3872 The Zoologist — February, 1874, 



of the skin of the foot of some bird ; several earwigs, some quite 

 digested, nothing but a little of the hard skin being left, and the 

 others had only just been swallowed and were quite perfect; some 

 little bits of bones of some small bird ; there were also a great many 

 small white stones. How much of this miscellaneous mass is to be 

 set down as the buzzard's own food, and how much was taken out 

 of the stomach of some other bird, I am rather at a loss to say. 

 The gizzard was a strong grinding one, much more powerful than 

 the stomach of the buzzard, and I have no doubt was that of a 

 wood pigeon ; the wheat, the barley, the bents of grass, and the 

 small stones (which are always present in the stomach of the wood 

 pigeon), were no doubt eaten with that bird ; the earwigs were 

 probably eaten by the buzzard itself, but I do not know that they 

 form part of its usual food, or how that bird manages to catch 

 them. 



In concluding these notes, I must express my regret that so many 

 of our finest hawks have been slaughtered during the past six 

 months, — namely, two peregrine falcons, three common buzzards, 

 and one honey buzzard. If this continued persecution is carried 

 on, all our larger Falconida3 will soon become extinct. I am quite 

 sure that this destruction has already been of serious injury to the 

 fanner, and 1 believe has not been of much use to the gamekeepers, 

 some of whom are already complaining of the difficulty of guarding 

 their young birds from the attacks of rats, which are increasing to 

 a most mischievous extent. 



Cecil Smith. 



Fish distinguished hy their Actio7i. 

 By W. Saville Kent, Esq.* 



As the trained eye of a constant resident in the country enables 

 him to recognize the various species of birds that cross his path by 

 their flight, irrespective of their form and colour, so the observer of 

 fish as they wander at will in the tanks of a large aquarium soon 

 learns to invest them with an additional marked individuality im- 

 parted by their mode of action. In some instances these distinctive 

 characters are instructive, as illustrating the varied mechanical 



* I am indebteil to Mr. Kent for sending me a copy of this paper, whicli appeared 

 in the columns of 'Nature' in Julj' last: it exhibits careful obsen-ation, and I 

 am particularly desirous it should be seen by the readers of the ' Zoologist.' — E. N. 



