270 



THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MA MM ALIA. 



Erythristic Variety of the Field -Vole. — On July 7th I had brought 

 to me a curious variety of the Field-Vole (Microtus agrestis) which 

 had been found dead in a clovei -field near Shrewsbury. The upper 

 parts were of a pale fawn-colour, the under parts white. The animal 

 was a full-grown male. — H. E. Forrest (Shrewsbury). 



AVE S. 



The Lesser Redpoll (Linota rufescens) at Hampstead. — The 



Lesser Eedpoll has again bred here this year. Two or three pairs 

 returned to the Heath by the latter end of May, and on June 9th I 

 found a nest just completed, and which was placed in the top of a 

 furze-bush. Five eggs in all were laid in this nest, and incubation 

 lasted fourteen days ; the hen bird commenced to sit when the first 

 egg was laid. I have noticed that this bird, like some others, occa- 

 sionally swallows the faeces of its young, but whether this practice is 

 only resorted to by birds when they know or suspect themselves to 

 be under observation would be difficult to ascertain. The Lesser 

 Redpoll is a very late breeder here, but the vegetable down which 

 seems so essential for the lining of their nests could not be procured 

 much before the end of May or the beginning of June. — H. Meyrick 

 (Holly Cottage, The Mount, Hampstead, N.W.). 



The Occurrence of the Bean Goose in Cumberland. — In Messrs. 

 Thorpe and Hope's article in 'The Zoologist ' (ante, p. 187) on the 

 observations made by the Natural History Bureau for the County of 

 Cumberland numerous references are made as to the occurrence of the 

 Bean Goose by Mr. Nichol, for instance: March 19th, flock seen flying ; 

 March 12th, some seen ; Oct. 5th, a flock of forty seen ; Dec. 30th, flock 

 of eighty seen ; and also on Dec. 7th, flock of Greylag seen. As the Bean 

 Goose is a comparatively rare species in England and Scotland, and 

 when found usually as a stray bird or birds in a flock of other Grey 

 Geese, and, moreover, it being quite impossible to identify between 

 the four species when on the wing and silent, how, may I ask, did 

 Mr. Nichol know that they were Bean Geese ? No mention is made 



