196 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



many species of birds much quicker than the Swift's, which was quite 

 a revelation to me. The flight of the Heron and Eook was much 

 quicker, and the flight of the Swallow much slower, than I had 

 previously thought. I am sorry that I have not at hand a table of 

 time-flights which we took on the above occasion, but as far as I 

 remember, the Grouse, which'we timed on Barden Moor inWharfedale, 

 was the swiftest-flying species we noted. 



An interesting feature in the economy of the Woodcock is recorded 

 by Newton, viz. that the old birds transport their newly-hatched 

 young, presumably to places where food is more accessible — a fact 

 which was long doubted if not disbelieved by even eminent naturalists. 

 Many years ago I was with the late Mr. Soppitt, of the Bradford 

 Naturalist Society, on the banks of Windermere, and we actually 

 saw a Woodcock carrying one of its young in the manner described 

 by Newton ; but we both believed, and had good grounds for our 

 belief, that the parent was transporting its young not so much on 

 account of lack of food for the young one as to put it in a place of 

 safety. 



The Wheatear does not constantly put its nest under the ground 

 as is asserted. Indeed for a good radius from this place it nearly 

 always builds its nest in an old wall, sometimes in the ground, but 

 not nearly so often in the latter place as in some other districts I 

 have visited. 



Is the Starling to be considered as a late breeder, as is alleged 

 by Newton ? The most that one can say is that this species breeds 

 somewhat later than some of our resident birds, but some Finches 

 and Buntings are decidedly later breeders than the Starling. 



In a footnote to p. 968 of the ' Dictionary of Birds,' Titmice are 

 cited as great benefactors to horticulturists, and the accusation that 

 they do a deal of damage to fruit-trees by destroying the buds is 

 called wholly false. As far as the Blue Tit is concerned, with the 

 most charitable intentions, I could not construe the behaviour of this 

 species amongst fruit-trees and bushes as wholly of an innocuous 

 character. The other species of Titmice I do not regard as deleterious 

 to fruit-trees. 



Beferring to the distribution of the Chiff-chaff, p. 1052, the state- 

 ment that this species "is very numerous in the southern and 

 western part of England, but seems to be scarcer northward," broadly 

 stated may be quite true, but a reference to its status in many parts 

 of its range in England must be governed by factors other than 

 latitude and longitude. Here, in mid north-west Yorkshire, it is 



