Birds. 2145 



have not noticed what seemed to me to be rather a curious circumstance connected 

 with them, namely, the small number of female birds among them. Out of about a 

 dozen examples that I met with, either dead or alive, and at various times during the 

 season, I believe only three were hens. I cannot, however, tell at all what was the 

 proportion between the sexes when in the flocks, as at that season they differ but little 

 from each other. In habits they seem to resemble the lesser redpole, but are in gene- 

 ral, T think, wilder. In conclusion I have to remark that both mountain finches and 

 siskins abounded during the past winter. About the second week in January we were 

 visited by large trips of golden plovers : these stayed but a few days, and after that 

 our ordinary few only were seen. The number of wild geese over was very small, and 

 bore no proportion to that of the year before ; but the quantities of fieldfares and red- 

 wings were much the same. — Alfred Newton ; Eheden, May 1, 1848. 



Singular Situation of the Nest of a Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). — A starling has 

 this year built its nest in a hole on the fifth story of a large flax mill, in this town 

 (Belfast). The nest contained five eggs when first examined, and they have been 

 since hatched in safety. The parent birds seem to be neither disturbed by the noise 

 of the machinery, nor do they regard the number of people in the locality, for I learn 

 that they chose nearly the same spot for building in last year. — Robert Taylor ; Clif- 

 ton Ville, Belfast, May 16, 1848. 



Note on the Building of the Rook (Corvus frugilegus). — It has long been a popular 

 belief that the rook regularly lays the " first stick " of its nest on the 1st day of March, 

 but I find that the bird is not generally so very punctual in this respect as people sup- 

 pose it to be. For a number of years past I have observed that it is generally a day 

 or two after the first of the month before the rooks begin in this quarter to build, al- 

 though indeed I believe they have on some rare occasions been observed at work in 

 the latter end of February. Never, however, have I been so much struck with their 

 delay as during the present season. I have this year had ample opportunities of ob- 

 servation, as I regularly pass two rookeries three or four — sometimes five or six — times 

 every day, on my way betwixt my home and the town ; and I therefore resolved to 

 avail myself of the advantages thus afforded. Accordingly, when February was draw- 

 ing to a close, I kept a good look-out after the operations of my black neighbours ; 

 but it was the 5th of March before any stir was observable amongst them, and of that 

 date the following note appears in my ' Journal of Observations :' — " Observed the 

 crows in Perthroad, &c, to be very noisy and busy, seemingly preparing to build." 

 But even after that time, day after day was I disappointed in seeing no earnest of their 

 having begun to build, until at last, on the morning of the 13th, I saw several of them 

 stalking about on the grass at White-leys, with twigs in their bills. About a week af- 

 terwards several of the nests were visible on the trees, but even at the present time 

 some of them seem scarcely completed. On the 2nd of April current I saw several 

 rooks carrying twigs as I passed. They seem to work most in the mornings. It would 

 be interesting to know whether the rooks have been generally so late in building this 

 season. From the state of advancement in which I saw the nests at Baldovan, and 

 likewise those at Gray, about the middle of the month of March, I am inclined to 

 suspect that they were begun earlier at both of those places than here, but I have no 

 means of obtaining decided information. The intelligent gardener at Gray, Mr. W. 

 Chalmers, told me that the rooks had been later this season, but he had taken no note 

 of dates. I may add that, since beginning to build, our Dundee rooks have become 

 very bold, and alight with impunity in streets where there is considerable traffic, for 



