Apbil 1, 1898,] 



KNOWLEDGE, 



81 



Cabrion Crows capturing a Lark. — A labourer told me 

 he recently saw two Carrion Crows capture a Lark by 

 seizing it on the wing. It was not a wounded bird, but in 

 strong flight down some stubbles with many others. The 

 Crows acted very cunningly, working together, one keeping 

 above and the other below, with the Lark between them, 

 and the upper repeatedly making swoops and at last 

 seizing the Lark in its beak, when both Crows descended 

 and commenced (not without a quarrel between themselves) 

 to tear their quarry to pieces. — John Cobdeaux, Great 

 Cotes House, R.S.O., Lincoln. 



Glaucous Gull (Laius gltiucus), — Mr. Geo. Adams, of 

 Douglas, taxidermist, has shown me a Gull of this species 

 recently received by him for preservation, and obtained on 

 the island. It is an immature bird, in the whitish and 

 pale brown plumage well described in Mr. Macpherson'a 

 manual. This is, so far as I am aware, the second record 

 of this Gull in the Isle of Man, though it has doubtless 

 occurred much oftener. — P. Ralfe, Castletown, Isle of 

 Man. 



Variation in the Song of the Mistle Thrush. — It seems 

 to rne that the Mistle Thrushes near Eltham sing longer 

 strains than are heard from those of Gloucestershire, and 

 that the latter birds more frequently utter a few high 

 broken notes after the strain, in the manner of a Blackbird. 

 It would be interesting to leam whether anyone has heard 

 the Mistle Thrush sing a long strain such as one hears 

 from the Blackbird. This point appears to me important 

 in connection with the fact that the young Blackbird, when 

 commencing his fuU- toned song, utters short strains like a 

 Mistle Thrush. — Charles A. Witchell. 



Song of the Redwing. — On the 6th of March I heard 

 the song of a wild Redwing. The morning was very fine, 

 and the bird sang earnestly. The strains were continuous, 

 composed of a very rapid repetition of metallic but not 

 loud notes, and lasted throughout the space of half a 

 minute. Each strain contained a few short full-whistled 

 notes. The whole song reminded one much of the 

 twittering of a young Thrush in September, or the high 

 sharp notes emitted by fighting Thrushes. I listened to 

 the bird for some minutes. — Charles A. Witchell. 



Grei/ Phalarope near Kilk-enni/, Ireland (Irish yati<ralis/, March, 

 1898, p. 88).— Mr. G. E. H. Barrett-Hamilton reports that a speci- 

 men of this bird was shot by Mr. John O'Connell, jun., near Kilkenny, 

 in October, 1897. 



Parus snlicarius (Brehm). — "A Hitheeto Oveelooked British 

 Bird," by Ernst Hartert (Zoologist, March, 1S98, p. 116).— TTnder this 

 title Mr. Hartert claims to add a new resident species to the British 

 list. The bird in question is a Marsh Tit, called " Parus salicariiis," 

 which is allied to the northern form, P. borealis. Mr. Hartert sars 

 that P. salicariiis has been recently " re-discovered " and brought to 

 his notice by two Continental ornithologists — Kleinsehmidt and 

 Prazak. He himself has since then procured three specimens from 

 Finchley. With no intention of shghting the authority of so well- 

 known an ornithologist as Mr. Hartert, we feel disposed to await 

 further evidence as regards the habits, the habitats, and the specific 

 distinctness of this bird, before we venture to add it as a new species 

 to the British list. 



All contribritions to the column, either in tJie way of notes 

 or photographs, should be foncarded to Harry F. Withebby, 

 at 1, Eliot Pluce, Blackheath, Kent. 



Note. — The first issue of Knowledge containing British Ornitho- 

 logical Not^s was that for October, 1897. 



The British Museum has, we understand, acquired by 

 purchase the valuable collection of fossil insects formed 

 by the late Rev. P. B. Brodie, of Rowington Vicarage. 

 The collection is the result of the labour of fifty years, and 

 contains many historical and valuable specimens, including 

 several types figured in various monographs and memoirs. 



[The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions or 

 statements of correspondents.] 



VARIABLE STARS. 

 To the F^ditors of Knowledge. 

 Sirs, — A maximum of -j Ceti (Mira), following previous 

 computed maxima, was due October Ist, 1897. The star 

 rose in September at such late hours and under such 

 unfavourable conditions of position, moonhght, and atmo- 

 sphere, that, although it was looked for diligently, no satis- 

 factory observations were obtained until the first week in 

 October. Since then my observations are as follows : — 



Ma^. Mag". 



There were many observations between these dates, but 

 as no change of as much as a step 01 was seen, they are 

 omitted. 



In the first week of October the star rose rapidly, and I 

 am not unwilling to believe in a rise of a fuU magnitude 

 on a single night. 



The maximum was reached on November 30th, which, 

 after reviewing previous computed maxima, shows the star, 

 Ceti, to have been sixty days late in 1H97. 



Comparison stars used were as formerly : 71, 6'55 ; 

 75, 5-75 ; 70, 5-62 ; 66. 5-65 ; v, 5-2 ; f', 4-75 ; £-, 4-50; 

 8, 4-2 ; a Piscium, 3-90 ; y Ceti, 3-5 magnitudes. 



The star was less than the sixth magnitude last night, 

 changing slowly. 



Memphis, Tenn., U.S.A., DA\aD Flan'ery. 



12th February, 1898. 



To the Editors of Knowledge. 

 SiRs.^At the last apparition this variable star has been 

 brighter than at the two immediately preceding. There 

 does not seem to have been much change in its magnitude 

 between November 13th and December 3rd. From the 

 observations given below I conclude that the maximum 

 occurred between November loth and 23rd. 



Masr. Mag. 



5-2 1897. November 19th ... 3-3 



5-2 December 3rd . 3-4 



4-6 ' „ 12th ... 3-7 



3-8 „ 24th . 3-9 



3-4 „ 28th 4-1 

 3-3 



Mira has not been seen since the last-mentioned date, 

 owing to the almost continuous obscuration of the sky. 

 Westminster, W. E. Beslet. 



February 14th, 189S. 



We regret that the Photograph of the Spectrum of Mira Ceti, 

 appearing in the March Number, was printed without the guidelines, 

 and with the reference numbers out of position. We propose to 

 reproduce the photograph in our next issue.— Eds. 



1897. October 



20th 

 21st 

 29tli 

 November 5th 

 13th 

 15th 



