122 The Zoologist— March, 1866. 



little coming amiss to their stomachs, from live crabs to dead 

 sheep. 



Magpie and Jay. — Common in the woods, but seldom venturing 

 down near the river, except in lambing season, when the offal left 

 about the orchards proves a great attraction. They do not, however, 

 lose in the slightest degree their habitual caution, but are ever on the 

 alert, the first thing heard on entering an orchard being their derisive 

 chatter, uttered as they take themselves off. 



Wryneck. — The wryneck (local name " snake-bird") was not quite 

 so common this year as usual : in general it is to be heard all over the 

 orchards,.and I have several times, by means of a" call," brought three 

 at once into a tree within a few yards of ray head, where they would 

 remain for some time, staring about in the most ludicrous manner. 

 Their note is not unlike that of the lesser spotted woodpecker, but is 

 more prolonged and not nearly so shrill. The earliest note of their 

 appearance lliat I have by me is April 3rd; their note last heard 

 July 3rd; bird last seen August 27lh. 



Cuckoo. — First heard on the 22nd of April. This species, like the 

 wryneck, was not quite so abundant this year as last; indeed their 

 number varies greatly in different years, and in this district appears to 

 me to bear a distinct relation to the presence or absence of a cater- 

 pillar that feeds upon the gooseberry-leaves. In some seasons these 

 caterpillars infest the bushes in myriads, and at such times the 

 cuckoos aboinid in the plantations, where I have often flushed from 

 six to a dozen wilhin a distance of one hundred yards. In the early 

 part of the summer of 1862 I more than once heard the cuckoo 

 singing at midnight: there was one in particular that generally com- 

 menced his song about 11 P. M., and continued it almost without inter- 

 mission till nearly one o'clock in the morning. About the beginning 

 of July the cuckoos collect in the plantations near the river (Medway), 

 and often take long flights out over the marshes, on which they some- 

 times settle to feed upon a species of caterpillar at this time to be 

 found on the marsh plants. Towards the latter end of the month the 

 old birds begin to retire on their migration, and are in their turn 

 replaced by the birds of the year ; these may be found till about the 

 middle of August, but as a rule all depart before September. This 

 year, however, my brother shot one on the lllh of that month, the 

 only instance to my knowledge of so late a stay. 



Kingjisher. — I am afraid that kingfishers are not so common as they 

 were even a few years ago. This autumn (the season during which 



