18 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the kennels, the smell of flesh attracting them. They do not remain 
to breed.’” Macaulay reports one obtained at Skeffington in 1875, 
and again in December, 1880. He also informed me of one seen 
by him at Saddington Reservoir, Jan. 7th, 1885. I obtained one 
from Rothley Plain on Feb. 2nd, 1881, and another, also in the 
flesh, on January 3rd, 1882, shot close to Leicester, both of which 
were purchased for the Museum. ‘The late Mr. Widdowson 
informed me that these birds appeared in the vicinity of Melton 
nearly every winter. Mr. Ellis says that he sees a pair or two 
nearly every winter, and I myself, when driving near Bradgate, 
saw two on February 24th, 1882, sitting on an old tree. Elkington 
tells me (October, 1885) that he has in past years received several 
from Swithland. ‘Turner reports one shot some fifteen years ago 
in the Abbey meadow, and the ‘ Leicester Chronicle and Mercury’ 
of October 24th, 1885, records that a Mr. Bevin, of Dunton 
Bassett, found a wounded bird of this species there on October 
16th, 1885. Since then it appears to have been unusually com- 
mon. I purchased a male shot Cropston Road, October 81st, the 
stomach of which contained large quantities of the elytra of various 
beetles, and some few uninjured small snails. Another, a female, 
was shot at Cossington on Nov. 6th, and presented to the Museum 
by Mr. Thomas Woodcock, of Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake ; five others 
were seen near there on the 5th; one shot at Narborough by 
Mr. Everard about the same time. Mr. Davenport reports three 
seen at Skeffington on Dec. 5th; Rev. A. Matthews saw two at 
Gumley, and Mr. W. J. Horn shot one at Uppingham, Dee. 5th, 
and reports them to be quite common in that district. 
Corvus frugilegus, Linn. Rook.—Resident, commonly distri- 
buted, and breeding in “rookeries” so close to the town of 
Leicester as Westcotes, Stoneygate, and Knighton. This bird is 
subject to much variety. The MS. Donation Book, Leicester 
Town Museum, records under date June 18th, 1850, a rather 
uncommon variety, “‘ of a pale brown colour, shot at Stoneygate” ; 
and under date May 25th, 1885, a pied specimen from Gopsall, 
aud one with white wings from Belvoir was presented on June 
24th, 1880, by Mr. Theodore Walker. I saw an immature bird 
shot at Wistow Park, May 20th, 1885, the beak of which was 
yellowish white, claws white, several of the toes barred with white, 
part of the head and chin white, as also several of the primaries 
and secondaries. 
