232 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



bunting, on the wild grounds near Portsmouth. Its song, frequently 

 repeated, sounded like " Tic, tic, tic, wirra, wirra." I could not get very 

 near it, and have never since heard a song like it. It was not a Corn 

 Bunting. — Charles W. Benson (Rathmines School, Dublin). 



Nesting Materials used by the Hawfinch. — Whilst examining the 

 materials used in a nest I found situated in the topmost branches of an old 

 crab-tree in Sutton Coldfield Park, I was particularly interested in finding, 

 in addition to the usual dead twigs, fibrous root, and hair, that the nest had 

 been built with a platform of the green leaves of the mountain ash, 

 which could not have been obtained within some 250 yards of the spot. 

 I cannot help thinking that these were used as a protection in screening 

 the nest from observation from below. — J. Steele Elliott (Dixon's Green, 

 Dudley). 



Wood Pigeon nesting on the Ground.— Whilst exploring one of the 

 many little islands on Lough Cong, Co. Gal way, I came across a most 

 unusual sight. The island to which I refer is thickly wooded with small 

 firs, oaks, willows, and other trees and shrubs. Round the edges of the 

 wood there was a line of high heather. Wood Pigeons, Colwnba palumbus, 

 were breeding in considerable numbers in the wood ; but as I was going 

 round the edge of the island I almost stamped on a Wood Pigeon which rose 

 from out of some high heather. Thinking that this was a curious place for 

 the bird to be feeding, I looked down amongst the heather. In the midst 

 of a thick clump of tall heather was a Pigeon's nest, composed of a few 

 sticks placed literally on the ground. This nest contained one egg, which 

 I have. This seemed very strange, but I thought it must be an accident. 

 On the other side of the island, however, I flushed another Pigeon in the 

 same way, and found another nest in exactly the same sort of position, but 

 this nest contained quite a big young one. There seems no accounting for 

 this curious fact. The birds must have nested in this position by deliberate 

 intent. Yet there were plenty of good trees for their purpose, where other 

 Pigeons were breeding. — Henry F. Witherby (Blackheath). 



Nightingale singing in July. — For the first time in my continental 

 experiences, extending over twelve years, I heard the Nightingale sing in 

 July last year, at Royat. We arrived there on June 29th, and at half-past 

 ten p.m. heard its song very plainly from our hotel. The birds were 

 plentiful in the neighbourhood, and continued to siug up to July 15th, 

 when I heard one for the last time, as it sang close to the English church. 

 Royat is an excellent station for ornithologists. — Charles W. Benson 

 (Rathmines School, Dublin). 



[When the young are hatched the males leave off singing, and busy 

 themselves in bringing food to the nest. This is generally before the end 

 of the first week in June. — Ed.] 



