NOTES AND QUERIES. 31 
disappointed Merlin hoverel for several seconds a few feet above the grass, 
looking in vain for its hiding quarry, and then was fain to fly off to seek a 
meal elsewhere. We heard of a large hawk in the neighbourhood, which 
had been seen eating a wasp’s nest; this must evidently have been a 
Honey Buzzard. I saw the first Hooded Crow on October 38rd. Woodcocks 
seem to have come very sparingly to Norfolk this year; we heard of very 
few being about up to November; the wind during the greater part of 
October was more or less west, which may perhaps account for it. ‘There 
was also at that date a great dearth of Snipe. Partridges in North Norfolk, 
as in most other places, came to grief at hatching time, many of the 
old hens succumbing to the inclement weather with their chicks, The 
consequence of this was that the majority of the birds bagged were old 
cocks. Needless to say, they were very wild. On one occasion, while out 
shooting, we saw two Partridges get up a dozen yards apart, and, converging 
to the same spot, come into collision. One bird fell a couple of feet, but 
recovering itself flew off all right. The sound of the collision was plainly 
audible.-—G. K. Lopes (5, Verulam Buildings, Gray’s Inn). 
Golden Eagles in Co. Galway.— A large specimen of the Golden 
Eagle was killed by a gamekeeper of Mr. Mitchell Henry, Kylemore 
Castle, Co. Galway, during the month of October last. It measured seven 
feet three inches from tip to tip of expanded wings; three feet from tip of 
beak to end of tail; and wetghed twelve pounds and a half. A second,—a 
male bird,—forwarded from the same district during the secoud week of 
November, is a much smaller bird.—Epwarp WILLIAms (2, Dame Street, 
Dublin). 
[It is very much to be regretted that protection is not afforded to these 
grand birds. Eagles are now becoming so scarce that we should have 
thought most people would be delighted to give orders for their preservation 
in districts where they still breed.—Ep.] 
Rare Birds in Hants.—The gales of November last caused a great 
number of Geese and other wildfowl to take shelter in Christchurch 
Harbour. Amongst them were two birds of some interest. A curious 
variety of the Guillemot, Lomvia troile, which has all the upper plumage 
of a very pale isabelline, the primaries very light, legs and toes pale 
yellow; Dill light horn-colour. On the 10th of November, a male 
Osprey, Pandion haliaétus: length, 24 in.; alar extent, 5 ft. 62 in. One 
cannot but regret that this bird should have been killed, its visits not 
being so frequent as formerly. The examples procured are invariably killed 
in the early morning as they come from their roost to the water; always 
tuking the same course each day, the gunners soon know where to lie in 
wait. They either select the trees at High Cliff, or those on Ramsdown 
Hill as their roosting-place——Epwarp Harr (Christchurch). 
