NOTES AND QUERIES. 103 



Linnet, Linota cannabina, of which he believed no example had been 

 recorded. The bird in question had been reared by Mr. George Davis, of 

 St. AJdate Street, Gloucester, who stated that the male parent was the 

 Siskin, and that previous to nesting, the birds had been kept together in the 

 same cage for six months. The case, of course, would have been more 

 remarkable had the hybrid been met with in the wild state. — Ed. 



Variation of Habit in the Blue Titmouse. — Early in February last, 

 near New Eltham, and about 8 a.m., I noticed two Blue Tits, Parus 

 cceruleus, flying from tree to tree along the road in the direction of my 

 walk. The leading bird, which appeared to be a male, frequently uttered 

 call-notes ; the other, which I presumed to be a female, was comparatively 

 silent. The leading bird, after flying for a little distance in the usual 

 jerky manner of the species, would suddenly extend his wings and hold them 

 motionless, so that he might be said to soar along, in which position the 

 upward curving of the long feathers was clearly visible. Sometimes he 

 travelled in this way for only a few feet, sometimes for as much as ten 

 yards. Once when he was sailing along a male House Sparrow flew at 

 him, and made three or four attempts to peck him in the air; but the Tit 

 with much agility avoided the attack, and he then perched in a chestnut 

 tree, closely followed by the Sparrow ; but the latter, though not more than 

 a foot distant from the Tit, took no further notice of him. On the following 

 morning, near the same place, I saw two Blue Tits, and one of them came 

 from a position about half-way up an elm-tree, and descended in a graceful 

 swoop on motionless wings to a lamp-post on the other side of the road. 

 On no other occasion have I seen any Titmouse exhibit this peculiar gliding 

 flight, which in this case was presumably intended for the purpose of 

 display ; but if such behaviour is likely to incite the attacks of other 

 species, it probably will never become prevalent in the Tit. It is, of course, 

 with some other birds habitual. — Chaeles A. Witchell (Eltham, Kent). 



Red-backed Shrike : Correction of Errors. — As I was unfortunately 

 unable to revise the proof of my article on the Red-backed Shrike (p. 70), 

 I should be much obliged if readers of ' The Zoologist ' would make the 

 following corrections in it: — A passage at the bottom of p. 70, beginning 

 with the words " aud I may add," and ending at the top of p. 71 with 

 " parts of the body," should have formed a foot-note. This passage should 

 therefore now be enclosed in square brackets. On p. 73, line 3, for mouth 

 read mantle. Same page, line 37, for nesting read nestling. On p. 74, 

 line 14, for to the webs read both webs. — 0. V. Aplin (Bloxham, Oxouj. 



FISHES. 

 Tunny Fish in the Solway Firth.— The appearance of a Tunny 

 (Orcynus thynnus) of considerable size in the Solway Firth is perhaps 

 deserving of notice in ' The Zoologist.' The fish in question was stranded 



