NATURAL HISTORY NOTES 
53 
see the lions that were kept there. I was allowed to handle a little cub that 
was born the night before. There were three of them. Thinking I was to keep 
the cub, I remember that it was one of my greatest sorrows parting with it. It 
made an indelible impression on my memory. 
Hampstead. February 19, 1906. PETER HasTIE. 
[Were not the “ rooks ” at the Tower, jackdaws ? — Ed. N.N.\ 
332. Carrion Crows and a Dog. — Birds generally are very tame at Kew, 
and some are daring. There are usually some carrion crows on the Green and in 
the garden neat' my house. This season there have been three nearly always in 
company, and they will allow persons to come within two or three yards before 
rising. Last Sunday morning my wife called my attention to the amusing 
behaviour of two of these crows and a rough-coated terrier. The dog was picking 
a bone on the Green, just in front of my house, and the two crows sidled up from 
different directions towards the dog ; then he let go his bone and made for one 
of them. The other crow promptly seized the bone and commenced feeding, 
whereupon the dog turned his attention to this crow. It allowed the dog to get 
very near and then conveyed the bone a short distance and recommenced picking 
it. This movement was repeated time after time, the distances varying from 
a dozen to perhaps fifty yards, and the crow without the bone was not the least 
disturbed by the dog racing past it in pursuit of the crow with the bone. It was 
very funny indeed, and gave one the impression that the crows were taking it out 
of the dog and enjoying the sport. Finally one of them carried off the bone. 
Apart from this incident the antics of these crows often amuse us. 
W. Botting Hemsley. 
333. Chaffinch’s Nest in Heart of Elm. — Messrs. John Carr, junr., 
and Co., St. Lawrence Saw Mills, Newcastle, write: “On the 3rd inst., whilst 
sawing an English elm tree from Hawick, which in its usual course was 
slabbed on all sides, and then a two and a half inch plank was cut off, a hole 
was noticed leading towards the heart of the tree. The next saw cut revealed a 
chaffinch’s nest, containing three eggs. The nest was completely grown into the 
tree, no sign whatever being noticeable from the outside. Both the nest and 
eggs were quite intact, but unfortunately the latter broke when touched, and 
coming in contact with the air. 
Jantiary 30, 1906. 
334. House-martins, — The present spell of cold weather reminds one of 
that which prevailed at the beginning of October last year, when the bouse- 
martins suffered somewhat from the cold. 
Martins were seen in fairly large numbers up to the end of September, and I 
think nested rather late. On October 5 a good many were flying about all day, 
more especially over the school playground and under the eaves of the shops 
overlooking the playground. Two or three took refuge in the buildings, no 
doubt in consequence of the keen north-west wind, and one or two of them in 
the school chapel. Several were picked up next morning quite dead (at least 
half a dozen) and one or two the next day, while the rest remained perched 
or crouched up under the projecting eaves on a bit of projecting masonry, until 
the sun’s rays acquired sufficient warmth, apparently, to thaw their numbed 
bodies and encourage them to fly round under the shelter of the buildings. On 
the 9th there was a considerable rise in the temperature, and at least forty were 
seen, and fifty on the 10th. The majority then seem to have disappeared, only 
about half a dozen being seen on the succeeding days up to the 29th. Two, 
however, were seen on November 6, and one on November 7, this being the 
latest observed. I presume that the mortality of the martins was due to their 
late nesting, or perhaps to delay in migrating, as most of them seemed to be 
young ones. 
A spotted flycatcher was seen on September 22, and a chiff-chaff was seen 
and heard for some days up to September 26. 
Ramsgate. Robin Stevens. 
335. Summer Buzzer. — The “summer buzzer” mentioned by Mr. Gray 
in your February issue is probably Rhizotrogns solstitialis , Lin., known commonly 
as the “July bug,” and locally, in Suffolk, as the “Witch.” In Fowler’s 
