ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 541 



woods in the western vicinity of Prague, where there is a 

 remarkably large stock of Blackgnme. Perhaps it may be 

 regarded as one of the degenerations arising from over- 

 population. 



The first Swallows (Hirundo rustica) were seen flying 

 about the banks of one of the arms of the Danube on April 

 16th, and the following day I saw some of them in Vienna. 

 Arriving in Prague on the 19th I could not, in spite of 

 diligent observation, discover any Swallows, nor was it until 

 the 21st that I met with some on the Moldau south of the 

 city, and a few days later found them in the villages of 

 Northern Bohemia, though in very small numbers. 



Up to the present date I have only once seen the Martin 

 (Chelidon urbica) this year, and that was on April 16th, when 

 1 observed a large flock flying at a great rate up-stream along 

 the bank of the Danube, near Vienna. 



This winter seems also to have affected the movements of 

 the birds of prey. Several Sea-Eagles (Hallaetus albicilla) 

 made their ordinary annual appearance in November, among 

 the auen of the Danube below Vienna, and left before the 

 middle of March, this being the period that the Sea- 

 Eagles generally visit Lower Austria. From March to 

 November there are usually none of them 1o be seen in that 

 region ; but this year it was different, for on April 10th, as I 

 was stealing along an arm of the Danube to watch the Cor- 

 morants fishing, a Sea-Eagle suddenly dropped from a tree a 

 few hundred yards aw^ay, hunted up and down the water 

 several times, and soon afterwards perched upon a silver 

 poplar well furnished with dead branches. 



I stalked up as carefully as possible under cover of the 

 wood and managed to reach the edge of a little open, within 

 sixty to seventy paces of the tree. An old but very small 

 male was sitting on a branch looking towards the water, 

 and a perfectly enormous female was lazily resting beside 



