MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 161 



Five woodcock were killed, and I heard of at least eight others having been 

 shot, a very unusual number, as generally only two or three are obtained 

 during the season. I have no doubt that more might have been shot if the 

 orchards and peach gardens had been searched, but, as a rule, no one ever 

 enters them, and the only afternoon I ever thoroughly tried them I, shot two 

 woodcock. 



J. H. YULE, Lieut.-Col., 

 Devonshire Regiment. 

 Cheeat. 



No. X— THE BLUE ROCK THRUSH. 



There is a Blue Rock Thrush that has spent the cold weather for 

 several years past in my garden at Baroda. He is a familiar bird, and 

 friendly unto man. He comes for crumbs every morning, and spends a 

 good deal of his time on a corner of the roof, from whence he flies down on 

 any insects or creeping things that he can " spot." Last year he flew down 

 and seized a large centipede within a few feet of where I was standing ; then 

 whacked it to death on the tiles ; and yesterday, while I was sitting on my 

 verandah, talking to a friend, he flew close to us and seized a lizard's tail. 

 The tail came off, the bird dropped it, and it wriggled about on the 

 ground most vigorously till it finally fell down to the ground, where the 

 thrush followed and secured it. I suppose the lizard's tail must have been 

 sticking out, and the thrush, seeing it move, mistook it for some worm or 

 something of that sort. This thrush turns up yearly about Christmas, and 

 moves off in a westerly direction (as I am able to conclude, because he 

 takes up his quarters on the College sun-dial for two days after he leaves my 

 roof). The sun-dial is about half a mile west from my house. The bird 

 knows me quite well and is disposed to be very friendly. 



H. LITTLEDALE. 



Baroda, 20th March, 1897. 



No. XI.— THE INDIAN MONGOOSE IN JAMAICA. 

 The introduction of the mongoose into Jamaica, says the Academy, 

 marks one of the standard instances of unexpected results following upon an 

 attempt to artificialise the process of natural selection, and takes rank as 

 a warning with the plague of rabbits and thistles in Australia. The mongoose 

 was introduced from India in 1872, in order to abate the pest of rats which 

 infested the sugarcanes, and after performing this salutary duty it increased 

 and multiplied to such an extent that not only the rats and mice, but most 

 of the living species of the island, were threatened with extinction. Poultry 

 suffered first, but the depredations extended to young pigs, kids, lambs, 

 newly-dropped calves, puppies, and kittens. Game of all kinds was attacked, 

 both living, and in the egg. The marauder ate even fish, and made such a 

 specialty of snakes, ground lizards, frogs, turtles, and land-crab3 that many 

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