areas of 

 the two meet, as iu Siberia and in the South of Scotland. In the 

 same way, Mr. Seebohm believes (Hist. Brit. Birds, part ii. p. 595) that 

 great numbers of closely allied races and species — e.g. the Grey Shrike and 

 Pallas 's Grey Shrike — produce hybrids where they meet. Hybrids frequently 

 take so closely after one or other of their parents as to be practically indis- 

 tinguishable from them, as in the case of the hybrids between two species 

 of gull, bred in Somersetshire by Mr. Cecil Smith (Zool. 1881, p. 450), 

 or as in the case of the Hooded and Carrion Crow. On the other hand, 

 hybrids occasionally do not exhibit the characters of either parent. 

 1 lately saw in Mr. Wm. Borrer's collection a hybrid between a Shelduck 

 and a Wild Duck, the identity of which would certainly not have been 

 guessed from its plumage. Another marked instance of this kind in the 

 case of the Shelduck and one of the South-African Ruddy Shelducks has 

 occurred in the Zoological Gardens (hybrid figured by Wolf, Proc. Zool. Soc. 

 1859 ; description, p. 442). Hybridism among ducks in confinement is a 

 very wide field. Ducks will pair with their hybrid offspring, but hybrid 

 ducks are not fertile among themselves. — J. H. Gurney, jun. (Northrepps, 

 Norwich). 



Wren utilising a Swallow's Nest. — Noticing a Wren often flying in 

 and out of a shed last week, I found that it had adapted a Swallow's nest 

 to its own requirements. I have known of a House Sparrow's nest being 

 similarly used, but have not previously observed a Swallow's thus taken 

 possession of. In my note last month on a "bold attack by a Partridge" 

 (p. 336), for " Karlstad" read " Karlsbad."— E. F. Becher (Southwell). 



Black Guillemot in Co. Cork. — I secured a Black Guillemot, Uria 

 grylle, in immature plumage, on the 21st July last, outside Glandore 

 Harbour. The breast and under parts white, slightly speckled with 

 greyish black ; wing-coverts white. Length, 12£ in. ; wing, 5f in. ; bill at 

 front, 1 in. ; tarsus, 1 \ in. Weight, 12 oz. Bill black; irides brown ; legs 

 dusky brown. — C. Donovan, jun. (Myross Wood, Leap, Co. Cork). 



[The Black Guillemot is found all round the Irish coast, and is stated 

 by Thompson to be permanently resident. — Ed.] 



Variety of Redwing. — The Rev. W. Becher, of Southwell, on the 11th 

 December last, shot a very beautiful variety of this bird, which he has kindly 

 presented to me. It has all the ordinary markings in chestnut colour on a 

 light cream ground, the feathers under the wings being unusually bright. — 

 J. Whitaker (Rainworth Lodge, near Mansfield). 



Late nesting of the Nightjar.— Whilst walking across Strensall 

 Common on August l'Jth, I flushed a Nightjar from the ground, whilst 



