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NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MAMMALIA. 



Yellow-necked Mouse (Mus flavicollis) at Witley. — On March 14th 

 last I found a dead specimen of this Mouse. It was the largest I have 

 seen, and had the yellow pectoral band well developed. Unfortunately 

 it was so decomposed as to render either preservation or the taking 

 of measurements impossible. — Gokdon Dalgliesh (Brook, Witley, 

 Surrey). 



AVES. 



Curious Eggs of the Blackbird. — The eggs of Blackbird recently 

 figured (ante, p. 98) may or may not now be unique, but at one time I 

 possessed what appears to have been identical with them. The blank 

 parts of the shell were clay-colour, and the zone or markings at the 

 ends — some on the larger end, some on the smaller — were very minute 

 black dots, almost coalescing, as if sprinkled on with a nail-brush. The 

 above may prove interesting to your correspondent. — J. A. Harvie- 

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



Early Nest of the Dipper. — In spite of the very severe spring 

 weather we have had, I can record an early nest of the Dipper 

 (Cinclus aquations). The bird commenced building on Feb. 15th, and 

 her fourth egg was laid on March 16th, when she commenced sitting. — 

 T. Thornton Mackeith (The Hall, Caldwell, Uplawmoor, Renfrew- 

 shire). 



Is the Grey Wagtail (M*otacilla melanope) decreasing in Number ? 

 Now that we have the birds back to their breeding haunts, I would like 

 to draw the attention of observers to the comparative scarceness of the 

 Grey Wagtail in many of its hitherto favourite breeding haunts in the 

 West Riding of Yorkshire, particularly so during the last three or four 

 years. Not that I wish to make out that this species is now rare, but 

 it certainly is not, in my opinion, so plentiful as, say, ten or fifteen 

 years ago. Many of our little rock-strewn moorland streams, where 

 at one time a pair or two nested, seem now to be deserted, for what 

 reason it is difficult to surmise. The Yellow (Motacilla raii), on the 



