The Zoologist— October, 1866. 447 



black beetles, though we are told that its food is " les moucbes et 

 aiitres pelits iiisectes volans." This bird was shot while flitting 

 among the upper branches of a lofiy elm, where it appeared to be in 

 quest of insects, but whether the beetles were found there I am not 

 prepared to say, though I think it probable, for the wood wren rarely 

 seeks its food on the ground, though it may occasionally be seen 

 alighting among the decaying leaves for a second or two. The wood 

 wren has but lately returned to our plantations and gardens. 



Swan. — 27th. A swan having been shot to-day near Mill Bay I 

 am inclined to believe it to be the bird that escaped on the 20th of 

 April from the Bonchurch Pond, as it is in very poor condition, indeed 

 little more than skin and bone, and the tail-feathers much worn and 

 abraded, some having the shaft almost bare of web, and the rest are 

 in a ragged state, which would not be the case if recently escaped, — 

 besides, it was found very wild. I little anticipated having this 

 opportunity of cariyiyg out my observations, or of ascertaining when 

 it arrived at maturity. Though I had shown that authors err in sayino- 

 that the swan is mature when it has acquired the pure white plumage, 

 still I had failed in ascertaining when it becomes a perfect adult, i. e. 

 has the bill of a bright reddish orange colour, such as I now find it, 

 six months or more after attaining the pure white plumage. It 

 measures about four feet ten inches in length, and seven feet in extent 

 of wings. The moult of the old swan, commenced towards the middle 

 of July, was not completed till late in August. 



Wheatear. — 31st. An unusual number seen to-day; they are 

 apparently gathering on the southern coast for the autumnal migra- 

 tion. 



Robin. — This species is now returning to our gardens in and around 



the town. 



Henry Hadfield. 

 Ventnor, Isle of Wight, September 4, 1866. 



Errata. — Page 338, line 34, for " somelimes," read " somewhat." Page 343, 

 line 28, for " heard," read " hard." Page 344, line 31, for " build," read " to build." 



List of Birds observed during a Si.v Weeks' Summer Visit to the 

 Channel Islands, exclusive of Jersey. By Cecil Smith, Esq. 



Kestrel. — I found kestrels breeding in considerable numbers in 

 all the Islands that I visited, ^and by no means restricted to the 



