62 
J . E. LITTLEBOY-NOTES ON BIRDS 
the Grove gardens her little favourites could not he induced to renew 
their familiarity. 
House-spareow ( Passer domesticus). —Mr. E. C. Blockley has kindly 
furnished me with the following anecdote respecting the predatory 
habits of sparrows:—In July last year some half dozen pieces of 
Honiton lace (collars and cuffs) were put on the lawn to bleach, a 
few pebbles being placed on each piece. About an hour afterwards 
the lace had unaccountably disappeared. Somebody suggested 
“birds,” so some common frilling was put out and a watch was 
set. In a few moments a sparrow was seen to descend from the 
ivy on the back of the house, and fly up with a piece nearly a yard 
long. This told the tale. 'With the help of a ladder about thirty 
sparrows’ nests were examined, in five of which a piece of lace was 
found, but the sixth was never recovered. The lace was uninjured. 
Tree-Sparrow (. Passer montamis). —In January I noticed two of 
these birds near the river at Hunton Bridge, and Mr. A. E. Griffith 
reports having seen one on March 9th on the railway, close to 
Beech Bottom. 
Carrion Crow ( Corvus Corone). —Mr. Marlborough ft. Pryor has 
kindly supplied me with the following note :—In the spring a 
carrion-crow, which had wrought great destruction in the rookeries 
at Clothall in 1884, reappeared in the neighbourhood, and after 
working great havoc, killing more than half the young rooks, was 
shot by Mr. Thomas Pryor, of Baldock. 
Baven ( Corvus Corax). —Mr. Percy E. Eordham informs me that 
two ravens were observed on November 19th at Church-hill Earm, 
near Boyston. 
Sparrow-hawk ( Accipiter Nisus). —Mr. Percy E. Eordham reports 
the finding of a nest of the sparrow-hawk with four eggs on June 
21st, near Royston. 
Hobby-hawk ( Falco subbuteo). —A hobby-hawk was shot near 
Port Yale on the 17th of September, and has been mounted by Mr. 
Norman Thrale. 
Osprey ( Pandion Haliaetus). —It will be remembered that in my 
ornithological report for the year 1880, I reported the taking of an 
osprey near the Broadwater, in Hatfield Park. It was considered 
at the time to be an occurrence of considerable importance, but its 
interest would have been greatly augmented had it been known 
that two others were shot, almost precisely at the same time, at 
Buislip, near Bickmansworth, just beyond the boundary of our 
county. Bespecting this event Mr. Charles Healey has been good 
enough to supply me with the following note :—On September 
21st, 1880, an osprey was shot at Buislip by Mr. William Cosier, 
and is now in his possession. Two or three days afterwards its 
mate was killed by one of the keepers, in the adjoining wood, and 
is at present in the possession of Mr. Baker, late of Eastcot. There 
can be but little doubt that these noble birds came over from the 
continent in company, and that they formed a portion of the im¬ 
mense cloud of Baptores which visited the eastern and southern 
districts of England in the autumn of 1880. 
