4252 Birds. 



observe in a " List of the Birds of Cumberland," which appeared in a late number 

 (Zool. 4166), that the shore lark is called "common ;" this surely must be a mistake : 

 if the bird has occurred in that county, the particulars of its capture would be well 

 worth recording. — Thomas H. Allis ; York, February, 1854. 



Notes on the Ring Ouzel (Turdus torquatus), $rc. — A specimen of the ring ouzel is 

 in my possession, and was caught by a bird-catcher, of whom I frequently buy birds. 

 Very great numbers of the kestrel (Falco Tinnuuculus) immigrate here in the autumn ; 

 I might have bought any numbers last year at from 3d. each of the bird-catchers. I 

 also procured, from the same source, a fine specimen of the sparrow-hawk (Falco 

 Nisus), male, which I have preserved : it is one of the most perfect specimens I have 

 seen. In Chiswick, also, I have procured a specimen of the carrion crow (Corvus 

 Corone), which was shot a short time since by a man, who, by the same shot, killed 

 another which was fighting with the one I have. A specimen of the goosander or 

 dun diver (Mergus merganser) was also shot at Chiswick, which I have. — John Dutton ; 

 St. Peters Place, Hammersmith, February 16, 1854. 



Note on the Hawfinch (Fringilla coccothraustes). — It is quite common in the 

 vicinity of Chiswick. They frequent the market-gardens, and feed on the stones of 

 fruit, berries, &c. I have six specimens by me, and should be happy to exchange 

 one or two pair (stuffed) for a similar number of the crossbill or pine grosbeak, stuffed, 

 or in the flesh. — Id. 



Occurrence of the Hawfinch at Oatlands. — On Christmas day I had a hawfinch 

 for some time upon the lawn, picking up the haws under a red thorn tree, and but for 

 its singularly large head, I think it most likely I might have mistaken it for a 

 chaffinch, the male bird of which, in fine summer plumage, it greatly resembled at a 

 little distance. — W. C. Hewitson ; Oatlands, March 4, 1854. 



Note on Abnormal Variations of Plumage in the Common Bulfinch, Common 

 Pheasant, and Red-breasted Merganser. — Last autumn a gentleman presented me with 

 a bulfinch entirely black, which had been found of that colour, in a nest containing 

 three other young birds all of the ordinary colour. This bird has subsequently 

 moulted, and in doing so has totally lost its black colouring, and has assumed the or- 

 dinary plumage of the female bulfinch. In the year 1852 my gamekeeper caught in 

 my plantations a hen-pheasant, which, to a considerable extent, had assumed the plu- 

 mage of the male bird about the head and neck : this bird was placed in a large cage 

 in my garden, and in the course of last autumn quite lost the male plumage it had 

 previously attained, and resumed its ordinary female dress. I lately saw a red- 

 breasted merganser which had been killed on the Norfolk coast, and which was in the 

 female dress, but showed a considerable amount of black plumage about the head and 

 neck. I imagined this to be a young male bird commencing the assumption of the 

 adult dress, but on dissection, I found it to be a female, and without any signs either 

 of disease or exhaustion of the ovarium. — J. H. Gurney ; Easton, Norfolk, January 

 27, 1854. 



Singular conduct of a Stock Dove. — Mr. Gould has made us acquainted with a 

 bird, which, for its own amusement, builds itself a bovver. Mr. Wallace tells me that 

 the cock of the rock will select a piece of open green in the forest, and, in its full 

 dress of gorgeous orange, hold a dance with its companions. I have often seen tame 

 pigeons put themselves in most ludicrous attitudes, and the Tommy Noddy (the puffin) 

 do the same thing ; but until this winter I never saw a bird practising gymnastics for 

 its own amusement. The ring and stock doves arc sometimes numerous here during 



