742 The Zoologist— May, 18G7. 



breadth. In the oesophagus were found some rather large pieces of the 

 stem or root of sea-weed. 



Stock Dove, dec. — 24th. One seen, but the stock dove is not often 

 observed in this neighbourhood. A wood pigeon shot to-day was very 

 emaciated ; the crop contained but a small quantity of turnip-leaf, 

 and the gizzard was quite empty. 



Tufted Duck. — 21st. A female of this species was shot near 

 Blading: it measures \b\ inches in length, and 28 inches in extent 

 of wings. Bill along the ridge one inch and six-tenths, and nine- 

 tenths of an inch wide. Though full-grown it is a young bird, there 

 being still traces of the white patch each side the bill, but no appear- 

 ance whatever of the triangular white patch on the chin, spoken of 

 by Macgillivray, but not raentioued by Temminck, whose description 

 of the young Macgillivray quotes. As there is some appearance of 

 crest, the bird must, according to Temminck, have undergone the first 

 moult. 



February. 



Starling. — On the 13th found an immense flock of starlings in the 

 marshes : on being disturbed they alighted in the trees and 

 commenced their low monotonous song, which, though somewhat 

 similar to the winter song of the redwing, is very unlike that of the 

 song thrush, to which Macgillivray also compares it, though he says 

 it " does not equal it." Their merry chattering song — if song it may 

 be called — is so like that of the cow bunting that I could have fancied 

 myself in a Canadian wood. I consider Macgillivray wrong in saying 

 that the flesh of the starling " is not much inferior to that of the thrush, 

 and not at all inferior to the flesh of the wild pigeon," but chacun a 

 son gout. Wilson says of its cousin, the red-winged starling, " The 

 flesh is little esteemed, being black, dry and tough ; " if we add bitter 

 the description would answer for that of our starling. Some years ago, 

 in an unpublished note, I remarked on the flight of the starling being 

 somewhat similar to that of the swallow and martin ; I am pleased to 

 find (Zool. S. S., 594) a correspondent indirectly corroborating my 

 statement : he says, " I observed several starlings circling round and 

 round, after the manner of house martins, and, like them too, occasion- 

 ally rising a little in their flight. * * * When passing at a lower 

 level I was convinced of their identity, although the total absence of 

 martins at the time left no ground for doubt." He remarks on the 

 " exact similarity of their movements to those of house martins." My 

 object in pointing this out was to account for the supposed occurrence 



