434 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



likely one, yet the general character of this part of the island is very 

 bleak, bare, and treeless, and unsuited to the habits of this bird. I 

 again came across a male of this species on June 24th near Point 

 Lynus. I am of course open to correction, but, so far as I can gather, 

 there is no previous record of this bird in Anglesea. Last year I also 

 met with a pair and young near Edeyrn, in Lleyn. — S. G. Cummings 

 (King's Buildings, Chester). 



Migration of Jays. —It seems to be an established fact that Gar ruins 

 glandarius does migrate occasionally, if not regularly. It is possible 

 that our home-bred birds are augmented in numbers every autumn by 

 arrivals from the Continent, but sometimes to a much greater extent 

 than at others. Some twenty years ago (Zool. 1883) a marked migra- 

 tion was recorded from various localities — from Heligoland westward 

 to our east coast, and thence inland as far as Hampshire and East 

 Dorset, and possibly much farther west — but I have no personal records 

 of their journey. It is interesting to state that since the beginning of 

 October there has been an unusual number of the birds both in the 

 forest and in the woods to the west of the Avon, far more than were 

 bred in either locality, and of course the " gamekeeper's museum " has 

 been enricbed in consequence, one brave fellow boasting that he had 

 killed more Jays in one day (about the middle of October) than he had 

 seen for a couple of years previously. It must be understood that a 

 relentless war has been waged for years past against this beautiful but 

 noisy species, and that in this locality it is much scarcer than it was 

 formerly ; bat during the past few weeks many people not generally 

 interested in birds have informed me of seeing Jays in most of the 

 woods. It is well known what an omnivorous appetite these birds 

 have, and very little is rejected — young birds or eggs, insects in either 

 stage, fruit, oak-galls, and grain, are all alike devoured ; but in my 

 younger days there was an oak-wood in this neighbourhood where I 

 could always find Jays, and where their nests were not uncommon, and 

 it always seemed to me they were fonder of acorns, when they were to 

 be had, than of any other food ; but any " hard and fast " rule with 

 regard to the food of birds may be easily broken, as the following fact 

 will prove. We are all well aware how much a Peregrine Falcon pre- 

 fers a Wood-Pigeon to most other forest birds, and what an exbibition 

 of wing-power is displayed in the dash of pursuer and pursued ; but 

 since the Jays first began to appear, a Falcon — or rather two Falcons 

 — were reported to be preying upon them, not because Wood-Pigeons 

 were scarce ; and, on making further enquiries, I find the report correct. 

 As a proof, a gamekeeper had seen a Falcon strike down a Jay ; he 



