Mr. T. Austin o/t some Birds of the British Islands. 93 



manner they continued nightly to forsake the newly-planned 

 colony until incubation commenced, when they were constrained 

 to remain, or to spoil their eggs by leaving them. They preferred 

 the former and reared a numerous progeny. 



According to our notions of such matters, the trees here alluded 

 to were, from their small size, totally unfit for the pm-pose to 

 which the rooks had applied them ; but they no doubt were led 

 to select the spot from its proximity to good feeding-ground or 

 other cogent considerations. 



It is a remarkable fact, that the rooks which build in the 

 trees at Woodstown, the seat of Lord Carew, on the Waterford 

 side of Waterford Haven, always obtain their supplies of food for 

 their young ones from the Wexford side. The distance they 

 hav^e to fly across the estuary is little less than two miles, yet do 

 they invariably undertake the journey many times a day, even in 

 the most tempestuous weather, and when it is difficult to make 

 head-way against the storm. 



Kestril, Falco Tinnunculus. 



This bird is partially insectivorous, and at particular seasons of 

 the year it destroys great numbers of coleopterous insects. It is 

 probable that the young kestrils, on their first development from 

 the egg, are wholly supported on this kind of food. 



I w^as induced to examine into this circumstance by observing 

 the hawks at various times, particidarly the breeding season, 

 hovering and pouncing every instant on to the ground in a man- 

 ner w^hich convinced me that it could not be either birds or mice 

 they were in pursuit of. I was for some time unable to con- 

 jecture what they could be so eagerly engaged in captm-ing, 

 until by repeated observation I became convinced that some spe- 

 cies of insect was the object of their solicitude. To place the 

 matter beyond a doubt I procured several specimens, the sto- 

 machs of w^hich were filled with the undigested bodies of coleo- 

 pterous insects. Subsequently I had opportunities of examining 

 some of their resting-places, when the faeces foimd there were 

 composed almost exclusively of the antennae, legs, elytra and 

 other indigestible parts of beetles. These observations were re- 

 peated with similar results along the line of clifi's between the fine 

 strand of Duncannon and Broom Hill Point, county of Wexford. 



The fact of the kestril feeding on insects has been frequently 

 noticed before, but it is interesting to extend our observations in 

 order to ascertain that the habit is general, and not a local pecu- 

 liarity. 



Land Rail, Rallus Crex. 



A favourite food of the Land Rail is a small lizard [Lacerta 

 agilis). I have fre([uently dissected rails in the autumn, and al- 



