NOTES AND QUERIES. 269 



belief I venture to send the following evidence received from Mr. 

 T. E. Salvesen, of Leith, who kindly forwarded the translation. 

 The best Norse reference to the above fact (see Ann. Scott. Nat. Hist, 

 for April, 1910) will be found in the 'Norsk-Fisheritinde' ('Norwegian 

 Fishing Gazette '), p. 40, where the following notice in Norwegian 

 appears: — "It is to be noted as a wonderful natural history occur- 

 rence, that upon the 10th July, 1909, a Finner-Whale was brought 

 into the station at Hellesfjord (Iceland), which had no less than six 

 (6) foetuses inside. As is known, Whales do not usually have more 

 than one calf, although cases of two or three have frequently been 

 observed ; a number such as six, therefore, caused considerable 

 notice, and the foetuses were carefully examined and measured. It 

 was ascertained that three of them had lengths of thirty-four inches, 

 one twenty inches, one eighteen inches, and one seventeen inches. 

 The authenticity of the report has been vouched for by several of the 

 station hands." Mr. Salvesen, to whom, as I have said, I am obliged 

 for the above translation and extract, adds (in lit.) : — " I also noticed 

 a similar report in the ' Morgenbladet ' (the ' Scotsman' of Norway), 

 and in ' Norges Sjofahrtstidende' (the ' Shipping Gazette' of Norway), 

 so far as I can remember, in August, 1909. I have asked Capt. Bull 

 if he had further particulars to give, but he said there was nothing 

 more of interest. He had no camera nor spirits of wine at the 

 station." This latter sentence was in reply to my enquiry as to 

 whether any of these small foetuses had been preserved. — J. A. 

 Haevie-Brown (Dunipace, Larbert, Stirlingshire, N.B.). 



AVES. 

 A Curious Nesting Site. — On one of the rainy days in May last, a 

 farmer, on going to fetch his sou'wester hat from off a peg in one of 

 his cow-sheds, was surprised to find that the hat contained a nest in 

 the making. He then placed the hat back, and, after watching, saw 

 a Wren going in and out of the shed with material. The nest after 

 a while was finished, and soon contained eggs, and, although it was 

 frequently taken down to show to visitors, the birds never deserted it, 

 and managed to bring off their young ones successfully. — T. Owen 

 (Pen Pare, Bangor, North Wales). 



Lesser Redpoll at Hampstead. — I have found five nests of the 

 Lesser Redpoll (Linota rufescens) on the Heath here this year ; two 

 were placed in oaks, two in hawthorns, and a fifth high up in a birch- 

 tree. The earliest date on which I found young birds ready to leave 

 the nest was on June 13th. This makes the third year running in 



