40 



KNOWLEDGE. 



[Februaky, 1903. 



Winter Kestinff of Birds. — At the December meeting of the 

 British Ornitliologists' Club. Mr. T. Digby Pigott announced, on 

 behalf of Lord Morctoii, that during tlio week endmg November 22nd 

 last a Thrush had hatched out a voung one, and a Starling and a 

 Wren had laid eggs at Sarsden, in Oxfordshire. He also reported on 

 the authority of Mr. R. Norton, of Downs House, Yalding, that in 

 the same month there were young Martins in a nest in Kent. 



T'arietif of the Woodcock. — At the same meeting, Mr. W. B. 

 'I'egetmeier exhibited an interesting and striking Tariety of the 

 Woodcock with the ground-colour of a lilac-grey, and the chestnut 

 vcrmiculatiotis of a bright tint. The ends of the" primaries were all 

 wliitc, with the usual black markings replaced by lilac-brown. Tlie 

 under parts were creamy-buff, faintly barred with pale greyish-brown. 

 Tl\e throat white; the'biU rather paler than usual, but the iris of 

 the normal colour. The bird was a female, and was procui-ecl in the 

 Galtee Mountains, Tipperary. 



Dotterels in Merionethshire (Ibis, January, 1903, p. 133). — Mr. 

 O. V. Aplin writes to the Ihis that lie saw Dotterels on a mountain 

 in Merionethshire in i\[ay, 1902, as he did in 1901. This, bird occurs 

 only occasionally in Wales, but since Mr. Aplin has seen the bird for 

 two years in succession in the same place, it seems that some at all 

 events are regular visitors to the Cambrian mountains. It is also 

 just possible that they remain to breed there ; but Mr. Aplin remarks 

 that the birds could not be found in June. 



The British Gee.ie fAnser paludosus (Strickl.^ and, Anser neyleotus). 

 — Eeference was made in the November (1902) issue of Knowleuoe 

 to some notes on the British Geese by Mr. Coburn and by Mr. 

 Frohawk. Mr. Coburn now calls attention fZoologist, December, 

 1902, pp. -ltl-418) to a bird which he proi'ured at St. Abb's Head, 

 Scotland, on February 25th, 1896. Mr. Coburn somewhat con- 

 fidently concludes that this bird is the same as that described by 

 Strickland in 18.58 as Anser paliidosus, which Strickland presumed 

 was the same bird as a Groose known to the Yorkshire fowlers of the 

 18th century as the Carr-lag. Mr. Coburn, as did Mr. Strickland, 

 presumes that this is a Goose of ai|uatic habits, and so he accounts 

 for its " long swan-like neck and large swan-like feet." Mr. Coburn 

 says that the bird equals a fine Grey-lag in size, but its general tone 

 of coloration of plumage resembles that of the Bean Goose. As 

 regards the structure of the bill the serrations on the lower mandible 

 " are large in size, sharply pointed, and directed backward, whereas 

 in the Bean Goose they are straight, blunt, and more fused together." 



Mr. F. W. Frohawk suggests (The Field, December 20th, 1902, 

 p. 1045) that a Goose described as Anser negleetus by Mr. B. Sushkm 

 (Ibis, 1897, p. h) may be found occasionally in Great Britain This 

 bird, Mr. Frohawk says, may be termed the large pink-footed Goose. 

 Its bill is longer and more slender than that of Anser brachi/rhi/nehiis. 

 Mr. Coburn and Mr. Frohawk are to be thanked for calling attention 

 to these Geese, and it is to be hoped that their observations will lead 

 to further material being collected so that the various species of 

 British Geese cau be authoritatively defined. 



Ail contributions to the column, either in the way of notes 

 or photographs, should be forwarded to Harry F. Witherby, 

 at the Office o/" Knowledge, 326, High Holhorn, London. 



ANIMAL WIND-BAGS-USEFUL AND 

 ORNAMENTAL-II. 



WIND-BAGS AS VOICE ORGANS. 

 By W. P. Pycraft, a.l.s., f.z.s., etc 

 Although, as in the case of the great bustard aud the 

 jiiuuated grouse, the inflatiou of the air-sacs of the throat 

 is associated with the production of peculiar sounds, 

 caused by the violent expulsion of the air tlierefrom, the 

 display of these wind-bags is, as a rule, silent. Or the 

 sound is produced by the voice organ and not the sac, 

 which is primarily, among birds at least, an ornamental 

 appendage. 



The wind-bags with which we are now to deal are in 

 every instance devoted exclusively to the production of 

 souad, musical or otherwise, which is designed, as in the 

 foregoing instances, to attract and charm the female 

 members of the community. Among the birds, it will b3 

 remembered, these peculiar wind-bags are sometimes 

 formed by temporarily commaudeeriug the services of the 

 gullet, sometimes by the development of independent 



structures, as in the case of the throat- pouch of the great 

 bustard ; but the pouches now under coiisideration are in 

 all cases specially developed organs borne only by tiic 

 males. 



The troubiulours of nature are countless, but perhaps 

 the quaintest of these minstrels are those which elect to 

 declare the tender jiassion on the bagpijies. To our ears 

 the music thtsy produce is often as trying to the nerves as 

 the noise produced by a child with its first drum ; whilst in 

 other cases we are charmed with the beauty of the melody. 

 Doubtless, however, to those for whom they play, the 

 music is in all cases equally charming! Among our own 

 species, indeed, the musical sense is by no means uniform. 

 To Europeans' ears, the musical efforts of the savage seem 

 but a jumble of discordant sounds, whilst the productions 

 of Mendelssohn or Beethoven, for example, may stir up the 

 deepest emotions in our nature. In other words : — 



'' There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays, 

 And— every — single — one — of — them — is— right." 



So far as we are concerned, the lays now under con- 

 sideration are expressed in music without words ; whilst, 

 as we shall see presently, the peoples who furnish the 

 subjects thereof hold very widely distinct positions in the 

 animal kingdom. Doubtless it will come as a surprise to 

 many to iiud that the humblest of these performers on 

 wind instruments are to be found amongst the ranks of 

 the much-abused and desi>ised frogs and toads ; creatures 

 that for centuries have been looked upon with misappre- 

 hension anJ even loathing. Shakespeare appears to be 

 the only one of the old-time writers who has discovered 

 a single redeeming feature about these really inoffensive 



Fia. 1. — A. Paired Voeal Sacs 

 of Edible Frog. B. Medium 

 Vocal Sac of a Tree Frog. 



FlO. 2.— Dusky-spotted Marsh 

 Frog of Paraguay, showing 

 Air Sacs. (After Gadow.) 



and useful creatures. Thus, in "As You Like It," Act II., 

 he assures us that — 



" The toad, ugly and venemous, wears yet a jewel in its head." 

 Had he been acquainted with the discoveries of modern 

 zoology he might perhaps have added, " and a musical 

 box in its throat." 



We of the British Islands are dependent upon an alien 

 for our first-hand knowledge of musical frogs. This is 

 the European edible frog, which is said to have been 

 introduced, many years ago, into the Cambridgeshire feus, 

 and parts of Norfolk, from France. Its performance, 

 however, is, to our ears, rather of the barbaric than the 

 aesthetic order. Nevertheless, in their own way the males 

 of this species appear to be most assiduous musicians, 

 playing out of sheer joy of living, not only during the 



