74 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
from pinioned parents), there are, on the water in this park, two wild 
Goldeneyes, an immature male and a female, and a fine old female Scaup, 
which have been here more than twelve months. The Scaup paired with 
a pinioned male, but, though she remained here, did not nest, as I 
thought possible. These wild Goldeneyes and the Scaup in hard weather, 
with other pinioned birds of their kinds, have often dived for maize 
within half a gun-shot of where I was standing. There is also here a fine 
wild Greylag, which I first saw on Christmas Day. He was then in 
company with some tamed Wild Geese of different species, bnt on the 
following day he was seen standing away from the others in the most open 
part of the park. I have full-winged Bean Geese, White-fronted, Pink- 
footed, and Canada Geese, which seem quite reconciled to the place; but 
Brent Geese always leave me as soon as their feathers grow. A pair of 
full-winged Bean Geese nested here last summer. Half the eggs I left 
with the old goose; the others I placed under ahen. All were addled, 
except one, from which the hen hatched and reared a fine gosling. ‘These 
Bean Geese are fairly tame, and will fly to me whenever they expect food, 
though, from their shabby plumage when I got them two years ago, I 
considered them wild-caught birds, their flight-feathers being worn down 
to the stumps, as I have seen in other wildfowl which have been netted and 
sent over in large quantites from the Continent. I feel certain that a pair 
of my pinioned Goldeneyes nested here last summer, though I could not 
discover the nest. The duck disappeared for several weeks in July (I have 
mislaid my notes giving exact dates), only joining the drake for a short 
time in the afternoon or evening, when his welcome on her approach, and 
her hurried way of washing and feeding, left no doubt in my mind that 
they had a nest in a thick plantation, into which she used to vanish, 
swimming up a stream that flows through it. After several weeks she 
ceased to appear at all, and I think must have been taken by a fox, or 
have died, perhaps, on her nest, as the drake remained on the same pool. 
I had put up boxes for them, but they were not used by the Goldeneyes, 
though one was occupied by a Mandarin Drake and a Carolina Duck, both 
full-winged. ‘Their eggs, which I took, proved addled.—W. H. S17. QuINTIN 
(Scampston Hall, York). 
The Black Redstart in London.—Towards the end of November last, 
a Black Redstart (Ruticilla tithys) made its appearance in the grounds of 
the Natural History Museum at South Kensington, and remained there 
until the snow covered the ground on January 8th. It was frequently seen 
from the windows of the ground-floor rooms, either perched on the railings 
within a few yards of the windows, or flitting about amongst the shrubs in 
company with Sparrows and occasionally a Blue Tit. To the credit of the 
authorities be it said, no attempt was made to convert it into “a specimen ’ 
for the British collection, and had it not been for the snow in all probability 
