CH« C . rn @ Patt aon ‘
- Bes NONE | Ge
3 eC GE < aaa ‘
0 |b. CCR eS
OCC CCU EE
My Sue. FH.
June 5 .. .|%79 53 N./ 4 OF. | 83:5 | 94
ee Gey al eit 26 219K. | 81 93"5
As Slade Pe Sallis). 1510) LP VLGSE e298 5a ete
5 Ll een OG 1 ye lee | Gil 28
ced Onerr oo ele TOL 8S 30) Meee dbl
so OL tela eens Og. Abe TIO TBs ||| ERY 33
LO ET B50 0 Dice | aut 32
eNO 5 eee ee 28 0 52 W.! 83 32
ee AE OMOO 2 21 W.)| 34 34
ee lemree epeeoriod iota 1 10 W.| 32:5 | 36
PPOs ce) ol ioeeo 3 25 W.| 34 35
POGOe Sib 50 9 OW.) 381 30
July. Bs) ae V4 BS 13 13 W.)| 31 30
Hf Sere ee faye at! 14 52 W.| 85 40
a Ae ea nlomeO 15 16 W.| 36 41
a Dee ee Sivoo 14 59 W.| 34 40
Ferm ce tal eae 16 21 W.) 33 32
$e 1D kl Celli wat 28 4 36 W.! 36:5 | 41
ca Dn ee age | SO De 15 37 HK. | 42 43°5
Fel ieee, ees ir ( chnaenae:! 25 40 HK. | 86 40
py LS we | 1Ge Db OL es ses) yee
ee eRe. Secon Wari(jye = Fi Ba ae ae 35
pee Dieta sues Osa 2 23H, 36 39
sy OO eee eed OL wah Ooo Weiloucor lad
Aug. i. Soll ho a 14 28 W.| 85 35
- Or See ior ao 14 40 W.| 35 383°5
4: Bret ra e725 5 20 W.| 88 39
a Divs con reel LT 2 57 W.| 45 43°5
5. Sys ieee oG 2 7TW.| 49:5 | 48:5
The above observations have been extracted from the ship’s
meteorological log, taken therefore with the best instruments
supplied by the Meteorological Office.
VOYAGE OF THE ‘ ECLIPSE.’ 1338
APPENDIX.
Some particulars relating to the capture, size, &c., of the seven
Greenland Right Whales captured by the s.s. ‘Eclipse’ in
1886 :—
On being har- Length of
No. Date. | pooned remained| Sex. Length. —_ longest plate
under water. | of baleen.
1 | May 26 ......| 25 minutes ...| Cow | 47 ft. ...... 1 Ott; in:
2 5 Ndgehty cs — — Re AOL 55
38 Ae | 20 minutes... ,, Bes, ces
4 RO cchnte 5 | dont. (about) Ae 6. 5.
5 iss ees | 80 minutes ...| Bull eaiGmse LO);
6 Rt eek. cease | 25 Soha [swe 5 — ete as ee? 5;
weedune 6... | 18 Awan SF ail — Digi hase
After the vessel’s arrival in port it was found that these
seven whales yielded 36 tons of oil (252 gallons per ton), and
36 ewts. of whalebone. By the following table it will be seen
how unfavourably this result compares with those of the two
preceding seasons, 1884 and 1885 :—
Season. | No. of) Sizes. Yield of oil
whales. | (tone:
|
—— |
|
| 8s
Yield of bone
(cwts.)
Smallest. | Largest. | Average. Total ere Total. Average
1884 Seven 8ft. 9in.) 10ft.8in. 9ft.10in., 105 1: ad *
1885 Seven 8ft. 4in.) 11ft.6in.) 10ft. a 18 8 | 1
1886 |Seven| 4ft. 2in.| 9ft.1in.| 6ft. 4 in.
The question naturally arises whether the 1886 whales are
to be regarded as exceptionally small, or those of 1884 and 1885
as exceptionally large. By way of an answer it may not be out
of place here to state that Capt. D. Gray has ascertained from
the comparison of some two hundred individuals captured under
his supervision in the Greenland Seas and in Davis Straits
during the last forty years, that the measurements, &c., of an
average full-grown male Greenland Right Whale are as follows:—
Of the entire body—
Length, measured between perpendiculars raised
from the tip of the lower jaw and the centre of
a line joining the tips of the caudal fin dae Caco ta
134 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Greatest girth, about 8 ft. behind the pectoral fins
Bulk (about) bi Se
Weight (about
Of the head—
Length, from the articulation of the lower jaw...
Girth round the eyes '
Greatest breadth across lower jaw
Gape
Of the baleen—
(a). The longest lamina attached to each side of the
upper jaw (known as the os slip ’’)—
Length .
Breadth across its Bieta hike
Length of the “‘ hair ” at its free exiienity
Weight after removal of the pulp and hair, and
after being thoroughly dried
The number of the lamine—-
Total number exceeding 6 ft. in length (known
as ‘‘ size slips’’)... cee see me sae
Total number under 6 ft., but long enough to be
considered marketable, the shortest being about
12 in. in length (known as ‘“ under size’’)
Total number too short to be marketable, being
the lamine dwindled towards the extremities
of the jaws, about
Grand total
Of the pectoral fins—
Length ... ae
Greatest breadth ...
Of the caudal fin—
Breadth from tip to tip
Greatest length
Such an animal producing—
Of oil
Of whalebone faces
(0).
The female attains greater
35 ft:
2500 cubic ft.
70 tons.
17 ft.
32 ft.
10 ft.
11 ft.
10 ft. 6 in.
11 in.
1 ft. 6 in.
64 lbs.
400.
190.
50.
640.
7 ft. ums
Gyante
20 ft.
6 ft.
15 tons.
15 cwts.
proportions than the male,
reaching, when full-grown, an average length of about 58 ft.,
from which the various other measurements given above (except
the number of the lamine, which is the same; the yield of oil,
which is 18 tons, and the yield of whalebone 18 cwts.) may be
estimated, these appearing to be in the same relative proportion
to the extreme length, as in the male.
VOYAGE OF THE ‘ ECLIPSE.’ 135
I haye now to explain how the bulk and weight given above
have been found, and how the number of the lamine of baleen
“have been ascertained. First, with regard to the bulk and
weight. In 1885 a model was made on board the ‘ Eclipse,’
according to the directions of Capt. Gray; it was compared
frequently during the voyage with the animal itself as it lay
alongside the ship in the recent state, and the model was
intended to represent an animal of typical proportions rather
than one of very unusual size (see Plate II.). After having been
exhibited at the meeting of the British Association in Aberdeen
it was finally presented to the Natural History Department of
the British Museum. Before its leaving Aberdeen, however,
Dr. Struthers, of Marischal College, obtained an exact copy, and
through his kindness I was enabled to obtain a photograph of
his model, and to find the volume of water it displaces, viz. 2661
cub. in., the model being on a scale of one inch to the foot,
2661 cub. in. = 2661 cub. ft., being therefore the bulk of the
animal of which the model is a representation. Barely floating
when in the recent state, sometimes a little above water when
seen asleep, the weight of a whale is fairly, perhaps exactly,
represented by the weight of the volume of water which it
displaces. A cubic foot of sea-water at its usual sp. gr. 1:0380
weighs 1030 ozs. x 2661 = 76 tons, which is therefore the weight
of the animal itself.*
Next, with regard to the baleen-plates. Whalebone under
six feet.in length realises only half the price obtained for that
exceeding that length; hence the distinction “‘ size” and ‘“‘under-
size.’’ For a number of years the owners of the Peterhead vessels
have been in the habit of having the slips of bone brought home
by their vessels counted, and from results so obtained the average
number of slips per whale has been found. A number of these
results are given below, with the “‘size”’ of the whales from which
they were derived. Now, considering that the number of the
slips, too small to be worth bringing home (which I have called
*“not marketable”), must be greater in a small whale than in a
large, it will be seen that, after adding a number (greater in the
* This estimate is only approximate, depending on a model of 443, and
on the assumption of the sp. gr. of the body being equal to that of its
surrounding medium.
186 THE ZOOLOGIST.
case of small whales, less in the case of large), a total will be
obtained, which, after allowing for individual variability, will
clearly and conclusively prove that the number of the lamine
does not increase with growth, but remains constant. It follows,
therefore, that with increase in the length of the jaw the spaces
between the laminze must become greater.
x % Totals. Averages. P
S| & = = 2
Brought home roan $e] & s s * | 2
by . |e 3 H = H : 3
a i} . gv oe . 2 3 a
00 OTR i We eee We Pe fa z
A lA| w CA it Jos feel al Viet tl all &
ft. ay |
Hope...... Greenland ..|’85|1| 4 6) — | 602) 602] — | 602/ 602] 80 | 682
ra ese 5 ..|786|}7) 6 2) 930/2865'3795| 132 | 409 | 542 | 70 | 612
Eclipse .... bis --| 5, |7| 6 4/1068/2700|3768) 152 | 385 | 537| 70 | 607
Hope so. . ..|783)1) 8 5) 856) 212) 568) 356 | 212 | 568| 60 | 628
Kclipse .... a ..| 7847] 9 10/28521341 4193) 407 191 | 599| 50 | 649
Pl Ot Or a ..| 85 |}7|10 0/2771|1843/4114) 395 | 191 | 587| 50 | 637
Windward i ..|779}1)12 0} 446} ie 610) 446 | 164 | 610) 40 | 650
4 Cumbland. Glf.| 8611/12 6, 446 1 5] 571|446 | 125|571| 40 | 611
* Numbers assumed to represent non-marketable slips or slips not
brought home.
A few measurements (taken a few hours after death) of two male
Narwhals, Monodon monoceros, killed July 4th, 1886 :—
ft. in. th.) an.
Length between ecu erected at
extremes as : cee es 14 1
Girth just behind neoitel chon 5 9 7 °4
Transverse measurement of tail ce eee 3 4
Antero-posterior measurement of ditto — sn)
Least girth of rump ce 8
Length of horn projecting nevond aletea 2 6
4 4
Thickness of blubber on the body... — O 24
Dermis ... aS oe Ae — O 03-3
Length of niet ae o gen vot. 0 _
(2S)
BIRDS’ NESTS AND EGGS.
By Henry SEEBOHM.
Tue philosophy of birds’ nests and eggs involves questions
far too profound to be settled in an houyr’s lecture. The extreme
partisans of one school regard birds as organic automata. They
take a Calvinistic view of bird-life: they assume that the Hedge-
sparrow lays a blue egg because, under the stern law of protective
selection, every Hedge-sparrow’s egg that was not blue was tried
in the high court of Evolution, under the clause relative to the
survival of the fittest, and condemned, a hungry Magpie or Crow
being the executioner. The extreme partisans of the other school
take an entirely opposite view. They regard the little Hedge-
sparrow, not only as a free agent, but as a highly intelligent one,
who lays blue eggs because the inherited experience of many
generations has convinced her that, everything considered, blue
is the most suitable colour for eggs.
Perhaps the first generalisation that the egg-collector is likely
to make is the fact that birds that breed in holes lay white eggs.
The Sand Martin and the Kingfisher, which lay their eggs at the
end of a long burrow in a bank, as well as the Owl and the
Woodpecker, which bred in holes in trees, all lay white eggs.
The fact of the eggs being white, and consequently very con-
spicuous, may have been the cause, the effect being that only
those Kingfishers which breed in holes survived in the struggle
for existence against the marauding Magpie. But the converse
argument is equally intelligible. The fact that Kingfishers breed
in holes may have been the cause, and the whiteness of the eggs
the effect ; for why should Nature, who is generally so economical,
waste her colouring-matter on an egg which, being incubated in
the dark, can never be seen? The fact that many Petrels and
most Puffins, which breed in holes, have traces of spots on their
eggs, while their relations the Auks and the Gulls, who lay their
eggs in open nests, nearly all lay highly-coloured eggs, suggests
the theory that the former birds have comparatively recently
adopted the habit of breeding in holes, and that consequently
the colour being no longer of use is gradually fading away.
Hence, we assume that the colour of the egg is probably the
effect of the nature of the locality in which it is laid.
ZOOLOGIST.—APRIL, 1887. M
188 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The second generalisation which the egg-collector is likely to
make is the fact that so many of these birds which breed in
holes are gorgeously coloured, such as Kingfishers, Parrots, Bee-
eaters, &e. The question naturally arises, Why is it so? The
advocates of protective selection reply, Because their gay plumage
made them so conspicuous as they sat upon their nests, that
that those that did not breed in holes became the victims of the
devouring Hawk, exactly as the conspicuous white eggs were
eaten by the marauding Magpie. But the advocates of sexual
selection say that all birds are equally vain, and wear as fine
clothes as Nature will let them, and that the Kingfisher is able
to dress as gorgeously as he does because he is prudent enough
to breed in a hole safe from the prying eyes of the devouring
Hawk. The fact that many birds, such as the Sand Martin ana
the Dipper, which breed in holes, are not gorgeously coloured,
whilst others, such as the Pheasants and Humming-birds, are
gorgeously coloured, but do not breed in holes, is evidence, as
far as it goes, that the gorgeous colour of the bird is not the
effect of its breeding in a hole, though the white colour of the
ego probably is. It must be admitted, however, that the latter
cases are not parallel. Whilst the hen Kingfishers and Bee-
eaters are as gorgeous as their mates, the hen Pheasants and the
hen Humming-birds are plainly, not to say shabbily, dressed. If
birds be as vain as the advocates of sexual selection deem them,
it must be a source of deep mortification to a hen Humming-bird
to have to pass through life as a foil to her rainbow-hued mate.
Whilst the Kingfisher relies for the safety of its eggs upon the
concealed situation of its nest, the Humming-bird depends upon
the unobtrusiveness of the plumage of the sitting hen.
A very large number of birds, such as the Grouse, the Merlin,
most Gulls and Terns, and all Sandpipers and Plovers, rely for
the safety of their eggs upon the similarity of their colour to the
ground on which they are placed. It may be an open question
whether these birds select a site for their breeding-ground to
match the colour of the eggs, or whether they have gradually
changed the colour of their eggs to match the ground on which
they breed; but, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary,
it is perhaps fair to assume, as in the previously mentioned
cases, that the position of the nest is the cause, and the colour
of the egg the effect.
BIRDS’ NESTS AND EGGS. 139
Many birds make their nests in lofty trees, or on the ledges
of precipitous cliffs. Of these the Eagles, Vultures, and Crows
are conspicuous examples. They are, for the most part, too
powerful to be afraid of the marauding Magpie, and only fear
the attacks of beasts of prey, amongst which they doubtless
classify the human race. They rely for the safety of their eggs
on the inaccessible positions of the nest. Many of them also
belong to a still larger group of birds who rely for the safety
of their eggs upon their ability, either singly, in pairs, or in
colonies, to defend them against all aggressors. Few colonies
of birds are more interesting than those of Herons, Cormorants,
and their respective allies. These birds lay white or nearly
white eggs. Nature, with her customary thrift, has lavished no
colour upon them because, apparently, it would have been
wasted effort to do so; but the eggs of the Guillemot are a
remarkable exception to this rule. Few eggs are more gor-
geously coloured, and no eggs exhibit such a variety of colour.
It is impossible to suppose that protective selection can have
produced colours so conspicuous on the white ledges of the
chalk cliffs; and sexual selection must have been equally power-
less. It would be too ludicrous a suggestion to suppose that
a cock Guillemot fell in love with a plain-coloured hen because
he remembered that last season she laid a gay-coloured egg.
It cannot be accident that causes the Guillemot’s eggs to be so
handsome and so varied. In the case of birds breeding in holes
secure from the prying eyes of the marauding Magpie, no colour
is wasted where it is not wanted.
The more deeply Nature is studied, the more certain seems
to be the conclusion that all her endless variety is the result
of evolution. It seems also to be more and more certain that
natural selection is not the cause of evolution, but only its
guide. Variation is the cause of evolution, but the cause of
variation is unknown. It seems to be a mistake to call variation
spontaneous, fortuitous, or accidental, than which expressions
no adjectives less accurate or more misleading could be found.
The Athenian philosophers displayed a less unscientific attitude
of mind towards the Unknown when they built an altar in
its honour.*
** Abstract of a lecture delivered at the London Institution.
140 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NORTH NORFOLK.
By J. H. Gurney, Jun., F.Z.S.
Tue following notes relate to ornithological occurrences in
this county between July 1st and December 31st, 1886. The
mildness of the past autumn was as remarkable as the effect it
had upon many species of birds, which recommenced nesting
operations as if spring had returned.
On October 14th a Thrush was sitting on four eggs, and a
few days previously a Yellowhammer’s nest with eggs was found
at Cley. About the middle of the month a tame Goose began to
lay eggs, and several leverets, little bigger than rats, were seen.
Several curious varieties of common species were obtained, some
of which may be worth mentioning. Amongst others a Wheatear,
Saxicola enanthe, was shot at Blakeney during the first week in
August, which had the whole of the crown and back pure white,
the under parts being not much whiter than usual. During
September Wheatears were very numerous among the sand-wort
and salt-wort bushes and among the marram hillocks. A Wren,
Troglodytes europeus, with pied wings, made its appearance at
Northrepps on December 9th, but was not seen again. On
Sept. Ist I shot a white variety of the Ringed Plover, Azgialitis
hiaticula, at Cley. On the mud it appeared to be snow-white,
but on closer examination proved to have a little brown on the
collar, tail, and primaries. It certainly could not have arrived
many hours, for so conspicuous an object could hardly have
escaped attention.
It seems probable that the Bittern mentioned at p. 393 of
last year’s volume, as seen several times in June, found a mate
at Ludham Fen and nested there; for a young one was sent
to Mr. Cole, of Norwich, from that place about August 16th.
Though fully feathered, and able to have crossed the sea, it is
not very likely to have done so at that time of year.
Four Black Terns, Sterna fissipes, were shot at Cley in
August last. They were all young birds, differing a good
deal in plumage; one of them indeed differing so much
that it may possibly be a White-winged Black Tern, as the
webs are slightly more incised—a mark of distinction noted
by Mr. Saunders (Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ iii. p. 526); but the
NOTES FROM NORTH NORFOLK. 141
immature plumage of these two species requires an expert to
distinguish them. An immature female specimen of S. jissipes
was obtained at Barton about the same time.
About October 19th two Little Gulls, Larus nunutus, were
killed at one shot, at Blakeney, one of them an adult bird, the
other in an intermediate state of plumage between old and
young. About December 20th an Egyptian Goose was shot at
Rockland, and another was obtained elsewhere about the same
time. A Red-breasted Merganser, Mergus serrator, was found
on the shore at Overstrand on October 27th; and, as I learn
from Lord Lilford, a white Scoter, Gidemia nigra, was seen jn
Lynn Deeps by Capt. J. Vipan on December 10th.
It seems likely that more than two pairs of Shelduck,
Tadorna vulpanser, nested at the point of coast alluded to in my
last Notes (Zool. 1886, p. 393). Two eggs of this species were
taken from a rabbits’ hole, which, according to the finder, must
soon after have been filled with water by the tide, and one of
them was hatched under a hen. The young bird lived a short
time in my garden, and became so tame that it would take
worms out of the hand. Some more young ones were found
dead at high-water mark, probably drowned. They were not
all of the same size, and probably formed part of two broods.
Col. Hawker mentions that different broods will associate in
the same flock, sometimes to the number of 100 birds. On
September 15th a family party of young Shelducks, sheltering
under Salthouse sea-wall from a N.E. wind, allowed a near
approach, and one of their number was easily shot. It showed
the white face and other marks of immature plumage; but the
family, having once learnt wisdom by experience, could not be
approached again.
Mr. Seebohm, in his ‘ British Birds’ (vol. iii. p. 520), states
that the Shelduck is provincially known in Norfolk as the “‘ Bar-
gander,’’ but I have never heard it called anything but ‘‘ Burrow-
duck” in this county, and believe it invariably selects a burrow
to nest in. In the last published volume of the ‘ Encyclopedia
Britannica’ (p. 788) there is an admirable article on the Shel--
duck by Prof. Newton, in which it is stated that the name
“ Bergander”’ is now almost obsolete, which, so far as this
county is concerned, is I think the case. [The Editor has heard
the name ‘‘ Bargander”’ applied to the Shelldrake by professional
142 THE ZOOLOGIST.
fishermen and wild-fowlers on the Sussex coast, where it is an
occasional visitor in autumn. |
About August 10th a young Red-necked Grebe, Podiceps
rubricollis, was shot on a little pool inside the sea-wall at
Salthouse. I never saw a more immature example as to
plumage, the black stripes on the throat being very strongly
marked; but of course there is no reason to suppose that
it was bred in Norfolk. The Red-necked Grebe has occurred
in Norfolk in every stage of plumage, even to the most
perfect breeding-garb. I saw a “variety,” nearly white, with
a sandy tinge, some time ago at Cambridge, which had been
killed in the Eastern Counties. ° sts ee
“Rat WS
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.) MAY, 1887. [No. 125.
REMARKS ON BRITISH BATS.
By tHe Epiror.
Puate III.
Ir is satisfactory to note the increased attention which is
being paid to the British Bats by several of our esteemed
correspondents. Respecting many of the species, indeed in
regard to the majority of them, it must be confessed there is
still a great deal to be learnt which time only will disclose; but
should success attend our efforts to procure and figure from the
life every one of our British species in turn, so as to render their
appearance familiar to our readers, we may hope ere long with
their assistance to place on record a far more satisfactory account
of them than at present exists.
According to the best authorities, there is reason to believe
that at least fifteen species of bats are to be found in the British
Islands, although in regard to one of them at least, Vespertilio
murinus, Schreber, the evidence of its occurrence in this country
is of an extremely slender character.*
* In the second edition of Bell's ‘ British Quadrupeds,’ 1874, it is stated
(p. 49) that V. murinus ‘has hitherto only been taken in the gardens of the
British Museum,” and the author adds that he has *‘ failed in meeting with
any other record of its appearance than that given, which is not altogether
satisfactory.” Tn our annotated copy of this work we have a marginal note
to the effect that the following additional localities have been reported for
Vespertilio murinus, namely, Sherborne, Dorset (C. W. Dale), Epping
(Doubleday), and Freshwater, Isle of Wight (Hadfield); with the further
ZOOLOGIST.—MAY, 1887. 0)
162 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Another species, called by Bell the Particoloured Bat,
Vesperugo discolor, Natterer, has been included in the British
list on the strength of a single example in the British Museum,
which was taken many years ago at Plymouth by Dr. Leach.*
To this, however, we may add that Mr. John Hancock has a
second example of this species which was captured in Yarmouth
Roads in 1834. t
Bechstein’s Bat, Vespertilio bechsteini, Leisler, is of quite as
rare occurrence in this country, being, as Bell states (p. 52),
‘ only known as British from the occurrence of specimens taken
by Mr. Millard in the New Forest, and now in the British
Museum.” We have the excellent authority of our old friend
Mr. Bond for stating that two specimens of Bechstein’s Bat have
been taken at Preston, near Brighton. The impression that it
had also been met with at Godstow in Berkshire (Zool. 1884,
p. 483) has been corrected by Mr. J. E. Kelsall (Zool. 1885, p. 146),
who identified the specimen in question as V. natterert.
Of the fifteen British species above referred to, fourteen only
are noticed by Bell. The fifteenth is Vespertilio dasycneme, Boie,
which is reported to have been captured on the banks of
the Stour.{ It is thus described by Dr. G. E. Dobson,
whose valuable Catalogues of Asiatic Chiroptera, and of the
Collection of Bats in the British Museum form the latest and
best text-books on this subject :—
“ Vespertilio dasycneme, Boie, Isis, 1825, p. 1200. The ears
are comparatively shorter than in V. daubentonii; laid forwards
they do not reach the end of the nose; the inner margin of the
ear is straight in its lower ascending portion for about one-third
its length, then regularly convex to the tip, which is obtusely
rounded off; the outer margin is straight beneath the tip for
about one-third of its length, beegming gradually convex and
remark that ‘‘Mr. Blake Knox also has received Irish specimens.” We
confess, however, to have considerable misgivings whether the species in
any of these cases has been correctly determined, and we should be very
glad if any reader of these lines could enable us to clear up the uncertainty
with which the subject is attended.
* Cf. Rep. Plymouth Inst. p. 43, and Bellamy, Nat. Hist. S. Devon, p. 193.
+ Cf. Trans. Norfolk Nat. Soc. 1873-74, p. 80.
| Cf. Buckton, Proc. Linn. Soc. 1853, p. 260, where the species is
treated as a variety of V. dawbentonit. Tomes (Zool. 1854, p. 4861)
considered it to be dasycneme.
REMARKS ON BRITISH BA's. 163
terminating abruptly opposite the base of the inner margin.
The tragus terminates in an obtuse rounded point; the inner
margin is slightly concave, the outer convex.
“Thumb armed with a very large claw. Wings from the
distal extremity of the tibia; the point of origin of the wing-
membrane is very sharply defined. The calcaneum extends
rather more than half way between the ankle and the tail.
“Fur above dark at the base, the hairs with light brown
extremities ; beneath black at the base, the extremities white.
“Both the first and second upper premolars are drawn
inwards, owing to the proximity of the third large premolar to
the canine; the second premolar is extremely small, and more
internal than the first. The lower incisors are not crowded; the
second lower premolar is about half the size of the first premolar ;
the third premolar is less than the canine in vertical extent.
“Length: head and body, 2°4in.; tail, 2 in.; head, 0°75 in.;
ear, 0°6 in.; tragus, 0°3 X 0°U9in.; forearm, 1‘8in.; thumb, 0°35;
second finger, 3*lin.; fourth finger, 2°4 in.; tibia, 0°8 in.; cal-
caneum, 0°65 in.; foot and claws, 0°4 in.”
Adopting Dr. Dobson's nomenclature, but taking the species
in the order named by Bell, for greater convenience of reference,
it may be observed that the fifteen species of bats now regarded
as British belong to two very distinct families, Vespertilionide and
Rhinolophide, and are referable to five genera, namely, Vesperugo
(five species), Vespertilio (six species), Plecotus (one species),
Synotus (one species), and Rhinolophus (two species). Of these
the first four genera belong to the family
VESPERTILIONIDA.
The members of this family are easily distinguishable by
their simple nostrils terminating the conical moderately elongated
muzzle, by the long tail wholly contained within the interfemoral
membrane, and by the upper incisors which are separated by a
wide space and placed near the canines. Their eyes are minute ;
and the inner margins of the ears arise from the sides of the
head, not from the forehead.
Genus 1. Vesprruao, Keyserling & Blasius, Wiegm. Archiv.
1839, p. 312.
Muzzle generally very broad and obtuse, the glandular pro-
164 THE ZOOLOGIST.
minences between the eyes and the nostrils well developed,
increasing the width of the face; crown of the head flat, or very
slightly raised above the face-line; nostrils opening sublaterally
by simple crescentic apertures on the front surface of naked
extremity of the muzzle; ears separate, generally much shorter
than the head, broad and triangular, the outer margin extending
forwards beyond the base of the tragus, the internal basal lobe
rounded; tragus generally short and obtuse, the outer margin
straight or concave. ‘Tail less than the length of the head and
body; the caleaneum generally supports on its posterior margin
a small rounded cutaneous lobe (the post-calcaneal lobe), which
in this genus reaches its greatest development; feet short and
broad; membranes thin.
Dentition.—Ine. a; c. — p-m. = or =: m. —
Outer upper incisors unicuspidate and shorter than the inner
incisors, often minute, rarely absent; first upper premolar minute
or absent; first lower premolar in the tooth row, not crowded,
its summit slightly outwards.
Species, noctula, Schreber ; leisleri, Kuhl; discolor, Natterer ;
pipistrellus, Schreber ; and serotinus, Schreber. The descriptions
of all these will be found in Bell’s work.
Genus 2. VESPERTILIO, Keyserling & Blasius; Wiegm.
Archiv. 1839, p. 306.
Muzzle long; glandular prominence between the nostrils and
eyes small, scarcely increasing the width of the face; nostrils
opening sublaterally by simple crescentic apertures ; crown of the
head vaulted, slightly elevated above the face-line; ears separate,
oval, longer than broad, generally equalling at least—often
exceeding—the length of the head; the internal base lobe
angular, the external margin terminating opposite the base of the
tragus or very slightly in front of it; tragus long, generally acute ;
the inner margin slightly convex or straight; the outer margin
convex below, straight or slightly concave above. ‘Tail less than
(or very rarely equal to) the length of the head and body; post-
calcaneal lobe absent or very small. Face hairy.
en : 2- sues
Dentition.—Incisors — the upper incisors nearly equal ;
the summit of the outer incisor on each side directed vertically
REMARKS ON BRITISH BATS. 165
downwards or curved slightly outwards, that of the inner
incisor directed forwards and inwards; the inner incisor
on each side generally with a distinct second cusp placed pos-
: 3—:
teriorly and externally; premolars = ; first and second upper
premolars very small, the second premolar often minute and
: 3—3
pressed inwards; molars 3—33 the last upper molar rather less
than half the antepenultimate molar.
Species :—murinus, Schreber; bechsteini, Leisler ; nattereri,
Kuhl; daubentonii, Leisler ; mystacinus, Leisler ; dasyeneme, Boie.
The descriptions of these (with the exception of dasycneme, given
on p. 162) will be found in Bell’s work.
Genus 8. Piecorus, Geoffroy, Descript. de l’Egypte, il. p. 112
(1812).
Crown of the head elevated above the short and flattened
muzzle. Nostrils opening on the upper surface at the extremity
of the muzzle, in front of semilunar naked depressions. LHars
united above the forehead, very large, the outer margin ending
opposite the base of the tragus, the inner margin with an abrupt
rounded projection directed inwards above the base; tragus very
large, tapering upwards, with a lobe at the base of the outer
margin. Feet slender; toes more than half the length of the
whole foot. ‘Tail equal in length to the head and body, contained
(except part of the last caudal vertebra) within the interfemoral
membrane. Post-calcaneal lobe distinct. Skull considerably
vaulted; bones forming the brain-case very thin; occipital and
sagital crests scarcely developed.
, 2—2 1—1 2—2 3—
Dentition.—Inc. G3 & Fazs Pm. gos M. 33
Species :—auritus, Linn. Described by Bell.
Genus 4. Synorus, Keyserling & Blasius, Wiegm. Archiv.
1839, p. 305.
Crown of the head distinctly elevated above the short and
obtuse muzzle. Nostrils opening on the upper surface at the
extremity of the muzzle, in front of a naked space, bounded
laterally by the raised edges of the very prominent sides of the
face; anteriorly the upper lip is divided on each side by a deep
166 THE ZOOLOGIST.
groove passing down from the nostril; and in the intervening
space between and below the nostrils is prominent and rounded.
Ears confined at the bases of their inner margins, which meet on
the forehead slightly in front of the eyes; the outer margin is
also carried forward in front of the eyes, terminating on the face
above the upper lip, so that the eye is contained within the
external ear; tragus triangular above and attenuated towards the
tip. Feet slender with long toes. Tail nearly as long or longer
than the body. Skull considerably vaulted behind the short
muzzle.
2—2 1—1 2—2 3—3
Sg eee ay SLY eg SI gs
Species :— barbastellus, Schreber. Described by Bell, who,
however, has created some confusion by describing it (p. 81) as
Barbastellus daubentonti, this specific name belonging to a very
different species, Vespertilio daubentonii (op. cit., p. 60).
Dentition.—Ince.
RHINOLOPHIDA.
The bats belonging to this family are readily distinguishable
by the curious form of their foliaceous nasal appendages, and by
their rudimentary premaxillary bones supporting two minute,
usually bilobed incisors ; their molars are acutely tubercular, and
enable them to crush with ease the hard cases of coleopterous
insects which (from remains found in their stomachs) appear to
constitute a large proportion of their food. Their eyes are
minute, and often with difficulty discovered in spirit specimens ;
the eye-ball is extremely small, and the optic nerve reduced to
the thickness of a very fine thread, contrasting remarkably with
the development of the auditory and olfactory nerves in the same
animals.
Genus 5. Rurno.toruus, Geoffroy, Desm. Nouv. Dict. d’ Hist.
Nat. xix. p. 383 (18038).
Nose-leaf very complicated, consisting of three distinct por-
tions—anterior, central, and posterior; the anterior horizontal
portion is horse-shoe-shaped, usually angularly emarginate in
front, containing within its circumference the nasal orifices and
the central erect nasal process; the posterior nose-leaf is
triangular, erect, with cells on its anterior surface; the central
process rises between and behind the nasal orifices, is flattened
REMARKS ON BRITISH BATS. 167
anteriorly, and posteriorly sends backwards a vertical laterally
compressed process, which is either connected with the front
surface of the nose-leaf or free. Base of the outer side of the
ear expanded, forming a large antitragus. Wings very large;
metacarpal bone of fourth finger exceeding that of second in
length. Basioccipital very narrow between auditory bull, in
most species linear; cochlee prominent, deeply grooved exter-
nally ; foramen rotundum united with sphenoidal fissure.
SpE 2 1—1 2—2 3—3
Dentition.—Ine. a > Pee gs BS
Second lower premolar generally minute and placed outside
the teeth-row; first upper premolar minute, pointed, standing in
the teeth-row, or lying in the outer angle between the closely
approximated canine and second large premolar.
Species :—ferrum-equinum and hipposideros. Both described
by Bell.
Arranged in tabular form the British species of Chiroptera
stand thus :—
‘noctula.
[ester
¢ Gen. Vesperugo. ~ discolor.
[inisret.
serotinus.
murinus.
| bechsteint.
natterert.
daubentonit.
mystacinus.
dasycneme.
Gen. Plecotus. auritus.
Gen. Synotus. barbastellus.
; errum-equinum.
Fam. RuINOLOPHIDA, Gen. Rhinolophus. Ja rs
hipposideros.
Fam. VESPERTILIONIDA. a
Gen. Vespertilio.
