566 Birds, 



that a cat having frightened a blackbird, the poor songster was found apparently life- 

 less in its cage, and quite wet with perspiration, [perspiration ?]. Its black feathers 

 soon fell off, and were succeeded by a perfectly white plumage. Sir Robert Heron 

 has related in his journal, that at Mr. Kendal's of Barnsley, a fox pounced upon a 

 black Poland cock, whose screams attracted the servants to his rescue, but not until he 

 was desperately wounded and had lost half his feathers. In time, the remainder of 

 his feathers fell off, and were replaced by an entirely white plumage. — James H. Fen- 

 nell ; London. 



Anecdote of a Robin's Nest being built in a Watering-pot. Early in the spring of 

 1839, before the usual time for birds' pairing, the gardener discovered that a pair of 

 robins had built a nest in an old watering-pot, which had been suspended to the bough 

 of an apple-tree, hanging over the path leading to the tool-house. The hen bird was 

 then actually sitting. The gardener was ordered to conceal the fact, lest the bird 

 should be disturbed by the childreu going to look at the nest. Unfortunately, one 

 fine sunny morning, little Philip, who had been sowing seeds in his garden, thinking 

 it was necessary to water them, spied the watering-pot, and getting a long stick, suc- 

 ceeded in knocking it down. The nest of course was destroyed : the eggs had fallen 

 out ; and it was found on examination that the process of incubation was nearly com- 

 pleted. You may suppose how great was our mortification, and little Phil's distress 

 in having been the innocent cause of this disappointment to our favourite little birds.* 



Note on the early incubation of the Robin. The following instance of early incuba- 

 tion may perhaps be interesting to the readers of ' The Zoologist.' A robin's nest, 

 containing several eggs, was taken near York a few days ago: there being snow on the 

 ground at the time, and the temperature ranging from 30° to 13° Fahr. — William 

 Murray Tuke : York, February 9, 1844. 



Correction of a supposed error in a previous communication, the name of Richard's 

 Pipit apparently occurring instead of that of the Alpine Accentor. I am inclined to 

 think that there is some error in Mr. Jordan's note in the last month's Zoologist (Zool. 

 494), relative to the capture of Richard's pipit (Anthus Ricardi) at Teignmouth, and 

 that the bird alluded to is a much rarer one as British. My reasons for this conclu- 

 sion are, that the attention of your correspondent, Mr. Alfred Greenwood, and myself, 

 was attracted in February last to a case of birds containing two blackstarts (Pheenicu- 

 ra Tithys) and an alpine accentor (Accentor alpinus), exhibited in the window of Mr. 

 Drew, an ornithologist residing in these towns. We were subsequently informed that 

 these birds had been killed at Teignmouth, and forwarded to Mr. Drew for preserva- 

 tion. Since the appearance of Mr. Jordan's communication, I have seen Drew, and 

 ascertained that the birds were received from that gentleman, who doubtless will be 

 pleased to find himself the possessor of so rare a bird as the alpine accentor. — W. S. 

 Hore ; Stoke Devonport, April 8, 1 844. 



Notes on the Habits of the Wagtail. My acquaintance with your delightful work 

 commenced so recently as Saturday last. The completed volume was placed in my 

 hands by a Reverend relative, not unknown to the ornithological world, an honourable 

 notice of him appearing in the Introduction to ' British Birds ' (ed. 1832) by Bewick, 

 whom he personally knew ; two agreeable circumstances that connect me by remote 

 and proximate links with your publication. But to my task ! I had been some little 

 time in correspondence with my relative on the strange and interesting habit of the 



* Addressed to and communicated by the Rev. J. Atkinson. 



