9562 ■ Birds. 



be owing to adverse winds ; still our winter migrants are not influenced by the trade- 

 winds, monsoons, &c., of the tropical and sub-tropical regions; in fact, these hitter 

 winds will scarcely account for the occasional appearance of North-American birds on 

 our shores. I should be glad to hear what theories have been advanced on this 

 interesting subject. — Henry Reeks ; Mimor House, Thruxlon, Hants, March 27, 1865. 

 Ornithological Notes. — Allow a humble votary of Oology to send you a line or two, 

 in case they may be worth the trouble of insertion in your charming periodical, the 

 ' Zoolngist.' The other day, wishing to procure some specimens of the lesser redpole 

 for slufling, I shot four, one cock and three hens, and on examination, after skinning, 

 the crops of all were full of the seeds of the common bulhush or " bob ; " they were 

 shot by myself on the edge of a large pond. I have killed specimens before, together 

 with the siskin, ofl' alder trees, where hnlh seemed busily engaged with the buds of 

 those trees. I can only suppose that the backwardness of the season has prevented 

 these bird.s from obtaining their usual forage, more especially as there are alders by 

 the pond. Not having my " Yarrell" at home, I have not been able to refer as to 

 whether this information be new or not. I have this moment seen and heard the 

 butcher bird (redbacked). The tree creeper also has begun to build in our summer- 

 house between two pieces of bark. — /F. Jesse, jtin. ; Maisonette, Inyatestone, Essex, 

 April Q, 1865. 



Backwardness of the Season. — The cold winds and frosts have thrown everything 

 back again, killing many young plants which ventured to peep out in the warmer 

 days we had a week or two ago: the cold since Saturday has been intense. Yesterday 

 I picked up a poor robin quite dead from cold. The thrushes, which began to bnild 

 some weeks ago, have apparently done nothing lately; a half-Onished nest remains 

 now as it was two weeks ago; they are doubtless wailing for more genial weather. 

 A pair of starlings, which commenced building in my house-top on the 10th, and con- 

 tinued for some days, have left to join the flocks of their companions till the winter is 

 over. Not a green leaf can be seen on the hedges, and the gooseberry trees are just 

 bursting their buds. The rooks have apparently just commenced breeding. — Richard 

 Ti/rer ; Keighley, March 10., 18(55. 



Early Arriral of Summer Birds al Freshivaler. — March 18, My nephew shot a 

 chilTohaff and a wheatear on this day, but both species had been seen two or three 

 days earlier, .\pril 3. I was out with my nephew looking for a pair of cirl buntings 

 for a friend, when a single swallow {Hirundo rustica) passed us flying east. A yellow 

 wagtail (Motacilla Rayi), several willow wrens {Troglodytes Irochilus) and a wryneck 

 were seen on the same day, also several wheatears : the wryneck is called liere the 

 "barley bird." April 4. Several swallows seen and plenty of wheatears. April 6. A 

 large flight of wheatears, a flight of swallows, and some sand martins seen, and a fine 

 male redstart. — Frederick Bond ; Freshwater, Isle of Wight, April 7, 1865. 



Pugnacity of " Cock Robin." — A neighbour of mine having long fed one of these 

 favourites, he became so tame as to enter and remain in the kitchen during the late 

 severe frost. Upon one occasion, when the window had been closed, he espied a rival 

 outside, and immediately became so much inflamed by passion and absorbed in the 

 intruder's movements as to heed nothing transpiring immediately around him, when 

 he was quietly taken by the hand and ejected to finish his "little difference" else- 

 where. — H. Ecroyd Smith. 



Destructive Propensities of the Raven. — I should not have supposed, had I not 

 bad evidence of the fact, that the raven could prove so destructive, and that, too. 



