﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  427 
  

  

  AVES. 
  

   Increase 
  of 
  Goldfinches 
  in 
  Kent. 
  — 
  I 
  have 
  noticed 
  with 
  great 
  

   pleasure 
  the 
  marked 
  increase 
  of 
  Goldfinches 
  (Carduelis 
  elegans) 
  this 
  

   autumn, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time" 
  in 
  this 
  neighbourhood 
  quite 
  large 
  

   flocks 
  of 
  from 
  twenty 
  birds 
  or 
  more 
  may 
  be 
  seen 
  mingling 
  with 
  the 
  

   countless 
  numbers 
  of 
  brown 
  Linnets, 
  Chaffinches, 
  and 
  Greenfinches, 
  

   which 
  fly 
  in 
  clouds 
  from 
  the 
  hedgerows 
  and 
  stubble 
  as 
  one 
  passes. 
  

   This 
  increase 
  is, 
  I 
  conclude, 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  •' 
  Wild 
  Birds 
  Protection 
  Acts," 
  

   which, 
  I 
  believe, 
  prohibit 
  the 
  killing 
  or 
  taking 
  of 
  the 
  Goldfinch 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  — 
  D. 
  A. 
  Bannekman 
  (High 
  Croft, 
  Westerham, 
  

   Kent). 
  

  

  Crossbills 
  as 
  Cage-birds. 
  — 
  In 
  July 
  last 
  several 
  Crossbills 
  were 
  con- 
  

   signed 
  to 
  a 
  bird-dealer 
  at 
  Bury 
  St. 
  Edmunds, 
  and 
  we 
  obtained 
  a 
  red 
  

   male 
  from 
  him, 
  which 
  died 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days, 
  partly, 
  I 
  think, 
  from 
  the 
  

   intense 
  heat. 
  His 
  cage 
  was 
  hung 
  out 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  air 
  in 
  the 
  coolest 
  

   part 
  of 
  the 
  premises, 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  him 
  dead 
  one 
  sultry 
  afternoon, 
  with 
  

   his 
  tail, 
  or 
  what 
  was 
  left 
  of 
  it, 
  pointing 
  upwards, 
  as 
  if 
  he 
  had 
  simply 
  

   fallen 
  over 
  from 
  his 
  perch. 
  He 
  was 
  very 
  tame, 
  and 
  fed 
  well 
  to 
  the 
  last 
  ; 
  

   in 
  fact, 
  he 
  had 
  food 
  in 
  his 
  beak 
  when 
  he 
  died. 
  Soon 
  afterwards 
  I 
  

   obtained 
  two 
  more 
  (a 
  cock 
  and 
  hen), 
  both 
  showing 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  

   streaked 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  nestling, 
  which 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  cage, 
  

   and 
  soon 
  became 
  very 
  friendly 
  towards 
  each 
  other. 
  They 
  would 
  eat 
  

   almost 
  anything 
  — 
  ears 
  of 
  wheat 
  or 
  oats, 
  the 
  cones 
  of 
  the 
  larch 
  or 
  

   Scotch-fir, 
  beech-mast, 
  or 
  ordinary 
  seed 
  ; 
  also 
  the 
  buds 
  of 
  the 
  Scotch- 
  

   fir 
  and 
  the 
  tips 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  Larch-cones 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  preferred 
  to 
  

   all 
  other 
  food, 
  and 
  these 
  they 
  would 
  hold 
  firmly 
  to 
  the 
  perch 
  with 
  one 
  

   or 
  both 
  feet, 
  wrenching 
  open 
  the 
  scales, 
  and 
  extracting 
  the 
  seeds 
  one 
  

   by 
  one, 
  In 
  this 
  way 
  they 
  amused 
  themselves 
  for 
  hours, 
  and 
  would 
  

   allow 
  the 
  closest 
  inspection. 
  Sometimes 
  both 
  took 
  a 
  fancy 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  cone, 
  and 
  a 
  tug-of-war 
  followed, 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  hen 
  was 
  usually 
  

   victorious. 
  I 
  took 
  them 
  away 
  with 
  me 
  on 
  a 
  short 
  seaside 
  holiday, 
  and 
  

   they 
  caused 
  much 
  interest, 
  one 
  lady 
  who 
  saw 
  them 
  in 
  a 
  waiting-room 
  

   inquiring 
  if 
  they 
  were 
  young 
  Parrots. 
  Unfortunately 
  I 
  lost 
  them 
  both 
  

   on 
  Oct. 
  2nd 
  through 
  my 
  own 
  carelessness, 
  having 
  hung 
  them 
  out 
  on 
  

   the 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  without 
  making 
  the 
  door 
  of 
  their 
  cage 
  secure. 
  

   We 
  searched 
  all 
  the 
  conifers 
  near 
  the 
  house 
  with 
  binoculars, 
  but 
  could 
  

   not 
  see 
  or 
  hear 
  anything 
  of 
  them 
  ; 
  so 
  doubtless, 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  they 
  gained 
  

   their 
  liberty, 
  the 
  irresistible 
  "Call 
  of 
  the 
  Wild" 
  made 
  itself 
  heard, 
  and 
  

   they 
  moved 
  on 
  towards 
  the 
  south. 
  I 
  much 
  regretted 
  their 
  loss, 
  as 
  the 
  

   cock-bird 
  especially 
  was 
  a 
  most 
  delightful 
  and 
  intelligent 
  pet, 
  and 
  I 
  

   was 
  not 
  without 
  hope 
  that 
  with 
  plenty 
  of 
  fresh 
  air 
  and 
  a 
  liberal 
  supply 
  

  

  * 
  October 
  loth. 
  

  

  