Note on the arrival of Summer Birds at Leicester, in 1844.

Up to the time of my writing this extract, the flycatcher has not appeared in Leicestershire; at least, I have not seen it.—James Harley; Leicester,

Note of the arrival of Summer Birds near Derby, in 1844. Annexed is the list of the time of appearance this year of some of the summer birds of passage in this neighbourhood, agreeably to a request made on the cover of 'The Zoologist,' and which I hope will be useful.

Robert John Bell, Mickleover House, Derby, May 17, 1844.

Notes on the arrival of our Summer Birds of Passage at Melbourne, Co. Derby, in

the spring of 1844.

April 5. A few sand martins seen on the river Trent. Wind S.E.

6.

Wind S.E.

6. Chiff-chaff heard on the Rookery, near Newton hall. Wind S.E.
Willow-warbler heard on some osiers near Weston-cliff.
Ray's wagtail. A single male seen on a fallow. Wind E.
13. Blackcap warbler, (the males arrived). Wind N.

7.

Several weeks earlier

16. A party of nearly twenty sand-martins seen on the Trent, a very brisk north

20. Blackcap warbler. The male birds generally precede the females, as far as

.

I am able to judge, by from five to eight days. At the date here given, I noticed three females about the same patch of hedgerow, and as none had before been visible, I concluded that they had just arrived.

23. Cuckoo heard.

23. Wryneck appeared. A little bird generally seen flying in the wake of the cuckoo is the wryneck, and from its close attendance upon her, has gained the name of "cuckoo's maid" or mate. Nearly every year these two birds make their appearance at the same period. Wind W.

23. Sedge-warbler and Reed-warbler.

April 23. A single house martin appeared. This year this bird is remarkably late in

its arrival. Wind W.

23. Redstart: a single male observed. This bird is very true to the fourth week in April. Wind W.

24.

24.

29.

29.

29.

29.

May 1.

Several house martins appeared. Wind E.

Observed a party of more than a dozen wheatears and whinchats, resting upon the top twigs of some thorn-bushes. Rarely ever are more than two birds of either species are seen here at the same time, and probably by so many being in company, they might be on their passage to some further quarters, merely using this spot as a baiting place." The nights have been light, and favourable for the passage of birds.

here in the greatest numbers towards a full moon.

A pair of swifts seen. Wind E.

Noticed three individuals of the tree pipit.

Three sandpipers appeared on the Trent.
Grasshopper warbler heard.

Land-rail heard. Wind E.

4. Nightingale. Wind E.

J. J. Briggs ; Melbourne, May 5, 1844.

Note on the arrival of Summer Birds near Sheffield, in 1844.

They always arrive

J. Heppenstall; Upperthorpe, near Sheffield, June 28, 1844.

6

Note on the arrival of Summer Birds at Hull, in 1844. Inclosed I beg to hand you a list of a few summer birds, with the dates on which I first noticed them in this neighbourhood, which please to insert in The Zoologist.' From the notes of a friend of mine in Hamburg, I observe that the swallow arrived there on the 15th of April, the swift on the 25th, and the nightingale on the 26th of the same month. He has promised to furnish me with a more extensive list next spring, which, if you should think suitable for the pages of The Zoologist,' I shall be happy to send.

Swallow,

Redstart,...

Willow wren,

Martin,

April 15 Whinchat,

......

April 25

G. Norman; Hull, May 15, 1844.

Note of the arrival of Summer Birds at Elgin, N.B., in 1844. In compliance with the request made on the cover of 'The Zoologist' for this month, I send you the following dates at which some of our summer visitants were first seen in the neighbourhood

Most observations like the above are to be regarded only as negative evidence, — that none of the species were seen or heard earlier, and that the individuals then observed did not arrive later in the season. It is well to bear this in mind, as it is but seldom indeed that the migratory birds are actually seen to arrive at their summer residence. Almost invariably they have already occupied the ground, and seem as if already at home when we first observe them. Again, a few - -as an advanced guard as it werewill be seen some days before the bulk of the species come. Thus, a few larks were met with on the 12th and 14th; but it was not until the 15th of February that the main body arrived. Other birds will reach particular localities, and will remain congregated there, according to the state of the weather perhaps, for weeks before they begin to disperse to their breeding stations. Thus the lapwing, although all had arrived by the first four or five days of March, did not separate until about the 19th of the month.-G. Gordon; Birnie, by Elgin, May 28, 1844.

