232 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MAMMALIA. 

 Black Variety of Water-Vole. — On May 16th I saw in this 

 neighbourhood a specimen of the black variety of the Water-Vole 

 (Arvicola amphibius). It was swimming a short way off when I first 

 saw it, and dived on catching sight of me. The water was clear, and 

 I was able to follow its course until it came to the surface. After 

 swimming a yard or two it dived again, and I saw it no more. I have 

 seen the animal in Scotland, and do not think I could possibly have 

 been mistaken in the identity. — T. Vaughan Roberts (Nutfield, 

 Watford). 



AVES. 



Motacilla beema in Sussex. — In this Journal for 1901, p. 389, I 

 recorded an instance of the breeding of the Blue -headed Wagtail near 

 Winchelsea, in this county, and stated, on the authority of Mr. H. E. 

 Dresser, that the birds came nearest to the form described by Sykes as 

 Motacilla beema. Shortly afterwards Mr. Ernst Hartert informed me 

 that there was a Wagtail in the Tring Museum which from the first 

 he had assigned to Sykes's subspecies. I have had the privilege of 

 examining this specimen (a male, shot near Kottingdean, April 20th, 

 1898), and after carefully comparing it with the original description, 

 and with skins of allied forms, I fully agree with Mr. Hartert's identi- 

 fication. — W. Kuskin Butterfield (St. Leonards-on-Sea). 



White Rook at Aberdeen. — A White Rook (Corvus frugilegus) was 

 shot in the Whitehaugh Woods, Alford, Aberdeenshire, on May 21st. 

 This occurred during a raid among the Rooks, which was made in 

 order to keep them within what is believed to be suitable numbers for 

 the district. It is reported that they were not so numerous as in 

 former years, so that it may be assumed that the severe onslaughts 

 which have been made upon them for the last few years have resulted 

 in diminishing their number. It would be well that this were so, and 

 that the annual raids upon them were curtailed, because when the 

 latter were continued for some days and nights in continuation the 

 Rooks took to the surrounding moors, and were eating the eggs of 

 Grouse. Referring to the subject of White Crows, I once saw one 

 which I imagine to have been a Hooded Crow (Corvus comix), as it 

 came from a plantation during a hunt, where in some years these 



