4750 THE ZooLoGisT—JANUARY, 1876. 
the brackens. Amongst them there is a continuous din of alarm 
from early morn till late at night; their young in such places 
become an easy prey to the kestrel. 
Kestrels at Eden Dene.—You will be glad to hear that nine pairs 
of kestrels have reared their broods in the Dene this season, and 
I am not aware of more than four or five birds having fallen victims 
to the keeper’s gun, for although they are protected I know that 
they are sometimes shot; but they never stay long about the Dene; 
they disperse for some time in the neighbourhood, and mostly 
disappear in the autumn, only a few birds remaining during the 
winter. But I wish to mention here that I have witnessed three 
instances of the kestrel (all adult males) arriving on the coast from 
the east. The most interesting of the three occurred on the 4th of 
October, 1871. I was sitting behind some rocks, at low water, 
trying to get a shot at some large gulls, when I observed a small 
hawk come off the sea from the east in a straight line towards me. 
I thought it looked too small for a kestrel; it hardly came within 
shot, but alighted on arock. I walked towards it, and got within 
twenty yards, when it flew away. I then saw that it was a male 
kestrel, but still it seemed to me smaller and the plumage much 
brighter than is usual; it only flew a short distance, and again 
alighted on a rock on the sea banks. I again walked after it, and 
got nearly as close to it as before, when it again took wing, and 
T shot it. It was evident that the bird was either much fatigued 
or had come from some place where gunpowder is not so much 
used as it is in this part of the world. 1 was rather surprised when 
I got home and found it nothing short of the usual measurements ; 
but the body, although in good condition, was smaller I think than 
is usual, the length of the bird being thirteen inches, of which the 
tail measured seven and a half inches. All the three that I have 
observed as landing from the sea were particularly bright and 
clear in their markings; at all events I am certain they were not 
bred in this dirty neighbourhood, and have but little doubt that 
they came from somewhere “ o’er the sea.” I know that this is at 
variance with what Mr. Harting, in his ‘ Handbook,’ says,—viz., 
that the kestrel “‘ migrates to the east and south-east in autumn,”— 
and I am not forgetting the fact that they are generally all brighter 
or cleaner at this time of year after having moulted. 
JoHN SCLATER. 
Castle Eden, Durham. 
