NATURE NOTES. 
Dog; Chased by Hare. — The incident of the starlings chasing the hawk 
reminds me of what occurred a few years ago in Wiltshire. A dog had caught 
sight of a hare and chased it for about a quarter of a mile, when the hare, meeting 
with some obstruction, turned back upon the dog. Upon this the dog ran away, 
and the hare followed until within a protective distance of the dog’s master. I 
have several times seen a hawk mobbed by small birds. 
William White. 
Cat and Sparrows. — very carious occurrence took place on January 
l8, while I happened to be in my garden. A long haired, sandy cat with a 
short tail, the tail having a kind of hook at the extremity, was sitting at the foot 
of an apple tree, watching some sparrows hopping about in the branches. .Sud- 
denly, without any fluttering, one of the birds — a sparrow — fell to the ground close 
to the cat, apparently dead. Of course the cat snatched it up at once and com- 
menced to play with it ; the bird was not dead, as it got away from the cat once 
and flew several yards. I think that if the bird had been left alone it would have 
recovered. I also saw a sparrow with a long beak like that of a woodpecker. I 
tliought at first that it was a woodpecker, but on getting closer I could see that it 
undoubtedly was a sparrow. It comes daily to be fed with crumbs like other 
birds. Is this long beak a common occurrence ? 
A'etu. , W. J. 
A Florida Tortoise (p. 25.) — A friend of mine tells me that she knew a 
large tortoise of this kind. It was kept in a garden at St. Leonards, and was very 
fond of lettuce. But its chief delight was in dandelions — flower, stalk and leaf — 
these it devoured greedily, seeming to prefer them to any other food. 
A. W. II ARTE. 
Birds in a London Garden. — During the few days of hard frost we had 
lately, I fed the birds with crumbs, &c. Amongst the birds which came to be fed 
I noticed the following : a thrush, a blackbird, two hen chaffinches, a pair of 
robins, a blue tit, and a great many starlings and sparrows. Contrary to my 
expectations the robins were the most shy. The chaffinches were bold, and the 
thrush came quite regularly. He took care to get the best pieces, and drove 
away any of the others that ventured too near him. The above is, I think, a very 
good list for a London garden. 
Fiusbmy Park. E. B. Lloyd. 
Birds’ Beaks (p. 39). — I enclose a photograph of a rook that was shot 
in this neighbourhood by a friend, who took it for a carrion crow, as it was soli- 
tary. The beak has the appearance of having had its extremity taken off by a 
trap. Where shot it was perfectly healed and “callused” over. The wonder 
is that it had been able to feed. 
Ivybridge. J. D. PoOLE. 
I fear that the birds without beaks are not victims of accident or disease. 
Some years since, ihe conduct of some boys at a large and well known school 
near London, was brought before my notice. They had a horrible species of trap 
for catching birds by the beak ; sparrows especially fell victims, and some 
liberated themselves by leaving their beaks in the traps. I hese poor birds soon 
died of starvation ; they had been seen in their deplorable state by my informant. 
I much regretted being unable to obtain the information through a channel that 
could have been used in procuring a severe punishment for such barbarity. 
M. R. F. S. 
The birds without beaks had no doubt been caught in that abominably cruel 
contrivance the gin or trap of the schoolboy. I see the R.S.P. C.A. are 
offering prizes for a really humane trap. I hope inventors will bestir themselves. 
The scream of the poor rabbit or hedgehog when trapped, often takes off a great 
deal of the pleasure of an evening’s walk in the woods. 
Fyfield, Abinydon. W. II. Warner. 
Dog and Dove. — I was st.aying with my niece, Mrs. C. Dorrington, at 
Witney. A tame dove used to be let out of its cage during breakfast ; a small 
.Scotch terrier was also in the room. These two unlikely playfellows commenced 
a game which amused and interested us very much. It began by the dove attack- 
