NOTES AND QUERIES. 345 



Coldfield, in Warwickshire. The nest was placed in a tall and solitary 

 tree. I happened to mention the fact to a local collector, and he had the 

 nest and eggs taken for his collection. — F. Cobukn (Holloway Head, 

 Birmingham). 



Mealy Redpoll in Worcestershire. — On the 25th January last an 

 adult male Mealy Redpoll (Acanthis linaria) was caught at Selly Oak, 

 Worcestershire, and brought to me. It is the first which has passed 

 through my hands, and is new to my local list. — F. Coburn (Holloway 

 Head, Birmingham). 



Unusual Number of Eggs for the Marsh Tit and Willow Wren. — 

 During the past nesting season I found a Marsh Tit (Parus palustris) 

 sitting upon eleven eggs, and a Willow Wren {Phylloscopus trochilus) upon 

 twelve. In each case 1 imagine that from six to eight eggs is the usual 

 number. — J. H. Salter (University College, Aberystwith). 



Lesser Grey Shrike in Hampshire. — I lately had the privilege of 

 visiting the collection of stuffed birds at Heron Court, in company with 

 Mr. Edward Hart, of Christchurch. The collection was formed by the late 

 Earl of Malmesbury, and all the birds were secured on this interesting and 

 beautiful estate. The first " British " specimen of White's Thrush is still 

 in very good condition, and is mounted with one wing raised, exactly as it 

 is represented in the well-known engraving in Yarrell's ' British Birds.' 

 The first recorded " Sabine's Snipe," also, is in equally good condition. 

 In the collection there are a great number of rarities, when one considers 

 that it was formed entirely from one estate, but then the situation of the 

 property is most advantageous, being close to the coast, having a fine 

 stream, the Avon, running through it, and possessing a great stretch of 

 heathy ground, in which are swamps and quiet pools, as well as numerous 

 coverts, and woods of Scotch fir. Birds, in consequence, representing all 

 families, occur, so that in the collection are Ospreys, White-tailed Eagles, 

 Harriers, Bee-eaters, rare Anatida, Waders, Skuas, &c. We saw a Squacco 

 and a Little Bittern that had been shot together at one bend of the river. 

 Among the cases my attention was arrested by one containing a Shrike, 

 labelled " Grey Shrike, shot Sept. 1842." This proved, on inspection, to be 

 a good specimen of an adult Lanim minor. I had believed that one in my 

 own collection, obtained some years ago at Great Yarmouth, was the only 

 adult male of this species that had been met with in the British Islands, 

 but this example at Heron Court had been there long before. We saw a 

 case containing a fiue pair of Great Black Woodpeckers, and were told that 

 they were foreigners, but that they replaced a pair, falling to pieces, that 

 had been shot many years ago in trees in the park.— Murray A. Mathew 

 (Buckland Dinham, Frome). 



