OENITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 

 MiGRATiGN OF Birds.— This season, nearly all our summer birds have 

 left us a month sooner than usual. All the warblers, swallows, and 

 martins departed by the middle of September, with a few exceptions. I 

 saw a few martins flying over the canal Oct. 9th. Mr. Parkin, of 

 Brampton, Cumberland, informs me that he saw a flock of redwings 

 Sept. 25th; and Mr. John Cordeaux, of Lincolnshire, writes to Mr. 

 Clarke that almost all the winter visitors are nearly a month sooner this 

 year. This is a sure indication of a severe winter. — Jas. Varley, 

 Huddersfield. 



Curlew near Huddersfield. — On Aug. 23, I had a curlew {Numcnins 

 arquata) brought m, shot at Bilberry reservoir, near Holmtirth. — J. V. 



Heron" near Huddersfield. — I had a fine heron (Ardea cinerea) 

 brought in Sept. 4th, also shot at Bilberry reservoir. — J. Y. 



Late Nesting of the Greenfinch. — On Oct. 4th, I found a nest of 

 the greenfinch, containLig five fledged young ones, at Almondbury 

 Bank.— J. V. 



A Bird's Nest in the Heart of a Tree. — On the 5th of the present 

 month, while the sawyers at the Farnley Ironworks, near Leeds, were 

 engaged cutting up a Dutch elm from the Castle Howard estate, they were 

 surprised to find in a cavity in the heart of the trunk a bird's nest con- 

 taining eggs, the exact n amber of which is not quite certain, as some were 

 broken in the process of sawing, but six of them were obtained quite 

 uninjured, and the broken remains are estimated to represent from four 

 to six more. The cavity was situate 21 ft. from the root end of the 

 trunk (which at this point was 16 inches in diameter), and measured 

 24 inches in depth by 3 inches across. The nest occupied the bottom of 

 the cavity, and consisted of a quantity of moss in a very decayed state. 

 The eggs are described as being of a dirty white ground colour and 

 spotted somewhat faintly with dark brown, inclining to red ; but so many 

 years have elapsed since they were deserted, that the contents have 

 entirely evaporated, leaving not the faintest trace of a former presence. 

 I am inclined to think, from the number and description of the eggs, and 

 the situation of the nest, that they are most probably those of a blue tit- 

 'inouse. The thickness of the solid timber wall, which entirely closed the 

 cavity from the outer world, was five inches at the lower extremity and 

 three-and-a-half at the upper extremity, the latter being the minimum 

 thickness. The number of "rings of growth" between the cavity and 

 the bark, counted at the thinnest part, was sixty. This would indicate 

 that the cavity had been sealed for at least that number of years, although 

 the nest and eggs must be considerably older ; for there must be added 

 the number of years that necessarily intervened between the abandonment 

 of the nest and the final closing of the aperture, before the formation 

 of complete rings of growth could have commenced. — Wm. Eagle 

 Clarke, Leeds. 



