NOTES ON THE GIZZARD CONTENTS OF BIRDS. 145 
broken shells of the bivalve Cyclas cornea and the Brent Goose 
had swallowed a mass of a vascular plant and large quantities 
of sand. . 
A Stockdove and a Turtledove had their crops crammed 
with germinating seeds of Vicia sativa. Another stockdove was 
full of corn. 
The Rail family are represented by two water rails, a moor- 
hen and a coot. Both water rails had eaten aquatic larve, the 
moorhen showed vegetable matter only and the coot quantities 
of moss and sand. 
The Turnstone, a member of the Plover family, had taken a 
large number of tiny oysters. 
The Grey Phalarope, of an allied family to the last, is de- 
‘scribed by Howard Saunders as feeding “‘ on small crustaceans 
and marine animals, the latter obtained by the birds whilst 
swimming buoyantly on the waves, sometimes hundreds of 
miles from land.’’ Mr. Christy’s Grey Phalarope showed its 
power of adapting itself to circumstances ; at Riccal Cove, York, 
it had managed to make a meal in which insects predominated. 
The various Sandpipers had done exactly what would be 
expected of them, and had fed on molluscs and crustacea. 
There remain a few remarks to be made on the representatives 
of the Passerines. | 
If we can judge from this collection, land snails form a large 
‘part of the winter food of the Thrushes. The Song Thrush showed 
three shells, the Redwing 27, and the six Blackbirds had 28 
between them. The same record holds for Starlings in winter. 
‘The Robin’s gizzard was a little entomological museum. 
The Dipper contained the jointed appendages of sand- 
hoppers. 
The Great Tit had scale leaves and insects in about equal 
‘proportions. 
The following is the detailed record of the contents of the 
gizzards examined :— 
1. SonG THRUSH (Turdus musicus). Southwick, xu. 78. 
(During frost). 3 Helix caperata, 1 H. rufescens, 1 H. cantiana. 
2. REDWING (T. tlraceus) Chignal, x11. 78. 27 Helix rufescens, 
2 worms. Tiny insects. 
3. FIELDFARE (T. pilaris). 
(a) Chignal, xu. 78. 1 Helix hispida. A beetle. 
K 
