226 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



MAMMALIA. 



Stoats (?) attacking Lapwings. — At the end of November, 1909, 

 and during the first week in December following, some mysterious 

 animal, supposed to be a Stoat, killed quite a number of Plovers 

 on Mr. Millard's farm at Hethel (which adjoins a farm of mine near 

 Norwich). Mr. Millard picked up four Lapwings and two Golden 

 Plovers, and his ploughmen found thirteen more. All of them are 

 described as having blood on the head, otherwise not a feather was 

 ruffled. The two last ones found, however, had been partially eaten 

 by some creature. — J. H. Gueney (Keswick Hall, Norwich). 



AVE S. 



Large Clutch of Eggs in Nest of Mistle-Thrush. — Whilst walking 

 near the village of Hucklow, Derbyshire, on May 17th, I found a nest 

 of Turclus viscivorus containing six eggs. The nest was unusually 

 large, the eggs were in no way cramped for space, and all were of the 

 same type and well marked. In my eight years' experience of the 

 birds of North Derbyshire I have never known of six eggs in a nest 

 of this species. I have occasionally found five eggs, but the usual 

 number for this bird appears to be four. The nest was situated 

 in the fork of an oak-tree. — J. S. Macdonald (Bretton Clough, Eyam, 

 near Sheffield). 



Strange Nest of Blackbird. — I have read with interest in several 

 numbers of ' The Zoologist ' accounts of peculiar nesting-sites of 

 several birds. I had one brought before my notice the other day, 

 which I think is worth recording. It was a Blackbird's nest built in 

 a rhubarb-leaf, and the leaf was standing in its natural position. To 

 keep the nest secure the birds had pierced holes in the leaf, and woven 

 pieces of dry grass round the ribs of it. The nest was very roughly 

 made, there being no lining of fine grass as is usual with the Black- 

 bird, but just a rough lining of mud. It contained three eggs, which 

 were unmistakably those of a Blackbird, and not of a Thrush. It may 

 also be of interest to state that I saw a pair of Hobbies flying quite 

 close to me on May 22nd, and these are the first I have seen in this 

 neighbourhood. — A. W. Ecutt (Commercial Street, Newport, Mon.). 



