350 Discovery of Skeletons of Swifts and Starlings 



has the English meaning, crow or rook, ascribed to it, as one 

 of its meanings ; and cervus has that of, a hart or stag, and 

 other meanings. Stackhouse, in his Latin preface to his 

 edition (Oxon. 1813) of Theophrastus's History of Plants, 

 in Greek, has stated, that Theophrastus, who attained to a 

 greater age than 100 years, has deplored the shortness of 

 human life, and has remarked, that a longer life is given to 

 the comix and the cervus than to man. 



On the Incarcerated Toad, on which information by Mr. 

 Bree is given in p. 316., Mr. Bree has, since the date of giving 

 that information, supplied the following additional matter, 

 which may be here introduced, one thinks, without violence: — 

 " These incarcerated toads, I believe, usually die soon after 

 their release from imprisonment : in the present instance, the 

 reptile had been much injured about the head by the act of 

 breaking the stone, which led to its discovery : it died the 

 day after I saw it, or the same night. How long had the 

 animal been enclosed ? I could not help looking at it with a 

 sort of veneration or feeling of respect, regarding it as by 

 far the most ancient living being I had ever beheld." — W. T. 

 Bree. Allesley Rectory, May 21. 1836. 



On the death of Lady Penrhyn, in 1816, six of her horses 

 had pensions assigned them; each 45/. a year. Five of them 

 died at the respective ages of 28, 29, and 31 years. The 

 last died lately, at the age of 34? years ; the executors having 

 paid for the pension of this one horse 810/. Is this kindness, 

 or cruelty? {The Bury and Norwich Post, April 30. 1834.)] 



Art. IV. A Notice of the Discovery of the Skeletons of Swifts and 

 Starlings in the Tower of the Church at Oswestry, Shroj)shire. 

 By the Rev. T. Salway. 



Thinking that many of your readers may feel interested 

 in the discovery of a great number of skeletons of swifts and 

 starlings (principally the former) in the church tower here, 

 a short time since,- I have taken the liberty of sending you a 

 brief notice of it. In putting up a new clock in the church 

 tower, a short time ago, it became necessary to cut out a 

 decayed portion of the pilaster of the frame of the face of 

 the clock. The pilaster did not accurately fit the face of the 

 wall, so that there was room between for the birds in question 

 to find an entrance ; and this is the case all round the frame, 

 so that the birds are constantly in the habit of resorting to it 

 for building. When the decayed portion was cut out, a small 

 chamber was laid open between the pilaster and the other 



