The Zoologist— May, 1867. 741 



Temminck that they have from twelve to twenty, which I need hardly 

 say is more correct. Numbers of small stones, both round and angular, 

 were found in the gizzard, the largest about two-tenths of an inch in 

 length. They vary too in colour, red, yellow, brown and white ; some 

 of the latter are transparent. I notice the colour, as Macgillivray tells 

 us that they use "particles of white quartz." 



Thrush, &c — Christmas having passed I was inclined to hope that 

 our thrushes had escaped, but with the new year their troubles began, 

 and for a week or ten days a war of extermination was carried on, and 

 so feeble had they become that they were readily shot and stoned by 

 the least expert. Scores of men and boys turned out, and hundreds 

 of thrushes and redwings were slaughtered. On the 17th I observed 

 several endeavouring to obtain food on a sheltered bank, where the 

 snow had been partially thawed; they had managed to make a hole in 

 the ground, and the near report of a gun caused but a momentary 

 cessation of their labours. Though haws and other berries were 

 abundant, the trees and bushes had been stripped by the second week 

 iD January. But the song thrush, in hard weather, more generally 

 seeks its food on the sea-cliffs and shore. Even the titlark, a more hardy 

 bird, has been driven to search for food about our houses, and I saw 

 one following a cart loaded with earth, on which it alighted, regardless 

 of both horse and man. 



Shoveller. — A female of this rare species was shot in Blading 

 Harbour on the 21st, and sold as a widgeon. The pochard, too, in this 

 neighbourhood goes by the name of widgeon. Never having met with 

 the shoveller before, I referred both to Temminck and Macgillivray, 

 but their descriptions of the female do not agree, nor do they exactly 

 correspond with my specimen : the former saying "La femelle a la 

 tete d'un roux tres clair ; " whereas my bird has the crown of the head 

 black, the feathers margined with reddish-brown. Macgillivray says, 

 " On the middle of the breast inclining to white ; " but of this, I see no 

 traces. The feathers of the breast are dark brown, broadly margined 

 and tipped with light reddish brown, those of the belly marked the 

 same, but some shades lighter; under tail-coverts, which are very 

 elongated, dark brown, very broadly margined and tipped with red 

 and yellowish white. Its general appearance and colour is not unlike 

 that of the common wild duck. Though of full size it is very thin, and 

 weighs but about twelve ounces. The stomach contained nothing but 

 small pebbles, moslly rounded, apparently sea-shore shingle, the 

 largest about three-tenths of an inch in length by two-tenths in 



