300 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



The only other recorded occurrence of the species in this county I know 

 of is one reported from Avonmouth by Mr. Wheeler in the ' Proceedings 

 of the Bristol Naturalists' Society' (vol. i., part 3). — H. W. Marsden 

 (37, Midland Road, Gloucester.). 



Mimicry of the Corn Bunting. — When birdsnesting on the Upper 

 Rhine, near Mulheini, I found the Corn Bunting abundantly established 

 on the lower grounds. During great heat the males sang incessantly (their 

 mates were sitting), perching indifferently on the ground, on low bushes 

 and rails, on the tops of walnut trees, and on the telegraph-wires. Their 

 song seemed to be identical with the dialect of those I had met with at 

 hotne, with a single exception. On June 19th a Corn Bunting perching on 

 a telegraph-wire poured forth a liquid and sweet song, embodying the notes 

 of the Crested Lark, which latter species is resident, though scarce, in that 

 district. That the Reed Bunting has a good ear and can be trained to sing 

 the Sky Lark's song I have recorded elsewhere, but I never suspected the 

 Corn Bunting of a similar capacity. — H. A. Macpherson. 



Spring Moult of the Wheatear.— It appears that Wheatears occa- 

 sionally, if not always, moult their tail-quills after their arrival in this 

 country on the spring migration. Many examples procured at that season 

 are found to have the distal portion of these feathers of a brownish black, 

 more or less worn at the extremity, the broad buff edges or tips carried on 

 their departure after the autumn moult having either entirely or almost 

 worn off; some again have broad, almost white, tips to the feathers, these 

 being at the same time black and glossy ; others have mixed tails, consisting 

 of feathers in both conditions. A male in my possession, shot in Sussex on 

 the 7th April, has the quills of the wings and tails very brown those of the 

 latter being dark to the extremity, the buff feather edgings having worn off. 

 Another, procured on March 18th, has blacker feathers (probably to be 

 accounted for in this case by a difference of age), but still untipped. Of 

 some three examples from North Wales, shot on April 29tli, one is a 

 female having three new tipped feathers ; the others are males, one having 

 an entirely old untipped tail, the other one new tipped feather, and all the 

 rest old. A Sussex male, 7th April, has the first four on the right side 

 tipped light, and another from the same locality, I9th March, which still 

 retains much of tlie brown edgings to the dorsal plumage, has all the tail- 

 feathers tipped, with the exception of the third and fourth on the right side. 

 A third male, 5th May, has the four outside feathers on the right side dark 

 to the extremities, the colour being rather brown and the feathers old and 

 worn in appearance; the rest shorter than these, blacker in tint, new and 

 glossy in appearance, and all tipped with white. This last bird was clearly 

 moulting its tail, and I am inclined to think that all the examples showing 

 mixed tails were similarly engaged at the time they were procured. The 



