EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 491 
species, amicably, not to say affectionately, living with a larygish chicken in 
Mr. Alan Crossman’s aviary. The story of this strange companionship is 
not along one. The Buzzard desired to sit, and hen’s eggs were given it 
to brood over. On the first occasion a chicken was hatched and dis- 
appeared—ask not where; on the second, two left the eggs, but only one 
lived, and became the foster-child of the Buzzard, which brought it up, and 
still continues to treat it in the light of a relation, though now nearly full 
grown. In this case two instincts of the Buzzard came into collision—that 
of killing weaker birds to live upon, and a natural desire to bring up young. 
Taking into consideration that instincts do not always give rise to stereo- 
typed actions, but are to a certain extent modified by circumstances, and 
again, that the raptorial bird had had no necessity for some time to seek its 
prey, it is not so surprising perhaps that the maternal instinct proved itself 
the stronger.—Daily Mail. 
The above is by no means the first occasion that a Buzzard has been 
known to bring up chickens. Yarrell, in his first edition of his ‘ British 
Birds,’ vol. i. p. 78 (1843), says :—“* The extreme partiality of the Common 
Buzzard to the seasonal task of incubation and rearing young birds has 
been exemplified in various instances. A few years back a female Buzzard, 
kept in the garden of the ‘ Chequers Inn’ at Uxbridge, showed an inclina- 
tion to sit by collecting and bending all the loose sticks she could obtain 
possession of. Her owner, noticing her actions, supplied her with 
materials; she completed her nest, and sat on two hen’s eggs, which she 
hatched, and afterwards reared the young. Since then she has hatched and 
brought up a brood of chickens every year.” 
Tue following particulars concerning the expedition which has left 
England for the purpose of visiting the almost unexplored island of 
Socotra, situated about one hundred and fifty miles east-north-east of 
Cape Guardafui, have been given in the ‘Times.’ The staff consists of 
Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant, of the department of Zoology in the British 
Museum; Dr. H. O. Forbes, the director of the Liverpool Museums; 
and Mr. Cutmore, taxidermist attached to the latter institutions. The 
Royal Society, the Royal Geographical Society, and the British Associa- 
tion have provided part of the funds for the undertaking. The expedition 
has sailed for Aden, proceeding thence to Socotra by the Indian Marine 
guardship ‘ Elphinstone,’ which, in compliance with a request made by the 
authorities of the British Museum, has been placed at the disposal of 
Mr. Grant and Dr. Forbes for the purpose of conveying them to the island 
and back to Aden on the termination of their stay. The main object of 
the expedition is to investigate thoroughly the fauna of the island, and 
make large and complete collections in every branch of Zoology. 
