•2868 The Zoologist — December, 1871. 



the characteristic nest of the hawfinch, containing four eggs. The nest 

 ■was placed in a somewhat unusual place, being built on the flat branch of a 

 larch-fir and ten feet from the ground. — E. C. Moor. 



Cuckoo in September. — On the 20th of September I walked from 

 Leiston to Dunwick, and when near Eastbridge I was surprised to hear 

 the notes of a cuckoo close to the sea. — H. R. Leach ; Oak Hill, 

 Hampstead, November 6, 1871. 



Food of the ITood Pigeon. — As I see in the September number of the 

 'Zoologist' (S. S. 2768) a paper of Mr. Tegetmeier's, which you have 

 quoted from the ' Field ' newspaper, on the subject of the food of the wood 

 pigeon and the question of how far this bird may be considered injurious or 

 otherwise to man, I send you the results of a few examinations of the 

 crops and gizzards of these birds made by myself at various times of the 

 year. The series of examinations is by no means complete throughout the 

 year; but as the subject is of considerable interest to the farmer as well as 

 to the ornithologist, I hope at some future time to make it more so : I also 

 hope we may get further lists of the results of such examinations from other 

 parts of the country, as it seems to me the only fair way of arriving at a 

 just settlement of the question. My own opinion is that these birds do a 

 considerable amount of both good and harm, the harm, I am sorry to say, 

 preponderating, especially where they are very numerous, but not to such 

 an extent as to warrant any extraordinary means of destruction, such as 

 poisoned grain, shooting the birds on the nest, or any of the other methods 

 suggested for the entire destruction of the wood pigeon — an event which 

 I cannot help thinking we should all feel to be a great misfortune. The 

 dates and results of my dissections are as follows : — 



April 21. Crop filled with clover-leaves ; gizzard the same, with a few seeds 

 of weeds. 



July 4. Crop full of seeds of weeds, especially of a plant here called 

 "rattle-bags,"* also seeds of various grasses. This bird was 

 shot in a field of mowing-grass. 

 „ 5. Nearly the same, seeds of rattle-bags, other weeds and grasses. 

 „ 11. Crop contained nineteen grains of barley, eight grains of wheat, 

 several leaves of clover, and one large seed of some weed. The 

 gizzard also contained barley and wheat. This bird was shot 

 in a field of standing barley. 



Aug. 13. Crop contained 146 grains of wheat and a few clover-leaves; giz- 

 zard full of wheat. This bird was shot in a small plantation. 



Sept. 14. Crop contained sixty-eight grains of wheat, sixteen of barley, and 

 eighteen seeds of weeds. 



* Rattle-box or yellow rattle, from the rattling of the ripe seed in the pods. — 

 Br. Prior's ' Popular Names of British Plants.' 



