MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 141 



this door was the greatest effort at flight which he attempted to make 

 during his sojourn at my dwelling. One fine afternoon, however, while he 

 was quietly perching there as usual, and about five weeks after I had 

 taken him in, he made a sudden dash at the window, knocked out two 

 squares of glass, flew to the roof of a house on the opposite side of the 

 street, sat on it, meditating, for a few minutes, then rose over the tops 

 of some high elms, and after making three or four fine circles in the air, 

 took a straight course northwards; and, although I immediately sent after 

 him, and offered a reward for his apprehension, I never saw or heard of 

 him again from that day forward. — C. Faulkner, Deddington, March 6th., 

 1858. 



Common Crossbill. — Last week five specimens of the Common Crossbill, 

 (Loxia curvirostra.) were killed near the small town of Reeth, in this 

 neighbourhood, by a farmer named Martin. These birds, forming part of 

 a small flock, consisted of four males and a female. — Henry Smurthwaite, 

 Richmond, March 18th., 1858. 



Early Occurrence of the Hobby, (Falco subbuteo.) — This little Peregrine 

 in miniature, was brought to me, alive, on the 11th. of March, by a 

 bird-catcher, who had taken it in his lark net. This handsome little 

 Falcon is scarce in this neighbourhood; its habitat seems to be more 

 among woods. The same day another bird-catcher brought me two of 

 the Common Kestrel, which had darted at his decoy-birds, but, as in 

 many other instances, the biter got bit. — T. Thorncroft, Brighton, 15th. 

 March, 1858. 



A Vulpo-canine. — In the No. of "The Naturalist" for April, is an inter- 

 esting account of a Canine Fox, which so nearly resembles an animal in 

 my possession, that I send the following particulars: — A bitch whelp was 

 sent me early last year by a gentleman in Kent, who stated that her 

 mother was a cross between the Fox and the Dog. The whelp is now 

 grown up, and about the size of a Fox, with the head and ears, and much 

 of the appearance of that animal, but with the tail, though brushy, some- 

 what shorter. It is white, with large patches of greyish brown over the 

 head and back; the coat smooth and hard, and not so full as that of a 

 Fox; the ears sharp and erect, and the muzzle fine and pointed, with the 

 forehead broad, and the head altogether very handsome. Its manners are 

 exceedingly suspicious and shy, so that it will never play even with me, 

 though I have been always accustomed to feed it, and it will dart into its 

 kennel on the appearance of a stranger. For a long time I could not get 

 it to follow me, as it would run back the moment it saw a person, and 

 now it runs to and fro to avoid every one it meets, and generally attracts 

 notice. One day it was much frightened by a number of persons in the 

 vol. vni. u 