Note of the departure of some of the Winter Birds of Passage from Yarmouth, in 1844

William R. Fisher; Great Yarmouth, May 30, 1844.

Note of the breeding of some resident and migratory Birds at Yarmouth, in 1844.

The 16th of May is, I believe, rather early for the eggs of the reed-warbler, which, about here does not generally lay till the second week in June. I dissected two cuckoos on the 29th of April, one of which was a female. The stomachs of both contained the remains of caterpillars, and in that of the female, I was rather surprised at finding a piece of flint, of considerable size. The other contained no stony substance what

ever.

The eggs in the female cuckoo were at this time very little enlarged.—Id. Note on the capture of a Red-legged Falcon.-"Falco rufipes. — Last week a fine male specimen of this exceedingly rare falcon, being the fourth full-grown one on record as having been obtained in England, was shot by the gamekeeper of the Right Hon. E. R. Petre, in a wood near Selby. It now forms part of the collection of Mr. Massey Hutchinson, of that place."-Eastern Counties Herald, May 16, 1844. Anecdote of a Battle between two Kestrils. Kestril hawks are exceedingly savage with each other. I had been standing waiting, hid in a covert, for rabbits, and had been immoveable for about half an hour, near an open space, when they came out to feed. All of a sudden, from two trees near me, and about fifty yards apart, two hawks rushed simultaneously at each other, and began fighting most furiously, screaming and tumbling over and over in the air. I fired and shot them both, and they were

so firmly grappled together by their talons, that I could hardly separate them, though dead. They were two hen kestrils. What could have been the sudden cause of their rage? It was autumn, and therefore they had no nests. - I. W. G. Spicer; Esher Place, Surrey, May 12, 1844.

It is very common in this

Anecdote of a Battle between a Kestril and a Magpie. neighbourhood for the kestril to breed in a magpie's nest, generally a deserted one, but sometimes it appears in one from which they have driven the rightful owner. A few weeks ago, a man passing a tree, heard a screaming from a nest at the top. Having climbed the tree and put his hand into the nest, he seized a bird which proved to be a kestril; and at the same instant a magpie flew out on the other side. The kestril, it appears, had the advantage in being uppermost, and would probably have vanquished his adversary, had he not been thus unexpectedly taken. He has suffered a felon's fate, and is now suspended by his head against a wall. Whether the magpie still retains possession of his domicile, I am not aware. W. Peachey; Northchapel, near Petworth, June, 1844.

Note on the Nest of the long-horned Owl, (Strix Otus). My observations on this bird quite coincide with those detailed in an interesting paper in No. 18 (Zool. 562). I however once met with an instance of its nesting, not on a tree, but on the ground, in the manner of the short-horned owl, (Strix brachyotus). The specimen I allude to was a fine one, which I saw alive some years since in the collection of the Earl of Derby, at Knowsley, and which the man who had the care of it assured me had been taken when young, from a nest formed upon the ground, in that immediate neighbourhood.—J. H. Gurney; Norwich.

