234 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



and the village of Goldington. About three-fourths of this number 

 were Black-headed Gulls and the remainder Common Gulls. There 

 were many of both species in full breeding-plumage. I am informed 

 numbers of Gulls were seen in this latter locality a week previously. 

 On April 2nd, my son tells me, only about a dozen were to be seen, but 

 a few have been observed since this date and up to April 18th, though 

 possibly all were more recent arrivals. — J. Steele Elliott. 



Breeding-Habits of the Linnet. — How different species of birds 

 may have different habits in their distributional range is well 

 illustrated in the paper on ' Breeding Birds of Malta,' by Mr. 

 Despott, in the ' Zoologist ' (p. 171). In Malta, he remarks, under 

 the head of Linnet (Linota cannabina, Linn.), that both male and 

 female take part in the construction of nests. In this district I have 

 ample proof that only the female takes part in the building of the 

 nest. The male always accompanies the female when the latter is 

 searching for building material, and remains near the nest uttering 

 short snatches of song whilst the female is engaged in building 

 operations. Indeed, during nearly the whole of the nesting-period 

 the male and female are always together, except when the female is 

 sitting and has young nestlings. From the date of nesting-period 

 given by Mr. Despott, I infer that this species is single-brooded in 

 Malta. In this district a good many are certainly double-brooded, 

 the breeding-period extending to late July and August. — E. P. 

 Butteefield (Wilsden, Bradford). 



A Much-used Nest. — The other day I came across an old 

 Blackbird's nest built against the bole of a tree in Bingley Wood, the 

 bottom part of which, it was evident, had been utilised as a winter 

 resort of the Wren, whilst on the top of the whole structure, which 

 had been much disarranged on account of the burrowing of the 

 Wrens, the nest of a Chaffinch was built. — E. P. Butteefield. 



A Closely- sitting Missel Thrush. — The other day I found the nest 

 of a Missel Thrush in the wood a short distance from this place, built 

 on the lateral branch of an oak near its extremity, and on trying 

 to flush the bird from its nest I had the greatest difficulty in doing 

 so. I came at last to think the bird was dead, owing to the late cold 

 weather we had. A friend was with me at the time, and he was 

 determined to settle the matter. He fetched a long stick and lifted 

 the parent's hind-quarters some little distance from the nest ; still 

 it would not leave the nest, and before it did so he had to strike the 



