NOTES AND QUERIES. 357 



changed our venue for observation to a considerable distance. No 

 sooner had we done so than we saw one of the parent birds fly near 

 to a large boulder amongst the heather, and immediately fly away, and, 

 on going to the place, we found the nest in the heather, with nearly 

 fledged young. This is the second instance in this district of the 

 species having selected such a nesting-site ; a patch of bent-grass lay 

 near this site, which appeared to be a much more suitable place for its 

 nest. 



Just when commencing to write these notes a relative called out 

 to me to come into the garden and see a beautiful bird, which we 

 found to be a Chaffinch, and, although there was an abundance of 

 small seeds, it was hunting for insects nearly all the time we watched 

 it. It came very near to us, and did not mind us in the least ; it 

 was a male bird of the year. A female bird of this species visited 

 this garden almost all last winter — a rather unusual thing. To see 

 how confiding the species can become if undisturbed during the 

 breeding season, one should visit Bolton Woods, a seat of the Duke of 

 Devonshire in Wharfedale, where they feed upon scraps of food at 

 your feet, and will actually alight and hop about on the table pro- 

 vided for visitors at Strid Cottage without manifesting the slightest 

 fear, which has of late become quite an attractive feature to visitors of 

 this place. — E. P. Butterfield (Wilsden). 



PISCES. 



Large Eel in the Hampshire Avon. — Some years ago a gentleman 

 interested in fishing doubted if an Eel a yard in length was procurable 

 from the river, and offered a sovereign for one of the length named. 

 Some little time elapsed before such a fish was caught, but eventually 

 two of the desired dimensions were obtained. On the morning of 

 August 29th a man who has the superintendence of the Eel-stage at 

 the flour mills showed me an Eel which had been caught during the 

 previous night, "running," I suppose, before the moon rose. Its 

 weight was seven pounds, and I measured it as follows : three feet 

 five and a half inches in length, and ten and a half inches in girth in 

 the thickest part of the body, about eight inches from the head ; a 

 large specimen undoubtedly, but I understand not a record for the 

 river, as two or three about the same weight have been taken in the 

 immediate neighbourhood of Bingwood, and one or more larger and 

 heavier near Christchurch. It is a well-known fact that Eels — like 

 many other kinds of fishes — have decreased very much in numbers 



