Birds. 7505 



the quail is everywhere. Among the crowd of Chinamen at the Great Wall men are 

 frequently seen with beautiful lame hawks on their wrists : these are goshawks {Astur 

 columbarius), which they fly at quail. Falconry having come originally from the far 

 East, the practice is doubtless more ancient than the Great Wall itself. In hawking 

 for quail a man is required to carry a net for the captured birds, and also to beat the 

 cover. When a quail rises the master of the hawk directs her attention to the quarry, 

 when the goshawk darts forward and seizes the quail in her talons. The man wiih 

 the net then runs up to her and takes away the quail, which is deposited with the 

 others in his net. In this manner as many as twenty brace of quail may be taken in 

 a day. The goshawk has a long silken cord round her neck, which is wound on a reel 

 secured to the arm of her owner. — Arthur Adams, 



Habits of the Dipper. — While out with a companion shooting along the river, 

 on the 1st of October, last year, our notice was attracted by two dippers, which con- 

 tinually kept flying before us, every now and then settlinj^r on a stone, and jerking up 

 their tails. The male bird would, while silting, erect its head till its bill pointed 

 straight upwards, and pour forth a small but pleasing song, and the female, uttering 

 her usual note, would hop round and round her mate, every now and then flirting her 

 tail and spreading out her wings, as if in ihe act of making a courtesy : the male bird 

 while singing turned round, as if on a pivot, so as always to face his partner. Alter 

 thus amusing themselves and us, they would fly further down the stream, and ihere 

 recommence their pretty amies. — John A, H. Brown; Dunipace House, Falkirk, 

 April 2, 1861. 



Migration of Sivnllows. — I see (Zool. 7430) that Mr. Robson has misconslrued my 

 note (Zool. 7315), and I must protest against such partial reference in lieu of extract, 

 as it fails to convey one's meaning ; in fact it has done just the reverse, for I am made 

 to say that I think swallows could live through the winter, whereas I maintain that 

 they would " perish for want of food," which would have appeared had he quoted the 

 whole sentence. He says : — " I, however, cannot coincide with him when he says 

 he thinks they would not sufi"er much, even should they spend a whole winter with 

 us." What I stated was this: — "Swallows having been occasionally noticed by 

 myself and others during the month of December, it might readily be imagined thai in 

 a mild winter some few at least would remain with us throughout the year, but I have 

 already recorded my opinion that this is not the caseV &c. As to my concluding 

 remark, that I did not believe they would greatly sufifer during a mild winter, having 

 in the previous line said that they " must either wing iheir way to warmer climes or 

 perish for want of food," I did not think it necessary to explain that it was from cold 

 — not hunger — that I did not think they would greatly suS'er during one of our " mild 

 winters." That swallows would inevitably perish, were they to attempt to winter with 

 us there can be no doubt, but that they can bear a considerable degree of cold 1 have 

 had frequent proof. For instance, after a frosty night in November they reappear, 

 apparently as healthy and lively as ever — and why ? because flies are still abundant. 

 Again, it not unfrcquently happens after their arrival in April that there are frosty 

 nights, and occasional falls of snow ; but they neither remigrate nor perish — and 

 why ? because, as in November, their food is plentiful. I am therefore led to infer, 

 " that they would not greatly suff'er " (provided they could obtain the necessary 

 food) in a mild winter, such as I have experienced here, with little or no frost or snow. 

 One word in reference to the editorial query appended to these notes. " What impulse 

 directs the swallow to its food, invariably guiding it in the right direct'on ? '' &c. I 

 VOL. XIX. 2 E 



