Starling (Sturnus vulgaris). Insects, flesh, winged insects, seeds, grain, sand-hoppers, pieces of fish (both fresh and salted). Rosecoloured Pastor (Pastor roseus). Remains of beetles, and among them those of Geotrupes putridarius in considerable quantity. Raven (Corvus corax). Flesh, large insects, grain, pieces of fish (both fresh and salted), domestic fowls, ducks, eggs of various kinds. Crow (C. corone). Mice, large insects, common cockchaffer (Melolontha vulgaris), barley. Hooded Crow (C. corax). Pieces of fish, shell-fish of several kinds, oats, large beetles, earth-worms. Rook (C. frugilegus). Worms, large insects, potatoes. Jackdaw (C. monedula). Insects. Magpie (C. pica). oats. Flesh, insects, cockchaffers and their larvæ, Jay (C. glandarius). Seeds, land-shells. The stomach of a specimen examined by me, in 1855, contained a few small seeds and the head of a small hōbnail. Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis). Insects, larvæ of ants, turnip seed. Spotted Woodpecker (P. major). Small insects, beetles, earthworms, seeds of mountain ash. Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (P. minor). Small insects. Creeper (Certhia familiaris). Small insects, eggs of spiders. Wren (Troglodytes europaus). Small insects, sand-hoppers, earth worms. Hoopoe (Upupa epops). Beetles, small flies, grubs. Nuthatch (Sitta europea). Seeds. Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus). Caterpillars, small insects. Kingfisher (Alcedo ispida). Fish, large beetles. Swallow (Hirundo rustica), Martin (H. urbica), Sand Martin (H. riparia) and Swift (Cypselus apus). Winged insects. Nightjar (Caprimulgus europeus). Ring Dove (Columba palumbus). beech-mast, seeds of Ranunculus acris. Stock Dove (C. anas). Small seeds. Cockchaffers, large moths. Rock Dove (C. livia). Grain, seeds, roots of couch grass (Triticum repens). Turtle Dove (C. turtur). Leaves, corn. Partridge (Perdix cinerea). Leaves, insects, hawthorn berries. Redlegged Partridge (P. rubra). Corn, small seeds, leaves. Quail (P. coturnix). Corn, seeds, small insects. Stone Curlew (Edicnemus crepitans). Insects, earth-worms, small sharp stones, small pieces of heather. Golden Plover (Charadrius pluvialis). Fine roots, seeds of Carices, insects, earth-worms, sea-weed, mud, gravel. Dotterell (C. morinellus). Earth-worms. Ringed Plover (C. hiaticula). Marine and fresh-water insects, earth-worms, sand-hoppers, fragments of shells, small fibres of plants, gravel. Kentish Plover (C. cantianus). Sand, marine insects. Little Ringed Plover (C. minor). Insects, sand, a few fibres of, plants. Gray Plover (Vanellus melanogaster). Earth-worms. Lapwing (V. cristatus). water insects, gravel. Earth-worms, grubs, marine and fresh Turnstone (Strepsilas interpres). Marine insects, pieces of seaweed, small univalves. Sanderling (Calidris arenaria). Marine insects, small univalves. Oystercatcher (Hematopus ostralegus). Marine and fresh-water insects, limpets, shrimps of several species, earth-worms. Heron (Ardea cinerea). Water vole, mice, frogs, trout, large water insects and their larvæ, Dytiscus marginalis. I once saw a heron kill a small duckling, but without making any attempt to swallow it afterwards. Bittern (A. stellaris). Trout, dace, large beetles. Curlew (Numenius arquata). Marine and fresh-water insects, earthworms, gravel. Whimbrel (N. phæopus). Marine and fresh-water insects, earthworms, small gray slugs. Redshank (Totanus calidris). Green Sandpiper (T. ochropus). Wood Sandpiper (T. glareola). insects. Insects, small marine univalves. Fibres of plants, minute aquatic Common Sandpiper (T. hypoleucos). Small pupæ, marine and fresh-water insects, sand-hoppers, flies from decayed sea-weed. Spotted Sandpiper (T. macularius). Coarse gravel, minute worms. Greenshank (T. glottis). Marine insects, fine sand. Blacktailed Godwit (Limosa melanura). Marine insects, sand. Common Snipe (S. gallinago). Earth-worms, insects, fibres of plants. Jack Suipe (S. gallinula). Fibres of plants, mud. Curlew Sandpiper (Tringa subarquata). Marine and fresh-water insects, sand. Knot (T. Canutus). Marine and other insects, slugs, earth-worms, small marine univalves and bivalves. Little Crake (G. pusilla). Small beetles. Moorhen (G. chloropus). Insects, aquatic plants. Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus). Earth-worms, small beetles. Brent Goose (A. bernicla). Sea-weed, coarse sand. Common Shieldrake (Anas tadorna). small crabs, sand. Marine insects, shrimps, Shoveller (A. clypeata). Aquatic insects, mud, coarse sand. Aquatic insects, pieces of small trout. Pintail Duck (A. acuta). Wild Duck (4. boschas). Aquatic plants, marine and fresh-water insects, small roots, barley, coarse sand. Garganey (4. querquedula). Sea-weed. Teal (A. crecca). Aquatic plants, insects, sand. Wigeon (A. Penelope). Grass. Eider Duck (A. mollissima). Small fish. Common Scoter (A. nigra). Fragments of shells, sand, small stones. Longtailed Duck (A. glacialis). Marine univalves, sea-weed, sand. Pochard (A. ferina). Marine univalves, sand. Scaup Duck (A. marila). Marine univalves, fragments of shells, small stones (usually of a dark colour). Tufted Duck (4. fuligula). Marine univalves and bivalves, fish spawn. Goldeneye (A. clangula). Small trout, insects, aquatic plants. Redbreasted Merganser (M. serrator). Fish, shrimps. Rednecked Grebe (Podiceps rubricollis). Small fish. Sclavonian Grebe (P. cornutus). Shrimps, small pieces of sea-weed. Insects