158 
NATURE NOTES. 
hedgehog the other evening, and carried him into his kennel. Sundry yelps 
proclaimed the fact that Tartar had an unusual foe, no rat, and my son, going 
out to see the cause of the dog’s discomfort, discovered and rescued the poor 
spiny ball he was trying to bite. It was the largest hedgehog I had ever seen, 
and very little the worse for its encounter, but I suspect the dog’s mouth was 
rather tender. I prefer hedgehogs to snakes, though I know the latter are 
harmless. A friend (my doctor) killed a very large snake here last summer as it 
was crossing a pathway in the field leading from the churchyard to the house, 
and I feel inclined to attribute the decrease of reptiles here to the appearance of 
hedgehogs, just as mice and rats are more abundant on these premises since the 
owls have left the old church tower. 
/.w, Hants. Helen Watney. 
Bird Notes from Sussex. — We have had two tame doves for some years 
living in our garden round the house, winter and summer. A few weeks ago 
one disappeared. I am rather anxious to replace it. I should be much obliged if 
you could tell me where I could obtain another, and also if you think it is likely 
it would stand the winter out of doors. I fancy it is the cock bird that we lost. 
Is it usual for them to stand the cold weather so well ? They were fond of build- 
ing nests, but their young ones never seemed to live. It is a great pleasure to 
watch the birds here. This morning I saw what was to me an unusual sight. A 
full-pown cuckoo was sitting on the fence separating our tennis lawn from the 
fields, and a water wagtail was taking food from the lawn to it, settling beside it 
and feeding it in the most affectionate manner. This was about 8 o’clock this 
morning, and I was standing only about fifty yards from the birds when they flew 
away. Later on in the day I watched with much amusement the swallows teas- 
ing the cat. She was sitting at the foot of a fountain we have, and they seemed 
to enjoy swooping down upon her within a few inches of her face. 
Slatigham Park, Sussex. DOUGLAS Liston Secretan. 
Dancing Birds (p. 137). — It is a common occurrence early in the year to 
see our familiar friend, the house-sparrow, when busy courting, going through a 
queer performance closely resembling dancing. When thus engaged the bird 
droops its wings, and with head awry, hops up and down in a very comical 
fashion. I once saw two or three males thus disporting themselves round a single 
female. The performance had gone on for some little time, the female appa- 
rently treating the display with complete indifference, when suddenly her mood 
changed, and rushing at one of the performers, seized him by the crown of the 
head and gave him a most decided “wigging.” 
Fy field, Abingdon. W. II. WARNER. 
Summer Chafers. — Last Sunday, June 30, my brother called my attention 
to a loud buzzing noise, as he termed it “ as if the bees were swarming” round 
an apple tree, a small mulberry tree and a holly tree, all about from six yards to 
twelve apart ; on going to see I found on the ground, in groups of threes chiefly, 
the enclosed insect, a cockchafer, I believe, all about the same size and colour, 
they were also flying all around the trees named in great numbers, making a 
tremendous noise and very excited ; this was about 9 p.m., getting dusk. Is this 
usual with cockchafers? Is it a cockchafer? If so, is it peculiar to this species ? 
I enquired of a few people here, if they had ever known them to swarm like that ; 
the answer was in the negative. About two hours before we had been threatened 
with a heavy storm ; the air becoming still and dark, and a short storm of rain 
fell. 
Seend, Melksham. LouiSA B. SciIOMRERG. 
[Mr. W. F. Kirby says: “The beetle is Rhizoirogns solstitialis, the small 
cockchafer, or the summer chafer. ‘ It is conspicuous for the long hairs in the 
front of its body, and for its habit of wheeling in flight towards evening round 
any solitary tree. — (Rye, British Beetles, p. 115).’ It is abundant at many places 
in the South of England, but in other parts of the country it is more or less 
local.”] 
Roosting Habits of the Wren (p. 139). — I have no reason to believe 
that the old fern basket had served as the nest of the birds. I thought the parent 
bird summoned the rest every evening to roost with the peculiar cry of cr-r-k, it 
being the first wren which appeared that uttered the cry. 
E. Price-Sayer. 
