lowing species have also occurred near Yarmouth this autumn, in addition to the buffbreasted sandpiper, of which I have already sent you notice (Zool. 363). Temminck's stint Purple sandpiper Stormy petrel Augt, 2 Rough-legged buzzard ......... .................. Grey phalarope..... .............. Octr. 10 21 30 The peregrine falcon was shot about ten miles from Yarmouth. It measures in length 20 inches, in extent 43 inches, and weighed more than 2 Ibs. It is, I suppose, a young bird, the colour of the back and wings being dark brown, and the edges of the feathers with light margins. The cere dark blue, the bare orbital space light blue, and the legs greenish; the edges of the scales and the soles of the feet nearly yellow. There is also a patch of cream colour on the back of the head, and another, almost forming a ring, upon the lower part of the neck. The stomach contained a quantity of white feathers, and the neck, probably, of a chicken, as a grain of barley was also found. The man who brought it to me, said that when he killed it, it was dashing furiously at his dog. Wm. R. Fisher; Great Yarmouth, October 30, 1843. Note on the curious manner in which Seeds are sown by Animals. It is generally supposed that the seeds of trees and plants, after having been eaten by birds, are not killed by the process, but only rendered in a fitter state for germination by having passed through the stomach. And this is very probably the case; for we see elder, ash, ivy, gooseberry and currant bushes, growing on ruins and church towers, situations in which they never could have been planted by human hands, but must have sprung from seeds and berries which had been eaten and deposited there by birds. From trivial causes spring mighty effects; for doubtless many of our most richly wooded landscapes owe much of their timber to the agency of quadrupeds and birds. Linnets, goldfinches, thrushes, goldcrests &c. feed on the seeds of elms, firs, and ashes, and carry them away to hedge-rows, where, fostered and protected by bush and bramble, they spring up and become luxuriant trees. Many noble oaks have been planted by the squirrel, who unconsciously yields no inconsiderable boon to the domain he infests. Towards autumn this provident little animal mounts the branches of oak trees, strips off the acorns and buries them in the earth, as a supply of food against the severities of winter. He is most probably not gifted with a memory of sufficient retention to enable him to find every one he secretes, which are thus left in the ground, and springing up the following year, finally grow into magnificent trees. Pheasants devour numbers of acorns in the autumn, some of which having passed through the stomach, probably germinate. The nuthatch in an indirect manner also frequently becomes a planter. Having twisted off their boughs a cluster of beech-nuts, this curious bird resorts to some favourite tree, whose bole is uneven, and endeavours, by a series of manœuvres, to peg it into one of the crevices of the bark. During the operation it oftentimes falls to the ground, and is caused to germinate by the moisture of winter. Many small beeches are found growing near the haunts of the nuthatch, which have evidently been planted in the manner described. -J. J. Briggs; Melbourne, November, 1843. Note on the Songs of Birds. White of Selborne laid it down as a maxim in Ornithology, that where there is incubation there is music; and it appears a correct one. Birds never produce their songs with such melody and vigour as during the breeding season; and some, as the missel-thrush, hush them entirely when it is over. Many birds, as the robin, blackbird, song-thrush, yellow bunting, common bunting, goldfinch, greenfinch, wren and some others, continue to warble until the verge of autumn. Mi seen. The redstart, gratory songsters have many peculiarities with respect to their ditties. for instance, rarely prolongs his strains beyond the third week in January (22nd), whilst on the contrary the sable swallow and diminutive chaff hold on till September, almost up to the day of their departure. The landrail utters his hoarse "crake, crake" almost every evening (especially the moist ones) from the middle of May (16th) to the fourth week in July, very few birds being heard or seen after corn-harvest. The blackcap hushes his wild pipe by the 11th of that month, and the cuckoo her two notes always by the 1st of August. The sedge and reed warblers continue steadily in song from the time of their arrival until a few weeks before their autumnal disappearance. Whitethroats warble till the third week in July (about the 22nd), after which they are little The nightingale commences his love-songs early in May, and his wild varied notes are the glory of the spring. Hidden by the shadowy foliage of some