444 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Turning now to the section on " Birds," we observe, enpassant, 

 some collected observations on the occurrence of the Nightingale 

 in Gloucestershire which are useful, coupled with the statement 

 that one was kept in a cage for eleven years. It was supplied 

 daily with insect food, yolk of egg, and crushed hempseed. It 

 sang in the winter and moulted in spring. 



Amongst the rarer small birds which have been met with in 

 Gloucestershire are the Yellow-browed Warbler (p. 51), Alpine 

 Accentor (p. 54), Bearded Tit (p. 55), Waxwing (p. 61), Ortolan 

 (p. 71), Red-winged Starling (p. 71), and Rose-coloured Pastor 

 (p. 72). 



We cannot agree with Mr. Witchell in his scheme of classifi- 

 cation which separates the Swifts from the Swallows by interposing 

 the Finches, Buntings, Crows, and Larks. The researches of 

 Parker, Garrod, and Shufeldt have shown this to be untenable. 



Dr. Altum's observations on the food of the Tawny Owl are 

 extracted (p. 85) from an article in the ' Nineteenth Century ' 

 (1892) as if they were quite new. Mr. Witchell ought to be 

 aware that they were communicated to the German Ornithologists' 

 Society thirty years ago, and are quoted in the first volume of the 

 fourth edition of YarrelPs * British Birds,' which appeared in 

 1871. Mr. Herbert Playne's account of a Tawny Owl which he 

 brought up, and which became tame enough to come when called, 

 to be allowed her liberty at night when she went mousing, and 

 returned through a window left purposely open for her, is ex- 

 tremely interesting: — 



" When I took her back again to Oxford (he says), after Easter, 1890, 

 she was able to fly ; and at dusk she would dart out of my window, but by 

 morning was back in the room. Sometimes she would stay away for a day 

 or two, but always returned very hungry. . . . One morning in May I was 

 awakened by a tremendous row in my study : when I opened the door, what 

 was my surprise to see another Owl sitting on the table ! He at once flew out 

 of the window, but my Owl stayed in the room. The wild bird came nearly 

 every evening, and used to call outside my window. Once again he came 

 in, and about 4 o'clock both birds went out into the garden. The Jackdaws 

 were much disturbed, and kept flying and chattering round them. No less 

 than twenty-two Jackdaws sat gazing in a row on the chapel, roof. The 

 Owls took no notice of them ; but at last the stranger, seeing me, flew off 

 pursued by the Jackdaws." 



It is to be hoped that residents in the county of Gloucester 

 and elsewhere will profit by the information they will find in this 