The species, of which a figure is now given, Vesperugo noctula
(Plate III.), is doubtless the best known of the larger bats in
this country, and is very widely dispersed. Regarding its
distribution in the British Islands, Bell states that it is confined
to England, the northernmost locality known to him being
Northallerton in Yorkshire, a statement repeated by Alston
(‘Fauna of Scotland,’ 1880, p. 7), and by the authors of the
‘Handbook of Yorkshire Vertebrates, 1881. But, although it
seems pretty clear that it does not occur in Scotland, or at least
168 THE ZOOLOGIST.
has not been satisfactorily identified there,* the case is apparently
otherwise in Ireland. For there is reason to believe that some
specimens of a large bat taken at Tandragee, Co. Armagh, and
reported to be Vesperugo leisleri, were in reality V. noctula. To
be more explicit. In ‘The Zoologist’ for July, 1874, Mr. R. M.
Barrington gave a very interesting account (pp. 4071 - 4074) of
the discovery, in June, 1868, of a colony of large bats in the
demesne of the Duke of Manchester at Tandragee, Co. Armagh,
and of the subsequent capture of several (presumably of the
Same species) at the same place in May, 1874. Mr. Barrington
identified them as J. leisleri, observing (p. 4072) ‘they were all
of the hairy-armed species. I have presented two specimens to
the British Museum.” These two specimens, at our particular
request, were examined by Dr. Dobson in 1876, when preparing
his Monograph of the Asiatic Chiroptera, and he pronounced
them to be immature examples of V. noctula. Considering his
intimate acquaintance with this order of mammals, it seems to
us that this circumstance establishes the fact of the occurrence
of the Noctule in Ireland, while it does not necessarily invalidate
other records of the occurrence in the same country of Leisler’s
hairy-armed bat.t We would earnestly invite the attention of
Irish naturalists to this matter, and beg them to re-examine such
specimens as they may possess, or have access to, and favour us
with their conclusions. It may be useful to add, in the words
of Dr. Dobson, that in all respects, except in the relativesize and
position of the incisors, V. leisleri resembles V. noctula, and
appears on an external examination to be but a small form of
that species. But while the outer incisor on each side in
V. noctula is but half the transverse diameter at its base of the
inner incisor, in this species it is equal to it; the lower incisors
also stand in the direction of the jaws, and are not crowded.
Length of an adult male V. leisleri (preserved in alcohol), head
and body, 2°3 in.; tail, 1°65 in.; head, 0°7 in.; ear, 0°6 in. ;
* Fleming (Brit. An., p. 6) identified the Vespertilio awriculatus of
Walker’s ‘Fauna Scotica’ with V. noctula, and this species is stated by Sir
Wm. Jardine to have been ‘“‘seen”’ near the River Annan in Dumfriesshire
(New Stat. Acct. Dumfries, p. 175), but its occurrence in Scotland has not
been confirmed.
| Cf. Bell, p. 27. Zool. 1874, pp. 4071, 4236; Zool. 1875, pp. 4419, 4532;
Zool. 1883, p. 116.
REMARKS ON BRITISH BATS. 169
tragus, 0°2 X 0°15 in.; forearm, 1°5 in.; thumb, 0°25 in.; second
finger, 2°7 in.; fourth finger, 1°8 in.; tibia, 0°65 in; foot and claws,
0'3in. Or, to compare the measurements of the two species :—
] |
Both males. |Length,| Tail.| Head. | Ear.| Tragus. Fore-'Thumb.) 2nd | 4th | Tibia. | Foot &
a finger. | do. | claws.
V. noctula ... 3-0 |2.0| 0-9 |0-75| 0:25 |2:0| 0-3 | 3:7 | 2:1! 0-75 | 0-45
V. leisleri 4 2:3 |1:65) 0°7 |0°6 0-2 | 1:5) 0°25 27 / 18 | 0°65 | 0:3
|
To show how easily a mistake may be made, even by a
practised observer, without a very careful comparison, we may
remark that V. leislert has been recorded to have occurred in
Norfolk, near Norwich (Paine, Ann. Nat. Hist. ii. p. 181, 1839),
where fourteen were said to have been taken from a hollow tree;
but it was subsequently stated (tom. cit., p. 481) that the speci-
mens in question had been examined by the Rev. L. Jenyns, who
was of opinion that the species was not V. leisleri, though he
was uncertain whether it was the young of V. noctula or a
distinct species.
Bell states (p. 18) that the Noctule is a tree-loving species,
and that not a single instance had come to his knowledge of its
retirement to buildings during the day. Doubtless hollow trees
usually afford it shelter, but, as an exception to the rule, we may
remark that in West Sussex we have known these bats to resort
to the roofs of old thatched cottages, and have seen them go up
under the: eaves.
Mr. W. Harcourt Bath, referring to the abundance of this
species in the midland counties (‘The Field,’ Oct. 9th, 1886),
states that in the day-time they conceal themselves in holes of
trees, and among wy.
Gilbert White remarked that he never saw the Noctule on the
wing till the end of April, nor later than July. This is curious;
for, unless the habits of the animal have changed, he might have
observed it in a parish which he occasionally visited (the parish
of Harting, on the borders of Hampshire and Sussex) during the
months of August and September. We have repeatedly seen
them on the wing there during these months, and well remember
shooting two of them for a friend during the first week of
September. A marginal note in our annotated copy of Bell’s
work indicates that John Wolley saw the Noctule in Cambridge-
shire as late as the first week of November.
170 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Another observation of Gilbert White was to the effect that
this bat emits a very offensive odour, a circumstance which must
have been remarked by every one who has handled a living
specimen. Mr. D’Urban, of Exeter, states that it possesses two
large glands in the mouth, from which this odour is emitted. It
is much infested with parasites, as indeed is the case with other
species of bats which we have examined in a living state. An
experiment of putting a minute drop of prussic acid on the
tongue of a Noctule, in order to kill it speedily, resulted in the
unlooked-for effect of causing all the parasites to die and drop off
before the animal itself had ceased to live. While on the subject
of parasites, it may be well to direct attention to Prof. Westwood’s
paper on the parasites of bats, published in the ‘ Transactions of
the Zoological Society,’ vol. i. pp. 275-294. This paper, which
is illustrated, will be found useful by those who wish to learn
something on this subject.
It is well known that the Noctule is gregarious, and that
large numbers are sometimes found clustered together in hollow
trees. Mr. Gurney states that the sexes live in separate colonies,
the females being more numerous. Upon this we may remark
that in February last an old and decayed tree was felled in the
Bishop of London’s park at Fulham, in the hollow of which were
found clinging a solitary pair of Noctules. They were brought
to us alive the following day, and proved to be male and female.
From one of these the accompanying portrait was drawn by
Mr. G. E. Lodge. Note the position in which the tail is carried
as compared with that of R. ferrwm-equinum (Plate I.)
We have no information as to the occurrence of this species
in Wales, although it is met with as far to the south-west as
Cornwall (cf. Cocks, ‘ Naturalist,’ i. (1851), p. 87). We should
be glad also to receive some confirmation (or refutation) of the
statement (Bell, p. 23) that in England the northernmost locality
from which specimens have been received is Northallerton, in
Yorkshire. Certainly it is not included in the excellent Catalogue
of the Mammalia of Northumberland and Durham (Trans. ‘l'yne-
side Nat. Field Club, vol. vi. (1864), pp. 111-177),* although,
strange to say, a single specimen of V. serotinus (usually regarded
as more southern in its distribution) is stated by them to have
been taken at Cleadon, and to be preserved in the museum at
* Mr. R. B. Lee informs us that it occurs at Kendal.
SNAKES O¥ SOUTH AFRICA. 171
Newcastle-on-Tyne. Is this possibly V. noctula? The “rich
chestnut colour of the fur” particularly alluded to by the authors
of the catalogue cited is a description not inapplicable to
V. noctula.
A SYNOPSIS OF THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA.
By G. A. BouLenceEr.
Havine received several applications for information re-
specting the nomenclature of South African Snakes, I have
thought that the publication of the following list would be
welcome not only to naturalists in the colony but also to
herpetologists elsewhere. The grand work of Sir Andrew Smith
(1838—49) is an imperfect guide to the identification of South
African reptiles, for the reason that the species described are
not arranged in systematic order, and that a great number,
often the commonest, are either entirely left out or alluded
to by name only, without any definition of their characters.
The standard ophiological works of Duméril and Bibron,
Gunther, and Jan, to which I have constantly referred in the
following list, as being almost indispensable to the student,
are likewise incomplete and out of date. I have therefore
added an artificial key (the characters selected applying only
to South African forms) to genera and species, which I hope
will greatly facilitate their recognition, and perhaps lead to
the discovery of some that may be new to science, or hitherto
unrecorded from South Africa. I have also indicated the
localities whence specimens have been received by the British
Museum, and drawn attention to the desiderata. I have taken
the 25° lat. S. as the northern limit of the 8. African district.
SYNOPSIS OF THE FAMILIES AND GENERA.
I. Stenostomarips. Blind, worm-like burrowing snakes, with the belly
scaled like the back; the shield under which the eye is situated
borders the lip.
A single genus. - - - - - - STENOSTOMA.
Il. Typaropma. Blind, worm-like burrowing snakes, with the belly
scaled like the back; the shield under which the eye is situated
does not reach the lip.
A single genus, - - - : - : IyYPHLops,
172 THE ZOOLOGIST.
III. Boma. A spur (rudiment of hind limb) on each side of the vent.
Scales very small, more than fifty across the body; belly shielded.
Pupil linear, erect.
A single genus. - - - oes - - PyTHon.
IV. Cotusrip#. Head with large symmetrical shields. Belly shielded.
No grooved maxillary fangs anteriorly.
A. Subcaudal shields in a single row, like the ventrals; eye very small,
with round pupil. - - - - - - - URIECHIs.
B. Subcaudals divided.
1. Scales smooth, equal; pupil round.
a. Rostral shield very large, with horizontal cutting edge.
P TEMNORHYNCHUS.
b. Rostral without cutting edge.
a. Nostril pierced between two shields, the second of which
touches the eye. - - - - CHORISTODON.
B. Two or more shields on a line between the nostril and
the eye.
* Loreal shield (between nasal and preocular) not much
longer than deep.
15 scales across the middle of the body. - - Homanosoma.
27 or 29 scales across the middle of the body. - CoRONELLA.
17 or 19 scales across the middle of the body. PsAmMMopHylax.
*« Loreal shield at least twice as long as deep; 15 or 17
scales across the middle of the body.
Snout pointed and strongly projecting beyond the lower lip;
tail not five times the length of the head. RHAMPHIOPHIS,
Snout long and obtuse; tail long; frontal (interorbital) shield
narrow. - - - - - - - PsAMMOPHIS,
Snout obtuse; colour green. - . - PHILOTHAMNUS.
2. Dorsal scales keeled.
Hye extremely large, with round pupil; vertebral scales broader
than the others, unicarinate. - - ; - BuckrPHaLus.
Hye very large, with horizontal pupil. - - DryoPuis.
Eye moderale; vertebral scales broader than the others,
bicarinate. - - - . - - H&TEROLEPIS.
Eye moderate, with vertical pupil; scales equal. Dasype.ris.
3. Scales smooth; pupil vertically elliptic.
a. Head broad, considerably broader than the neck; 19 scales
across the middle of the body. - - Lxproprma.
b. Head not very distinct from the neck.
Nostril in a single nasal; 17 scales across the middle of the
body. - - - - - - - Lycoparpium.
Nostril between two nasals; 19 to 23 scales across the middle
SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 173
of the body; anterior maxillary teeth but slightly larger than
the others. - - - - - - Lampropuis.
Nostril between two nasals; 23 or more scales across the
middle of the body; anterior teeth considerably larger than
the others. - - - - - - - Boopon.
V. Erapips. Head with large symmetrical shields. Belly shielded.
Long grooved or canaliculate maxillary fangs anteriorly. Poisonous.
A. Eye large or moderate.
1. Rostral shield not of unusual proportions.
a. Dorsal scales smooth.
Anal shield single. - - - - - - - Nata.
Anal divided; colour green. - - - Derypraspis.
b. Dorsal scales keeled.
‘T'wo labial shields enter the eye; scales strongly keeled.
SEPEDON.
Kye separated from the labials by a subocular shield; dorsal
scales feebly keeled, laterals smooth. — - - - Causus.
2. Rostral shield enormous, triangular. - - ASPIDELAPS.
B. Eye very small.
13 or 15 scales across the body. - - - - Evaps.
21 or more svales across the body ; colour uniform blackish.
ATRACTASPIS.
VI. Virerip%. Upper surface of head covered with small scales. Pupil
vertical, linear. Potsonous. j
A single genus. — - : - : hers - VIPERA.
I. STENOSTOMATIDA.
1. Stenostoma, Wagl.
1. Stenostoma nigricans, Schleg.; Dum. & Bibr. vi. p. 326;
Smith, Il. pl. li. fig. 4, pl. liv. figs. 21,25; Jan, Icon. 2, v. & vi. 8.
S. conjunctum, Jan, Icon. 2, v. & vi. 9. “‘Inhabits the interior
of South Africa, and is generally found under large flat stones,
or other bodies lying on the surface of the earth.” — Smith.
Port Elizabeth (B. M.)
Il. TypHuopipm.
2. Typhlops, Schn.
A. 28 to 32 scales round the middle of the body; snout with
angular edge.
Kye entirely under the ocular; edge of snout sharp, cutting. - delalandii.
Kye under the suture between the ocular and the preeocular. - bibronii.
B. 20 to 26 scales round the body; snout rounded.
Upper part of rostral shield broader than the contiguous (nasal) shields ;
nasal semidivided ; eye entirely under the ocular. - - verticalis,
174 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Upper part of rostral broader than the contiguous shields; nasal com-
pletely divided; eye under the suture between the ocular and
the preocular. - : - - - - mossambicus.
Upper part of rostral not or scarcely sate than the contiguous shields;
20 scales round the body. - - - - - - capensis.
2. Typhlops delalandii, D. & B. Onychocephalus delalandii,
Dum. & Bibr. vi. p. 273; Smith, Il. pl. li, fig. 1, meg ii.
figs. 1—4. Typhlops smithii, Jan, Icon. 1, v. 5. T'yphlops
lalandii, Jan, Icon. 4, iv. 1. ‘Is pretty widely distributed over
the southern parts of Africa, and is generally found under large
stones and trunks of decayed trees, or in soil broken up by the
plough, or otherwise displaced by the spade or pick-axe.”—Simith.
Cape, Karroo (B. M.)
3. Typhlops bibronit, Smith. Onychocephalus bibronit, Smith,
Ill. pls. li. fig. 2, & pl. liv. figs. 5—8. ‘‘ Inhabits the country to
the northward of Latakoo.’—Smith. King William’s Town,
Port Natal, Lessouto (B. M.)
4. Typhlops verticalis, Smith. Onychocephalus verticalis,
Smith, Ill. pl. liv. fig. a. ‘‘Inhabits the interior districts of
South Africa.”—Smith. B. M.
5. Typhlops mossambicus, Peters; Jan, Icon. 5, v.38. Delagoa
Bay (Jan).
6. Typhlops capensis, Smith. Onychocephalus capensis, Smith,
Ill. pls. li. fig. 38, & liv. figs. 9—16. ‘‘Inhabits the interior of
South Africa.”—Smith. Cape Town (B. M.)
Ill. Bora.
3. Python, Cuv. -
7. Python natalensis, Smith, Ill. pl. ix. BP. sebe, var.
natalensis, Jan, Icon. 8, iv. ‘‘This snake was formerly an in-
habitant of the district now within the Cape Colony. At present
it is not to be found within hundreds of miles of the boundaries
of the colony, and few specimens have been obtained nearer than
Port Natal.’”—Smith. Natal (B. M.)
IV. CoLusripz.
4. Uriechis, Peters.
15 scales across the middle of the body; pale yellowish brown, head and
neck black. - - - : - - - - - capensis.
25 scales across the body; uniform black. : - - microlepidotus.
SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 175
8. Uriechis capensis, Smith. Elapomorphus capensis, Smith,
Ill., App. p. 16. Aparallactus capensis, Smith, l. ec. Uriechis
capensis, Jan, Icon. 15, i. 5. ‘‘ Inhabits Kaffirland, to the east-
ward of the Cape Colony.”—Smith. Kaffirland (B. M.)
9. Uriechis microlepidotus, Gunther, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
(3), v. 1860, p. 168, pl. ix. Natal (B. M.)
5. Choristodon, Smith.
10. Choristodon concolor, Smith, Ill., App. p. 18. ‘‘ Inhabits
Kaffirland to the eastward of the Cape Colony.”—Smith. Not
in the British Museum.
6. Temnorhynchus, Smith.
11. Temnorhynchus sundevallii, Smith, Ill., App. p. 17.
Rhinostoma cupreum, Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 9. ‘ Inhabits Kaffir-
land, to the eastward of the Cape Colony.”—Smith. Orange
River (B. M.)
7. Homalosoma, Wagl.
12. Homalosoma lutrix, L. Homalosoma arctiventris, Smith,
Ill., App. p. 16. Homalosoma lutriz, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 110;
Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 20; Jan, Icon. 13, ii. 3. ‘‘ Inhabits the
whole of Southern Africa, and is generally observed among dry
grass or in loose soil, more especially near the roots of shrubs.”
—Smith. Cape, Natal (B. M.)
8. Coronella, Laur.
13. Coronella cana, L. Coluber canus, Smith, Ill. pls. xiv.—
xvil. Coronella cana, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 618; Giunth. Col. Sn.
p- 40. Cape, Cape Cook (B. M.)
Black variety, Coronella phocarum, Ginth. Proc. Zool. Soe.
1872, p. 836. Robben Island (B. M.)
9. Psammophylax, Fitz.
Rostral shield not deeper than broad, not extending between the inter-
nasals. - - - . - - - - multimaculatus.
Rostral deeper than broad, wedged in between the internasals. rhombeatus.
14. Psammophylaz multimaculatus, Smith. | Amplorhinus
multimaculatus, Smith, Ill. pl.lvii. Dipsas smithii, Dum. & Bibr.
vil. p. 1162. Coronella multimaculata, Ginth. Col. Sn. p. 38.
176 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Psammophylax multimaculatus, Jan, Icon. 19, i. 1. ‘“‘ Rarely ob-
tained in South Africa; found in arid barren localities.”-—Smith.
Cape (B. M.)
15. Psammophylax rhombeatus, L. Trimerorhinus rhombeatus,
Smith, Ill. pl. lvi. Dipsas rhombeata, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1154.
Psammophylax rhombeatus, Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 31. N. vulg.,
“Shaap Sticker.” ‘‘Occurs throughout the whole of South
Africa, and is generally found in dry barren situations, but not
unfrequently also in grassy districts.”—Smith. Cape (B. M.)
10. Rhamphiophis, Peters.
16. Rhamphiophis multimaculatus, Smith. Coronella multi-
maculata, Smith, Ill. pl. lxi. Dipsina multimaculata, Jan, Icon.
19, ii. 1. “Country of the Bushmen, near to the Orange River.
Burrow in the sand.”—Smith. Damaraland (B. M.)
11. Psammophis, Schleg.
17 scales across the middle of the body. - - - - - stbilans.
15 scales across the middle of the body. - - - - - erucifer.
17. Psammophis sibilans, L.; Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 186; Jan,
Icon. 84, ui. P. moliniger, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 891. In sandy
localities. Cape, Port Natal, Kaffraria, Orange River (B. M.)
Curiously, this as well as the next species are omitted from
Smith’s work.
18. Psammophis crucifer, Merr.; Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 892;
Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 185; Jan, Icon. 34, iv. 3. Cape, Namaqua-
land (B. M.)
12. Philothamnus, Smith.
Ventral shields without a lateral keei. - - - - hoplogaster.
Ventral shields with a lateral keel. — - - - - - natalensis.
19. Philothamnus hoplogaster, Ginth. Ahetulla hoplogaster,
Gunth. Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (3), xi. 1863, p. 284. Port Natal,
Damaraland (B. M.)
20. Philothamnus natalensis, Smith, Ill. pl. lxiv. “ Frequents
shrubs and trees at and in the neighbourhood of Port Natal.”—
Smith. Cape, King William’s Town, Port Natal, Orange River,
Damaraland (B. M.)
SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. Va
13. Bucephalus, Smith.
21. Bucephalus capensis, Smith, Il. pls. x.—xiii.; Ginth.
Col. Sn. p. 148. Bucephalus typus, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 878;
Jan, Icon. 32, iv. N. vulg., ‘‘Boom-slange,” Tree Snake. Port
Natal (B. M.)
Uniform bright green variety: B. viridis, Smith, pl. iii. Old
Latakoo.
14. Dryophis, Boie.
22. Dryophis kirtlandu, Hallow. Thelotornis capensis, Smith,
Ill., App. p. 19. Dryiophis kirtlandii, Ginth. Col. Sn. p. 156.
Thelotornis kirtlandu, Peters, Reise n. Mossamb. iii. p. 181.
*Inhabits Kaffirland and the country towards Port Natal.’”—
Smith. Arboreal. The British Museum has not yet received
this species from South Africa.
15. Lycophidium, Fitz.
23. Lycophidium capensis, Smith. Lycodon capensis, Smith,
Ill. pl. v. Lycophidion horstocku, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 412;
Gunth. Col. Sn. p.197; Jan, Icon. 36, iii. 8. Kurichane, lat.
25° §. (Smith). Cape, Port Elizabeth, Natal (B. M.)
16. Lamprophis, Fitz.
23 scales across the middle of the body, those of the vertebral series
larger. - - - = - - - - - aurora.
23 scales across the middle of the body, equal. —- - = ie 7ESERL
19 scales across the middle of the body. - - - - rufulus.
24. Lamprophis aurora, L.; Smith, Ill, App. p. 19;
Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 4831; Gunth. Col. Sn. p.195. ‘‘ Occurs
throughout South Africa, but nowhere in abundance. In the
Colony it is, from its moving much during the night, known,
like Aspidelaps lubricus, by the name of ‘ Nacht Slang.’ ”’—Smith.
Cape, King William’s Town, Orange River (B. M.)
25. Lamprophis fiskvi, Blgr.; Boulenger, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1887.
Touw’s River.
26. Lamprophis rufulus, Licht.; Smith, Ill. pl. lviii.; Jan,
Icon.17,iv.1. Ablabes rufulus, Ganth. Col. Sn. p. 30. ‘‘ This snake
has an extensive range, being found in damp localities throughout
the entire of South Africa. It is generally discovered in marshy
ZOOLOGIST.—MAY, 1857. P
178 THE ZOOLOGIST.
spots, and on the banks of rivers, and is occasionally observed
actually in water trying to capture frogs, &c., which form its
favourite food.”—Smith. Cape, King William’s Town, Natal
(B. M.)
17. Boodon, D. & B.
27. Boodon lineatus, D. & B. Lycodon geometricus (non
Schleg.), Smith, Ill. pl. xxii. Boedon lineatum, Dum. & Bibr. vii.
p. 868; Gunth. Col. Sn. p.199. _Boedon capense, Dum. & Bibr.
vu. p. 3864. Boedon quadrilineatum, Jan, Icon. 36, li. 2 & 3.
“Rarely seen in §. Africa; resorts to dry and arid situations.” —
Smith. Cape, King William’s Town, Natal, Orange River,
Damaraland (B. M.)
Black variety: B. infernalis, Ginth. l.c. p.199. Port Natal,
Port Elizabeth, Damaraland (B. M.)
18. Heterolepis, Smith.
8 upper labials, 4th, 5th, and 6th entering the eye. - - capensis.
7 upper labials, 3rd and 4th entering the eye. - - - gueinzit.
28. Heterolepis capensis, Smith, Ill. pl. lv. Eastern districts
of the Cape Colony (Smith). Desideratum in the British
Museum.
29. Heterolepis gueinzii, Peters, Mon. Berl. Ac. 1874, p. 163,
pl. —, fig. 2. Port Natal. Likewise a B. M. desideratum.
19. Leptodira, Fitz.
7 upper labials, 3rd and 4th i: the Te) a single anterior
temporal. - - - punctata.
8 upper labials, 3rd, 4th, a sth entering che eye; a single anterior
temporal. - - - - rufescens.
9 upper labials, 3rd, 4th, a 5th entering oe eye; two superposed
temporals behind the postoculars. - - - - semiannulata.
30. Leptodira punctata, Ptrs. Crotaphopeltis punctata, Peters,
Mon. Berl. Ac. 1866, p. 98. §. Africa, no precise locality.
31. Leptodira rufescens,Gm. Crotaphopeltis rufescens, Smith,
Ill., App. p.18; Jan, Icon. 39, ii. 1. Heterurus rufescens,
Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1170. Leptodeira rufescens, Giinth. Col.
Sn. p. 165. ‘“‘Inhabits most parts of S. Africa, but specimens
are most easily obtained near Cape Town and on the south-
eastern coast.”—Smith. Cape, Port Elizabeth, Natal (B. M.)
SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 179
82. Leptodira semiannulata, Smith. Telescopus semiannu-
latus, Smith, Ill. pl. lxxii. Loc.? Not represented in the
British Museum.
20. Dasypeltis, Wagl.
33. Dasypeltis scabra, L.; Smith, Ill., App. p. 20; Gunth.
Col. Sn. p. 142. Rachiodon scaber, Dum. & Bibr. viii. p. 491;
Jan, Icon. 39, ii. 4. ‘“‘Inhabits the more southern parts of
Africa, and consumes with avidity the eggs of birds.” —Snuth.
Cape (B. M.)
Variety, uniform brown above: D. palmarum, Leach; Gunth.
l.c. D. inornatus, Smith, pl. lxxiii. Port Natal (B. M.)
V. Harms.
21. Naia, Laur.
34. Naia haie,L.; Smith, Ill. pls. xviiiimxxi.; Dum. & Bibr.
vil. p. 1298; Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 225; Jan, Icon. i.2. Cobra de
Capello. South African specimens are desiderata in the British
Museum.
22. Dendraspis, Schleg.
35. Dendraspis angusticeps, Smith. Naia angusticeps, Smith,
Ill. pl. lxx.; Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1801. Dendraspis anqgusticeps,
Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 288. ‘This species occurs about Natal and
in the country to the eastward, towards Delagoa Bay.”—Smith.
South African specimens are desiderata in the British Museum.
23. Sepedon, Merr.
36. Sepedon hemachates, Merr. Naia hemachates, Smith,
Il. pl. xxxiv. Sepedon hemachates, Dum. & Bibr. vi. p. 1259.
Aspidelaps hemachates, Jan, Icon. 44, vi.4. ‘“‘ Ring Hals Slang”
of the Cape colonists. ‘‘ Specimens have been found in almost
every district of South Africa which has yet been explored. It
appears to prefer localities in which the soil is loose, sandy, and
coated with brushwood.”—Smith. Cape, Namaqualand (B. M.)
24. Aspidelaps, Fitz.
Frontal shield longer than broad; 8rd and 4th BpEay labials entering the
eye. - - : - - - lubricus.
Frontal not longer than broad ; 4th upper labial entering the eye. scutatus.
37. Aspidelaps lubricus, Merr.; Smith, Ill., App. p. 21; Jan,
Icon. 44, vi. 2. Hlaps lubricus, Dum. & Bibr, vii. p. 1218.
180 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Cyrtophis scutatus (non Smith), Giinth. Col. Sn. p. 227. ‘ Nacht
Slang” of the Cape colonists. ‘‘Inhabits South Africa, more
particularly towards Cape Town.’—Smith. Cape, Kaffraria
(B. M.)
88. Aspidelaps scutatus, Smith. Cyrtophis scutatus, Smith,
Ill., App. p. 22. Aspidelaps scutatus, Jan, Icon. 44, vi. 3.
“Tnhabits Kaffirland and the country towards Port Natal.’’—
Smith. Natal (B. M.)
25. EHlaps, Schn.
A. 15 scales across the body.
3rd upper labial much larger than first and second; belly yellowish with a
black median band, or blackish with yellowish spots or transverse
bars. - - - - - - - : hygia.
The three anterior upper labials subequal ; blackish above, with a yellowish
vertebral streak, uniform yellowish inferiorly. - - - dorsalis.
B. 13 scales across the body. - - - - sundevallit.
39. Hlaps higie, Shaw; Smith, Ill., App. p. 21; Dum. & Bibr.
vii. p. 1218; Gunth. Col. Sn. p. 282; Jan, Icon. 43, i. 3.
**Kouseband”’ of the Cape colonists. ‘‘ Found in all parts of
South Africa.”—Smith. Cape (B. M.)
40. Elaps dorsalis, Smith, Ul., App. p.21. ‘‘ Inhabits Kaffir-
land, and the country towards Port Natal.’— Smith. King
William’s Town (B. M.)
41. EHlaps sundevallui, Smith, Ill. pl. Ixvi. ‘ Inhabits
South Africa to the eastward of the Cape Colony.”—Smith.
Does not appear to have been rediscovered since the description
was published by Smith from a specimen belonging to Sundevall,
of Stockholm.
26. Atractaspis, Smith.
42. Atractaspis irregularis, Reinh. A. bibronit, Smith, Ill.
pl. Ixxi.; Jan, Icon. 48, iii. 2.. A. irregularis, Ginth. Col. Sn.
p- 239; Jan, Icon. 48, iii. 1. ‘‘ Inhabits the eastern districts of
the Cape Colony.”—Smith. Smith’s original specimen is now
in the British Museum.
27. Causus, Wagi.
43. Causus rhombeatus, Licht. Sepedon rhombeatus, Smith,
Ill., App. p. 21. Causus rhombeatus, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1263.
SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 181
“Frequently found in the Cape Colony.”—Smith. Port Natal,
Port Elizabeth (B. M.)
VI. VirERIDz.
28. Vipera, Laur.
A. Lower surface of tail with a well-developed double series of sub-
caudal shields, as in the innocuous snakes.
1. Nostrils directed upwards, their distance from the lip equalling
the distance from the eye to the lip - - - arietans.
2. Nostrils lateral.
11 or 12 shields border the upper lip on each side, the fourth being
considerably larger than the others’ - - - - - atropos.
13 subequal labial shields on each side; head thick and globular, nearly
twice the diameter of the neck - - - - S atropoides.
13 or 14 subequal labial shields on each side; head much longer than
broad; coloration uniform yellowish brown - - - tornata.
B. Lower surface of tail with feebly differentiated, feebly-keeled scales.
No horn-like tubercle above the eye - - - - . schneideri.
A horn-like erect tubercle above the eye - - - - caudalis.
Two or more erect horn-like tubercles above the eye - - - cornuta.
44. Vipera arietans, Merr. Echidna arietans, Smith, IIl.,
App. p. 21; Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1425. Vipera arietans, Jan,
Icon. 45, vi. 3&4. ‘ Puff Adder” of the Cape colonists. ‘ Has
been observed in all the districts of 8. Africa which have been
visited by Europeans.’’—Smith. Cape, Natal (B. M.)
45. Vipera atropos, L. Smith, Ill. pl. li.; Jan, Icon. 45, iv.
1&2. Echidna atropos, Dum. & Bibr. vii. p. 1432. ‘ Berg
Adder” of the colonists. ‘‘ Has been found in every district of
8. Africa.”’—Smith. Cape (B. M.)
46. Vipera atropoides, Smith, Ill. pl. lili, ‘‘The only
specimen procured [which is now in the British Museum] was
from the vicinity of a missionary institution about forty miles
to the eastward of Cape Town.”—Smith.
47. Vipera inornata, Smith. Echidna inornata, Smith, Il.
pl.iv. “This snake [now in the British Museum] was killed in the
Sneeubergen, or Snow Mountains, which are situated immediately
behind the village of Graaff Reynet.’’—Smith.
48. Vipera schneideri, Boettger, Ber. Senckenb. Ges. 1886,
p. 8, pl. i. fig. 1. Angra Pequefia.
49. Vipera caudalis, Smith, Ill. pl. vii. Cerastes ocellatus,
182 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Smith, pl. iv. (text). Restricted to dry sandy districts. Cape,
Damaraland (B. M.)
50. Vipera cornuta, Daud. Smith, Ill. pl. xxxii. Vipera
lophophrys, Smith, Ill. pl. xxxiii. Cerastis lophophrys, Dum. &
Bibr. vii. p. 1444. ‘‘ Hornsman” of the Cape colonists. Cape
(B. M.)
NOTES ON THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1886.
By Tuomas Soutuwet., F.Z.S.
We must go back many years in the history of the Seal and
Whale Fishery before we shall find so disastrous a season in
all respects as the past has been; certainly it is unparalleled in
the history of the Dundee fishery: a season of great severity
has resulted in poor catches, still poorer prices for produce, and
in the loss of one ship at Newfoundland and four in Davis
Straits. It is not likely, with the present prospects, that any of
these will be replaced, and it is even doubtful whether all the
vessels which returned from last season’s fishing will repeat the
venture in 1887; in addition to which there are rumours of a
partial desertion of the northern fishing-grounds for the purpose
of exploring the Polar seas of the Southern Hemisphere.
The first disaster occurred on March 27th, when the Dundee
steamer ‘ Resolute’ was crushed in the ice in Notre Dame Bay,
her crew having barely time to save themselves by jumping on the
ice, where they suffered intensely from cold and exposure, having
to travel seventy miles over ice before they reached a place
of safety; three of their number, at first believed to have been
lost, were subsequently picked up by the sealer ‘ Hector, and
landed safely at St. John’s. The ‘ Resolute,’ at the time of her
loss, had 20,000 Seals on board. Another Dundee vessel, the
‘Aurora, had a narrow escape. Four days after leaving St.
John’s she discovered the main pack of Seals, and had every
prospect of securing a full cargo, but a gale of great violence
coming on, which continued for several days, she was driven
before its force a distance of about one hundred miles, ultimately
to be stopped by an iceberg off Cape Bonavista, where she
remained in a position of great danger from the falling ice. Soon
after, a second iceberg floating down upon her crushed one of her
THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 183
boats, and injured the ship so much that she began to leak ; all
this time the weather was of great severity, and the snow and
mist blinding. Ultimately the ice eased, to the intense relief of
her crew, and with the loss of one of her men the ‘ Aurora’
returned to St. John’s to refit. On her second trip she secured
640 old Seals.
