148 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
delicious mouthfuls for the porpoise !—Compron (Loch Luichart, Ross-shire, 
N.B. [From ‘ Nature.’] 
Notes from Breconshire.—The past season has been a fairly good one 
for Woodcocks, but I have observed hardly any Fieldfares or Redwings. 
Some rare visitors in the shape of White-fronted Geese have been killed at 
Llangorse Lake, near here, out of a flock of seven: they were exceedingly 
tame, and looked as if they had come a long way, as they seemed tired ; 
three were killed, and if large shot had been used probably nearly all would 
have shared the same fate; but on the following day they had recovered 
themselves, as it was found impossible to get within shot of them. A white, 
or nearly white, Woodcock, was lately killed by a gentleman in this county, 
and I am sorry to say was eaten! Mr. Crawshay killed a fine Bittern on 
the course of the old river near Talybont, which I shall have the pleasure 
of inspecting when he gets it from the birdstuffer’s. A curious light brown 
coloured Jackdaw has also been killed by Mr. Butler, at Llangoed Castle, 
in this county. I fear the White or Barn Owl is nearly extinct about 
Brecon, as I never see one now by any chance. Can it be that the Brown 
Owl drives it away? The Kite does not increase much, although I can 
hear of none being shot or trapped, and, though several pairs still breed in 
the country, I fancy the young ones desert us. I constantly hear of one or 
two of these birds being seen near here, but I think were the same pair, 
or possibly two pairs, as Kites cover such a quantity of ground in the 
course of aday. The same remarks apply to the Buzzard, but this bird is 
much more plentiful with us than the Kite. In very old Ravens do the 
breast-feathers get like the hackles of a cock? I saw a bird that was 
killed near here; it had the appearance of great age and was in splendid 
plumage, but the breast-feathers resembled the neck hackle of a black 
game cock, and were glossy in the extreme. A curious circumstance has 
been commented on by others besides myself, during the past season only, 
in several parts of the county, and that is the great preponderance of hen 
Pheasants over cocks in wild bred birds. During Christmas week I 
killed what at first sight appeared to be a good specimen of the old English 
Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus: it was a fine wild-bred bird, very red on the 
breast and very dark on the under parts: on carefully examining it, how- 
ever, I found just the suspicion of white on the extreme edge of a very few 
neck-feathers, showing the faintest cross of torquatus. The difference was 
distinctly apparent when compared with a Chinese bird; the English bird 
very much bigger, much redder on the breast, and much darker beneath 
whilst the rich red colour made the golden colour of the Chinese bird look 
quite a sickly yellow in comparison. I begin to despair of ever killing a 
true old English Pheasant in this county—H. Campripce PHILLIps 
(Brecon). 
