NOTES AND QUERIES. 185 
identity : the rose-colour was conspicuous, but the black on head and wings 
was less so: the breast was described to me as ‘a most beautiful rose,” 
and the “head above the eye dark.” The bird was also described as 
smaller than the Fieldfares with which it was feeding. About midsummer, 
1888, a young Pastor, with the immature grey-brown plumage of the first 
year, was killed at Godmersham, some six or seven miles from Canterbury, 
and was at first taken for a Starling, but subsequently identified by 
Mr. Gordon, of the Dover Museum, who had it set up. I saw this bird, 
and it was most certainly a Pastor. The occurrence of these two birds 
in comparatively the same neighbourhood in the same year, one quite 
immature, the other having passed the autumn moult, seems to point to 
_ their having been bred in the locality; at least this would be a reasonable 
surmise if the rose feathers appear after the first autumn moult. Some 
years ago I obtained a fine specimen of the mature Pastor in very nearly 
the same neighbourhood ; it was shot in a garden while eating cherries.— 
W. Oxenpen Hammonp (St. Alban’s Court, Wingham, Kent). 
Hawks devouring their Prey on the Wing.—With regard to Mr. 
Henry Laver’s query (p. 147), I may mention that, although I have never 
seen any hawk attempt to devour any bird whilst on the wing, it is to my 
knowledge the common habit of La Marmora’s Falcon, Falco eleanore, and 
the Hobby, F’. subbuteo, to devour their insect prey in this manner; and it 
is more than probable that one of these falcons taking a Swallow out at 
sea, with no perching place at hand, except perhaps the yards of a ship in 
motion, would so devour such like quarry. Mr. Laver mentions that the 
hawk specially referred to in this connection by his son was a Kestrel, in 
which case the Swallow must have been very tired, or the Hawk an 
exceptionally good flyer. I think I may confidently assert that the greater 
part of the food of both the European species of Kestrel is taken from the 
ground, whilst that of the two falcons above mentioned, as well as that of 
the Red-legged Falcon, Hrythropus vespertinus, is, with few exceptions, 
caught in the air. If the Hobby was as good a “footer” as he is a flyer, 
no small bird could escape him in fair flight Lrorp (Bournemouth). 
The Destruction of Small Birds on the Continent.—It may interest 
some of your readers to know what becomes of our migratory birds which 
collect in large flights on the South Coast in September and October. The 
fields are then covered with Thrushes, Finches, Larks, Linnets and 
Wagtails, on their way across the Channel to where the “Chasse aux 
Grives” is eagerly looked forward to by the French sportsman, and where 
all the small birds find their way to the poulterers. The great majority of 
our indigenous birds, as also those that come from Norway, as soon as they 
have crossed the Channel, follow the coast of France to Biarritz, on their 
way to the warm climates of Spain, Italy, and Africa. I was several 
Winters at Biarritz, and was witness to the great destruction of birds 