broad wood or copse, he serenades his mate every evening and night till the end of June, when his strains cease, and are succeeded by a rather harsh, croaking noise, falling anything but melodiously upon the ear. Of our resident songsters it may be noted that the skylark and woodlark awaken their exhilarating ditties in January, and continue them through all kinds of weather until the close of the year. The robin's plaintive lay is heard in the spring, then is nearly mute the summer through, and is very distinctly audible in the autumn, owing to the solemnities of the season, and the absence of most other woodland voices. He is in full song in September, and his lay may be called the dirge of the departed summer. The song-thrush sings nearly the year through with the exception of the severest months. The blackbird, too, commencing in spring, continues till October. The yellow bunting is in full song in July, and loves to sing during the most sultry days. The elegant goldfinch twitters the year round, and his delicate ditty is extremely pleasing. The low scream of the greenfinch, although commenced in the early spring, is heard all the summer, and when blended with the general chorus, has not an unharmonious effect. The chaffinch sings during the vernal months, but closes early, frequently by the middle of June.-Id. Note on the occurrence of the Sea Eagle at Elden, near Thetford. A very fine female specimen of the sea eagle (Haliaëtus albicilla) was shot on the warren at Elden, on January 12, 1843. As it was very slightly wounded, we endeavoured to keep it alive for some time, but as it seemed to pine, it was killed and stuffed by Mr. Reynolds of Thetford. It had haunted for some time the large rabbit-warrens in the vicinity of Thetford, and was shot in the act of preying on a rabbit. It measured 7 feet 11 inches from tip to tip, and 2 feet 6 inches from beak to tail, and weighed 11 lbs. when first shot, but lost 1 b. when in confinement.-Alfred Newton: Elden Hall, near Thetford, Suffolk, Nov. 1843. Occurrence of the Osprey near Farnham. About the latter end of September, an osprey was seen in several different places near here, hovering over Frensham and other large ponds. I am not aware that this specimen was killed, but about three years ago I obtained a specimen which measured 3 feet across the expanded wings. T. Mansell; Farnham, November 3, 1843. Note on the occurrence of the Osprey and other Birds in the neighbourhood of the river Swale, Yorkshire. A fine specimen of the osprey visited this river in the month of May last; its favourite localities being between the villages of Catterick and Langton, where it was easily distinguished by its large size and peculiar habits. When first observed it was flying with an eel in its claws, and was afterwards frequently seen to hover over the water like a kestril, sometimes hanging down its legs, then dropping into it like a stone, it seldom failed to secure a fish, which it bore in its talons to land. It was first shot at while sitting in a tall ash tree, but not being much the worse, the bird flew off, dropping however a barbel of about half a pound weight. On another occasion it was shot at while on the wing, and let fall the tail part of a large trout; and while walking under a tree from which it had been disturbed, I found a perch with the back and head torn, as if by the claws of the bird. These observations tend to show that the osprey is no unskilful fisherman. The one in question, after remaining in the neighbourhood for above a month, and being constantly fired at, was killed by a gamekeeper on the 20th of June. Another bird of the same species was observed about five years ago, but not obtained. A fine cormorant was shot at the Red hills, under which the river flows, on the 18th of October, and is now in my possession. It is very rarely met with so far inland, this place being about thirty miles from the sea. Two little stints were seen in August, and one of them was shot; also three or four greenshanks. The latter are very regular visitors, generally arriving, together with the green sandpiper, about the end of July.