Birds. 8951 
together with a quantity of flint grit: not a single piece of the broken fruit stone, 
however, could I discover, though I examined the contents of the gizzard very care- 
fully. Perhaps the presence or absence of the fruit stones can be accounted for by the 
abundance or scarcity of grit in the soil where the bird has been living. I do not 
know the nature of the soil about Beverley,—perhaps Mr. Boulton will tell us. A 
few more examples from different parts will decide the question, whether this bird 
swallows the stones only when it cannot obtain grit iu sufficient quantities.—Richard 
Tyrer, jun. ; Weston Turville, Tring, January 13, 1864. 
Lesser Redpole building in Kent.—On the 18th of May, 1863, we found a lesser 
redpole’s nest at Tunbridge. Wells: it was placed about four feet from the ground, in 
a furze-bush considerably overgrown with a bramble, in a small, unworked, and 
totally over-grown chalk-pit, on the south side of a hill. The hill was principally 
surrounded by wood and thicket, but itself meadow land. The nest looked like that of 
a linnet, but on going to it three days afterwards we were instantly undeceived: the 
male was singing, or rather twittering, in the small trees close by, and we soon recog- 
nized him as a lesser redpole, with whose song in confinement we were well acquainted, 
as I had lately had one in my possession for some time. This bird of mine had died 
a few months previously, but not before he had paired with a hen canary; and his 
only son I have now got. We were further satisfied as tu the identity, by the female 
allowing us to examine her within halfa yard of herself, and almost to touch her on 
the nest. The nest subsequently contained six eggs, exactly agreeing with the 
description in your ‘ Birdsnesting’: three of these we still possess; the rest we left to 
the care of the parents. The nest was composed of dead grass and a little moss, and 
lined with horse-hair and a small quantity of cow’s-hair; there were no willow trees 
near, which may account for this strange lining.—Charles B. Wharton; Willesden 
Green. 
The Redwinged Starling in Sussex.— On the 28th of December I obtained a 
specimen of the redwinged starling (Sturnus predatorius, Wilson), which was killed 
on the 25th, at Sidlesham, Sussex, by a person out blackbird-shooting. It was found 
in a hedge-row, and not in company with the common starling. I believe it to have 
been a male, but, as it was shot in the back, I was unable to tell by dissection. The 
measurements were—length, 8} inches; extent of wing, 14 inches. Wilson gives 
9 in. by 14 in. for the male—perhaps this may include the beak. The plumage was 
black, with the exception of the red patch on the wing; some of the feathers on the 
back being slightly edged with brown, also a slight streak of brown behind the eye. 
The gizzard contained, besides small gravels, some round black seeds, which I am 
not botanist enough to name; they are precisely the same as some which I took from 
the gizzard of a chaffinch a few days before. As some persons, on reading this, may 
doubt the genuineness of the bird, I may mention that I had it, in the flesh, of the 
person who shot it, and I am well acquainted with a gentleman who saw it shot. 
What induced it to take so long a trip as it must have done to get from America here 
T know not, but we have had, this autumn, some severe gales from the west and north- 
‘west, and the wind here had been westerly fur a week or two before the bird was shot. 
Tt was in very good condition, and showed no signs of having been caged. I send 
you some of the seeds found in the gizzard, perhaps you may know what they are.— 
W. Jeffery, jun. ; Ratham, Chichester, January 2, 1864. 
The Food of Rooks: Are they so carnivorous as described P—Having been a pre- 
‘server of these sagacious birds for many years, I must say a few words in answer to 
