The Zoologist— October, 18G8. 1409 



against die wind, so in all likelihood it found shelter on the Welch 

 coast. I met with about a dozen altogether. Considering its rarity 

 in this county, it is only fair to conclude that a flight of migrants must 

 have arrived on our shores. In no instance did I see them hover or 

 take prey from the ground, but invariably from the wing : the small 

 birds, on which they solely preyed, were rarely taken till quite terrified 

 and exhausted in their endeavours to escape. 



Kingfisher: Notes on its Food. — Whilst frequenting our granite coast 

 the little kingfisher is quite a gem out of place — not disparagingly 

 said of the beautiful denizens of the sea, but so bright a bird does 

 not seem at home amongst the brown sea-weed and the granite rock. 

 Notwithstanding his gaudy coat he can fish in salt water and take 

 from our rock-pools fare he never gets at home — small shrimps, prawns, 

 and the young of many of our rock-fish. I cannot understand why 

 they frequent the coast from August to November and December, 

 because the streams are just as full of fish then as at any other 

 time. 



Heron : on its Food. — Most people think that the heron is quite a 

 land bird, frequenting only swamps, lakes and rivers ; but such is by no 

 means the case : he seems quite as much at home on our wild strands 

 and slobs — perhaps I should say more so, for there he is out of danger 

 — as when fishing by the edge of a river in some inland county. Along 

 our rocky coast they may be seen, from September to April, standing 

 motionless or stalking among the sea-weed-covered rocks and pools at 

 low water. At all seasons they are to be met with wading upon our wild 

 " slobs." Their food in such places consists of various fishes, green 

 and other crabs, prawns, shrimps and many other crustaceans and As- 

 teria?: they will go, without auy seeming dislike, from a feed of trout to 

 this more humble fare. October 10. The stomach of a heron examined 

 to-day was very empty, containing only a few small sticklebacks. How 

 miserably hungry the poor giant must have been to have condescended 

 to strike such atoms ! October 20. Three fishermen this year work 

 cod and conger lines from the little harbour of Bullock. Herring is 

 the bait used for the conger, the whelk that for the cod. In breaking 

 up the whelks and cutting the herrings* there is a certain amount of 

 fishy debris left about the quay ; this, added to the bits of herring not 

 eaten off the hooks, and not used a second time (the conger eel is only 



* A herring makes three baits: the lines have frequently upwards of five hundred 

 hooks. The congers weigh from fifteen to eighty pounds ; twenty, thirty and fifty 

 pounds are common weights. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. III. 3 D 



