430 Zoological Memoranda, by Mr James Hardy. 



trifle compared with their depredations among the legumin- 

 ous crops in the fields. Out of necessity, or for the sake of 

 variety, they have curious shifts. On the sea-coasts, during 

 the summer, they resort for small shell-fish to the fore-shores. 

 One shot at Akeld during winter had its crop packed with 

 the tops of branches of the Scotch fir. At Wooler, one morn- 

 ing, 14th May, I watched one for about fifteen minutes, 

 engaged among the top boughs of some tall beeches, in 

 picking and swallowing the tender recently developed beech 

 leaves. It appeared to be making an excellent breakfast. I 

 have been told that they are fond of the seed-leaves or 

 cotyledons of sycamore and beech, of which there is annually 

 such an abundant crop in avenues, and beneath the shade of 

 those trees. 



Poultry Fond of Mice. — It may not be well known that 

 the common domestic fowl are fond of mice. They both give 

 chase to them, and swallow them up. I lately saw a hen 

 snatch a dead mouse from a passing cat, which was bearing 

 it held by the neck to her kittens ; and run off pursued by 

 others of the poultry, and poor puss herself, so unexpectedly 

 bereft of her piey. How it ended I did not see. 



Food of Partridges. — In winter, Partridges pick holes 

 in Swedish turnips ; and especially they enlarge those which 

 have been bitten out by the hares and rabbits. On February 

 21st, rny steward observed a covey occupied with something 

 equivocal in a wheat field, where the wheat was well 

 advanced. They had been pulling it up to get at the grain. 

 In the stomachs of a pair sent to me at Christmas, which had 

 been shot on this place, there were many clover leaves mixed 

 with a considerable proportion of seeds, of which the majority 

 belonged to the red pimpernel, a copious weed on red sand- 

 stone soils. If you pass partridges on the opposite side of a 

 fence, you hear a low warning call; they then clap; and if 

 you look over, or advance, they take flight. 



Woodcock Breeding. — Our President writes : Woodcocks 

 are reported by gamekeepers to have bred this summer at 

 Twizell, and at Middleton Hall, Belford. I know the 

 Woodcock was hanging about our links between here and 

 Bamburgh, for quite a fortnight about Easter. My impres- 

 sion at the time was, that they were waiting for wind and 

 weather favourable for their migration — in which it would 

 seem they have after all been disappointed. 



