Birds. 9717 



Gulls. — Saw a large flock of gulls in Chichester Harbour on the 

 10th of June ; these were all immature birds; I should say principally 

 great blackbacked and herring gulls. 



Stormy Petrel. — One sent from Sidleshara on the 6th of June. 

 This bird was obtained ofFSelsey Bill by a man who was out there for 

 the purpose of hauling lobster-pots. Tliis specimen was a male. 



July, 1865. 



Tawny Owl. — The young tawny owl taken on the 23rd of April has 

 now (early in July) about attained its full plumage, having lost all the 

 long downy feathers with which it was clothed. He is very fond of 

 washing in a pan of water put into his cage for that purpose, and he 

 very often drinks a little before commencing his ablutions. I have 

 never heard this bird hoot. 



Swift. — The town of Petworth seems to be rather favoured by this 

 species. I was there for a iew hours on the 8th of July, and I think 

 I never saw so many swifts at once as T did then. The air appeared 

 to be full of them. There certainly is no decrease in the number of 

 swifts in West Sussex. 



Stock Dove. — On the 15th of July I saw a bird of this species, 

 which, together with several of the common ring dove (or " wood 

 pigeon," as it is here called), had been recently killed in a field of 

 peas. 



Stone Curlew. — July 14. Had a young bird of this species brought 

 me by a labourer who had caught it on the downs. Tt had not quite 

 lost all its downy first plumage, and the primaries being very short it 

 could not fly, so I turned it down in a walled-in garden, where it 

 remained and did well for some time. One morning, however, on 

 going to look for him, 1 found him drowned in a fountain-basin. He 

 was very shy all the time that I had him, always squatting instead of 

 running on my coming near him. He used to utter a whistling cry 

 frequently in the morning and evening, but was quiet during the 

 middle of the day. 



Waders. — Some of these birds are again making their way for the 

 south. I saw some whimbrels in Chichester Harbour on the 17th of 

 July, and about the third week in the month curlews and redshanks 

 were shot at Sidlesham : the latter bird is very numerous there, and 

 I am told in large flocks. 



Gulls. — On the 17th of July there was a pretty good number of 

 gulls in Chichester Harbour. They seemed to be principally immature 



