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higher up than the bush was a small scar, about twenty-five feet 
high, out of which grew a stunted tree holding a fresh nest con- 
taining three eggs, on which the hen bird was sitting. Scrambling 
down to examine the eggs, I found the second lot almost as deeply 
coloured as the first three, which had meanwhile been placed under 
a tame hen buzzard. She sat upon them for thirty-one days, and 
hatched all three ; but, in spite of the united care of both bird and 
keeper, they all died when about ten days old. The old bird 
always sucked and chewed a piece of meat for three or four minutes 
before she gave it to the young ones. Afterwards a half-grown 
Buzzard was procured from a third nest, and given to the tame one 
to rear, but this also she failed to do. 
The smaller hawks, viz., the Kestrel, the Sparrow-hawk, and the 
Merlin, are all abundant in this district, the Merlin being the 
rarest of the three ; and I have seen five species of owls, four of 
which are common. 
Among the DeENTIROsTRES, or Tooth-billed birds, are the 
Thrushes, many of which are very familiar to us. I have a few 
specimens here. The Dipper, a very common and pretty little 
bird, which frequents our mountain streams. Here is a rare 
species, the Golden Oriole, which was killed in Muncaster parish 
in 1857. Here are three others belonging to the same group, two 
Blackbirds and a Song-thrush, which are chiefly remarkable for not 
being black or brown, as the case may be. They were all killed near 
Gosforth ; and I have seen four or five more Blackbirds in that district 
more or less marked with white. This curious albinism is not 
uncommon, and it is probably caused by some defect in the consti- 
tution of the bird, which prevents the proper amount of pigment- 
cells being formed. I have seen several Rooks at Calder Abbey 
with white feathers or patches, and Dr. l’Anson of Whitehaven 
saw in January, 1879, a perfectly white Sparrow. 
Here is a Starling of a very light colour; and here a most 
remarkable Waterhen, which was shot on Hallsenna Moor in June, 
1877. This Waterhen is of a light fawn colour all over, with the 
exception of the usual white markings. The primary wing 
