3696 The Zoologist — September, 1873, 



egg differs in markings, and they all differ from the eggs of L. argentatus 

 in markings. — C. R. Bree. 



Cormorant Fishing.— In a letter lately received from my good friend 

 M. Pierre Pichot, of Paris, is the following interesting bit of news relating 

 to cormorant fishing ; — " I have had this morning a very interesting letter 

 from Mr. De la Rue, the forest inspector, who keeps our birds. He has 

 been down to Chatellerault to fish a pond so much crowded with weeds 

 that it was impossible to take any fish there, either by line or by net. So 

 the master of the place, Mr. Trenille, one of our good masters of hounds, 

 laid a wager of £-25 with some friends that he would take fish there with 

 Mr. De la Rue's cormorants ; and accordingly De la Rue went down there 

 last week, and won the wager most splendidly. But he tells me of a very 

 interesting episode. His two cormorants are in full flight, and while standing 

 at the foot of the Castle of Chitree, whose ruins stand over the valley of the 

 Vienne, which river runs at about one mile's distance, the cormorants espied 

 the water in the valley, and one of them named ' Red ' immediately took to 

 his wings and flew towards the river. All the assistants believed the cor- 

 morant lost, but De la Rue calling out loudly to his bird, and waving his 

 glove as a 'lure,' called him back instantly, and the cormorant, after 

 having described a wide circle round the ruins, alighted at the feet ofliis 

 master. This is the first time I have heard of a cormorant being flown like 

 a hawk." I have for many years used trained cormorants for fishing, but 

 never experienced a similar thing. — F. H. Salvin, in the ' Field.' 



Introduction of European Birds in the United States for Economic 

 Purposes. — " A very deserving institution has recently been established in 

 Cincinnati, under the title of the Cincinnati AccHmatisation Society, its 

 object being to effect the introduction of such foreign birds as are worthy 

 of note for their song or their services to the farmer or horticulturist. The 

 Society announces that during last spring it expended 6000 dolai-s in 

 introducing fifteen additional species of birds, and that it had already suc- 

 cessfully accomplished the acclimatisation of the European sky lark, which 

 is stated to be now a prominent feature of the summer landscape in the 

 vicinity of Cincinnati. Among the species which it is proposed to introduce 

 is the European titmouse, considered abroad as one of the most successful 

 foes of insects injurious to vegetation." — 'Nature,' August M; 1873. 



[When may we hope to see the same enlightened views prevalent in 

 Britain ? — Edward Newman.] 



Large Snake. — The 'Times of India' contains an account of the death 

 of a huge boa constrictor which infested some marshy ground at the foot of 

 the hiUs near Poodoocottah. The animal was regarded as sacred by the 

 natives, who would not molest it, although only on the morning when 

 Dr. Johnston and Mr. Pennington, with great danger to themselves, bravely 



