NOTES AND QUERIES. 431 



me to be much later than formerly, I believe owing to the persecution 

 from the House- Sparrow ; they are — in towns, at all events — often 

 compelled to begin breeding after the Sparrows have finished. Three 

 years running I have noticed one nest in particular as being extra late, 

 and in each year I have found the young birds dead on the pavement 

 below after the parents had left. This year they were seen feeding at 

 the nest Oct. 14th, last year (1904) on Oct. 10th, and in 1903 it was 

 well into October, but I have not kept a record of exact date. Chiff- 

 chaffs were "chipping" here as late as Sept. 15th. — R.B.Lodge 

 (Enfield). 



Greenfinch and Hedge-Sparrow rearing each other's Young. — Mr. 

 Ellison's suggestion (ante, p. 391) that the Greenfinch, from its habit 

 of feeding its young on predigested seeds, would not be a suitable 

 foster-parent to the insectivorous young Cuckoo, makes me think it 

 advisable to describe an experiment I made some thirty years ago in 

 transposing the newly hatched young of a Hedge- Sparrow and those 

 of a Greenfinch into each other's nests. I put two young Hedge- 

 Sparrows into the Greenfinch's nest, and two young Greenfinches 

 into the Hedge- Sparrow's, leaving in each case to the parent birds 

 two of their own young to be brought up with two little strangers 

 of equal age. It may seem a singular fact, but it is a fact, that both 

 these mixed broods were successfully reared. At the end of about ten 

 days — I do not remember the exact period — I found the young Green- - 

 finches in the Hedge- Sparrow's nest, and the young Hedge- Sparrows 

 in that of the Greenfinch, as well developed and (to all outward 

 appearance) as thriving as their brothers and sisters in the nests of 

 their proper parents. I changed the birds back before it was time for 

 them to fly, so the experiment was not pursued to the very end ; but, 

 as far as the first ten days or so are concerned, I think it shows that 

 one need not feel sceptical as to the competence of the seed-eating 

 Greenfinch to rear the insectivorous Cuckoo. A course of feeding 

 which agrees with the young Hedge- Sparrow should surely agree with 

 the infant Cuckoo also. — C. B. Moffat (36, Hardwicke Street, Dublin). 



Increase of Goldfinches. — The " scheduling" of the Goldfinch in 

 Middlesex and Herts has had a good effect. There are now immense 

 numbers of Goldfinches on the thistles, a large percentage being young 

 birds. These, I believe, have been bred in the neighbourhood, chiefly 

 in the extensive market-orchards. — E. B. Lodge (Enfield). 



Breeding Haunts of the Twite (Linota flavirostris). — I was more 

 than a little surprised to read (ante, p. 390) Mr. Allan Ellison's reply 



