THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



163 



peculiarities might be enumerated. If 

 these changes can be produced, who 

 shall say what changes are impossible. 

 Nor must our readers suppose that in 

 taking pigeons for our illustration we 

 were at all restricted in our choice. 

 Dogs, poultry, even canaries might 

 have been spoken of much in the same 

 way, though canaries have only been 

 reared in domestication for a compara- 

 tively limited number of years. But 

 one illustration is enough for our 

 purpose, and we will next refer to 

 some other branches of the subject. 



TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



All eommnnications to be sent to J. E. Bobson, 15 

 Northgate, Hartlepool; or to S. L. Mosley Beau- 

 mont Park, Huddersfield. 



Subscriptions for Vol, III. are now due. 

 Weekly numbers or monthly parts, 6s.; 

 with plain plates ; or 8s. with coloured 

 plates. The latter cannot be obtained 

 through the booksellers, but any one can 

 have their plates coloured on application 

 to the Editors. 



EXCHANGE. 



^ The Editors of the Y.N. require Nests of 

 ■ the following birds, for figuring in their 

 " British Birds " :— Great Grey, and Wood- 

 chat Shrike; Spotted Flycatcher; Field- 

 fare; Redwing; Ring Ouzle ; Nightingale; 

 Redstart ; Black Redstart ; Stonechat ; 

 Wheatear ; Grasshopper, and Dartford 

 Warbler ; Lesser Whitethroat ; Garden 

 Warbler; Blackcap; Wood Warbler; Chiff- 

 chaff; Longtailed, and Bearded Titmouse ; 

 ^ Grey Wagtail ; Rock Pipit ; Woodlark ; 

 Common, and Girl Bunting ; Brambling ; 

 Hawfinch ; Goldfinch ; Siskin ; Mealy Red- 

 poll; Bulfinch ; Crossbill, &c., &c. 



They will either return the specimens 

 sent, paying postal expenses, or make such 

 other return as may be acceptable to the 

 sender. All such help will be duly acknow- 

 ledged in the book. Their thanks are due 

 to many correspondents for aid last season. 

 Address — S. L. Mosley, Beaumont Park, 

 Huddersfield. 



Duplicates : — Batis, Herhida, Nebulosay 

 B'Tiinnedf Lubricipeday Elutata, Tragopo- 

 gonis, MuH, Potatoria, Orion, Montanata. 

 Desider.^ta : — Numerous. — T. W. King, 

 3, The Terrace, Camberwell, S.E. 



NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS 



Notes from Birmingham. -January nth. 

 Cocks (fowls; often crow on a light night, 

 especially when the moon is shining, perhaps 

 they think it is break of day. Fowl eggs, 

 when stale, have a mottled greyish look 

 about them. 



January 15th. Hedge Sparrows (Slyvia 

 modularis), lo%'s to sit upon the highest 

 twigs of a hedge and make their voices 

 heard. Their song only consists of a few 

 notes repeated over and over again. Saw 

 a cluster of fifty Spiders' nests, under some 

 bark on an old oak tree. 



January 22nd. Saw a Stock Dove 

 (C. anas), in Upper Nut Hurst. I also saw 

 a great flock of Paridae. Golden-crested 

 Wrens and Nuthatches were in great num- 

 bers. There were also Great, Blue, Cole, 

 and a few Long-tailed Tits. They made 

 such a noise by rustling among the holly 

 bushes and bracken that they could hardly 

 hear my approach, and I was enabled to 

 get very near to them. They kept up a 

 continual chirping. I followed them 

 through the wood for about an hour to 

 observe their habits. They kept mostly on 

 the outskirts all the time. The way I did 

 was to run round in advance of them, and 

 hide beneath a holly or fir tree. The whole 

 flock would slowly pass by without seeing 

 me. Scores of Golden-crested Wrens settled 



