NOTES AND QUERIES. 467 



species with us, was obtained at the Ythan estuary, Sept. 12th. — 

 Geobge Sim (Aberdeen). 



Ornithological Notes from North Devon. — Perhaps it is not every- 

 one's good fortune to see over half a dozen Ravens in an afternoon's 

 ramble ; yet in walking, last May, in the neighbourhood of Lee, I 

 observed at least eight. Another I picked up dead, and on arriving at 

 Ilfracombe I noticed still another on the Capstone Hill. Some weeks 

 before I spent a very pleasant day at Baggy Point, where I was lucky 

 enough to catch a young Raven, which had apparently only just flown 

 from its nest. A high wind was blowing, and the youngster could 

 only fly very short distances ; consequently I soon captured him. 

 He proved to be a most amusing bird. At first he was very angry 

 with me, and snapped at my fingers, but he did no serious injury, 

 although I was surprised at the power which he possessed in his beak. 

 After a while I put him into my spacious inside pocket, and so carried 

 him with me for the remainder of the day. On being first introduced 

 to his new apartments he become very excited, and his muffled croaks 

 sounded most sepulchral. By lunch-time he had quieted down, so I 

 allowed him some fresh air, and a little meat from my sandwiches. 

 The latter he greedily swallowed, but one particularly large piece 

 stuck in his gullet, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he 

 eventually removed it. Like a spoilt child he refused every consola- 

 tion, and stood a few feet away, staring at me reproachfully with a 

 cold blue eye — "quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'" Certainly it is a 

 step beyond the truth to say he did repeat that famous retort, of which 

 an unearthly ancestor of his is represented as having once made use, 

 yet he clearly meant it ; for he defied all attempts at recapture, and 

 when I left him he was seated on a wall, the wind ruffling his glossy 

 feathers, and the rain beating across him in cold cutting sheets. I 

 almost thought of tempting him into submission again by offering my 

 muffler (!), but on second thoughts refrained, allowing my friend to 

 battle with the elements as best he could. 



Rooks and Starlings are very sagacious birds. I have often watched 

 them hovering over the River Taw, and picking up any dainty morsels 

 that happen to be floating by. One bird, however — a young Starling 

 — met with a fatal accident in performing this clever little trick ; his 

 strength seemed to suddenly fail him, he fell into the water, and was 

 carried away by the current. I finally saw him disappear beneath the 

 surface. Starlings have long been known to catch flies on the wing, 

 but last September I saw twenty or thirty Black-headed Gulls swooping 

 over a large field, evidently flycatching. They were accompanied by 



