The Zoologist— August, 1866. 333 



but hoarse, and speaks affection as plainly as words. Among them- 

 selves they rarely fight, but show no friendship to the gulls, who 

 always are ready to attack and rob them when trying to swallow a fish. 

 The gull is generally victorious, and will often pull a herring from the 

 shag's throat, but sometimes a broken leg or wing is the only reward 

 for his temerity. Not one of them dare touch the kestrel. Should I go 

 out to them with a yellow oiled calico suit and a sou'-wester on, they 

 will dart into the water and remain under a minute or more at a time ; 

 so saturated are the feathers by this submersion that the bird looks as if 

 made of gutta percha: its travelling speed when thus wet must be enor- 

 mous, as it gives no resistance to the water. At other times they will 

 follow me like dogs. When jumping out of the tank the tail only is some 

 times used ; it is widely spread, and by a downward stroke jerks the 

 bird out of the water. Tn climbing the hook of the bill is used, and 

 this must be very useful when the bird builds in holes, as it does 

 frequently at Lambay. Short as this account is, I hope it will please 

 those who asked me to write it, but the many little things in the 

 habits of the shag that could not be described clearly on paper, will 

 reward any one, should they even have to pay £4 or <£5 a-year for fish 

 to keep them : a clear idea of transmutation is cheaply bought at this 

 sum. The best time for that is in the second winter. 



Harry Blake-Knox. 

 Dalkey, County Dublin, June, 1866. 



Errala in Letter No. 1.— Page 246, Hue 31, "shots," not "shot." Page 249, 

 line 8, " lays," not " lugs." Page 254, line 28, " tint," not " tail." Page 267, lines 

 4, 5, 6, 1 did not write " mandible " in the plural. In the heading of the letter the 

 author nrole " genus " instead of " species." — H. Blake-Knox. 



Ornithological Notes from West Sussex. 

 By W. Jeffery, jun., Esq. 



(Continued from S. S. 260.) 



May and June, 1866, 



May 1st. Flycatcher and turtle dove appear. 



May 3rd. Nightjar appears. 



The first few days of May were bitterly cold, to such an extent even 

 that swallows, in many places, died from its effects, and others were 

 knocked down with sticks, &c. I imagine that the cold, having cut 