The total result, so far as the twenty-one British vessels which
took part in the Newfoundland fishery were concerned, was one
lost, two clean ; and amongst the remaining eighteen vessels a take
of 195,396 Seals (against 211,587 for nineteen British vessels
last year); of these the ‘ Ranger’ took 35,894, the ‘ Falcon’
24,768, the ‘Wolf’ 19,521, the ‘ Leopard’ 15,954, and the
‘Greenland’ 15,000. Of the remaining thirteen vessels, the
total catch was 84,259, or an average of 6481; the average of the
whole eighteen being 10,855 Seals, the produce of which was
worth about £18 10s. per ton.
Taking the Dundee portion of the above fleet alone, which
consisted of six vessels, one—the ‘ Resolute ’—as before said, was
lost, and the remaining five vessels brought home only 41,606
Seals (as against 71,272 the previous season), or an average of
8321 each. It will thus be seen that for the whole of the Dundee
vessels, and ten of the St. John’s fleet, the voyage, so far, must
have been a most unprofitable one, even if the price of produce
had been much higher than it now is; practically only the five
vessels enumerated as having taken 15,000 Seals and upwards
made paying voyages.
The Greenland sealing has this season been an entire failure,
not so much, perhaps, from the absence of Seals as from
the severity of the weather, and the state of the ice pre-
venting an approach to the breeding pack. The passage out was
a fair one, and the Seals were found on April 2nd, in lat. 74°
N., long. 2° E.; but the weather proved so tempestuous that it
was not until the 7th they could be reached, and the strong gales
had then broken up the ice into small patches, and thus dispersed
the Seals. Three Scotch vessels only were present, the ‘ Erik,’
‘Hope, and ‘Karl of Mar and Kellie’ (the ‘ Eclipse’ did not
take part in the young sealing), and they captured about 4500
‘white-coats;’ there were also twenty-one Norwegians, who
secured some 31,500 others, in addition to which there were also
about 4000 old Seals killed, making a total of, say, 40,000 old
184 THE ZOOLOGIST.
and young Seals. In consequence of the latenéss of the season
the young Seals were in very fine condition, and probably sixteen
days old, as the parents generally take to the ice about March
22nd. The old sealing, later in the season, was equally bad. The
total number of old and young Seals brought in from the Green-
land and Davis Straits fishery was 7964, against 32,302 in the
season of 1885.
I regret that in my last year’s notes by an error I stated that
there were eighteen Scotch vessels present at the Greenland
sealing: this was the total number both at Greenland and New-
foundland. I should have stated that ten Scotch vessels took
part in the Greenland and Davis Straits sealing, capturing
26,448 Seals, and that the proceeds of 5852 other Seals
were brought home by the ‘Germania’ from a station in the
Cumberland Gulf.
At Newfoundland and Greenland together, the thirteen
Scotch sealers last season killed 49,570 Seals (against 103,574
in the season of 1885); these, at 6s. per skin, would represent a
sum of £14,871, and the yield of 582 tons of oil, at £20 per ton,
a further sum of £11,640; gross total, £26,511, against an
estimate in 1885 of £57,412, a sad falling off, which in this
branch of the fishery must represent a considerable loss to those
engaged in it.
In the article ‘Seal Fishery,” in the 2Ist vol. of the
‘ Encyclopedia Britannica,’ p. 582, are some remarks with regard
to what is there termed the ‘‘ Jan Mayen Seal Fishery,” which
are calculated to be very misleading. It is stated that the
British, Norwegian, Swedes, Danes, and Germans, all take part
in the fishery, and that the number of Seals taken by the
British vessels ‘‘ about equals that taken by all the others
together.” If by the “Jan Mayen fishery” the author means the
capture of young Saddle Seals at the Greenland west ice, this is
certainly not correct; the foreign vessels at present greatly out-
number the British, and the number of Seals taken by them is pro-
portionately larger ; it will be seen that in the season of 1886 the
numbers of British and foreign vessels present were respectively
three of the former and twenty-one of the latter, and for
many years past the disparity has been almost equally great.
The Norwegians, who did not commence sealing till 1845, now
outnumber all the other nationalities. Previous to that time
THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 185
there were more Germans, Danes, and Dutch, than there are
Norwegians at present. The author is also incorrect in stating
that the Scotch steamers are chiefly manned by Shetlanders. It
is usual for the whalers to complete their crews at Lerwick, and
last season the ‘ Kclipse’ added to her crew of forty men fifteen
Shetlanders, bringing the number up to fifty-five, and this, I
believe, is about the usual proportion. Again, although it is
stated that a close time has been established in the ‘‘ Jan Mayen
fishery,” the writer goes on to say that ‘‘the vessels make the ice
from the 15th to the 20th March, and commence the chase in
the destructive way already described.” The way “already
described” happily refers to what has since 1877 become a thing
of the past; in that year the close time came into operation,
and now, within an area included between the parallels of 67° and
75° N. latitude, and between the meridians of 5° East and
17° West longitude from the meridian of Greenwich, not a Seal
is killed till April 3rd. That date is still believed by some to
be too early, but this restriction has completely revolutionised
the mode of sealing; the mother Seals are no longer killed
without mercy when they come to suckle their young, and the
latter left ‘‘to die in thousands of starvation.” As a matter of
fact, it is the young “ white-coats” which are now so much
valued. The German vessels made a business of sealing many
years before the English took any decided part in it, the latter
only picking up a few Seals occasionally; but about the com-
mencement of the present century Seals begin to figure largely
in the returns of the British ships. It was not, however, till
the year 1840 that the port of Dundee first sent out ships to
the Greenland sealing, but this date by no means coincides
with the commencement of the Jan Mayen Seal fishery as stated
by the writer in the ‘ Encyclopedia Britannica.’
The Davis Straits whaling voyage was a very disastrous
one. On April 5th, during a most terrific gale, the ‘ Triune’
was forced upon a reef in lat. 66 N., where she remained frozen
up till the 18th, when she was released, but in steaming through
the ice-floe she received a very severe nip, which ultimately
resulted in the crew being compelled to abandon her off Scott’s
Island in 71 N. lat. on the 16th Angust. At the same time and
place as the ‘ Triune,’ the ‘Jan Mayen’ was also caught in the
squeeze, and sank shortly afterwards. The ‘ Star’ was likewise
186 THE ZOOLOGIST.
lost in Cumberland Gulf, making, with the ‘Resolute’ before
mentioned, four Dundee vessels which fell victims to the “thick-
ribbed ice” last season. Nor was this all, for the ‘ Catherine’ of
Peterhead, a sailing brig of 190 tons, after various adventures
on reefs and rocks, was finally beached and abandoned on the
30th September in Cumberland Gulf. Fortunately the crews in
all cases were rescued.
In the Davis Straits plenty of Whales are reported to have
been seen both in the early and late fishing; but the weather was
so bad, combined with heavy seas and ice floes of a very
dangerous character, that fishing was impossible; and during the
summer months, when the best fishing is usually met with, the
young Whales which, as a rule, are then found in Lancaster
Sound, although the ships were through Melville Bay in good
time to meet them in passing, were altogether absent, having,
it is conjectured, taken some other passage.
The Davis Straits and Cumberland Gulf vessels, ten in
number, killed nineteen Whales. These are said to have yielded
380 tons of oil, and 290 ewt. of bone, giving an average of
20 tons of oil and 15 ecwt. of bone each, a very high average for
the Straits Whales, which is probably to some extent accounted
for by the summer fishing of the young Whales being a failure,
those taken being in consequence all adults. Of this I shall
have something more to say presently.*
The Seal fishery offering no temptation for an early start,
and consequent greater outlay on the voyage, Capt. Gray, of the
‘Kclipse,’ deferred his departure from Peterhead until April 20th,
with the intention of devoting his energies to whaling and
shooting old Seals; of the latter he obtained 700, and of the
former 7. Of the incidents of this voyage some account has
been contributed to these pages by Mr. Robert Gray ; there is no
need, therefore, for me to dwell upon this part of the subject.
In the Greenland Seas the ‘ Eclipse’ and ‘ Erik’ from Peterhead,
* The disparity between the quantities of bone and oil as stated above is
certainly too great; there is always a remarkably constant proportion of
one cwt. of bone to each ton of oil, and this holds good with Whales of
all sizes. The ‘Traveller’ brought home from Cumberland Gulf some Whale .
oil which had been left out last season; but in addition to this I think there
must be some inaccuracy in the reported quantity of oil; possibly some of
the White Whale oil has been accidentally entered as Whale oil.
THE SEAL AND WHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 187
and the ‘Pole Star’ from Dundee, captured 15 Whales, yielding
88 tons of oil, and 80 ewt. of bone—the Whales averaging just
over 5% tons of oil, and 54 ewt. of bone. The ‘Hope’ and
* Aurora,’ as also the ‘ Karl of Mar and Kellie,’ which paid a short
visit to the Greenland whaling, were unsuccessful. Fourteen of
the above Whales were taken early in the season, and in about
the same locality, the remarkable feature about them being their
small size.
The relative size of the Whales taken in Davis Straits and
Cumberland Gulf, compared with those usually taken in Green-
land, has in the past season been quite reversed. A large
number of Davis Straits and Cumberland Gulf Whales, taken
over a period of years, produced an average of 94 ewt. of bone
each ; whereas the Greenland Whales, captured during the same
period, yielded 11 cwt. each; but in the past season the averages
have been 15 and 54 ewt. respectively.*
This may at first sight appear very remarkable, but it is quite
intelligible to those acquainted with the habits and seasonal
distribution of these creatures. We have seen that the Straits
fishermen, owing to circumstances of weather and ice, missed the
young Whales, which would have reduced their average ; whereas
the Greenland fishermen likewise, from force of circumstances,
could only get amongst young Whales early in the season; and
later on, owing in a great measure to the ice being so closely
packed and its edge so far west, they missed the south fishing
altogether. But this is not all: from long experience of the
habits and migration of the Whales, the regularity of which
is remarkable, the Whalers know precisely where they should be
found, under favourable circumstances, at certain definite periods ;
and not only so, but also the age.and size which may be expected.
I am not at liberty to enter more fully into this subject, fearing
to commit a breach of confidence, as it is the application of
accumulated experience on such points which enables one man
to succeed in capturing Whales when a less accurate observer
would fail; but I may add—to show that the migratory habits of
* As before stated, the yield of bone is more reliable than that of the
oil for purposes of comparison; I therefore prefer to give that of the bone
only, but each ewt. of the latter may be taken as representing an equivalent
of one ton of the former.
188 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the Whales have not changed—that the celebrated capture of
forty-four Whales, by Capt. Suttar, of the ‘ Resolution,’ in 1814,
was effected in the same latitude as produced the Greenland
Whales of the past season. Capt. Suttar’s average was 5 tons
13 cwts.; and fourteen of the Greenland Whales last season,
taken by two vessels fishing together in the same latitude as
Suttar’s, gave precisely the same average.
It is difficult to say what is the value of commodities which
are hardly marketable; but at £20 per ton the 477 tons of oil
brought home by the Dundee and Peterhead vessels would be
worth £9540, and the 184 tons of bone, at say £1100 per ton all
round,* another £20,350, or a total of £29,890, against £31,800
in the season of 1885.
There has been a further considerable falling off in the
British Bottle-nose fishery, only 23 Whales, yielding 22 tons of
oil, having been brought in against 84 killed in 1885; but
I am informed that the Norwegians have in the past season
killed the enormous number of 1600 or 1700 of these creatures,
which has so flooded the markets of London and Glasgow with
their oil that it has been sold as low as £17 or £18 per ton,—a
circumstance which will account for the neglect of this branch of
the fishery by the Scotch vessels, the owners of which not many
years ago realised £50 or £60 per ton for the same oil.
Some of the vessels brought home very miscellaneous
cargoes—1033 White Whales, 320 Walruses, and many Narwhals
and Bears—scarcity of “big game,’ I presume, rendering the
pursuit of such small deer the more keen.
During his voyage to the Greenland fishery, when in lat.
70° N. 16° W., or about half-way between Jan Mayen and
Greenland, Capt. Fairweather, of the ‘Aurora,’ reports a
singular phenomenon. On August 16th, about mid-day, his
vessel received a sudden shock, caused by what he considers
must have been an earth- (or sea-) quake. The ‘‘ sensations,” he
says, “felt by those on board were as if the ship were moving
* Some ‘“‘size-bone” (7.e., bone the slips of which are six feet and
upwards in length) has recently been sold at £1550 per ton; but as the
‘“‘undersize” bone produces only half the price of the “size,” the price for the
average is largely reduced. This must have been particularly the case in the
past season, many of the Whales being very small, and the proportion of
undersize bone being consequently unusually large.
NOTES AND QUERIES. 189
over a rocky bottom with great velocity.” The officers and crew
immediately rushed on deck, thinking a boiler had burst, or that
the ship had gone aground, but the boilers were all right, and the
lead failed to find bottom at 100 fathoms. ‘The weather was
foggy, with slight rain and wind from E.S.E.; no upheaval of
the water was noticed, the sea being unusually calm. About two
hours later, a second but much lighter shock was experienced,
which, however, only caused the vessel to tremble.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
Change of Habits in the Brown Rat.—The way in which animals
change their habits and mode of life in adapting themselves to new or
altered conditions of existence is very remarkable. In some cases doubtless
the change is so gradual that it is not detected for a long time, but in others
a divergence of habit under exceptional circumstances is so marked that it
at once strikes the observer as noteworthy. Some years ago the Rev. J. S.
Whitmee, then resident in the Samoan Islands, noticed a remarkable change
of habits in that curious bird the so-called ‘ Little Dodo,” Didunculus strigi-
rostris, which, from being almost entirely terrestrial in its habits, and
breeding also on the ground, became gradually arboreal, roosting and nesting
in trees, to escape the destruction which threatened it from attacks by cats,
dogs, rats, and pigs, which had been introduced by the colonists (¢f. Proc. Zool.
Soc. 1873, p.495). The Rat itself, so active a destroyer of life, has likewise
had to alter its habits continually in its struggle for existence under adverse
conditions in New Zealand. Capt. Johnstone, of Te Haroto, Raglan, New
Zealand, referring to Mus decumanus, in a letter to Capt. Hutton, subse
quently communicated to the Auckland Institute (Proc. N. Z. Inst. 1870,
p- 47), writes as follows:—‘ At this season of the year [June] there is a
sort of annual migration of Rats, where there are uncultivated lands in the
neighbourhood of houses. This year the migration is-excessive, both
in the country and in the village of Raglan. The habits of the Rat
have greatly changed since its introduction. It is amphibious. At low
water they go to eat shell-fish on a rock near here, and when the tide rises
swim back to the land. They have almost extirpated the delicious little
crayfish (Paranephrops), which twenty years ago were, as I well remember,
plentiful in my creek. Even the fresh-water mussels (Unio) are not safe
from them, as they dive for them and open them on the bank. The climate
is wet and the ground hard, so instead of burrows they make nests in trees
190 THE ZOOLOGIST. -
and hedges. Some time ago Mr. J. Graham, of Raglan, showed me a
perfect ‘rattery’ in a thorn-hedge in the village. There were from fifteen
to twenty large nests, into which it was necessary to insert a pitchfork to
eject the occupants, in order to show that they were not birds’ nests.”
The habit of feeding upon Crustacea is confirmed by another observer in
New Zealand, who writes :—‘‘ Wild Ducks were particularly numerous in
this district (Lake Taupo, North Island) on my arrival here: you saw them
by dozens —you hardly see them now by twos. I have no doubt we owe this
to the Norway Rat. There is a place on the Waikato River, some twenty
miles below Taupo, where the chiefs occasionally assembled to act out two
important matters—to discuss politics and eat kowras (crayfish). A few
years after the Norway Rat fully appeared, the kouras were no longer
plentiful, and as the New Testament made Maori politics rather unnecessary,
the usage of meeting no longer exists. The natives assured me that the
Norway Rat caught the crayfish by diving. Rowing up the rivers you see
the little deposits of shells. Upon enquiry I found they were the selections
of the Norway Rat, who, by diving for these fresh-water pipis, provide a
kinaki (relish) for their vegetable suppers.” I have elsewhere commented
upon the observed fact that Rats will greedily devour snails, and in this
way may do some good in gardens where snails are numerous (‘ Rambles in
search of Shells,’ 1875, pp. 738, 74). In the case referred to, however, they
were apparently impelled to this change of diet from necessity rather than
from choice, the Rats in question belonging to a colony which had taken up
their quarters in some new houses while in course of erection, where there
were no larders to visit. They were observed to climb the hollyhocks in
the garden, clear off several snails, bring them down in one paw, like an
armful, and run with them on three legs to their holes—J. E. Harrine.
Marten Cat in Breconshire.—This animal is so rare in Wales at the
present time that it may be worth while noting that one was seen in a
large wood near this town in September last. Attention was drawn to it
by the noise made by five or six Jays, who were evidently mobbing some-
thing, and my informant, who got within twenty yards of it, described it
so minutely to me as to leave no doubt in my mind as to its identity. In
past years the Marten was common here, and I know of four stuffed
specimens killed in this county within the last thirty years, and doubtless
many others have been unrecorded. I have also the very much torn skin
of a Marten killed some twenty years by the late Mr. Gwynne Vaughan’s
hounds near Llanwrtyd, in this county. The old rough Welsh hound
hunts it with great keenness and determination, and in former years it was
its legitimate quarry.—H. CamBripGE Paiiiips (Brecon, 8S. Wales). *
Common Rorqual at Skegness.—Seeing the usual announcement of a
“Greenland Whale” having been stranded at Skegness on April 3rd, I
NOTES AND QUERIES. 191
wrote to Mr. Storr of that town, who was mainly instrumental in its
capture, and from his replies, thinking it possible the animal might be
Balenoptera borealis, I took an early opportunity of visiting Skegness, and
was somewhat disappointed at seeing on the beach a young female of the
Common Rorqual or “ Razorback,” Balenoptera musculus. The animal
measured 47 ft. in length, and the only remarkable feature about it was
the unusually light colour of the baleen, which showed much less of the
characteristic slate colour veined with darker and lighter shades of the same
than in avy specimen of this species which I have seen. This may have
been owing either to the juvenility of the animal, which was little more
than two-thirds grown, or it may have been sexual, or even the result of
individual. variation. There seems to have been the usual misunder-
standing with the authorities, who claimed the whale on behalf of the
Crown, but it was eventually handed over to its captors, who, after
exhibiting it during the Haster holidays, sold it by auction for thirty
guineas.—T, SourHwE.x (Norwich).
[We learn from another correspondent, Mr. Degen, who personally
examined it, that, being half buried in soft sand and ooze, it was impossible
to take all the measurements that were desirable. He could only ascertain
that the extreme length was 47 ft., the length from centre of dorsal fin to
end of tail 13 ft., width of tail 8 ft., and circumference at dorsal fin 11 ft.
8in. He arrived at the same conclusion as did Mr. Southwell, namely,
that it was an immature female of Balenoptera musculus.—Ep.]
The West India Seal.—It will probably be of interest to the zoological
portion of your readers to learn of the re-discovery—or the full discovery—
of the West Indian Seal, Monachus tropicalis. The history of this pinniped
is in brief as follows:—It was noticed by Columbus in his account of his
second voyage (1494) as having been found in some numbers on the rocky
isle of Alta Vela, off the southern shore of Hispaniola, where his sailors
killed eight of them for food. Later—in 1675—Dampier found this Seal
in abundance on the Alacram reefs, about eighty miles north of Yucatan.
At that time it was killed there in great numbers for its oil. The Seal then
remained unnoticed for over a century and a half, having no place whatever
in the writings of zoologists until 1848. Then Mr. Richard Hill published
an account of it in the ‘Jamaica Almanac,’ calling it the Pedro Seal, from
the Pedro Keys, some sixty miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, where he had
found it. A few years later Mr. P. H. Gosse obtained an imperfect skin
(without skull), which he sent to the British Museum, where it was described
by Dr. Gray in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,’
1849. Dr. Gray gave it then no name, probably by reason of its imperfect
characters. Later—in 1850—(‘ Catalogue of Mammals in the British
Museum’) he described the same specimen as Phoca tropicalis, and after-
wards (‘ Catalogue of Seals and Whales,’ 1866) as Monachus tropicalis. But
192 THE ZOOLOGIST.
so imperfect was the specimen on which the description was founded, and
the animal itself was so little known, that even its generic relations were in
doubt, and its reference to the genus Monachus was considered provisional.
From thence on to the present, rumours of the existence of this Seal have
been not infrequent, but nothing seemed trustworthy and positive, and no
specimens were obtained, if we except a young skin, without bones or skull,
which came from Cuba to the National Museum at Washington, in 1884,
without any indication as to locality. It has long seemed to the writer, as
doubtless to many others, that the certain presence in our [7. e. American]
waters of so important a mammal lying perdu in regions which our naturalist
collectors are yearly visiting, was the opprobrium of American zoologists.
We made inquiries and collected notes from many sources, which showed
clearly that this Seal existed at isolated points—-on small islands and keys—
not only in the Caribbean and among the Bahamas, but also in the Gulf of
Mexico. Last summer, while on a visit to the western shore of the Gulf
of Mexico, we were so fortunate as to “locate” this seal with much
certainty. This was upon the Triangles (Los Triangulos), three little
keys, hardly above the water-level at high tide, and lying some 100 miles
north-west off the Campeachy coast, in latitude N. 20° 50’, and longitude
W. 92°10’. Following this clue, my son, Mr. Henry L. Ward, last
December visited the Triangles in company with Senor F. Ferrari Perez,
naturalist of the Mexican Geographical and Exploring Expedition. His
hunt was highly successful, and he has during the present month returned
with nearly twenty specimens—skeletons and skins of all ages, from a
suckling to the fully adult male, seven feet in length. This ample material
has just been carefully studied by Prof. J. A. Allen, the well-known zoologist,
and author of a ‘Monograph of North American Pinnipeds.’ Prof. Allen
has given a preliminary notice of the specimens in ‘Science,’ January 14,
1887, and promises an elaborate account, with plates, in an early issue of
the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, New York. It
is a fact of rather peculiar interest that this, the first large mammal ever
discovered in America, should, by the strange mishaps of natural-history
collecting, be the very last one to become known satisfactorily to science.—
Henry A. Warp (Rochester, New York).—Jn ‘ Nature.’
[A second communication on the subject, from Mr. Allen, appeared in
‘Science,’ Jan. 21, 1887. Mr. Ward is mistaken in supposing that the
skin of the Seal, which came from Cuba to the National Museum at
Washington in October, 1883 (not 1884, as above stated), was without
bones or skull. It contained the skull and the bones of the fore and hind
flippers, and these have been described (with three figures of the skull)
by Messrs. Trew and Lucas in the Smithsonian Report for 1884, Hist ll.
pp. 331 -335.— Eb. |
NOTES AND QUERIES. 193
BIRDS.
Reported occurrence of Emberiza melanocephala in Scotland.—
When visiting the Crystal Palace Bird Show on February 15th, I was
surprised to find that, in Class 66, the first prize had been won by
No. 1317, a male Black-headed Bunting, E’mberiza melanocephala, in
winter dress. On enquiry its owner, Mr. T. Crossley, of Kendal, wrote to
me at some length regarding the bird, which ‘‘ was canght near Dumferm-
line, on or about the 5th of November last, while flying in company with
some Snow Buntings.” Mr. Crossley subsequently informed me that he
purchased the bird from a dealer while on a visit to Scotland on the 3rd of
January. Mr. Crossley amusingly maintains that his specimen is an
immature Ortolan. He has no doubt as to its capture as above stated.—
H. A. MacrHeErsos.
[See a note on the occurrence of this species in Nottinghamshire (Zool.
1886, p. 73), and its previous occurrence near Brighton (Ibis, 1869, p. 128).
Since described and figured in the 4th edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’
vol. ii. p. 64,.—Ep.).
Albino Birds in Co. Wicklow.—Mr. J. R. Fitzgerald’s note on albino
birds (p. 110) reminds me of some curious albinos which have occurred
about here. Two, a Jackdaw and a Blackbird, are in the possession of
Mr. D. M‘Kellar. The Jackdaw is of an uniform creamy white, except
the top of the head, which is grey. It is a young bird of the first year,
and was shot near Carnew, in December, 1883. It came from a nest in
one of the houses of that village, and had the white plumage from a
nestling, having been frequently seen before it was shot. The albino type
is, I think, not so common among Jackdaws as among many other species.
The Blackbird is a very curious and beautiful specimen, white, lightly
tinged with shades of buff and pale brown. It was shot near Shillelagh in
Februaty, 1886. In November last, on Slievebuidhe Hill, a Magpie was
seen which was all white, except a black collar round the neck, extending
into a large patch on the shoulders, and some black spots on the wings. It
was in company with two other Magpies of the ordinary type. Some years
ago a white-winged Wren frequented the roadside near Park; and a cream-
coloured Sparrow was seen in the village of Shillelagh.—ALLan ELison
(Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow).
Wood Pigeons casting up Pellets —When hawking in Cambridge-
shire, on December 15th, I went from the open land through a wood
frequented (at that season) by hundreds of Wood Pigeons. Among their
droppings I saw some oval-shaped “castings,” about an inch in length.
I have noted this in the Shrikes, Rooks, and Swallows, but never in this
form in the Pigeon. I am aware of the manner they feed their young, but
ZOOLOGIST.—MAY, 1887. Q
194 THE ZOOLOGIST.
I must say I was ignorant of the fact of Pigeons ejecting castings such as
I found composed of husks of barley and beech-nuts, grass, or clover, and
small stones.—T. J. Mann (The Grange, Bishop’s Stortford).
Blackbird laying in Thrush’s Nest.— Whilst rambling over the
Sewage Farm, during April last, I observed a Blackbird fly from a holly-
bush, and, thinking it might have a nest, I went to see, and to my great
surprise found that the Blackbird had laid four eggs in a 'Thrush’s nest,
which I suppose the Thrush must have deserted. On my telling Mr.
Thomas, who owns the adjoining land, of the occurrence, he said that a
similar case was observed by one of his sons near the same place during
the previous year. Mr. Wm. Storey tells me that an instance of the above
has come under his notice in Nidderdale.—F. R. Frrz¢eraxp (Harrogate).
The Ptarmigan in South-West Scotland.—The remarks of Mr.
Service regarding local specimens of Lagopus mutus in the Museum at
Dumfries remind me that one or more specimens exist in the Carlisle
Museum. 1 therefore wrote to Mr. W. Duckworth, suggesting that the
Carlisle birds were probably from Dumfriesshire, and asking him to refer
to the old Museum Catalogue, with a view, if possible, to trace their history.
This he has kindly done, and finds that three specimens of L. mutus (two in
summer and one in winter dress) were included in a series of birds presented
many years ago by Mr. J. D. Murray, of Murraythwaite, Dumfriessh re.
In all probability these were local birds: at least the presumption is favoured
by the facts which Mr. Service has recently set forth in connection with his
own district.—H. A. MacpHerson.
Woodcock and Pheasant laying in the same Nest.—On the 12th
April last I was taken to see a Woodcock’s nest, about two miles from my
house. ‘There had been four eggs, but one was broken to pieces, and
another had a hole init. In the same nest with these were two Vheasant’s
eggs. ‘The Woodcock’s eggs had been laid some time, but were only
slightly incubated. I suppose the Pheasant had turned the Woodcock out,
but the keeper stated that two days afterwaids he saw the Woodcock sitting
ou the two Pheasant’s eggs. From this it would seem that the Pheasant
had deserted and the Woodcock had gone back to the nest. On April
16th the two eggs were found to have been sucked by a Jay.—F. H. Brrugy
(Dorman’s Land, Kast Grinstead).
House Martins nesting in October.—A pair of Martins, Chelidon
urbica, built their nest at the Harrogate Hotel, Starbeck, and successfully
reared their young, in the latter end of October, 1884. The old birds were
observed feeding their young during a blinding snow-storm. Last year
Mr. William Storey, of Pateley, observed on October 8th a nest of the
House Martin containing four young. The last Swallows observed in
NOTES AND QUERIES. 195
this district (so far as I am aware) was on October 25th, when Mr. Rowling
saw one in High Harrogate, and I observed three in Low Harrogate.—
F’. R. Frrzeeraxp (Harrogate).
The Green-backed Porphyrio (Porphyrio chloronotus).—I should be
much obliged if any correspondent, who may happen to know its where-
abouts, will say where a Porphyrio, shot at Grange in Furness, Lancashire,
on September 25th, 1876, now is. Jt was recorded in ‘ The Zoologist’ by
Mr. Harting (1877, p. 228), and by Mr. E. T. Baldwin, p. 881. Robert
Allen, the keeper who shot it, died in America last May, and it is possible
that he took the bird to America with him, but it is much more likely, I
think, that he sold it to some collector before crossing the Atlantic. About
ten days before this bird was killed a Green-backed Porphyrio, showing no
trace of confinement, and now in Mr. J. G. Millais’s collection, was shot
at Errol, in Perthshire (Drummond Hay, ‘Scottish Naturalist,’ 1877,
p. 37); while about fifteen days afterwards a third was killed in Norfolk
(Zool. 1877, pp. 96, 228). These facts point to wild migrants, and not to
prisoners escaped from any aviary, especially as it was just the migratory
season, and the three localities are so far apart, assuming that the
Lancashire bird was the green-backed species, which is what I wish to
ascertain. Unfortunately that cannot now be proved, unless the specimen
can be examined. ‘Two of the witnesses who saw it think its back was
green, and two others think it was blue. The Green-backed Porphyrio
apparently has a good claim to be considered a visitant to the South of
Enrope. Mr. Dresser says, on the authority of Baron von Miiller, that
six were caught at once in the South of France (‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. vii.
p. 803); and I learn from Prof. Giglioli that in the autumn of 1865 four
were taken at Messina, and that, including these, there are twelve well-
authenticated instances of its capture in Italy, Sicily, and Sardinia. Of
some of these he has given particulars (‘The Ibis,’ 1881, p. 211), but does
not suggest that they may have escaped from confinement.—J. H. Gurney,
Jun. (Keswick Hall, Norwich).
White-eyed Pochard and Bewick’s Swan in Norfolk.—An adult male
White-eyed Pochard (Anas nyroca) was shot at Potter Heigham on Dec.
29th ult.; it was flying singly down the river. Three Bewick Swans were
shot here (at Heigham) last winter. — M. C. H. Brrp (West Rudham,
Swaffham, Norfolk).
The Sheldrake or “ Bar-goose” on the Essex Coast.—This bird is
still called ‘* Bar-goose” by Essex shore-shooters and punt-gunners. It
appears to be a late breeder. One killed off Canvey Island a few years
ago on May 9th had no down off the breast, although the feathers there
were dirty, as if she had been burrowing, and the most fully-developed egg
in the ovary was not so large as a pea. I have not heard the term “ Bar-
196 THE ZOOLOGIST.
gander” applied to the male, but both sexes are indiscriminately spoken of
in Essex as ‘‘ Bar-geese."—M. C. H. Brrp (West Rudham, Swaffham,
Norfolk).
Harlequin Duck on the Northumbrian Coast.—The editorial note
(p. 159) under a notice of the exhibition of a Harlequin Duck before the
Zoological Society by Mr. H. Saunders has a tendency to mislead, as any
one referring to that notice would naturally conclude that the bird exhibited
was the Rev. Julian Tuck’s specimen, which was not the case. It was the
companion bird which I had received, and which is now in my collection.
To obviate any confusion which might arise at a future date in tracing the
destination of the two specimens which were obtained, I should feel obliged
if you will allow me to state that I possess the specimen which was
exhibited by Mr. H. Saunders.—RosBerr W. Case (Kdgbaston).
It may be well to point out that the young Harlequin drake exhibited
by Mr. Saunders at the second March meeting of the Zoological Society
(Zool. p. 159) was not my specimen recorded on p. 70, but its companion
in misfortune. The two must, I suppose, be ‘“ bracketed second” as
British examples. I forwarded the body of the one I received to Professor
Newton, and at his request the trachea has been prepared for the Cambridge
Museum.—Junian Tuck (St. Mary’s, Bucknall, Stoke-on-Trent).
Paired Varieties of the Jackdaw.—A pair of Jackdaws are at present
nesting in one of the old trees close to my house. I see them frequently
on the lawn and in the field near. Both these birds are exactly alike, and
have the whole of the wings and tail ofa dull mottled yellowish brown
colour, much like that of a hen Pheasant. The remarkable point in this is
that both the pair should thus vary. Probably they are the produce of
some one brood of a former season ?—O. P. CAMBRIDGE (Bloxworth, near
Blandford).
Black Redstart in Co. Waterford.—I have to record the occurrence
here of a young male of this species on the 4th November, 1886. The
specimens of this bird captured in Ireland have, I believe, occurred on the
sea coast, or at a short distance inland. Coolfin is about ten miles from
the nearest sea. Like the bird mentioned by Lord Clermont (Zool. 1884,
p. 78), this little straggler was engaged in capturing flies at my bed-room
window.— Winu1am W. Fermyne (Coolfin House, Portlaw, Co. Waterford).
FISHES.
Cyclopterus lumpus at Scilly.—I have received (April 12th) from
St. Mary’s, Scilly, a Lumpsucker, Cyclopterus lunpus. It is a male of
unusual size, being as large as the ordinary female. The belly and lower
sides are bright crimson, the back is of the usual dull leaden blue; bat
NOTES AND QUERIES. 197
the remarkable thing about the fish is its sucker. Instead of being attached
to the pectorals it was distinctly detached, and (although the fish was quite
fresh when it was brought to me) the sucker was hard and apparently
useless for the purpose of adherence. The fish being in good condition,
the state of the sucker could not be attributed to disease. It may possibly
have been the result of age, but I have seen the male of this species so
rarely that on this point I am not able to offer an opinion. Since writing the
above, another very large male Lumpsucker has been taken (April 14th);
this time in Penzance Bay in a trammel, in about twelve fathoms of water.
