ee 
THE Zoo_ocist—FEBRuUARY, 1876. 4797 
(Second Series), he will find that “this bird appears to dig with its mouth 
open.” A short time ago I saw a paragraph in the ‘ Field’ newspaper about 
a starling with a curiously overgrown under mandible, and on reading it 
remembered that I had a similar specimen in my collection, in which the 
lower mandible projected quite a quarter of an inch. This I always sup- 
posed was caused by an injury from shot; but now, putting two and two 
together, I should be more inclined to think that these poor birds may have 
worn away their upper mandibles by pricking the ground with their mouths 
open, for Mr. Newman has remarked (J. c.) a feature in their digging opera- 
tions to be that the upper mandible penetrates the ground, but not the 
lower.—J. H. Gurney, jun. ; January 10, 1876. 
[Lam greatly obliged to Mr. Gurney for again-calling attention to the 
subject, and shall be still further obliged if any reader of the ‘ Zoologist’ will 
record his own personal observation on the subject. I have no wish for a 
statement of this kind to be received on my own unsupported testimony, 
although I had the best possible opportunity of repeating the observation ; 
still I desire to preclude the possibility of a mistake-—H. Newman.] 
Jackdaws with Pied Heads.—Jackdaws with pied heads not being very 
common, I beg to inform you of two. The first I saw in the flesh at the 
shop of Mr. Cole, bird-stuffer, Norwich: it was the property of a gentleman 
in the city, and was eighteen years old. The second is also a Norfolk 
specimen, and was stuffed by Mr. Newcome, a very first-class amateur 
taxidermist, who presented it to me: it was shot at Hockwold on the Ist of 
March, 1864.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
Magpies in Norfolk.—In recording, in his last Norfolk notes, a pair of 
magpies at Tilney (S. 8. 4631), Mr. Stevenson records that they are now 
very scarce in Norfolk. On the 24th of December I saw seven on a hedge 
at Weybourne, and on the 30th I saw six of them again on the same hedge; 
so I hope there are still a few left. I observed one last year at Northrepps, 
but it is the only specimen I ever remember seeing here. I have, however, 
frequently met with them at Weybourne and Sheringham, but never in such 
numbers as last month. Thanks to the keeper and his satellites, they are 
following in the steps of the raven and the carrion crow, and other birds 
which are still common in counties where there is less game. At the same 
time there is no fear of our being entirely without them as long as their 
numbers are replenished with migrants from the Continent. If these latter 
come from Norway, as is supposed, I must say that they show none of the 
tameness which they are said to exhibit in that country, for a shyer bird 
than the magpie I do not know.—Id. 
White Spotted Woodpecker.—It may interest the readers of the ‘ Zoolo- 
gist’ to know that James Gulliver, a woodman, of Ramnor Cottage, Brocken- 
hurst, has a white specimen of the great spotted woodpecker (Picus major), 
shot by. himself in the New Forest in 1878. With the exception of the 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. XI. ; K. 
