116 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



however, is not so marked as in the case of Chaffinches. The 

 question that naturally occurs to one's mind is, Are the Blackbirds 

 that occur here in winter indigenous or immigrants ? In all 

 probability some are immigrants, as may be inferred from the fact 

 that some striking varieties which have come here in autumn have 

 left on the approach of the breeding season. In some winters — as, 

 for instance, in the winter of 1879-80 — the Song-Thrush is practically 

 absent from this district. — E. P. Butterfield (Wilsden). 



Starling and Sparrow in Captivity. — Miss Twyman's interesting 

 notes on the Swift, &c, referred to by the Editor (p. 40), remind me 

 of some experience I had with a Starling and a Sparrow kept in 

 captivity. The Starling I obtained from a barrow-man, who was 

 ill-using it, by pulling its long tongue to show its capacity for talking 

 like a Parrot. Having got it home, I put it into a cage, where it 

 soon made itself at home. A Jew days after, I saw our Cat with a 

 recently caught Sparrow, which I was able to rescue and put into 

 a cage, which I placed within a yard or two of the Starling's. 

 Though not ideal cage-birds, they were model neighbours to each 

 other, and I found them quite interesting. The Starling became 

 very tame and sociable. If it found the cage-door open while I was 

 having a meal, it would get on my shoulder and ask for some of it. 

 The end of my two pets was rather pathetic. One morning I found 

 the Starling dead in its cage, and next morning the Sparrow was 

 dead. I had them a little over a year. — J. Bose (Binstead, Isle of 

 .Wight). 



The Meaning of " Katones." — On reading Mr. Aplin's note (ante, 

 p. 68) quoting from ' William of Worcester,' it occurred to me that 

 "Katones" might be a corruption of, or have some connection with, 

 the Spanish word "Patines." This word ("Patines") was in use as 

 a name for the Manx Shearwater in Pay's time, two hundred years 

 ago, for he gives it as one of the names of this species in his 

 ' Synopsis Avium," 1713 (see Pennant, Brit. Zool., 1776, p. 465). The 

 name also appears in the ' Dictionary of the Spanish Academy, 

 Madrid,' 1822, as that of a bird " not uncommon on the northern 

 coasts of Spain, which is black above and white below, with white 

 marks on the wings and which feeds on fish, and flies and runs upon 

 the surface of the water." A Shearwater, or Petrel, of some kind is 

 pretty clearly indicated by this description, although the dictionary 

 goes on to give as a Latin explanation, Fulica atra, which is ob- 

 viously wrong. The sound of the word "Patines" might, I think, 

 be mistaken for "Katones " by this author, who seems to have been 



