4154 The Zoologist — September, 1874. 



have in most instances come under my notice. Vipers have been found in 

 their craws, and I had notice that these lieepers of Mr. WiUiams liad set 

 gins to catch them, and the only lure that succeeded in drawing them to 

 their fate was a viper, which was laid on the plate of the gin, after small 

 birds, eggs. Sec, had been in vain tried. Two more of these interesting 

 harriers were sent by Mr. Williams for preservation to Mr. Vingoe's work- 

 shop this week — a bird of the year with an uniform tawny breast, and a 

 male bird in the second year's plumage. I was fortunate enough to obtain 

 from Mr. Vingoe the result of his post mortem examination of the contents 

 of the craws of these birds, and, instead of any game being detected, notbing 

 could be seen but the remains of several lizards and only oue small bird, 

 probably a young sparrow. My object in this notice is simply to endeavour 

 to enlist this beautiful and elegant harrier in some sort of favour, and to 

 commend it to the regard of those who, like myself, wish to see the economy 

 of the creation not treated with violence and injustice. — Edward Hearle 

 Rodd ; Pemance, Juhj 31, 1874. 



Nidilicaiiou of the Snowy Owl in Conlincnicnt. — Mr. Edward Fountaiue, 

 of Easton, in Norfolk, who for many years past has given much attention 

 to breeding the eagle owl in confinement, and has been remarkably suc- 

 cessful in doing so, has for the last few years turned his attention to 

 endeavouring to accomplish a similar result in the case of the snowy owl. 

 Mr. Fountaiue obtained a female snowy owl in 1863, and four or five years 

 after he also procured a male. The female laid one egg in 1870, four in 

 1871, and four in 1872, making a slight hollow in the ground for a nest in 

 one corner of the large cage in which the two owls were confined ; but all 

 these eggs proved infertile. In 1873 Mr. Fountaiue put another cock with 

 the hen bird, after which she laid one egg, which was also bad. Towards 

 the end of May, 1874, Mr. Fountaiue again put up the female owl with the 

 same male she had been paired with in 1870, 1871 and 1872, and she laid 

 her first egg on the 8th of June, a second on the 10th, and a third on the 

 13th, and incubated them closely till the Qnd of Jul}', when she suddenly 

 deserted them, perhaps owing to the great heat which then prevailed. On 

 examination each of the three eggs thus deserted was found to contain a 

 well-advanced chick, so that a nearer approach has been made to a successful 

 result this year than previously, on wbich account I think it desirable to 

 record the above facts. The male bird was savage and noisy whilst the 

 female was sitting, and Mr. Fountaiue describes his cry as consisting of 

 several quick, gruff notes. The female while on her eggs occasionally 

 uttered a kind of croak, but when sbe left her eggs to feed she exchanged 

 this sound for a sort of shriek repeated two or throe times. — J. H. Gurncij ; 

 July 23, 1874. 



Nesting of (he Tree Sparrow. — As regards the nesting of the tree sparrow, 

 I may state that I have known several nests and eggs of this bird in Scotch 



