NOTES AND QUERIES. 35 J 



been dropped broadcast over the grass-lands by the birds. Later in the 

 year the herds of deer, sheep, and cattle will eat down the grass, including 

 the seedling oaks ; but, supposing the district was inhabited by only a sparse 

 population of hunters, possessing few domestic animals, it is obvious how 

 rapidly, by the influence of one species of bird alone, a large area might 

 become afforested. — H. W. Feilden (West House, Wells, Norfolk). 



[A similar dispersal of oaks by Rooks is mentioned in Robinson's * Nat. 

 Hist. Westmoreland and Cumberland,' 1709, p. 97. — Ed.] 



Breeding of Pallas's Sand Grouse in Captivity in Denmark.— The 

 following account of the breeding of Pallas's Sand Grouse is translated from 

 a paper by Herr Winge in ' Communications to the Copenhagen Natural 

 History Society for 1889 — 90': — In 1890 there were still a considerable 

 number of Syrrhaptes paradoxus in several parts of Denmark in a wild state, 

 and it is very probable that they bred. " Herr B. Christensen, of Copen- 

 hagen, obtained in 1888 three living Sand Grouse, a male and two females, 

 caught in Jutland. They were put into a large room, in which many other 

 birds were allowed to fly about. In 1889 they showed no inclination to 

 breed, and one hen died, but the other began to lay towards the end of May, 

 1890, and laid five eggs in the space of several days. One of the eggs was 

 broken by a parrot, two were so thin-shelled that they broke immediately, 

 the other two were set under a dove, which sat on them for eighteen days, 

 and then deserted. Both contained well-developed young birds, which still 

 showed signs of life after the eggs had been two days cold. After about a 

 month's interval, the hen Sand Grouse again laid five eggs, of which two 

 were destroyed by the parrots. The other three were set under a bantam 

 hen, which at the same time was sitting upon ten eggs of the Quail and 

 seven of the Francolin. One Sand Grouse was hatched, but was trodden 

 to death by the bantam ; in the other two eggs were fully-developed young 

 birds, which had been unable to break the shell. Two of the young birds 

 were presented to the Zoological Museum of Copenhagen by Herr 

 Christensen." It is much to be regretted that, seeing the bird's disposition 

 to lay, no steps were taken to secure freedom from molestation by other 

 species in the same aviary. Had these been temporarily removed after 

 the first failure to hatch, and the Sand Grouse allowed quiet possession of 

 the aviary, success would probably have followed their efforts to rear their 

 young, and an excellent opportunity would have been furnished for noting 

 the stages of development of the chick after hatching. Such common birds 

 as parrots and bantams might well have been sacrificed for the occasion. — 

 J. E. Harting. 



Nesting of the Magpie and Carrion Crow.— Reading Mr. Whitaker's 

 account of finding a Magpie's nest in a hedge in ' The Zoologist ' for the 

 present month (p. 309), reminds me that when a boy (nearly forty years ago 

 unfortunately) I was under the impression, and the opinion was shared by 



