106 MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



few days afterwards, passing my own keeper's "gallows" at this place, 1 saw another still finer 

 specimen gibbeted, which he had caught in a trap a few days previously, and which he did 

 not appear to consider as singular; although about these parts the native talent is not vei-y bright 

 and observant, yet they gcnerallj'^ report any rare bird killed. Query, Are they as rare in this 

 part of England as is supposed to be the case? — Idem. 



The Little Bittern, (Ardea minuta.) — I saw, the year before last, a very beautiful specimen 

 of the Little Bittern killed at Preston, near Weymouth, which is now preserved in the collection 

 of A. B. Foster, Esq., at Warmwell. — Idem. 



Woodcocks, (Scolopax rusticola.) — As a proof of the unusual abundance of these birds this 

 winter, I may mention that a party, lately shooting in this neighbourliood, killed in three days, 

 and in one wood, the extraordinary number of one hundred and fifty-three; ninety being shot 

 in one day. The numbers on the other days were thirty and thirty-three. — C. H. Dashwood, 

 Thornaye, Norfolk, January 7th., 1853. 



The Jackdaw, (Coryus monedula,) — About two years back, one of my workmen, a coach- 

 smith, bought a nest with two young Jackdaws of one of those marauding urchins of boys, 

 who delight in the destruction of all within their reach. He brought them to the shop, and 

 placed them upon a shelf immediately above his bench, (he was a vice-man,) where they were 

 constantly under his observation; they thrived well, and soon began to hop about the shop. 

 They appeared to take great delight in perching upon the edges of the water-troughs near the 

 forges, where they watched the motions of the fireman attending to his iron in the process of 

 heating, and when taken out of the fire, and placed upon the anvil under the operation of the 

 hammers, these two birds faced round, watching the process with apparently intense interest; 

 and notwithstanding the sparks of fire flew close to them, they would only bob their heads 

 and shake their feathers. There were several forges in the shop, but they seemed to prefer 

 the one that did the heaviest work, Avhich was in consequence that which displayed the greatest 

 amount of fire and diffusion of sparks; but their strongest attachment was to the vice-man who 

 brought them to the shop, and who fed them in their nest. For some little time he took 

 them home on Saturday nights, and brought them back again on Monday mornings; but he 

 discontinued doing so when they grew to maturity. If a stranger came into the shop, the male 

 Mrd would descend to the ground, and immediately attack the intruder by pecking at his feet. 

 It was frequently suggested to me that much time was wasted by the workmen in playing 

 with these creatures, but so great is my love for Natural History, and so much amusement did 

 these lively creatures contribute, that I could not summons resolution to order their exclusion. 

 Frequently have I seen the vice-man mentioned, after fitting a nut upon a bolt, leave the bolt 

 fixed in the vice with the nut screwed down ; he would then shake his finger at the male bird, 

 by way of admonition not to meddle with it; when the impudent fellow would immediately 

 hop upon the vice, and began to unscrew the nut from the bolt with his bill, which he would 

 accomplish by half turns at a time, looking up at the man at intervals very knowingly, and 

 when he had got it quite off, would drop it down and return to the side of his companion, 

 who appeared to share in his satisfaction at the exploit. There were many other instances of the 

 sagacity of these birds, but it is unnecessary to trouble you with them; they had become so 

 interesting to me that it was with much regret I found, upon going into the shop one Monday 

 morning, that the female was dead: she was found floating upon the wat(;r in one of the 

 cooling-troughs, upon the edges of which they so frequently perched. The vice-man declared 

 it was her partner's doings, and that the villain, who was rogue enough for anything, had 

 killed his wife. Whether it was so or not he shewed no contrition, and continued as mischievous 

 as ever, until an occurrence took place which closed the anmsing fellow's career. — It happened 

 that a traveller from some chemical works called at the shop, offering for sale a cheap sort of 

 grease adapted for smiths' use; the vice-man filled his grease-box with this composition; the 

 next morning poor Jack was found lying on his back. There is no doubt but he was in the 

 habit of feeding from the grep^e-pot, and some poisonous ingretlient in this compound finished 

 him. — Thomas Fulleu, Bath, January 10th., 1863. 



The Peregrine Falcon, (Falco percgrinus,) laying eggs in confinement. — A rather rare cir- 

 cumstance occuiTcd in the town of Dumfries last summer, namely, a pair of Peregrine 

 Falcons in confinement, and where they have been confined for some years, not only produced 



