Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 5 (1901).djvu/51

Rh habits we quite agree with St. John ('Sport in Moray,' p. 103) and Macgillivray ('British Birds,' vol. ii. p. 102), that they are similar to the Blackbird, more so than between those of the Fieldfare and Song-Thrush, as stated by Mr. Fox. On the other hand, we quite agree with Mr. Fox that the Ring-Ouzel does not manifest any skulking habits during the breeding season—at least when it has young—at which time it is often bold and fearless, and advances to within a short distance of any intruder who may be playing with its young. Contrary to Mr. Fox's experience, we have never found the male bird to take part in incubation. They appear to be fond of berries (Vaccinium and Empetrum), and in autumn, just before migration, may be seen feeding upon elder-berries. When flushed from the nest, we have never seen them "reel and tumble on the ground to decoy one away," as Seebohm states ('British Birds,' vol. i. p. 248), but have seen them, when flushed from hard-sat eggs, or when having young, flutter for a few yards in a lazy sort of fashion over the top of the heather. Regarding the date of nesting, Mr. Fox mentions one which he found (April 29th) as ten days or a fortnight earlier than he usually sees them; but this date we should not regard as at all being early. They commence nidification very soon after their arrival, much more so than most of our summer visitants. In this district it much prefers to build its nest where the ground is much broken up, more so than on the flat portions of the moorland; a "gully" or steep declivity seems to be a particularly favourable nesting site, and I have, like Mr. Fox, found it breeding occasionally at some distance from the moors; and have also found its nest built in trees, but never at any great height. The eggs vary, even in the same nest, and it not unfrequently happens that, whilst three or four are of the typical colour and markings, one is hardly to be discriminated from the egg of a Blackbird. Four is the usual number of eggs, sometimes five, but we have never known it to sit upon three.— (Wilsden, Yorkshire).

Occurrence of the Willow Tit in Sussex.—In this Journal (1898, pp. 116–118) Mr. Ernst Hartert announced the discovery in England of the Parus salicarius of C.L. Brehm. The paper did not receive the attention it merited, probably because of a feeling of uncertainty among British ornithologists as to the validity of the species. During August, 1900, I determined to get together a series of Marsh-Tits, in the hope of procuring skins answering to the description of P. salicarius. It seemed to me that it would be best at first to search regularly each day the woods close at hand. By the 12th of October I had a fair series of Tits, and on that day I picked out three skins which I judged to be nearest to the Willow-Tit, and submitted them to Mr. Hartert, who replied that they were doubtless assignable to Parus salicarius. I have since shot three other examples, the last being a fine adult male, which I obtained on the 2nd of