Notes and queries. 385 



[It appears from the information contributed by the late Mr. A. G. 

 More to Venables' ' Guide to the Isle of Wight ' (p. 431), that the Quail is 

 occasionally obtained there in late autumn and winter. A single instance 

 only is known of its having nested in the island. — Ed.] 



Abnormal Nesting of the Goldcrest in Ireland. — The Golden-crested 

 Wren (Regulus cristatus), strange to say, in this part of the country builds 

 commonly against the sides of ivy-covered trees. The nest is not sus- 

 pended under a branch of fir, as I have found it in England, and the nests 

 here are badly and loosely put together. — A. T. Mitchell (Drogheda, 

 Co. Louth). 



BATRACHIA. 



Food of Toad. — A nephew of mine at Emsworth, near Portsmouth, 

 writes me that he lately saw a Toad swallow a mouse. He watched 

 the mouse, which was not quite full-grown, for some little time ruuning 

 about in a dazed condition, about a yard from the Toad, when sud- 

 denly, to his surprise, it appeared to be drawn into its mouth. The 

 hind legs and tail of the mouse were visible for some little time after the 

 rest of the body had disappeared, the tail continuing to twitch for fully 

 three minutes after the legs had been absorbed. I send you these 

 particulars, as I never previously heard of a Toad attacking an animal of 

 that size, and am curious to know whether the occurrence is unusual. — 

 R. H. Ramsbotham (Moukmoor, Shrewsbury). 



[The observations of naturalists in regard to the food of the Common 

 Toad, Bufo vulgaris, show that it is in a great measure insectivorous, 

 living chiefly upon flies, spiders, and beetles, but habitually taking 

 earthworms also, which are generally seized by the middle and gradually 

 stuffed into the mouth by the aid of the fore feet. This much we have 

 ourselves observed, but it is new to us to learn that a Toad will not only 

 attempt to seize and swallow a mouse, but will succeed in doing so. The 

 mouse, we imagine, must have been a small one, and under the influence 

 of a fascination which to some extent paralysed its movements, in the same 

 way that a rabbit is affected when pursued by a Stoat. We should not 

 have supposed it possible for a Toad to hold so large a prey, nor to digest 

 it if swallowed ; but a friend who has kept Toads alive for the purpose 

 of observing their actions, assures us that he has fed large ones with young 

 mice. We can therefore no longer doubt. — Ed.J 



CRUSTACEA. 



Weight of Lobsters* — In August last three Lobsters were taken in 



Herring-nets in Loch Seaforth, and brought to Stornoway, which weighed 



respectively 7 lbs. 5 oz., 8 lbs. 9 oz., and 9 lbs. 8 oz. The largest was 



minus a claw, which made a difference in its weight of perhaps 2 lbs. All 



