272 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Rainworth, with the very characteristic eggs, so unlike those of the Willow 

 Wren or Chiffchaff, we must conclude that Mr. Browne's opinion of the 

 scarcity of the Wood Wren in the Midlands was based upon insufficient 

 observation. — J. E. Harting. 



Hawfinch breeding in Devonshire.— With reference to Mr. Pidsley's 

 statement that the Hawfinch has not been known to breed in Devonshire, 

 and his reviewer's impression that the nest has been found by me in South 

 Devon (p. 234), I should like to remark that a nest with young birds of 

 this species was found, though not by me, some years ago near Kingsbridge. 

 One of the old birds and two of the young ones were secured, and preserved, 

 and are now in the possession of Mrs. Elliot, whose husband, the late 

 Mr. J. Elliot, had a very good collection of Devonshire birds. For this 

 information I am indebted to Messrs. Henry Nicholls and E. A. S. Elliot. — 

 W. S. M. D'Urban (Moorlands, Exmouth). 



Habits of the Emu as observed in Confinement.— Amongst the 

 miscellaneous observations published by Jesse from Gilbert White's MS. 

 diary (' Gleanings in Nat. Hist.' 2nd series, p. 177) occurs the following : — 

 " When horses, cows, sheep, and deer feed in wind and rain, they always 

 keep their heads down the wind and their tails to the weather ; but birds 

 always perch and choose to fly with their heads to the weather to prevent 

 the wings from ruffling their feathers." Amongst birds the Emu is an 

 exception to this rule, as I have lately had an opportunity of observing. 

 Mr.Whitaker, of Rainworth, near Mansfield, has some of these birds which 

 have the run of a large enclosure, in company with Fallow-deer and a small 

 flock of St. Kilda sheep. Here they do very well, and breed ; and at the 

 same time are tame enough to suffer a near approach — near enough to 

 enable one to note the difference of colour in the irides of the old and young 

 birds. When admiring them recently, during a visit paid to Mr. Whitaker, 

 we remarked the habit of this species to sit tail to wind, like deer and 

 sheep, and although the feathers were frequently ruffled by the wind, the 

 birds suffered no apparent inconvenience from it. From this it may be 

 inferred that the long pendulous plumage of the Emu affords as good 

 a protection from the weather as the woolly fleece of a sheep, or the hairy 

 covering of a deer. — J. E. Harting. 



Supposed Occurrence of Orphean Warbler in Devon.— I have just 

 been reading up ■ The Zoologist' for 1890, after more than a year's absence 

 from England, and. at p. 467, I note the remarks on the " Supposed 

 Occurrence of the Orphean Warbler in Devonshire," by Mr. W. S. M. 

 D'Urban. From his description of the bird observed on April 16th, 1890, 

 its smaller size, as compared side by side with the Blackcap, its pure white 

 throat, and slender beak, I should say that the stranger was probably nn 

 adult Black-headed Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala. This (often called the 



