22S



your jolly disposition, my fine fellow, as long as you live. And

therefore Tapley, now’s your time to come out strong—or never.”

Knowing that some people are very incredulous, like certain

old ladies we all know, that find it difficult to believe that the

train is going direct to the place appointed of Bradshaw, until

they have been verbally assured upon the point by two guards,

one porter, and a newspaper boy, I took the precaution to send

one of the little bodies to Mr. Phillipps to show that I was not

romancing. The little birds were getting into quill, colour

leaden, beak pinkish, feet flesh coloured and very big for the size

of the bird, head covered with a few scanty hairs, like some of us.


I am trying to bear my disappointment bravely, like the

Irishman who said that his pig had not weighed as much as he

expected, but then he never thought it would !


For those who do not know the Cat-bird, I may add that

it is about 9 inches long, clad in a lead-coloured suit, relieved by

a black cap on the top of the head, and with the feathers below

the tail rusty brown. The top of the tail, the bill and feet are

black in the cock, and the eyes black in both sexes. The hen is

much lighter on the b?east than the cock, has lighter coloured legs,

and lighter eyebrows ; and, whereas, the head of the cock is very

snakey, that of the hen is roundish.


When next I write on my Cat-birds, I hope to be able to

record an absolute success. We came very near it this time, and

neither men nor Cat-birds can do more than their best. Many

a deed is done, recorded only in that Book that holds the names

of those—men or animals, souls or no souls — who Tried.


(To be continued).


[Mr. Farrar was manifestly on the high road to recording an absolute

success, for the young bird must have been hatched out strong and lusty,

and ought not to have died. If it was really some fourteen days old, as I

gather from Mr. Farrar’s article, it was very backward, which would seem

to point to something wrong in the food or feeding; but Mr. Farrar does

not furnish any information as to the treatment. — R.P.]



BIRD NOTES.



I11 the June number of the Zoologist, Mr. Robert Service draws

attention to a little-known, and apparently recently-acquired habit of the

Black-headed Gull, namely, that of capturing moths. He first watched

them do this in 1868, but the habit does not appear to have become common

until several years later. During the last dozen years the catching of

Lepidoptera, by the Gulls, after nightfall has become a confirmed annual

practice during the months of June and July. Mr. Service believes that



