Birds. 353 



Note on the Lesser Redpoll. The curious note of a bird menlioned by Mr. Duncan 

 (Zool. 240), must be that of the lesser redpoll linnet {Linota linaria). The following 

 observations respecting it may not be unacceptable to naturalists. In this district, the 

 south of Yorkshire, they mostly migrate, very few remaining during the cold part of 

 winter. In the month of March it arrives in considerable numbers, and is to be found 

 in every plantation and garden, even close to the town. The plumage of the males is 

 very bright; they are incessantly noisy, chasing others of their species with undulatory 

 flight, uttering their trilling notes, which never amount to a song. About the begin- 

 ning of April the happy pair select a tree, not being particular as to height, for I have 

 found them in lofty forest trees as well as in low evergreen bushes; constructing their 

 neat nest externally of small fibrous roots, lining it with fine grass, downy seeds and 

 feathers. They usually lay five but sometimes six eggs, which are pale bluish green, 

 sparingly dotted with reddish brown at the larger end. The plumage of the young is 

 lighter than in the adult ; it is more streaked and spotted, and they are also without 

 the red feathers on the head and breast, these are acquired during the first moult. I 

 have seen large flocks feeding on the birch and sycamore trees in October, every in- 

 dividual of which had a red poll of some tint. Their usual food consists of seeds of 

 various kinds, intermixed with insects. At any time, particularly when feeding (which 

 it does after the manner of the titmouse family), the lesser redpoll is quite unsuspici- 

 ous of danger, and allows of a close approach. The species seems generally distributed. 

 It is found in the United States of America, where it arrives in the winter from its 

 breeding grounds on the northern frontier. A beautiful figure of this bird is in Au- 

 dubon's 'Birds of America.' The old and young birds and nest of Linota linaria pro- 

 cured by me, are in the collection of my friend, who is now in search of specimens in 

 the " far west " of America, for description in his grand work on Quadrupeds. — John 

 Heppenstall ; Upperthorpe, near Sheffield, August, 1843. 



Note on a singular noise made hy a Sparrow. In the spring of 1834, my attention 

 was attracted by a singular noise in a cherry-tree under which I was passing, and the 

 height being very trifling, I was able to satisfy myself that the noise proceeded from a 

 cock sparrow, which was very assiduously paying court to a hen bird. I could not, 

 however, ascertain positively how the noise was made, except that it appeared to be 

 with the tail, which was rather spread, and moved rapidly in a lateral direction. The 

 sound might be called a buzzing, more properly than anything else. This took place 

 in a tree close to the house I was residing in, and I was so continually in the habit of 

 passing under the tree without ever molesting the birds, which built in my house, that 

 I had better opportunity of close observation than I ever enjoyed before or since, and 

 I am convinced that the birds must have been house sparrows. However, I never 

 heard the buzzing noise, except in the single instance now mentioned, of which I 

 wrote down a description, not indeed at the moment, but shortly after, while fresh in 

 my recollection. Mr. Bell has confirmed my idea that no record had been preserved 

 of a similar occurrence having previously been noticed ; but I trust that the publica- 

 tion of this in ' The Zoologist,' will excite sufficient attention to induce naturalists to 

 watch, in the ensuing spring, for a confirmation or otherwise of my observation. — Ar- 

 thur Hussey ; Rottingdean, Sussex, August, 1843, 



Note on the Nesting-place of Swallows. I was talking to a poor man at Aldworth 

 point a short time since, and observed a swallow several times enter an out-house, on 

 remarking which to the man, he informed me that there was a nest attached to one of 

 the rafters, which I had the curiosity to go in and witness. He tells me that swallows 



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