cove, with patches of long coarse reedy grass in the background. This is a favourite resort of the seals, and here their manners and customs may be always studied.

The old gray bulls rear the fore part of their bodies and slowly sway themselves from side to side, meanwhile throwing up their great heads and bellowing continuously. The cows and their calves are congregated together in a coterie by themselves, and on the outlying rocks repose, in attitudes anything but graceful, an entire seraglio of young females. The noise of the seals in the night is something fearful: it is like the croaking of Brobdignag bull-frogs, varied at intervals by deep growls and sharp cries, low-muttered curses, snortings, dissonant brayings, and other sounds even more unearthly still. Three individuals fall victims to the prowess of our sportsmen, and are towed on board in triumph. From the simple pointed molar teeth of the upper jaw, and by other characters, I make them out to be a species of Halichorus, very possibly H. barbatus.-Arthur Adams.

Cat taking the Water. - A man in my employment, who lived in an adjacent cottage, had a fine tortoiseshell cat, which was not only an excellent mouser, but was also extremely fond of the flesh of water-rats and moorhens. In pursuit of these she was frequently observed to plunge into the water, and seldom failed to bring out a prize. Jonathan Grubb.

Hedgehogs. - We have hedgehogs constantly in our garden; and during the late wet summer (1860) I observed that they had been very busy at night on the lawn rooting, so as quite to disfigure it; but I could not perceive that it was the plantain roots that attracted them, as mentioned by Gilbert White. I rather thought, from the appearance of the holes, that worms were the object of their search. I have frequently pursued them in the dusk on a summer's evening, and found that so long as I kept at a moderate distance they continued to run pretty fast, but as soon as I got up to them they immediately sought safety by rolling themselves up and concealing all the tender parts within their prickly armour. It was pleasing then to watch at a little distance the cautious manner in which they unrolled themselves and made off to the nearest cover.-Id.

Note on Spermophilus erythrogenoides, Falconer, a new Species of Marmot.I have much pleasure in presenting a sketch of the right ramus of the lower jaw of this new species of marmot. I have made the sketch from the jaw now in the Museum at Taunton. It has been to London, and compared by perhaps the greatest authority

for cave-animal remains, Dr. Falconer. This gentleman informed me that he considered it then to be the jaw of Spermophilus citellus; but he afterwards found it to be not that species, but an entirely new one, to which he has given the above name. The specimen, which was bought by the Somerset Archæological and Natural-History Society, was in the late Mr. Williams's collection of Devonian fossils and cave-animal remains. The latter are from the Mendip caverns, and among them are some very fine specimens; one, a head of Hyæna spelæa, Dr. Falconer told me is the finest in Europe. These marmots, or ground-squirrels as they are called, were probably as plentiful in our limestone hills ages ago as they are now, scattered over the Old and New World. This animal, to

