912 The Zoologist — September, 1867. 



Mr. Alston also informs me that two have been found this season in Lanarkshire. 

 Until this season 1 never heard of the variety before. I have one of the Sutherland 

 eggs now in my cabinet, and the other is in the possession of my friend Mr. Jesse. — 

 John A. Harvie Brown ; Dunipace House, August 3, 1867. 



Osprey near Cork. — A line specimen of the osprey was shot last week by Mr. G. 

 Ware, of Woodfort, on the Blackwater River above Mallow. It has been preserved 

 by Mr. Hackett, of Patrick Street, Cork.— From the ' Field.' 



Honey Buzzard. — A splendid female of this choice bird, shot by Captain Robson, 

 of Maidenhead, has been brought to me for preservation. — James Gardner; 292, 

 Oxford Street.— Id. 



Montagus Harrier. — I have at the present time, for preservation, a splendid female 

 of this rare bird, shot by Colonel Sturt, M.P. ; also a young male, in the second year's 

 plumage, trapped by Lord Ashburnham. — James Gardner. — Id. 



Snowy Owl and Honey Buzzard. — 1 have lately received a very fine specimen of 

 the snowy owl, trapped by a gillie at Caithness, Scotland, which lived for some days 

 afterwards in confinement; also a beautiful specimen of the honey buzzard, with the 

 nest of the bird, of an extraordinary size; the bird was shot in the neighbourhood of 

 Coventry. — Henry Ward; 2, Vcre Street, London. — Id. 



The Barn Owl.— On the gravel drive to my house, which is overgrown by trees, it 

 is not unusual to find of a morning six or seven dead shrew mice. The house is in- 

 habited by the common barn owl, and I have evolved a theory respecting these 

 unfortunate shrews. My theory is that these mice have been caught by the owls and 

 carried by them to the trees for inspection ; that owls do not eat the sbrew ; and that 

 on discovering the nature of their prey they simply drop it on the road beneath them. 

 Last year the nest of the owls contained five young ones: there was a difference of age 

 of several days between each of these owlets; while the eldest was nearly as big as his 

 papa, and in full feather, the youngest was a little ball of down, just out of the shell, 

 the other three filling intermediate steps. In fact, in his family relations Mr. Owl very 

 much resembled some of my estimable friends, to whose family ladder each year has 

 added an additional round. From this I evolve another theory — that Mrs. Owl lays 

 her eggs at intervals of several days, but that she commences to sit so soun as she has 

 laid her first egg. Perhaps some of your readers may demolish my theories, or may 

 add to them interesting facts. — John Garrett.— [The interesting domestic economy of 

 the barn owl was first published in 1832, iu the ' Letters of Rusticus,' who, in relating 

 his experience on the subject, tells us that a pair of owls will bring up two or three 

 families of owlets together. "There may be three pairs of owlets all requiring the 

 attention of the old ones at the same time — one pair three-parts grown, one pair half- 

 grown, and one pair a quarter grown." Mr. Blyih has related a similar story in the 

 'Field Naturalist's Magazine,' and suggested that the eggs last laid were hatched by 

 the warmth of the young birds of a previous clutch. — Editor of the ' Field.''] 



Rock Thrush at Freshwater, in the Isle of Wight. — I have succeeded with great 

 difficulty in obtaining both specimens of the rock thrush which I mentioned iu my 

 last letter (S. S. 823). These birds were exceedingly shy, and one of them was 

 almost blown to pieces. — Henry Rogers; Freshwater, August 17, 1867. 



Ortolan Bunting and Curlew Sandpiper in the Isle of Wight. — I have also 

 obtained a specimen of that extremely rare bunting, the ortolan, and one of the 

 curlew sandpiper.— Id. 



