Birds. 9469 



many as sixty-one individuals of lliis species had been killed during the course of the 

 ensuing week, in a single wood in the parish of Gressinhall. — T. E. Gunn. 



Extraordinary Death of five Swans. — A circumstance has recently occurred near 

 here, upon which, if agreeable to you, I shall be greatly obliged if you will give me 

 your opinion. Near Ashby-de-la-Zuuch there is a gentleman's mansion, to which there 

 is a park containing a fine sheet of water. This water is ornamented with several 

 kinds of wild fowl, and amongst them were five adult swans. On Wednesday night 

 last these swaus were all alive, apjjarently in as good health as usual. On the next 

 morning all were found dead, or so nearly so that all died almost immediately. 

 Their food was grain and acorns, the food which they usually had. The question is, 

 What was the cause of death ? I am very anxious to find this out. There was little 

 food of any kind in the interior, and th:it in a natural state. There were no marks of 

 violence on the body. The inside of each seemed quite healthy. The cause of death 

 seems very singular. — Johti Joseph Briygs; Kiny's Nnvlon, Swarkeslon, Derby, 

 February 2, 1865. 



[This circumstance forcibly suggests poisoned grain as the cause of death. Has 

 any examination of the remaining grain been made? — E. jV.] 



Rednecked Grebe in Lincolnshire. — I have just examined a fine specimen of the 

 rednecked grebe (Podiceps rubricollis). It was sent me by a friend, who found it 

 nailed up by the head in the " gameki^epers' museum." Being in a perfectly putrid 

 stale, it was too far gone for preservation. From its plumage, I believe it a mature 

 female. The bird was taken alive, a few weeks since, in the neighbouring parish of 

 Barnoldby-le-Beck, by a labourer, who found it in a small pond, and, as he says, 

 unable to fly. An attempt was made to keep it alive, but without success; and it 

 doubtless shared the fate of many a rare and valuable bird, when nailed up, at the end 

 of a shed, in company with magpies and carrion crows. — Juh7i Cordeaux ; Great Coles, 

 Ulceby, Lincolnshire, January 27, 1865. 



On the Submergence of Water Birds. — The smew (Mergus albellus) occurs occa- 

 sionally in the winter near Newark. I ouce came upon three of these birds, an old 

 male and two in female plumage, swimming on the Trent in the middle of the stream. 

 To my surprise, instead of taking to flight, they immediately sunk themselves in the 

 water, so that very little more than their beaks was visible. I stood still and watched 

 the beaks until the birds had swum with the stream out of sight. There has been a 

 a good deal written in the 'Zoologist' about the power of submergence that water 

 birds possess. I explain it in this manner: when a duck or other bird is swimming 

 on the water, the water is kept at a considerable distance from the skin by the 

 feathers of the belly and sides. The feathers project from the skin at about right 

 angles, their extremities are curved and lap over each other, fitting perfectly, and 

 present a smooth surface to the water. By this means the specific gravity of the bird 

 is very much lessened. Now all the bird has to do is, by means of the paniculus car- 

 nosus (the muscle of the skin), to contract the feathers close to the body, and thus, by 

 lessening its external bulk, increase its specific gravity. It of course sinks in the 

 water, and the bird has the power of regulating the degree of submergence. Birds 

 vary in their habits: amongst the land birds, some, as the rails, &c., prefer runnino- 

 and hiding to taking to flight ; so amongst the natatorial birds, some, as grebes, &c. 

 prefer submergence and diving to flight. I have frequently, in open water on the 

 Trent, observed grebes submerge themselves until only their beaks were visible, but ou 

 approaching nearer they hurry away by repealed diving. — W. F. Footiit ; Newark. 



