200 FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



ROOKS KILLING AND EATING SMALL BIRDS. In February two 

 rooks lived for a long time close to Corfe Castle Rectory, 

 constantly walking about the lawn and frequenting the gravelled 

 terrace just outside the dining-room window, where I several 

 times actually saw them eating crumbs of bread, * &c., that 

 had been put out for other birds. At last hunger made one or 

 both murderers, for one of them killed a small bird close to the 

 window, and carrying it off, devoured it in a tree close by, and a 

 day or two later one of them killed and ate a starling near our 

 front door ; probably they demolished other small birds in like 

 manner, but were not seen in the act. In both cases under notice, 

 the victim was apparently quite strong and healthy, and by no 

 means in a dying condition. 



A CANNIBAL STARLING. Mr. W. A. Rixon, of the Manor House, 

 Corfe Castle, tells me that at Morden, near Wareham, he saw a 

 starling attack another starling, which may have been weak and 

 starving, but was certainly still alive, and peck fiercely at its eyes. 

 On driving off the murderer, he found that it had already entirely 

 pecked out one of its victim's eyes, which it had doubtless 

 devoured. 



TAMENESS OP JAY. From February 11-1 7th, a jay, which had 

 frequented the shrubbery at Corfe Castle Rectory for some time 

 previously, several times came on to the terrace close to the dining- 

 room window, and I actually saw it eat some of the bread crumbs, 

 &c., put out for the birds. 



GREEN WOODPECKERS ATTACKING BEEHIVES. At Mr. R. Diffey's 

 cottage at Morden, near Corfe Castle, green woodpeckers, driven 

 by hunger, pecked holes about 2 inches in diameter, and reaching 

 to the inner comb, right through the backs, a little above the 

 wooden stands of three straw-skip hives, in order no doubt to get 

 at the bees. Not believing at first that woodpeckers could be the 

 culprits, Mr. Diffey set a trap and caught one flagrante delido, and 



* Rooks and starlings not infrequently eat crumbs on my lawn when 

 short of food. (N. M. R.) 