It measures sixteen inches in length, and has the same peculiarity about
the sucker which I noted in the other. It was alive when I received it.—
Taomas Cornisu (Penzance).
INSECTS.
Scarcity of the Black-veined White.—In an article in the ‘ Ento-
mologist’s Monthly Magazine’ for March, Mr. Herbert Goss raises the
question whether Aporia crategi is dying out in this country. At one time
this butterfly was common in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire, Huntingdonshire,
Northamptonshire, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, and Glamorganshire.
Now it has disappeared, apparently, from all these counties. Mr. Goss does
not think that this can be attributed to the rapacity of collectors, and he
holds that it can be accounted for only in some localities by cultivation and
drainage. It seems to him more probable that the extreme acarcity or total
extinction of the Black-veined White may be due to a succession of wet
ungenial summers and mild winters.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
ZooLogicaL Society or Lonpon.
April 5, 1887.—Prof. W. H. Ftowur, LL.D., F.RB.S., President, in
the chair.
The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to
the Society’s Menagerie during the month of March, 1887, and called
-special attention to two Long-tailed Grass-Finches, Poéphila acuticauda,
from N.W. Australia, presented by Mr. Walter Burton: and to a Fisk’s
Snake, Boodon fiskii, and a Narrow-headed Toad, Bufo angusticeps, trom
South Africa, presented by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk.
Mr. I’. Day exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of a Mediter-
ranean fish, Scorpena scrofa, taken by a trawler off Brixham early in
March last, and new to the British Fauna.
Mr. J. H. Leech exhibited some specimens of new Butterflies from
198 YHE ZOOLOGIST.
Japan and Corea, and gave a short account of his recent journeys to those
countries in quest of Lepidoptera.
The Secretary read a letter addressed to him by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk,
of the Cape Colony, respecting the killing and eating, by a Shrew, of a young
venomous Snake, Sepedon hemachates.
Prof. Flower communicated, on behalf of Messrs. J. H. Scott and T.
Jeffery Parker, of the University of Otago, New Zealand, a paper containing
notes on a specimen of a young female Ziphius, which was cast ashore alive
at Warrington, north of Dunedin, New Zealand, in November, 1884.
Mr. Richard 8. Wray read a paper on the morphology of the wings of
birds, in which a description was given of a typical wing, and the main
modifications which are found in other forms of wings were pointed out.
One of the principal points adverted to was the absence, in nearly half the
class of birds, of the fifth cubital remex, its coverts only being developed.
The peculiar structure of the wings in the Ratit@ and the Sphenisci was
also commented upon.
A communication was read from the Rev. H. 8. Gorham on the classifi-
cation of the Coleoptera of the division Languriides. The author pointed
out the characters which, in his opinion, were available for the systematic
arrangement of this family of Coleoptera, and for its division into genera.
The subject had hitherto not received the attention it deserved, and several
errors had gained currency, owing to the hasty and insufficient way in
which the structure of these insects had been examined. He added an
analytical table of about forty genera, many of those proposed being new.
Further notice of the American genera would soon appear in Messrs.
Godmau and Salvin’s ‘ Biologia Ceutrali-Americana.’
April 19, 1887.— OsBert Savin, Esq., F.R.S., Vice-President, in
the chair.
The Secretary called attention to a set of eleven photographs repre-
senting the principal objects of Natural History collected by the celebrated
traveller Prejevalski during his four expeditions into Central Asia, and to
an accompanying Catalogue of them which had been presented to the
Society's Library by Dr. A. Strauch, of the Imperial Museum, St. Peters-
burg.
Mr. T. D. A. Cockerell exhibited and made remarks on some specimens
of rare British Slugs taken at Isleworth, Middlesex.
The Secretary read some extracts from a letter addressed to him by
Mr. A. A. C. Souef, giving an account of a successful attempt to keep the
Duck-billed Platypus, or Water-Mole, alive in captivity in the Zoological
Gardens at Melbourne.
Mr. J. Bland Sutton exhibited some specimens of diseased structures
taken from Mammals that had died in the Society’s Gardens, and made
| a,
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 199
comments thereon. He also read a paper on the singular arm-glands met
with in various species of the family Lemuride.
Mr. F. E. lseddard read a paper on the anatomy of Earthworms, being
a further contribution to his researches on that subject. The present paper
treated of the structure of Endrilus sylvicola, the reproductive orgaus of
Acanthodrilus, and the genital sete of Pevicheta houlleti.
A communication was read from Mr. A. D. Bartlett, Superintendent of
the Society’s Gardens, containing remarks upon the mode of moulting
of the Great Bird of Paradise, Paradisea apoda, as observed in a captive
specimen.
A communication was read from Mr. J. Douglas Ogilby, of the Austra-
lian Museum, Sydney, containing the description of a rare Australian fish,
Girella cyanea. A second paper by Mr. Ogilby contained the description
of an undescribed fish of the genus Prionurus, obtained in Port Jackson,
which was proposed to be called P. maculatus.—P. L. Scuater, Secretary.
EnromoxoeicaL Society or Lonpon.
April 6, 1887.—Dr. Davip Suarp, M.B., F.Z.S., President, in the
chair.
Mr. Francis Galton, M.A., F.B.S., of 42, Rutland Gate, S.W.;
Mr. John Henry Leech, B.A., F.L.S., of 10, Hyde Park Terrace, W.;
and Mr. George S. Parkinson, of Perey Cross, Fulham, S.W., were elected
Fellows.
Mr. Samuel Stevens exhibited specimens of Arctia mendica, collected in
the county of Cork, in Ireland, by Mr. M‘Dowall, of Manchester. The
peculiarity of the Cork form of the species is that the majority of the males
are as white as the female of the English form; and although smoky-
coloured specimens occur intermediate between the Irish and English
forms, the typical black or English form appears to be unknown in Cork.
Mr. M‘Lachlan exhibited a zinc box used by anglers for the purpose of
keeping living flies in, which he thought might be adapted to practical
entomological use in the field.
Mr. George T. Porritt exhibited a large number of specimens of
Hybernia progemmaria, bred from moths collected at Huddersfield last
spring. All the females and a large proportion of the males were of the
dark variety fuscata, which formerly was almost unknown in Yorkshire,
but which now seemed likely to replace the paler and original type.
Mr. Jenner Weir and Lord Walsingham both remarked that the
number of melanic forms appeared to be on the increase in the north, and
suggested explanations of the probable causes of such increase.
Mr. Gervase F. Mathew, R.N., exhibited several new species of Rhopa-
locera taken by him in the Solomon Islands during the visits to those
200 THE ZOOLOGIST.
islands of H.M.S. ‘ Espiégle’ in 1882 and 1883. Amongst the specimens
exhibited were species of Huplea, Mycalesis, Messarus, Rhinopalpa, Cyrestis,
Diadema, Parthenos, Lampides, Sithon, Pieris, Papilio, &c.
Mr. E. B. Poulton exhibited a large and hairy lepidopterous larva—
apparently of a Bombya—brought from Celebes by Dr. Hickson, and made
remarks on the urticating properties of the hairs of the species, which were
said by the natives to produce symptoms similar to those of erysipelas if
the larva was handled.
Lord Walsingham, Mr. M‘Lachlan, Dr. F. A. Dixey, Mr. Jenner Weir,
Dr. Sharp, Mr. Slater, and Mr. Poulton took part in a discussion as to
whether urtication was due to the mechanical action of the hairs in the
skin, or to the presence of formic acid, or some other irritant poison, in
glands at the base of the hairs. There appeared to be no doubt that in
some species the irritation caused by handling them was merely due to the
mechanical action of the hairs.
Mr. P. Crowley exhibited a collection of Lepidoptera recently received
from West Africa, including specimens of several new or undescribed
species of Mylothris, Diadema, Harma, Rhomaleosoma, &e.
Mr. H. Goss reported the capture by Mr. G. D. Tait, at Oporto, in
September last, of a specimen of Anosia Plevippus, and remarked that,
although son e twenty specimens had been caught in the South of England,
only two specimens had been previously recorded from the continent of
Europe.
Lord Walsingham read a paper entitled “A Revision of the Genera
Acrolophus (Poey) and Anaphora (Clem.)”; and he exhibited about twenty
new species of these and allied genera. Mr. Stainton made some remarks
on the genus Anaphora, aud said he was glad Lord Walsingham was working
at it and its allies. The paper was further discussed by Mr. M‘Lachlan,
Mr. Champion, and Dr. Sharp.
Mr. Poulton read “ Notes in 1886 on Lepidopterous Larve, &e.” In
the discussion which ensued, Lord Walsingham referred at some length to
instances of protective resemblance in larve, and alluded to the existence
in certain species, especially of the genus Melitea, of prothoracic glands.
Further instances of protective resemblance were cited by Mr. Jenner
Weir.
Dr. F. A. Dixey remarked on the extraordinary powers of contraction
which appeared to be possessed by the retractor muscle of the flagellum in
D. vinula, and enquired whether any corresponding peculiarities of minute
structure had been observed in it. The discussion was continued by
Mr. Gervase Mathew, Mr. W. White, Dr. Sharp, Mr. Porritt, and others.—
H. Goss, Hon. Secretary.
Plate 4.
Foo Geos 1887,
‘duat 09 7 Weumeyy 'ySO/_
‘smo nds snp
‘eSNoUL-ppety peter - SUOoT SUI,
“ya UOSUTYDIDH 'T
THE ZOOLOGIS jie
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.] JUNE, 1887. [No. 126.
ON THE HABITS OF THE LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE.
By G. T. Rops.
Prats IV.
Or the large and widely-spread genus Mus, five species only
are known to inhabit the British Islands; the two larger,
M. decumanus and JM. rattus, beng commonly known as Rats;
the rest, M. musculus, M. sylvaticus, and M. messorius, as Mice.
A third species of Rat, M. alexandrinus, is sometimes brought to
our shores by vessels from Egypt and various ports in Southern
Europe, but has not at present succeeded in permanently esta-
blishing itself. It appears doubtful, however, whether this last
is really specifically distinct from M. rattus.
Of the latter group, or “ mice,” the Long-tailed Field Mouse,
Mus sylvaticus, is the largest, and is very numerous as a species.
Though a singularly beautiful little creature, it has a bad reputa-
tion both with the farmer and the gardener. No sooner does
the sowing season come round and the first early peas are
put into the ground, than the Field Mice find them out, and,
taking up their abode close by, carry on their depredations
during the hours of darkness. From observations made on this
species in captivity, I believe it to be more strictly nocturnal in
its habits than either the common House Mouse or the Harvest
Mouse, M. messorius ; and the much larger and more prominent
eyes seem to indicate the same thing.
The Long-tailed Field Mouse has some little resemblance to
the Common Mouse, the chief points of difference being some-
_ : ZOOLOGIST.— JUNE, 1857. R
202 THE ZOOLOGIST.
what analogous to those distinguishing the Hare from the
Rabbit ; thus both the ears and the hinder limbs are longer, and
the general colour of the fur of a warmer tint. The relative
difference in size is also about the same, or perhaps rather less:
besides which the eyes are much larger and more prominent, the
whole head, and especially the muzzle, more elongated, and the
tail longer. The dimensions given in Bell’s ‘ British Quadrupeds’
are as follows:—Length of the head and body, 3 in. 8 lines; of
the head, lin. 1 line; of the ears, 7 lines; of the tail, 8 in. 6 lines.
For the sake of comparison, the following measurements,
taken from ten adults from this locality, may perhaps be worth
recording :—Average length of the head and body, 3 in. 93 lines ;
of the tail, 3in. 5 lines. By far the largest example was a female,
the total length of which was 8 in. 2 lines, the head and body
occupying 4 in. 6 lines, the tail 3 in. 8 lines. In one instance
the tail measured exactly half of the entire length, but its pro-
portionate length, as seen above, was in these examples less than
in Bell’s table of dimensions. In this respect, indeed, I have
found great variation, but need hardly add that in making the
above measurements abnormally short-tailed specimens—which
might possibly have lost a portion of that appendage—were, of
course, excluded.
The upper parts are fawn, interspersed with numerous darker
hairs, the general effect being yellowish brown with a slight
greyish tinge. Under parts white, with a small patch or streak
of fawn between the fore legs. Darkest colour extending along
the back from occiput to root of tail, the fawn tint purest where
it borders on the white. Posterior margin of hams bright orange-
fawn. Feet and fore legs white up to the wrist, the pink skin
showing through the soft and somewhat scanty hair on the feet.
Hinder feet and legs white up to the hocks, which are dark grey
behind, fading into pale fawn next to the white, the white in
front being carried up so as to join that of the rest of the under
parts of the body. Inner surface and anterior margin of thighs
white, the rest of the same colour as the back. All the fur slate-
colour at the base. Ears very large, beautifully formed, and
sparsely clothed with very short brown hairs. Eyes of great
size and remarkably prominent. Whiskers abundant and very
long. ‘The hinder feet are large in proportion to the fore feet,
the three middle toes long, the claws white. ‘The tail is long and
HABITS OF THE LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE. 203
flexible, brownish grey above, whitish below; rather less than
half the entire length of the animal, but varying considerably in
this respect. The colour of the upper parts varies in different
individuals, some showing but little of the yellow tint. The young
are much greyer than the adults. Fatio (‘Faune des Vertébrés
de la Suisse’) states that he has remarked considerable variation
in the shape and extent of the yellow pectoral spot in Swiss
examples, some having it so produced as to form a complete
collar, while in others he has found it entirely absent.
Albinos now and then occur in this country, an instance of
which will be found recorded in ‘ The Field,’ Jan. 18th, 1878, by
Mr. H. De F. Cox; and in ‘ The Zoologist,’ June, 1884, p. 226,
Mr. A. H. Cocks, describing an albino variety picked up dead in
the garden of Dropmore Vicarage, near Great Marlow, Bucks,
says, ‘‘It was a true albino, the eyes being pink; there was the
slightest possible tinge of colour on part of the back and flanks.
It was a female; and its unusual colour had—from the look of
the teats—proved no obstacle to its finding a mate, and becoming
the mother of a family.” According to Lord Clermont (‘ Quad-
rupeds and Reptiles of Europe’), varieties occur of white, brown,
and dull yellow, the belly, however, being always white.
The large and well-developed ears appear capable of detecting
the slightest sound, and twitch convulsively at a chirp or
whistle so faint as to be barely audible to human ears. The
sense of smell, too, is probably well developed, and is doubtless
the principal guide to the whereabouts of food—accounting
for the great readiness with which corn, seed, bulbs, &c., are
discovered, whether in the ground or stored in outhouses.
This species, according to my experience of its habits in this
neighbourhood, does not, like M. musculus and M. messorius,
inhabit stacks of corn, nor have I ever succeeded in finding a
single individual of the Field Vole, Arvicola agrestis, either in a
granary or a stack of any kind, though the latter animal is said by
Bell to frequent such situations. A few may be carried in now and
then at harvest time among the sheaves of corn, but must either
soon die or else make their escape; for, setting aside rats, the little
rodents found often in such immense numbers when the corn is
threshed are all (with the exception of a small but varying pro-
portion of Harvest Mice) of one species, viz., Mus musculus.
Doubtless the habits of this little animal would vary a good deal
204 THE ZOOLOGIST.
according to circumstances, and I ought to add that these
observations have been confined to a rather limited area.
The Long-tailed Field Mouse devours corn and pulse of all
kinds; also acorns, nuts, bulbs and roots of various sorts ; and
from Mr. Barrington’s interesting account of the habits of this
animal in confinement (Zool., April, 1882) it appears that the
leaves as well as the roots of certain plants are eaten by it. He
says, “The leaves of clover, and especially dandelion, were
greatly relished, and for an unexpanded flower of dandelion
nearly everything else would be deserted.” They also ate
arbutus berries, gooseberries, apples, grapes, &c., but almonds
were not much liked. One I kept would eat the berries of the
butcher’s-broom. In a wild state they are particularly fond of
carrots. Though abroad and active throughout the year, these
mice, as is well known, store up underground during the autumn
vast quantities of food for winter use, when the hard frozen ground
would otherwise prevent them from obtaining a sufficient supply.
For this purpose acorns are often chosen. Prof. Bell mentions
also nuts, corn, and various seeds, and even roots, as having been
found in their winter hoards. Possibly these supplies are some-
times exhausted before the return of spring; for, like rabbits,
they will in severe weather, when the ground is covered with
snow, devour the bark of young trees. The last-mentioned
writer, in his account of the destruction wrought by mice and
voles among young trees in the Forest of Dean and in the
New Forest during the years 1813 and 1814, states that among
the enormous number of small rodents taken in pitfalls, &c.,
though the greater part consisted of Field Voles, Arvicola
agrestis, a considerable number of Long-tailed Field Mice were
also caught. The present species, like most of the smaller
British rodents, is to a certain extent carnivorous, preying when
hard pressed on young birds, &c., and even occasionally on
members of its own species. Fatio mentions insects as forming
a part of its diet.
This animal breeds several times during the year, beginning
as early as March, and continuing till late in the autumn.
Mr. Barrington’s experiments prove that a pair of these mice
are capable, in a state of confinement, of producing as many
as four litters in the space of ten weeks. He found the average
number of young in nine litters to be four, five being the
HABITS OF THE LONG-TAILED FIELD MOUSE. 205
maximum; in a wild state, however, the litters are probably
larger. From seven to ten is the number stated by Bell, while
Fatio gives it as four to six. It seems probable that more
than one pair sometimes jointly occupy a burrow, several mice
being at times bolted at once when water is poured into a
hole. Buffon gives an instance where twenty-two were found in
a single hole, viz. two females and twenty young. Mr. Barrington
estimates the period of gestation to be about three weeks.
Their burrows, which are their usual retreats during the day,
and in which the young are born, are to be found in woods,
orchards, gardens, hedge-banks, &c.; they are also often made in
the open fields, especially where peas or beans have been recently
sown, also at harvest time, remaining till the stubbles are
ploughed. From the quantity of earth thrown out at one or
more of the openings (of which there are seldom less than three)
they are often conspicuous objects, looking at a little distance
like mole-hills. Old manure-heaps, probably from the warmth
generated in them, are favourite spots with these little animals;
and they not unfrequently make their abode in sheds and out-
houses attached to gardens, where bulbs, seeds, &c., are kept.
The singular tenacity with which the young mice cling to
their dam when she is surprised and put to flight was, as far as
I am aware, first observed—or at any rate recorded—by the
Rey. Gilbert White, the instance on which his attention was
drawn to this circumstance occurring during the removal of the
lining of a hot-bed. He says, “From out of the side of this bed
leaped an animal with great agility, that made a most grotesque
figure; nor was it without great difficulty that it could be taken,
when it proved to be a large white-bellied Field Mouse, with
three or four young clinging to her teats by their mouths and
feet. It was amazing that the desultory and rapid motions of
this dam should not oblige her litter to quit their hold, especially
when it appeared that they were so young as to be both naked
and blind!” Fatio witnessed a similar occurrence: a female was
ploughed out of the ground with young ones clinging to her, but
not, as in the instance given by White, to the teats, but * ‘accrochés
par les pieds antérieurs et par les dents a sa queue et 4 ses poils.”
As regards the manner of attachment, Mr. Barrington’s observa-
tions are in accordance with those of the author of the ‘ Natural
History of Selborne’; for, after remarking that the mothers
206 THE ZOOLOGIST.
seemed to have hardly any cessation of suckling, he says, ‘‘ So
fast did the young attach themselves that the females could
scarcely move without pulling two or three after them.” Although
the present species does not establish itself permanently in the
dwellings of man, after the manner of that pretty and amusing
little pilferer the common House Mouse, I have known several
instances of its having been caught in houses; and it often visits
dairies for the sake of the milk, of which it is particularly fond.
One which had escaped from its cage here was caught a fortnight
afterwards in the same room, looking as sleek and well as ever.
I have on two separate occasions, in July and November, seen
this little animal among the tall marram-grass on the sea-beach
between Dunwich and Sizewell, on the Suffolk coast. Nests of
the Harvest Mouse, M. messorius, have also been found on the
beach at Kessingland, a few miles farther to the north, as recorded
in Mr. Southwell’s ‘Mammalia and Reptilia of Norfolk.’ The
never-failing supplies of food cast up or left bare by the waves,
as is well known, attract to the sea-coast various creatures other
than those of purely littoral habits. Possibly, however, these
beach-mice, instead of deriving the principal part of their food
directly from that source, may subsist chiefly on the seeds of this
grass and of the various plants growing on that wild and un-
cultivated tract. The beach being cut off at this spot from
cultivated soil by a wide belt of marshes, ill adapted to the
requirements of these animals, it seems probable that they
may be permanent residents there. Rats, Rabbits, and a few
Hares frequent the place; and even Weasels and Stoats in small
numbers here find a temporary refuge from their relentless enemies
the keepers.
Long-tailed Field Mice and Bank Voles, Arvicola rufescens,
often make use of the same runs, and in trying to procure
specimens of the latter I have frequently been balked by the
Field Mice, which spring the traps and imprison themselves with
the greatest readiness. They are particularly abundant here,
and on going out at night with a lantern are sometimes to be
seen bounding along in their peculiar zigzag and erratic manner.
Their leaping mode of progression occasioned by the comparative
length and power of the hinder limbs, and in fact the appearance
in general of these mice, reminds one of the Kangaroos, or perhaps
even more so of their near relatives the Gerboas. When moving
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 207
slowly about in a cage their movements are very kangaroo-
like. In burrowing, the snout is used for shovelling the earth
away in front of them. In captivity they have—as far as my
experience goes—rather a dull and listless manner, and, in spite
of their beauty, make less interesting pets than the common
House Mouse. The skin of the tail, as with the Dormouse, is
but slightly attached, and if seized by that appendage the mouse
generally escapes, leaving the skin between the finger and thumb
of its would-be captor.
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886 ON THE
LAPLAND COAST.
By Atrrep Heneacr Cocks, M.A., F.Z.S.
Tue Finwhaling season of 1886 off the N. coast of Norway
and Russia proved a good one as far as the number and size
of the Whales obtained goes, but, owing to the continued low prices
of oil and baleen, it is not every company that is satisfied with the
result ; and I think everyone concerned is ready to acknowledge
that they are treading seriously on one another’s heels.
Rudolphi’s Rorqual, which in 1885, for the first time on record,
appeared in such large numbers to the eastwards of the North
Cape, last year confined itself again to its usual habitat, only
eight individuals being taken by ships of the companies having
their stations to the east of that headland, and it is quite likely
that some, and possibly all, even of this small number were
actually killed to the westward of it. None were even seen by
the Russian boats.
The Blue Whale reappeared last year in more like its former
numbers, but, as will be seen by anyone who will take the trouble
to compare the numbers caught by each company last season
with those killed in 1884 (published in ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1885),
there was an appreciable falling-off in this species as regards
the Norwegian coast, though apparently this was not the case in
the eastward portion of the Russian waters.
A similar comparison for the last three years (1884, 1880,
1886) of the numbers of Common Rorquals killed will show a
steady increase each succeeding year, the totals for each company _
in 1886 averaging more than double the number obtained in 1884.
208 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The total of Humpbacks killed in 1886 was as nearly as
possible the same as in 1885, and if, as in the preceding species,
we reckon the totals for the three years, only of those companies
of which I had returns in 1884, we find the figures so nearly alike
that, without complete returns, it would be impossible to show
any difference.
On my outward passage over the North Sea, when about
152 miles from the Spurn, on the afternoon of August 6th, or,
roughly speaking, in about 55° 88’ N. lat., and 1° 52’ long. E. G.,
we passed tolerably close to some Rudolphi’s Rorquals. There
were, I am nearly certain, three of them, though it is possible
that there were, as conjectured by some of the other spectators,
only two. They kept blowing for some minutes, as we crossed
their track, and occasionally putting their heads out of the water.
The position indicated would be about the latitude of Bamborough,
on the Northumberland coast, and inside the forty fathom line,
clear of the N.W. margin of the Dogger Bank. I saw them well
enough to feel confident in my identification, though it was not a
species one would expect to meet with thereabouts, and to see
any species of Whale there is an exceptional incident. The
Whales were heading about W.N.W., and as that course (or
within several points of it) would bring them before very long to
the Scotch coast, I lost no time, after landing in Throndhjem, in
writing to apprise Mr. Southwell of the likelihood of a visit being
paid to the British coast by this rather rare species, and begging
him to keep a look-out in the newspapers in case any arrival
should be chronicled. Mr. Southwell was good enough to take a
great deal of trouble in the matter, and in a few days heard of a
Whale ashore, which is worth putting on record here, although it
was probably not one of the individuals he was on the look-out
for. On August 14th, three fishermen off the Island of Bernera,
on the west coast of Lewis, heard a tremendous noise proceeding
from a small creek called Sandy Cove. On getting nearer, they
found a Whale fixed across the entrance. One of them, named
Angus M‘Arthur, landed and aimed a blow at its head with an
oar. The Whale lunged to one side, and brought down upon
itself a piece of rock estimated at over a ton in weight. The
fishermen then attacked it, and with much difficulty, after a
prolonged resistance during which it brought down several more
pieces of rock in its struggles, they succeeded in killing it.
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF | 886. 209
The men tied a rope to its tail, but it broke it and nearly
wrecked the boat. Its length is said to have been about fifty-
four feet, and, from the only description Mr. Southwell suc-
ceeded in obtaining in answer to his enquiries, it was evidently
either a Common or Rudolphi’s Rorqual, as it had “longitudinal
folds of a whitish colour on the lower part” of the body; if it
had been a Humpback, the remarkable flippers would almost
certainly have been mentioned. It had been seen for about
fourteen days previously in Loch Roag “ pursuing small herrings,”
accompanied by a smaller one. It was purchased by Mr. J. N.
Anderson, of Stornoway, who had it towed there.
When ‘‘Indenskjers,’’ that is, inside the barrier of the
skerries, in the neighbourhood of Bergen, on August 8th, we saw
a Lesser Rorqual; and a good many Dolphins, probably D. tursio.
As I proceeded north, numerous Dolphins (? D. twrsio) between
Rérvig and Fjeldvig, and a single one in Porsanger Fjord, were
the only cetaceans seen. Vest Fjord was passed earlier than I
expected,—during the small hours of the morning,—and though
exceptionally calm, no Whales were seen by the watch. In
Oxfjord (West Finmarken), on August 15th, I saw the krang of a
young male Bottlenose (Hyperoodon rostratus), which, I was told,
measured from 2 to 23 fathoms, and had been picked up in Sér6
Sund about three weeks previously, then recently dead, and with
no mark externally to account for death.
When returning from visiting the whaling establishments,
Capt. Horn kindly gave me a passage on the ‘ Murmanetz,’ when
she and the ‘ Welda’ started homeward bound from Yeretiki on
September 10th; and I proceeded in her all the way down to
Throndhjem, where she and her consort were laid up for the
winter. In spite of very heavy weather, we saw several Whales
on the passage. On the 14th, in a heavy sea off Bryniln, between
the islands Loppen and Légé, we passed a small Whale. On the
morning of the 15th, near the head of Vest Fjord, about three-
quarters of an hour’s run south of Lédingen, blowing hard
W.N.W., passed a Humpback to starboard of us; and about ten
minutes later, on the opposite side of us, we passed a school of
from ten to twenty “Sverd Fisk” (Sword-fish). They were, I
suppose, Killers (Orca gladiator), although, so far as my observa-
tions went, their appearance did not correspond well with that
species; but as such a mass of widely divergent descriptions
210 THE ZOOLOGIST.
have been given of what is after all, so far as we yet know,
only one species, I think it best not to add to the existing
confusion by publishing a fresh description which I am not able
to substantiate.
Ten minutes later we saw another Humpback to starboard.
Less than half an hour later, a Blue Whale was blowing very
strongly on our starboard side; and half an hour later, again,
what were probably three ‘‘Sildehvale” (the ‘‘ Herring-whale”
variety of the Common Rorqual) to port of us; and then another
Whale was sighted just beyond these by one of the men, which,
presently coming rather close to us, proved to be a Common Ror-
qual. A little farther on, again, far away to port, another Whale,
which blew frequently, but too far off to identify, was supposed
to be either a “ Sildehval” or a Humpback; and in the evening,
about an hour’s run (nine knots) south of Bodé, we passed a
small Whale. Capt. Horn coming through Vest Fjord on his
way south, on Oct. Ist, passed four “Sildehvale”’ within a short
distance of Lodingen.
The last Whale I met with was only about fifty miles frist the
Yorkshire coast, as we were running towards the Humber on the
morning of October 10th. On the fishing ground known to
trawlers as the ‘“‘ Great Silver Pits”’ (20 to 40 fathoms) we passed
close to a Dutch fisherman from Schlevingen, in the act of hauling
in his net. About fifty Gannets were in attendance overhead,
while below a small Whale—perhaps a Lesser Rorqual—was
steadily breakfasting on the fish that managed to escape from the
meshes of the net.
With regard to the time when the different species of Finwhale
appear on the North European coast, I have the following observa-
tions of some of the whalers this last season to offer (the actual
date of the killing of the first and last example of each species
being stated farther on under the respective species). Probably
the first Whale killed last year was a Humpback, yielding six and
a half tons of oil (about thirty-nine barrels), killed by Capt.
Selliken as he entered Syltefjord on February 24th. Huinpbacks
are said to arrive on the EK. Finmarken coast every February, but
the weather was so bad this year as to hinder the fishing; but it
is probable that their numbers are recruited towards the end of
the fishing season. Capt. H. Ellevsen came “ Indenskjers” all
the way up the coast in the spring, that is, inside the outer belt
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 211
of islands, and therefore saw nothing; it was too rough while he
was crossing Vestfjord to see anything. Herr Wiborg saw a few
Common Rorquals on March 24th between Nordkyn and Vardi,
and had seen none previously on his passage. Capt. Berg saw
none on his passage north. Capt. H. Ellevsen saw several
Common Rorquals on March 23rd between Tanafjord and Sylte-
fjord; and between May 25th and June 26th Whales were
numerous between T’anafjord and North Cape. Capt. Berg says,
“From May 27th to June 20th there were, off and on, great
quantities of Whales between North Cape and Tanahorn,
especially about the Nordkyn; these Whales were Common
Rorquals or Whales resembling the so-called hybrids (Bastarder).
We had first in July a large show of Whales N.E. of Syltefjord ;
these were typical Common Rorquals; at the same time there
were also sundry Blue Whales off Syltefjord, though no remark-
able number. In April there was a stray Common Rorqual, off
and on, between T'anahorn and Vardé, but the weather was then
stormy, so that it hindered the fishing.” Capt. Sdrensen reports,
“ During the month of June there were often a quantity of Com-
mon Rorquals collected about Nordkyn and North Cape.” Herr
Wiborg says, “A quantity of Common Rorquals were seen in the
middle of June between North Cape and Nordkyn. About the
middle of July there were not a few Blue Whales about eight (sea)
miles (= thirty-two English land miles) N.E. of Vardé, on their
passage eastwards. A few days later there were a quantity of
Blue Whales congregated off the Seven Islands (Sem Ostrova),
on the Murman coast.” Capt. 8S. A. Nilsen, of the ‘Murmanetz,’
told me that, with the exception of 1885, when the extraordinary
arrival of Rudolphi’s Whales took place, he had seen more
Whales this season than in any previous year.
Mr. Robert Gray’s very interesting notes on last year’s voyage
of the ‘ Eclipse,’ in the present volume of ‘The Zoologist,’ help
to show the distribution of the Blue Whale during the spring and
early summer, and he corroborates the opinion I expressed in
these pages in 1884, that the statement in Nordenskidld’s ‘Arctic
Voyages,’ that the ‘“Finners” never live in colder water than
2°5° C., is an error. Capt. Castberg, jun. (commanding a Nor-
wegian Greenland whaler) also reported seeing, in 1886,
Blue Whales among Bottlenoses off Grimsey (an island off the
N. coast of Iceland), in 67° N. lat., and between the 17th and
212 THE ZOOLOGIST.
18th degree long. W. G.; and that off Langenes (the N.E.
headland of Iceland), on May 28th, he saw quantities of this
species.
The following particulars, kindly supplied to me by the
managers whose names are affixed, will, I believe, be considered
well worth recording. With one or two exceptions, the original
statements were given me in Norwegian ; these I have endeavoured
to translate as accurately as possible. ‘The lengths, except where
otherwise stated, are in Norwegian feet and inches (the Norwegian
foot = almost exactly 1 ft. 0} in. English, and therefore the
Norwegian inch = about 1; in. English). But as most of the
measurements are given in feet, omitting inches, it would have
been absurd for me to have reduced them to English feet, plus
the odd inches.
Humpsack. — Capt. Horn obtained: Males (June 19), 48, 41,
42, 58, 28, 42 (Aug. 2); females, (July 1) 45, with male fetus
13 in. long, flipper 3 in., width of flukes 3 in., gape 22 in.
(much milk); 48 (July 28). Average: (6) males, 41} Eng. ft.;
(2) females, 463 Eng. ft. In 1885 he obtained: (Aug. 14) 31 and
86 (Aug. 15) 38. Average: 35 Norw. ft.
Capt. Andreeff obtained: Males (July 9), 384, 32; females
(Aug. 21), 35. Average: (2) males, 85}; (1) female, 35.
Herr Wiborg obtained: 1 male (Aug. 2). 3 females (Aug. 6-16).
Capt. Castberg obtained: Males (June 19), 30, 20, 30, 28, 20,
30. No females. Average: (6) males, 264 Norw. ft.
Capt. Berentsen obtained: Males (Aug. 3), 30 and 30; fe-
males (June 9), 30; (July 14) 46. Average: (2) males, 80; (2)
females, 88 Norw. ft.
