Birds. 



8841 



The Hobby Falcon at Plymouth. — About the middle of October a specimen of this 

 little hawk was shot on Mount Batten, a projecting piece of rocky ground on the mar- 

 gin of Plymouth Sound. It is now in the collection of Mr. Dunstau. This falcon is 

 a rare visitor to this neighbourhood. Mr. Bolitho, our long-celebrated animal preserver, 

 told me it was many years since he received a specimen of this species. — J. J. Reading ; 

 Plymouth, November 2, 1863. 



Occurrence of the Osprey near Hayle. — An osprey was captured on the sand hills 

 near Hayle, on Saturday, with all the upper plumage margined p.tle, showing signs of 

 immaturity as compared with some specimens having an uniform dull brown cast. — 

 ^Sdivard Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, October 21, 1863. 



Marsh Harrier in the Scilly Isles. — We had a great gale here on Monday week 

 from the S.S.E., just about the period of the autumnal migration. I have received 

 information that just after the gale hawfinches, wood wrens, shorteared owls, &c., 

 were observed on the Islands, and I have examined to-day a very beautiful speci- 

 men of the marsh hairier (female) with the whole of the head and throat of a rich 

 cream-yellow, shot on one of the Islands. It is to be hoped that this interesting species, 

 showing the link between the harriers and buzzards, will not become extinct, as others 

 have been observed on the Cornish Moors ; but they are very scarce. — Id. 



The Redbrcasted Flycatcher in company with Pied Flycatchers at Scilly. — Amongst 

 the various arrivals of different birds in their migratorial movement at this season of 

 the year at Scilly, fllycalchers were observed on Friday last, three of which were 

 captured, one of them from its smaller size being at the time taken for. a chiffchaff. 

 The four outer semi-white tail-feathers arrested the attention of my nephew and Mr. A. 

 Pechell, who were the captors, and they were sent over here for my inspection. The 

 little bird, from the description my nephew gave before I saw it, led me to believe it 

 would prove to be a second specimen of the Muscicapa parva. He writes : — " Pechell 

 has sent three little birds to be preserved, and we want your opinion about them. Two 

 we think are young pied flycatchers, the third seems to be something like a chiffchaff, 

 but the tail is not right and the white feathers seem odd. I think they are all young. 

 The actions of the bird with the white tail were those of a flycatcher." On examining 

 this third and small bird it proved to be the redbreasted flycatcher. The sides of the 

 breast are tinged with buff-brown, which colour is perceptible across the breast. The 

 chin and middle parts of the breast and belly white, not quite pure. The four outer 

 tail-feathers with their basal halves' irregularly white, leaving the tips to the extent of 

 two-thirds of an inch brown. I venture an opinion that this is an immature male bird. 

 -Id. 



Migration of the Ring Ouzel. — The Rev. Gilbert White observed that the ring- 

 ouzel was seen at Selborne during its migrations about Easter and Michaelmas. Now 

 as I live about twelve miles from Selborne I have looked for these birds for two or 

 three springs and autumns without success, till the fth of April, 18G3, when a neighbour 

 came and told me he had just seen, in a narrow lane not far from the house, a blackbird 

 with a white breast. I thought at once that it must be a ring ouzel ; so off we set, and 

 on getting into the lane that leads from Preston Cand over to the Oak Hills, we began 

 to look into the fields on either side of the road, and had not looked long before my 

 companion espied what we took to be a blackbird, but which, on closer examination, 

 proved to be a ring ouzel. We went in pursuit, and soon came up with the bird, 

 which, however, did not let us get within shot of it, but flew off a short distance in the 

 direction of Bradley, a small village about a mile and a half distant from Moundsmere. 

 VOL. XXI. 3 Y 



