Q:iieries and Ansivcrs. ^0^ 



Ilah'iU of the hng'lcgged ivhistling Diwks, and of the Sheldrake. — Sir, In 

 Vol. IV. p. 474i., Mr. Swainson asks information of the habits of the long- 

 legged whistling ducks of the West India islands ; and of the sheldrake 

 (A^nas Tadorna). Of the first, Mr. Swainson omits giving the scientific 

 name ; I, therefore, cannot decide to what bird he alludes : but a friend 

 of mine lately made me a present of a pair of ducks he brought from Ja- 

 maica, that are decided whistlers, as they whistle to one another for an hour 

 together ; that is, they used to do so, until a fox ivhistled off the drake a 

 night or two ago, who would be gay and sleep out at nights ; and his widow 

 now consorts with the turkey-cock, perching every night on an open ve< 

 randa against the house, about 7 ft. from the ground. These ducks are 

 very large birds, but not long-legged, and are neither more nor less than 

 very fine Muscovy ducks ; but such as they are, Mr. Swainson is quite wel- 

 come to the description of them : and, if he will pay me a visit, he may try 

 the flavour of them. As to the sheldrake, I am expecting to receive some 

 from Lincolnshire, which were faithfully promised to be procured for me; 

 and if I succeed in having them, I will not forget to note down every thing 

 remarkable that I observe in them, for Mr. Swainson's benefit. I am, Sir, 

 yours, &c. — A Subscriber. Southampton, Dec., 1831. 



Whirls of the Tumbler Pigeon. — I am obliged to Mr. Swainson for his 

 early attention (Vol. IV. p. 557.) to my enquiry (Vol. IV. p. 473.) on this 

 subject. In reply to his recommendations, I have to inform you, that I am 

 certain that " the movement is common to both sexes," as I have often 

 amused myself with watching the alternate pranks of a single pair; that 

 " it is done at all seasons," and not at particular seasons, such as incuba- 

 tion, &c. ; for at that time the male bird covers the eggs by day, while the 

 female takes charge of them at night. I agree with Mr. Swainson in think- 

 ing the movement indicative of pleasure or excitement; as I can fancy that 

 the feeling that causes it is the same as that which prompts a man to rub 

 his hands together with delight. Since the discovery of the Columba 

 arquatrix (I think, by M. de Vaillant), the domestic tumbler has acquired 

 an importance, at least in my mind, which naturalists have hitherto denied 

 it. All writers on natural history, in their classifications, have declared the 

 varieties of the Columba domestica to be derived from one stock, the C. 

 rupicola, or rockier. M. Temminck ridicules Buffon's idea of all the 

 foreign varieties having the same source ; but I think Buflfbn's theory just 

 as probable as that the domestic tumbler has any (Connection whatever with 

 the Columba rupicola. If it has, why do not other varieties of the Columba 

 domestica occasionally tumble ? and why is the practice confined exclu- 

 sively to this variety, which, unless bred pure, loses the propensity : and 

 now it appears there has been lately discovered a wiid species that has the 

 same propensity, or at least something very like it. Is it not probable that 

 this bird may be a descendant of the newly discovered species, its pro- 

 pensity to tumbling being increased by domestication ? — A Subscriber. 

 Soidhamj)ton, Dec., 1831. 



A Swift {Cj/pselus murdriiis Temminck) killed by its Jlying against a Wall, 

 — Sir, Some few summers ago, being on a visit at Hastings, I stopped, 

 during an early morning's walk, to watch a party of swifts (Cjpselus nmra- 

 rius Temm., //frundo J^pus Linn.) dashing round the ruins of the old castle 

 which overlooks the town. While I was thus amusing myself and ad- 

 miring the extraordinary rapidity of their flight, to my infinite astonish- 

 ment one of them flew directly against the castle wall. My surprise was 

 so great that at first I thought I was mistaken ; but as the spot where the 

 bird fell was not very difficult of ap[)roach, I climbed up, and there found 

 the bird fluttering on the ground. I picked it up, but in a very few minutes 

 it died in my hand. I pursued my walk, marvelling at the oddness of the 

 adventure, not knowing to what to attribute so strange an accident. It 

 could not be that the bird, in its eager pursuit of prey, miscalculated the 

 distance, and thus met death ? this was just i)Obsiblc, but not very pro- 



