8846 



Birds. 



that I knew that they were lovers of cherries. Standing on the grass-plat opposite the 

 residence of a friend I saw a jay come into the cherry trees, and this summer I have 

 had frequently to drive them out of two large cherry trees in my own garden. — J. 

 Hanson ; York. 



North Yorkshire Haunts of the Kingfisher. — "In the district of North Yorkshire, 

 I am best acquainted with, I have never seen it" (the kingfisher), says the Rev. J. C. 

 Atkinson, in his ' Birds' Nests and Eggs.' In the River Ouse, about Linton-on-Ouse, 

 and in its tributaries, the Nidd, the Kyle, the Swale and Yore, the kingfisher is as 

 common as such a bird can be; and on a recent fishing excursion to the River Seven, 

 which runs through Rosedale, on its way from the Moor, I observed no less than seven 

 of these beautiful birds within a mile of the water-mill at Appleton-le-Moor. — Id. 



Occurrence of the Whitehellied Swift near Manchester. — On the 17th inst. a large 

 swift was seen flying about St. Mary's Church at Hulme. On the following day it 

 was flying for some time inside the church, but eventually fell down and was captured 

 by Mr. Jones, the organist. It died shortly afterwards in his hand, and he presented 

 it to a friend, Mr. Jones, who is a collector, and sets much value on his prize. The 

 bird was in fair condition, but the intestines were empty. The sex, unfortunately, was 

 not ascertained. — S. Carter; 20, Lower Mosley Street, Manchester, October 26, 1863. 



Late Breeding of the House Martin. — On the 3rd of this month I visited Llangollen, 

 and observed a pair of house martins flying about the principal street. I was astonished 

 to find they had young ones : I passed the nest three or four times daily, and constantly 

 observed one or other of the parent birds feeding the young. Up to the time I left 

 (the 10th) the young were still in the nest, although, to all appearance, full grown. — 

 Id. 



A Nest of Rook's Eggs in October. — On the estate of S. Hawes, Esq., at Slinfold, 

 the very singular occurrence ofapairof rooks having built their nest and laid four 

 eggs, which they are now hatching, might be seen. They commenced building ou the 

 16th inst., and Mr. Hawes has, to satisfy his own curiosity, climbed the tree and seen 

 the number of eggs we have above stated. — ' West Sussex Gazette,' October 28, 1863. 



Partridge Perching in a Tree. — Mr. Harvie Brown does not state in his note on 

 this subject (Zool. 8770) whether the covey alluded to consisted of common or French 

 partridges. If of the former the perching of a single individual as described is certainly 

 unusual, but if French or redlegged birds (Perdix rufa) the circumstance is not un- 

 common. I have seen single birds of the latter species settle in trees when flushed 

 from the turnips in two or three instances duriug one day's shooting. They will also 

 sit in a road on a park wail or paling. — H. Stevenson ; Norwich, October 5, 1863. 



Curious Foot of Partridge. — On the 1st of December, 1860, a French partridge's 

 leg, singularly imbedded in a lump of earth, was sent to me by a bird-preserver in this 

 city, who had received it from a gentleman in Suffolk, who owns one of the heavy-land 

 farms in that county. The poor bird to which it belonged had been seen hobbling 

 about in a very unusual manner, and was without much difficulty run down and secured, 

 when it was found that the lower half of one leg, with the foot, was imbedded in a mass 

 of earth, which raised it considerably from the ground, and necessarily kept the limb 

 in a bent position. This lump, measuring 1\ inches in circumference, and weighing 

 6f ounces, had become as hard as stone, and certainly in that state accounted for the 

 bird not being able to free itself from its incumbrance. Two toes only were visible on 

 one side, of which one had the nail torn off level with the edge of the mass itself. 

 From the upper part protruded a short bit of peat or straw, and this being, entangled 



