Birds. -Hi) 



Note on the Greater Tit. There are several yew-trees close to my house ; in these 

 I have heard, day after day, for the last six weeks and more, a continual tap, tap, tap, 

 which at first I imagined proceeded from the nuthatch (Sitla europaa), but upon fur- 

 ther observation I found the noise was caused by the greater tit (Partis major) tapping 

 violently against the bark. I have heard two or three of them at the same time, and 

 making such a noise that one would fancy so many Lilliputian carpenters were at work. 

 I have examined a branch, and could only find a few slight indentations made by the 

 bird (as I have seen it) scraping its bill on it after tapping. I see in Mr. Yarrell's 

 work that this bird employs this tapping propensity in killing " small birds, accom- 

 plishing his purpose by repeated blows of his hard and sharp beak on the skull of the 

 victim, and afterwards picking out and eating the brain." I have never seen any other 

 of the titmice (Paridm) do this. The object of the bird is, I suppose, the same as that 

 of the woodpecker (Pica viridis), to induce the hidden insects to come out. — Frank 

 Clifford ; El Jen Rectory, near Tlietford, December 29, 1843. 



Note on the Wryneck. A few years since I discovered in a hole in an old ash tree, 

 a single white egg, without any trace of nest. Not knowing at the time what egg it 

 was, I supposed the nest had been taken, and that this was an egg laid afterwards, as 

 it not unfrequently happens with some birds, that when a nest has been torn and rob- 

 bed of its eggs, if the full number had not previously been laid, an egg is deposited 

 afterwards, but of course generally neglected. But this is not always the case, as I re- 

 collect an instance of a hedge-sparrow (Accentor modularis), sitting in a most perse- 

 vering manner on an egg which had been laid on the foundation of its nest, the lining 

 and eggs having been taken. Acting on this supposition 1 took the egg, and on pass- 

 ing the tree the next clay, had the curiosity to look into the hole, where, to my surprise, 

 I found another egg; this I also took : and from that time the tree was daily visited 

 either by myself or one of my brothers, and each day a white egg was carried away, 

 until the number had arrived at twenty-two ! after which, although we frequently vi- 

 sited the tree, not another egg was laid. Once or twice only was I able to catch a 

 sight of the bird, which proved to be what is here provincially called a " snake-bird, " 

 and only known amongst the lower orders by that name, and which I found to be the 

 wryneck (Yunx Torquilla). I am not aware if the term " snake-bird " is peculiar to 

 Kent : the reason of the wryneck having this name assigned to it, is, I should ima- 

 gine, either from the hissing and really snake-like noise made by the young before 

 they leave the hollow tree in which they have been hatched, or from the rather snake- 

 like appearance of the old birds themselves, in some of their motions, or very probably 

 from a combination of both these facts : the name certainly has more of truth in it 

 than provincial names generally have. I have never since heard of an instance of a 

 wryneck so perseveringly laying, when regularly robbed of its eggs : and indeed there 

 are but few birds I believe which would have continued to lay more than double their 

 usual number of eggs. I have heard of instances of a similar character in the com- 

 mon wren, and in one or two of the tit tribe ; but this is the only one that ever came 

 under my own immediate notice. — /. Pemberton Bartlett ; Kingston Rectory. 



Note on the change of Plumage of the Black Redstart. A correspondent, in answer- 

 ing a former enquiry of mine respecting the change in the plumage of the black red- 

 start (Zool. 101), states it as his opinion that the black plumage does not disappear in 

 the winter, but becomes less pure and jetty (Zool. 355), and notes the reed and cirl 

 buntings as instances of the same nature. I think it probable that such may be the 

 case, but would observe that I have seen several of these redstarts since my last com- 



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