464 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the river-bank. The terrible storm of Aug. 10th brought down one 

 magnificent example, which lay obliquely across the turbid stream, and 

 the fallen trunk lent itself admirably as a capital place from which to 

 make observations and notes. "Many Eobins in copse by riverside, 

 singing nicely." " One uttering the note (anxiety ?), rather like two 

 stones chinking together, affects a wire-fence, somewhat after the 

 fashion of the Flycatcher ; all this as it grows dusk ; cannot hear any 

 other birds than Robins." 



Sept. 23rd. — " Walking home from Stanton Harcourt, saw a Barn- 

 Owl hawking about the hedgerows. It was almost quite dark at 

 6.30 p.m." " Heard Peewits calling, and was just able on two or 

 three occasions to see a flock flying over our heads." " I think they 

 must be a little nocturnal in habits." The Limicoline birds have, 

 generally speaking, large eyes, a feature that at once stamps them as 

 being more or less nocturnal in habits. 



Sept. ZotJi. — " Watching Pied Wagtail in meadow opposite bottom 

 of garden. It did not once capture an insect on the wing, and only 

 took to wing when it at last flew away on its own accord." " Several 

 times it hopped." This hopping was not like the Sparrow's familiar hop ; 

 I should rather have written "jump." The meadow was studded with 

 mole-hills, and in the course of its perambulations — in true Wagtail 

 fashion — the little creature on several occasions found itself at the 

 top of one of these mounds, and probably, when spying an insect, 

 jumped rather than hopped towards it, but on no such occasion were 

 the wings brought into use. " Watching a troupe of Bullfinches (six) 

 engaged on a row of sweet-peas, but, on examining the place, found 

 no evidence of their having attacked the pods ; they had confined their 

 attentions to picking out the seeds of the sow-thistle, several speci- 

 mens of which were growing close at hand." " Robins in good 

 song." 



Sept. Z6th. — " Large flocks of Peewits in the Minster Meadows." 

 " Arrived at Minster Ruins at 3.50 p.m. ; saw and heard many Jack- 

 daws." " After walking down the village to an inn for refreshment, 

 returned to the ruins at 4.30 p.m., and there were no Jackdaws to be 

 seen or heard." " Have they probably gone off to seek food ? " " Not 

 five minutes after noting this I hear distant chatterings, and right 

 away over the hills I see two huge flocks of Daws, wheeling, sweeping, 

 dividing into companies and rejoining — quite like organized man- 

 oeuvring." "One flock splits in two; one part falls towards the 

 ground, like a shower of large black hailstones ; the other circles round 

 and round, now almost invisible, now quite apparent." " Two Herons 

 uttering their harsh cry." 



