NOTES AND QUERIES. 233 
Captain Fraser of Farraline, was going round among his sheep stock about 
four o’clock in the afternoon, he came on two Golden Eagles near the edge 
of a birch wood. They were lying on their sides, and at first sight Mr. 
Shaw thought they had been trapped, but on closer examination he found 
they were engaged in a desperate combat with each other, and had got their 
talons so closely locked together that he approached and placed his feet on 
them, and, holding one of the birds by the wings, managed to secure it. He 
made an effort to retain the second bird, but it ultimately made its escape. 
Mr. Shaw stuck gallantly to the one bird, and, holding it firmly by 
the wings, forced it in front of him to the nearest farm-house, where he 
threw a bag over its head, and made it captive. Strange to say, Mr. Shaw 
escaped without the slightest injury, although the bird frequently struck at 
him. Hearing of the peculiar capture, I purchased it from Mr. Shaw, and 
sent it to the Zoological Gardens, Regent’s Park, London. When des- 
patched, the bird was quite lively, fully grown, and in excellent plumage.— 
Tuomas G. HenpErson (Inverness). 
Weight of Woodcocks.—Having seen a letter of Mr. Harcourt’s in 
‘The Zoologist ’ of April last about the weight of two Woodcocks shot by 
his gamekeeper, it may interest him to know that on the 29th October 
last I shot one in this neighbourhood that weighed just over 1 lb. The soft- 
ness of the ground cannot have had much to do with the size of this one, it 
being before the time of much frost. I have killed a good number of 
Woodcock at different times, over 100 one season in the west of Scotland, 
but this is the largest I remember. I regret that I did not verify the sex.— 
F. P. Jonnson (Castlesteads, Brampton, Cumberland). 
Woodcocks.—The following notes on Woodcocks in Ireland may be of 
interest to Mr. E. W. Harcourt :—-In the south of Wexford, Woodcocks 
have been more scarce than usual this year, and in 1888 also they were 
scarce. They never visit this part of the county in large numbers, but 
are more frequent in the north, where some breed, I believe yearly. The 
best bag on record in the north of this county (at Wilton) in one day was 
sixteen and a half couple; in 1887 thirty-five cocks were killed in two 
days ; in 1886 nineteen in one day, but I am told there must have been 
seventy birds seen. I heard that in Meath cocks were a little scarce, and 
this appears to apply to Waterford also.—G. Barrerr-Hamitton (Kilma- 
nock House, New Ross, Co. Wexford). 
Cirl Bunting in Glamorganshire.—For the last few weeks, so Mr. 
W. Allen tells me, a pair of Cirl Buntings have come regularly to pick up 
crumbs and corn in front of the windows of the Rectory at Porthkerry. 
He thinks that they intend building close by. Mr. Allen sent a notice of 
the occurrence to ‘ The Field,’ which appeared in the issue of May 4th.— 
Diepy S. W. Nicnott (The Ham, Cowbridge). 
ZOOLOGIST.—JUNE, 1889. T 
