RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
135 
M. Phipson, c.m.z.s., and very creditably printed by the Educa¬ 
tion Society’s Press, Byculla, Bombay, but the excellent coloured 
plates are, we notice, of European re-production. 
RECORDS AND OBSERVATIONS. 
MAMMALS. 
Tape-worm in the wild rabbit .—In answer to “Rambler’s ” question of last 
month, the tape-worm appears to have been more commonly observed in the 
rabbit during the past year than is usually the case. Several of my acquaint¬ 
ances have remarked to me upon its frequency. Tape-worms are of fairly 
common occurence in this animal; for in the life-history of a tape worm there 
are two hosts ; and the rabbit is the primary host of the worm in question, 
scientifically known as Tcenia serrata. The secondary host is the dog, which 
animal attains it by eating a rabbit or a hare, for this worm is also found in the 
latter animal. Doubtless the past warm season afforded peculiarly favourable 
conditions for prolonging the life of the proglottides, thus increasing the ova, 
and thereby the numbers of the worm.—E. W. Swanton, Bratton St. Maur. 
BIRDS. 
Razorbills at Retherhithe. —We have lately received a large number of 
razorbills [Alea torda) for preservation; probably on account of the severe 
weather which we have experienced on the East coast, but it is a rather un¬ 
common occurrence for them to appear so far up the river —R. T. Cook. 
The Blue Tit. —This very interesting bird is not at all particular as to the 
site of its nursery. I once saw the nest of a pair of these birds which was 
built in a cupboard in a shooting cottage ; the hole through which they brought 
the mass of materials for building was not more than an inch and a half in di¬ 
ameter. The nest was built round a tumbler and here they reared their family. 
I was once cutting a blue tit’s nest out of a willow tree, a good piece of which 
had to be cut away before it could be got at, and I did not think for a moment 
that the old bird was on, but when I reached the nest it was covered with chips 
and while clearing them away with my hand I felt a sharp peck, and drawing 
my hand away, out came the bold little matron and flew pecking in my face. 
In the nest were six eggs, which I left, and getting a large piece of bark I 
fastened it over the hole which I had cut, and in three days the eggs were 
hatched. This will show what a bold little bird the blue tit is— Major H. 
Moylan. 
Rooks building in January. —On January 21st I was very much surprised to 
see a pair of rooks building their nest in one of the trees of a small rookery 
in the dockyard here. The erection of the nest was watched with intense 
interest by some of the tenants of the rookery, and was about half finished 
when, for some unaccountable reason, the building operations ceased and the 
whole community broke up and went their respective ways, none of them 
having returned up till now. Surely this is a most unusual occurrence ? 
Instances have been recorded in the Field of rooks repairing and sometimes 
building, their nests in October and November and occasional instances are 
quoted of eggs being laid and the young hatched out. March, however, is 
usually the time to look for rooks building and I have never heard of this 
happening in January. Some allowance must of course be made for the 
unusually mild weather lately.— R. E. V., Portsmouth. 
