December in Pond Wood, close to St. Leonards. When once the characters of the Willow-Tit are known, it may be distinguished without difficulty from the Marsh-Tit (P. communis dresseri) chiefly by its smaller size, the duller crown and nape, the more rufous flanks, and by the two outer rectrices being relatively shorter than in the latter. In the paper referred to, Mr. Hartert expressed the opinion that "British specimens of P. salicarius... differ a little from continental ones in being somewhat darker above, and having shorter wings." These and other differences exist, and have led Herr C.E. Hellmayr, in a recent paper,[1] to separate the British form as Parus montanus kleinschmidti. In the opinion of the present writer this is the name by which the British Willow-Tit should be known. I have not ventured to make any remarks about the habits of the bird, as I hope to make these the subject of a future note.—W. Ruskin Butterfield (4, Stanhope Place, St. Leonards-on-Sea).
House-Martins in November.—On Sunday (Nov. 25th last), at Margate, I watched for some time four or five House-Martins (Chelidon urbica) flying about near the Cliftonville band-stand.—Henry T. Mennell (Croydon).
Hybrid Crow and White Wagtail in Merioneth.—It is with pleasure that I am able to record a specimen of an intermediate form between Corvus corone and C. cornix as having been taken in the county of Merioneth. The bird in question was shot near Barmouth some five years ago by Mr. F.C. Rawlings, of that town, and has since been purchased by the writer, and most carefully compared with the true C. cornix. Although the two Crows are well known to interbreed, as may be seen in the beautiful case shown in the Cromwell Road Museum at South Kensington, the results of such crosses are sufficiently rare—at any rate, in North Wales—to warrant special mention in 'The Zoologist.' In appearance at first sight largely resembling a "Grey Crow," a closer examination shows that the head is of a blackish brown colour; the mantle brownish grey, not clear grey. Below the black throat, and to the middle of the breast, grey preponderates, as in a pure-bred C. cornix, but is of a darker shade. The entire abdominal region and under tail-coverts are brownish black. The bird in question is hardly as large as some specimens we have handled of typical C. cornix. Whilst writing, it may be of interest to mention that a mature White
- ↑ "Einige Bemerkungen über die Graumeisen" (Ornithol. Jahrb. xi. pp. 201–217). The following is a translation of the original description of P. m. kleinschmidti:—Nearest to P. mont. salicarius, but the back more intensely coloured dark rust-brown. Secondaries with wide rust-brown margins. The creamy tinge of the sides of the neck extends to the base of the bill, and surrounds also the chin-spot from in front [i.e. from below], and laterally. Sides of the neck creamy yellow. Under side intensely rusty.
