26 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
better. He has seen one crossing a meadow near his house with an egg in 
its mouth. Lightfoot, Mr. Radclyffe’s head keeper, a most reliable man, 
tells me he has repeatedly seen them carrying off hen’s eggs from outlying 
nests. Though I have somewhere read of their doing this before, I have 
never previously come across an eye-witness of the feat. All my questions 
failed to shake his evidence, and he laughed at the idea of anyone doubting 
the egg-stealing propensities of a Squirrel. ‘The above facts are, I venture 
to think, tolerably conclusive. In addition, I have testimonies from all sides 
to the frequent capture of Squirrels in traps set for Jays, &c., baited with 
birds’ eggs; but this is too well-known an occurrence to be of much weight 
in conjunction with such evidence as that already adduced. I hope the 
subject will not be allowed to drop, and that others may contribute the 
result of their observation and experience to the discussion; for however 
admirable and excellent the Squirrel may be from what I may term an 
“esthetic” point of view, there seem to me the gravest reasons for with- 
holding from him the support of the lover of birds and the sportsman, as 
well as that of the forester.—S. G. Rerp (Capt., late R.E.). 
Food of the Common Shrew.—During last April my brother, having 
found the pupa of some large moth, placed it for the time being on the 
window-sill outside. Sometime afterwards, while indoors and looking out 
of the window, he saw a Shrew come up to it, seize and carry it off. The 
window is rather low, and is partly surrounded by the branches of a large 
old pear tree. A few years ago I caught several specimens of the Common 
Shrew, Sores tetrayonurus, in a meadow in which were a good many patches | 
of more or less dry cow-dung, many of which had been tunnelled in various 
directions by these little animals, doubtless in their search for the grubs 
which usually occur in such situations —G. T. Rops (Blaxhall, Suffolk). 
BIRDS. 
American Golden Plover and Richard’s Pipit in Scotland.—1 wish 
to record, through the medium of your pages, the occurrence in Scotland of 
two rare birds in my collection which have not been previously recorded — 
namely, the American Golden Plover, Charadrius virginicus, and Richard’s 
Pipit, Anthus Ricardi. ‘The circumstances under which the American 
Golden Plover was obtained are as follows:—On August 3rd, 1883, 
Mr. P. D. Malloch, fishing-tackle maker, of Perth, was walking near Perth, 
when the bird in question crossed the road in front of him; he fired and 
killed it, and, thinking it a pretty bright specimen in change of plumage, 
took it into his shop next day, mounted it, and put it in his window. 
I happened to come in two days after, and as I wanted a Golden Plover 
just beginning to lose the summer plumage I told him to convert it into 
a skin for me, which accordingly he did. On the 10th of October last 
I happened to be staying with Mr, Harvie Brown, and there I met Mr. 
