244 Short Commimkatioiis : — 



proceed from a flock of them, it may generally be traced to 

 a few accompanying redwings. The thrushes generally, I 

 think, form rather an exception to the Rev. W. T. Bree's 

 observation (p. 75.), of birds acquiring, each season, their full 

 song by degrees. Most of the smaller kinds certainly do 

 acquire their song gradually ; but the missel thrush and the 

 mavis sing as loudly and clearly in November as in March ; 

 and the deep-toned voice of the blackbird is as rich and as 

 full when he first bursts forth into melody, in early spring, as 

 in April, when the practice of many weeks should have 

 matured his vocal powers. From analogy with these, there- 

 fore, I am inclined to question whether the redwing's voice 

 improves from the time it first begins to sing; for it is the 

 same in May as in January. A day or two ago, I think, I 

 heard one in its full perfection ; it did not see me ; and was 

 alone, away from its companions, and piping forth with the 

 utmost glee and spirit. Its notes were low and soft, some of 

 them very sweet ; and it now and then introduced a few that 

 were loud and pleasing : but, altogether, its song by no means 

 equalled that of the mavis. The redwing, in short, is not a 

 bird worth confining for the mere sake of its music, — 

 E. Blytlu Tooting^ Surrey, March 26. 1834. 



The Solitary Thrush, or Brown Starling (IV. 2 IS.) — I have 

 twice shot this species in the neighbourhood of London ; and, 

 until I had read Rennie's description, in Montagu's Diet., 

 p. 56., did not know of what species the birds were. — O. 

 Clapton, March, 1834. 



The Rook, (148.) — Will the idea (in 243. note *), that the 

 soil's being covered up, in summer and autumn, with ground 

 crops, prevents access to it for ground grubs and insects, 

 account for the rook's then feeding on grain, nuts, fruits, &c. 

 (whence the epithet frugilegus has been applied to it) ? Some 

 will rather refer the latter habit of rooks to their sympathy 

 in the sentiment, " nos numerus sumus, et fruges consumere 

 nati ; " and I, for one, think that the rooks do quite rightly 

 in acting on it. Mr. Saul of Lancaster has just informed Mr. 

 Loudon that the Rev. Mr. Ridley had found that the husk of 

 grain taken by the rook is separated, in the rook's stomach, 

 from the grain itself, and is afterwards discharged from the 

 moutli of the rook in masses of the size of a pigeon's egg. 

 Mr. Saul has sent a specimen. The husks appear those of 

 oats. — J. D, 



A Second Brood of Waterhens adopted and catered for by the 

 Individuals of the First Brood. [From a letter to the Rev. 

 W.T. Bree, by J. M. Boultbee, Esq. ; dated Kineton, Aug. 20. 

 1833.] — At the bottom of the walk between the house and 



