﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  457 
  

  

  nest 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  with 
  five 
  eggs 
  inside 
  an 
  old 
  Fieldfare's 
  nest. 
  — 
  F. 
  C. 
  E. 
  

   Jourdain 
  (Clifton 
  Vicarage, 
  Ashburne, 
  Derbyshire). 
  

  

  Serins 
  at 
  Dover. 
  — 
  On 
  Nov. 
  16th 
  I 
  received 
  a 
  live 
  Serin 
  [Serinus 
  

   hortulunus), 
  which 
  had 
  been 
  caught 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  before 
  by 
  a 
  birdcatcher 
  

   at 
  Dover, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  since 
  heard 
  that 
  a 
  second 
  example 
  was 
  taken 
  at 
  

   the 
  same 
  place 
  on 
  the 
  day 
  I 
  received 
  mine. 
  Both 
  these 
  birds 
  were 
  

   associating 
  with 
  Linnets. 
  — 
  D. 
  Seth- 
  Smith 
  (Canning 
  Road, 
  Addis- 
  

   combe, 
  Croydon). 
  

  

  Cirl-Bunting 
  in 
  Worcestershire 
  and 
  Shropshire. 
  — 
  During 
  the 
  past 
  

   summer, 
  from 
  April 
  24th 
  onwards, 
  I 
  have 
  frequently 
  heard 
  the 
  song 
  

   of 
  the 
  Cirl-Bunting 
  (Emberiza 
  cirlus) 
  in 
  this 
  neighbourhood. 
  So 
  far 
  I 
  

   have 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  locate 
  probably 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  — 
  one 
  on 
  

   the 
  Wribbenhall 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  Severn, 
  another 
  near 
  Dowles 
  Church 
  

   (both 
  of 
  which 
  localities 
  are 
  in 
  Worcestershire), 
  and 
  still 
  more 
  frequently 
  

   one 
  was 
  heard 
  singing 
  on 
  the 
  open 
  land 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  my 
  house, 
  

   which 
  is 
  within 
  the 
  Shropshire 
  boundary. 
  — 
  J. 
  Steele-Elliott 
  (Dowles 
  

   Manor, 
  Worcestershire). 
  

  

  Starling 
  (Sturnus 
  vulgaris) 
  building 
  in 
  November. 
  — 
  That 
  this 
  well- 
  

   kuown 
  species 
  will 
  sometimes 
  rear 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  broods 
  in 
  a 
  season 
  has 
  

   been 
  commented 
  upon 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  in 
  these 
  pages, 
  but 
  the 
  following 
  

   note 
  may 
  be 
  of 
  interest. 
  In 
  the 
  early 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  

   Starlings 
  nested 
  in 
  a 
  hole 
  near 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  chimneys 
  of 
  this 
  house, 
  and 
  

   almost 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  the 
  young 
  were 
  able 
  to 
  fly 
  either 
  the 
  same 
  or 
  another 
  

   pair 
  of 
  birds 
  built 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  position, 
  and 
  successfully 
  reared 
  a 
  

   brood. 
  For 
  a 
  week 
  or 
  two 
  after 
  this 
  second 
  family 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  leave 
  

   the 
  nest 
  the 
  place 
  seemed 
  deserted, 
  but 
  early 
  this 
  month 
  (November), 
  

   at 
  the 
  dawn 
  of 
  day, 
  I 
  heard 
  the 
  long-drawn 
  sighing 
  love-song, 
  as 
  well 
  

   as 
  that 
  gurgling 
  sort 
  of 
  twitter 
  — 
  reminding 
  one 
  of 
  dripping 
  water 
  — 
  so 
  

   indicative 
  of 
  spring-time, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  casual 
  observation 
  revealed 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  nesting 
  operations 
  were 
  again 
  in 
  progress, 
  the 
  old 
  building 
  

   being 
  repaired 
  with 
  portions 
  of 
  straw, 
  &c, 
  tbat 
  had 
  fallen 
  upon 
  a 
  roof 
  

   beneath 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  part 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  

   — 
  which, 
  from 
  its 
  singing, 
  I 
  supposed 
  was 
  the 
  male 
  — 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  grey 
  

   garb 
  of 
  immaturity. 
  It 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  a 
  precocious 
  scion 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  earlier 
  broods, 
  but 
  is 
  it 
  usual 
  for 
  the 
  species 
  to 
  breed 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  

   " 
  solitary 
  Thrush 
  " 
  condition 
  of 
  plumage 
  ? 
  I 
  believe 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid, 
  

   and 
  the 
  hen 
  was 
  "sitting," 
  as 
  I 
  several 
  times 
  watched 
  the 
  grey 
  bird 
  

   visit 
  the 
  nest-hole, 
  as 
  if 
  with 
  food 
  in 
  its 
  beak, 
  and 
  once 
  or 
  twice 
  I 
  saw 
  

   the 
  darker 
  one 
  leave 
  the 
  place 
  quickly 
  and 
  soon 
  return. 
  The 
  probability 
  

   is 
  that 
  the 
  severe 
  frosts 
  of 
  the 
  last 
  few 
  nights 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  an 
  

   Zool. 
  Mh 
  ser. 
  vol. 
  VIII., 
  December, 
  1904. 
  2 
  n 
  

  

  