4538 THE ZooLocist—JULY, 1875. 
conclude she had not found a mate in Ireland. On opening the stomach 
I found what I first took for the remains of a mouse rolled into a pellet, but 
on closer examination I found two skulls with the under jaws attached and 
some wing-bones still holding together, which, if I mistake not, proves that 
this hobby’s last supper had consisted of two bats. I have enclosed these 
remains for your inspection, knowing that you are much interested in the 
bat tribe, and I should like to hear if you have ever known them stowed 
away in acorner like this before. In the ‘ Zoologist’ (S. S. 5350) I find 
mention is made of a foreign species (Macheramphus Anderssoni of Gurney) 
which feeds exclusively on bats, but I presume it is new matter on the 
food habits of our hobby. Professor Newton, in his new edition of Yarrell’s 
“ Birds,” says of the hobby that, “In Ireland there seems to be but two 
instances of its occurrence that can be trusted; one recorded by Thompson, 
and a second about three years since in Tipperary, the specimen being in 
the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society.”"—John Sclater ; Castle Eden, 
Durham, June 18, 1875. 
Variety of Blackbird.—I noticed the following curious variety of the 
blackbird last week: the bird was an old male. Round its neck, the part 
nearest the head, was a ring of pure white. I have never noticed before 
any departure from the usual colouring in this species. The ring was not 
a plain one, but formed of spangled feathers, distributed about anyhow.— 
W. Thomas ; Surbiton Villa, Surbiton. 
Innocent (?) Rooks.—Till lately I was impressed by the popular delusion 
that, whatever delinquencies magpies, graybacked or carrion crows might 
commit, rooks were ‘innocent, harmless creatures, mildly assisting the 
labours of the farmer.” Alas for facts! My children amused themselves 
a few days since by watching three rooks robbing some plovers’ nests near 
our lake. They would purloin an egg in spite of the vociferous entreaties 
to the contrary of father and mother bird, carry it to a little distance, suck 
it at their leisure, and then return for another epicurean morsel. So 
absorbed were they in their pleasing pastime that, though they were chased 
by my children each time they were approaching a nest, they secured their 
bon bouche before they took to flight —J’. G. Battersby ; Cromlyn, May 14, 
1875. 
The Cuckoo.—On the 23rd of April, in the vicinity of the extensive 
heaths in this neighbourhood, I saw seven or eight large birds at a distance, 
and at a considerable elevation over the heaths, near a spot where the lap- 
wings are nesting. The general appearance and movements of these birds 
attracted my attention, as they seemed to be playing in the air something 
like rooks, and not at all like the noisy lapwings, whose parti-coloured 
plumage and tumble-down flight are so well known to every lover of birds, 
even ata distance. The length of tail, too, of the birds in question set me 
thinking what they could possibly be, and I was almost inclined to put 
