332 MISCELLANEA, 1917 192I 



every caterpillar; there are always some that get through. 

 But for the rook I believe the oaks would disappear, while as 

 it is the oak is greatly impeded in its growth. 



The sparrow, too, does a large amount of good which very 

 few people ever notice. It loves moths, and is never tired of 

 hunting and catching them on the wing or in hiding. It is 

 amusing to watch a sparrow chasing a moth on the wing. 

 It is a bit clumsy, but it generally gets it. They hunt under 

 potato tops and cabbages, in crevices, behind fences and in 

 all sorts of places. The sparrow also takes the crane-fly by 

 the hundred. A few' years ago I spent an amusing twenty 

 minutes W9.tching a pair of sparrows trying to catch a dragon- 

 fly. Of course they failed. After trying all they could to 

 catch it they were exhausted and dropped to the ground for a 

 rest, during which the great insect disappeared. The chaffinch 

 and jackdaw are the greatest enemies of the allotment holder. 



P. Charlfon, J^iily, igi8. 



Blackcap ivintering in Northumberland. 



One of the most interesting of recent additions to the 

 Hancock Collection of British birds is a Blackcap {Sylvia 

 atricapilla, L.) which was wintering in Northumberland. The 

 bird, a male, was brought to the Museum by Dr. Hamilton 

 Drummond on January nth, 192 1. It had been seen all 

 through the late autumn and until early Jaiui;u y about the 

 garden at Twizell House, near Belford, where it had come 

 with otiier birds to a bird-table and had fed on bread crumbs. 

 It was found dead on January 9th. When I skinned it I 

 found no trace of injury and the body was not wasted, but 

 the flesh was noticeably soft and watery. Blackcaps have 

 long been known to remain in the British Isles in exceptional 

 cases for the winter, but usually in the southern counties. 

 Only about four previous instances are on record for North- 

 umberland and Durham (see Mr. George Bolani"s Birds of 

 Northumberland and the Eastern Borders, p. 47/ The present 

 specimen was presented by Mrs. Maling, of Twizell House. 



E. J.eonard (HI I, 



