CHAPTER OF VARIETIES. 



the animals lived at the bottom, their remains could never rise to the 

 top, through such a prodigious weight of water and of air. There, 

 therefore, they may be at this very day — and in my opinion are : as, 

 from analogy, no part of nature that we are acquainted with is void of 

 inhabitants. If you like to insert this it is at your service. P. W. 



Hawk shooting — I read with interest in the 1st number of the 

 " Field Naturalist," an interesting account of an ingenious method 

 of shooting eagles in the Alps. Since that time, I have heard that 

 a similar plan for shooting hawks has been adopted by a clever and 



intelligent gamekeeper at W . He has two tame hawks, (a 



kestrel and a sparrow hawk) which he stakes down in some exposed 

 situation, at the distance of about a yard from each other, and places 

 a dead rabbit or pigeon between them. He then stations himself in 

 concealment behind some neighbouring hedge or tree. If there are 

 any hawks in the neighbourhood, they are almost immediately attracted 

 to the spot, either from motives of curiosity or anger, and afford an 

 easy shot. What is worthy of remark is, that all kinds of hawks seem 

 to be equally attracted by this lure. C. B. 



January 23, 1834. 



Establishment of a rookery. — Although T. C. has already 

 replied to the sweeping demands of N. N. for accounts of the best mode 

 of improving nature, and although I cannot inform him on all his innu- 

 merable points of inquiry, yet I can tell him how (please the rooks) 

 to establish a rookery. In Northamptonshire there is a village where 

 three rookeries have been established by the following plan ; namety, 

 removing the eggs of the first magpie that builds in the desired locality, 

 and substituting those of rooks ; of course this presupposes the existence 

 of a magpie's nest, but few large clumps of trees are without that, in 

 Northamptonshire at least. If no magpie will build, I cannot help him. 



Your correspondent A.T., Capel Curig, has, I think, been misled by 

 Bewick's cut into a belief that the female Red-backed Shrike was a 

 Woodchat. This uncommon visiter of our country is there so ill 

 described, and the cut is so carelessly done, that I was in the same 

 manner deceived until I got your edition of Montagu, where I found it 

 properly described as totally distinct from the hen-flusher. 



If A. T. ever visits London, he might see preserved specimens of the 

 Woodchat at Mr. Ashmead's, bird preserver, in Duke Street, Grosvenor 

 Square, in good plumage, and well set up, T. 



