514 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of April Pied Wagtails, with their congeners, had deserted the water- 

 meads near the town (Winchester) on the southern side, save for some 

 of the first species, preparatory to spending the breeding season further 

 down the river. Of course, as a rule, the Grey Wagtail leaves England 

 altogether at the end of March, although I may mention that I have several 

 well-authenticated records of its breeding in the Itchen Valley ; and last 

 May I myself saw the bird some four miles from the town. At the end of 

 April, indeed, Pied Wagtails do extend their range a good deal to the 

 south for the breeding season, and in autumn and winter congregate into 

 small parties of seven and eight, which are especially regular in the near 

 water-meads just south of the town, in company with parties of the Grey 

 Wagtail. I also stated that both species returned to these water-meads 

 about the middle of November. This is not accurate ; the usual date is 

 about the beginning of October, though last year I did not observe any Grey 

 Wagtails near the town until December. The parts of the Itchen most 

 frequented by both species in winter are decidedly the rich and fertile 

 water-meads immediately south of the town for a distance of about five 

 miles. This district is a favourite one for resident birds in winter, as 

 Reed Buntings, Starlings, Rooks, Gulls, Jackdaws, Dabchicks, &c. — 

 G. W. Smith (Ivy Bank, Beckenham). 



Strange Nesting Habits— Nuthatch and Starling. — Mr. W. G. 

 Clarke's article last month (p. 449) reminds me of the following case of two 

 birds building in close proximity to one another. I had noticed a pair of 

 Nuthatches going in and out of a hole in a huge oak some time in the be- 

 ginning of last May, so one day I brought a chisel and hammer, and set to 

 work to reach the nest. At the first few strokes of the hammer a Starling 

 flew out with a scream of alarm. I thought this was rather curious, but 

 went on enlarging the hole, until I could get my hand in. All this time 

 the two Nuthatches had been in a great state of agitation, uttering their 

 "twit, twit-tit" of alarm. On inserting my hand I found that just 

 beyond the entrance of the hole there was a cup-shaped hollow containing 

 a Starling's egg. Beyond this there was a turning to the left, at right 

 angles to the entrance. Round this corner the Nuthatches' nest must have 

 been, but I could not get my hand there. Almost directly I had left the 

 tree one of the Nuthatches entered the hole. In this case the Nuthatches 

 must have hopped over the sitting Starling every time they went to their 

 nest. — Bernard Riviere (82, Fiucbley Road, N.W.). 



The Question of Popular Ornithological Fallacies.— I am glad that 

 Mr. Davenport has defended the Cuckoos (p. 473). Not only is it rash to 

 conclude, because sucked eggs are found, that Cuckoos are the culprits, but 

 such statements bring a beautiful and interesting bird into unnecessary 



