194 Zoological Miscellanea and Extracts, by James Hardy. 



House. Several birds were batched, and they were all of the 

 proper type, — as to colour, shape, white ears, &c. One of the 

 hens, when two years old, began to turn white at the period of 

 moulting, — and lost all her black feathers. Next season, she 

 lost all her white feathers, and became black as at first. Last 

 season, she again lost her black suit, — and is, at present, 

 altogether white. I know of no reason for these changes." — 

 Extract from a letter from the Rev. Dr Robert Ejrke, to Dr 

 Colville Brown, Berwick. 



The Pheasant and its Natural Foes. — On the 7th November, 

 1876, while in the garden at Woodside, about two o'clock p.m., 

 I heard the crowing of a Pheasant in the adjoining field, and 

 looking over the hedge was surprised at seeing at a distance of 

 about 200 yards, a couple of fine cock Pheasants pursuing a cat, 

 a common jungle looking animal, up the field in the direction 

 where I stood. I watched them till both the cat and the 

 Pheasants disappeared through a gate a few yards to my right. 

 I then quietly left the garden, and came round to the home 

 offices, where I saw the two Pheasants emerging from a small 

 plot of Jerusalem artichokes behind the garden. They walked 

 away quietly when they saw my approach. On coming through 

 the stable yard I found my brother, Dr Charles Douglas, sur- 

 rounded by a number of fowls, hens, and young chickens, who 

 were making a loud cackling noise, which he informed me had 

 been caused by the appearance of a strange cat, whom they were 

 pursuing in a very excited state. The cat had disappeared 

 amongst the laurels surrounding "Woodside House. The whole 

 occurrence struck me as very strange and unusual ; here were a 

 couple of Pheasants, generally the prey of ferce naturce, actually 

 in pursuit for two or three hundred yards, of their arch-enemy ; 

 and after the Pheasants' disappearing from the scene, the 

 antagonism taken up by domestic poultry, which were perfectly 

 accustomed to the presence of several domestic cats, who wander 

 about the premises without attracting the slightest notice from 

 them. — F. Douglas, M.D., Woodside, Kelso. 



Quail. — With reference to the Quail being indigenous at 

 Springfield, in East Lothian, Mr Black, farmer, Oocklaw, re- 

 marks, that to his own knowledge, they have been there for the 

 past eighteen or twenty years. His brother-in-law, Mr Scott, he 

 also states, once shot a Quail at Woollands, another farm in that 

 neighbourhood. 



