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Food of the Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus).—I am afraid that we cannot entirely acquit this bird of occasionally destroying the fry of fish; but I know of no reliable evidence to prove that it take the ova. In three specimens, the gizzards of all contained Entomostraca, and one of them a Gordian (Gordius aquaticus). In others that I have dissected, I have discovered chiefly Entomostraca and the larvæ of Phryganea; indeed I have found that its food is very similar to that of the young salmon.—E. Crisp, M.D.

Mischievous Rats.—The other day the verger of my church, going in to prepare for service, was met by a great smell of gas. It spread all over the building. Following an experienced nose, cunning to detect shades of stench, he was led into an inner vestry-room, and brought to a stand at a skirting-board under a table. He got a carpenter, and pulling this down, found a long hole in a gaspipe, made as if with a rough blacksmith's rasp. The marks of the tool were quite fresh in the metal; but how came the hole to be made? The pipe was protected by wood, which was undisturbed. There was no friction against any iron-work to account for the leak. On closer examination, it was proved that the pipe had been gnawed by rats, the scorings of whose teeth showed like the cuts of a rasp. The curious thing was, that the rats must have gone on gnawing for some time after the gas had begun to escape under their noses and into their mouths. The rush of gas from the hole was considerable; but the rats had long gaped over it, and must have swallowed a large quantity, before they gave up their mischievous freak. That is some satisfaction, truly; but such nasty persistence as theirs may go far to show the cause of many apparently unaccountable fires. Had the verger not detected the smell, or had he gone into the inner vestry-room with a lighted candle, it is probable that the public would have heard of the result as a "terrific explosion" in the neighbourhood or the papers, and not through a simple little note in a corner of your Science Gossip.—Harry Jones.

Common Crane in Shetland.—During the latter part of the month of June three individuals of the Common Crane (Grus cinerea) had been observed in the island of Unst, Shetland; one of these was shot at Haroldswick on the 24th of June. It is now in the possession of Thomas Edmonston, Esq., of Buness, who is about to present it to the public museum at Lerwick. The height of the bird was 4 ft. 7 in.; the spread of wings, 7 ft.; the length from the point of the tail to the bill was 3 ft. 10 in. There are records of the appearances of this bird in the Shetland Isles in the years 1807, 1831, and 1832; but it has not been seen so far north as in the present case.—Ralph Tate, F.G.S., &c.

The Great Butcher-bird.—I remember finding, when at school in North Yorkshire, three nests, one of what we called the little, and two of the big butcher-bird. As the country around affords unusual facilities for bird-nesting, and the boys, I am sorry to say, were not slow to take advantage of them, it may be presumed that when captures were pronounced rare, as mine were, the verdict was a sound one. Indeed, to judge by the rush there was to see my eggs, I might have achieved something very wonderful. I was therefore a little startled to find "H. S. S." (p. 64) seriously doubting whether the great shrike has ever been known to breed in England. Bewick describes the eggs, but makes no mention of the place of breeding. The Rev. J. G. Wood, in "My Feathered Friends," says, "The great grey shrike is said not to breed in this country, but I have certainly seen eggs which their owner told me were taken from nests found in England." I have in my collection an egg which I believe is one of those I found when at school; and a young friend there now says that nests have been found since he went, though not the last half-year.—Edwin Green.

The Roller and Hoopoe.—On the 14th of June a beautiful roller was shot by a gamekeeper at Little Chesterford Park, near S. Walden. The bird was carried to Walden to be stuffed by Mr. Joseph Travis. A pair of hoopoes were also sent to him which had been shot a week or two previous; the male was shot at Mildenhall, Suffolk, and the female at Peverell's Wood, Saffron Walden. The bill and feathers on the neck of the hoopoe were all gummy with the yolk of eggs it had just eaten.—W. R.

Rabbits and their Friends.—Mr. C. Gould, in a communication, published in the "Proceedings of the Zoological Society," writes:—"In the course of my walk yesterday, I came close to a sand-pit rather suddenly; a number of rabbits were playing about, who scampered off as soon as they became aware of the dread proximity of man, leaving behind them six or seven nondescript companions about their own size, sedated playful, awkward, and grotesque. At the distance at which I first saw them I was quite at a loss to imagine what they were. Finding they were curious rather than shy, I approached nearer, and found them to be young fox-cubs; they allowed me to venture within about fifteen yards of them, and then retired, without any indecorous haste, one by one into their holes."

Great-Auk Eggs.—The four egg-shells of this extinct bird, recently sold by public auction, realized £122. 10s. in separate lots; viz., £33, £31. 10s., and two at £29 each.