172 THfc ZOOLOGIST. 



accustomed nesting-places. — M. albicollis. Observed once or 

 twice. An egg, taken in the Hardwald, in size 18 X 12*5 mm., of 

 pale blue-green colour, was given me as belonging to this bird. — ■ 

 M. parva. Mr. E. Barrington tells me that he observed a pair at 

 the Titisee, near Freiburg. 



Hirundo rustica. Commoner in the villages. Generally 

 arrives the first week in April, leaving during the second week of 

 October (the 26th of that month is quite an unusual date), and 

 seems more regular in its arrival and departure than in England, 

 — probably on account of the less capricious climate, — as also in 

 its nesting habits. The Sparrow, in its semi-domesticated con- 

 dition, has become quite careless in the latter respect, and this 

 irregularity appears to be reflected, so to speak, in the uncertain 

 colour, shape, and size of its eggs, that depart from the typical 

 standard of the Tree Sparrow (as do those of domestic and cage 

 birds, fowls, canary, &c). The Swallow, also, now and then 

 builds at the last moment, — clearly a modern habit, and a per- 

 nicious one for any migratory bird that has considerations for its 

 offspring. 



Chelidon urbica. Abundant. — Cotyle riparia. Formerly nesting 

 along the " Stadtgraben," where it issues from the town of 

 Karlsruhe. Common in old quarries and cuttings in the neigh- 

 bourhood, but especially so on the Kaiserstuhl, whose " Loess " 

 supplies an ideal material for excavation. 



Certhia familiaris. Scarcer in the Rhine woods than the 

 Hardwald. I have twice seen it settling on the ground, and was 

 most surprised once, while watching a Tichodromay to recognize 

 close by, my familiar friend the Creeper, indulging in an amateur 

 performance on the rocky surface, as if in imitation. 



Carduelis elegans. With the clearing of woods and marshes 

 many species of birds become scarcer, but this is counter- 

 balanced by a proportionate increase of others, like the Sparrow, 

 various Finches and Buntings — mostly of the seed-eating kind — 

 that profit by the change, and are rather attracted than repelled 

 by towns and cultivated fields. The Goldfinch, though much 

 sought after as a cage bird, is no exception, being decidedly com- 

 moner than it used to be in Baden and elsewhere. Nests at 

 Palmbach and Grotzingen ; abundant also on the Kaiserstuhl. 



Chrysomitris spinas. Black Forest ; not rare. 



Serinus hortulanus. Spreading northward throughout Ger- 



