82 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



AVES. 



Early Appearance of Chiffchaff. — On Dec. 31st I saw and watched 

 for some time, with a field-glass in my garden here, a specimen of the 

 Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus rufus) ; it appeared quite lively, and was busily 

 engaged searching for insects among some evergreen shrubs. I consider 

 this a very late appearance for this well-known Warbler. — W. J. Williams 

 (Garville Road, Rathgar). 



Nesting Habits of Great Tit. — Referring to Mr. Aplin's note on the 

 Great Tit (Parus major) (ante, p. 19), he may not be aware that this bird 

 is in the habit of covering its eggs till it has laid the full clutch, or nearly 

 so. For some years past Great Tits have nested in our boxes here, 

 frequently six or eight pairs in a season, and often. the removal of the lid 

 has revealed an apparently unfinished nest, which has contained three or 

 four eggs covered with fur or wool. Perhaps I may add that we have had 

 as tenants of our nest-boxes here the Redstart, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Cole 

 Tit, Marsh Tit, Nuthatch, House-Sparrow, Starling, and Wryneck ; and a 

 neighbour who lives in an adjoining village has repeatedly had Tree- 

 Sparrows nesting in his boxes. — Julian G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury 

 St. Edmunds, Suffolk). 



Great Grey Shrike in Suffolk.— A very perfect example of the race (or 

 species) of Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor), with one spot on the wing, 

 was shot at Risby, near Bury St. Edmunds, about Nov. 20th. By the 

 delicate pale grey of the back, and the very slight indications of markings 

 on the breast, it appears to be a fully adult bird. — Julian G. Tuck (Tostock 

 Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk). 



Red-billed Chough.— At the last meeting of the Hampstead Scientific 

 Society, I was enabled to exhibit a very fine mounted specimen of the 

 Red billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus), which was shot from among a 

 flock of Rooks near Henaon during last summer (1899). The bird was 

 brought in the flesh to Mr. J. E. Whiting, of Heath Street, for preserva- 

 tion. — Basil W. Martin (6, Holly Place, Hampstead). 



Hoopoe in Anglesea. — Whilst engaged in investigating the occurrence 

 of rare birasin Cheshire, I recently came across a specimen of the Hoopoe 