Capt. Sdrensen killed 4 and found 1 dead between August
2nd and 6th. Length, about 40 Norw. ft.
Capt. H. Ellevsen’s 5 were obtained between July 28th and
August 17th. Four were males, and only one a female.
Capt. Berg obtained 4 males, and no females. (July 23) 47,
40, 44, 88 (Aug. 7). In 1885 he killed 2 as late as Aug. 19. In
1884 he killed no Whale of any kind in August, although his ship
cruised until the end of that month. In 1883 he obtained 1 on
Aug. 30. In 1882 his last Whale was a Blue Whale, killed Aug. 21.
Capt. Selliken took 6; the first was as he came to Syltefjord
at the commencement of the season; it gave 63 tons oil (= about
39 barrels). One of his ships harpooned a small individual in the
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 213
head (apparently penetrating to the brain). It towed the ship
straight towards land, and the crew were in imminent danger of
being shipwrecked on the rocks. Presently it reared its head
right out of the water, and nearly toppled over on deck. Despite
all their efforts the crew could not succeed in killing it, and at
last they lashed it head and tail alongside and proposed to tow it
ashore, still alive; but it broke the lashings, and was only finally
secured after a great amount of trouble. A foetus found on July
28th measured 173 Norw. in.; flipper, 43.
Herr Andresen obtained: Males, 35, 42, 39, between July
7 and 29, and no females. Average: (3) males, 382 Norw. ft.
On August 25th I saw the ‘ Varanger’ with one alongside,
not much more than 20 ft; it was black-bellied. The great
apparent excess of males over females of this species has struck
me since I first visited the Whale-factories; this season, out of
87 of which the sex is recorded, 28, or over two-thirds, were males.
This is evidently not to be accounted for by supposing that male
animals are selected where there is a choice, on account of greater
size, for the exact contrary is the case. The average for all the
males whose length is given above is under 35% Eng. ft., while
that of the females is just over 404 Eng. ft.*
Herr Wiborg informs me of a Humpback seen this season,
~ accompanied by two calves, each about 10 Norw. ft.long. “ This
Whale was very shy, so that, so far as I am aware, it was not
captured. Several whalers state that they have seen what was
probably the same Whale. It was seen off Vard6, about six (sea)
miles (= 24 English land miles) from land.”
Biur WHALE. — Capt. Horn obtained some extremely large
Whales. Males: May 25, 80 Eng. ft.; June, 80 Eng. ft.; July,
76, 81, 68, 84, 77, 81, 72, 78, 75, 80, 63, 76, 83; Aug., 80, 72, 85.
Females: June, 80, 81 (containing fetus 5 ft. 7 in. long);
July, 87 (accompanied by young one between 50 and 60 ft.
long), 80 (containing foetus 15 ft. 6 in. long), 71; Aug., two
of 77 ft. Total (18) males, average, 7875 Eng. ft.; (7) females,
average, 79 Eng. ft. The Blue Whales taken by Capt. Horn
in 1885 were: June (lst), 68 Norw. ft.; (6th) female, 72;
July, 67, 77; female, 81; Aug., 83, 71; female, 82 (with milk
running); male, 75; female, 81 (Aug. 9). Average length
(irrespective of sex) of 10 = 754 Norw. ft.
* Reckoning 1 ft. 0} in. English, to the Norwegian foot.
214 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Capt. Andreeff, at Arra Guba, obtained: Males, 62 (middle
of June), 64, 73, 67, 51, 60, 72; females, 703, 75, 52,
77, 70, 67, 79. Average: (7) males, 66 Eng. ft.; (7) females,
70;% Eng. ft.
Herr Wiborg, of Kiberg, obtained, on June 21, a female con-
taining foetus 9 ft. In July, 5 males, and 2 females, one of which
(killed 10th) was accompanied by a calf about 40 ft. long; and on
Aug. 20, a female, with foetus 8 ft. The length of these Whales
was from 65 to 80 Norw. ft., and most of them were extremely
fat. Herr Wiborg writes as follows (translated) :—“‘ Manager
Amlie of this place (Christiania), who carries on Whale-fishing at
Iceland, told me a few days ago that he had this year shot a poor
Blue Whale, which had a shell lodged in the back part of the
head, near the blow-holes, of the kind we use in Finmarken.
Herr Amlie supposes that the Whale was shot or wounded by the
Finmarken whalers, which is also the opinion of Herr Amlie’s
harpooner. The wound was thought to be a year old.” Herr
Wiborg also noted that about the middle of July, about eight sea
miles N.E. of Vardé, there were a good many Blue Whales
travelling eastwards; and some days later there were a quantity
of this species congregated outside the Seven Islands (Sem
Ostrova), on the Murman coast. Capt. Berg noted the appear-
ance of some Blue Whales off Syltefjord during the early part of
July, “though no remarkable number.”
Capt. Castberg obtained, on June 2, a female 78 Norw. ft.,
containing foetus 83 Norw. ft.; July 1, female 78 ft. 6 in. Norw. ;
and on the 23rd a male 72 ft. Average: (1) male, 72 ft.; (2)
females, 78 ft. 3 in. Norw.
Capt. Berentsen obtained, on June 8, a male 76 Norw. ft. ;
30th, female 76 ft.; in July, 1 male, 2 females, each 74.ft., in
August, a female 75 ft.; this last was in lean condition, and only
yielded about 40 barrels of oil. Average: (2) males, 75 ft.; (4)
females, 743 Norw. ft.
Capt. Sdrensen obtained 7 between June 30 and July 15, and
they measured between 70 and 75 Norw. ft.
Capt. H. Ellevsen obtained 10 between June 8 (77 Norw. ft.
long) and Aug. 7, when one was found floating dead.
Capt. Berg obtained: Males (June 30), 61; (July), 74, 70;
females (June 28), 68; (July), 68, 67, 68, 74. Average: (3) males,
684; (5) females, 69 Norw. ft.
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 215
Capt. Selliken’s largest Whale (of 4) was a male, 82 Norw. ft.
Herr Andresen obtained, between June 10 and July 17:
Males, 74; females (June 10), 72, containing foetus 50 Norw. in.,
68, 84. Average: (1) male, 74 Norw. ft.; (3) females, 742
Norw. ft.
The sex of a Blue Whale (and in a less marked degree it is,
I believe, true of other species of Balenoptera, and possibly of
other whalebone Whales) may be distinguished by the shape of
the baleen plates, which in a male are long (up to 4 ft., including
gum) and narrow, but thick; while in a female they are short and
broad, but thinner.
While at Mehayn (where we had to take shelter in heavy
weather on our way south in the whaler ‘Murmanetz’), I found
quantities of the copepod, Balenophilus unisetus, on baleen of the
Blue Whale. Capt. 8. A. Nilsen, of the ‘Murmanetz,’ told me
that on August 5th he saw two males of this species making
overtures to a female. He harpooned one of the males, on which
the other supposed male sprung clean out of the water head first,
and nearly fell on board the ship !
Common Rorquau.—That this species is extremely variable is
only too well known, for it has led to the multiplication of spe-
cies and great confusion; but, according to the reports of the
Finwhalers, who have had during the last few years opportunities
never before accessible of examining in a fresh state large num-
bers of these animals, it seems as if these differences might
perhaps be classified under three constant varieties—although it
must be allowed that these varieties are not as yet as clearly
defined as could be wished ; however, I here quote the descriptions
as givenme. Capt. Sdrensen says, ‘On the western and southern
coasts of Norway a sort of Whale is met with during the herring-
fishing, often in great numbers, which is called Herring Whale
(Sildehval). This Whale is most like the Capelan Whale
(Loddehval), but smaller than it, rarely longer than 50 to 55 ft.
It is black on the back, white on the belly, and the baleen like the
Common Finwhale’s (i. e., the Capelan Whale). Its dorsal fin is
somewhat higher and more pointed than the Finwhale’s, and it
yields less oil than that kind.” He adds that the “ Sildehval” is
the southern kind, and the ‘‘ Loddehval” is the common Finwhale
of the north.
Capt. H. Ellevsen says, ‘‘ The common Fin- or Capelan- Whale
216 THE ZOOLOGIST.
disappeared at the end of April; it is white under the belly. The
Finwhale which then came has more or less dark grey colour
among the white, especially on one side; its snout is generally
more pointed, and the Whale is more slender and longer”; and
adds that the Finwhales that eat Lodde (Capelan) are only in
Finmarken waters in the spring, and that those that eat Kril
(Calanus finmarchicus) come later.
Capt. Castberg described the ‘‘ Herring Whale” as much
resembling the Blue Whale; the head like a Blue Whale’s; the
line of the back much bowed posterior to the dorsal fin; the
furrows onthe belly are after the pattern of a Common Finwhale,
except that they are narrower (the furrows in the Blue Whale are
shallower and narrower, and more numerous than in the Common
Rorqual) ; the flukes more like those of the Blue Whale than the
Common Fin.
Capt. Horn has only seen one Whale answering the description
given by Capt. Castberg of the ‘‘Sildehval”; it was a male
63 Eng. ft. long, killed August 21st last; it was almost black on
the back (blacker than a Blue Whale); at a very short distance
behind the dorsal fin the line of the back bent abruptly down (as
if humpbacked); the dorsal fin was farther aft than usual; the
difference in colour caused it to look very different; it was
extremely tough and hard; an example of 49 ft. probably produced
more oil than this one.
A Norwegian who was one of the first colonists to settle on the
Murman coast told me that he knows the ‘“‘ Sildehval” ; it is like
the Whales found about Bergen, and is black on the back; it
arrives on the coast with the herring, for which there is no
fixed time.
Nearly universally recognised among the Finwhalers is the
so-called “‘ Bastard,” from its having been supposed to be the
offspring of mixed parentage—of a Blue and Common Rorqual.
This variety appears to attain to larger dimensions than the
typical form, and is described as grey, rather than the usual
white, on the under side; on one side the baleen plates are for a
short distance at the anterior end entirely white, while the
remaining portions are darker than the normal colour. The
following lengths of specimens of B. musculus were given me;
I have kept the “ Bastards,” where mentioned, distinct from the
common form:—
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. PAL)
Capt. Horn obtained: (measured in English feet) Males, April
(4), Fin, 64, 65, 66,68; Bastard, 67; May, Fin, 62; Bastard, 72;
Fin, 65; June, Bastard, 71; July, Fin, 65; Aug., Fin, 63, 64, 49,
68 (this last was the Herring Whale before mentioned). Females,
April (6), Fin,'71; Bastard, 803 (very fat), 64; May, Fin, 64 (con-
taining foetus about 153 in. long, gape of mouth 3 in., length of
flipper 1#in., across flukes 23 in.) ; June, Fin, 64 (foetus 3 ft. 8 in.);
July, Fin, 683, 69; Bastard, 70 (foetus 222 in. long, gape of mouth
4 in., length of flipper 23 in., base of dorsal fin 1% in., across
flukes 4 in., on upper mandible 7 hairs on left side, 8 on right,
and 17 on the lower mandible). Average: (14) males, 644; (8)
females, 683 Eng. ft. It will be seen from the above figures that
of 16 typical Common Rorquals, only 1 reached 70 ft.; while out
of 6 of the “Bastard” variety, 4 were 70 ft. and upwards,
1 reaching the remarkable length of 803 Eng. ft. This Whale
was shot by the ‘Murmanetz’ on April 9th, the harpoon going
well in just behind a flipper, that is, somewhere very close to the
heart, and the shell exploded. The wound, instead of proving
almost immediately fatal, seemed to madden the victim, and it
rushed away at great speed and towed the steamer, with the pro-
peller working full speed astern, for four hours; when the ‘ Welda’
being sighted, she was signalled to assist, and this vessel, steaming
up at an angle, succeeded in lodging a harpoon just behind the
flipper on the opposite side to the first; this shell also exploded
properly. The Whale in this mortally wounded condition actually
towed the two steamers steaming full speed astern, with a boat
from each constantly lancing it, for two hours before it succumbed.
Capt. Andreeff obtained: (measured in English feet) Males
- (June), 49, 62, 61; females, (April 13) 65, 63, 71, 70, 63, 60, 60,
68, 69, 64, 62, 54, 61 (Sept. 8). Average: (8) males, 574 ft.; (13)
females, 6315 ft.
In 1885 Capt. Horn obtained: (March 20) Fin, 64, 65, 60, 58;
Bastard, 71; Fin, 59, 62 (female with foetus 4 ft. long), 58, 64, 59,
62, 56, 63, 58, 58, 61, 55, 57, 61, 58, 59; Bastard, 70; Fin, 63,
58, 54, 57, 57, 64. Average: (28) 603: Norw. ft.
Herr Wiborg obtained between April 6 and Aug. 2: Males
(including a Bastard about 70 Norw. ft., killed June 2), 18;
females, 10. On May 20th a female contained a foetus 4 Norw. ft.;
on the 28th he found one of 3 ft.; on June 9th, one of 5 ft.; and on
July 26th, one of 7 ft.
ZOOLOGIST.—JUNE, 1887. S)
218 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Capt. Castberg obtained: Males (April 4), 70, 58, 61, 62,
62, 55, 50, 58, 64, 65, 64, 69, 63 ft. 6 in., 67, 58, 67, 60, 65, 65,
63, 63, 45 ft. 5 in. (Aug. 5); females (My 9), 40, 65 (killed May 21,
containing foetus 5 Norw. ft.), 63, 73, 60, 70 ft. 3 in., 66, 63,
59, 60 (July 5, foetus 53 ft.), 538, 65 (July 7, foetus 63 ft.), 67
(July 8, foetus 6 ft.), 66 (July 9, foetus 64 ft.), 65, 63, 65 (July 24,
foetus 7 ft.), 62, 64, 65, 60, 67 (Aug. 18). Average: (22) males,
6133 Norw. ft.; (22) females, 62 ft. 9 in.
Capt. Berentsen obtained: Males, (April 12) 60, 58, 60, 54,
59, 60, 67, 62, 60, 64, 63, 57, 67, 57, 60 (July 24); females,
(April 6) 58, 61, 68 (May 2, foetus 4 ft. 4 in. Norw.), 68 (May 26,
a great quantity of milk, probably recently calved), 67, 62, 56, 62,
62, 67, 59, 70 (July 5, foetus 6 ft.), 68, 62, 59, 66 (July 11, foetus
6 ft.), 68, 66, 69, 60, 70, 60 (Aug. 7). Average: (15) males, 603
Norw. ft.; (22) females, 63 ft. 9 in. Norw.
Capt. Sdrensen’s 20 specimens were from 60 to 65 Norw. ft.
The first was killed April 5, the last July 28. On July 10 he
found a foetus 4 ft. 8 in. Norw. long.
Capt. H. Ellevsen obtained 57 between March 29 and Aug. 18,
and found 4 foetuses: on June 18, in a Whale 56 Norw. ft., a
foetus 2 ft.; on the 20th, in a Whale 54 ft., a foetus 38 ft.; on the
24th, in a Whale 58 ft., a foetus 4 ft.; and on July 7, in a Whale
66 ft., a foetus 8 ft. 1 in.
Capt. Berg obtained: Males (April 6), 62, 60; Bastard, 58;
Fin, 59, 64, 58, 62 (June 20) ; females, (April 15) 70, 56; Bastard,
61 (June 4, foetus 3 ft. 3 in. Norw.); Fin, 55, 74 (June 10, foetus
8 ft.), 58, 65, 59 (July 1, foetus 5 ft. 5 in.), 60 (July 12, foetus
1 ft. 5 in.), 67, 69 (July 27). Average: (7) males, 607 ft.; (11)
females, 62% Norw. ft.
Capt. Selliken captured a Common Rorqual this season 763
Norw. ft. long in a straight line.
Herr Andresen obtained: Males (April 12), 50, 56, 66, 64, 62,
66, 60, 64, 64, 62, 62, 60, 63, 63, 58, 57, 61, 62, 50 (Aug. 17);
females, 52, 66, 66, 68, 62, 68, 64, 62, 59, 66, 64, 64. Foetus in
Whale 68 ft., on June 29, 8 ft. ; andina Whale 64 ft., on July 24,
9 ft. Average: (19) males, 6015 ft.; (12) females, 63% Norw. ft.
Capt. S. A. Nilsen, of the ‘Murmanetz,’ says that he sees
Common Rorquals pairing during May, up to about June Ist
every year; and that in the spring they have calves by their sides
not more than 8 or 9 ft. long. He thinks the young Whales
(first calf) pair in the autumn.
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 219
Rupourui’s Rorquat. — Capt. Castberg’s single example of
this species was a male 45 Norw. ft. long, killed on June 19th;
it was one of a school numbering about 20.
Herr Andresen obtained (June 8) female 42 Norw. ft., female
50, male 40, male 42; (July 8) female 48, with foetus 2 ft. 1 in.
Nor.; female 44, female 48 (July 26). Average, (2) males, 41;
(5) females, 46; Norw. ft. On July 18, 1885, a female Rudolphi
was brought in to his factory at Tufjord (close S.W. of North
Cape) 45 Norw. ft. in length, in which were found two foetuses of
opposite sexes; the male measured 6 ft., and weighed 48 kilo-
grams; the female measured 4 ft., and weighed 30 kilograms.
Capt. H. Ellevsen’s ships reported seeing some Rudolphi’s on
June 2nd, off Nordkyn.
One of Capt. Selliken’s whalers cruising about fifty English
miles north of Kongsfjord (the next Fjord to the westward of Sylte-
fjord) during splendid weather in April, the sea perfectly calm, fell
in with thousands of Seais (? sp.). If, as I believe to be the case,
this is well out of their usual track, it would perhaps be the result
of an unusual condition of the ice to the north, the edge being
reported very low down off these coasts this season.
While staying in Syltefjord, I walked over from Capt. Selli-
ken’s to Capt. Berg’s factory on Aug. 18th, and as I approached
the first batch of Whale-krangs near the latter’s I put up no less
than twenty Ravens in a flock from them. I do not recollect to
have previously seen quite so many together. All the factories
have an inclined plane from the ground to the upper part of the
boiling-house for the trolly to run up with the “ blanket pieces”
of blubber. The angle formed by the last few feet at the bottom
is usually boarded in, to form a tool shed or sort of boatswain’s
locker. A pair of White Wagtails (MW. alba) had found out a
crevice at the top of one of these boards, and had built a nest
inside, in the dark, and immediately under the rumbling trolly.
The store of empty barrels was kept on the beach, enclosed by a
turf wall (forming exactly what would be called a “Tun” in
Iceland). In the interstice between some of the sods another pair
of Wagtails built a nest, but, as it was entirely exposed to the
rain, the cooper fixed half of a cask-head over it to form a roof,
which, I was told, the birds had much appreciated. The young
had flown from both nests at the time of my visit, but the nests
remained; they were formed of very fine root-fibres and a little
220 THE ZOOLOGIST.
moss, lined with reindeer-hair, and a few horse- and cow-hairs,
and very fine fibres. The fibres of the nest under the inclined
plane were coarser than those used in the sod bank.
With regard to the average yield of oil from each species of
the Balenopteride, I made further enquiries this season on the
subject, and the general opinion among those whom I consulted
was that the estimate published in ‘ The Zoologist,’ 1886, p. 122,
is rather a low one; but in answer to that I would point out that
the total yield of oil this year, inclusive of the 4th quality
obtained from the krangs by those companies that have guano-
factories, is, according to the returns given me, about 29,959
petroleum-casks. Calculating the yield from the Whales obtained,
even according to this low estimate, the amount would be 28,510
petroleum-casks of the first three qualities of oil, and if we add
to this, say, 3000 more for the 4th quality oil, the result is much
above the actual amount said to have been obtained. But from
the differences between the individual results, it seems difficult to
arrive at any figures that would give a true average.
The average boilers in use in the factories hold about 2000
gallons; but more than about 1700 gallons of Spek cannot be
boiled in them, and this latter amount produces up to about
18 petroleum-casks of oil (say, 750 gallons).
The following prices offered for baleen about the middle of the
season show the relative values per ton in each species; each
plate to be not under 35 centim. long ‘(= 13% in.) :—Blue Whale,
£65; Rudolphi’s Rorqual, £40 to £45; Common Rorqual, £30;
and Humpback, about £30.
Some idea of the size of the harpoons used may be gathered
from the weight of one. Including the wire grummet, the cord,
and spunyarn lashings, but without the shell or whale-line, it
scaled 56 kilo. (that is, over 123 Ibs.). The cost of each is 80 Kr.
(= £4 9s.) as it leaves the blacksmith, and nearly 100 Kr. (more
than £5 10s.) when ready for use. In an old volume of the ‘Ny
illustreret Tidende’ (Christiania, May 11, 1884, p. 174) there is
some account given of Capt. Svend Foyn and the Finwhaling: it
is there stated that the shell-carrying harpoon is said to have cost
him 160,0000 Kr. (over £8800), when the various experiments
undertaken are included!
I have to thank several of the managers whose names are
mentioned in the preceding pages for the information they kindly
a |
itil late es
THE FINWHALE FISHERY OF 1886. 221
gave me; and especially are my thanks due to Capts. Selliken,
Berg, and Horn, who put me up most hospitably at their
respective factories, and the latter in addition gave me a passage
in one of his whalers all the way from Yeretiki to Throndhjem.
Capt. Sérensen, in addition to other information, filled up, as in
previous years, some gaps in the table given at the end, of the
Finwhaling Companies and their takes in 1886.
There is one more Rudolphi’s Rorqual to be added to, last
year’s list, obtained by Herr Gjever, of Tromsé; and Herr Goebel
on the Murman coast was credited with one Blue Whale too many,
leaving the grand total of Whales killed during the season the
same.
In the following table the new names are as before, printed in
italics. The establishment at Baadsfjord is not exactly a new
Company, being the one which was formerly at Akerfjord on
Séréen; Capt. Foden, the manager, was formerly captain of
Capt. Selliken’s whaler, the ‘ Skytten.’
In the following table the column giving the approximate
amount of oil obtained by all the companies is a new and I think
interesting feature, which I was requested by some of the
managers to publish. I have replaced the second ‘‘r” in Arra,
as the word signifies a Guillemot in Russian, and is likely to be
the meaning in this instance. (Cf. Alea arra, one of the synonyms
for Brunnich’s Guillemot, which is simply two onomatopeic
names for a Guillemot—Alka, Swedish (Alke, Norwegian), and
Arra, Russian.
In the annexed table, the Tromsé establishment being the
only one from which I have learnt no particulars as to the species
of Whale, I have divided the total of 22 by guesswork, and put in
the details in Roman figures, in order to arrive at an approximate
total of each species.
Since the above was in print, a paragraph has been published
in the evening papers of March 28th, stating that the ‘Vardéhus’
started from Sandefjord for this season’s whaling on the 23rd of
that month, and was wrecked during the night off Mandal.
“Only two men were saved out of her crew of about fifty.”
I have written to make enquiries, but up to the present have
learnt no particulars of this disaster,
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ON THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE-HISTORY OF SPONGES.
By R. von LenpENFELD, Pu.D., F.L.S.
Sponexs are exceedingly variable in shape. Their primordial
form is the same as that of the higher Ceelenterates, the Gastrula.
The wall of the originally simple Gastrula-sac is folded con-
siderably in the higher sponges. Great quantities of mesodermal
ground-substance are produced and occupy these folds; thus the
massive body of the sponge is formed. The gastral cavity becomes
the oscular tube which communicates with the surrounding water
by the oscula or vents. The terminal opening of large tubular
sponges is generally not an osculum, but a pseudosculum. In that
case the true oscula are situated in the inner wall of the tube.
The sponges which are regular in shape are mostly radially
symmetrical, without distinct anti- or metameres. There are,
however, also forms known with a definite number of antimeres,
but these are rare. Only one bilaterally symmetrical sponge, a
tree-shaped Halichondrine (Esperiopsis challengeri, Ridley), has
been described hitherto. This consists of a slender cylindrical
stem, to the sides of which regular bilaterally symmetrical,
kidney-shaped fronds are attached by long peduncles. The
Hexactinellide and Syconide are distinguished by their regular
radially symmetrical shape. These are sac-shaped. The Tethyide
are pretty regularly spherical. A great many of the Chondro-
spongié and most Cornacuspongie, particularly the Horny
Sponges, are quite irregular in shape. The distinctive features
of the species appear as combinations of peculiarities which are
very unimportant in themselves, but which combined characterise
the form and enable one to identify the sponges.
The size of sponges is, like their shape, subject to great varia-
tion. The smallest sponges, excepting the doubtful Physemaria,
are the most simple forms of calcareous sponges, the Asconide.
The largest forms we find among the Chondrospongie and Corna-
cuspongie. There is in the British Museum a fragment of a
cylindrical Suffaria from the West Indies, which is nearly
14 metres long and 20 em. thick. The specimens of Huspongia
from the Bahamas, particularly the flat, cake-shaped forms, some-
times attain a breadth of 1 metre and a height of 25cm. The
largest sponges known are the species of Poterion described by
224 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Harting. They are high, elegantly vase-shaped sponges, which
attain a breadth of 2 and a height of 1} metres. Mr. Ramsay
dredged a massive Raphyrus, which weighed several hundred-
weight, on the east coast of Australia.
The colour of sponges is also very variable. Hexactinellid
and Calcareous sponges are colourless, and appear brilliantly white,
in consequence of the lustre of their spicules. Most other sponges
have brilliant colours. Mimicry is rare. Only the forms which
possess a sand cortex correspond in colour to the sea-bottom on
which they grow. Most Chondrospongie and Cornacuspongie
possess glaring colours, presumably for the purpose of warning
and frightening other animals.
The changes of colour exhibited by certain sponges shortly
after death are very interesting. Nardo drew attention to this
fact in the case of Aplysina aérophoba as early as 1833. This
sponge is bright sulphur-yellow in the living state, but
when exposed to air, or fresh water, it changes this colour to
dark blue.
The body of the higher sponges appears as a mass of mesoder-
mal ground-substance, in which cells of various kinds are found.
This mass is pervaded by a complicated system of frequently
branching canals. All free surfaces are covered with epithelia.
The canal system is transgressing, and is essentially different in
this respect from the cecal gastrovascular system of higher
Coelenterates. On the surface there are numerous small pores
which lead into this canal system.
The entrances to the inhalent canals proper are not to be
sought for in the pores of the skin, but lie in the floor of extensive
subdermal cavities, into which the inhalent pores lead. Whilst
the different parts of the subdermal cavities communicate with
each other, the inhalent canals and their branches do not form
any anastomoses in the interior of the sponge. They lead into
the ciliated chambers, which are spherical or sac-shaped ex-
tensions of the canals, clothed with a peculiar epithelium of
collared cells. The ciliated chambers possess very small in-
halent pores, through which the water passes from the inhalent
canal system; that is to say, the canals are very much con-
stricted just before widening to form the ciliated chambers.
The inhalent pores are more or less opposite to the exhalent
pore, which is much larger and always single.
THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE-HISTORY OF SPONGES. 225
The canal system of different sponges is very differently
developed. The form described above is that of the most highly
developed sponges, the Chondrospongie and Cornacuspongie.
The entodermal as well as the ectodermal epithelia of sponges
always consist of one single layer of cells only. In this character
the main difference between sponges and higher Celenterates is
to be found. In the latter the epithelia always consist of
several layers of cells, from the lower subepithelial layer of which
all the organs are developed.
The epithelial cells of sponges are of two kinds only—flat
pavement-cells and collared cells. Hach epithelial cell possesses a
cilium. In the most simple sponges, the sac-shaped Asconide, the
ectoderm consists of a single layer of flat cells on the outer
surface of the sponge, and the entoderm forms a single layer of
collared cells on the inner surface of the sponge; flat entodermal
cells do not occur in these sponges. Whilst in all, even the most
highly developed forms, the ectodermal epithelium invariably
consists of flat pavement-cells, we find in all sponges, with the
exception of the above-mentioned group, two kinds of entodermal
cells—collared cells and flat entodermal pavement-cells. The
collared cells are confined to the ciliated chambers, whilst the
whole exhalent canal system and the oscular tube are clothed
with a low epithelium of flat pavement-cells.
In the Hezxactinellide the collared cells are connected with
each other by basal processes; but, as a rule, they are isolated.
Their shape is very constant—long, cylindrical, with a long,
projecting, more or less cup-shaped, hyaline collar, which
appears as a marginal extension of the free end of the cell.
The long flagellum is inserted in the middle of the cup formed
by this collar. Whilst the collared cells always appear to be filled
with readily stainable granular protoplasm, the hyaline plasma
of the low, flat cells is confined to a mass surrounding the
nucleus, from which protoplasm-threads radiate to the proto-
plasmic coating of the cell-wall. It seems that the only
difference between the ectodermal and entodermal pavement-cells
is their difference of height. The former are mostly slightly
lower than the latter.
The function of the pavement-cells does not appear at first
sight to be a very important one, because these cells are not com-
pletely filled with protoplasm. The collared cells in the ciliated
226 THE ZOOLOGIST.
chambers, on the other hand, appear to be active elements which
perform an important function.
The mode and process of nourishment in sponges is very
doubtful. Feeding experiments with carmine have shown that
not only the collared cells, as was previously believed, but
all the epithelial cells indiscriminately possess the power of
taking up fine particles. Infusoria, &c., have been observed in
the amceboid wandering cells in the interior of the body;
but nothing definite is yet known concerning the mode of
nourishment. It is quite certain that the sponge must extract
organic substances and oxygen out of the surrounding water
somehow, and that the epithelial cells, being the only elements
in contact with the water, must perform that function. It is
also evident that sponges cannot devour large animals, as the
extremely fine sieves which cover the inhalent pores, and the very
small pores which lead from the inhalent canals into the ciliated
chambers, make it impossible for large animals to enter the sponge.
Even small Infusoria and Diatoms must encounter difficulties
before they can reach the ciliated chambers. Great precautions
are evidently taken to prevent all solid bodies from entering the
canal system, and particularly the ciliated chambers. It is further
quite clear that no nourishment can be taken up through the
oscula, through which the water is continually flowing out.
It seems to me most probable that the food of sponges is dis-
solved in the water, and that the sponge procures its nourishment
from the water in the same way that plants absorb their nourish-
ment from the solutions circulating in the soil.
Now the question arises, which cells perform the function of
nutrition—the flat pavement epithelium of the canal-walls, or the
collared cells of the ciliated chambers. ‘The collared cells seem,
from their situation and structure, best fitted for such a function.
But it must be considered that, although none of the higher
Ceelenterates possess nephridia, yet the ciliated chambers
resemble kidneys so closely that it is not impossible they
really are such. They can hardly have to perform the combined
functions of segregating urea and of taking up nourishment. If
we consider the chambers as nephridia we must assume that
the flat, pavement-epithelium, and particularly the ectodermal
clothing of the inhalent canals, performs the function of taking up
nourishment. My own observations have brought me to this
THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE-HISTORY OF SPONGES. 227
conclusion. That nourishment can be taken up by indifferent ecto-
derm cells is shown by the tapeworm, which may be here used in
illustration on account of its highly-developed nephridia.
The most probable explanation of the functions of the
epithelia of sponges seems to me to be the following :— A constant
current of water passes through the sponge. At the entrance to
the canal system there are numerous inhalent pores, which are
covered by very fine sieves; at the opposite end a few large
oscula, through which the water is expelled, are observed. If
the sponge fed on solid substances floating in the water the
current would of course enter by the wide open oscula, and would
be ejected through the small pores. Many experiments have
shown that the water invariably enters through the small pores
and passes out through the oscula. At the entrance to the
ciliated chambers there is a further filtering arrangement, and the
water current, caused by the movements of the cilia in the whole
canal system, is here impeded. The water in the inhalent canals,
outside the ciliated chambers, is consequently under slightly
higher pressure and enters the canal-epithelium; here the sub-
stances necessary for the life of the sponge are taken up. Behind
the pores which lead into the ciliated chambers—that is to say,
in the chambers themselves —there is a lower pressure, in conse-
quence of the increase in width of the canals towards the osculum.
This facilitates the secretory function of the collared cells. As the
sponge does not take up any solid substances there are no feces,
and the expulsion of useless substances devolves on the ciliated
chambers. The epithelium of the inhalent canals is probably
also respiratory in function. In this case the inhalent canals
would represent digestive and respiratory organs, and the ciliated
chambers nephridia.
As the process of nourishment is carried on endosmotically,
a great quantity of useless material is probably absorbed together
with the nutrient substances, and all this, together with the
whole of the material oxidised in the sponge, must be extracted
and expelled by the cells of the ciliated chambers. This may
account for their high development in sponges, just as it ac-
counts for the high development of nephridia in the tapeworm.
Sponges are distinguished from other Colenterates by their
highly developed mesoderm, and the degree of differentiation
attained by its elements. Whilst all the organs of the Hydro-
228 THE ZOOLOGIST.
meduse, Corals, and Ctenophora are ectodermal or entodermal,
those of the Sponges are mesodermal. In the former the cells of
the epithelia are differentiated; the epithelium of sponges is
always simple. The muscles, nerves, gland-cells, &c., which we
find in sponges are not modified epithelium cells, but differentiated
elements of the mesoderm. There is no subepithelium in sponges.
The same kinds of cells which we tind in the Epithelaria, with the
exception of the cnidoblasts, are also found in sponges. But here
all cells which do not clothe the surface are of mesodermal origin.
Movements in adult sponges were observed by Aristotle.
These movements are performed by cells which are called con-
tractile fibre-cells by F. E. Schulze. They are elongated, spindle-
shaped elements, which are mostly found around the pores.
I have also found such cells in other parts of the sponge,
and Sollas describes similar elements in the sphincters which
divide the subdermal cavities of the Geodide from the inhalent
canals.
The skeleton of the Sponges which belong to the order
Cornacuspongié appears as a network of fibres, which are com-
posed of series of spicules cemented together by spongin. Reniera,
Halichondria, &c., possess only a very small quantity of spongin.
