THE ZOOLOGIST—FEBRUARY, 1875. 4329 
direction of the town towards the ship. At first I thought it was a 
buzzard, as they are occasionally seen here; but there was some- 
thing strange in its manner of flight which induced me to watch it 
attentively, and presently it passed between us and the shore, and 
not more than fifty yards from where I was standing, and, as it 
was flying low, its plumage and figure were shown out in strong 
relief against the wooded hill-side opposite, and to my astonish- 
ment, instead of a buzzard, I had no difficulty in recognising a 
magnificent osprey. It flew on, and was soon lost to sight round 
the turning of a creek; but a colony of rooks, who were sitting on 
the trees on the brow of the neighbouring wood, having espied it, 
immediately and with clamorous cries started off in pursuit, and to 
avoid them the osprey rose aloft, for I soon perceived it wheeling 
gracefully in large circles far above the trees, and the rooks, having 
satisfied themselves in driving it off, returned to their trees in the 
wood, where they appeared to be highly pleased and extremely 
garrulous over their victory. The osprey meanwhile rose higher 
and higher, and at last flew off in a south-westerly direction over 
the hills. 
GERVASE F. MaTHEWw. 
H.M.S. ‘Britannia,’ Dartmouth, 
_ December 12, 1874. 
Notes from Castle Eden. By Mr. JoHn ScLaTer. 
(Continued from Zool. 8. 8. 4070.) 
JuLy, 1874. 
Grasshopper Warbler.—Ten years ago I first heard the song o 
this bird in this neighbourhood; but not until 1870 did I discoverf 
any reliable clew to its nesting anywhere near, and now I am glad 
to say they seem to have obtained a firm footing at least, as this 
season five pairs have nested near the same place, and, as far as 
I am aware, will get off unmolested with their broods. 
Yellowhammer.—I think I have somewhere read that this species 
is fast decreasing in numbers. I am glad to say that they are 
plentiful here this season, but they certainly do not appear to be 
so numerous as in the days of the old-fashioned hedgerows by the 
roadside; they are now driven to seek the briar and bramble- 
bushes in more neglected places, and are therefore not so much 
observed. 
