154 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



district was brought to my notice. A few Crossbills were still here, 

 or near here, so late as the last week in February. I saw a Little Auk 

 in February last which had flown against the telegraph wire and 

 killed itself, and a Goldfinch was seen here by one of my sons. I am 

 quite certain I saw Coues's Redpoll {Gannahina eccilipes) feeding on 

 the seeds of Spiraea in the wood near here in October. It was 

 certainly not a Mealy Eedpoll, its rump being much too purely white. 

 It suffered me to approach within a very few feet before it flew away. 

 This genus is passionately fond of the seeds of Spiraea. I have seen 

 a good many Mealy EedpoUs at very irregular periods about here, but 

 their rumps are streaked, not white. — E. P. Butteefield (Wilsden). 



Food of the Black-Headed Gull— In the ' Zoologist ' for 1907, 

 p. 387, I recorded the behaviour of the Black-Headed Gulls on the 

 moors in Upper Wharfedale, from which I inferred that they were 

 trying to take the eggs of the Lapwing, although I had no direct 

 testimony to this effect. Whenever the Gulls flew near the nests 

 of the Lapwings, they were invariably driven off, much as I have 

 seen Cuckoos driven when in the neighbourhood of the nests of 

 Meadow Pipits, only to fly to a comparatively short distance, and, 

 quickly returning, to be repulsed again. A few days ago I had a 

 letter from a friend, who states that this species is " an inveterate 

 (perhaps he is wrong here) egg-robber. I noted one last season take 

 the eggs of the Lapwing, as well as those of the Redshank." I 

 quite believe this Gull is changing its habits, and has been for some 

 years. — E. P. Butteefield. 



Abnormal Nesting of the Wren. — Referring to the ' Zoologist ' of 

 1914, p. 433, and 1915, p. 35, I found two similar nests of the Wren 

 last season near here, both built right inside stone bridges, in 

 situations similar to such as are usually selected by Titmice, and 

 without any roofs whatever ; and was shown another built in 

 a wall surrounding a reservoir near Bingley. I found " cock nests " 

 within a few yards of the former two nests, but these were not 

 used except for sleeping purposes at night. Perhaps such nests 

 as those described above are not as scarce as one would suppose. 

 The difficulty of finding them may to some extent account for 

 their apparent scarcity. Amongst the curious traits in the economy 

 of this species is the habit of occasionally appropriating the nests 

 of other species — two of such appropriated nests I have met with, 

 viz., that of a Whitethroat and that of a Garden- Warbler or a 

 Blackcap. — E. P. Butteefield. 



