NOTES AND QUERIES. 381 



Black Tern in Wales.— As the Black Tern, Hydrochelidon nigra, 

 appears to be a rare bird in Wales— Mr. Salter (p. 249) records a solitary 

 instance of its occurrence at Aberystwyth— it may be well to note that 

 I saw one of these birds near a pool of mine on July 26th last, never 

 having observed one in this district before. — C. S. Mainwaring (Cerrig-y- 

 druidiou, Trefnant, North Wales). 



Jackdaws hawking after Insects.— During some of the bright clear 

 days of April both Jackdaws and Starlings were observed hawking after 

 insects in the air, after the manner of Swallows, for many hours at a time 

 during the warmer period of the day. Probably they were catching the 

 little beetles with red wing-cases (Aphodii) that swarm in myriads on fine 

 days at that season, and rise to great heights in the air. Starlings often 

 hawk for insects in the manner described during the autumn months, but 

 I do not remember ever having seen them or Jackdaws indulging in such 

 habits so early in the year. The mention of Jackdaws reminds me of 

 an amusing incident I once witnessed. A rough shaggy pony was re- 

 clining in a pasture field, and two Jackdaws were perched on his back 

 engaged in pulling out beakfuls of hair with which to line their nests. 

 The pony looked over his shoulders at them, and several times suddenly 

 rolled over on the grass with the evident intention of catching and 

 crushing the birds beneath him. Needless to say, the Jackdaws were 

 too much on the alert to be caught in this manner, but flew up at once, 

 settling again on his back to resume operations as soon as the pony 

 had returned to his reclining posture. — Robert Service (Maxwelltown, 

 Dumfries, N.B.). 



[We have frequently observed Jackdaws treating Fallow-deer in this 

 way in the spring, and robbing them of hair to line their nests with. Their 

 mode of procedure on such occasions has been described in • The Zoologist' 

 for 1878, p. 68.— Ed.] 



Twite Nesting in Confinement. — Mr. G. C. Swailes, writing in the 

 'Avicultural Magazine' (No. 11), reports that during the past summer a 

 pair of Twites, Linota flavirostris (Linn.), nested and reared their young 

 in his aviary, which he describes as " quite out in the country." He 

 says : — " The hen commenced to build on May 14th, and laid her first egg 

 on the 17th, laying altogether five eggs and sitting closely after the third 

 was laid. I did not again look at the eggs, but saw the old birds busy 

 feeding on June 2nd and following days. I looked in the nest on the 8th, 

 hoping to find some fine young birds, but the nest contained only one poor 

 starved thing which died on the following day ; the weather was very stormy 

 at the time they were hatched, and I think this was the cause of their doing 

 so badly. On the 15th I noticed that the hen had nearly completed another 

 nest, and she laid on the 16th and three following days. Having a Redpoll 



