464 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



I spent a month in North Yorkshire in a deep valley, and I was 

 surprised to find that both the Common Sparrow and Skylark were 

 very scarce. Indeed I have always found that the Skylark does 

 not affect deep valleys in any numbers during the breeding season. 

 — E. P. Butterfield (Wilsden, Yorks). 



Food of the Ring-Dove. — Last summer my attention was called 

 by many people to some birds which visited a field near our recrea- 

 tion ground, and continued their visits day after day for some time. 

 On my going to the field in question I found them to be King-Doves. 

 Taking my field-glasses I could plainly see they were feeding upon 

 the seeds of a certain grass, and on going to the particular place, I 

 found it was one of the soft grasses (Holcus) ; and on returning home, 

 I saw a Lesser Eedpoll feeding upon the seeds of the same grass, 

 growing in the recreation field. — E. P. Butterfield. 



Rooks and Railways.- — What more natural than that Books should 

 be found frequenting and building their nests near railways ? Books 

 very soon learn to ignore trains, and find that they are less perse- 

 cuted near railways, where there are few trespassers to disturb them. 

 Besides this, there is always a certain amount of scraps of food 

 thrown from railway trains, and lying about stations and signal- 

 boxes. Books and other birds also frequent laden railway trucks, 

 especially in sidings, from which they pick up a leakage of grain, 

 seeds, and food-stuffs. I have specially noticed this in railway yards 

 on Sundays, when no workmen are about. In hard weather Books 

 frequently feed on the train-oil which is used to oil the wheels of the 

 rolling-stock and often oozes from the oil-boxes. Under these 

 circumstances it is not to be wondered at that Books are found 

 sitting on telegraph wires, on the look-out for food, and nesting near 

 railway lines. The habit of Books of often building their nests in the 

 most frequented thoroughfares of some of our large towns is no doubt 

 attributable to the fact that they find more security there from egg- 

 collectors and others, and also to some of the same causes which I 

 have mentioned as attracting them to railway lines. I think 

 Mr. Finn will find that his interesting observations on Books on his 

 journey from Tiverton to London will hold good on many, if not on 

 most, railway lines in the kingdom where Books are generally to be 

 found. — John B. B. Masefield (Bosehill, Cheadle, Staffordshire). 



Storks or Cranes at Gallipoli. — In Mr. D. A. J. Buxton's paper 

 on " Birds seen during the Gallipoli Campaign " it is stated (' Zool.', 

 pp. 415-416) that large flocks of what were believed to be Cranes 

 flew southward, uttering loud clanging notes. In a paper by Captain 



