2484 The Zoologist — February, 1871. 



cases, which on closer scrutiny proved as is usual only hearsay. I asked 

 him to put on record any facts connected with the above of which he had 

 personal knowledge, and the result was the following note : — 



" Roden, Wellington, Salop, 18th June, 1870. 



Dear Sir, — Referring to our conversation last evening about the magpies, 

 I have seen several hopping about sheep at the time of lambing, and on one 

 occasion I noticed the magpie go to the lamb just when dropped and fly 

 away, and on my going up to it I found it without its tongue and bleeding. 

 On speaking to my shepherd he said that he had also seen the same thing, 

 and always watched them. — Yours truly, P. H." Mr. Yarrell, in his 

 'History of British Birds' (vol. ii. p. 115), speaks of "young lambs" 

 destroyed by magpies by first " plucking out their eyes," but how they are 

 to get at the tongue I do not well understand. At any rate I send this 

 note to ventilate the subject, and perhaps some of your readers will be able 

 to prove and confirm the supposed fact. — Charles Home. 



Uoodcd Crow. — On October 17th, 1870, I saw a hooded crow iu one of 

 my fields; at first the bird was alone, but afterwards it joined the rooks in 

 another field. I tried to get a sliot at it, but to no purpose, it was too shy 

 for me to get within reach with the gun. After some time it flew off towards 

 Chilton ; it was seen a few days afterwards by some of the men. Tliis is 

 the third hooded crow I have seen iu this locality during the last ten years. 

 — A)ithony S. Bradbi/ ; Preston Candover, Hants. 



(inails in South Devon. — During the past year quails seem to have been 

 less numerous iu South Devon than in many other parts of England. Mr. 

 Shopland, bird pi-eserver at Torquay, informs me that he has had only 

 three sent him to stuff from that neighbourhood, on the respective dates of 

 September 17, October 19 and November 3. I quite think with Mr. 

 Stevenson (as suggested by him in the last number of the ' Zoologist ') that 

 it is desirable to preserve the record of the occurrence of the quail in various 

 localities, during a year when the movements of that species have been so 

 exceptional as in 1870, and I therefore send this notice. The statistics to 

 be collected on this subject should of course include Scotland and Ireland. 

 — J. H. Gurney ; January 7, 1871. 



Food of the (tnail. — When out shooting at Moundsmere on October 1st, 

 1870, I shot a quail ; its crop was very full, so I opened it and was greatly 

 surprised to find in it nine of the large grubs {Ayrotis Seyetum) that have 

 been so destructive to the root crop this season. The bird was in some 

 rape when I shot it. — Anthony S. Bradhy. 



Bittern in East Yorkshire. — When on the river side, on the 6th of 

 January ,1 was informed by two persons that a large bird had been seen the 

 day before to pitch in the bottom of a hedge on the river side, and after 

 walking in and out of the hedge for a considerable distance was disturbed 

 and took flight to another hedge about a couple of hundred yards off ; they 