In the Chalinine and Desmacidonide the number and size of the
spicules decreases, and the spicules are replaced by the spongin-
cement more and more. In the Horny Sponges the siliceous
spicules have disappeared entirely from the supporting skeleton,
which consists exclusively of spongin—a substance identical with
the cement of the Halichondria skeleton. There may be foreign
bodies imbedded in the spongin-fibres. The spongin of different
Cornacuspongi@é is not always the same; according to Ridley and
Vosmaer it differs in different cases in its behaviour towards
polarised light. The colour of the spongin is very variable ;
the cement of many Halichondride is hyaline, that of many Des-
macidonide and Spongide light brown, of Aplysillideé light orange
and sometimes black. The horny fibres of the Spongelide appear
light yellow and transparent.
The spongin of dry skeletons is, as a rule, darker than that of
living sponges or spirit specimens; it is very tough and elastic.
According to Krukenberg, the chemical composition of spongin
is C,oH,,N.O,;, and is thus similar to that of chitin, conchio-
lin, and cornein. Spongin is dissolved by boiling acids, and,
Se Oa ae
THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE-HISTORY OF SPONGES. 229
according to Passelt, is decomposed when heated in air without
first becoming sticky. My own experiments show that it becomes
soft and sticky in superheated water (200°).
The spongin always appears in layers. It surrounds in con~
centric layers, of different refracting powers, the spicule-bundles
of Halichondride, as it does also the axial thread or pith cylinder
of Horny Sponges. It is secreted by gland-cells. These elements
are pear-shaped, and similar to the gland-cells of the skin; the
protoplasm is dense and granular, the nucleus large and spherical.
The cells are attached by a slender peduncle to the surface of
the fibre, they are pretty closely packed, and form a more or less
continuous mantle investing the growing parts of the skeleton fibres.
These cells have been termed ‘‘ spongoblasts” by their discoverer,
F. E. Schulze. They occur only on those parts of the fibrous
skeleton which are still growing, and disappear as soon as the
fibres attain their full size. The solid reticulate skeleton
of the Spongide, known to everyone as the Bath Sponge, con-
sists of a few thick, radial, so-called main fibres, between which
a fine network of connecting fibres is spread out. In all the
fibres we can distinguish an axial thread which consists of a
granular substance, and which is surrounded by spongin. At the
joining points of the fibres we see that the layers are not continuous,
and that all the axial threads are not in connection with each
other. The main fibres grow principally at the ends in length,
and afterwards in thickness; the connecting fibres rapidly reach
their full thickness, and do not grow in length at all. The
axial threads, on the surface of which the spongin is precipitated,
form a network, but they are in no connection with the axial
threads of the main fibres.- In the latter, foreign bodies are
often found which are used by the sponge as material to build
up its own skeleton, and which are cemented together with
spongin. They are selected from the bodies which accidentally
fall on the surface of the sponge, chiefly sand-grains, Foraminifera-
shells, and siliceous spicules of other sponges.
Spermatozoa and ova are observed in sponges. ‘The sper-
matozoa possess rounded or sharp-pointed, slender heads. ‘They
are formed by the continued fission of spherical mesoderm cells,
derived from amcboid wandering cells. In the Calcareous
Sponges these cells divide first into two—a sperm mother-cell
and a covering cell. By continued division the spermatozoa
230 THE ZOOLOGIST.
are formed from the former; the latter does not change, and sur-
rounds the ripening sperm-ball. The mature spermatophores are
often found in the walls of the ciliated chambers. In the Silicea
no such structures are observed. The sperm mother-cells form by
continued division sperm-balls without covering cell. The sper-
matozoa lie radially in the extended wall of the sperm mother-
cell. In Aplysilla and many other sponges the sperm-balls
accumulate in certain parts of the body, particularly in the
trabecule and membranes, which are spread out in the basal
or central lacune. ‘They are often surrounded by a peculiar
endothelium, clothing the cavities in which they are contained.
This endothelium consists of irregular, flat cells, which lie in
several layers one over the other. Farther outward these cells
become more irregular, and appear to be separated by layers of
intercellular substance, becoming very similar to the common
connective-tissue cells. At the time of ripening, the spermatozoa
pass into the canals and swarm out through them.
The ova are also derived from wandering cells. As they
mature, they lose their mobility, increase in size, and become
spherical, while the nucleus increases in size. The ripe ova are
destitute of a thick cell-wall, and le scattered or in groups in
the mesodermal ground substance. They are often surrounded
by endothelial capsules similar to those of the sperm-balls. In
some cases the ovum appears to be attached by a special
peduncle—a differentiated endothelial cell—to the capsule.
In the hermaphroditic sponges the ova and spermatozoa, to
prevent self-fertilisation, do not mature at the same time. They
are fructified within the body of the mother, where the first stages
of development take place.
The most interesting and the least known organ system in
sponges is their nervous system. The first person who pointed
out that the sponges were sensitive was no other than Aristotle.
A few years ago Prof. Stewart demonstrated Palpocils of Grantia
at a meeting of the Royal Microscopical Society, but did not pub-
lish a description of them at the time. Subsequently I described
certain elements in Calcareous Sponges, which I considered as
nervous elements, and since then I have found similar sensitive
cells in a number of species belonging to various groups.
Recently also Prof. Stewart has published a figure of his
Palpocils, and as he has courteously allowed me to examine his
~
a.
THE STRUCTURE AND LIFE-HISTORY OF SPONGES. 231
slides, I can nowsum up our knowledge on this subject as follows: —
In the circumference of the inhalent pores, or scattered irregularly
over the outer surface, or in the membranes which traverse the
lacunar cavities in the interior of the sponge, or also round the
pores in the cribriform plates which cover the pseudoscula of
certain tubular species, nerve-cells are found. They are rarely
single, much more frequently in groups of from three to six.
In Grantia high and slender conical processes are found on the
outer surface. In the widened basal portion of these, oval cells
are situated from which irregular processes radiate. One of these
processes is much larger than all the others, and extends up-
wards in the form of a fine thread to the distal end of the organ.
The other processes of the cell extend downwards. In each organ
several such cells are found. These organs are the Palpocils of
Stewart, who, not noticing the fact that they are polycellular, gave
them that name. Possessing this extraordinary and most im-
portant peculiarity, I have termed them Synocils. It is remark-
able that these structures have escaped observation hitherto, but
it appears highly probable that the sponge has the power of
retracting them, so that they are visible only under exceptionally
favourable circumstances. It is very likely that the groups of
cells previously observed by me, and described as sensitive, are
nothing else than retracted Synocils.
The nervous system appears to be most highly developed
in Huspongia canaliculata, where continuous zones of nervous
tissue — sensitive cells above and ganglion cells below — are
observed surrounding certain lacunose areas below the surface.
The collections made during the voyages of the ‘ Alert’ and
‘Challenger,’ as well as my own labours in the Australian Seas,
have extended our knowledge of the geographical distribution of
sponges so that we are now able to form a general idea of it.
Sponges occur in all seas. Those living at great depths are
mostly cosmopolitan, while those which occur in shallow water are
very different in various localities. The Tropical and Polar zones
possess not nearly so rich a sponge fauna as the Temperate zone.
Besides thirteen families of Hezactinellida and Lithistida,
which, being deep-sea sponges, are mostly cosmopolitan, there are
thirty-three families of marine sponges which live mostly in
shallow water, the distribution of which I will discuss. Of these,
twenty-five are cosmopolitan, two occur in the North Atlantic, and
232 THE ZOOLOGIST.
six in the Australian Seas only. The number of cosmopolitan
genera is about twelve: 90 per cent. of the genera are limited to
small districts.
The Australian Seas are the richest in peculiar genera and
families, principally belonging to those groups which we consider
as the most highly developed. Of the Calcispongie, the Teichonide
and Sylleibide are confined to Australia, and the Leuconide are
very plentiful. In the same way the highest Chondrospongie, the
Tethyde, are represented in the Australian Seas by seven genera,
whilst from all other parts of the globe only three genera are
known. The number of species of Australian Chondroside and
Chondrillide is likewise greater than from other parts. The
Keratosa, the most highly developed Cornacuspongie, are repre-
sented by thirty-three genera, with more than two hundred
species, in the Australian Seas; whilst only nine genera, with
about fifty species, are known from other parts of the globe.
The lower forms of Cornacuspongie are distributed pretty equally.
The EHctyonine and Chalinine, which are rich in spongin, are
prevalent in the Australian Seas, whilst the Hsperelline, which
possess very little spongin, are rare. The latter, as well as
the Choristide and Suberitide, are most abundant in the North
Atlantic Ocean. Australia, the land-fauna of which appears an
age behind that of other continents, harbours on its shores the
most highly developed sponge-fauna.
The localisation of the different groups of marine sponges
appears particularly remarkable, considering that the fresh-
water sponges are more or less cosmopolitan. The family Spon-
gillide is represented in all quarters of the globe, and the common
English fresh-water sponge, or very insignificant varieties of it,
occurs everywhere. This is particularly remarkable in the case of
Australia. Whilst the marine sponges on its coast are entirely
different from those of the North Atlantic, the fresh-water sponges
found in the isolated rivers of Australia are the same or very
similar to those of our English streams, although the physical
conditions are as different as they can be. This shows that the
continued inbreeding of the fresh-water sponges caused by their
isolation destroys their variability, whilst the continued hybridi-
sation of the marine sponges causes a continual renewal of their
variability, and further demonstrates that the efficient cause of the
variability of species must be sought in their hybridisation.
(2337)
NOTES AND QUERIES,
Death of Mr. John Gatcombe.—As an old contributor to this Journal
the name of Mr. John Gatcombe, of Plymouth, will be familiar to our
readers, and we regret to have to announce his death, which took place,
at the age of 68, on the 28th April last. He was born at Knowle, in
Somersetshire, but spent the greater part of his life at Plymouth. As might
be inferred from the notes which he contributed from time to time to these
pages, Mr. Gatcombe was a naturalist who delighted in the out-door observa-
tion of the habits of birds, and his intimate acquaintance with a large
number of species rendered his notes always reliable. He was once lucky
enough to meet with and secure a pair of the Alpine Accentor near Plymouth
(Yarrell, i. p. 297). The keen interest which he took in Ornithology made
him always willing to assist others with information, and the Editor can
recall with gratitude many acts of kindness on his part in helping to clear
up doubtful points, especially in connection with the seasonal changes of
plumage in sea-birds, to which he had paid considerable attention. Should
anyone be found to undertake a work on the Avifauna of Devon, Mr. Gat-
combe’s scattered notes will be found of material value in its preparation,
and their republication in a collected and condensed form would furnish a
pleasing memorial of a very worthy naturalist, who in a quiet way continually
strove to further the interest of Ornithology in his own county.
MAMMALIA.
Hedgehog attacking a Hare.—A neighbour has recently (April 29th)
told me of a strange capture of a Hare. He was crossing one of his fields
late in the evening when he heard a Hare crying. He went in the
direction, expecting to find one in a trap, but was astonished to come
across one attacked by a Hedgehog, which was holding on to one of its hind
legs. The Hare, a fully-grown one, seemed paralysed by fear, and allowed
itself to be lifted up. Directly the Hedgehog was shaken off it died in my
informant’s hands, although the injury it had received from the bite of its
assailant was but slight. Such a curious fact as this seems worthy of
record.— Murray A. Marsew (Stonehall, Wolfscastle, Pembrokeshire).
A Pied Hare.—In January last one of my friends shooting with me
here in the big wood killed a Hare which had the whole of one side from
nose to rump pure white, and on the other side a patch of white as big as
one’s hand behind the shoulder. I never before heard of a variety
occurring in the woods here, even when they were full of hares and more
than 150 were shot in a day. Now, when not more than thirty are killed
in a day, the appearance of a variety is more curious. —J. WHITAKER
(Rainworth, near Mansfield).
ZOOLOGIST.—JUNE, 1887. T
234 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The supposed Serotine in the Newcastle Museum.— In 1884
I communicated to the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society a list of
the Mammalia of the county of Norfolk, and, in instituting a comparison
between the various published lists for the eastern portion of England from
the Thames to the Tweed, I ventured to express an opinion (like yourself
at p. 171 supra) that the Serotine mentioned in Messrs. Mennell and
Perkins’s ‘Catalogue of the Mammalia of Northumberland and Durham’
as having been killed at Cleadon would prove to be a Noctule. In August
of the same year I paid a visit to the Newcastle Museum, and, through
the kindness of Mr. J. Hancock, had an opportunity of examining the
specimen in question, which proved to be, as you suggest, a Noctule. A
note on the subject, contributed by Mr. W. D. Roebuck, will be found in
the ‘Naturalist’ for April, 1885, p. 202. This is, I believe, the first
recorded occurrence of the Noctule in the county of Durham, but Mr,
Roebuck states that it is a common and widely diffused species throughout
Yorkshire. In my notes on this species I find the earliest record I have of
its appearance is March (no day), on one occasion only, but in most years
about April 20th ; whilst in 1871 I saw several on the evening of Sept.
19th; on another occasion others on Oct. 28rd; and in 1872 Mr. Frank
Norgate sent me a specimen which he shot at Sparham on Noy. 5th.—
T. SourHwE.t (Norwich). [Some further notes on this subject unavoidably
stand over.—Ep. ]
Reported Occurrence of Vespertilio murinus in Dorsetshire.—In
your remarks on British Bats (p. 161) I am credited with having noted
this species amongst the Bats occurring in Dorsetshire, but I cannot
recollect having ever reported it. It has occurred to me, however, that you
may have seen Vespertilio murinus recorded in my father’s remarks on the
‘ Fauna of Dorsetshire’ (first series, vols. 2, 3, and 4). Ifso, his notes are
intended to refer to the Common Pipistrelle. The following I believe to
be a correct list of the Bats found in Dorsetshire :— Vesperugo noctula,
which is common (I found several some years ago in a hole of an old walnut
tree); Vesperugo pipistrellus, which is also common; Vespertilio nattereri ;
V. daubentonii (abundant); V. mystacinus ; Plecotus auritus (aot common) ;
Synotus barbastellus, also uot common, though a few were found in the
tower of the church when it was restored in 1875; and lastly Rhinolophus
ferrum-equinum.—C. W. Dare (Manor House, Glanvilles Wootton).
[The occurrence of R. ferrum-equinum in Dorsetshire is mentioned in
Bell’s ‘ British Quadrupeds ’ (2nd ed. 1874, pp. 92, 93), in a communication
from Mr. James Salter, who saw several and captured one in the haunted
room at Tomson Manor House in September, 1865.—Ep.]
Change of Habits in the Brown Rat.—The habits of the Brown Rat
in England are sometimes very similar to those which it is said (p. 180) to
have assumed in New Zealand. This is especially the case in summer, at
NOTES AND QUERIES. 235
which season it is very fond of taking up its abode by the water side. It
then feeds greedily on all the dead fish it can find, thus causing the Otter
to be accused of much destruction of which it is not guilty. Pollard willow
trees are very favourite abodes of the Brown Rat; I once found the
remains of a full-grown Partridge in one of these dwellings. It also
frequently makes its nest in thorn fences, not only in low-lying and wet
lands, but even on high ground. The Brown Rat can dive and swim very
expertly. It is far more common by the water side in summer than in
winter, probably finding the water too cold at the latter season.—E. W. H.
Buaee (Cheadle, Staffordshire).
BIRDS.
Nesting of the Stock Dove in East Lothian.— Having been informed
by Mr. McDonald, gamekeeper, Hailes, that a pair of Pigeons had taken
up their abode among the crags of Traprain Law, and that he was certain
that it was not the Ring Dove or the Rock Dove, I suspected it was the
Stock Dove (Columba enas). On visiting the spot on April 9th I found
my suspicion confirmed. The birds were very shy, but I managed to get
a very good view of them. A number of Jackdaws were persecuting them
unmercifully. Twice we saw one of the Stock Doves disappear among the
rabbit-burrows on the steep face of the hill, and have no doubt that they
were breeding there. We climbed up as far as possible, and observed one
of them issue from the place where we saw it disappear. I picked up a
feather, which I sent to Mr. Evans, of Edinburgh, and he pronounced it to
be undoubtedly one of the wing-coverts of the Stock Dove. Mr. McDonald
will, so far as he is able, see that the strangers remain unmolested.
A specimen—the first obtained in East Lothian—was exhibited by Mr.
Evans at a meeting of the Royal Physical Society on March 17th, 1886.
It was shot near Longniddry in January, 1886, while feeding in company
with a number of Ring Doves. A second specimen was netted, along with
Ring Doves, in the same locality on March 5, 1886.—G. Pow (Dunbar, N.B.)
Plumage of the Tufted Duck.—Mr. Macpherson, writing under this
heading (p. 112), says, “ Perhaps Mr. Whitaker can throw some light on
the subject.” I can only say I have often noticed young birds of this
species marked with white or dirty white about the face, these markings
being usually small white patches at the base of the upper and lower
mandibles. Others have the white extending from the bill to the eyes.
These markings are invariably lost during the autumn, and are not
reassumed till the bird is very much advanced in years, and then only in
the females, so far as I have noticed. This marking in old birds must be
very rare, as in the many hundreds I have seen I have only noticed it once;
and Mr. Hall, who has shot these ducks for fifty years, was very much
struck with it, he never having seen one before. I shall (all being well),
236 THE ZOOLOGIST.
during the coming summer and autumn, have the opportunity of seeing a
good many of these ducks, and will ascertain the percentage of these
varieties. The Tufted Ducks are in full breeding plumage at the end of
March, and have a very pleasant note, or number of notes, during the
pairing-time. As nearly as I can render them they are “ tuc, tue, tuck;
quit, quit, quitta; wheeou, whit; quit, quit, quee."—J. WuitakEr (Rain-
worth, near Mansfield).
Blackecap in Co. Waterford in January.—JI can supplement Mr.
Ussher’s note in the January number of ‘ The Zoologist’ (p. 27). Since
January 19th a male Blackeap frequented a garden in the suburbs of
Waterford. He came several times daily to a window-sill of the adjacent
house for food in the shape of crumbs and scraps of meat, which were
spread there for small birds. With these he kept up a constant warfare, and
with such success that they forsook the sill which he generally frequented.
This bird was found dead on a gravel-path, close to its usual haunts, on
February 18th, though there was no appearance of injury of any kind.—
J. N. Wurre (Rocklands, Co. Waterford).
Wood Pigeons casting up Pellets. — Referring to Mr. Mann’s note
under this head (p. 193), I would suggest that probably the Wood Pigeon
casts up “pellets” only at certain seasons of the year, 7.¢., when it has
been feeding upon certain kinds of food. A few days ago (May 14th)
I found several “castings” of this bird, composed chiefly of the husks of
oats. Rooks at this season eject a vast number of “ pellets,” composed of
grain shells, and they never cast up pellets, I believe, when their diet does
not consist chiefly of grain, unless possibly they reject the wing-cases
of beetles, and other similar substances.—E. W. H. Biace (Cheadle,
Staffordshire).
A new Egg-drill.—I have forwarded an egg-drill which was made for
me by the Dental Manufacturing Company, 6, Lexington Street. I believe
they call it a “burr,” but it has to be specially made, for in a similar
instrument used by dentists the point is not sharp (its use being, I believe,
to enlarge cavities for filling). It is certainly far and away the best drill
I have ever used, as an infinitesimal amount of pressure is sufficient to
make the necessary hole. I may mention, not as an example of any skill
on my part, but in commendation of the instrument, that I have bored a
moorhen’s egg with 175 holes without breaking the egg. T have also had
a similar drill made, half an inch in diameter, for embryotomy in large eggs.
—Herserrr Laneton (115, Queen’s Road, Brighton).
[We have tested the drill in question, for which we are much obliged,
and have found it a very efficient instrument. It is so well balanced
that with ordinary care fracture of an egg when drilling it is well-uigh
impossible.—Ep. ]
NOTES AND QUERIES. 237
REPTILES.
Varieties of the Viper.—-I have just seen four Vipers, Pelias berus,
which were killed on the hills in the neighbourhood of Reigate. In three
of them the dorsal line was of a brickdust colour. but in one of them it was
very nearly black. In all the specimens the ground colour was brownish
yellow. The country folks here—and I daresay elsewhere—regard these
varieties as distinct species, and call them them the “red” and the ‘“ black”
adder respectively. The “red adder” is credited with red eyes, and a
greater fierceness of disposition and a deadlier poison-fang than the black
variety. The difference of colour is also sometimes regarded as indicating
a difference of sex, the ‘‘ black adder” being the male. Is there any ground
for this supposition? In the case I have mentioned the “ black” specimen
was undoubtedly smaller than any of the red ones. A full-grown mouse,
perfectly undigested, was found inside the former.” These snakes were
killed on account of their fat, for which chemists give—or used to give—
five shillings an ounce. The fat is supposed to be a specific not only for
adder-bites, but for all wounds and sores.—E. P. Larxen (Gatton Tower,
Reigate).
[If our correspondent would kindly procure some of these varieties, and
forward them in “ pickle-bottles” filled with spirit, they would be very
acceptable for the Natural History Museum, South Kensington.—Eb.]
CRUSTACEA.
Axius stirhynchus in Cornwall.— Mr. Fortescue Millett in March
last obtained on Marazion beach, from under a stone just above low-water
mark, a specimen of Awius stirhynchus (a female, in berry), which was
placed alive in his aquarium. The occurrence (or rather the observation)
of this crustacean on our coast is exceedingly rare—THomas CoRNIsH
(Penzance).
INSECTS.
Practical Entomology at South Kensington.—The Natural History
branch of the British Museum in Cromwell Road has just received a most
important donation from Lord Walsingham, consisting of a collection of
Lepidoptera with their larve, mainly British butterflies (Rhopalocera) and
certain families of moths (Heterocera), including Sphingide, Bombyces,
Pseudobombyces, Noctua, Geometride, aud Pyralide. ‘There is also a five
series of Indian species, collected and preserved at Dharmsala, in the
Punjab, by the Rev. John H. Hocking, and specimens of Exotic silk-
producing Bombyces, in various stages of their development, obtained mostly
from Mons. Wailly. With very few exceptions, the British larve, which
retain a most life-like appearance, and are placed upon models of the plants
upon which they feed, have been prepared and mounted by Lord Walsingham
238 THE ZOOLOGIST.
himself; the process adopted having been inflation of the empty skin
of the caterpillar by means of a glass tube and india-rubber spray-blower
over a spirit-lamp guarded by wire gauze. This has been found a simpler .
and quicker process, and one admitting of more satisfactory manipulation,
than the alternative system of baking by means of heated metal plates or
ovens. The specimens have mostly retained their natural colour, but in
the case of the bright green species it has been found necessary to introduce
a little artificial dry pigment. The whole collection consists of 2540
specimens of larve, belonging to 776 species, together with a series of
the perfect insects of each species. As continued exposure to light is,
unfortunately, most detrimental to the colour of insects, this collection
cannot be exhibited permanently ; but, for the advantage of those who would
like to see it without any restriction, it has been placed in the eutrance-
hall of the Museum for a period of six weeks, from May 16th to June 25th,
so as to include the Whitsuntide holidays and the Jubilee week.
Bees occupying a Bird’s Nest.— When taking a walk through some
woods near Taunton I came across a nest of the Lorg-tailed Tit, Acredula
caudata, which was quite new, but when I came to look for the entrance
I could not find one anywhere; so I removed the top of the nest (which
was fully lined with feathers and ready for eggs), and found in the middle
a piece of comb about the size of a plum, together with several wild bees.
I have not unfreqnently found old nests of the Wren occupied by Bees,
but I have never before discovered newly-built nests tenanted by them.
Has anybody else noticed this unusual habit?—A. H. Buckxxanp (4, East
Street, Taunton).
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
ZOoLoGicaAL Soctrety or Lonpon.
May 3, 1887.—Dr. E. Hamiuton, Vice-President, in the chair.
The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to
the Society's Menagerie during the month of April, and called attention
to two Polar Bears, Ursus maritimus, presented by Mr. Joseph Monteith ;
and to two Crested Ducks, Anas cristata, from the Falkland Islands,
presented by Mr. F. KE. Cobb.
Extracts were read from a letter addressed to the Secretary by
Mr. Roland Trimen, respecting the obtaining of a second example of
Laniarius atrocroceus in South Africa.
Mr. J. Jenner Weir exhibited and made remarks on a skull of a Boar
from New Zealand.
A communication was read from Mr. G. A. Boulenger, containing the
description of a new Snake of the genus Lamprophis, based on a specimen
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 239
living in the Society’s Gardens, which had been presented to the collection
by the Rev. G. H. R. Fisk.
A communication was read from Mr. J. H. Leech, containing an account
of the Diurnal Lepidoptera of Japan and Corea, based on a collection
recently made by the author during a recent entomological expedition to
those countries. ‘The total number of species in Mr. Leech’s list was 155.
In Japan Mr. Leech had discovered one new species, Papilio mikado, and
in Corea four others.
Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe gave an account of a second collection of birds
formed by Mr. L. Wray in the mountains of Perak, Malay Peninsula. This
collection contained examples of about fifty species, of which ten were
described as new to science.
Mr. H. J. Elwes pointed out the characters of some new species of
Dinrnal Lepidoptera, specimens of which had been obtained by him during
his recent visit to Sikkim.
A communication was read from Mr. Lionel de Nicéville, containing an
account of some new or little-known Indian Butterflies.—P. L. Scrarmr,
Secretary.
ENnromo.toaicaL Soctrry or Lonpon.
May 4, 1887.—Dr. D. Suarp, F.Z.S., President, in the chair.
The Rey. C. Ellis-Stevens, B.D., of Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.;
Mr. Frederic Merrifield, of 24, Vernon Terrace, Brighton; Mr. Henry
Rowland Brown, B.A., of Oxhey Grove, Stanmore; and Mr. Coryndon
Matthews, of Ivybridge, Devon, were elected Fellows.
Mr. Wm. Warren exhibited specimens of Stigmonota pallifrontana,
S. internana, Asthenia pyymeana (Hiib.), and A. abiegana (Dup.) (subse-
quana, Haw.).
Mr. Stainton remarked that the two last-named species, Asthenia
pygmeana and A. abiegana, both had white underwings, and were in other
respects very similar. It was formerly thought that Haworth’s subsequana
was identical with the species previously figured by Hiibner as pygmeana ;
but now that the two allied species were critically examined it appeared
that the species described by Haworth as subsequana was not Hiibner's
pygmeana, but another species known as the abiegana of Duponchel, dating
only from 1842, so that Haworth’s name subsequana had priority by 80 years.
Mr. F. Pascoe exhibited a specimen of Diawines Taylori (Wath.), taken
out of the stem of an orchid—Saccolabium caleste—growing in an orchid-
house at Croydon, and received from Moulmein, in Burmah.
Mr. M‘Lachlan exhibited nearly two hundred specimens of Neuroptera,
in beautiful condition, collected by Mr. E. Meyrick in various parts of
Australia and Tasmania, comprising about seventy species. There were
between forty and fifty species of Trichoptera, including moth-like forms
240 THE ZOOLOGIST.
from Western Australia, allied to Plectrotarsus, Kol.; and other species
belonging to a group represented by Hydropsyche Edwardsii (M‘Lach.).
Among the Planipennia the most remarkable insect was a new species of
the singular genus Psychopsis (Newm.), from Mount Kosciusko, where it
was common. Of Pseudo-Neuroptera there was a species of Embude
from Western Australia, and certain curious Psocid@ and Perlide. ‘The
Trichoptera appeared to be exclusively confined to Sericostomatide, Lepto-
ceride, and Hydropsychida. Mr. Meyrick made some remarks on the
localities in which he had collected the species.
Mr. M. Jacoby exhibited three specimens of a new species of Xenarthra,
collected by Mr. G. Lewis in Ceylon; also a species of Lowoprosopus from
Brazil.
Mr. C. O. Waterhouse exhibited a living example of an Ichneumon—
Ophion macrurum—bred from a larva of Callosamia promethea, a North-
American species of Saturnide. He also exhibited a number of wings of
Lepidoptera denuded of the scales, in order to show the neuration for study,
and explained the method he had adopted for removing the scales. The
wings were first dipped in spirit and then placed in eau de javelle (potassium
hyperchlorite). Mr. Waterhouse said he had sometimes substituted per-
oxide of hydrogen for eau de javelle, but the action was much less rapid,
although the results were satisfactory.
Mr. Poulton observed that, although the pigment had disappeared, he
thought the scales were not removed, but were merely rendered transparent;
and he remarked that the discovery of some chemical for softening chitine
had long been wanted to prepare specimens for the microscope. The
discussion was continued by Mr. M‘Lachlan and Dr. Sharp.
Mr. Slater read a note, extracted from the ‘ Medical Press,’ on the
subject of the poison used by certain tribes of African Bushmen in the
preparation of their arrows. It was stated that a poison was prepared by
them from the entrails of a caterpillar which they called ‘* N’gwa.”
The Rev. W. W. Fowler read a note received from Mr. J. Gardner, of
Hartlepool, in which it was stated that Dytiscus marginalis possessed the
power of making a loud buzzing noise like that of a humble bee.
Dr. Sharp said he was familiar with the humming of Dytiscus mar-
ginalis previous to flight, and thought it might perhaps be connected with
an inflation of the body for the purpose of diminishing the specific gravity
of the insect; he had noticed also that it was occasionally accompanied by
the discharge of fluid from the body.
Mr. Wm. White read a paper “ On the occurrence of anomalous spots
on Lepidopterous larve.” A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Poulton,
and others took part.
Mr. Waterhouse read “ Descriptions of new genera and species of
Buprestide.”—H. Goss, Hon. Secretary.
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.} TEE Y,- L887. [No. 127.
FACTS IN THE LIFE-HISTORY OF THE POLLACK,
GADUS POLLACHIUS.
By Martuias Dunn.*
WueEn full-grown, Pollack have very peculiar traits, apparently
combining in one species the habits of more than one of the Gadide,
sometimes showing the intense love of locality of the Bib, and at
another evincing all the wild and roving disposition of the Hake.
Thus for months together in spring and summer Pollack generally
live in a uniform hunt-and-rest life, congregating by day around
the rocky ledges of the sea-bottom near the deepest water, circling
around a certain spot, and often in such numbers as to appear
like a living column standing in the sea. At such times these
creatures seem to be resting or sleeping (as most fish sleep),
probably with one half or more of their senses and functions of
the body really at rest. When in this state Pollack will not
attack or prey on the smaller fishes unless they come very near
or within the circle.
With the night the scene changes; then, thoroughly awake,
every Pollack leaves the circle, and, hungry and ravenous, each
steals away to hunt on his own account. But few living fishes
come amiss to their stomachs. With the morning light all return
to their old haunts.
* Communicated to the Polytechnic Society, Falmouth. The names of
fish adopted are those employed by Couch.
ZOOLOGIST.—JULY, 1887. U
242 THE ZOOLOGIST.
In the autumn this systematic life may be broken up at
any time by the passing near to the reef of a shoal of Sprats,
Pilchards, or Anchovies. The sight of these calls forth all
the wolfish propensities of the Pollack, which steal away after
them, leaving the ledge probably for ever to gorge on these
small fry.
The autumn migrations of the Pilchard afford a grand time
for the Pollack. Then almost every circle on the coast is broken
up, especially in the undisturbed haunts around the Land’s End
and Scilly Isles, and they continue to follow the shoals along the
coast, and often far up the English Channel, keeping to the high
ground when seeking rest, but always with their eyes on the
object of their pursuit, and seldom taking to settled life again
until some time after spawning in March.
When catching prey the habit of the Pollack is to sneak along
quietly until within darting distance of their object; then calling
into use their powerful fins they dart like arrows on their victims.
This is also their habit in taking the bait. There is no coaxing
or waiting on the part of the fisherman for them to swallow it, as
with the Hake or Conger; as a rule, they rush like a Salmon
taking a fly.
As to the question whether the food of the Pollack is
swallowed head or tail first, I think that all dead and wounded
fish are taken into the stomach as they are found, but all live
food is swallowed head foremost, those not caught in this way
being turned in the mouth. There is more readiness with the
mouth of fish than is generally supposed. I have seen Pollack
stop short in their dart at food, and play it in and out of their
mouths, as if tasting it, finally leaving it—such food being
probably stale, or sodden with water. The chief reason why the
Pollack swallows live food head downward is that it does not bite
or tear its food in pieces like the Carnivora, but simply swallows
it alive, often without a scratch. If the head were upwards in
the stomach, no doubt the little fellows would force their way
out again while the Pollack was in the act of securing other prey.
How long they remain alive in the stomach of the larger Gadide
—for all take their food in the same manner—it is difficult
to say. I have known Pollack drawn up from a depth of eighty
feet, and taken into the boat and killed, and on being opened
I have seen Pilchards and Herrings taken alive from their
LIFE-HISTORY OF THE POLLACK. £43
stomachs. These fishes must have been secured and swallowed
some time before the Pollack took the fatal bait.
Young Pollack do not take to circling until above four pounds
weight, probably in the third year of their existence. Before that
time they may be found on any rocky bottom, but more especially
where the ground is very rough near the shore.
When shoals of Sprats or Launces appear, the Pollack will
congregate also in shoals, and with a rush attack them. An
evening rout once seen will hardly be forgotten, for they will
dart against the sides of a boat, if in the line of their attack, when
on their hungry errand.
When about four months old, before taking the bait, they
may often be seen to put their lips against the line, and in this
manner to swim along and trace it up to the surface of the sea;
they are seldom caught after tracing the line.
Again, on some of the extensive ledges off our coasts, it has
been found that all Pollack do not concentrate on one spot, but
several circles may be found on one ledge. That each fish in
these circles has a knowledge of locality and of its own haunt
may be learnt from the fact that the practical fisherman, in some
instances, knows where these circles may be found, and will fish
on the best of them when it suits his purpose; and although he
may catch all the fish in one circle, and days may pass between
his fishing on the other parts of the reef, it will be found
that this has in no way lessened the numbers living in the
other circles. Although, being night-feeders, the fish must of
necessity, when hunting the ledge, pass by and over this depopu-
lated haunt, the old associations are too strong for them to think
of occupying it.
