NOTES AND QUERIES. T6 



been shot at Rougham. This is a bird little known in Suffolk, though 

 it breeds in the county ; and these are the only ones I ever saw in the 

 flesh. They were probably migrants from the north which the hard 

 weather had brought down, and in no way connected with those which 

 come into Suffolk later in the year for the purpose of nesting. — 

 Julian G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds). 



Hybrids between Domestic Pigeon, $ , x Columba cenas, 2 . — In 

 'The Zoologist' for June, 1900 (p. 281), when recording a hybrid 

 betwixt a Homer Pigeon and a Collared Turtle, I described how a 

 friend had failed to rear some hybrids obtained betwixt various of his 

 Domestic Pigeons, and Stock-Doves he had hatched and reared from 

 eggs obtained from nests in the sea-cliffs near his house. Invariably 

 the young ones died within a few days after hatching out. In 1901 

 the same gentleman (Mr. James Blacklock, Southwick) obtained a 

 young Stock-Dove, in the squeaker stage, that had been caught by the 

 keepers on the estate when ferreting rabbits. It had bolted mto the 

 net, rabbit fashion. This bird was placed amongst the Pigeons, and 

 soon became quite at home. Late in the summer of 1902 it paired 

 with a Blue Tumbler cock, and they successfully brought up a strong 

 and healthy couple of young, which I had an opportunity of examining 

 on 18th November last. They had then parted with nearly all evidences 

 of adolescence. In appearance they bear much more resemblance to 

 their maternal parent than they do to their father. All four were 

 flying with the other Pigeons in the courtyard, and no person could 

 have imagined for a moment that the Stock-Dove had ever been a wild 

 bird. Perhaps the term " wild bird" may not truly apply, because it 

 doubtless looked out upon the world for the first time when it bolted 

 into the rabbit-net. — Robert Service (Maxwelltown, Dumfries). 



Protective Colouration of Birds' Eggs. — Looking over old diaries 

 I came across the following instance, which may be of interest to 

 readers of ' The Zoologist' : — On May 4th, 1893, I rescued five fresh 

 (i. e. unincubated) Great Crested Grebe's eggs, which however, I am 

 glad to say, were not taken in this neighbourhood, from being blown. 

 On the following day I took them over to Hickling Broad, and put two, 

 two, and one into the nests of three Coots, which had not yet laid 

 their own full complement of eggs, removing three, three, and one 

 Coots' eggs in doing so. Within two days Rooks — or Crows — had 

 sucked every one of the Grebe's eggs, whilst numerous nests full of 

 Coots' eggs were left unharmed near by. The slight difference in the 

 ground colour and the absence of the small black markings were appa- 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. VII., February, 1903. a 



