218 HISTORY OP THE EARLY LIFE OF A HEDGEHOG. 



where it remained ten days at St. Mary's Terrace. Miss Abbs 

 returned to Oatlands on the 1 3th ; of course bringing Peter with 

 her. Travelling did not disconcert hirn at all, as he would come 

 out of his basket when the train was going at express speed, 

 take a drink of milk from a saucer carried for him, and then 

 creep back into his basket. At Oatlands a nest was made for 

 him in the grounds, where he now roams at perfect liberty, no 

 doubt astonishing his own species, of which there are a large 

 number in the garden, with accounts of his travels and adven- 

 tures. For two or three weeks he was pleased to occupy the 

 nest provided for him, but now he has found more congenial 

 quarters, and only returns every evening to eat his supper of 

 bread, milk, and fruit, which is regularly put ready for him. 



VI. — Miscellanea. 



Note on a curious proceeding of a Bullfinch. — On the 7th of 

 July, 1888, at eight o'clock a.m., as Miss Abbs (our visitor and 

 friend) was on her way to the Lodge she observed one small bird 

 busy with another small bird, killing it. She went and took up 

 the dead one, which was a young well-fledged Chaffinch, and 

 brought it in to me, and told the story. My first impression was 

 it must have been the work of a Shrike. The head of the Chaf- 

 finch was the only part injured ; the brain was protruding from 

 the skull, which was broken. As Miss Abbs did not know what 

 the bird was that had done the work, I proposed at once that we 

 should take the dead Chaffinch (which was still warm) out and 

 lay it down just where it had been killed, and probably the de- 

 stroyer would come to it again, which it did in less time than I 

 can describe it. A male Bullfinch, sure enough, came, and car- 

 ried off the dead Chaffinch by the neck. This last act left no 

 doubt in our minds who the culprit was. — John Hancock, Oat- 

 lands, Surrey. 



On Two Wild Hylrids recently captured in Northumberland. — 

 1. Wild Hybrid between the Yellow Bunting and the Reed 