Many fishes have the power of changing their colour, and
adapting themselves to the nature of the ground on which they
are living. This has been noticed in the Pollack. Those living
on the reefs where the long dark Laminaria sea-weed abounds
will be found to be of a dark olive, varying very little from the
colour of the weeds; while those found in deeper water, where
the rocks are lighter, will be very much of their colour. This
is also observable in young Pollack, which, when food is scarce,
will entirely leave the rocky and weedy sea-bottom, and hover
around the brown sands in which the Sand Launce takes up its
night-quarters. It will then be seen that these Pollack are quite
244 THE ZOOLOGIST.
brown in colour—in fact, are the very shade of the sand over
which they have been swimming.
In the spring of the year the little red Pollack may be found
inshore. They have a decided tinge of red in the fins, and
sometimes streaks of red running down through the olive of the
belly; while others are dark orange along the sides and belly,
mottled with blue spots and streaks. Couch, in his ‘ British
Fishes,’ remarks on small Pollack being bright orange on the
sides, caused by living in the shelter of the rocks clothed with
sea-weeds. But this red colour can scarcely arise from this
cause, seeing that three had a decided tinge of red when caught,
and these were from the surface of the sea, not from the rocks.
I have seen Pollack as much as seven pounds weight with
a red tinge in the fins and red markings running down their
sides.
A coating of transparent mucus envelopes the whole fish; in
summer it is reduced to a very thin film; in winter it increases
to more than the sixteenth of an inch in thickness, and no doubt
protects the fish in cold weather.
DisEAsEs.—These seem to be very few in the Pollack. One
form is the wasting of the liver, caused by the boring though it
of the parasite, Filaria pisciwum. Another disease is like that
which is so common to the Cod, Bream, Mackerel, and Garfish,
viz., curvature of the spine. Pollack affected with this disease
seldom reach five pounds in weight, while full-grown, well-fed fish
have been known to attain to twenty-four pounds.
ParasitEs.—Very few of these are found on the Pollack,
probably from their living so near to suitable places for scraping
them off: the large close-standing stems of some of the olive sea-
weeds and the projecting points of rock are admirably suited for
this purpose. A very common expression with fisher-boys, when
fishing for young Pollack near shore in clear water and expecting
a bite, is, “‘ Look out! I saw a Pollack turn bright side up.” The
idea conveyed is that a Pollack is close by, and may be expected
to take the bait; and this turning “bright side up,” which they
often do, by scraping their backs along the weeds and rocks,
is no doubt the act of raking off the parasites. I only know
three parasites common to this species—the Lepeoptheirus ; the
young of a sessile-eyed crustacean belonging to a species of
Cirolana (the latter is also found in great numbers in the Red
LIFE-HISTORY OF THE POLLACK. 245
Mullet); and Filaria piscium, discoverable in the cavity of the
belly.
Enemirs.—Gulls and Guillemots destroy immense quantities
of Pollack when very young—just after being hatched. When a
month old they live on the surface of the sea, keeping close to all
kinds of floating débris. At such times the sea-birds scarcely
ever leave'them. Porpoises also often attack them. Itis nothing
uncommon in clear water close to shore to see the Porpoises dart
along the sides of the rocks and devour them. In the summer of
1878, when the fishing-boat ‘F.H.,’ of Mevagissey, was passing
over the high ledges off the Gribben Head, Cornwall, the crew
saw a shoal of Porpoises attack a circle of large Pollack, killing
scores of them. They tacked the boat, and took up quantities of
large fish, the Porpoises having destroyed more than they could
eat. Sometimes when going at full speed a Porpoise will seize a
Pollack, and play with it as a cat will with a mouse, and by some
power unknown to me throw it three or four feet out of the water
forward, the next instant catching it again in its jaws. I have
known this done four or five times in succession with a Pollack
of about three pounds weight. A Porpoise will sometimes seize
a large Pollack by the middle with his powerful jaws, and other
Porpoises will swim around and eat the poor victim alive from
the mouth of the holder.
These savage creatures, no doubt, are the cause of the
skulking habits of the Pollack, so annoying to the amateur
fisherman; for this fish when hooked will, if possible, rush away
from his enemies in among the large sea-weeds, or into some
sheltered hole in the rocky sea-bottom, so that the amateur with
his fine gear is often unable to draw him out. Our fishermen,
when after large Pollack, go in the day-time where the fish are
circling. The crew consists of two men, each provided with sixty
fathoms three-quarter pound lines, with snooding six feet long.
One of these is used without a sinker, the other with it. The
lines used in this way will cover a greater amount of ground than
any other from a stationary boat, and thus enable the fishermen
to correct any slight error made in anchoring on the circling
ground, as it is impossible to be successful in fishing by day
unless the baits go right into the circle. The baits should be
Mackerel, Pilchards, Cuttles, or young Bream.
A fisherman can always tell the kind of fish he has to his line
246 THE ZOOLOGIST.
by its actions on the hook. Every fish has its own peculiar
action: thus the Pollack when hooked starts off at a sharp angle
for the sea-bottom, and if prevented from reaching it, will then
try to get away by force, and acts very much like a flying kite on
being pulled to the ground. The fishermen call it “ shearing
about.” After failing to free itself by this mode, it suddenly turns
and darts towards the boat, at the same time disgorging the
contents of its stomach by turning it inside out, hoping by these
means to clear out the hook.
For small Pollack the most successful mode of capture is
“ whiffing.” This operation is carried on by two men; one rowing
a small boat about two miles an hour, the other attending to one
or two lines towed without sinkers over the stern. The bait
should be a thin slice cut from the tail of a Mackerel or Pil-
chard; worms from the sea-beach or small eels; or artificial
baits, as supplied by Hearder or Brooks, of Plymouth. The
most successful ‘“ whiffer” I ever knew fished with an angling-
rod over the quarter of the boat with the line weighted, the
snooding entirely of catgut, and with artificial baits. Small fish
are also often caught in trammels, ground-nets, and seines,-when
used for Mackerel and Red Mullet. Pollack a few months old
will rise to the fly.
Brerping.—In many fishes the procreative instinct is active
some months before actual spawning commences, as in the
Herring and Pilchard. This has been noted under two aspects.
The first is extreme restlessness and change of locality, until a
suitable spawning-ground is found. The second is a state of
quietude, and only the taking of such food as will keep the body
in its normal condition. These phases of life may be discerned
in more than one species of fish. We can scarcely trace the
former in the Pollack, but we believe we can the latter. For
although so active and voracious in autumn, but little is seen of
them in February and March, although from long observation we
are certain March is the general time of those fish spawning off
our coasts. That they are then living not far from land may be
concluded from the fact that they may be found only a few miles
off the coast in April, thin and hungry; while about the middle
of the same month young Pollack, just escaped from the egg,
may be seen on the surface of the sea, close to land. That
the eggs float on the surface when shed seems probable, seeing
LIFE-HISTORY OF THE POLLACK. Q47
that the liver of a full-grown Pollack is very large, and contains
several ounces of oil, all of which escapes among the eggs at the
time of spawning, and no doubt helps to float them. It is also a
fact that the oil leaves the liver of all the fish of the species at
the time of spawning. Like all the Gadide, the Pollack carries
a large number of eggs. I have found as many as four millions
in the roe of a Pollack twelve pounds in weight. The time the
eggs take to hatch cannot be stated with precision; but taking
the 15th of March as the average date of the parent spawning,
I have often seen young Pollack of a half-inch in length from the
15th to the 20th of April, which could not be more than from ten
to fifteen days old. This will make the period of hatching from
fourteen to eighteen days.
On the matter of spawning and incubation of fishes there is
much to be said. Scientists tell us that the spawning of Salmon
in the British Isles continues from September to January, and
that the Herring may be found breeding off our shores in every
month of the year. But this statement requires qualification ;
for although generally true, the facts do not apply to every coast,
since each locality has its own especial time; thus it will be
found that Herrings are always in spawn off Plymouth about
the first of January, whereas at Mevagissey the great Atlantic
Herrings do not spawn until the 10th of March. Possibly future
researches may show that on other coasts the Pollack may spawn
at some different time.
GrowtH.— On this subject I must refer to my specimens.
No. 1 bottle contains several young Pollack, from a half-
inch to an inch long. These were caught in Mevagissey Bay
on May 4th, about fifty yards from land, on the surface of the
sea, close. to some floating sea-weeds. The colours are not
yet diffused, but held in spots and stars; the fins white and
transparent; and no scales are found on them when under
three-quarters of an inch in length. The largest are just an
inch long, and two grains in weight. I estimate them to be
about a month old.
No. 2 contains young Pollack caught near the same place,
close to the bottom of the sea, on June 38rd. Taking the average
of two of the largest, it will give a Pollack one inch and three-
quarters long and eleven grains in weight. It will now be observed
that they have all their fins and colours perfect, and are fairly on
248 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the line of living as the parent fishes. These I estimate to be
two months old.
No. 8 contains young Pollack caught at the same place as
above, on July 6th. The two largest give an average fish of
three inches long and sixty grains in weight, and estimated at
three months old.
No. 4 contains young Pollack from the same place, caught
on August 14th. These two give an average length of five
inches, and 225 grains in weight, and are estimated to be four
months old.
No. 5 bottle has two young Pollack caught at Mevagissey on
the 25th of September, 1884. Average five inches and six-eighths
in length, and 362 grains in weight. These are probably a little
over five months old.
I give these lengths and weights with the greatest confidence,
knowing they represent the monthly growth of the first Pollack
which reached the shores around Mevagissey for the year 1885,
and also, with very little change, in the same months for ten years
past. These little creatures are as familiar to me as barn-door
fowls are to the farmer. The figures show the increase in four
months to be one hundred times their original weight.
I may here state that throughout my observations on these
little fishes I have kept to those which first reach the shore, and
these throughout the season, as a rule, are the largest. Some
young Pollack do not float in for two or three weeks after the first,
probably through contrary winds and tides, or later spawning;
hence these will be behind the earlier examples in growth and
condition throughout the season. Besides this there are the
accidents of food, health, and other conditions, which keep some
of the season’s fish back to less than five inches in length up to
November, and after this, like the Mackerel and Red Mullet,
there is but little, if any, growth among the young Pollack until
the following May. In further tracing their growth it will be seen
that the summer is the time of their greatest development, and
that some will reach maturity in the third and others in the
fourth year of life.
( 249.)
NOTES ON THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
AND NEIGHBOURHOOD.
By tHe Ricut. Hon. Lorp Litrorp.
Owine to the circumstances mentioned in my last com-
munication on Northamptonshire birds (Zool. 1886, p. 465), and
my leaving Lilford for Bournemouth (whence I now write) shortly
afterwards, the following notes are given entirely upon the
authority of correspondents, of whose good faith in every
instance, and accuracy of identification in the great majority
of occurrences quoted, I have not the slightest doubt.
October 8th, 1886. My brother saw two Golden Plovers on
an old pasture near Aldwinkle. I heard reports of this species
being seen in our neighbourhood in the latter half of September,
but the above is the first appearance this autumn, of which
I feel quite certain.
Oct. 15th. Four Teal were brought alive from our decoy, with
twelve Wild Ducks.
Oct. 28th. Hight Fieldfares seen at Biggin, near Oundle,
and Grey Crows,—‘‘ now in abundance since N.E. wind,’’—at
the same place, reported to me by my brother-in-law, Mr. T. H.
Burroughes.
Oct. 80. Donald Mackay, gamekeeper at Aldwinkle, writes
that one of Lord Lyveden’s keepers flushed two Woodcocks near
Brigstock on Sept. 26th.
November ist. Colonel Irby wrote to me that he was assured
by one of our game-watchers that he saw one of three Wild
Ducks suddenly seized and taken under water by some invisible
foe near Pilton Bridges, within a short distance from Lilford.
I have no doubt that an Otter was the ‘‘ secret agent”’ in this
instance.
Nov. 5th. My falconer reported the sudden appearance about
Lilford of a great number of Jays, the scarcity of which species
till this date has been somewhat remarkable.
Nov. 6th. Sir Rainald Knightley wrote to me, under this
date, from Fawsley, near Daventry, as follows :—‘‘ Last year we
had a Night Heron—at least it was exactly like the picture of
that bird in Gould. It remained here nearly all the autumn,
250 THE ZOOLOGIST.
some two or three months, but left when the frost and snow
came. But to my surprise, on my return from Scotland a few
days ago, I found it (or another bird exactly like it) here again.
I do not know how long it has been here, as I have been away
from home for about five weeks.” (Cf. my note of July 13th,
Zool. 1886, p. 468). Sir Rainald adds, ‘‘ Crested Grebe, Podiceps
cristatus, have nested here last year and this.”
Noy. 16th. I received a letter from Captain J. A. M. Vipan,
of Stibbington Hall, near Wansford, in which he states,
“Whilst out punting on the Wash, on October 28th, I killed a
Red-throated Diver with the red-throat patch. I also killed a
Black-throated Diver on November 12th—the first I have ever
seen on the Wash.”
In two letters, dated respectively Nov. 9th and 16th, Lieut.-
Colonel G. Morgan, writing from his residence, Biddlesden Park,
near Brackley, very kindly informed me that “‘ The late Dr. Leith
Adams once spent three days here. He was especially pleased
with the Crested Tits, Parus cristatus, which we then had here,
but I have not observed them for four or five years past.’ Inthe
second letter he wrote, in reference to this species, ‘‘ Curiously
enough, my son saw one twice on Saturday last, and I believe
I saw it myself on Sunday morning, but am not absolutely
certain.” Colonel Morgan’s house stands in Buckinghamshire,
close to the river Ouse, which there forms our county boundary,
and as the post town (Brackley) is in Northamptonshire, I
consider that I may fairly record this occurrence in these
notes.
Nov. 14th. Thirty Wild Geese (sp. ?) seen flying over
Achurch in an easterly direction. Bramblings seen at Tich-
marsh—first report of the species in our neighbourhood for
this season.
Noy. 17th. Twenty-two Teal out of twenty-nine, and eighteen
Wild Ducks, out of about one hundred, were taken in our
decoy.
Noy. 18th. My falconer wrote under this date:—‘‘I have
seen eight Siskins and six Redpolls by the river (near Lilford)
last week. These are not nearly so plentiful as they were
last year.”
20th. A Great Grey Shrike, Lanius excubitor, was picked
up dead near Aldwinkle by Lieut.-Colonel Inby. My son,
ORNITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 251
who was present at the finding of this bird, wrote, ‘‘It had
doubtless been taken with bird-lime, with which a twig close by
was covered.” This bird was sent for me to London to be
preserved, and proved to be a young female.
December 9th. I received a very handsome and peculiar
female hybrid of Common Mallard, Anas boschas, and Australian
Wild Duck, A. swperciliosa, from our decoy. The upper plumage,
erown of head, back of neck, back, wings, and tail closely
resemble those of the Common Wild Duck, but the characteristic
buff superciliary streak of the Australian is strongly developed,
and the whole of the lower plumage from chin to tail are of a
rich creamy buff colour. I sent this interesting variety to the
Natural History Museum, South Kensington. I may mention
that I have for many years kept some of the Australian Wild
Ducks upon the aviary ponds at Lilford, and that many of our
Wild Ducks show ‘‘a strain” of that blood, but the specimen
above described is the first variety of the cross that has hitherto
come to my hands.
Dec. 30. Under this date my decoyman wrote :—‘‘ I caught
seven Ducks on 29th, and left forty, and three Wigeon, in the
decoy. There were three Red-headed Dunbirds, Fuligula ferina,
in the decoy on 24th.”
January 3rd, 1887. The Rev. W. Powys, Rector of Achurch,
wrote, ‘‘I have just seen a Snow Bunting in my field.” My
falconer wrote :—‘‘ On December 27th a Peregrine Falcon soared
over the courtyard for five minutes; her attention was taken up
with the Kites and Buzzards (in the home aviary): she came
within half gun-shot of me. I afterwards saw her chasing the
Wild Ducks up and down the river.”
Jan. 3rd. The decoyman reported fifteen ‘‘Grey Geese”
(sp. ?), near Aldwinkle.
Jan. 5th. ‘“‘Great flights of Sky Larks going southwards ;
snow seven or eight inches deep.”—T. H. Burroughes, Biggin,
Oundle.
Jan. 6th. Captain Vipan wrote to me from Sutton Bridge :—
“My punter last Monday came across a white Mallard in a
bunch of about 100. ‘To-day some thousands of Larks passed
over the Wash; all seemed very tired. ‘There were also a
good many Bramblings, one of which settled on my punter’s
head, fell off on to the floor of punt, and afterwards flew off;
252 THE ZOOLOGIST.
some that I noticed on the floating ice seemed very brilliant in
colour.”
Jan. 7th. Colonel Irby wrote from Wadenhoe, “I saw a
Redshank, Totanus calidris, on Wednesday.” The Redshank
visits our neighbourhood occasionally and irregularly, generally
in August or September ; but I consider its appearance there at
this time of year, and in such severe weather, as well worthy of
record.
Jan. 13th. A Waxwing, Ampelis garrulus, seen at Stoke Doyle,
near Oundle, and reported to me on excellent authority.
Jan. 18th. My faleoner wrote :—‘“‘ About half-past four on
the afternoon of 12th, when I went to take in the Goshawk from
her block, I found her fighting with a Tawny Owl. I got hold of
it at once, found that it was not much hurt, and placed it with
the others (of the same species) in the Owl-house. I am glad to
say it is quite well.”
Jan. 24th. The same man wrote:—‘‘I have often seen
Tawny Owls on wing about here this winter before dark, which
I think is very unusual for these birds.”
February Ist. The decoy-man reported “quite 500 head of
wildfowl—Ducks, Wigeon, Teal, and Pochards”—on our flooded
meadows near Thrapston; the decoy impracticable from the
depth of water and the floating ice.
Feb. 17th. One of my gamekeepers wrote :—‘‘I have found
six Green Woodpeckers dead of starvation from hard frost and
snow. More Wild Geese than usual flying over this winter ;
I saw twenty-nine on Jan. 13th, and several more lots of eight
or nine, of which I have not got the date.”
March 16th. A young Puffin, Fratercula arctica, arrived
alive at Lilford from the Rev. Sir F. Robinson, Bart., of Cranford,
Kettering, who informed me that it was picked up near that
place. This bird fed freely upon small fishes, and lived till
April 2nd.
March 17th. Heard of Stock Dove sitting on her eggs at
Lilford on 18th inst.
March 18th. The Hon. Thos. W. Fitzwilliam wrote :—‘‘ The
Herons (at Milton, Peterborough) are about as numerous as
usual, I think; about ninety-three nests now, but I do not think
that all have built yet.”
March 22nd. Chiffchaff first reported, by Colonel Irby.
ORNITHOLOGY OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE. 253
March 25th. A male Pintail, which had been for many days
apparently paired with a Wild Duck on our decoy-pool, dis-
appeared.
March 26th. Tawny Owl’s nest, with three eggs “‘ hard set,”
found near Lilford.
March 29th. Sand Martin first reported near Lilford.
April 6th. My falconer wrote :—‘“‘ Hearing that a strange
bird had been shot at Winwick (about five miles from Lilford),
on March 26th, I went over, and found it was a young female
Peregrine. The shooter told me that he shot a Wood Pigeon,
and before he had time to pick it up this hawk came from a
great height, and was carrying her prize away when he shot,
and slightly injured the first joint of her right wing. She looks
well in health, and I think she will get all right in a short
time.” I purchased this Falcon, and heard from my man on
April 13th that he put her on the wing (in a creance) on the
previous day, and that there did not appear to be “much
wrong”’ in her flight.
April 12th. Willow Wren first reported near Lilford.
Mr. G. Hunt wrote to me from Wadenhoe :—‘“‘ Towards the
close of the proceedings (shooting Wood Pigeons over wooden
decoy-birds), near Oundle Wood on 11th inst., a female Peregrine
came flying high towards me, and seeing my lures, which were
placed on a bare newly-sown field, made a terrific stoop at one
of them, which was pegged firmly into the ground, and drove
her hind claw into the neck of the dummy, knocked it some five
yards off its peg, and then flew straight away, and I could see
something was hanging from under her tail, and suspect she
broke her foot with the violence of the collision. This was an
old blue Falcon. I never in all my experience in ‘coying’ had
a similar thing occur. On Haster Sunday I found a nest con-
taining two young Stock Doves almost ready to fly; on the
previous day I had seen some of this species in flocks—evidently
travellers.”
April 14th. A nest of the Barn Owl near Lilford contained
four eggs. My decoy-man, who is an Hast Anglian, and ought
to know the birds below mentioned well, wrote :—“‘ I saw twenty
Dotterel, Hudromias morinellus, on the 13th and three on the
14th April.” This is the first well-authenticated occurrence of
the Dotterel in Northamptonshire that has come to my know-
254 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ledge, the only previous one being a somewhat hazy report of
a bird of this species having killed itself against the telegraph-
wires on the L. & N.W. Railway, near Thorpe, about forty
years ago.
April 15th. My falconer wrote :—‘‘I have ten young Wild
Ducks hatched off on the 2nd, and since then two more sittings,
all doing well. I heard young Rooks in the nests last evening,
for the first time this year.”
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF ICELAND.
By Uno von Troi, D.D.
[On taking up lately a somewhat scarce little volume entitled ‘ Letters
on Iceland,’ containing observations made during a voyage in 1772, by
Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Solander, Dr. Lind, and Dr. von Troil, we were
struck by the remarks therein contained on the mammals and birds of
Iceland, some of which, although written more than a century ago, are still
of much interest at the present day. The alleged existence of the Wild
Cat (doubtless a mistake), the herbivorous habits of the Fox, the intro-
duction of the Reindeer from Norway in 1770, the breeding of the Wild
Swan and the “ Hider-bird,” and the annual exportation of Eider-down, and
of Iceland Falcons purchased by royal falconers, are matters on which some
of our readers may be glad to have information. We accordingly give the
following extract (pp. 140—147, ed. 1780) for their benefit. The ‘ Letter”
from which it is copied is addressed to Chevalier Ihre, and is dated
“ Stockholm, Oct. 3, 1774.”—Ep. ]
Brsrpes these [domesticated] animals, they have three kinds
of dogs in Iceland, jiar hundar, or lumbar, shag dogs; and
dyrhundar and dverghundar. As also tame and wild cats, which
last are called urdarkettir; rats, white and brown foxes, some of
which eat grass, and are on that account called gras tofur. To
root out these animals, the king has set a premium of a rix-
dollar upon every ten fox-skins that are sold to a merchant.
The natives have likewise made an agreement, that whosoever
destroys a fox’s hole, together with the fox, the she fox, and their
young, is to receive one rix-dollar, which the neighbours collect
among themselves.
Reindeer were not known here formerly; but by Governor
Thodal’s order thirteen heads were sent from Norway in 1770,
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF ICELAND. 255
by Mr. Perenson, merchant, ten of which died before they
reached Iceland, for want of proper care; the three remaining
ones thrive extremely well, and had calved three times before we
came there; they do not want for food, as the country abounds
with moss.
After having treated of their fishery and the breed of their
cattle, I think this a very proper place to say something of their
birds, which, particularly in regard to those of the aquatic kind,
are very important to them.
They are found in great abundance everywhere on the coast ;
but the greatest number by far are caught in the few places
where they breed. The eggs the Icelanders make use of them-
selves, as likewise the flesh, which is eaten by a great many of
them; but with the feathers and down they carry on a very
considerable trade.
It would be unnecessary to mention all the different sorts of
birds, especially as there is scarcely any country where so many
kinds, and such great numbers of them, are to be met with as in
Iceland. Among the great abundance of geese, water-fowls,
ducks, &c., &c., I will, however, say something of the Swan and
Hider-bird.
It is known that the Swan belongs to the class of birds of
passage; their numbers increase very much towards winter,
though there is no scarcity of them at any time, as the greater
part of the young breed constantly remain there. In spring we
may often see an hundred of them ina flock, and frequently
many more; and it is then thought that part of them advance
yet further to the north, and make but a very short stay in
Iceland. During the summer they resort to the lakes; but when
winter approaches, and these begin to freeze, they remove to the
sea-shores. Their eggs are gathered in the beginning of spring,
which are large, and said to be very palatable. In August, when
they lose their feathers, they are hunted on the lakes, where
they are to be found at that time, with dogs trained to catch
them alive. They are said to sing very harmoniously in the
cold dark winter nights; but though it was in the month of
September when I was upon the island, I never once enjoyed
the pleasure of a single song. An old Swan has a fishy
taste, but the young ones are reckoned among the best eatable
fowls.
256 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The Hider-bird is yet more useful to the natives, who
consider it as a kind of treasure; and it is seldom heard that
a prudent house-keeper shoots or kills any of them.
The Hider-birds generally build their nests on little islands
not far from the shore, and sometimes even near the dwellings
of the natives, who treat them with so much kindness and
circumspection as to make them quite tame. In the beginning
of June they lay five or six eggs, and it is not unusual to find
from ten to sixteen eggs in one nest together, with two females,
who agree remarkably well together. The whole time of laying
continues six or seven weeks, and they are fond of laying three
times in different places; in the two first both the eggs and
down are taken away, but in the last place this is seldom done.
Those to whom one of these places belong visit it at least once
a week.
When they come to the nest, they first carefully remove the
female, and then take away the superfluous down and eggs, after
which they replace the female on the remaining ones, when she
begins to lay afresh, and covers her eggs with new down which
she has plucked from herself: when she has no more down left,
the male comes to her assistance, and covers the eggs with his
down, which is white, and easily distinguished from the female’s ;
where it is left till the young ones are hatched, who in an hour
afterwards quit the nest together with the mother, when it is
once more plundered.
The best down and the most eggs are got during the first of
their laying; and it has in general been observed that they lay
the greatest number of eggs in rainy weather. As long as the
female sits, the male is on the watch near the shore; but as
soon as the young are hatched he leaves them. But the mother
remains with them a considerable time after; and it is curious
to see how she leads them out of the nest as soon as they creep
out of the eggs, and goes before them to the shore, whilst they
trip after her: when she comes to the water side she takes them
on her back, and swims with them for the space of a few yards,
when she dives, and the young ones, who are left floating on the
water, are obliged to take care of themselves. [This mode of
carrying the young to the water is adopted by the Razorbill,
Guillemot, and other cliff-haunting birds, and it is remarkable
that the Hider Duck should pursue a similar plan, instead of
NOTES ON THE FAUNA OF ICELAND. 207
imitating other ducks, which, as a rule, lead their young to the
edge of the water, and, entering it before them, encourage them
to follow in their wake. It may be observed, however, that
when a Wild Duck, Anas boschas, nests, as not unfrequently
happens, at a height from the ground (as, for example, in a
pollard or on the top of a stack), she carries down her young
when hatched either on her back between the uplifted wings, or
else in her bill—Ep.] One seldom sees these birds on land
afterwards, for they generally live on the damp rocks in the sea,
and feed on insects and sea-weeds.
One female, during the whole time of laying, generally gives
half a pound of down, which is; however, reduced to one half
after it is cleansed. The down is divided into thang-duun (sea-
weed down) and gras-dwun (grass-down). The last sort is thought
to be the best, and is cleansed in the following manner :—some
yarn is streaked in a square compartment round a hoop, on which
the down is laid. A pointed piece of wood is then moved back-
wards and forwards on the lower side of the yarn thus streaked,
which causes the coarser feathers to fall through, while the fine
down remains on the yarn.
Down plucked from dead Hider-birds is of little worth,
because it has then lost the greatest part of its elasticity;
for this reason it is of little value in Iceland. The other sort is
sold at forty-five fish a pound when cleansed, and at sixteen fish
when not cleansed. There are generally exported every year
on the Company’s account 1500 or 2000 pounds of down,
cleansed and not cleansed, exclusive of what is privately
exported by foreigners. In the year 1750 the Iceland Com-
pany sold as much in quantity of this article as amounted
to 3745 banco-dollars, besides what was sent directly to
Gluckstadt.
Among the land-birds that are eatable, Ptarmigans are not
to be forgotten, and are caught in great numbers. Falcons,
also, abound in the island, of which there are three sorts: they
are purchased by the royal falconers, who give fifteen dollars
a-piece for the white, ten for those that are darker, and seven
for the grey.
ZOOLOGIST.— JULY, 1887. x
258 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ON THE SHEDDING OF THE CLAWS IN THE PTARMIGAN
AND ALLIED BIRDS.
By Leonnarp STEIJNEGER.*
Tue fact of the Ptarmigans shedding their claws regularly
every Summer seems not to have been observed personally by
any of the many excellent American ornithologists, and has
therefore been comparatively little known to them. It may
consequently not be without interest to demonstrate this process,
as I have material at hand which shows the procedure very
plainly.
The late Prof. Sven Nilsson, the famous Swedish zoologist,
was the first to discover this peculiarity in the Ptarmigans. His
countryman, Prof. W. Meves, afterwards confirmed his observa-
.tions, and at the same time proved that this singular shedding
of the claws also occurs in other birds of the family T'etraonide,
as, for instance, in both sexes of Bonasa bonasia, Urogallus
urogallus, and also, in the female at least, of Tetrao tetria.
As will be seen in the specimens of the Lagopus ridgwayt
(a new species which I was fortunate enough to detect on the
Commander Islands, near Kamtschatka), shot in June and
August, before shedding, the middle claw measures 18—20 mm.,
while in a specimen shot on the 28rd of August, and which has
just thrown the old ones off, the length of the new claw is only
1! mm. More instructive still is a male, shot on the same day,
as it has the claws only partially shed. ‘The old claws have
become loosened from their base, and are forced 2—3 mm. out,
still covering the tip of the new ones, except on two toes, from
which they have already dropped off. Hence it is obvious that
the process is not a pathological one, in which the nail drops
off as soon as it is perfectly separated from its bed, and has
ceased to receive nourishment through the blood-vessels.
Most conclusive, however, is a specimen of a quite different
species, Lagopus albus, a specimen collected by Dr. Bean, on
Unga, one of the Shumagin Islands, Alaska. About this speci-
men Dr. Bean remarks, in his “Notes on Birds collected in
Alaska,” &c.,in the Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 188% (p. 163), as
* Reprinted from ‘The American Naturalist,’ vol. xviii. pp. 774—776
(1884).
THE SHEDDING OF THE CLAWS IN THE PTARMIGAN. 209
follows :—‘‘ This specimen (shot on July 21st) corresponds very
closely in most respects with number 33,548, a female from
Norway, collected July 2nd, 1862; the claws, however, are con-
siderably shorter than in the Norway example, and in all other
specimens of albus in the Museum.” Dr. Bean was kind enough
to show me the specimen, when it was apparent that the extreme
shortness of the claws was due to the fact that the bird had shed
them just before it was shot, except on the right outer toe, on
which the nail was so loose, however, that it dropped off, as I was
a little too rough in handling it.
It will thus be seen that the shedding takes place in July or
August, according to locality and other circumstances, at the
time when the toes are most denuded—in fact, almost wholly
naked—and the dark summer plumage is most complete. The
claws grow very rapidly, however, and reach their full length
long before the white winter plumage with the densely clothed
toes is fully developed.
So far as is known, this process is confined to the members
of the family of T’etraonide, mentioned above, when in the wild
state, but Collett, in Christiania, has mentioned a case where a
Quail, Coturnix communis, shed its claws in confinement, but this
may have been due to some pathological process.
I am not aware that this peculiarity has been observed in any
of the American Tetraonide, except Lagopus albus, but there
seems to be no reason why it should not occur, at least in species
living under conditions similar to those in Northern Europe and
North-Eastern Asia. It is to be expected that we will soon
hear of instances from this Nearctic Region also, when attention
has once been directed to it.
No histological investigation has been made to ascertain the
causes and the development of this unusual process (at least
I am not aware that any results of such an investigation have
ever been published), and consequently nothing is definitely
. known.
As to the use which the birds derive from this extraordinary
elongation of the claws, I shall only quote Prof. Meves. He
wrote in 1871 [Ofr. Sv. Vet. Acad. Forhandl. 1871, p. 772] as
follows :—“ They (Lagopus and Tetrao) have, all through the
winter, to struggle with the snow upon which they are forced to
walk. The snow is often loose, and with a foot like that of the
260 THE ZOOLOGIST.
common fowl they would need much greater exertion of their
strength in order to keep themselves on the surface. But as the
Ptarmigan, by having the underside of the toes thickly coated
with feathers, which can be spread out, and by means of the long
and straight claws,—which may be compared with snow-shoes,—
are enabled to run easily over the snow, the usefulness and the
necessity of the lengthening of the nails is self-evident. In the
genus T'etrao (= Urogallus + Lyurus + Bonasa) the lateral horny
fringes of the toes render the same excellent service, and may
fitly be regarded as a kind of snow-shoes. During the summer
this whole outfit becomes superfluous, which may be the main
cause of the periodical shedding.” It may in this connection be
mentioned that the horny fringes in Tetraones, and the thick
feathers of the toes in Lagopodes, also moult during the summer,
at which time the toes of the latter are almost wholly denuded
of feathers.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
Northern limit of the range of the Noctule in Great Britain.—
In ‘The Zoologist ’ for May (p. 170) attention was directed to the statement
in Bell’s ‘ British Quadrupeds’ (2nd ed. 1874, p. 23) that the northernmost
locality from which specimens of Vesperugo noctula have been received is
Northallerton in Yorkshire, and it was suggested that the species named
V. serotinus by Messrs. Mennell and Perkins in their ‘ Catalogue of the
Mammalia of Northumberland and Durham’ was more likely to be
V. noctula. The specimen in question has been fortunately preserved in
the Newcastle Museum, and both Mr. W. D. Roebuck and Mr. 'T. South-
well, who have examined it, agree in considering it to be undoubtedly
V. noctula. The range of this species northward is therefore considerably
extended beyond the limit assigned to it by Bell, and its occurrence in
Durham, where the specimen in question was procured, has since been
confirmed by the capture of another example in the same county, as
reported by Mr. T. H. Nelson. Writing on this subject so recently as the
12th May last, Mr. Roebuck says :—*“ Referring to your remarks at p. 170
of ‘The Zoologist’ for May, I may mention that when in Newcastle in
November, 1884, I was careful to examine the specimen which Mennell
and Perkins recorded as JV. serotinus in their ‘ Catalogue of the Mammalia
of Northumberland and Durham,’ and I came to the conclusion that it was
NOTES AND QUERIES. 261
a Noctule, although the specimen had lost its colour and was much
bleached. This view was apparently shared by Mr. Howse, the Curator of
the Museum, and I believe also by Mr. Southwell, who drew my attention
to the existence of the specimen, on hearing that I was about to visit
Newcastle. I recorded my observations in ‘The Naturalist’ for April,
1885 (p. 202). It was taken in 1836 at Mr. Swinburne’s house, between
Harton and Cleadon, in Durham county, not far from Newcastle-on-Tyne.
