• 22*2 
CHAPTER OF MISCELLANIES. 
Papilio podalh'ius A British Insect. —Mr. Allis’s account, of this insect 
(p. 38) is a further proof of its being met with in the New Forest, and also its 
being set up at Portsmouth.—J. C. Dale, Glaitvilles Wootton^ Dorsetshire, 
13, 1837. 
Anecdote of Parental Affection in the House Sparrow {Passer domestic 
c^s). —‘‘ A pair of Sparrows,” says Mr. Graves, “ had built their nest in a wall, 
close to my house. I noticed that the old birds continued to bring food to the 
nest some time after the brood had' left it. I had the curiosity to place a ladder 
against the wall, and looked into the nest, when, to my surprise, I found a full- 
grown bird which had got its leg entangled in some thread, which formed part of 
the nest, in such a manner as to prevent its leaving it with the rest. Wishing 
to see how much longer the old birds would feed their imprisoned offspring, I left 
the young one as I found it, and observed that the parents supplied it, during the 
whole of the autumn and part of the winter months; but the weather setting in 
very severe soon after Christm.as, I was afraid it would kill the young Sparrow? 
and therefore disengaged its leg. In a day or two it went with the old ones in 
search of food; but they continued to feed it till March, and during the whole 
time they all nestled in the same spot.”— Communicated hy E., Doncaster, May 
20, 1837. [We presume the above interesting anecdote is extracted from 
Graves’s British Birds, a work, however, which we have never seen.— Ed.] 
^ Arrival of the Yellow Wagtail and Common Swmft in the North. —I 
have to-day for the first time this year seen the Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla 
jlava ), at Kirk Sandall, near here. The first and indeed the only Swift I have 
yet seen this season, was two days ago. I fancied that I saw two or three pass 
the window a few days before, but am not certain.—F. 0. Morris, Doncaster, 
May 23, 1837. 
Comparative Parity of the Stone Chat in Norfolk in 1837.—I find the 
Stone Chat ( Saxicola rubicola ) is, comparatively, very rare this spring in 
Norfolk, where I have been in the habit of seeing several pairs other years. I 
can only now find a solitary pair, and in some situations not a single bird is to 
be seen. I think many of our smaller birds are not so abundant as in former 
years; the Common Linnet ( Linaria cannahina ) is evidently not numerous. 
Our furze heaths are generally quite alive with them at this season, but now only 
a pair here and there fluttering from bush to bush are to be seen. I should 
attribute the severity of the winter as the cause of the scarcity, as I cannot 
perceive any difference in the numbers of our spring visitants, which are as 
plentiful as in former years.—J. D. Salmon, Thetford, Norfolk, June 14,1837. 
Capture of a Shark on the British Coast. —Yesterday great crowds were 
attracted around the shop of Mr. Sweetman, fishmonger, opposite the Swan with 
