Birds. 6889 



about the neiglibourliood several clays. The bird is now in my possession. — John 

 Dutlon; South Street, Eastbourne, December 23, 1859. 



Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) near Eastbourne. — A. fine female peregrine 

 falcon was shot near here this weeii, which I saw in the flesh. A fine buzzard was 

 also shot at Complon Place, Eastbourne, the seat of the Hon. Mr. Cavendish. — Id. 



Occurrence of (he Osprey (Falco haliaeelus) in Derbyshire. — About two months 

 since a very fine specimen of the osprey was shot by my relative Sir J. Harpur Crewe, 

 Bart., on part of the Trent which runs through his property in Derbyshire, and is now 

 in his collection at Calke Abbey. The bird had, I hear, for some little time fre- 

 quented the river near the spot where it was killed. — H. Harpur Crewe ; Wickham 

 Market, Suffolk, January 31, 1860. 



What is Falco Forskalii ? — Some little time since I had an e^g, very similar in 

 appearance to a kite's or common buzzard's, sent to me from Germany, distinctly 

 marked " Falco Forskalii." I shall feel greatly obliged if any of your numerous 

 readers will inform me what region F. Forskalii is supposed to inhabit, as I cannot 

 find it named in any work to which I have access. — W. Webster; Upton Hall, 

 Birkenhead, February 8, 1860. 



[Falco Forskalii, or the black kite, is a native of Europe, Asia and Africa. There 

 are specimens in the British Museum from Sweden, Nepal, Egypt and the Cape. In 

 private collections I have seen specimens of this bird from France, Germany, Portu- 

 gal and Morocco. It is also called Falco ater, F. aetolius, F. austriacus, F. fusco- 

 ater, F. regalis, F. cinereo-ferrugineus, F. aegyptius, F. migrans and F. parasiticus. 

 One of these names, F. regalis, was applied in error by Pallas, who believed it a 

 variety of the common kite. The numerous other names indicate slight difi'erences, as 

 of age, sex or country. — E. Newman^ 



Occurrence of the Roughlegged Buzzard (Falco lagopus) al King's Lynn. — I have 

 had a fine female specimen of this bird sent to me for preservation. It was shot at 

 Gaywood, near Lynn, in October, 1859. I was informed that when taken it was about 

 seizing a chicken. I have also received a male specimen of the cinereous shrike 

 {Lanius excubitor), shot in November, at Churchwarton, near Lynn.— fT. Wilson; 

 Museum, Kings Lynn, January 26, 1860. 



Occurrence of the Alpine Accentor (Accentor alpinus) near Cheltenham, and the 

 Glossy Ibis (Ibis falcinellus) in Somersetshire. — A fine specimen of the alpine accentor 

 was shot some time ago near Cheltenham ; and that beautiful bird the glossy ibis was 

 taken at Shapwick, in the county of Somerset, some months ago, and is in the 

 possession of Mr. While, an intelligent bird-stuffer, living in the upper part of the 

 Bath Road.—//. W. Newman; Hillside, Cheltenham, February 1, 1860. 



Greenfinch and Linnet Mule. — On Monday, November 14, 1859, a curious hybrid 

 was taken near Brighton, in the common clap-nets used by bird-catchers. It was a 

 cross between the greenfinch (Fringilla chloris) and the brown linnet {F. cannahina). 

 This remarkable specimen had the large beak, legs, claws, and thick skull of a green- 

 finch, with the colours on the breast, back and elsewhere of the brown linnet, except 

 that the tail-feathers and primaries were marked with yellow where there is white i\\ 

 the linnet, forming together, to an ornithological eye, a most strange combination. 

 The feathers of this hybrid were clean and perfect, showing no marks of confinement; 

 nor indeed would these birds produce a cross in captivity. When we consider how 

 strictly Nature has guarded her boundaries, and how rarely we find any intermixture 

 of species in a state of freedom, the muel bird under consideration is the more 

 XVIII. o 



