4828 THE ZooL_octsTt—Marcu, 1876. 
evenly balanced, and consequently more agreeable, than in a shrubbery or 
a wood? and why is the reed-bed chosen only in the autumn? One 
evening at the end of October I saw a flock of some thirty or forty small 
birds upon some alders near the river, which by their gestures I thought 
were lesser redpolls. I watched them for some time, and found that my 
conjecture was correct, only that a few siskins were amongst them, which 
in habits they much resemble. After feeding upon the alder seeds for some 
time the whole flock descended from the trees to a reed-bed at no great 
distance, where, after some amount of twittering and shifting quarters, 
I believe they settled down to roost. I had never seen these tiny and 
interesting birds in such a situation before at roosting-time, although I 
have seen the lesser redpoll more than once amongst the reeds, inspecting 
them during the day time, and indeed their roosting in such a place may 
be well known to many other readers of the ‘ Zoologist,’ who perhaps will 
explain to us the reason why such a roosting-place is chosen by many species 
of birds.—G. B. Corbin; Ringwood, Hants. 
[This predilection of birds for reed-beds has frequently been noticed. 
I have often observed and been unable to explain it, except on the theory 
that it is a protection against cats: reeds always grow in wet places, and 
cats have a peculiar antipathy to wetting their feet—H. Newman.] 
Food of Peregrine, &e.—In Mr. Gunn’s remarks on rare birds in Norfolk 
and Suffolk in the ‘ Zoologist’ for January (S. 8. 4785) there is a notice of 
a peregrine trapped by a keeper on the Taverham estate, near Norwich. 
The poor bird had been observed for some days in that locality feeding 
upon wood pigeons, and from the numerous remains of these birds found 
in the park it was evident that there had been many victims. Were our 
larger birds of prey permitted to go unmolested for a few years we should 
doubtless hear less than we do now of the destruction caused by wood 
pigeons. The late enormous increase of these pests in every part of the 
country—a nuisance alike to the farmer, the game-preserver and the sports- 
man—is undoubtedly mainly due to the destruction of our larger Falconide. 
The wood pigeon is the natural food of these birds, and from its habits, 
large size, and attractive colour, far more likely to be knocked down than 
either pheasant or partridge. When will our gamekeepers and their 
employers learn wisdom, and understand that the presence of the larger 
birds of prey on their estates is not incompatible with plenty of game? 
Now, however, no sooner is a large hawk seen, or its presence suspected, 
than Velveteens and his myrmidons are on the alert, and uo time or trouble 
is spared till the poor victim falls to steel-trap or gun. From Mr. Gunn's 
note on the roughlegged buzzard, seven examples of which have lately 
passed through his hands, it appears, from the fur found in their stomachs, 
that rabbits constituted their principal food; he also found the remains of a 
water vole and a common rat. We believe the amount of running vermin, 
