](irKX.\I, OK THE Wir.I) HIUD I\VI=:STI<;.\T1(1\ SOriETV. 



winos. Slie permits me lo sti'ok'c her leps 

 tiown to tile talons with my fingers, and to 

 brush her cktwn with one of her triil feathers. 



I lost her once for an hour, and have to 

 thank fnc ]3airs of rooks for her recovery. 

 She flew into the tall elms where they were 

 nesting. They dislodged her several limes. 

 I eventuallv found her on a willow tree over 

 a brook, and could just reach her by the leg. 

 -She allowed mv near approach, and sub- 

 mitted to being caught. I think she was 

 truly grateful to be returned to her aviary. 



She repairs a nest with materials provided, 

 and commences lo sit about the end of 

 February, Inu has not yet been clever enough 

 lo lav an egg. I think of treating her with 

 some Bantam eggs to incubate next spring. 



L'nless she is very hungry, she will not 

 touch a bird, though has often killed an 

 iin\\ar\- sparrow who has entered her 

 enclosure. 



A writer in the Zoologist of 1895 says, " I 

 see mention of a Rough-legged Buzzard, 

 which had been caught in f)ne of those detest- 

 able pole traps some years ago at Bishops- 

 wood, near Ross." This, I think, is the 

 only record for the countv of this species. 



I once kept one which had been caught in 

 the eastern counties. It is a winter visitor, 

 and is feathered to the toes, hence its name, 

 lagopus. Some vears ago I acr|uired a speci- 

 men shot in N'orkshire, set u[\ pouncing on 

 a young hare. My friend, S. i-. Moseley, 

 used it for a figure in his book on British 

 Hints: 'I'lieir Xcsts and Eggs. I disposed of 

 it recentlv to the Hereford Museum, as they 

 wanted an example. 



{To he continued.) 



J.'/ 



POND FREQUENTING BIRDS AS 

 SEED CARRIERS. 



II. 



Bv THK l-;i;v. E. ADRIAN 



WOODRUFFE-PEACOCK, F.L.S., F.G.S., F.E.S. 



<.jriiyii!f;hiiin Rectory, h'lrtoii-iii-l.iiulscy , Lines. 



In our first article on this subject we gave 

 a list of species found in a certain limited 

 class of ponds, namely, (i) spring, (2) sipe, 

 and (3) dew-ponds, also short notes on the 

 .Mallard or Wild Duck, and the Water- or 

 Moor-Hen. 



It may be demanded of me, " How can vou 

 prove to demonstration that these birds really 

 carry the plants or the seeds of those species 

 }'()U have named in vour paper?" This is a 

 perfectly fair question, and I will answer it as 

 fairlv. 



There are two ways of demonstrating the 

 required facts: (1) By seeing the acts of 

 physical carriage, a thing I ha\'e often done, 

 both (a) by pure accident, (b) by careful 

 and prolonged watching, and also (c) by 

 forcibly driving ducks and water-hens from 

 ponds by the aid of a dog. (2) There is also 

 negative demonstration, which in the case of 

 small, isrjlated, man-made punds is unusually 

 strong. 



As regards the first, I have seen a few 

 species, Elodca, Lemna, and Potamogeton, 

 carried naturally to ponds bv birds. For an 

 instance of (<;) jiure accident. When ni\- late 

 brother Max and I were lads, one July we 

 were watching the bird-life at Asiiby Deco}', 

 while old Tom lacy, the then owner of this 

 famous water, told us anecdotes regarding its 

 birtls. As we st(X)d listening, some " out- 

 lying " Wild Drakes came in to seek the 

 sei-uritv of the pond, and cjne of them had " a 

 necklace " of Potamogeton prelongus, one of 

 the rarest, because deep water species, ol this 

 part of England. This was the first lime in 

 my life I had ever seen it, and it was another 

 llfteen years before I found it growing in 



V 



