NOTES AND QUERIES. 267 



second was sent alive to my father on the 15th November last from 

 Cambridge, by Mr. F. Daggett, who states that he is quite familiar with 

 this kind of hybrid from having obtained similar examples. This bird 

 seems to be a male, Hke the Yarmouth one ; it has the Linnet's head, but 

 with rather a stouter beak than a Linnet; the colour of the head and neck 

 is like a Linnet's, but the wings and tail are more like those of a 

 Greenfinch. It is slightly darker than Mr. Stevenson's bird, and of rather 

 a stouter build. The third specimen, which is also apparently a male, was 

 caught with some Siskins at Taverham, neai Norwich, on the 15th 

 December last. It is a much yellower and more slender bird than the 

 Cambridgeshire example, and in fact shows no colouring which can with 

 certainty be assigned to the Linnet. In the opinion of its owner it is a 

 hybrid between a Greenfinch and a Siskin. An instance of such a hybrid 

 in captivity has been reported by the Rev. H. A. Macpherson (Zool. 1883, 

 p. 339). I hesitate to express an opinion about it, but incline to think it is 

 what the owner supposes. It must be borne in mind that the colour of the 

 plumage in hybrids is not always a certain indication of parentage; this has 

 been proved more than once in the case of hybrids bred in confinement, 

 whose parents were known ; but as the bird in question was caught with 

 some Siskins there seems nothing improbable in the assumption that a 

 Siskin was one of its parents. That the other parent was a Greenfinch is 

 evident. I may add, for the benefit of those interested in Hybrid Finches, 

 that a paper on the subject bj' Mr. Macpherson will appear in the forthcoming 

 number of the ' Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' 

 Society,' in which every cross known to have bred in confinement will be 

 noticed, with other particulars. — J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Keswick Hall, 

 Norwich). 



Plover's Nests with five Eggs, — Plovers' nests containing five eggs 

 are of suflicieutly rare occurrence to be noticed, and amongst the large 

 number of nests I have come across I have only found two with more than 

 four eggs. One last year had five, all of which were of the same ground- 

 colour, and the markings were so much alike that I am perfectly satisfied 

 they were all laid by the same bird ; tlie fifth egg was smaller than the 

 others. Last week I found a second nest containing five eggs, four of 

 which were long-shaped ones, rich dark cream-colour, with large dark 

 blotches; the filth was pear-shaped, very thick at the larger end, and with 

 a paler ground colour and small spots. This egg was no doubt (as often 

 happens) laid by a different bird. — J. Whitakeu (Rainworth Lodge, near 

 Rainworthj. 



Jackdaw taking possession of Magpie's Nest,— -('n May 9th, whilst 

 walking through a wood, I taw a Jackdaw leave what appeared to be a 

 newly-built Magpie's nest, at the top of a tall larch-fir. Having ascended 



