The Zoologist— October, 1870. ' 2343 



eenchris) supposed to have been shot near York. The name of t'le gentleman who 

 shot it and skinned it is Mr. Harrison, and the place it is stated to have been killed at 

 is Greenbamnierton, near York.—/. //. Gurney,jun. ; 2, Beta Place, Alpha Road, N. W. 



Hen Harrier.— On Monday a male hen harrier (Falco cyaneus) dashed into a net 

 at Preston after a starling as decoy. Curiously enough, two harriers did the same 

 thing at the above-named spot on the 8th of November, 1867, in a net belonging to 

 the same person who caught this bird. The fact leads me to remark how constantly 

 Nature repeats herself, and particularly in the matter of Ornithology, as I have often 

 found to be the case. — George Dawson Mow ley ; C/dchesler House, Br'ujhlon, August 

 24, 1870.— jProOT the 'Field.' 



Supposed Occurrence of Strix asio in Kent. — Undeterred by the adverse opinions 

 of our most distinguished ornithologists, I cannot help returning to the charge about 

 the owl that I saw last spring, which I still believe to have been Strix asio. Certainly 

 1 made a mistake sufficient to raise doubts in any mind when I said it was eleven 

 inches long, but I am now convinced it was only about eight inches long. I maintain 

 that no argument can prove that Strix otus ever has several distinct white spots on its 

 wings; whereas Linna'us describes Strix asio as possessed of " quinque maculis albis. 

 Audubon's plate of Strix asio represents my bird exactly, even to the very attitude. 

 As to the idea of its being the little owl, I know an eared from an earless owl: a long- 

 eared owl may perhaps depress its ears like a hare, so as to appear almost like an 

 earless owl ; it cannot shorten them. One glance at a plate of the Scops eared or 

 mottled owls will show what I mean by short ear-tufts. — Clifton ; Cobharn, Sep- 

 tember 22, 1870. 



Owl chased by Rooks. — Late one evening in July, walking out towards Preston, I 

 was surprised to see in a field on the opposite side of the roail, and only a few yards 

 from a low fence by the road-side, an owl (Syrnium slridula) flying towards me pursued 

 by seven or eight rooks: on arriving at the hedge, the rooks gave up the pursuit, and 

 joined a large (lock which were sitting in the upper end of the field, whilst the owl 

 took refuge in some elms bordering the side of the path I was walking on. I should 

 much like to have seen more of the chase than the short view I got of it. The rooks 

 were flying very fast and surrounding the owl. — Alwin S. Bell; Weymouth, 

 September 7, 1870. 



Biiffcoloured Redwing.— ^lY.Gdtcomhe records a bufl"coloured redwing killed near 

 Plymouth (Zool. S. S. 2139). I possess a similar variety, but having the bufi" colour 

 pencilled with light gray markings, and, as in the Plymouth specimen, the red patch 

 on the side of a paler shade. I shot it and two or three other redwings out of a small 

 flock in the " Plantation" at Scarborouf^h some fifteen years ago. Since then, with 

 the exception of Mr. Gatcombe's bird, I have not heard of or seen any similar variety 

 of this species. In the same case with the redwing is a fieldfare, the general plumage 

 mottled with white, taken on Filey sands in the winter of 1866.— Alwin S. Bell; 

 Weymouth, September 7, 1870. 



Black Redstart near Southampton.— Ot^ the 27lh of August a gentleman of 

 Southampton shot a black redstart in this vicinity, and on the 29th another; a third 

 was seen at the same time, but he could not obtain it. The first bird was spoiled by 

 the shot, but the second has been preserved, and is now in the possession of the 

 captor.— T. H. Goatley ; 4, Strand, Southampton, September 17, 1870. 



Grayheaded Wajtail breeding near Gateshead.— 1 have seen a good many notices in 



