9536 Birds. 



starlings in a body with a tremendous roar of wings ; generally they 

 would immediately settle again, but on repeated firing they would rise 

 a few yards and fly round, never, however, going out of gunshot of the 

 trees, and then settle again. The darker it became the less notice 

 would they take of the firing, and at last would not rise at all. The 

 next night the firing was repeated, and with the same result; after 

 which, curiously enough, it had the desired effect; the next night the 

 whole body of starlings forsook the covert, and have never since 

 returned there for a night's lodging. Their present retreat must be at 

 some distance from the village, as I know of no place within many 

 miles so well adapted for a roosting-place as their late quarters. 

 Flock after flock, numbering from twenty to thirty to many hundreds 

 of birds, still nightly pass over this village, flying in a south-easterly 

 direction and at the average height of about forty yards. Ou their 

 return at daybreak to their favourite feeding-grounds they do not fly 

 high, generally skimming along near the ground, rising above the tall 

 hedge-rows and other obstructions in their line of flight and dropping 

 again on the other side to near the ground. Early on the morning of 

 the 20th of February, when out duck-shooting on the borders of the 

 raarsh district (I think I never before experienced a rougher morning 

 walk), flock after (lock of starlings passed me flying close to the ground, 

 and going right in the teeth of a tremendous northerly gale, driving 

 before it dense clouds of snow. Right in their line of flight two 

 sparrowhawks were cruising backwards and forwards, like a pirate 

 vessel and her consort in the line of the trade winds, but so great was 

 the gale that the starlings never attempted to rise or deviate a yard 

 from their course to avoid the hawks. Since writing the above I have 

 read in the ' Zoologist' (Zool. 9499) that sparrowhawks are said not to 

 feed on starlings. I have myself seen, in our marsh district, sparrow- 

 hawks in the pursuit of starlings, and have also frequently observed in 

 the evening a pair of these birds beating about and flying down 

 amongst the starlings in their former favourite roosting-place, the small 

 spruce covert; and it is in this district no uncommon circumstance to 

 find the spot where a starling has been devoured. I cannot, however, 

 at this time recollect a single instance in which I have seen a sparrow- 

 hawk actually strike down and carry off one of these birds. 



Water Rail. — During the late severe frosts I noticed a~ water rail 

 feeding in an open drain bordering a railway, and close to a public 

 road and station : it took little heed of anyone passing. When feeding 

 it waded knee-deep into the shallow stream, jerking up its tail after the 

 manner of a water hen, and constantly kept probing with its bill up to 



