/ V 
59 
I 
1 
NATURAL HISTORY NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Slow-worms in Winter.— On the morning of January 26 I was walking 
along our viUage lane ; the day was bright and frosty, with brilliant sunshine. 
Suddenly, to my astonishment, I observed lying on the hard frost-bound road the 
severed body of a slow worm. From all appearance it had crept out'.from the 
sunny bank, and was in the act of proceeding to cross the road way when a pass- 
ing cart wheel. severed its body. It was evident that it was only quite recently 
killed, as the blood from its crushed body bad stained the snow which slightly 
covered the ground. A gentleman, also resident here, found another in the same 
plight, quite lately killed, the wounds being fresh and the portions severed supple. 
The day was one of the coldest that we have experienced this winter, the ther- 
mometer never exceeding 28° in the shade the whole of the day. When we 
consider how early the slow-worm retires into its winter quarters (generally by 
.\ugust) it is somewhat strange that it should have chosen to crawl abroad on so 
bitter a day in mid winter. It may be the brilliant sunshine on the day in 
question, after so many months of almost (comparatively speaking) entire absence 
of it, made the slow-worms think that spring had really arrived. 
Bath. N. S. H. .S. 
The Rook. — Does the rook pair for life ? Many of these birds sit in pairs 
all the year round, close to, and even touching one another, and when lately we 
had deep snow on the ground, they “ cuddled ” close together in that. Now and 
then I have seen a couple go through a curious pantomime of feeding and being 
fed, “ hob-nobbing ” with the points of their long beaks, though there was 
nothing in them, I suppose this must be a pair rehearsing the family duties 
which they will have to discharge when the next breeding season comes round. 
Folkestone. A. S. Hussey. 
Magpies in Regent’s Park. — I have, at various times, observed qiagpies 
in Regent’s Park. Some time ago I used to see a pair, but one having apparently 
disappeared, I was afraid it had come to grief, 'i'esterday (February 10), how- 
ever, I was delighted to see two, if not three, flying, remarkably silently for them, 
.among the trees in the broad walk, near the fountain. They are usually. to be 
observed not far from the “ Zoo,” but whether they belong to the keepers or are 
wild birds I have never discovered. 
W Hawker Smith 
■ ' RULES FOR 
CONTRIBUTORS AND CORRESPONDENTS. 
■» 
1. All communications for Nature Notes must be authenticated with name 
and address, not necessarily for publication. 
2. The return of unaccepted contributions cannot be guaranteed. We cannot 
undertake to name specimens privately, or to return them. 
3. All communications for any number must be in the Editor’s hands by the 
15th of the preceding mortthi 
4. Communications for Nature Notes should be addressed to the Editor, 
James Britten, F.L.S., 126, Kennipgton Park Road, London, S.E., as should 
specimens for naming, books for review, &c. The Editor cannot undertake to 
reply privately to questions. 
5. Letters connected with the Selborne Society, as well as all inquiries as 
to the supply of Nature Notes, and subscriptions, should be addressed to the 
Secretary of the Selborne Society, A. J. Western, Esq., 20, Hanover Square, W. 
6. The Editor is not responsible for the contents of the last page of each 
number : communications respecting that page must be addressed to Mr. Western, 
as above. 
