Birds. 1133 



Fieldfare, Turdus pilaris Febr. 7 Spotted Crake, Crex Porzana ... April 8 



Goldcrest, Regulus cristatus ... 20 Whcatear, Saxicola CEnanthe... 13 



Nuthatch, Sitta Europcea 20 Wood Wren, Sylvia Trochilus 13 



Tree Pipit, Anthus arboreus ... Mar. 10 Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla ... 20 



Long-tailed Titmouse, Mecistura Black Redstart, Phcenicura Ti- 



caudata 10 thys 21 



Lapwing, Vanellus cristat us ... 22 Short-eared Owl, Otus brachyotos 24 



Missel Thrush, Turdus viscivorus 23 Wryneck, Yunx torquilla 25 



Snipe, Scolopax Gallinago 23 Cuckoo, Cuculus canorus 26 



White Wagtail, Motacilla alba 24 Woodchat, Lanius rufus 26 



Song Thrush, Turdus musicus... 24 Goatsucker, Caprimulgus Euro- 



Green Sandpiper, Totanus oehro- pceus 29 



pus 29 Whitethroat, Sylvia cinerea ... 29 



Common Sandpiper, Totanus O rtolan, Emberiza hortulana ... 29 



hypoleucos 29 Swift, Cypselus Apus May 1 



Woodcock, Scolopax rusticola... 29 Golden Oriole, Oriolus Galbula 3 



Swallow, Hirundo rustica 30 Flycatcher, Muscicapa grisola... 6 



Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus ... April 4 Pied Flycatcher, Muscicapa luc- 



Coot, Fulica atra 6 tuosa 8 



Nightingale, Philomela Luscinia 8 Martin, Hirundo urbica 9 



— Julian Deby ; Laeken, July 15, 1845. 



Food of the Honey Buzzard. In a late number (Zool. 1053), Mr. Hogg expresses 

 a belief that the honey-buzzard (Pernis apivorus) never eats honey. In this I think 

 he is in error, as an individual of this species kept in confinement by Mr. John Han- 

 cock, not only ate honey, but did so with great apparent relish, preferring it to other 

 food. — T. J. Bold ; 42, Bigg-market, Newcastle-on-Tyne , August 8, 1845. 



Plumage of the Marsh Harrier. In the same page as the preceding (Zool. 1053), 

 I find the remark that " the younger birds of the marsh harrier {Circus ceruginosus) 

 are without the yellowish white mark on the crown of the head ; " as this seems con- 

 trary to what I have observed, I will briefly state the fact, hoping that some more able 

 observer may attend to the subject. I have now before me the skin of a male in the 

 nest plumage ; the colour is of a very dark brown, both above and below, with the head 

 from the base of the bill to beyond the occiput, the throat, and a few feathers on the 

 breast, cream-coloured, very slightly tinted with brown, the shafts of the feathers alone 

 being dark; the tail, secondaries, wing-coverts and scapulars, are tipped with red 

 brown. This and two other specimens (male and female, which are precisely similar 

 in colour to the above) were purchased in Leadenhall market by Mr. John Hancock, 

 in the summer of 1843. They were all from one nest, and so young as to have the 

 down upon them ; on the feathers becoming perfect, they proved beyond doubt that 

 this bird in its nest-plumage has a cream-coloured head. The male and female are 

 in Mr. Hancock's collection, the male in that of Mr. George Balmer, who also has a 

 fine male in a dress which I should think approaches maturity, being uniform, and 

 very dark brown, the upper parts appearing bronzed in some lights; the crown of the 

 head is rather lighter than the other parts of the plumage : the tail is ash grey, and a 

 few feathers of the same colour are appearing on the wings. This species must be 

 rare or very local, as I only know of one flesh-specimen that has reached here (New- 

 castle) for many years, and none of our dealers have ever had even a skin through 

 their hands. — Id. 



