MR. .1. II. GUUNKY ON NORTH AMERIC.AN RlROfi OK PREY. ()O0 
'I'he detached carpels of Ranuncuhis are very badly preserved, 
though so abundant. They are smaller than my recent or lossil 
specimens of li. rei>en>f, but the difference may be due to the decay 
of another layer. Kven the characteristic and deep pitting is 
entirely obliterated on most of the specimens. They are also 
a good deal distorted by pressure. 
VIT. 
NOTES ON THE FOOD OF SOME NOKTH AMElHt'.VN 
IHEDS OF riiEY, COMPILED FPOM THE KEPOPT 
FOli 18«7 OF THE UNITED STATES GUVEKNMENT 
DEPARTMENT OF AGKICULTUPE. 
1>Y J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. 
Read 2 gth yanuary, i88g. 
The Department of Agriculture in the Government of the United 
States of America has recently issued an Ollicial Report for 1887, 
which contains, in addition to other interesting matter, some curious 
statistics relating to the food of various Raptorial birds, as ascer- 
tained by dissection and tabulated by Dr. A. K. Fisher. 
The following summary, compiled from this report, embodies the 
main facts thus ascertained; but it should be premised that, in 
numerous instances, a variety of prey was found to be contained in 
the stomach of a single Raptorial specimen. 
It may be right also to quote the following statement in the 
words of the original report viz.: “ The names of the animals found 
in the stomachs are given in general terms, such as mouse, mole, 
shrew ; in nearly all cases (more than 99 per cent.) the exact 
species of each has been determined and reconled, and will be given 
in the final report.” 
AVith regaixl to the term “Rabbit,” which frequently occurs, 
I may quote the following from Coues’ ‘ Monograph of North 
American Rodentia’ (p. 370): “ Strictly speaking, the term Rabbit is 
