72 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



confined to the seaboard, and even there it is by no means numerous 

 as a rule. The only district where it is plentiful is in the Conway 

 Valley up to Bettws-y-Coed. 



Merioneth. — Much of this county also is too mountainous for the 

 Goldfinch, but it occurs in small numbers along the western seaboard, 

 and is fairly common in some of the valleys, as at Llanbedr, Corris, 

 and round Bala. It is particularly numerous in the Dovey Valley 

 from the estuary up to Dinas Mawddwy, and all round Machynlleth, 

 where I saw nests in 1901. 



Flintshire and Denbighshire. — Occurs in many parts of these coun- 

 ties — in fact, seems to be generally distributed — but is not numerous, 

 except in the Vale of Clwyd, where it may be described as rather 

 common. 



Montgomeryshire. — Generally distributed throughout the county, 

 but is less numerous in the western parts than the eastern. It is 

 particularly plentiful around Welshpool, Llanfair, and Montgomery, 

 and large numbers are caught in the autumn to be sold as cage-birds. 

 In this district the bird seems to be on the increase, and there is little 

 doubt that the Protection Act has done good, since it makes it im- 

 possible to expose the birds for sale in the close season. — H. E. Forrest 

 (Brayston Hill, Shrewsbury). 



A Habit of the Lesser Redpoll (Linota rufescens). — Mr. Blathwayt 

 relates his experience (ante, p. 26) of the nesting habits of the Lesser 

 Redpoll in Lincolnshire, and asks for information from naturalists in 

 other parts of Britain, confirmatory or otherwise, as to its susceptibility 

 to forsake its nest on the occasion of its being disturbed. It is far 

 from being an uncommon nesting species in this district, consequently 

 I have had considerable experience of its nesting habits, but have never 

 known it forsake its nest, however much it has been disturbed. Only 

 last season a friend of mine interested in bird-nest photography ex- 

 pressed a wish that I should find him the nest of the species, which I 

 did, built on a horizontal branch of a Scotch-fir about nine feet from 

 the ground. It was building when it was found, and, although much 

 disturbed, almost daily, it still continued its operations. When it had 

 begun to sit my friend photographed the nest and eggs, but previously 

 to doing so it was necessary to lop the twigs in the vicinage of the 

 nest, thus altering altogether the character of its surroundings ; yet 

 notwithstanding this treatment it persistently sat on, and ultimately 

 brought off its young. — E. P. Butterfield (Wilsden, Yorkshire). 



Wood-Lark in West Suffolk. — On Jan. 14th I saw two Wood-Larka 

 (Alauda arborea) in the flesh at Mr. Travis's shop in Bury, which had 



