624 Birds in the Vicinity of Tooting, Surrey, 



propagation : yet we observe no preponderance of young in- 

 dividuals, but the species is rarely seen otherwise than in 

 pairs, one grey and one in the plumage described as the ring- 

 tail. The fact is, I suspect, that the young of this, as well as 

 of most other Falconidae, migrate, and remain away till the 

 breeding stimulus prompts them to return, by which time they 

 have attained their adult livery. We read of large flights of 

 hawks annually crossing the Mediterranean : of what do these 

 consist ? 



The Barn Owl would be common enough, if war were not 

 so generally waged against it in this neighbourhood. A 

 more harmless, nay, a more useful, creature scarcely exists. A 

 very few pairs breed annually in this neighbourhood. 



The Tawny Hooter is still more rare than the preceding 

 species ; except, perhaps, in one or two of the more distant 

 localities, where it is less uncommon. It is long since I have 

 heard its nocturnal cry. A hen or two always breed. in 

 Wimbledon Park, and more as the distance recedes from 

 London. Mr. Macgillivray says, of this species, " The female 

 is considerably larger than the male, and resembles it in 

 colour. This I have determined by dissection, and not merely 

 conjectured. Let them who allege the contrary come for- 

 ward." He afterwards alludes to " grey " individuals, which 

 are those without any rufous colouring. I have examined 

 several of these latter, and invariably found them to be males ; 

 wherefore I suspect that, after the second ( ? ) moulting, this 

 is the fixed plumage of the sex. The last bird of this de- 

 scription that I have dissected is now in the Natural History 

 Museum at Worcester. 



Long-tufted Madge. — A single individual of this species 

 was shot, as it sat on the ground, on Mitcham Common, three 

 years ago. 



Of the Short-tufted Madge a very few individuals are now 

 and then met with, in winter, on the more distant heaths. 

 Vast numbers of them are annually exposed for sale in the 

 London markets : they are principally sent up from the fenny 

 counties. 



A pair of one of the small species of&trigidce (I cannot say 

 which) was observed sitting on the naked bough of a tree, in 

 Wimbledon Park, in the summer, I think, of 1832. The 

 booby who discerned them thought of taking them by hand, 

 and was climbing up the tree for that purpose, when, regard- 

 ing him with a look of much wonder, they soon took flight, 

 and disappeared among the surrounding timber. These were 

 probably of the iVoctua genus, as the little scops is much too 

 noisy to escape notice. 



