NOTES AND QUERIES. 433 



the Blue-headed "Wagtail, and my son Eosse informs me of the 

 occurrence of a Bittern near Keighley, and the probable nesting of 

 the Woodcock. Notwithstanding the beautiful weather we had last 

 summer, very few Cuckoos were in evidence, but were much commoner 

 in some places further north. — E. P. Buttebfield (Wilsden, Yorks). 



Young Sand-Martins found dead outside their Nest. — Beferring 

 to the query of Mr. F. C. Cook in his "Ornithological Notes" {ante, 

 p. 321) as to the cause of the death of a number of young Sand-Martins 

 (Cotile riparia) which he had found at the foot of sand-cliffs, I 

 should have attributed the cause to the young being infested with 

 parasites, had not Mr. Cook stated that the young dead birds were in 

 all stages of plumage. This species is very much infested with 

 parasites, and the young, when about a week or ten days old, are 

 sometimes found dead at the foot of the cliffs where this species 

 usually breed. — E. P. Butteefield (Wilsden, Yorks). 



Linnets Singing from Trees. — In the ' Zoologist ' (ante, p. 329) 

 Mr. F. C. Cook relates the incident of numbers of Linota cannabina 

 singing together in the topmost branches of a large tree at Oulton, 

 which appeared to him most unusual. Here, in Somerset, Linnets 

 are numerous, and many times I have observed parties of them 

 singing together from the branches of an elm or lime tree ; I have 

 noticed this incident twice during the present month of October, 

 perhaps they are young males having just finished their moult. It 

 would appear likely that Mr. Hall Caine has also noticed this 

 incident, for when reading his book ' The Woman Thou Gavest 

 Me,' I admired the likeness he made to the young ladies' boudoir 

 scene at Borne, their voices resembling " a tree full of Linnets in 

 spring." — Stanley Lewis. 



Osprey in Sussex. — I saw last week in Chichester a fine specimen 

 of an immature Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) which they told me was 

 picked up by a farmer in a turnip field down Pagham way. The 

 bird had recently been shot. — (Bev.) H. Maemaduke Langdale 

 (Compton House, Compton, Petersfield). 



United Broods of Teal. — Early last June I was walking with a 

 gamekeeper in a lovely part of our West Country where Nettion crecca 

 breeds plentifully, when we observed on a very small piece of water 

 two united broods of Teal ; there were nineteen youngsters with the 

 two females. I conclude the two birds incubated closely together in 

 the ling and heath which well overhung the edge of the water. — 

 Stanley Lewis. 



Zool. 4th ser. vol. XVIII., November, 1914. 2 L 



