Zoology. ^ 38 1 



uropygium, a large portion of conspicuously splendid scarlet ; 

 giving it very much the appearance of an old w^oman's red 

 petticoat, or the hood of an Oxford A.M. (" take which you 

 will, you will not get much by the bargain"). It is well 

 known that many birds are even three years before they fully 

 assume their plumage. The young swan, or cygnet, would 

 puzzle an early ornithologist, as many of the gulls hoNe gulled 

 even the experienced. If, however, this churring he a " note 

 of love," — as is asserted by those I am neither capable nor 

 inclined to contradict, — the middle spotted woodpecker is 

 established a species ; unless, indeed, he is " anticipating his 

 pairing-time," and rehearsing his amatory serenades, previous 

 to his approaching courtships ; for love-signs will often appear 

 long before those of puberty. 'T is certainly an odd, and 

 somewhat unpoetical " love-note : " but if the gods have not 

 made these poor birds mjisical, they must do as our modern 

 fine ladies of fashion do with what they call (and perhaps 

 believe to be) music — make as much noise as they can. — 

 John F, M, Dovaston. Westfelton, near Shrewsbury^ " the ten 

 of April morn by the chime^^ 1832. 



A technical notice of the middle spotted woodpecker occurs 

 in p. 82. of the present volume. — J. T>. 



The GaUimde (Gallinula chloropus l^atham), a Percher, and 

 excellent for Food, — Sir, The closeted compiler from the 

 labours of other naturalists, has an easy task to perform, when 

 compared with the out-of-door observer of nature ; and the at- 

 tainment of any new fact in ornithology or natural history is fre- 

 quently tardy and difficult : but I probably may advance a new 

 fact respecting the common water-hen, which seems to have 

 escaped the observation of naturalists, or is unnoticed in any 

 of the histories of the feathered tribe w^hich I have been able 

 to consult. What I allude to is the circumstance of this 

 bird's perching or roosting upon trees and shrubs, &c. One 

 of these birds, which I kept in an aviary with some pheasants, 

 although the tip of the wing was cut off, yet at evening it 

 scrambled up into some currant bushes to roost ; and in two 

 instances I have shot them : once from the top branch of a 

 tall alder tree (^Inus glutinosa), and at another time off 

 some shrubs growing on the margin of a brook ; but I did 

 not then suspect them to be perchers. Upon mentioning the 

 circumstance, however, to a sporting friend, he immediately 

 corroborated my suspicions ; and well remembers these birds 

 roosting in some Scotch pines (Pinus sylvestris), on an island 

 in a pool before his house. I believe this to be a new fact in 

 the history of this bird ; but, perhaps, to the epicure I can 

 advance a more palatable one, when I inform him, that, when 



