432 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



finches were breeding I fed them on canary-seed, soaked rape-seed, and 

 Hartz-Mountain bread, as well as on egg and soaked bread. — E. Bennett 

 (Romanhurst, Highgate, N.). 



Ornithological Notes from the Lake of Lucerne. — A few remarks 

 on the result of my experiences at Brunnen, on the Lake of Lucerne, during 

 the month of July last, may perhaps be acceptable to readers of ' The 

 Zoologist.' This beautiful neighbourhood possesses two great advantages 

 for the lovers of birds — the avifauna is decidedly rich, and the locality easy 

 of access. I observed sixty-three species during the month of July, although 

 the weather was somewhat unfavourable, for we had some days of excessive 

 heat, followed by thunder-storms, and then more than a week of heavy rain. 

 The four most noteworthy birds were the Wall Creeper, Tichodroma 

 muraria, the Crag Martin, Cotyle rupestris, the Marsh Warbler, Acro- 

 cephalus palustris, and Bonelli's Warbler, Sylvia bonellii ; but besides 

 these there were many other interesting species, such as the Black Kite, 

 Milvus ater, and the Crested Tit, Parus cristatus, which was plentiful every- 

 where. The great rock called the Axenstein, which rises to a height of 

 about 2400 ft., forms with its slopes and terraces a splendid observatory, 

 and earlier in the season would have been a still richer field for the 

 ornithologist. Mr. Warde Fowler and Mr. Playue accompanied me there 

 on July 10th, and they were greatly pleased with the evidence of bird-life 

 around us. From the Axenstrasse, that magnificent road which leads from 

 Brunnen to Pluelen, I was fortunate enough to observe the Wall Creeper 

 (" Mauerspecht," as it is there called) on the rocks above. Mr. Algernon 

 Harris, of Dublin, who accompanied me, had first noticed it on the rocks 

 below, where he saw it creeping upwards from the margin of the lake, 

 peering into all the cracks and crevices as it went, and pausing from time 

 to time to devour with much satisfaction what insect-food it found therein, 

 and then flying down again to the water's edge. When I saw it first it had 

 mounted the rocks above the road, and gradually pursued its erratic course 

 until out of sight. The exact spot where we observed it was on the Axen- , 

 strasse, just beyond the celebrated Tunnels, about a quarter-of-an-hour's 

 walk from Tell's Chapel. I had intended to go far afield to look for this 

 most interesting bird, and was charmed to find it so near at hand. Herr 

 Shaeck, of Brunnen, told me that it came closer up to the village, and that 

 in winter it had even entered his house. Around these well-known tunnels 

 great numbers of Crag Martins pursued their almost ceaseless flight, and 

 their resting-places were readily discernible in the rocks above. A few 

 House Martins were mingled with them, but the Crag Martins were greatly 

 in the majority. We did not anywhere see a Sand Martin, but on two 

 occasions we noticed the Alpine Swift, Cypselus melba. Amongst his dusky 

 congeners the Marsh Warbler, Acrocephalus palustris, was observed hard 

 by in all the ponds and streams in the neighbourhood, and especially along 



