242 
NATURE NOTES 
people so occupied. As a Society interested in the conservation 
of Nature we trust that directions may be sent to your officials 
upon the Heath rigorously to repress the diggings and delvings 
to which I have alluded. 
“The Pryors, East Heath. 
“ The construction of the flats upon this site has now gone 
far enough to enable one to realise how great will be the dis- 
figurement to the Heath. I am instructed by my Committee 
to ask whether numbers of quick-growing trees, such as limes, 
poplars, and planes cannot be planted upon the Heath near 
these flats, so as to be some kind of screen or foil to their 
ugliness. 
“ I have the honour to be your obedient servant, 
“ Geo. Avenell. 
(“ Chairman of Committee.) 
“ The Chairman of the Parks Committee, 
“ London County Council.” 
“ London County Council, 
“ County Hall, Spring Gardens, S.W., 
“ November io, 1903. 
“ Sir, — With reference to your letter of the 6th ult., addressed 
to the Chairman of the Parks Committee, suggesting that, in 
order to screen the blocks of flats which are now being erected 
on the site of the Pryors, a number of quick-growing trees 
should be planted on Hampstead Heath, I am directed to 
inform you that some members of the Parks Committee, upon 
a recent visit to the Heath, considered your suggestion, and 
instructions have now been given for a number of trees to be 
planted to the north-east of the site in question. 
“ With regard to the reference in your letter to the damage 
which was being done on the Heath by persons digging for 
supposed hidden treasure, every endeavour was made by the 
staff to detect offenders, and one person who was found digging 
on the Heath was prosecuted. 
“ I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, 
“(Signed) G. L. Gomme, 
“ ( Clerk of the Council). 
“ G. Avenell, Esq., 
“ The Selborne Society.” 
Bullfinches in Hats. — Among other letters we have re- 
ceived the following from Lady Jenkyns : — 
“ In several towns lately I have seen in shop windows hats 
with eight little bullfinches sitting spread out in a circle. Can 
any one who has also seen them tell me if they are French 
birds ? They are smaller than our bullfinches ; the red is not 
so pink, and they have no white patch on the back. Is it 
merely that they are young ones ? In one shop there was a hat 
like this, but all the birds were dyed black. I hoped that the 
