OBSERVATIONS AND QUERIES. 19 



very little. I shall conclude this article with extracts from the table o 

 weights my friend kindly made of the eggs sent him for identification, 

 showing some of the most noticeable frauds thereby verified. Twenty-two 

 eggs were sent, including, however, about half-a-dozen genuine Cuckoo's. 

 I take ten of the " frauds," and would remark that the identification of the 

 species in all cases agreed with the "I thiuk they are only so-and-so " of 

 myself and English friends referred to before. The weight given is in centi- 

 grammes (roughly, rather over one-seventh of a grain). 











Cuckoo's of 



same size 





Species. 





Weight. 

 c. gr. 



ought to 

 c. gr 



weigh. 



A. 



arvensis 



11 ••• 



11 m " '" 





... 21 

 ... 17 

 ... 18 

 ... 19 



24 to 



... ? j 



26 



, 



ii ■ • • 





... 22 



28 to 



30 





(Abnormally large 



egg.) 







P. 



domesticvs ... 





... 21 



24 to 



2G 





(Very heavy for 



Sp 



arrow's.) 







,, 



,, 





... 19 



22 to 



24 



,, 



, , ... ... 





... 18 



. . . 



M 



A. 



arboreus 





... 16i 



20 to 



23 



P. 



montanus 





... 13" 



20 to 



21 



One egg identified as that of A. arvensis weighed 25 centigrammes, but on 

 examination it proved to be imperfectly blown. — H. W. Marsden (40, 

 Triangle W., Bristol, February 11th, 1896). 



Little Auks Inland. — During the severe weather of the early part of 

 1895, two examples of the Little Auk (Meryulus alle) were found in Oxford- 

 shire in an exhausted condition. I do not know the exact date, or what kind 

 of weather was experienced on our coasts about that time, for I was out of 

 England myself. The Little Auk, I think, is not blown, or does not wander 

 inland so oiten as some other purely sea- coast birds, but Puffins in winter, 

 or imn.ature, dress have more than once been recorded as examples of the 

 former species. — O. V. Aplin (Bloxham, Oxon, February 4tb, 1896). 



[Lord Lilford records the occurrence in Northamptonshire of seven Little 

 Auks during January and February, 1895 (" Zoologist," February, 1895. 

 pp. 47, 48, 59).— Ed.] 



Birds at a Northamptonshire Reservoir. — When staying with my 

 brother in Northampton shire in the early part of last August, I paid several 

 visits to Byfield Reservoir, in the southern division of the county. I was 

 glad to find the Great Crested Grebe was still fairly numerous (it has bred 

 there to my knowledge for some years). J saw perhaps a dozen pairs of adult 

 and a good many young birds, but not more than two in any one brood. I 

 think pike must destroy a great many young Grebes on these inland reser- 

 voirs, as I do not at this moment remember ever having seen more than two 

 in a brood on the reservoirs of the present county, Warwickshire, and 

 Oxfordshire. Byfield, which is about 70 acres in extent, is preserved for 