which the jaw belonged, although not precisely like S. citellus of the Altai mountains, to which it was first attributed, was no doubt the equivalent of that species inhabiting this intermediate space between the Old and New World; and it is my opinion that the climate of this country has not undergone any material change since these limestone hills of ours possessed those little creatures alive and in full activity. These may have existed, and probably did exist, even up to the time when man took possession of this island, and indeed may have been exterminated by him. As the other species of this family are used as food, these in all probability were used as food also. And if we picture the Altaio at the present time with what our Mendips and other ranges of limestone hills once were, we shall see a very great resemblance, both in its fauna and the crops which they both sustained around them. At the town of Fykalka, situated on the southern slope, at the height of 4000 feet above the sea, the land is cultivated with success, yielding barley, rye, oats, millet and summer wheat, besides garden vegetables. The little marmot, which inhabits these regions near the snow line, is preyed upon by the glutton: the bear, the wild sheep (Ovis argali), Cervus Elaphus, C. Alces, &c., climb about the craggy heights, while below roam the tiger, &c. Now, if we build up the bony structures which are found in these caverns of our hills, and clothe them with flesh and give them life,—the lions, hyænas, wolves, sheep and deer,—with Elephas primigenius and E. antiquus feeding on the young green boughs of the willows and birch, with perhaps Bos longifrons and B. Urus roaming in the boggy ground in the distance, and Urocerus hibernicus and Strogylocerus spelæus bounding across the plain, I think the picture of our Altai, the Mendips, may be compared to that of the Altai proper of the present time. What can have caused the death of so many animals in this country, both carnivorous and granivorous, when similar ones are living as it were in a similar condition to those which existed some years ago, is a problem I am not prepared to answer. They must have gradually died out from or through some, to us, unknown cause. I say gradually; and it must have been so, from the circumstance of the bones being found as it were in layers, or rather mixed with mould and dirt, in some places to eight or ten feet thick, just as the deer, &c., were hauled in to be devoured by bear or hyæna, which ever occupied the den; so that it is quite evident they were not destroyed by any sudden catastrophe, but that they gradually became extinct. A casual observer of these caverns would be led perhaps to other conclusions by their water-worn appearance inside,—an appearance which I cannot satisfactorily account for. The outside presents no particular worn appearance, but has the sharp angles familiar to every one who visits these hills.-Edward Parfitt; Exeter, January 31, 1861.

Occurrence of the Harvest Mouse (Mus messorius) in Banffshire. — Although the harvest mouse has long been considered an inhabitant of Banffshire, yet the fact, so far as I am aware, could never be satisfactorily established. Mr. Wallas Gardiner, of Greenskairs, parish of Gamrie, having occasionally seen on his property what appeared to him a curious and very small mouse, mentioned the fact to an acquaintance, who expressed a wish to see a specimen. Shortly afterwards two of the said mice were sent here for inspection, and proved to be the veritable Mus messorius of White, the very species which I had been so long and so anxiously in search of. Need I say with what delight my poor old eyes fell for the first time on these little gems of the quadruped world, or how long I looked at them, how often I turned and re-turned them, and with what tender care I stroked them? I may, however, mention that one of them and they both seemed about the same-which I measured, and which is

now preserved in the Banff Museum, is scarcely four inches in length, tail and all; and its weight is only one-eighth of an ounce and thirteen grains! Well might the esteemed author of the Natural History of Selborne' say, "I suppose they are the smallest quadruped in this island," and he might have added "or perhaps on any other." Far be it from me to say aught against any mouse, or indeed against any animal whatever; but I cannot help thinking that these little creatures are the most elegant and pretty of their kind I have ever seen. From what I had read about the harvest mouse I was led to believe that it was of a reddish brown; but this I find not to be the case, at least with these, which are both adults: they are rather of a delicate glossy bay, except the belly, which is pure white. Thomas Edward; Banff, December 8, 1860.

Nesting of the Griffon Vulture (Vultur fulvus) in Eastern Algeria. - A French "colon," who, when occasionally sober, plied the trades of carpenter and "chasseur," had offered to take us to some accessible griffons' nests. The rain was descending in torrents when we set out with our guide, and so dense were the clouds that it was impossible to detect even a griffon at two hundred yards. However, after some scrambling in the forest, we approached the edge of a long range of cliffs, from whose fissures and ledges many a mountain shrub and tree stretched forth and partially covered the nakedness of the rocks: carefully peering over the top, we soon espied, at a distance of some fifty feet below us, the cumbrous heap of sticks which generally serves the vulture for a nest; but were dismayed to see instead of an egg an unfledged downy squab. Had we come too late for nesting? It was an ominous disappointment to commence with. However, "Il y a de plus encore," cries our Frenchman, and we soon made out a second nest a little lower down the cliff. Alarmed by the falling of a stone, the parent bird deliberately rises, slowly stretches her wings, and, with two or three majestic wavings of her pinions, leaves a single egg disclosed to view. Having discovered a narrow ledge by which the nest may be reached, Simpson boldly descends, and reverentially handles the first griffon's egg he had ever seen in situ. But, calling out to us that he will wait till the complement has been laid, he clambers up to the top again. He has scarcely arrived there when the mother returns, and, quietly sailing in, lets herself drop on the edge of the nest. Here she pauses for a minute or two, grotesquely turns her neck and squints at her beloved egg, first with one eye, then with the other. Next she sniffs at it, turns it over and over, and with fond admiration, taking another look, seats herself down on it. It must be hard set, we remark, and Simpson, resigning hopes of any additional booty, determines to descend again and secure his prize. He had almost reached the nest before the parent bird would quit it: the egg proved to have been incubated for some time, and was the best-marked griffon's we obtained.-H. B. Tristram, in the 'Ibis,' ii. 362.

