THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



165 



Hawfinch (C. vulgaris). — Our neighbour's cat brought in this evening 

 (July 16th, 1876) a fine young specimen of this somewhat uncommon bird. 

 It was fully feathered, but had not as yet assumed the black throat and lore 

 of the adult. It had probably been bred somewhere in the neighbourhood. 

 John's in his British Birds intimates that it breeds in the neighbouring 

 county of Berks. 



Common Humble Bee (£. terrestris). — I once noticed a bee of this 

 species on the ground unable to fly, and found that the cause was owing to 

 its having a thick pellet of black coarse pollen attached to each hind leg, 

 which weighed it down. On my removing one of these pellets the bee took 

 flight. 



Chimney Swallow (H. ricstica).—Wh.en going up the garden this after- 

 noon (November 18th, 1877) between one and two o'clock, I saw to my 

 surprise a single swallow shooting about rather low in the air over the ad- 

 joining farm-yard and outbuildings. Presently it came flying over my head 

 several times, and I had then a good opportunity of seeing that my supposi- 

 tion was correct, and that it was indeed a swallow. I watched it for some 

 time. It flew strong, so that an accident could not have been the cause of 

 its remaining here so long. It was probably a late-hatched bird. 



Common Eootman Moth [L. complanula). — Out (July 23rd.) When 

 touched this moth tumbles and falls about as if it were dead, or as if it were 

 merely an inanimate substance. 



A Stickleback's Nest. — This evening (May 7th, 1882) when out for a 

 ramble on the Newbridge road, I chanced to look over a bridge which spans 

 a meadow. Under this bridge is generally some water, and standing on the 

 bridge I could clearly discern the various small aquatic creatures disporting 

 themselves. Several small fish were swimming about. One in particular, 

 about two or three inches in length, seemed to keep in one spot, constantly 

 darting and swimming round what appeared to be a heap of mud with a hole 

 in the top. This proved to be its nest. The little fish would not leave it, 

 but kept resting on the top time after time, and occasionally introducing itself 

 into the orifice of the nest. Several small stones dropped by me plump into 

 the water close to the nest, only startled the little fish for a second or two, 

 as it returned directly to it post. It suddenly seized a piece of wood, some- 

 what similar to itself in size and shape, and swam off with it, probably think- 

 ing it to be a rival fish. The proprietor was a beautifully-coloured little 

 fish. Note. — That sticklebacks build nests and guard them after is a fact 

 well known to all naturalists. 



