5680 Birds. 



are in print I expect to be far away across the Atlantic, en route for 



the North-West, where I hope to be able to devote my spare time to 



renewing my acquaintance with the animals of the New World, and 



I shall lose no opportunity of extending such acquaintance. 



Thomas Blakiston. 

 Kew Observatory, May 12, 1857. 



Errata. — Zool. p. 5422, 13th line from bottom, for "but sufficiently," read "but 

 not sufficiently"; same page, 2nd line from bottom, for "two months," read "ten 

 months"; p. 5505, 7th line from bottom, for "ten," read "one"; p. 5512, 15th line 

 from top, for "immediately," read "minutely"; p. 5600, 13th line from top, for 

 "migration southward," read "migration from the southward." 



Occurrence of TengmalnCs Owl (Strix Tengmalmi) in Norfolk. — A female of this 

 rare British species was killed at Burlingham, in this county, about the 6th of April. 

 This is probably the first time that this little owl has appeared in Norfolk ; but a single 

 specimen is recorded to have been taken some years since in the adjoining county of 

 Suffolk.— H. Stevenson; Norwich, May 23, 1857. 



Occurrence of the Lesser Spoiled Woodpecker near Fermoy. — As Sir William 

 Jardine mentions, in his 'British Birds' ('Naturalist's Library'), that the lesser 

 spotted woodpecker (Picus minor) is unknown in the Scottish and Irish Fauna, 

 perhaps you may think the fact of a specimen having been seen in this neighbourhood 

 on the 14th of last month may be worthy of notice. I observed him on a beech tree, 

 in the upper Lismore Road, about two miles from Fermoy. — G. E. Bulger ; Fermoy, 

 May 7, 1857. 



Raven Paring with Crow.— It may interest some to know that this occurred in the 

 spring of 1855. I believe the hooded and carrion crow have been known pretty fre- 

 quently to pair ; but the pairing of the raven and the carrion crow has never been 

 noticed. A pair of ravens had been observed, during the winter of 1854—5, about a 

 fir plantation ; and one of the old birds was shot by a keeper at the end of February 

 or the beginning of March, just when, had both old birds survived, they would have 

 been about the business of nidification. The surviving raven was not seen there for 

 some time, but he returned about the 20th of March, with another bird, which was at 

 first supposed to be another raven ; but it was soon discovered, from its peculiar cry, 

 to be a carrion crow ; and they were observed constantly together. The plantation 

 which they haunted was of considerable size, and I failed to discover their nest till the 

 end of April or beginning of May, when there were three newly fledged young ones, 

 and one addled egg, which I succeeded in blowing, and which is between the ordinary 

 size of a crow's and a raven's. While I was in the tree both old birds came very near, 

 especially the raven, which perched in the next tree, and croaked for a long time toge- 

 ther. As far as I could make out, the crow performed the part of sitting on the 

 young, while the raven secured all round. The young birds had left the nest by May 

 13, and T saw no more of them. The only way one can account for the raven pairing 

 in this manner is by supposing that, owing to the time of year when its mate was 

 killed, it was unable to find a companion, as they would then all be occupied with the 



