NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
75 
94. Birds singing on the Ground.— In reply to a query of a corre- 
spondent, I have several times noticed skylarks, thrushes, &c., singing on the 
ground, and also a woodpigeon “ cooing.” Can any of your readers give me any 
instances of common partridges perching on a bush or tree. A naturalist friend 
of mine tells me that he once saw one fly into a hazel-bush and settle; and 
last spring I saw one sitting on a gate-post. The red-legged partridge perches 
on ricks, &c., as is well known. 
Northants Nat. Hist. Sac. W. A. Shaw. 
95. Maternal Love. — Last spring, after a gorse patch had been fired at 
Velvertoft, a hen blackbird was found dead with the feathers burnt off her back, 
having refused to leave her helpless offspring. 
W. A. Shaw. 
96. Waxwings. — With regard to A. L. H.’s enquiry re waxwings, I may 
also state that I noticed one on January 7, on the bough of a tree in a park, on 
the outskirts of Gt. Yarmouth, and not being more than ten feet distant, there 
was no mistake as to its identity. 
Mr. .A. Patterson, in his catalogue of the birds of Gt. Yarmouth, says, “ It is 
an uncertain winter visitor, in some years it arrives in most unexpected numbers ; 
in others few, if any, are recorded. Early in 1893 several were obtained in the 
neighbourhood.” It is also mentioned in Hudson’s “ British Birds,” and Wood’s 
“Natural History.” .A local game dealer had a dead specimen on his stall on 
February 13, and several others were noted during January and February. 
Whether the one I saw shared the fate of those observed by A. L. H. I am unable 
to say. It is such a charmingly pretty bird that the man with the gun ought to 
think twice before killing it. 
103, Lichfield Road, Southtoum, Gt. Yarmouth, ROY A. PiKE. 
• February 17, 1904. 
97. Tufted Duck. — A number of wild duck of the tufted kind have been 
visiting .St. .Margaret’s Loch at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, lately. I counted there 
to-day eighteen drakes and two ducks swimming lazily about and occasionally 
diving for the weeds at the bottom of the loch. The upper part of the body is 
black, as are also the head and rump ; the speculum, flanks and belly, are white. 
They are very tame, coming within twelve yards of anyone standing on the shore. 
Is this unusual ? 
19, Dalziel Place, AUGUSTUS H. Duvall. 
Abbey Hill, Edinburgh, March ii, 1904. 
98 . Humming; in the Air. — Mr. R. H. Rogers’ answer, in the February 
number of Nature Notes to my query, re this subject, is very interesting, and 
is worthy of closer investigation ; but, unlike Mr. Rogers’ experience of this 
curious phenomenon, I saw no bumble-bees or other insects to cause the sound. 
Can it be that they were very high up in the air, out of sight ? On dry summer 
evenings most flying insects rise very high, but it seems scarcely feasible that such 
insects as bees should rise so high as to be out of sight, seeing that they would 
have no apparent inducement, their food being entirely on the ground. Were 
there only a few bumble-bees about one would naturally expect the humming 
sound to be more or less intermittent as the individual came near to hand ; 
but such was not the case when I heard it. The sound was regular, much like that 
proceeding from a grove of lime trees in blossom, when surrounded with thousands 
of bees. I cannot help thinking that the origin of the sound must be much more 
obscure than the insect theory, or Gilbert White, who frequently heard this hum- 
ming, would .have determined its origin, for he was an extremely shrewd and 
quick observer. F. Gibbons. 
99 . Hummillg in the Air. — I see there has been another letter on this 
subject, but I believe the right explanation of it will be found in this. Let me 
give my description of the case. I was staying at Minehead, Somerset, in 
summer, and going for a walk one day up one of the grassy slopes near the sea, I 
experienced a peculiar sensation of sound. I had walked, as it were, into the 
midst of a humming noise, the origin of which was invisible and which sur- 
rounded me on every side. I looked up, then down, to the right, then to the 
