76 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST, 
able to pitch in their projectiles, they were themselves in a 
great measure protected. This was much more dexterous 
than putting them on the top of the slope. I believe there 
were not more than a dozen large guns at each battery. 
At Nancy I saw a Missel Thrush, which I mention be- 
cause M.M. Krcoener and Fournel say it is a summer migrant. 
There is a Common Buzzard, pure white even to the claws, 
at the Museum. It was killed at St. Barthelemy marshes 
hard by. I saw another one quite as good and bought it 
for the Norwich Museum, at Metz. There are also at 
Nancy local specimens of the Hawk Owl and Tengmalm’s 
Owl, and a brace of Ring Ouzels with pied heads. I saw 
similar Ring Ouzels in Alsace, particularly in the public 
Museum at Carlsruhe, and since my return home I have 
seen several (Zoologist, s.s. 2607, 2805). Both at Metz and 
Nancy I was shown Long-tailed Titmice, with the white 
head, and without it. Fournel clings to the exploded idea 
that the nest of the Long-tailed Titmouse has two openings. 
I call it exploded, but I am not at all sure that this observant 
naturalist may not be right, in spite of the weight of testi- 
mony against him. I can say, as others have said, that I 
never saw a nest with two holes, but negative evidence is 
not worth much. See “Land and Water” of May rith, 
1872. 
The birdstuffer at Metz was M. Buchillot, and I have 
much pleasure in recommending him asa skilful taxider- 
mist. Where all retail trade is at a low ebb, bird-stuffing is 
not likely to come to the fore. He quitted the town before 
the war was over and came to England, but I hear that he 
is now set up in business at Rheims. I saw a Greater 
spotted Woodpecker brought in to him, and a Grey-headed 
Woodpecker. I had never seen the latter in the flesh 
before. It is decidedly scarcer than the Green. I was in- 
formed that the Middle spotted Woodpecker was scarcer 
than the Greater spotted. One of the latter at M. Buchillot’s 