Note on a young Cuckoo being kept in confinement through the Winter. We have in our possession a cuckoo taken from the nest of a wagtail last summer. When first brought to us, it was in the beautiful plumage of the young bird; but being unavoidably confined in a small cage for a few weeks, the tail and wing-feathers were much shattered, and they have never since been sufficiently renewed as to restore its powers of flight. A few ash-coloured feathers, such as characterize the adult bird, are now beginning to show themselves on the neck and back. Though fully fledged when we obtained it, it was a very helpless creature, and its clamorous cries could only be pacied by frequent meals of egg boiled hard, small pieces of raw meat, and bread and milk. It would sit on the perch, throwing its head back, with its wide orange-coloured beak open, and its wings quivering, awaiting each mouthful to be put down its throat with a quill; yet he soon became expert in catching his food, if dropped over his head. He now feeds like any other bird, from a saucer placed in his cage, and also devours with avidity small worms, caterpillars, spiders, &c., beating the larger ones from side to side while holding them in his beak, before he swallows them. As the cold weather came on, we found him very sensitive to the change of temperature, and when allowed to hop about the room, he usually found his way to the fender, where, with wings extended and head erect, he delighted to bask before the fire. At night he was placed in a basket, covered with baize. The winter being mild was probably much in his favour, for when the weather was frosty, he would sit the chief part of the day moping on his perch, which we covered with list to increase the warmth to his feet. The return of spring has now enlivened him again, and his favourite position is in a window exposed to the full warmth of the sun. In his habits he is very bold, never showing any signs of fear, but seems incapable of affection, throwing himself into an attitude of defence, and fiercely pecking at any one who attempts to touch him. His disposi

tion is unsociable, and when a tame dove alights near him, he utters an angry chattering note, and will not rest until he has driven the intruder away. This expression of displeasure is his only note, excepting on three or four occasions, when he has been heard to utter a loud sound like the sharp bark of a little dog. — A. F. B.; Layton, May 18, 1844.

Note on the great grey Shrike.

I saw an individual of this species on Lilley-hoo

The bird was very shy: it had been
I could not find a nest, though I

common, near Hitchin, the 15th of last June. seen in the same locality a few weeks previously. suppose it must be breeding, as the season was so far advanced. A friend of mine informs me a specimen was seen near Tottenham, about the same time. — J. Heppenstall; Upperthorpe, near Sheffield, June 28, 1844.

Notes on the Carrion Crow. When cutting down grass in hay-harvest, mowers unavoidably lay bare numerous eggs of the pheasant, partridge, and landrail, which the carrion crow (ever alive to an opportunity of gratifying his appetite) most eagerly devours. Nor does his gluttony terminate with things inanimate. A friend assured me that once, whilst walking in the fields, he heard above his head a loud, shrill, shrieking cry, and looking upwards, beheld a young leveret firmly clutched in the talons of a carrion crow; nor could all the shouts and manœuvres which he made, induce the bird to relinquish his hold, but sailed off triumphantly with his prize. This bird will devour frogs, toads, and even lizards, but not unless his more usual food is scarce; and once or twice I have seen one banqueting upon stale fish. — John Joseph Briggs ; King's Newton, Melbourne.

Notes on the Rook. The rook is very abundant hereabouts, and numbers are reared annually in the rookeries of Calke and Donnington, and the tall noble fir-trees of Melbourne gardens. They are observed to frequent their nesting-trees generally about the beginning of March, but do not commence building in earnest till about the 18th. Young rooks abound in May. These birds are known to desert their nesting-trees without any visible cause, after having occupied them for a very considerable number of years. They are also said never to build on any except those which are still growing (or after they have arrived at maturity), both of which circumstances may be accounted for in the following manner. Trees still growing, by shooting forth young twigs annually, afford the rooks a better means whereby their nests may be attached to them; while, on the contrary, those on the decline have their summits composed of dead, dried branches, on which the nests have little hold, and are consequently liable to be blown down by every hurricane. Carpenters and woodmen sometimes turn these habits to good account, when determining the proper age for cutting down rookery timber, deeming it quite ready for the axe when these birds forsake it for another habitation.-Id.

Anecdote of a pair of Missel Thrushes twice using the same Nest. A pair of missel thrushes built a nest in a low shrub in a neighbour's garden, and brought off their young; since which the hen laid four more eggs, but after sitting some time, deserted the nest, in consequence of its cracking nearly in two. my knowledge of a bird laying twice in the same nest. June 13, 1844.

It is the first instance within

- Frederick Bond; Kingsbury

Note on Redwings and Fieldfares. It is not an unusual practice with these birds, when a deep fall of snow takes place, or the weather increases in severity, to retire for a few weeks until it has vanished, and again return to their former haunts. Birds are greatly influenced in their manners and actions by weather and food.-J. J. Briggs.