Fragments of Omit Jiology, 335 



bird, is plentiful in this neighbourhood, our extensive woods 

 furnishing him with a secure retreat. The great size and 

 brilliant markings of this bird render it an object of no 

 inconsiderable beauty when dead ; but its calm and easy and 

 circuitous flight, as it wheels aloft in endless mazes until it 

 vanishes from sight, and making the air resound with its 

 ceaseless mewings, on a bright summer's day, renders it a 

 sure source of interest when alive. The power of flight in 

 this bird is amazing: I frequently watch him wheeling round 

 and round and round, until my eye is completely fatigued, 

 and yet not a feather appears to be in motion except the 

 forked tail. How does he propel himself forward in such 

 instances ? 



The Dispute respecting the Identity of the Henharrier and 

 the Ringtail is, I presume, sufficiently settled ; and I need not, 

 therefore, make any further allusion to it. I have now before 

 me a fine specimen of this bird, shot close by, in which the 

 plumage of the ringtail is still visible on the breast and the 

 crown of the head, while all the other parts of the body are 

 covered with the plumage of the henharrier. 



StrixO'tus {Eared Owl), S. stridula {Brown Owl), S^Jldm" 

 mea {Barn Owl), — The brown owl and barn owl are common 

 here, though the object of the inveterate persecution of the 

 gamekeepers; whether for any just reason or not, I cannot 

 say : but, just or unjust, I certainly must say that I regret it; 

 for the brown owl's note (whether uttered in b flat, as stated 

 by White, or not, I am not musician enough to distinguish) 

 is a " rural sound " which I always hear with pleasure, 

 however uncouth it may sound in " ears polite." Of the 

 eared owl I had never a specimen until February last ; when 

 I had a fine pair sent me, which were killed, in a fir plant- 

 ation on the side of one of our mountains, by the gamekeeper 

 of B. Hall, Esq. M.P. They are the only pair, I believe, that 

 have ever been seen in this neighbourhood. Perhaps I may as 

 well make a few remarks in this place respecting 



Eggs of Anomalous Structure. — " We shall here instance 

 imperfect eggs sometimes produced, such as want the vitellus, 

 and others containing two yolks." (Montagu, on " Eggs of 

 Birds," in Rennie's edition of the Diet., p. 166.) " When, from 

 the same cause, the growth of the vitellus in the ovarium is too 

 luxuriant, two yolks pass the oviduct together; which, being 

 surrounded with the usual quantity of albumen, are brought 

 forth in the form of a single eg^ of extraordinary magnitude." 

 {Ibid., p. 167.) This irregularity in the state of the egg is not 

 of common occurrence amongst birds in their native state, 

 but is much more frequent amongst domestic poultry; I 