Occurrence of the Spotted Eagle (Falco nævius) at Lundy Island. - My friend Mr. Heaven, of Lundy, some three years since shot a specimen of the spotted eagle on the island; so that Mr. Rodd's bird is not the first which has occurred in the West of England.-Murray A. Mathews; Raleigh, Barnstaple, February 1, 1861.

Occurrence of the American Whiteheaded Eagle (Falco leucocephalus) in Somersetshire ?-The following notice of the appearance, in Somersetshire, of the whiteheaded eagle may be interesting to some of the readers of the Zoologist.' It is extracted from

66

a letter just received from my son : pened here. I was going to shut the rabbit-house door, when all the fowls came half flying down the yard, and hurried into the house. I guessed there might be a hawk, and, seeing the sheep also run under cover, I looked up, and there, not very high, but near enough for me to hear the flap of his great brown wings, was a whiteheaded sea eagle. Perhaps he was hungry, and had not met with his feeder the fish-hawk, and so was forced to come inland. He hovered awhile over our farm, and then turned his white head, and with one great flap of his wings went off over Bleadon Hill, and disappeared in the red sunset. I suppose he went to the Bristol Channel to fish for himself."-Theodore Compton; Winscombe, Weston-super-Mare, January 25, 1861.

Yesterday a curious ornithological event hap

Occurrence of the Whitetailed Eagle (Falco albicilla) at Weston-super-Mare.-A very fine young specimen of the whitetailed or sea eagle was shot here last week. Can this be the bird seen by Mr. Compton ?-W. D. Crotch; Uphill House, Westonsuper-Mare, February 4, 1861.

[I am always reluctant to throw the slightest discredit on statements made in good faith, and evidently without intention to mislead: but it does seem to me that the American eagle cannot be admitted into the avi-fauna of Britain on such unsatisfactory ground; and I feel quite disposed to admit Mr. Crotch's solution of the difficulty. -Edward Newman.]

A Domesticated Golden Eagle.—In my neighbourhood an half-pay surgeon of the navy had a golden eagle for three or four years in his farmyard, where it was an object of great attraction to visitors. It used to fly all over the country, and was sometimes absent for a couple of days at a time. At last it was shot by a farmer, from whose premises it was carrying off a hen. It never did any damage at home, where it was always well fed; nor did I ever hear of its attacking any person, although it occasionally used to show its displeasure, when disturbed by visitors, by screaming and shaking its feathers. Its favourite perch was on the farmyard wall, overlooking a public road, or on the top of an old chimney. For the last year of its life its habits had become much more rapacious, and there were many complaints of its marauding; but its owner was the dispensing doctor of the district, and people did not like to vex him by destroying the bird; indeed, the man who did shoot it was quite unhappy when he found that it was a tame bird.-Donegal, in the Field' newspaper.

Occurrence of the Common Buzzard (Falco buteo) near Lynn. — A fine male specimen of this bird was sent to me for preservation; it was shot at Sandringham, near Lynn, by the Hon. Spencer Cowper, in November, 1860.-William Wilson; Museum, King's Lynn, January 16, 1861.

