﻿458 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  insuperable 
  difficulty 
  to 
  successful 
  nidification, 
  but 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  say 
  the 
  

   interesting 
  observations 
  were 
  cut 
  short, 
  much 
  to 
  my 
  annoyance, 
  by 
  a 
  

   neighbour's 
  mischievous 
  lad, 
  who 
  killed 
  both 
  birds 
  with 
  an 
  air-gun. 
  

   It 
  is 
  pleasant 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  this 
  handsome 
  but 
  common 
  species 
  is 
  

   rather 
  on 
  the 
  increase 
  than 
  otherwise. 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  informed 
  it 
  is 
  

   much 
  more 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  forest 
  than 
  it 
  was 
  some 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  

   that 
  the 
  holes 
  excavated 
  in 
  the 
  trees 
  by 
  Woodpeckers 
  are 
  very 
  frequently 
  

   taken 
  possession 
  of 
  by 
  Starlings. 
  Is 
  it 
  possible 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   attractions 
  to 
  the 
  locality 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  frequently 
  enormous 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   that 
  most 
  destructive 
  little 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  green 
  oak-moth 
  (Tortrix 
  viri- 
  

   dana), 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  birds 
  are 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  very 
  fond 
  ? 
  Everyone 
  who 
  has 
  

   visited 
  the 
  forest 
  must 
  have 
  noticed 
  the 
  ravages 
  wrought 
  by 
  those 
  puny 
  

   creatures, 
  the 
  oak-trees 
  at 
  times 
  being 
  entirely 
  stripped 
  of 
  their 
  foliage, 
  

   and 
  looking 
  almost 
  as 
  bare 
  as 
  in 
  mid-winter. 
  The 
  autumnal 
  habit 
  

   of 
  the 
  Starling 
  of 
  sometimes 
  hawking 
  for 
  insects 
  — 
  Swallow-like 
  — 
  

   high 
  in 
  the 
  air 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  recorded, 
  and 
  on 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  occasion 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  erroneously 
  brought 
  to 
  my 
  notice 
  as 
  an 
  instance 
  of 
  the 
  

   late 
  stay 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  Swallow 
  tribe. 
  — 
  G. 
  13. 
  Corbin 
  (Eingwood, 
  

   Hants). 
  

  

  Tropical 
  Woodpeckers 
  and 
  Fireflies. 
  — 
  Some 
  time 
  previously 
  I 
  pri- 
  

   vately 
  made 
  mention 
  of 
  a 
  subject 
  which 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  possess 
  a 
  certain 
  

   amount 
  of 
  interest, 
  i. 
  e. 
  Do 
  the 
  Woodpeckers 
  of 
  tropical 
  countries 
  feed 
  

   upon 
  the 
  numerous 
  fireflies 
  and 
  luminous 
  beetles 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  

   almost 
  all 
  hot 
  climates 
  ? 
  During 
  my 
  recent 
  trip 
  in 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  

   and 
  while 
  staying 
  at 
  the 
  village 
  of 
  Mandeville 
  in 
  Jamaica, 
  I 
  was 
  much 
  

   struck 
  by 
  the 
  countless 
  numbers 
  of 
  fireflies 
  moving 
  about 
  the 
  trees 
  

   after 
  dusk, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  I 
  distinctly 
  heard 
  the 
  " 
  tap-tap-tap 
  " 
  

   of 
  the 
  Woodpeckers. 
  The 
  most 
  plentiful 
  Woodpecker 
  is 
  Centurus 
  

   radiolatus, 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  obtained, 
  although 
  Picas 
  varius 
  is 
  stated 
  by 
  

   Gosse 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  occasionally 
  in 
  the 
  months 
  of 
  January, 
  February, 
  

   and 
  March. 
  If 
  these 
  Woodpeckers 
  feed 
  upon 
  fireflies, 
  then 
  the 
  light 
  

   displayed 
  by 
  the 
  latter 
  must 
  surely 
  lead 
  to 
  their 
  presence 
  being 
  

   discovered 
  by 
  the 
  ever-watchful 
  Woodpecker, 
  and 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  source 
  

   of 
  danger 
  to 
  them. 
  — 
  D. 
  A. 
  Bannerman 
  (High 
  Croft, 
  Westerham, 
  

   Kent). 
  

  

  The 
  Roller 
  (Coracias 
  garrulus) 
  in 
  Hants. 
  — 
  Several 
  times 
  during 
  

   hibt 
  summer 
  — 
  from 
  May 
  to 
  July 
  — 
  I 
  heard 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  what 
  I 
  

   supposed 
  was 
  this 
  rare 
  and 
  beautiful 
  species 
  having 
  been 
  seen, 
  but 
  

   delayed 
  recording 
  the 
  fact 
  until 
  I 
  was 
  certain 
  of 
  its 
  identification. 
  A 
  

   gentleman 
  of 
  unimpeachable 
  authority 
  and 
  observation 
  hns 
  kindly 
  

   informed 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  saw, 
  upon 
  his 
  own 
  lands, 
  a 
  strange 
  bird, 
  on 
  one 
  

  

  