NATURAL HISTORY NOTES. 
243 
Musical Mice (p. 198). — Last winter I had a similar experience to that related 
by “ C. E. C.” About ten o’clock one night sounds of music suddenly began to issue 
from my piano, causing me considerable astonishment. I soon, however, dis- 
covered the musician to be a mouse, which seemed to experience great delight 
from running over the wires. I am certain this mouse enjoyed the musical sounds 
thus produced, as it came regularly night after night, always about the same time. 
Feeling at last that some damage might be done to the instrument, I eventually 
placed a mouse-trap inside the piano, with the result that the poor little musician 
was caught. Though I have found house mice in the same room since, I am not 
aware that another has found his way to the interior of my piano. 
IVeybridge. J. E. Tarbat. 
Nesting of tlie Spotted Flycatcher.— Mr. W. H. Hudson in his 
British Birds (pp. 117, 118), makes the statement that this species raises but one 
brood in the season. What happens in the south of England I do not know, but 
here in North Lancashire it does have more than one. In 1892 I was living 
in a house on a hill side, with nothing of an equal height in front, — S.S.W., — for 
some fifteen miles. Early in the summer a pair of spotted flycatchers built a nest 
of moss and half decayed leaves on the label-end, over one of the windows : they 
had one brood. In 1893 the first brood got away early and safely ; the nest was 
renovated, and four eggs laid and hatched, and the young birds soon disappeared. 
In 1894 the parents returned to the old nest, re-made it and reared five young 
ones. The nailing up of some long shoots of Dijon rose disturbed them in their 
second building, and they altered the position to a higher window-label, and 
almost destroyed the first nest to build the second. This family got away in good 
time before the frost. In 1895 the birds built in the first locality, and when I 
gave up possession of the house on July i, the young birds were partially 
feathered. The owner of the house thought that the Arnpelopsis Veitchii and 
Dijon roses had been allowed to have too much of their own way and clipped 
them to a more reasonable size. Possibly there was no second brood after this 
disturbance. An ornithologist of my acquaintance says in other parts of England 
it is not an uncommon occurrence with these birds. 
Ulversion. L. Petty. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
M. R. — (l) 'La.diy^ s Smoc\i (Cardamine pratensis). (2) Wall Rue 
Riita-muraria). {3) Heath Bedstraw {Galium saxatile). (4) Common Poly- 
pody. (5) A species of Sedum. (6) Hypnuni cupressiforrne. Specimens all in 
very bad condition. 
A. B. C. — (l) Bryum capillare. (2) Plagiothecium denticulatum. (3) 
Thuidium tamariscinum. (4) Hypnuni purum. 
G. W. K. — The note contains no original observation, and our want of space 
precludes its insertion. 
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