— Mark Booth; Killerby, Yorkshire, Dec. 22, 1843. Note on the occurrence of the Grey Shrike at Lynn. A specimen of the great grey or ash-coloured shrike was caught alive here on the 30th of last month. · Daniel C. Burlingham; Lynn, 1st of 11th Mo. 1843. Note on the occurrence of the Red-breasted Tanager, near Cheltenham. When in Oxford during the month of September, I enjoyed the opportunity of examining an adult male specimen of the red-breasted tanager (Ramphopis purpureus, Viellot) which had been recently shot near Cheltenham. Whether the transatlantic straggler will be entertained as an honest visitor, it is not presumed to determine, seeing that it is here for the first time treated as one of the British list. Charles Buckler; 15, Rockingham Row. The Anecdote of a hen Song Thrush nursing a young Missel Thrush. A few years ago having had a young song thrush (Turdus musicus) given to me, I succeeded in rearing it until it was able to feed itself with the food supplied to it. About this time a young member of our family, during one of his holiday rambles, having met with the nest of a missel thrush (Turdus viscivorus), containing two half-fledged young ones, brought one of them home, and introduced it into the same cage with the song thrush. latter (a hen bird) immediately undertook the part of nursing mother to her helpless fellow-prisoner, feeding it regularly at the stated hours when food was supplied them, before she partook of any herself. Under her affectionate care the missel thrush grew and throve wonderfully, till it had attained to nearly its full growth, and during all this time the affection displayed by the song-thrush for her elève could not have been surpassed, had she been really its parent. But one luckless morning, their cage, as was usual in fine weather, was placed on a gravel walk in the garden at a few paces distance from the window where I sat, and the song-thrush having by some means contrived to escape from the cage, had perched in a currant-bush hard by. Here she was cleaning her feathers, when a cat, lurking near, suddenly pounced on the unfortunate bird, and inflicted such injuries on her before I could come to the rescue, as caused her death. From this time the missel lost all its animation, though previously remarkable for its lively manners, neglected its food, pined and died within the week, not unwept by its youthful master, nor unregretted by the rest of the family, who had observed, not without admiration, the singular attachment which subsisted between these two birds from the first.-F. Owston; Driffield; December 2, 1843. Note on the occurrence of the Ring Ouzel near Farnham. At Aldershot, a village near here, the ring ouzels appeared in some abundance on the 8th of September last, they remained about the neighbourhood until the 19th, after which none were seen. In a few specimens that were shot, the white was much more observable than in those birds which were killed when they passed this place in their spring migration. — T. Mansell, Naturalist; Farnham, November 3, 1843. Note on the Goatsucker or Night-hawk. In the month of July I had brought to me a pair of “night-hawks," as goatsuckers are provincially termed in Kent. They were quite young, and had been found at the foot of a tree, with an egg, which was also brought to me. It is generally supposed that the goatsucker lays only two eggs; this however was an instance to the contrary. Being desirous of rearing them, I fed them with flies and other insects, which at first they appeared to thrive on, but after a little, from some cause I could never quite understand, they began to droop, and finding they were gradually sinking, I killed and stuffed them. Wishing to obtain a specimen of the full-grown bird, I proceeded one evening to the wood from which the young ones had been taken, and after waiting a short time, I observed a pair of goatsuckers (probably the parent birds), hawking round an oak, close to the spot described to me as the place the young had been found in. I succeeded in shooting them both, and found they were male and female; they are now with the young ones in my cabinet. It is perhaps needless to remark that this bird derived its name from the ancient and ignorant idea, that it sucked goats, which is in the same degree probable as that hedgehogs performed the same kind office for cows! Although not a rare bird, yet from its habit of flying only in the evening and at daybreak, it is not very generally observed. There is something very peculiar in the appearance of the goatsucker when sleeping in the day. I recollect once shooting at what appeared to be a rat, crouching on the large arm of a high cherry-tree, but which, upon its falling to the ground, proved to be a goatsucker! It is a constant habit of these birds to perch lengthways, with their head lowest, that is, inwards to the tree. They are not unfrequently found squatting on stone-heaps, when they look not unlike a lump of old wood or bark covered with lichens. There is a peculiarity about the foot of the goatsucker, the middle claw being serrated, the exact use of which has not, I believe, been accurately determined. White thought it was to assist the bird in taking its prey, he having observed it take beetles with its claws and convey them to its mouth. Wilson, on the other hand, supposed this claw was used as a comb, to keep in order the bristles which grow on either side of the upper mandible. While others imagine it to be used for the same