NOTES AND QUERIES. Ill 



appeared perfectly at home and comfortable. Again, from the 17th of 

 December to the 7th of January the frost continued with very little 

 intermission and some heavy falls of snow, but the Green Sandpipers 

 seemed totally unaffected by it, not even losing their customary wildness, 

 and generally flying a long distance when disturbed. I seldom shoot these 

 birds, but those 1 have examined, killed in winter, were always in good 

 condition. The Snipe apparently felt the recent long-continued frost 

 much more than the Green Sandpipers, those I killed being in very poor 

 condition. They lay exceedingly close, and when flushed only flew a short 

 distance slowly and heavily, off"ering the easiest of shots. — G. H. Caton 

 Haigh (Grainsby Hall, Great Grimsby). 



Crossbills at Rynn, Rosenallis, Queen's County. — On Sept. 23rd 

 a flock of Crossbills visited a belt of spruce-fir trees near the house, perching 

 on tiie fir-cones and pecking out the seeds, twittering and throwing down 

 the cones in numbers. On Sept. 24th Mr. Croasdaile shot three out of the 

 flock, one reddish cock with a fine large bill, one yellowish cock, and a hen ; 

 the two cocks were sent to Messrs. Wilhams, Dame Street, Dublin, to be 

 stuffed. Many of them broke off the cones from the branches, and carrying 

 them close to the stem of the tree pecked out the seeds there. They kept 

 up a constant twittering and chirping, and sometimes one of the cock birds 

 would sing a short song from the top of a spruce. They had young ones 

 with them, which they fed while perched on the branches of the firs, and 

 were still at Kyme on October 30th. — Anna Croasdaile (Ryme, Queen's 

 County). 



Little Bustard in Sussex. — A fine specimen of the Little Bustard, 

 Otis tetrax, was shot in a turnip-field by Mr. Coote, at Clymping, near 

 Arundel, Sussex, in October last. Photographs have been obligingly 

 forwarded me by Mr. Hobgen, of Chichester, placing the identity of the 

 species beyond a doubt. It has been well preserved by Mr. Henry George, 

 taxidermist, of that town. — Percy E. Coombk (23, Carlyle Square, S.W.). 



Varieties of Common Wild Ducks. — Two very beautiful varieties 

 (duck and mallard) of the Common Wild Duck were caught last December 

 in the decoy at Park Hall. The mallard had the head and neck white, 

 a green patch under each eye and one or two on the back of the head ; 

 back white, with a band of dark grey between wings ; wing-coverts grey- 

 bro\vn ; wings white ; tail with two white curled feathers, the others of the 

 normal colour: thighs salmon-colour; breast white, crossed with a band of 

 a salmon-grey colour. The duck was a pale slate-colour, each feather edged 

 with bright chestnut; the wings dark slate-colour, with the speculum very 

 pale grey, edged with white at the top. — J. Whitakkr (Rainworth Lodge, 

 near Mansfield, Notts. j. 



