158 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
In connection with the notes (ante, pp. 33 and 73) respecting the 
occurrence of the American Wood Duck (4/2 sponsa) in this country, 
I may mention that in November last I knew of a male of this very 
beautiful species having been killed not far from here, and on 
Feb. 13th a most superb specimen (male) of what I suppose is the 
Asiatic representative of this lovely group, viz. the Mandarin Duck 
(Aix galerita), with its bantam-like neck, blue and white crested head, 
beautifully barred and variegated body, feathers, and the large fan- 
like scapulars standing over its back, was killed a few miles away, 
and although I am not aware that either species is semi-domesticated 
upon any private water near here, I do not suppose they were 
“British” in the general acceptation of the term, and I should not 
have recorded their occurrence except in connection with the above- 
mentioned notes; and I suppose in such a catalogue of “escapes” 
should be chronicled a fine Canada Goose, shot during the winter or 
early spring. Of the smaller birds, Redwings and Bramblings were 
at times abundant, but Fieldfares, Siskins, and Lesser Redpolls do 
not visit this part of the county—the forest especially—in anything 
like the numbers they formerly did. Last autumn an unusual number 
of Kestrels were observed, and during the whole winter several Pere- 
grine Falcons frequented the valley of the Avon, and, strange to say, 
I did not hear of a single specimen of this noble bird being shot, 
although on several occasions information was brought to me of a 
“swoop” amongst a flock of Teal, or, singling out a Peewit from its 
companions, the Falcon made short work of the screaming Plover. 
One or more of the Hen-Harriers were seen from time to time, both 
in meadow and field, and, if taking toll of a crippled bird, kept well 
out of shot itself, and so, let us hope, escaped. The Merlin, as usual, 
appeared in limited numbers, but I did not hear of one being killed. 
At the end of January a fine female Badger weighing twenty-five 
pounds was trapped on an estate on the western side of the river 
where the existence of such an animal was entirely repudiated by the 
gamekeepers, whose experience and knowledge of all wild creatures— 
according to their own estimation—were beyond dispute; but from 
the appearance I should say she was not a solitary representative of 
her kind in the locality where she was found. I knew of four Otters, 
weighing respectively sixteen, eighteen, twenty-two, and twenty-four 
pounds, which were either trapped or shot, and several seen within a 
radius of a few miles, during the first three months of the year, and 
most probably there were others of which I have no record ; but their 
destruction needs little comment when one sees advertisements for 