Occurrence of a pied Blackbird near Lynn.- A fine male specimen of the blackbird, beautifully pied with white, was shot at West Winch, near Lynn, in December, 1860.-Id.

Immense Migration of Larks; Migration of Starlings. I was staying on Lundy Island, this last Christmas, for woodcock shooting, and while there witnessed an extraordinary migration of skylarks. After the frost and snow had continued for upwards of a week, the skylarks from the mainland commenced migrating in almost a continual stream to the island, their instinct doubtless teaching them that on the island, surrounded by salt water, the frost would not be so severe. I was one afternoon on the highest point in the island, and saw these "frozen-out" skylarks arriving flock after flock. In a very short time the island was covered with them. To give some idea of their numbers I may mention that we could not fire at a snipe or woodcock as it rose

without unintentionally killing three or four larks by the same shot.

Although there was plenty of food for the larks upon the island, yet we found great quantities lying about dead from starvation: these were birds which had evidently delayed their migration until so weakened by hunger that the exertion of their long flight had proved fatal to them. Directly the milder weather came we found the larks had left the island, and had returned to their usual haunts on the mainland. We had a large migration of starlings in the severe weather, but these birds were not nearly in such numbers as the larks.— Murray A. Mathew; Raleigh, Barnstaple, February 1, 1861.

Robin Fascinated by a Snake.-Having noticed (Zool. 7273) an account of a bird being fascinated by a snake, it brought to my recollection a similar incident which came under my own observation. When proceeding down the avenue here one morning, at a turn in the walk I saw a robin which appeared to me spell-bound, so much so as to allow a much closer approach than is usual even with that boldest of the feathered tribe. On going nearer I perceived what I took to be the cause in a large common snake, which was lying coiled up on one side of the path, with its head a little raised. My appearance broke the spell, and the robin flew away; at the same time the snake dropped its head, and assumed a perfectly inert appearance. After passing it I recollected that children were playing at the further end of the avenue, and thinking the snake might alarm them I returned to the house to get a stick with which to despatch it, and though I was only gone about a minute it had managed to disappear amongst the bushes which lined the walk, for I could see nothing of it on my return. John Henry Belfrage; Muswell Hill, February 12, 1861.

Migration of Swallows.-I am informed by a resident at Malta that the last swallows were seen on the 3rd of December, two days later than they were observed in the Isle of Wight, as recorded in my note of the 3rd of that month (Zool. 7315).- Henry Hadfield; Ventnor, Isle of Wight, January 16, 1861.

Late Stay of Swallows and Martins in the Isle of Wight.-Has it been noticed in previous years that swallows and martins remain in the Isle of Wight much beyond the average period of their departure from our coasts, or is this year an exceptional one? I observed them at Ventnor and its immediate neighbourhood every day up to and inclusive of the 5th of this month. They appeared to be as lively and as much at home as in the middle of summer. Martins appeared to be in greatest force at Blackgang Chine on the 2nd of November: they were disporting themselves about the cliffs in large numbers. I saw but one or two swallows on that day, but in the town of Ventnor on the 3rd and 4th I saw several of the latter, and on the morning of the 5th, just before I left, the wind at the time being east and bitterly cold, I saw five. At Newport, in the centre of the island, on the same day two martins were flying about the streets: they appeared to be young ones, and were very weakly. Can it be that there is, after all, some truth in the hybernating theory, and that the nooks and crevices of the rocks and cliffs, at a point of our coast so far south as Ventnor, afford them a winter shelter? Is it not reasonable to suppose a swallow may become torpid, and sleep away the cold months, as we know the dormouse does? William Gostling; 5, Wykeham Villas, Wandsworth Common, November 16, 1860.

Singular Instance of Sagacity in Birds. — At a time when there was some housebreaking in this neighbourhood I placed for protection an alarm-bell under the eaves of my house, with a rope through the wall into my own room. The cord was about the size of a common linen line, and passed over a pulley outside, going first downwards and then upwards, with the needful pulleys till it reached the bell, which hangs