NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 117 



a legitimate church expense. * * * * Two observations strike me in 

 perusing these pages, viz. the great abundance of Foxes, Polecats, and such 

 like vermin, and tbe paucity of Sparrows 100 years ago as compared with 

 later entries; for whereas in the middle of the last ceutury 4 Foxes, 

 6 Polecats, and 30 dozen Sparrows seem to have been the annual tale of 

 tbe slain, at the beginning of the present century 2 Foxes, 1 Polecat, and 

 60 dozen Sparrows form the average sum total. But the last entry 

 recording such items, viz. A. r>. 1840, shows that whereas Foxes and 

 Polecats are exterminated from the parish, as far as their persecution by 

 church-rate is concerned, no less than 178 dozen Sparrows met with an 

 untimely end in that year; proving that, notwithstanding the persecution 

 raised against them, Sparrows still increase upon us, and have enormously 

 increased since the universal destruction of so many of our birds of prey, 

 for whose behalf they seem in great part to have been provided." 



Is there any satisfactory evidence to support the statement 

 (pp. 39 and 199) that the Hawfinch feeds on the kernels of 

 haws and stonefruits, plums, cherries, &c. ? Knowing from 

 experiment how difficult such stones are to crack between strong 

 sound teeth, we are somewhat sceptical as to the asserted superior 

 powers of Coccothraustes vulgaris. This bird, according to our 

 author, breeds in Savernake Forest, and at Earlstoke and War- 

 minster, notwithstanding the statement of Mr. Seebohm (' British 

 Birds,' vol. ii. p. 57) that " no reliable accounts of its nesting 

 in the western counties are to be found." 



The occasional appearance of the Chough in Wiltshire (four 

 instances of its occurrence are mentioned) is noteworthy, and 

 shows that this bird, if not in the strict sense migratory, at 

 all events wanders sometimes to a considerable distance from 

 its natural haunts. An excellent account is given of the Raven 

 (pp. 218 — 232), concerning which bird the author has made care- 

 ful enquiry in every part of the county, and has received a good 

 deal of information, negative as well as positive, from no less 

 than 110 correspondents. The evidence of two generations of 

 keepers is adduced to show that Ravens do not destroy the 

 eggs of game. 



The former existence of Black Game in Wiltshire (p. 327), 

 and the occasional appearance in the county of wandering Red 

 Grouse, supposed to be stragglers driven before the wind from 

 Wales (p. 329), are matters of interest to sportsmen as much as 

 to naturalists. So also is the information given about the Red- 



