Welsh Journals

SAWFLIES A specimen of the uncommon sawfly Zaraea fasciata (L.) was recorded in the garden at Cnwch Coch 20 July 1968 and again, more recently on 9 July 1972 (P.M.M.). The related Z.lonicera (L.) was found at Coed Graianllyn, Denbs. in 1972 (J. M. Brummitt), this also not being at all common. There appear to be no other North Wales records. Trichiosoma lucorum (L.) is a large quite spectacular sawfly occasionally encountered in the spring. A male was bred, 14 May 1977 from a larva on birch in Coed Bryndansi, Denbs. (H. N. Michaelis). Primary school children in Conway found a large cocoon on the pavement near their school in mid April this year. There was considerable excitement when a large sawfly emerged a few days later. It is likely that this is also T. lucorum but it is not possible to separate the males of lucorum and tibiale with any certainty when the larval food plant is not known. M.J.M. BIRDS Bird records should be sent to the County Bird Recorders but accounts of interesting occurrences, changes in population, unusual behaviour, etc., should be sent to J W Donovan, The Burren, Dingle Lane, Crundale, Haverfordwest. CROWS AND MAGPIES ATTACKING RACING PIGEON. On 17 July 1977 at 11a.m. on a damp drizzly day I was sheltering from the rain when I heard noises outside. I looked out and saw two Carrion Crows attacking a racing pigeon and two Magpies flying around them. One crow was hanging onto the pigeon's wing and the other seemed to be pecking at it whilst running alongside. I drove away the crows and rescued an exhausted pigeon, with broken wing feathers and a wound at the back of its neck. I put it into a hen house to recover and two days later it went back to feeding near the corn bin where it had fed for three days before the incident took place. I wonder why it took three days for the crows to attack the pigeon and why the pigeon did not fly away as it was clearly capable of doing. ANTONY PEARCE. AN UNUSUAL EVENT. In the spring of 1977 a Corn Bunting took up station on the edge of the National Trust car park near Martins Haven, Marloes, Dyfed. The bird is reported to have delivered normal Corn Bunting song mostly from telephone wire songposts. This was all very exciting to local ornithologists for the species had long ceased to breed in the county. The arrival of a female was eagerly awaited by ornithologists and (we think) by the songful swain. Imagine our surprise when we found that our Corn Bunting had ceased his specific song and had 'changed his tune' to undoubted Yellow Hammer song. We will never know of course if this change was inspired by the ob- vious success of Yellow Hammer males in adjacent territories, for clearly they had secured mates, or did he hear so much Yellow Hammer song that he was unduly influenced? One must not be anthropomorphic about