100 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



he not speaking of its distribution in Britain alone? It has 

 nevertheless occurred more than once in the Orkneys, and I have 

 seen half-a-dozen examples in a day in Central Norway, about 

 62° North. 



Kingfisher, Alcedo hispida, L.— A resident, usually, however, 

 leaving the neighbourhood in very severe weather. Some years 

 it is more abundant than others ; seldom seen except by the Tyne. 

 My notes mention four nests in 1877, in little more than a mile 

 and a half of the river. 



Cuckoo, Citculus canorus, L. — A common summer visitor. 



Bai'n Owl, Strix jiaminca, L. — A resident, pretty common. 



Long-eared Owl, Asia otus, L. — A resident, but not abundant. 

 Breeds sparingly in the less-disturbed woods. 



Short-eared Ov/l, A. accipitrinus, Pall. — A winter visitor, which 

 I have only once met with here. 



Tawny Owl, Sijrnhim aluco, L. — A resident, and probably as 

 common as the thrc;e foregoing species together, and a very 

 favourite bird of mine. I know of several nesting-places of this 

 bird near here. On one occasion I found a large ejected pellet 

 (the means by which the Tawny Owl avoids the discomforts of 

 indigestion), which I had the curiosity to investigate. I found 

 therein the remains of no less than twenty-four field mice, — there 

 being twenty-four of the right half of the lower jaw, — of two 

 shrews, and two beaks of small birds. I may here remark that 

 St. John states that Owls (he referring especially to the present 

 species) never eat Shi*ew-mice. Of the incorrectness of this 

 I have had proofs, of the nature of that mentioned above, on 

 several occasions. He observes, on the next page, that Shrew- 

 mice ai'e in the habit of barking trees ! In the first-place, their 

 little jagged teeth are utterly unfitted for any such task; in the 

 second, the muscular strength of their jaws renders the feat 

 impossible ; in the third, what on earth should lead them to do 

 anything of the kind, seeing they are strictly insectivorous in 

 diet, and that they hybernate during the time of scarcity of food ? 

 I mei'ely mention this last case to show that it is not improbable 

 that St. John might be in error as to Owls eating Shrews. 



Hen Harrier, Circus cyaneus, L. — William James, my late 

 gamekeeper, had a stuffed example of this bird, an adult female, 

 shot by himself on the Bog Hall estate, near Minster Acres, about 

 the year 1873. 



