THE ZooLocist—A PRIL, 1872. 3019 
pity that the same judicious course was not adopted as regards the orders, 
especially as the original edition has been followed, in this respect, by Mr. 
Smith in his ‘ Birds of Somersetshire,’ by Mr. Gray in the ‘ Birds of the 
West of Scotland,’ and, I doubt not, by other authors whom I have not met 
with. Fwish to advance this opinion with all humility, and I hope with 
due deference to Professor Newton’s acknowledged experience and 
judgment.—W. J. Chalk; Tavistock, Devon, February 22, 1872. 
Hawks, &c., at Gravesend.—The larger hawks have been unusually 
common here the last two years. I have had several roughlegged buzzards 
sent me this winter; they were all females: three out of five marsh harriers 
were also females, as were also two examples of the common buzzard. 
Three peregrines have come under my notice since Christmas: one male, 
shot by a friend while rabbitting; one very large female, shot on the river,— 
it had just killed a ring dotterel; and one fine young female, shot last week 
on the river shore. The merlin is also frequent, and can be often seen 
pursuing and darting at the immense flocks of starlings that frequent our 
marshes: I have watched it for hours, but never saw it strike one. The 
kestrel is also unusually numerous, especially in the Essex marshes: I had 
two beautiful adult males brought me : they were killed at one shot while 
fighting and screaming in the air. The gray wagtail is common all winter, 
from November till March, in the water-cress beds at Springhead; I have 
obtained many fine examples from there. The cirl bunting also occurs here, 
in flocks of from four or five to twelve.—D. T. Button; 89, West Street, 
Gravesend, February 21, 1872. ; 
White’s Thrush in Durham.—I feel sure that many of your readers will 
feel interested in the following curious capture of White’s thrush in Castle 
Eden Dene, county of Durham. On the 17th of January last Mr. Burdon 
was shooting in the Dene, when a bird came across him, and, not knowing 
what it was, he fired and hit it, but it could not be found. He, however, 
picked up a wing-feather and some breast-feathers, which he brought home. 
On the 31st (a fortnight afterwards), Mr. Burdon was shooting over the 
same ground and came upon the bird, and after being chased some distance 
it was finally captured by one of the watchers, apparently but little the 
worse, excepting that the whole of the primary feathers of one wing were 
shot off, which stopped the bird’s flight. It was brought home, put into a 
cage, and, as it eats well, 1 hope to be able to keep it alive.—John 
Sclater ; Castle Eden Castle, Durham.—From the ‘ Field’ of February 2. 
White’s Thrush in Durham.—I went over on the 12th, and again on the 
18th inst., to see a specimen of White’s thrush, which had been captured in 
this neighbourhood, and which was then alive at Castle Eden Castle. There 
is no doubt about the identity of the species. It is totally unlike the 
missel thrush, a bird which in its immature plumage has sometimes been 
mistaken for it. Unfortunately, when the bird was caught the tail was 
