188 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and thus in a mild season more parti-coloured Stoats are observed. — 

 G. B. Corbin (Ringwood). 



Harvest-Mouse (Mus minutus) in Surrey. — For several years I had 

 been on the look-out for this pretty little Mouse, but without success, 

 and doubted its occurrence in this county. Yesterday (April 9th), 

 however, I had a pair brought to me that had been caught in a corn- 

 rick. I have not seen this species recorded from Surrey before, and 

 think it must be very rare here. — Gordon Dalgliesh (E ashing, God- 

 aiming, Surrey). 



Hippopotami in Rhodesia. — It is reported from Rhodesia that two 

 Hippopotami have taken up their abode in the Matopo Dam, a few 

 miles from Bulawayo. How they got there is somewhat of a mystery, 

 for the lower regions of the Umzingwani River, from which it appears 

 they must have come, are over one hundred miles from the dam. This 

 is the first year in which the dam has been quite full of water, and if, 

 as is supposed, the animals began to move early in the season, when 

 the rains were backward and the river was in consequence low, the 

 instinct displayed by them is perhaps worth investigating by those 

 interested in such matters. The Hippopotamus is seldom found in 

 Rhodesia, except in the larger rivers, such as the Zambesi, where in the 

 lagoons above the Victoria Falls one may often see several at a time. — 

 Thr Secretary (The British South Africa Company). 



AVES. 



Fire-crest in Sussex. — Seeing in last month's ' Zoologist ' (ante, 

 p. 149) that the Fire-crest (Regulus ignicapillus) has occurred in Dorset 

 and Kent, it is worthy of note that it has likewise occurred in Sussex. 

 I met with one of these little birds at Maresfield on Feb. 14th, the first 

 under my notice, though often looked for. — Robert Morris ("Fern- 

 hurst," Uckfield). 



Late Stay of Bramblings (Fringilla montifringilla) in Cheshire. — 

 Between the 11th and 18th April last I watched a small party of 

 Bramblings of both sexes in a plantation of young larches at Blacon, 

 near Chester. They were feeding on the so-called larch-aphis (Chermes 

 laricis). Mr. R. Newstead kindly identified the insect, and informed 

 me that, to the best of his knowledge, he had no previous record of 

 this particular insect-pest being taken by birds. Although the planta- 

 tion adjoined a high road, tbe birds evinced little alarm at passers-by* 

 so intent were they in picking off these insects. They occasionally 

 gave utterance to a guttural note, "tuk, tuk," or "tchuk. tchuk," 



