470 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



"Galley-bird," we are told (p. 299), is " given as a Sussex 

 name for a Woodpecker by Mr. Charles Swainson (Prov. Names 

 Br. B. pp. 99, 100), but not mentioned as such by Mr. Borrer, or 

 Mr. Knox." Upon this we may remark that in Sussex, as well as 

 in Kent, the names " Galley-bird " and " Gallows-bird " are 

 applied to the Green Woodpecker, and are noted for that species 

 in Parish's ' Dictionary of the Sussex Dialect.' 



Apropos of the Woodpeckers, and the note on " French Pie " 

 (p. 292), it may be observed that Mr. Borrer, in his 'Birds of 

 Sussex,' writing of the Greater Spotted Woodpecker, says, " I am 

 not aware that it has any local name ; " but in both Sussex and 

 Hampshire we have heard gamekeepers and beaters call it 

 " French Magpie," a name by which it is also known in Devon- 

 shire, and Staffordshire (Garner), though in other counties this 

 name is bestowed upon the Grey Shrike, the Pie grieche of the 

 French (Zool. 1893, p. 311). Izaak Walton, in enumeration of 

 the birds used by the falconer, Auceps, mentions the French Pie, 

 which in his case, of course, was the Grey Shrike, employed by 

 falconers as a sentinel (excubitor) to give warning of the approach 

 of a wild hawk. The mode employed is referred to (p. 66) under 

 the head of " Butcher-bird," as being " well described by Hoy " 

 (Mag. Nat. Hist. iv. p. 342) ; but for accuracy of description with 

 illustrations, and fulness of detail, we venture to assert that this 

 account is not to be compared with that given in ' The Field ' of 

 March 16th, 1878, and reprinted in 'Essays on Sport and 

 Natural History/ 1883 (pp. 117-128). Similarly, under the 

 heading " Cormorant," we are referred (p. 106, note) to " Capt. 

 Salvin's chapter on ' Fishing with Cormorants,' appended to his 

 and Mr. Freeman's ' Falconry ' (London, 1859)." But on this 

 subject also a very much fuller account, and more complete 

 because embodying a history of the introduction of this sport 

 into England, is to be found in the same volume of 'Essays' just 

 referred to, an account which Capt. Salvin himself has charac- 

 terised in ' The Field ' as "a very complete history and exact 

 description of the sport." These 'Essays' are only alluded to 

 here for the purpose of showing that the author of the ' Dictionary 

 of Birds ' does not always refer his readers to the fullest printed 

 accounts of particular subjects. 



We are sorry to see (p. 237) the repetition of what we regard 

 as an utter fallacy, that falcons are useful in destroying game- 



