140 On Birds in North Northumberland, by T. H. Gibb. 



the keeper of Mr Kiddell, another was killed near Amble, and a 

 very fine male was shot close to the village of "Warenford. On 

 dissecting this last bird, I fonnd in its oesophagus the remains 

 of a full grown stoat, which not being subjected to the influence 

 of decomposition, I was induced to examine, and found covered 

 with wounds inflicted, to all appearance, during life. But 

 whether the Buzzard, to whom cowardice is generally attributed, 

 had had boldness to attack an animal proverbial for its courage 

 and audacity, and also to defeat it, is a matter of mere conjecture ; 

 and does not at all affect the curious fact of so unsavoury a 

 morsel having been found swallowed by a bird, which as a rule, 

 prefers and generally procures daintier tit-bits.* 



Hen Harrier {Falco cyaneus). — An immature male, in nearly 

 the exact plumage of the female, was shot on the moors at Eose- 

 brough, in the spring of 1'876. The Harriers are rarer than 

 either the Eough-legged or Common Buzzards ; indeed it is very 

 seldom that they are either seen or captured. Formerly, however, 

 when large tracts of furze-covered moorlands and bogs were 

 more numerous than now, they were quite common, and regularly 

 nested on Alnwick Moor, as also did the Kite, Falco milvus. 



Grey Shrike {Lanius exculitor). — This bird, rapacious as many 

 of our falcons, visited us in large numbers during the winter of 

 1875 and 1876. They appeared first on our sea board, but soon 

 afterwards dispersed inland. A considerable number remained 

 for some time on Holy Island, and during their sojourn there 

 many were shot by the inhabitants, but, unfortunately, none of 

 these were preserved. A male was captured at Rosebrough, and 

 another specimen was seen near Alnwick. 



Short -eared Owl (Strix brachyotos). — During the gales which 

 prevailed in October and November last, a vast number of these 

 birds arrived on our coast. As many as nine birds were shot by a 

 party of shooters in one week, in the neighbourhood of Fenham 

 Slakes. It has been no uncommon thing to see so many together, 

 as to lead one to believe that they are occasionally gregarious in 

 their habits ; but the cause of this, no doubt, arose from the large 

 flight of birds to our shores, rather than to any tendency to such 

 a proclivity. For the most part they seldom left the bents and 



* Mr Hancock, "Birds of Northumberland and Durham" p. 5, records 

 having taken the greater portion of a stoat out of the crop of a Rough-legged 

 Buzzard. — J. H. 



