THE ZooLocist—May, 1875. 4429 
Critical Notices (accompanied by the passages criticised) of 
a work intituled “A Catalogue of the Birds of Northum- 
berland and Durham, by John Hancock.” By Henry 
DovuBLepay, Esq. : 
[By the kind courtesy of the author, I have received a copy of this 
“Catalogue,” and, almost simultaneously, some critical notes on its con- 
tents from the pen of my friend Mr. Doubleday, written, at my request, 
expressly for the ‘ Zoologist;’ but my readers will please to understand 
that these notes, being confined to supposed errors in the work, will not 
supersede the necessity of a notice from my own pen in the usual review 
form, and inviting attention to the merits as well as the demerits of Mr. 
Hancock’s work: such a review is in course of preparation for the June 
number of the ‘ Zoologist. —Edward Newman.] 
Adult Plumage of Birds of Prey.— Not only do all the noble 
or true falcons acquire their adult plumage on the first moult, but 
many of the ignobles do so likewise, as the honey buzzard, the 
goshawk, the sparrowhawk and the harriers.”—Hancock, p. 10. 
I think this statement is not correct with regard to one or two of 
the species mentioned. Temminck distinctly states that the young 
male hen-harriers do not acquire their adult plumage until after 
the age of two years, and I think he is correct. The male sparrow- 
hawk certainly does not acquire the fully adult plumage till it is 
three or four years old; but owing to the cruel persecution to 
which this species is subjected, really adult specimens are rarely 
met with. The one figured by Mr. Hancock I believe to be in the 
adult plumage of the male—the transverse bars gradually dis- 
appearing with age. Some years ago I shot a similar individual at 
Harlow: the upper part of the head was nearly black; the back 
deep lead-colour; the whole of the breast, sides and cheeks clear 
rufous, and the rest of the under parts yellowish white; the irides 
brilliant orange-colour: it had every appearance of being a very 
old bird. 
- Hooded Crow.—“ In the spring of 1850 I had an opportunity of 
observing the habits of these birds in the neighbourhood of Elgin; 
both birds are there plentiful, and they are about equally abundant, 
and breed indiscriminately. The black and the gray form just as 
frequently paired together as two of the black or two of the gray ; 
and some of the young from the same nest were black like the 
SECOND SERIES—VOL, X. ye 
