9710 Birds. 



Rohin. — Last year there was a discussion in the ' Zoologist' as to 

 whether robins retire from the neighbourhood of houses in suranier. 

 Here, at least, there can be no doubt of the fact. At this season they 

 are mostly to be found in the depths of the woods, but even thei'e they 

 seem to lose none of their impudent familiarity ; when lying in wait 

 for wood pigeons I am daily visited by a family of robins, who appear 

 to take a great interest in every movement. I can confirm Mr. H. 

 Osborn, jun., in his remark that the redbreast swallows rowan-berries 

 whole ; they also dispatch blaeberries (or bilberries) in the same 

 fashion. 



Wood Pigeon. — The flocks of wood pigeons which I mentioned in 



May (Zool. 9573) arrived about tlie '27th of July, and have been 



feeding busily on the blaeberries ever since. One shot on the 29th of 



July had the crop fully distended with the curious seed-vessels of 



which I enclose a k\s examples. This bird showed a remarkable 



instance of muscular irritation ; its head and neck were literally riddled 



with shot, and yet, after a few convulsive movements as it lay on the 



ground, it raised one of its feet to its head and scratched it gently, 



first on one side and then on the other; then a shudder ran over the 



body, and it lay motionless. [The seeds were those of Cerastium 



arvense. — E. N.^ 



Edward R. Alston. 

 Slockbriggs, Lesmahagow, August 1, 1865. 



Ornithological Notes from North Yorkshire. 

 By John Ranson, Esq. 



Cuckoo. — The cuckoo was first heard at Linton on the 9th of 

 April. 



Swallow. — A pair of swallows that had for some years built in a 

 cow-house were first seen on the 16th of April. They were the first 

 that were seen, as far as I can ascertain. 



Pied Wagtail. — These beautiful and useful little birds generally 

 leave North Yorkshire at the latter end of September or beginning of 

 November, and make their appearance the first week in March — a 

 time when spring beans are generally sown: "Sow beans when the 

 wagtail comes" is one of our pieces of " folk-lore." This winter 

 (1864-5) they have never left us ; several flocks have wintered in our 

 village ; they have dwelt among the sheep on the turnips, and appeared 

 quite lively and gay. The shepherds tell me that they have chiefly 

 fed on the wire-worm, which has been abundant among the turnips 



