4070 The Zoologist — July, 1874. 



exhausted. What the pheasant had done to deserve such chastise- 

 ment I cannot conceive : there is no nest on the tree, but one 

 amongst the slirubs, which could be seen from where the pheasant 

 was. A lot of other birds assembled on the tree to witness the 

 performance : the starlings, looking down from the top branches, 

 seemed particularly interested in it, and by their curious gestures 

 one could almost imagine them making some remarks upon it. 



A gentleman told me he saw (a short time since) a pair of missel 

 thrushes attacking a squirrel : he did not observe any nest on the 

 tree where it took place. This at once brought on the charge 

 against them, as mentioned by Mr. Wood, of their eating young 

 birds, eggs, &c. ; but from my own observations 1 am sure that it 

 is quite immaterial whether they were visited by bird- or egg- 

 eaters : all that ap]Moach near their nests meet with the same 

 rebuff. Now, except Mr. Wood's, are there any well authenticated 

 records of the squirrel eating birds, eggs, or insects : " doctors 

 differ;" and I have heard it flatl}' denied that they are guilty of 

 anything of the kind. I should be very glad to be enlightened on 

 this subject. 



May 19th. Numbers of fieldfares are still about here. They 

 frequent the trees close to the house, as in hard winter weather ; 

 there has certainly been a long succession of north-east winds, 

 which they arc probably afraid to face. Yesterday 1 saw a great 

 many in the park, mixed up with old and young blackbirds and 

 thrushes : it had rather a puzzling and unnatural effect upon both 

 eye and ear. What has become of the swallows? Uj) to the 18th 

 I had only seen one. To-day, 21st, four more have arrived ; but 

 neither house nor sand martin have I seen yet. The swallow tribe 

 was very limited last year with us : none nested at the house ; and 

 I never knew less than four or five pairs nest 3'early previously. 



Anight or two since I was standing at the door about 11.30 p.m., 

 w hen I was surprised to hear a hedgcsparrow burst into full song : 

 the night was very dark and cold ; the pleasures of matrimony 

 must have had something to do with it. 



The gentleman who told me about the missel thrushes and 



squirrel said that he had watched for some time a mole taking 



water, and that it lapped the water just like a dog or cat. 



John Sclater. 

 Castle Eden, May 20, 1874. 



