474 Queries and Answers. 
he shortly withdrew himself from this hole, and flew to another, into which 
he intruded himself in the same manner. From this second hole he retired 
almost immediately, bearing in his beak one of the callow brood. He flew 
with his spoil to a high chimney at the corner house, followed for a short 
distance by ten or twelve sparrows clamouring loudly at such an atrocious 
robbery ; and one sparrow, probably the parent, ventured to pursue even to 
the chimney-top, as if determined to assail the fell destroyer ; but both the 
rook and the sparrow quickly disappeared behind the chimney-pot, and 
prevented any further observation. — S. MZ. Brook Street, Grosvenor 
Square, May 31, 1830. 
Migration and Breeding of Swallows ; in answer to W. H. White (p. 194.). 
—I consider that there is no longer any doubt that swallows, at the 
end of the year, do leave Europe, even the most extreme southern parts 
of it, as the kingdom of Naples, Sicily, the Morea, &c., and migrate to 
Africa and Asia. Of their actual migration, an intelligent traveller 
assures us, “he had the fullest proof in the immense bodies of these 
birds, which he perceived pushing their way in the direction of Egypt from 
Europe during the present month (November), when the winter sets 
in.” (See W. Rae Wilson’s Travels in Egypt, p.7.) In solution of your 
correspondent’s last question, “ Do they propagate their species there as 
well as here?” I would observe, that, it being a well known fact that birds, 
even in a domestic state, will, if kept warm and well fed, frequently nidifi- 
cate during our severe winter months; so I should certainly say, that the 
Hirundinide, stimulated by the heat of the countries, and by an abun- 
dance of food which Asia and Africa afford them at that season, do propa- 
gate. The parent birds perform the rites of a second incubation ; and 
the young ones, or those which in the previous summer were born in 
Europe, do commence the great command of nature, and in like manner 
increase and multiply their kind.—J. H. N. March 5. 1830. 
Mother Carey's Chickens. — A man here who has been much at sea has 
two preserved birds, which he calls by this name. ‘They are nearly all 
black, and bear some resemblance to the swallow tribe, but have longer 
beaks. He says they always forebode a storm at sea, and that there are 
generally many of them seen round the ship in a storm. I believe them to 
be the stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica). Am I correct ?— Thomas 
Morgan. Southampton, June 21. 1830. Yes. — Cond. 
The Cuckoo-Mate. — Sir, As I was walking this morning in the garden, 
I observed a bird called by some the cuckoo-mate, from its generally appear- 
ing just before or about the same time with the cuckoo, its note very much 
resembling the word peep repeated about four times in quick succession. 
I shot it, and from the beautiful appearance it exhibited I was induced to 
think it might be worthy a place in some cabinet. The greatest singularity 
belonging to the bird is the great length of its tongue, it beg upwards of 
3in. in length, and about half an inch of the point of a stiff horny sub- 
stance. I will do myself the honour of presenting it to you. Should it 
prove acceptable, I shall feel highly gratified. Yours, &c.—C. Spring. 
Eastbourne, Sussex, May 3. 1830. 
The bird here referred to is the wryneck (Yanx Torquilla of Linnzeus) ; 
probably so called from a habit it exhibits of moving the head and neck in 
various directions, sometimes describing parts of circles, at others from side 
to side, with an undulating motion not unlike the actions of the snake, and 
in some counties in England this bird is called the snakebird from this cir- 
cumstance. When found upon its nest, within.a hole in a tree, it makes a 
loud hissing noise, sets up an elongated crest, and writhing its head and 
neck towards each shoulder alternately, with grotesque contortions, be- 
comes an object of terror to a timid intruder, and the bird, taking advantage 
of a moment of indecision, darts with the rapidity of lightning from a situ- 
ation whence escape seemed impossible. 
