Birds. 3115 



birds: it also destroys eggs of all sorts, and is one of the greatest enemies the farmer 

 has to contend with. The common crow is equally destructive. — Henry W. Newman; 

 New House, Stroud, April 14, 1851. 



Note on the Greater Spotted Woodpecker. — This bird appears to me to evince a 

 decided partiality to frequenting fallen timber. In 1849, a considerable number of 

 trees were cut down here in an open part of the neighbourhood, which were eventually 

 drawn together, and piled into lots. These lay for some time, and were visited almost 

 daily by individuals of the greater spotted woodpecker, a bird extremely rare in ex- 

 posed situations. Five specimens were soon killed, but many escaped. Their habits 

 and manners were very amusing, especially whilst searching for food. They alighted 

 on the timber, placed the body in a particular position (generally with the head down- 

 wards and tail upwards), and commenced pecking away at the bark. Piece by piece 

 it fell under their bill, as chips from the axe of a woodman. Upon examining the 

 bark, I found that the pieces were chipped away in order that the bird might arrive 

 at a small white grub which lay snugly embedded in the bark ; and the adroitness of 

 the bird in finding out those portions of it which contained the greatest number of 

 grubs, was certaii.ly very extraordinary. Where the birds were most at work, on a 

 particular tree, I shelled off the bark, and found nearly thirty grubs in nine square 

 inches ; but on shelling off another portion from the same tree, which remained un- 

 touched, no grub was visible. Yet how the bird could ascertain precisely where his 

 food lay was singular, as in both cases the surface of the bark appeared the same, and 

 bore no traces of having been perforated by insects. During the day, one bird chip- 

 ped off a piece thirty inches long and twenty wide, — a considerable day's work for so 

 small a workman ! — J. J. Briggs ; Melbourne, March, 1851. 



Late Sojourn of Sivifts in 1850. — I have hitherto omitted to record what may not, 

 perhaps, be unworthy of notice in the ' Zoologist,' the late sojourn of the swifts with 

 us last summer, (1850). I speak, however, only of what I had the opportunity of ob- 

 serving at this place, without knowing whether the same may have been the case else- 

 where. We had swifts here about the village on the 15th of August ; four or five on 

 the 16th and 17th ; again a pair, if not more, were seen on the 26th ; three on the 

 30th, which were heard to squeal ; and on the 1st of September, two pair were sport- 

 ing and squealing about the village, as if it had been the month of June. Indeed, it 

 was their joyous note that first attracted my attention to them on that day. Has a 

 similar unusually late sojourn of these birds been remarked last year by others in dif- 

 ferent parts of the country ? I have occasionally seen a stray swift or two as late or 

 later than September 1st, (once a pair on the 10th of September at Dover); but I 

 never saw so many as four, or heard them squeal, at that late period. — W. T. Bree ; 

 Allesley Rectory, February 21, 1851. 



Cuckoo s Egg on the 5th of April. — A lad living in the hamlet of Lakenham, ob- 

 tained from the nest of a hedge accentor the egg of a cuckoo, on Saturday, April 5th, 

 1851.— J". O. Harper ; Norwich, April 12, 1851. 



Landrail in February. — On the 18th of February, some boys with a dog caught a 

 fine landrail (Crex pratensis). It was alive when brought to me, and appeared in good 

 plumage and excellent condition. As I believe it is an unusual occurrence at that 

 time of the year, you may perhaps consider it worthy of record in the ' Zoologist.' — 

 Warner Varnham ; Bembridge, Isle of Wight, March 10, 1851. 



Woodcocks breeding in Sussex. — In the January number (Zool. 2990), Mr. Hus- 

 sey says he has received authentic intelligence, that during the summer of 1850, a 



