462 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



This nest frequently contained six eggs. Another nest was placed among 

 thick ivy, on the face of a bridge, sufficiently near the top to be easily 

 reached by a person leaning over the parapet. In the Glen of the Downs, 

 near Greystones, one of the most charming spots in Ireland, I have seen a 

 nest in a crevice among the roots of a fallen tree, close to a little pond, 

 and within reach of the spray of a small waterfall. The woods and thickets 

 all round are melodious, during the nesting-season, with the songs of 

 numerous Blackcaps ; and here, every year, by the side of the secluded 

 pool, a pair of Grey Wagtails rear their young. Nowhere, however, have 

 I seen the Grey Wagtail in greater abundance than along the Dodder, close 

 to Dublin. Even where the river passes through the suburbs of the city 

 many pairs nest annually, and a couple of miles farther up it is one of the 

 commonest birds. In the early summer the young, with their parents, 

 may be seen perching on the stones and reaches of shingle in the bed of 

 the river, which at that season contains but little water, most of it being 

 taken away by mill-streams. They are ever in restless motion, flying from 

 stone to stone, and are exceedingly noisy. The song of the male is a 

 loud but short trill, often very like the cry of the Common Sandpiper. 

 These family parties break up soon after midsummer, for this species does 

 not appear to flock, and all through the autumn and winter it occurs scat- 

 tered over the country singly or in pairs. At this season it wanders a great 

 deal, and is fond of frequenting moist places in fields where cattle are kept, 

 particularly during frost. During the nesting-time the stream-side and 

 waterfall are essential, but at other seasons it may be found in a great variety 

 of places. It shows a predilection for the neighbourhood of houses, and 

 is constantly to be observed even in the centre of Dublin. It appears to 

 haunt principally the roofs of the houses, and so is not often seen ; but in 

 the most frequented streets, and especially along the quays, its note may 

 constantly be heard above the noise of the traffic. In the squares and open 

 places, such as St. Stephen's Green, it may often be noticed; and a curious 

 and interesting sight it is to see one of these elegant birds, in the delicate 

 grey and creamy yellow of its winter plumage, perch for a few moments on 

 one of the dusky hawthorn trees in the squares of Trinity College. Even 

 as I write the loud call-note, " zit-it," frequently reaches my ear. The Pied 

 Wagtail, on the other hand, though fond of the neighbourhood of country 

 towns, and a sufficiently common species in the immediate vicinity of 

 Dublin, is rarely to be seen in the interior of the city.— Allan Ellison 

 (Trinity College, Dublin). 



Little Bustard in Norfolk.— The following letter, from the late Mr. 

 J. H. Gurney, refers to the earliest known instance of the occurrence of 

 the Little Bustard in the county of Norfolk. It was not known to Mr. 

 Stevenson when he wrote the article on this species in the secoud volume 

 of his ' Birds of Norfolk,' but will be found mentioned in some " Extracts 



