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THE ZooLocist—APRIL, 1876. 4877 
of danger—a warning hint soon taken for a hasty retreat; and on such 
occasions as these the whole flock seemed restless and easily disturbed. 
Possibly it is only when they are feeding or have fed to repletion that they 
become apparently lazy and sleepy, like other bipeds often feel ‘“ after 
dinner.” It was the ingenious French naturalist, Buffon, I believe, who 
considered the beak of the crossbill an error committed by Nature, but it 
is questionable, if he had closely watched the disintegration of a fir-cone 
by the bird, whether he would not have been inclined to alter his opinion.— 
G. B. Corbin. 
(I have a crossbill in confinement, and can fully confirm Mr. Corbin’s 
description of its peculiar note (? song), which I can compare to that of no 
other bird, unless it be the greater titmouse (Parus major). I was many 
months ignorant of the musician, and attributed its music to some titmouse 
still at liberty, for I have no specimen of that mischievous bird in my cage, 
fearing its taste for birds’ brains, which, like Heliogabalus, Parus major will 
occasionally indulge to excess. I may state that J cannot distinguish the 
sexes of the crossbill.— Edward Newman.} 
Starlings and Elder-berries—Last autumn was notable for the great 
erops of fruit of all kinds. The elder-bushes were laden with berries, and 
afforded a rich banquet to the starlings, missel thrushes, &c. Starlings are 
excessively fond of them, and two trees in the garden were visited all day 
long by them; nor was it easy to send them off. I was asked by a friend to 
let him have the berries when ripe to make syrup of, but he delayed fetching 
them so long that I found these birds more than a match for me: I fired off 
the gun and frightened them, but to no purpose— the starlings would not be 
denied, and eventually they got them all. Happening to be down in Lincoln- 
shire, I noticed just the same thing: wherever there was an elder-bush with 
berries on, there the starlings were.-—l”. Boyes. 
Errata.—In my note on the stock dove (S. 8. 4842), twentieth line from 
top, for reeds read seeds. In my note “Is the Waterhen Migratory or 
not?” last line on p. 4845, for after all they may leave the country read 
after all they may not, &c.—F’. B. 
White Starling —On the 24th of October, 1875, I saw a starling of a 
uniform dusky white in a flock of about twenty-four: it was extremely shy. 
The bird afterwards joined an immense flock, out of which I suspect it fell 
a prey to some gunner, for I have not seen it since. I have a blackbird 
I obtained in Lincolnshire of the same colour—C. Matthew Prior. 
Starlings pecking with Beak open.—I was intending to offer an observa- 
tion on this subject when I observed Mr. G. F. Mathew had done so already 
(Zool. 8S. S. 4887), viz. that the beak is closed when thrust into the ground 
and opened as it is withdrawn, that the bird may better observe the effect 
of the thrust when searching for insects, in grass or other herbage in which 
SECOND SERIES—VOL. XI. U 
