stray Notes. 263 



opportunity of observing them: they were both on the ground, 

 when one jnade a sudden dash at the other. They both rose 

 straight into the air to the top of the aviary (i.sft.) singing 

 all the time and fluttered towards the ground, facing -each 

 other. Their chief object seemed to be to " get to grips " 

 with their feet, which they ultimately did just before reaching 

 the ground. Each one had the other one's leg tightly gripped, 

 and there they sat with heads back and crests raised and their 

 tails spread out behind them. Neither seemed to have the 

 advantage, and thus they sat for fifteen seconds. I only wish 

 I could have had a camera handy and have snapped them, 

 Then one must have relaxed his grip, for they dashed apart, 

 both singing. The sight of these two fighting caused a Dom- 

 inican Cardinal in an aviary some distance away to sing 

 louder than I have ever heard him before. 



wSome weeks ago I liberated some young English 

 Turtle Doves {Tiirtur turtur), bred in the aviary this year. 

 I thought it would be 'rather interesting to see whether, 

 after two generations of captivity, they had any migratory 

 instinct left in them. At the present time (October 8th) they 

 are still about. I have not seen any of their wild brethren 

 for some clays now, I might add that one of the old birds 

 (the grandparent of the young at liberty) I have had for the 

 last eleven years. I bought the pair uhen at school from a 

 man who had reared them two years previously from eggs 

 placed under a Barbary Dove. At 13 years he looks as lit 

 as any young bird of last year. 



Flycatcher and Butterfly: I always understood 

 that practically all insectivorous birds a\oided capturing and 

 eating any species of British Butterfly. However, about the 

 last week of August 1 saw a spotted Flycatcher fly after and 

 catch a large while cabbage butterfly, which she {jromptly 

 gave to one of her fully fledged young which was silting with 

 two others on the dead branch of a birch tree. 1 

 knew that most birds were very partial to moths, especially 

 the large yellow undcrvving — and I ha\e seen a Robin enjoy- 

 ing> a meal off a large Poplar Hawk Moth. But this is the 

 first instance in which 1 have seen u bird capturing and eat- 

 ing a butterliy. 



