NOTES AND QUERIES. 271 



remarkable change occurred in the Blackbird's demeanour, for he became 

 very jealous of the attention of his partner to his young, and eventually 

 expelled her from the vicinity of the nest. He still continued, however, to 

 show the most devoted affection to his progeny, feeding them with the 

 greatest attention. Unfortunately I had not an opportunity of seeing the 

 female Thrush, as her eviction had taken place previous to my visits ; but 

 that the foster-mother was none other than Turdus musicus is vouched for 

 by the owner of the garden, who is a careful and accurate observer of 

 Nature, as well as by his brother, by his children, who are unusually 

 bright intelligent boys, and by the nursery maid — all of whom had frequent 

 opportunities of observing the Thrush on the nest. It has been asserted 

 that the Blackbird and Song Thrush occasionally interbreed in a wild state ; 

 but, so far as I am aware, no conclusive proof of their doing so has yet been 

 obtained. In support of this assertion, the case I have just related is, 

 I think, an interesting one, and T shall be glad to know if the experience 

 of any of your readers can afford anything by way of corroboration. — 

 J. K. Dobbier (13, Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh). 



Protection of Birds. — The committee of the Norfolk and Norwich 

 Naturalists' Society are very desirous of bringing under the notice of land- 

 owners and agriculturists the great desirability of affording more efficient 

 protection to useful birds, particularly those which, as destroyers of vermin 

 and injurious insects, render immense service to the farmer and the com- 

 munity at large. Frequent comments and letters have recently appeared 

 in the public journals as to the disastrous effects resulting from the indis- 

 criminate slaughter of many useful species, not only in this country, but 

 also on the Continent, and it is hoped that the publicity given and the 

 attention drawn to the subject will lead to a more judicious course of 

 action. The importance of this matter, in view of the great devastation 

 caused by the plague of field voles (mice) in some parts of Scotland, and 

 past experiences in Lincolnshire, cannot be overlooked, and the opinions of 

 the Scotch farmers in the districts affected, quoted from the Reports to the 

 Board of Agriculture, point to the folly of destroying owls, hawks, and 

 weasels. The Barn Owl, a true farmers' friend, is much persecuted, but a 

 more useful bird, as a destroyer of vermin, does not exist. It has been com- 

 puted, by competent observers, that when it has young, it will bring a mouse 

 to its nest every twelve or fifteen minutes, and as many as twenty good- 

 sized rats, perfectly fresh, have been counted in a single nest. A recent 

 communication to the daily papers states that a nest containing five yonng 

 ones, being taken and placed under a hen-coop about a mile distant, no less 

 than twenty-four rats, large and small, brought there by the parent birds, 

 were found lying outside the coop the following morning. The owlets were 

 at once returned to the place from whence they were taken. The Kestrel 