and their larvæ, fine roots, pieces Little Grebe (P. minor). of down. Great Northern Diver (Colymbus glacialis). Fish, particularly the sand-launce (Ammodytes lancea); common sand-worm (Arenicola piscatorium). Redthroated Diver (C. septentrionalis). Trout, small sea-fish, large insects. Guillemot (Uria troile). Fish, small fragments of sea-weed. Ringed Guillemot (U. lacrymans). Fish. Black Guillemot (U. grylle). Fish, small crabs, marine univalves. Little Auk (U. alle). Bones of small fish. Puffin (Mormon fratercula). Fish, shrimps, sand. Cormorant (Carbo cormoranus). Trout, plaice, eel, sand-launce, sillack, or young of the coal-fish (Gadus carbonarius). Shag (C. cristatus). Plaice, sillack. Gannet (Sula bassana). Fish. Common Tern (Sterna hirundo). Sand-launce. Arctic Tern (S. arctica). Fish, large beetles, moths. Blackheaded Gull (Larus ridibundus). Fish, insects, grubs, slugs, small snails, earth-worms, fine roots of plants. Kittiwake Gull (L. tridactylus). Fish, aquatic plants, small beetles. Ivory Gull (L. eburneus). Fish, blubber. Common Gull (L. canus). Flesh, fish, insects, earth-worms, slugs. Lesser Blackbacked Gull (L. fuscus). Fish, insects, sea-weed, barley. Herring Gull (L. argentatus). Flesh, fish, insects and their larvæ, slugs, earth-worms, fragments of shells, crabs of various kinds, starfish, Echini, grain, turnip, coarse sand. Great Blackbacked Gull (L. marinus). Flesh, young of cormorant, fish. Fish, eggs of common gull. Glaucous Gull (L. glaucus). Flesh, blubber, fish. Balta Sound, Shetland, Bones of fish. Pieces of fish-liver. HENRY L. SAXBY. Occurrence of the Spotted Eagle near St. Columb, Cornwall. It was of this rare eagle has made its appearance in Cornwall during the past week. shot in the parish of St. Mawgan, near St. Columb, and it was reported in the local papers as being the golden eagle. The bird was sent to Mr. Vingoe for preservation, and in this way it has come under my immediate observation. I have examined it minutely this morning, and it is quite as good specimen, and pretty nearly in the same state of plumage, as the one shot at Trebartha in December last. Both are in the state of plumage denoting them to be birds of the year, with the yellow spots and blotches on the quill and scapularies extending over a considerable portion of the feathers. In the specimen now under notice the yellow over the back and scapularies is even more predominant than in my bird, and there is also a greater amount of yellow mixed with brown on the belly and under parts, approaching to almost a pure buff-yellow on the under tail-coverts and the thighs; the ciliated feathers on the neck have the extremities rather paler than in my bird. The bird was gorged with horseflesh, and in very low condition. inches. - · Edward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, November 6, 1861. Length 2 feet 3 Occurrence of the Rosecoloured Pastor near York. — A beautiful specimen of this rare bird has been shot, and another seen, in this neighbourhood. The cock bird was shot, and he was in full feather.-J. Ranson; York. Tomtil's Nest in a Stone Bottle.-A large stone bottle, having been left in our garden to sweeten, was taken possession of by a tomtit, who built a nest in it. Although the bottle was wanted, it was given up, and in due time the young ones were introduced into the world through a bottle neck. The tomtit is called in Yorkshire "billy biter."-Id. Extraordinary Gathering of Magpies. Never having heard that magpies either congregate or fly in flocks, I was greatly surprised, on returning from a drive yesterday, about 5 o'clock P.M., to see a number of these birds fly out of some old trees close to this village, and join in the air at a little distance from the trees (at about the same elevation as their highest branches from the ground), and sufficiently close to enable me not only to distinguish the black and white feathers of their plumage, but also the peculiar fan-like expansion of their tails when flying. I counted twenty, believed there were a greater number in the flock, which flew very close together: my servant says he counted twenty-one. Is this a common occurrence?—F. Battersby; Balnalack, Rathowen, West Meath, October 30, 1861. and The Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus). The tree sparrow is very common in this neighbourhood (ten miles west of York). They are less than the house sparrow, and are here called redheaded sparrows, from the colour of the feathers on the head, which are more or less of a reddish brown. The cock of the house sparrow may be readily distinguished from the female by the darker colour of the feathers on the head, and the patch of black feathers which extend from the base of the bill a considerable way down the breast, and which are entirely wanting in the female. In the tree sparrow these black feathers are found extended from the base of the bill down the breast in both sexes. The nest is generally placed in a hole in a tree (old pollards are preferred), and sometimes (but rarely) in a hedge, in which case the nest is domed, with a hole in the side for admission. The interior of the nest is a mass of poultry-feathers. The eggs are smaller, rounder, and of a darker colour than the eggs of the house sparrow. Last year above a hundred eggs passed through my hands, and I found less variety in them than in those of the eave sparrow, whose eggs vary in shape and colour more VOL. XIX. 3 x |