﻿NOTES 
  AND 
  QUERIES. 
  143 
  

  

  dangling 
  from 
  her 
  finger 
  by 
  a 
  string 
  attached 
  to 
  its 
  beak. 
  On 
  inquiry, 
  

   I 
  found 
  she 
  wished 
  to 
  dispose 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  she 
  assured 
  me 
  it 
  was 
  worth 
  a 
  

   shilling 
  or 
  two 
  to 
  eat. 
  Asked 
  where 
  or 
  how 
  she 
  obtained 
  it, 
  all 
  the 
  

   information 
  I 
  could 
  elicit 
  was 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  given 
  to 
  her 
  " 
  old 
  man 
  " 
  by 
  

   a 
  keeper. 
  Whether 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  persons 
  named 
  knew 
  what 
  it 
  was, 
  I 
  

   know 
  not, 
  but 
  evidently 
  the 
  woman 
  herself 
  was 
  in 
  " 
  blissful 
  ignorance 
  " 
  

   of 
  the 
  (i 
  Protection 
  Act," 
  or 
  she 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  more 
  circumspect 
  in 
  

   exhibiting 
  her 
  prize. 
  On 
  closer 
  acquaintance 
  with 
  the 
  bird, 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  

   was 
  Pernis 
  apivorus, 
  but 
  very 
  unlike 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  few 
  specimens 
  I 
  had 
  

   previously 
  had 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  inspecting. 
  Its 
  plumage 
  was 
  an 
  almost 
  

   uniform 
  clove-brown, 
  with 
  lighter 
  shadings, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  

   feathers 
  presenting 
  a 
  paler 
  hue 
  ; 
  throat 
  whitish, 
  with 
  brown 
  streaks 
  ; 
  

   sides 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  inclining 
  to 
  grey, 
  especially 
  the 
  scale-like 
  feathers 
  

   covering 
  the 
  lores, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  breast 
  were 
  several 
  small 
  and 
  very 
  

   irregular 
  patches 
  of 
  white, 
  and 
  its 
  long 
  and 
  graceful 
  tail 
  was 
  very 
  

   prettily 
  barred 
  with 
  two 
  shades 
  of 
  brown. 
  This 
  appearance 
  I 
  supposed 
  

   indicated 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  immature 
  condition, 
  but 
  it 
  measured 
  23 
  in. 
  

   long, 
  its 
  weight 
  was 
  one 
  pound 
  ten 
  ounces, 
  and 
  its 
  eyes 
  were 
  a 
  bright 
  

   yellow, 
  which 
  seemed 
  to 
  point 
  to 
  a 
  more 
  advanced 
  age. 
  On 
  dissection 
  

   it 
  proved 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  female, 
  with 
  the 
  ovary 
  very 
  undeveloped 
  ; 
  the 
  infer- 
  

   ence 
  to 
  be 
  drawn 
  therefrom 
  is 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  nesting. 
  In 
  its 
  stomach 
  

   were 
  a 
  good-sized 
  earthworm, 
  several 
  whitish-looking 
  grubs, 
  and 
  other 
  

   insect 
  remains 
  ; 
  but 
  undoubtedly 
  its 
  last 
  meal 
  had 
  been 
  the 
  contents 
  

   of 
  a 
  Thrush's 
  nest, 
  as 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  "crop" 
  were 
  full 
  of 
  the 
  black- 
  

   spotted 
  blue 
  shells, 
  and 
  what 
  they 
  had 
  previously 
  contained 
  of 
  that 
  

   songster, 
  the 
  plumage 
  of 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Buzzard 
  

   being 
  somewhat 
  tarnished 
  by 
  the 
  moisture 
  exuding 
  from 
  its 
  beak. 
  Its 
  

   legs 
  were 
  very 
  dirty, 
  as 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  " 
  scratching 
  " 
  in 
  some 
  soft 
  earth, 
  

   and 
  near 
  one 
  of 
  its 
  ear-coverts 
  was 
  firmly 
  fixed 
  — 
  -robust 
  and 
  ruddy 
  — 
  • 
  

   one 
  of 
  those 
  disgusting 
  looking 
  ticks, 
  such 
  as 
  is 
  often 
  seen 
  attached 
  to 
  

   Fallow 
  Deer. 
  — 
  G. 
  B. 
  Corbin 
  (Eingwood, 
  Hants). 
  

  

  Variety 
  of 
  Kestrel 
  (Falco 
  tinnunculus) 
  and 
  its 
  Parasites. 
  — 
  From 
  

   time 
  to 
  time 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Kestrels 
  in 
  various 
  states 
  

   of 
  plumage, 
  but 
  in 
  November 
  last 
  I 
  saw 
  one 
  — 
  a 
  female 
  — 
  somewhat 
  

   different 
  to 
  any 
  of 
  my 
  previous 
  experience, 
  in 
  that 
  its 
  whole 
  plumage, 
  

   usually 
  of 
  a 
  reddish 
  fawn 
  colour, 
  was 
  particularly 
  light 
  — 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  buff 
  

   hue 
  suffused 
  with 
  pearl-grey 
  — 
  which 
  made 
  the 
  broad 
  dark 
  marking 
  

   upon 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  wing-coverts 
  stand 
  out 
  most 
  conspicuously, 
  and 
  the 
  

   deeply 
  white 
  edges 
  of 
  the 
  primaries 
  caused 
  those 
  feathers 
  to 
  look 
  much 
  

   blacker 
  than 
  usual 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  general 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  at 
  

   once 
  attracted 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  anyone 
  interested 
  in 
  such 
  matters. 
  On 
  

  

  