390 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



birds. The Indian Ground Thrush (Pitta coronata) is said to have once 

 possessed the Peacock's plumes, but one day, when bathing, the Peacock 

 stole its dress; ever since the Pitta has gone about the jungle crying out 

 for its lost garments. According to another legend, the bird was formerly 

 a prince who was deeply in love with a beautiful princess. His father sent 

 him to travel for some years, and on his return the princess was dead. He 

 still wanders disconsolately about calling her name. It is also said that 

 the Peacock, being a bird of sober plumage, borrowed the brilliant coat of 

 Pitta to attend a wedding, and did not return it. The disconsolate Pitta 

 wanders through the jungle calling on the Peacock to restore its dress — 

 hence the cry, ayittam, ayittam (my dress, my dress). The cry of the Horn- 

 bill (Kandetta) is inauspicious and a sure sign of drought. The bird is 

 doomed to suffer intolerable thirst ; not being able to drink from any 

 stream or rill, it has the power only to catch the rain-drops in its bill to 

 quench its thirst, and keeps continually crying for rain. 



The Misdeeds of the House Sparrow. — Mr. J. H. Gurney, juu., has 



recently issued a pamphlet with this title (to be obtained from Messrs. 

 Gurney and Jackson, 1, Paternoster Row), which is intended as a reply to 

 one with a somewhat similar title by the Rev. F. 0. Morris, and combats 

 the opinion that Sparrows do more good than harm by reason of the great 

 number of injurious insects which they destroy in summer. According to 

 Mr. Gurney " recent investigations have conclusively shown that the Sparrow 

 does not destroy nearly so much insect-life as was supposed." He adds that 

 " Old Sparrows as a rule do not eat insects. The larvae which form the 

 customary food of young Sparrows are for the most part species which prey 

 on shrubs and plants, but not on corn, such as Teras contamiiiana, Triphmna 

 pronuha, and Pontia brassicai." He asks for evidence of their eating the 

 wireworm, or the larvae of the gamma moth, or cranefly (daddy-longlegs). 

 " They eat the rose-aphis, but no one has detected them eating the wheat- 

 aphis {A. granaria), which is much more to the point, though at least cue 

 competent observer has made diligent search for it." 



Osprey in Hertfordshire. — On Sept. 17th, as a party of gentlemen 

 were sliooting in the parish of Great Gaddesden, near Hemel Hempstead, 

 a large bird which rose from near the River Gade and flew within gunshot, 

 was winged by Mr George Meacher, of St. Margaret's. It was only slightly 

 injured, Mud, as the party formed a circle round it, it exhibited its hooked 

 beak and talons with such effect that no one felt inclined to touch it. At 

 last a farm-labourer seized it, and it was brought for identification to 

 Hunton Bridge, where it has remained until to-day (Sept. 23rd), and proves 

 to be a male Osprey. It has been confined in a covered fowl-run and fed 

 upon fish. It refused, to eat anything dead, but directly a live Dace was 

 placed in a trough within reach it quickly devoured it. Minnows proved 



