Birds. 1135 



ingly distinct, and resemble the stumps of hair on a discarded shoe-brush. Now it is 

 at least clear, that all this must take place at some period subsequent to the first or 

 general change of plumage. In the specimens with malformed mandibles, both in 

 Mr. YarrelPs possession and mine, which, after having doffed the dull black nestling 

 dress, had assumed the purple livery of the adult bird, the facial plumage is still per- 

 fect, or nearly so, its disappearance (supposing that it does disappear of itself) having 

 apparently been retarded by such a malformation of the mandibles as would preclude 

 the possibility of the bird's thrusting its beak so far into the ground as to assist in the 

 removal of the feathers from the forehead and throat ; and the live bird now in my 

 possession had acquired the purple tint on his head, back and shoulders, at the begin- 

 ning of last winter. Admitting however that the nudity of the throat &c. does not 

 entirely depend upon a mechanical cause, it may be supposed that this phenomenon 

 would occur at an earlier period in a wild rook than in an incarcerated specimen (like 

 Mr. Blackwall's), or in a semi-liberated one (like mine) ; I think it highly proba- 

 ble, therefore, that if this should, after all, turn out to be, to a certain degree, an 

 original peculiarity in the rook, its commencement will be found to be coincident with, 

 or to immediately precede the breeding-season, and I shall thus regard it as a merci- 

 ful provision of that Providence which, as it " tempers the wind to the shorn lamb," 

 has thus, in the case of the rook, anticipated the comparatively painful operation of a 

 forcible removal of the plumage. In conclusion, I think you will admit that I have 

 treated this subject dispassionately. The true naturalist can have but one object in 

 view — the discovery of facts ; and he would be but a bad interpreter of Nature's se- 

 crets, who could permit an obstinate attachment to a preconceived theory to obscure 

 his sense of truth, or the cool convictions of his conscience. — A.E.Knox; Neiv 

 Grove, Petworth, July 30, 1845. 



Occurrence of the Bearded Titmouse in Cleveland, and Note on the Osprey. In Mr. 

 Hogg's Catalogue of the Birds of Cleveland, &c, I find one omitted which has come 

 under my observation. It is the bearded titmouse (Calamophilus biarmicus), of which 

 interesting species I observed a fine male close to Kirkleatham hospital, three or four 

 years ago. I believe its appearance so far north has not hitherto been recorded. To 

 the Catalogue I can also add, that an osprey, shot in the garden of a gentleman at 

 Marske, is now in the possession of C. Oxley, Esq., Redcar. I do not think this bird 

 so rare as it is generally supposed to be. Its flight and general appearance on the 

 wing are not very unlike the young of the black-backed gull, for which it is sometimes 

 mistaken, though to one who pays the least attention to Ornithology, the difference is 

 veiy obvious. In a previous number (Zool. 443) I noticed the appearance of a bird 

 of this species here two years ago ; and this year, a pair of them appeared about three 

 months ago, one of which, the female, is now lying before me, having been shot by my 

 brother yesterday. It measures 5 feet 6 inches from tip to tip, and is 2 feet in length, 

 weight, 4 fts. I have compared it with the specimen shot two years ago, and find 

 that the present one is much larger, and its back of a lighter and more uniform colour. 

 Mark Booth ; Kitterby, Yorkshire, August 18, 1845. 



Habits of the Grey and Red-backed Shrikes. The grey shrike, the occurrence of 

 which near Hull has been noticed (Zool. 1028), appears now to be everywhere only an 

 occasional visitant : but some years since, as I was informed by the Rev. N. C. Strick- 

 land, they bred annually about the foot of Prestbury-hill, near Cheltenham, where the 

 country people called them horse-matches. The only specimen that ever came under 

 my own knowledge, was shot near Meysey Hampton, in Gloucestershire, during deep 



