NOTES AND QUERIES. 77 



of that year, in Lord Rosse's demesne near Parsonstown, in King's County 

 (Zool. 1889, p. 181). Mr. E. Williams has since obtained many specimens 

 from different parts of the country (Zool. 1891. p. 112) ; and now again, 

 in January, I have just examined and identified two well-marked examples, 

 a male and a female, — measuring fully seven inches in length, and with bills 

 half an inch in depth, — which were shot on the 8th of this month near 

 Mageney, in Kildare, by Mr. Herbert Richardson, and have been by him 

 presented to the Science and Art Museum, Dublin. — A. G. More. 



[We may remind our readers that the large stout-billed race formerly 

 distinguished as the Parrot Crossbill, Loxia pityopsitacus, is now generally 

 regarded by ornithologists as merely one of several forms which are not 

 entitled to specific rank. See Mr. Saunders' « Manual of British Birds,' 

 p. 194. We take it, however, from the above remarks, that Mr. More 

 dissents from this view. — Ed.] 



Greenland Falcon in Achill.— On November 23rd last Mr. Jeremiah 

 Trant, lightkeeper on Blackrock, Mayo, saw a " white Hawk, something 

 larger than the game Hawk"; it was perched on the rock, and when it 

 started it flew away towards Achill Head. On Dec. 12th Mr. Edward 

 Williams, of Dublin, received a male Grenland Falcon in the flesh, from 

 Achill, probably the same bird. — Richard M. Barrington (Fassaroe, Bray, 

 Co. Wicklow). 



Inherited Bird-Song. — I should like to thank Mr. Butler, in these 

 pages, for his useful notes (p. 30) upon the songs of birds reared in 

 captivity. It is obvious that some cries, such as those of the cygnet, 

 duckling, and pheasant or partridge chick, are acquired by heredity; and it 

 is interesting to find that in some species (e. g. Linnet) this principle is 

 supplanted by mimicry. The whole matter is most curious, and is not 

 without scientific value. It is to be regretted that naturalists generally 

 confine their observations especially to the compilation of records of local 

 distribution, without studying closely the manners of animals. Movement, 

 and particularly when aberrant, not only indicates the mental qualities of 

 animals, — it is also the parent of habit, and is the ancestor of physical 

 character. I particularly desire information as to the cries of foster- 

 nestlings, of any species. — Charles A. Witchell (The Acre, Stroud). 



FISHES. 



MquoxeaX Pipe-fish at Waterville, Co. Kerry. — A fish kindly 

 forwarded to me by Mr. H. C. Simpson, of Waterville, Co. Kerry, has been 

 identified by Dr. Scharff, Keeper of the Dublin Natural History Museum, 

 as the iEquoreal Pipe-fish, Nerophis aquoreus. It was picked up on the 

 beach at Waterville, earlv in December, 1891, and is now in the Museum 



