FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 193 



point of vantage. Likewise, the bird can hammer when it is 

 in any position, but seems to prefer having his head above 

 his body and not below the level of his body. He does not 

 hammer many seconds consecutively, or I suppose his beak 

 would get heated and spoil its temper. He looked very 

 lovely in the bright sunlight with his crimson crest and 

 strongly marked back ; nevertheless he is not a very con- 

 spicuous little bird." (E.H.C.) 



Micropus apus (The Common Swift). 8th July, great 

 quantities of swifts flying around all the afternoon and 

 evening, but all gone the next morning. Weymouth. (N.M.R.) 

 June 22nd, at Poole, on our return at 8.50 p.m., just as 

 darkness was falling, w r e saw about 50 swifts circling round 

 and round and screaming. They were very high in the air, 

 and looked quite small. As they circled round they kept 

 banking and mounted higher and higher, until at last they 

 could only just be discerned. Then they took a course about 

 due south, straight toward Cherbourg, as straight as a line 

 and at very high speed. Their direction would have taken 

 them over no land except Sandbanks and the corner of 

 Brownsea, and it is not reasonable to suppose they went to 

 such great height for such a short journey, and nothing to 

 take them to either place. (E.H.C.) 



Asio otus (The Long-eared Owl). At Canford, circa 

 June 5th, one young bird destroyed and one made captive by 

 Underkeeper Balson. 



Astur palumbarius (The Goshawk). One shot by Head- 

 keeper Wren at Canford on the river about Nov. 2nd. In 

 all probability this is the bird which was seen at Ringwood 

 and Wareham. (W.P.C.) 



Buzzard (species ?). Seen at Canford in the Spring by 

 Keeper Wren on several occasions. (E.H.C.) A buzzard was 

 slaughtered in the Wareham district and passed into the hands 

 of a local bird stuffer, but the captor was sufficiently ashamed 

 of his misdeed to give instructions that no information was 

 to be given to me on the subject, so I do not know what 

 species it was or by whom it was killed. (W.P.C.) 



