3550 The Zoologist — June, 1873. 



equally corainon among birds. Care must be taken to eliminate all 

 geographical, seasonal and sexual differences; these are important 

 phenomena, but phenomena the treating of which is fully appre- 

 ciated, and which have therefore been fully investigated. 



The beautiful wild swan, of course, obtains at Mr. Cordeaux's 

 hands the attention which so noble a bird deserves: its musical 

 cry on one occasion attracted his especial attention. 



" The cry of the wild swan is extremely wild and musical. Some years 

 since, duriug the prevalence of a severe ' blast,' I saw forty-two of these 

 noble birds pass over our marshes, flying iu the same familiar arrow-head 

 formation as wild geese use — a sight not to be forgotten, not alone for 

 their large size and snowy whiteness, but from their grand trumpet-notes. 

 Now single, clear, distinct, clarion-like, as a solitary bugle sounds the 

 advance — or the tongue of some old hound uplifted when the pack runs 

 mute with a breast-high scent; then, as if in emulation of their leader's 

 note, the entire flock would burst into a chorus of cries, which, floating 

 downwards on the still frosty air, had every possible resemblance to the 

 music of a pack of fox-hounds in full cry — sounds which have doubtless 

 given rise to the legend, common iu some form or other to all the northern 

 races, of the demon huntsman and his infernal pack." — P. 156. 



Of the blackheaded gull Mr. Cordeaux remarks (p. 201), " 1 have 

 frequently observed these gulls by hundreds hawking over our 

 marshes for insects, such as the cranefly, also amongst the autumnal 

 swarms of winged ants. They not unfrequently perch on gates 

 and rails. The peewit gull is an unfailing weather prophet. 

 When they soar high and fly round in circles it is a certain sign 

 of wind and rain within twenty-four hours. I hardly ever knew 

 this indication fail." 



At page '208 there is a most graphic account of the arctic home 

 of the glaucous gulls, but as this is copied from Dr. Hayes' 'Open 

 Polar Sea,' and moreover as it relates to those inhospitable regions 

 rather than to the well-farmed flats of Holderness, I forbear from 

 re-quoting it; and here end my extracts from one of the most able 

 and most agreeable local records of British Birds that it has ever 

 been my lot to read. 



Edward Newman. 