purpose as the pectinated claw of the night-heron (Nycticorax europæus), namely, to free the bird from vermin in those parts which it is unable to reach with its bill. Is it improbable that it may be used for all these purposes? Goatsuckers arrive in this part of Kent about the second week in May, and generally take their departure by the beginning of September. Their common note is somewhat between hissing and buzzing, which has been said to be in imitation of the low notes of beetles. As I was returning home between 11 and 12 o'clock one brilliant moon-light night in August last, my attention was attracted to a bird, which flew up before me from the road. I soon discovered it was a goatsucker. It several times settled at no great distance, and I observed that it lay almost flat in the road. I at first supposed the cause of its settling to be that it might the more easily dissect some large beetle; but upon watching it I found it was evidently dusting itself, after the manner of domestic fowls. I am not aware if this trait in the character of this bird has been noted. So far from the goatsucker deserving the bad character which was so long attached to it, I cannot but look upon it as a bird which renders more service to man than at first sight it appears to do, as it must not be forgotten that the larvæ of the majority of the insects on which it subsists, are very destructive to the roots and buds of many plants and trees. I have found its eggs -nest it has none: these are generally placed in a wood or shaw, at the foot of a tree or bush, on a few dried leaves or grass, whichever may happen to be on the spot. Pemberton Bartlett; Kingston Rectory, December 4, 1843. Note on the Nesting-places of the Swallow. "The chimney-haunting swallow, too, my eye How suddenly he skims the glassy pool, His morning song, twittered to young-eyed day."-Hurdis. J. From the remarks of two of your correspondents—the Rev. J. C. Atkinson (Zool. 354) and Mr. Hepburn (Zool. 147), on the places chosen for nidification by the Hirundo rustica, it appears that in the localities they mention, these "Welcome guests of settled spring" but rarely build in chimneys. Now in Kent it is quite the reverse: — building in chimneys with them here, is the rule, and in outhouses and barns the exception. As far as my own observations have gone, I should say decidedly that the greater majority choose chimneys to rear their young in. Where we have one building in a barn or out-house, we certainly have an average of four or five who build in chimneys. I recollect one year five chimneys in our house were occupied by swallows, three of which have been regularly tenanted by them for many years. There is hardly a cottage which has not its pair of swallows, which annually return to their favourite chimney and I know of nothing (unless indeed it be shooting their favourite cat) which sooner excites the ire of the village dames than destroying their swallows. The following curious instance of the perseverance of these little birds came under my own observation. Three years since a pair of swallows, after reconnoitering the place for some days previously, very assiduously commenced building their nest against the interior wall of the porch of Kingston church, thus literally affording an example of the same fact recorded by the inspired poet, nearly three thousand years ago! When the nest was about half finished, it was discovered by the person who swept the church, and the consequence was, it was cleared away. But the industrious little architects, undaunted by this calamity, again set to work, and the following week the nest was rebuilt. This also was destroyed; but no sooner was it removed than a third was commenced, but this, alas, soon shared the fate of the others-being removed by the churchwarden. After meeting with such continued and decided opposition, the birds at length left their favourite spot, and repaired, no doubt, to some less public haunt. But the most remarkable thing is, that they have every year since repaired to the porch and commenced their nest! and although they have not been permitted to hatch their young, yet their love for the spot seems unshaken. The cause of the hostility to this luckless pair of swallows, on the part of the sexton, was that they kept the porch in a constant litter with the straws and mud which fell from the nest; and on that of the churchwarden, that their twittering and chattering disturbed the congregation! Swallows generally arrive here about the 10th of April, and the majority leave us about the first week in October: occasional stragglers may be seen throughout that month. Among the numerous fables in connexion with swallows, was one which assigned to the flesh of this bird when burned to ashes, the power of healing distempers of the eyes. |