This occurrence is of interest as being the most northerly record for the
Noctule, a species which is generally distributed and not uncommon in
Yorkshire.” Mr. Roebuck’s remarks in ‘ The Naturalist’ for 1885 (p. 202),
to which allusion has been made, are as follow:—‘‘In the Newcastle
Museum there is a specimen of a Bat which was taken in the year 18386,
at Mr. Swinburne’s house, between Harton and Cleadon, in the county of
Durham, and not far from Newcastle. It was recorded among the donations
to the Museum as the Serotine, ‘A species of Bat (Vespertilio serotinus),
taken near Cleadon; Mr. A. Swinburne, 1836’ (Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc.,
4to, vol. ii.) It also figures as the Serotine in Messrs. Mennell and
Perkins’s ‘ Catalogue of the Mammalia of Northumberland and Durham.
The identification is, however, incorrect. Mr. Thomas Southwell, of
Norwich, visited the Museum last year, and, after such inspection as can
be given to a specimen in a closed glass case, considered it to be in all
probability a Noctule (Vesperugo noctula). He wrote me to this effect in
September. When, therefore, I visited Newcastle some weeks after, I was
sufficiently interested to make inquiries on the subject, and found that
Mr. Richard Howse, the Curator, had investigated the subject, and shared
Mr. Southwell’s view. He also showed me the specimen, and, after
examination, I fully coincided in their opinion. The specimen is old and
much bleached from exposure to light, but it seems to present all the
external structural characters of the Noctule. The settlement of the
correct name of the specimen is of interest from a geographical point of
view from its being a northward extension of the range of the Noctule,
which has not before been satisfactorily recorded for any locality north of
the River Tees. Why it should not occur—and commonly, too—in the
county of Durham is an enigma, for it is not only widely diffused through-
out Yorkshire, but is a common species in that county.” In a subsequent
communication to the same periodical (‘ Naturalist,’ 1886, p. 113), Mr.
Roebuck remarked :— ‘The following item from the ‘Durham County
Advertiser,’ February 26th, 1886, evidently refers to Vesperugo noctula,
and is therefore of interest in view of the fact that Durham county forms
the northernmost limit of its range. In the Duke of Cleveland's timber-
yard in Winston Lane, near Barnard Castle, squeaks were heard while a
workman was cross-cutting the trunk of a large oak near the roots. On
the crevice being opened twenty-five ‘rat bats’ were found in a cluster,
,
262 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The species is the largest known in this country. These measured, from
tip to tip of the wings, from eight to ten inches, and the only sign of life
was the exhibition of formidable teeth. Put into a cage and warmed they
became animated, and were set at liberty.” Supplementary to this notice,
Mr. T. H. Nelson added the statement (tom. cit. p. 178) that Mr. C. E.
Morgan, of the Flats, near Bishop Auckland, shot a Noctule while flying
over the pond at the Flats during the summer of 1885. It remains to be
ascertained whether any confirmation can be obtained of the reported
occurrence of this species in Scotland.—J. EH. Harrine.
’
Food of the Greater Horse-shoe Bat.—I send you some wings of
Lepidoptera for identification from “ the larder” of the Greater Horse-shoe
Bat. The insects must have been captured on the wing or snatched off
the leaves of trees (as is the habit of the Long-eared Bat), and after being
carried to the captor’s retreat (a cave near Tavistock) the wings, on
being bitten off, fell to the ground, where they were picked up.—A. H.
Macraerson (3, Kensington Gardens Square, W.).
[We have counted thirty-six wings belonging to four species of moth,
namely, the Common Yellow Underwing, Triphena pronuba, the Broad-
bordered Yellow Underwing, Triphena jimbria, the Pearly Underwing,
Agrotis saucia, and the Herald Moth, Scoliapteryx libatriv. It seems a
little curious that such large insects should be taken by so small a mouth,
but the wings being clipped off, the bodies no doubt would be easily
disposed of.— Ep. ]
Small Rorqual at Plymouth.—-On May 16th a young female Lesser
Rorqual, Balenoptera rostrata (Fabricius), was exhibited by some fishermen
about the streets of Plymouth in a cart. It had been taken entangled in a
mackerel drift-net by the Lowestoft fishing-smack ‘ Blue Bell’ the previous
week. The following are some of its dimensions:—Total length, from
centre of tail to point of upper jaw around curve, 12 ft. 7 in.; the mouth
was propped open, but the men said the lower jaw projected four or five
inches beyond the upper when closed, making it then fully 18 feet long;
length of gape, 3 ft. 1 in.; width across mouth at gape, 1 ft. 9 in.; length
of eyelids, 3 in., the eye being placed just above the angle of the gape ;
from point of snout to insertion of flipper, 3 ft. 4 in.; length of flipper,
1 ft. 10 in.; width of ditto, 6in.; from point of snout to insertion of dorsal
fin, 6 ft. 4in.; width of dorsal fin, 8 in.; length of ditto, 8 in.; width of
caudal fin, 3 ft. 1 in.; blowholes, two longitudinal slits 4 inches long and
close together, situated at 1 ft. 8 in. from point of snout. The whalebone
was only a few inches long, of a pale flesh-colour, fringed with whitish hair.
The flippers were traversed by the white band which is distinctive of this
species. The weight was estimated at 17 cwt. I have secured the skull
and cervical vertebrae for the Museum of the Plymouth Institution. ‘The
NOTES AND QUERIES. 263
butcher who cut it up said that the gullet was not larger than that of a
calf, and far too small to swallow a mackerel.—F. H. Batxwitt (3, Prince’s
Square, Plymouth).
BIRDS.
A Puffin in London—On May 20th I received the skin of a Puffin,
Fratercula arctica, which, strange to say, flew into one of the bedrooms of
the house No. 45, Brook Street, Grosvenor Square, on the 16th of that
month. It was alive when found, and the owner of the house, Sir John
Walrond, Bart., had it killed, and presented it to a lady, who kindly
forwarded it to me. It is curious that I rented this very house in the
winters of 1884-5 and 1885-6, and no more distinguished visitor than a
stray House Sparrow ever favoured me with a visit there.—LrLrorp.
(From the nature of its haunts, and its strictly oceanic habits, the
Puffin is one of the last birds one would expect to meet with in the
Metropolitan county. Graves, in vol. ii. of his ‘ British Ornithology,’
mentions the capture of a Puffin on the Thames, near Chelsea, in 1812,
remarking :—‘ We are at a loss to conceive by what unaccountable accident
this bird should have: wandered so far from the coast, as the nearest place
to which the species is known to resort is the cliffs at Dover.”— Ep. ]
Puffin on the Thames in July.—I have in my collection a specimen of
the Puffin, Fratercula arctica, which was shot on the Thames between
Erith and Gravesend on June 12th, 1885. The beak of the bird is very
abnormally shaped.—Ritey Forruns (Harrogate).
[See an article on the moult of the bill in the Puffin, published in ‘ The
Zoologist’ for July, 1878.—Ep.]
The Missel Thrush occasionally a Bird of Prey.—During the dry
weather which prevailed this spring, with easterly winds, I one day saw a
Missel Thrush fly up to the nest of a common Song Thrush, take out a
young one and carry it off to her own nest and feed her young ones with it.
How she broke it up I could not see, but she appeared to be pecking it to
pieces; and she continued her visits to the Song Thrush’s nest until she
had carried off every one of the four young birds which it contained. The
old Song Thrushes made a great outcry while this was going on, which
attracted my attention to the spot. I may add that the young Missel
Thrushes were nearly fledged, and the young Song Thrushes only just
hatched.—E. A. Sanrorp (Nynehead Court, Wellington, Somerset).
Kestrel and Slow-worm.—My keeper’s attention was recently directed
to a small patch of gorse by a Blackbird’s cry of alarm announcing
the vicinity of some foe. He cautiously approached the spot, and
found himself within a couple of yards of a male Kestrel in the act of
dealing deadly blows upon the head and neck of a slow-worm, whose
detached tail was wriggling about on the grass a few inches off, in contrast
264 THE ZOOLOGIST.
to the body, which lay distended and motionless. The Kestrel was unaware
of the keeper’s presence until after an interval of some minutes, which gave
him the opportunity of leisurely witnessing the scene. So precipitate was
this bird's flight when it eyed the keeper that it did not give itself time to
snatch up either the body or the tail-end of the Slow-worm, but went away
empty-clawed. Such precaution was needless, as all winged “ vermin”
(Sparrowhawks excepted) enjoy full immunity here. They are all allowed
to live and multiply. I sent for the remains on the day following, and on
examination I found the upper parts of the head and neck had four deep
wounds, each of which was sufficient to cause death. The broken extremity
showed no marks of violeuce. It is possible the occurrence may have
taken place through the natural contraction of the muscles and body, as
occasionally happens, and from which habit it obtains the specific name
of fragilis. The tail end, which the keeper was unable to find, had been
taken away possibly by the Kestrel, which had a nest in the neighbouring
covert. The length of the Slow-worm was thirteen inches.—J. C. MANsEL-
PLEyDELL (Whatcombe, Blandford).
Nesting of the Marsh Warbler in Gloucestershire. — After the
repeated occurrence of the Marsh Warbler (Acrocephalus palustris) at
Taunton and at Bath, it is not surprising that it should turn up a little
further north; and I have the pleasure of recording its nesting near
Cirencester, in this county. The bird itself has not been noticed, but a
nest was found about the middle of June, 1886. The finder was a son of
Mr. Henry Plummer, farmer, of Liddington, uear Cirencester, who cut out
the nest, which contained five eggs. Working alone and without books on
the subject, he had no idea of the prize he had found, until my attention
was drawn to it recently. Two of the five eggs were sent me for com-
parison, and are of the common type of Marsh Warblers ; indeed, but for
the difference before blowing, I could hardly have picked them out again if
once mixed with my stock of continental specimens. I have since
visited the spot where they were taken, seen the other three eggs, and
obtained the nest, which Mr. Plummer kindly gave me. It is about four
inches in diameter externally, and barely three inches deep; the cup two
inches in diameter, by one inch and three-eighths deep. It is composed
almost entirely of fine roots and grass, with a few hairs in the lining, and
one or two bits of wool and dead leaves outside. It was situated about
three feet from the ground, and partly suspended from the lower shoots of
a small elder bush and the undergrowth around it. This elder bush is one
of several stunted bushes scattered through a long narrow withey bed on
the bank of the Thames and Severn Canal. When I visited the spot a
week ago, my companion found in close proximity a Reed Warbler’s nest
just completed, and a Reed Bunting’s, containing four fresh eggs. ‘The
immediate neighbourhood I should consider highly suited to the species,
NOTES AND QUERIES. 265
on one side being the almost disused Thames and Severn Canal, and, a few
hundred yards off, the Thames, here a mere brook, having its source at
Seven Springs, near Cheltenham, some fifteen miles to the north. The
space between canal and brook is almost entirely occupied by meadows,
with irrigation-ditches running over their surface. It may save trouble
and disappointment if I state here that the above eggs are not for disposal.
Mr. Plummer naturally desires to keep the three he has; the other two
were given by him to Mr. Alfred Archibald, of Cirencester, through whose
kind offices I was made aware of this interesting addition to our county
avifauna.—H. W. Marspen (37, Midland Road, Gloucester).
Unusual Nesting-site for the Tree Sparrow. — On May 24th, whilst
examining some exposed mole-burrows (many of which had been deepened
or adopted by Sand Martins), in a brick-earth cutting at Kemsley, near
Sheppy, I observed proofs that one of the larger holes had been taken pos-
session of by some birds; in fact, at my approach a Tree Sparrow flew out
almost in my face: on digging away the surface of the earth I exposed a
nest lined with white feathers, and containing six perfectly typical eggs.
It is well known that Tree Sparrows in this country usually select pollard
willows as nesting sites, the nest being frequently placed in a hole between
the young branches of the partly-decayed trunk; I have also found the nest
in a hole in a large dead branch which had been cut off near to the trunk.
—A. G. Burter (Natural History Museum).
Hawfinch nesting in Surrey. — On May 30th a nest of the Hawfinch
(Coccothraustes vulgaris) containing eggs was found in the Leith Hill district
of Surrey; the exact locality perhaps it is unnecessary to mention. The
nest was built in the fork of an apple tree, about ten feet from the ground.
Another nest of this bird was found here last year, but I am afraid it was
robbed.— Davin J. Rice (Coldharbour, near Dorking).
The “Grouse Disease.” — Having lately had the opportunity of
examining several dead grouse which were said to have died of the “ grouse
disease,” I have been led to certain reflections which may possibly be of
interest to your readers. I may divide the grouse fully examined into
three groups :—(a). Two specimens examined on the 30th of last Septem-
ber, which were found dead on a moor in Yorkshire. These specimens
were fairly nourished, exhibited no sign of disease, and had apparently no
other parasite than the common tapeworm; the organs of these worms gave
no indication of the cause of death. (B). One of several specimens sent
from Ayrshire was particularly examined; in fair plumage, without marked
signs of starvation, and with a well-filled crop, this bird showed an inflam-
mation of the walls of the intestine of so marked a character, that—as
I wrote to the Editor of ‘Land and Water,’ from whom I received the
specimen—the cause of its death should be the study of a professed
266 THE ZOOLOGIST.
pathologist ; tapeworms were again found in the intestine. (c). A grouse
received on May 24th from Sir W. Wallace, on whose moors the deaths have
been terribly numerous, was in an extreme state of emaciation ; its crop con-
tained but three tops of heather, its liver was congested, and the contents of
the intestine particularly fluid; tapeworms were present in rather stronger
force than usual, and in the ceca I found the threadworm which was regarded
by Dr. Spencer Cobbold as the cause of “ grouse disease.” Of a, then, it
can only be said that they were dead; of B, that it was suffering from
inflammation of the intestines; and of c, that it was starved, and contained
Cobbold’s worm. If, then, all three grouse died of ‘ grouse disease,” grouse
disease must kill in at least three different ways, or under the term “ grouse
disease” more than one affection is included. The latter would appear to be
the more reasonable supposition, and in that case it may be pointed out that
the first thing to be done is to define much more strictly than has been done
in the past what is meant by “grouse disease”; of all these birds, strict
accuracy forbids our saying more than “ they were dead.” I have, however,
been told more than once that there is a certain external diagnostic sign of
the disease, and that is the loss of feathers from the feet; on that I should
like to make two remarks. One follows the natural history of the group,
and may be most briefly expressed in the words of Dr. Stejneger (‘ American
Naturalist,’ 1884, p. 776), ‘‘the thick feathers of the toes in Lagopodes
also moult during the summer, at which time the toes of the latter are
almost wholly denuded of feathers.” [The article here quoted is of such
interest to ornithologists that we have thought well to reprint it in the
present number.—Ep.] The other remark is, that a Ptarmigan, in which
the denudation of feathers on the feet has gone on to a considerable extent,
was examined by me this morning, and was found to be perfectly healthy,
well-nourished, and free from helminth parasites. I conclude, therefore,
that the loss of feathers from the feet is not, at this season of the year, to
be taken as a diagnostic sign of any diseased condition of the bird. I cannot
avoid the conclusion that the birds examined by me did not in any case
primarily owe their death to helminth parasites; examination on the spot
will best decide whether microbes play a part in the etiology of the
disease or diseases which are now causing such havoc in 8.W. Scotland.—
F, JEFFREY BELL.
Hybrid Greenfinches.—Three more hybrid Greenfinches, in addition
to those already recorded (Zool. 1883, p. 379), are worth mentioning, as
proving the frequency with which this hybridism takes place in a wild
state. The first of these was caught at Yarmouth in 1882, and may be
seen stuffed and cased in the house of one of the birdcatchers there. It was
noticed by Mr. G. Smith soon after being taken, and he agrees with me in
considering that it is a hybrid between a Linnet and a Greenfinch, closely
resembling Mr. Stevenson’s hybrid (Zool. J. ¢.) of similar origin. The
NOTES AND QUERIES. 267
second was sent alive to my father on the 15th November last from
Cambridge, by Mr. F. Daggett, who states that he is quite familiar with
this kind of hybrid from having obtained similar examples. This bird
seems to be a male, like the Yarmouth one; it has the Linnet’s head, but
with rather a stouter beak than a Linnet; the colour of the head and neck
is like a Linnet’s, but the wings and tail are more like those of a
Greenfinch. It is slightly darker than Mr. Stevenson’s bird, and of rather
a stouter build. The third specimen, which is also apparently a male, was
caught with some Siskins at Taverham, near Norwich, on the 15th
December last. It is a much yellower and more slender bird than the
Cambridgeshire example, and in fact shows no colouring which can with
certainty be assigned to the Linnet. In the opinion of its owner it is a
hybrid between a Greenfinch and a Siskin. An instance of such a hybrid
in captivity has been reported by the Rev. H. A. Macpherson (Zool. 1883,
p- 339). I hesitate to express an opinion about it, but incline to think it is
what the owner supposes. It must be borne in mind that the colour of the
plumage in hybrids is not always a certain indication of parentage; this has
been proved more than once in the case of hybrids bred in confinement,
whose parents were known; but as the bird in question was caught with
some Siskins there seems nothing improbable in the assumption that a
Siskin was one of its parents. That the other parent was a Greenfinch is
evident. I may add, for the benefit of those interested in Hybrid Finches,
that a paper on the subject by Mr. Macpherson will appear in the forthcoming
number of the ‘Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’
Society,’ in which every cross known to have bred in confinement will be
noticed, with other particulars. —J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Keswick Hall,
Norwich).
Plover’s Nests with five Eggs.—Plovers’ nests containing five eggs
are of sufficiently rare occurrence to be noticed, and amongst the large
number of nests I have come across I have only found two with more than
four eggs. One last year had five, all of which were of the same ground-
colour, and the markings were so much alike that I am perfectly satisfied
they were all laid by the same bird; the fifth egg was smaller than the
others. Last week I found a second nest containing five eggs, four of
which were long-shaped ones, rich dark cream-colour, with large dark
blotches; the fifth was pear-shaped, very thick at the larger end, and with
a paler ground colour and small spots. This egg was no doubt (as often
happens) laid by a different bird.—J. Warraxer (Rainworth Lodge, near
Rainworth).
Jackdaw taking possession of Magpie’s Nest,—On May 9th, whilst
walking through a wood, I saw a Jackdaw leave what appeared to bea
newly-built Magpie’s nest, at the top of a tall larch-fir. Having ascended
268 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the tree I found four eggs of the Jackdaw in the nest, which had evidently
been built by Magpies this spring. The Jackdaws had much enlarged the
hole in the roof, and had lined the nest according to their own ideas.
About half a mile away another pair of Magpies have been ejected by a pair
of Kestrels: this happened before the nest was completed.—K. W. H.
Buaae (Cheadle, Staffordshire).
Thrush’s Nest without the usual Lining —When birdnesting last
week I found three 'Thrush’s nests lined with grass instead of rotten wood ;
they all contained eggs, and were well made and much thicker than usual.
I have seen many hundreds of Thrush’s nests, but never one like these.
If they had been on a moor, or in a town garden where rotten wood was
scarce, I should not have been so much surprised, but they were in a wood
of eight hundred acres, where abundance of the usual lining-material might
be found.—J. Wurraker (Rainworth, near Mansfield).
Habits of Rooks.—In 1885 my brother, Mr. J. S. B. Borough, reared
a young Rook, which had fallen or been blown from a nest in the rookery
in the park here. The freedom of this bird had never been in any way
interfered with, but he is very tame with the few persons with whom he is
on intimate terms, and rarely has missed coming daily to be fed in the
outhouse in which he was reared. Last year we had every reason to
believe that he nested and had a nest in the rookery in the park where he
was hatched. This year, however, he and his mate belong to the thirty-six
pairs or so which form the rookery round the house, and they built a nest
in the smaller of two contiguous elms. I ought to say here that my brother
and I know this tame bird when on the wing by a slight space about
midway in his left wing, and on the perch by a small division in his tail-
feathers, which prevents the tail from presenting the usual evenly rounded
appearance. On April 11th my brother noticed that his bird carried food to
and fed a bird sitting on a nest in the larger elm. He had also previously
observed him carrying sticks to a nest other than his own. Since that day—
which was I presume one of the first on which his second hen began to sit—
the tame bird has fed both the sitting birds, as a rule, but not invariably,
alternately. Yesterday (April 17th) I watched the two nests from 10 a.m.
to 1.10 p.m., noting down all that occurred. During that time I observed
that the tame bird fed his mates twelve times. His earlier mate, in the
smaller elm, he fed seven times and the other five times. On four occasions
certainly, and possibly on more, he took food—z.e., raw meat or bread and
milk—from the outhouse in which he is usually fed, but on one occasion I
watched him fly into the meadows and return with a pouch full of food in a
quarter of an hour’s time. No other bird fed the two sitting hens or either
of them during the whole of this time. On each occasion of his feeding
them | identified our bird as he arrived or departed. The above facts show,
NOTES AND QUERIES. 269
I think, that this tame Rook is polygamous or rather bigamous I suppose
that the “high living” which he has always enjoyed, and the ease with
which he can procure food enough to satisfy two mates and himself, has
caused him to undertake a task which would probably prove too much for
the strength and food-providing powers of birds subject to natural conditions,
and which is therefore seldom or never undertaken by them.—C. R. GawEn
(Chetwynd lark, Newport, Shropshire).
Young Dippers taking to the Water.—On April 11th I found a
nest of the Dipper, Cinclus aquaticus, under a bridge near Chard. Some
time afterwards, on my brother visiting the spot, one of the young ones
deliberately dived from the nest, which was in the crown of the arch, and
swam to the other end, a distance of several yards, and then landed and sat
on the bank as if nothing had happened. As there seems to be some
doubt whether Dippers readily take to the water or not this observation
may perhaps be of interest to your readers.—A. H. Bucxxanp (4, Hast
Street, Taunton).
Swallow in Somersetshire in December.—In 1885 I saw a Swallow
on the down at Clifton, close to the river, in December. It was before the
7th—and I think on the 3rd—of that month. It was a clear day, and
though there had been a sharp white frost the night before, there were a
good many gnats about.—H. R. Ciurrersuck (Monks, Corsham, Wilts).
Cream-coloured Courser in Cardiganshire. — A specimen of the
Cream-coloured Courser, Cursorius isabellinus, was shot by me on the 2nd
October last, at Ymyslas, near Borth, Cardiganshire, on the estuary of the
Dovey. As the skin has been seen and identified by Mr. Nelson, of Bishop
Auckland, and Mr. Nicholson, of Manchester, there can be no doubt about
the species—A. Hooron (Kersal Towers, Higher Broughton, Manchester).
Food of the Spotted Flycatcher.—In Latham’s ‘ General History of
Birds’ (vol. ii. p. 828) I find the following remarks on the Spotted Fly-
catcher :—‘‘ This species frequents orchards where cherries grow, of which
they are said to be very great destroyers. Hence in Kent are known by
the name of cherry-suckers.” Can any of your readers confirm this state-
ment? I have always considered the Flycatcher to be, as its name implies,
an insectivorous bird.—Witt1am EK. Beckwirn (Eaton Constantine, Iron-
bridge, Salop).
Norfolk Plover nesting in Nottinghamshire.—Within a few fields
of this house, I am delighted to say, a pair of Norfolk Plovers, Gidienemus
crepitans, are nesting this year, and the owner of the farm they are on is
taking every care that they may not be disturbed. I am glad to say a pair
reared their young there last year.—J. WuiraKeEr (Rainworth Lodge, near
Mansfield).
270 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Autumnal Migration of Birds at Teesmouth.—By the middle of
October (1886) the autumn migration was in full swing; Larks, Goldcrests,
Blackbirds, and most of the regular winter migrants were constantly arriving.
The first Fieldfares were seen on the 9th, Woodcock on the 11th, and Short-
eared Owl on the 16th; while Hooded Crows were very late with us; I did
not observe any until the 20th—generally they arrive during the first week
of October. On the 14th, while out in a boat, I noticed great numbers of
sea-birds—Gulls, Gannets, Skuas, Guillemots, and Razorbills. The Gulls
were principally Kittiwakes, Larus tridactylus. Guillemots and Razorbills
passed continuously to the south-east in small flocks of from three or four
to fifteen or twenty, and all around us for miles we could see birds flying.
Amongst others we shot an adult Gannet, three Richardson’s Skuas,
L. parasiticus (one adult and two immature), and a male Great Skua,
L. cataractes. The last named is a rare bird in this district; Mr. Mussell,
the birdstuffer at Redcar, tells me he has never before had one through his
hands. It is many years since there was such a remarkable abundance of
bird-life off Redcar; I never before remember having seen such a number
and variety of species at one time. Several of the fishermen said they had
not seen so many Skuas since the great flight on Ociober 14th, 1879—just
seven years previously. I saw one Pomatorhine Skua, and the next day
several of these birds were flying over the rocks before a south-east gale. It
is quite probable that the commotion amongst the birds at sea might be
attributed to the impending storm: the Guillemots, particularly, seemed to
be in great haste, hurrying away as though for dear life. I have frequently
noticed that sea-birds seem to possess a remarkable instinctive knowledge
of approaching change of weather, and there is a great deal of truth in the
saying that ‘To be a successful wildfowler a man should be also a weather
prophet.” On October 1dth, a strong south-east gale blowing, many Gulls
and Skuas passed over the rocks to the north-west, as also a few Ducks; and,
on the same day, I saw a large flock of Green Plover crossing from seaward
and flying high to the south-west. On the 16th a Red-throated Diver,
Colymbus septentrionalis, with part of the red-throat patch.remaining, was
shot off Kast Scar. On the 18th the wind was strong from the north-east,
with heavy rain, and several Velvet Scoters, d’demia fusca, were swimming
outside the breakers; two rose and flew past over the sands, when I secured
one of them. In the afternoon I shot another Velvet Scoter from Redcar
Pier; it came ashore with the flowing tide, and proved to be a young male.
On the 19th it was still stormy; Ducks, Larks, Woodcocks, Owls, Gold-
crests and other small birds, crossed in cousiderable numbers. In the
afternoona young male Scaup was shot near the pier. On the 20th great
numbers of Hooded Crows and Larks crossed. On the 21st, at West Scar,
I secured a young male Long-tailed Duck, Harelda glacialis. On the same
day two female Long-tails were shot at Hast Scar. Hooded Crows and
NOTES AND QUERIES. 271
Ducks passed during the morning. On the 22nd there was a great rush of
Larks all day, and a few Hooded Crows. On the 23rd I saw a Great
Northern Diver, Colymbus glacialis, outside Salt Scar, but could not get
within a hundred yards of it. In the early part of November, Mr. A. E.
Pease, M.P., killed a female Goosander, Mergus merganser, in a small
runner near Guisbro’, and about the middle of the month Mr. R. F. Chilton
shot a large female Great Northern Diver at the Tees-mouth. Mr. Chilton
informed me that it weighed close upon twelve pounds, which I can quite
believe, judging from the size of the bird. There has evidently been a flight
of Shore Larks, Alauda alpestris, on the coast. Twelve or fifteen were
killed during the first week in December; on the 10th two more were shot
on Coatham sands, and on the 11th Mr. Emerson shot three at the same
place. I examined ten ora dozen examples, and found all of them to be
young birds.—-T. H. Nexson (North Bondgate, Bishop Auckland).
Food of the Smew.—It is generally admitted that all the Mergansers
subsist chiefly on fish, and such has hitherto been the writer’s experience.
Smews, in particular, almost always contain remains of small fishes, less
frequently aquatic insects; and though the diving ducks often yield on
dissection no further results than a few small pebbles, the Smews are rarely
obtained when fasting. On a recent occasion a Smew proved to have
eighteen minnows in its gullet, while the stomach contained the remains of
others. It may therefore be worth while to record that a Smew of the
year, purchased in Leadenhall on March 25th, contained no remains of
animal food, but the stomach held a small quantity of digested vegetable
matter. An adult opened a month earlier contained a small eel, which was
quite intact—H. A. MacpuErson.
The Ancestry of Birds.—If birds are developed from amphibians or
pre-amphibians, and if Prof. Huxley is right, as I believe he is, in supposing
that the connection of mammals with amphibians is neither through reptiles
nor birds, we come to this: that amphibians or pre-amphibians have
furnished the common stem whence reptiles, birds, and mammals have
diverged. In that case there is an end of that group, ‘ Sauropsida,” which
the birds are alleged by Prof. Parker to “culminate.” But, further,
amphibians are certainly more closely allied to reptiles than to either birds
or mammals. Cuvier's system may therefore be justly reverted to, and the
Amphibia or Batrachia be considered as the lowest division of the Reptilia,
which I do not for one moment doubt is the true classification.—Prof.
Cleland in ‘ Nature.’
REPTILES.
Colour and Size of Adders.—Is there any truth in the assertion,
which I have often heard, that the colour of Adders depends upon the kind
of soil on which they live? I am disinclined to accept this theory, as
272 THE ZOOLOGIST.
I have seen Adders of very different colour living on the same kind of soil,
and have seen them killed within a few yards of one another. I am
speaking of the country about Dorking and Leith Hill, and there I used to
see them of various colours—dull yellowish brown, with the dorsal spots
dark brown; lighter yellow, with red spots; reddish grey, with red spots ;
very light greenish grey, with black spots; and some almost black all
over. I never saw the handsome dark red variety. As far as I can
recollect, they have all red-coloured eyes. I should much like to know
the size that Adders have attained to. The largest I killed, and which
I measured before it was quite dead, was 26 inches, and I saw two others
killed about the same time and place, which were both 24 inches. These
sizes are undoubtedly above the average, but I fancy that considerably
larger ones have been obtained. The 26-inch one was dull yellow, with
dark brown spots, and on being captured gave out a strong smell, which
fact I have never seen alluded to in any book. One of the other two was
a little darker in colour than the one just described, and the other was very
light grey, with jet-black markings, just out of his old skin, and one of the
handsomest I ever saw. When the yellowish red ones are “ clean moulted”
they look very like a gold bracelet, when coiled up, basking in the sun.
I kept some alive for several months, and tried to entice them to eat with
all sorts of dainties, such as small frogs, mice, young birds, slugs, lizards,
and bread-and-milk; these—with the exception, of course, of the last-
mentioned dish—I used to give them alive, but they refused everything
except two unhappy lizards. These they certainly ate, although I did not
witness the operation. I kept them in a large box, with perforated zinc in
the sides and a sliding glass top; sand, stones, and moss inside. I used to
let them out to have a run occasionally, and always picked them up by
their tails to put them back into their box. When carried by the tail they
are harmless, as they are unable to curl up to reach the hand, although
they make strenuous efforts to do so. But I should be very sorry to
attempt to pick up by the tail a wild Adder without first pinning him
to the ground with a stick on his neck. Referring back to the Lizards
which I gave them, I observed that they evinced signs. of great terror on
being introduced to the Adders, rushing about frantically in all directions,
as if they very well knew what an Adder was; and I have uo doubt that
they are constantly preyed upon by Adders in a wild state. IT hope that
this will be borne out by others who have studied these interesting, and to
my mind handsome, creatures, as I have not yet seen anything but mice
reported as their food. In catching Adders on the move witb a forked
stick, one must aim well forward, or a clean miss will be the inevitable
result. They can be carried home dangling to a string tied round their
necks.—G. E. Lopez (5, Verulam Buildings, Gray’s Inn).
SCIENTIFIC SOCIEIES. 273
FISHES.
Lumpsucker on the Welsh Coast.—The occurrence on this coast of
the Lumpsucker, Cyclopterus lumpus, may be worth recording. Two
examples were washed ashore, about the middle of May, in the Traeth
back, a tidal estuary near Port Madoc. The smaller of the two, which
appeared quite fresh, measured about thirteen inches in length. The other
was considerably larger, but much damaged by sea-birds. A specimen of
the Sea Wolf, Anarchicas lupus, about three feet long, said to have been
taken off Barmouth, was obtained from a fishmonger at Port Madoc in
May. I have not met with either of these fishes before on this coast,
and believe they are not common here.—-G. H. Caron Haren (Aber-ia,
Penrhyndendraeth, Merionethshire).
INSECTS.
Bees occupying Birds’ Nests. — The occurrence mentioned by Mr.
A. H. Buckland (p. 238) I do not think is very uncommon. I have
frequently found birds’ nests thus tenanted. Occasionally the nests have
been new ones, but in these cases I have no doubt that they had been
robbed and deserted by the birds previous to the bees taking possession.
The nests I have usually found thus inhabited have been those of the
Meadow Pipit, Hedgesparrow, and Robin, and, on one occasionally only,
a Wren’s.— Ritey Forrunx (Alston House, Harrogate).
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
Linnean Society or Lonpon.
April 7, 1887.—Wmn. CarrurtHers, F.R.S., President, in the chair.
The following gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society :—Mr.
Hunter J. Barron, Mr. James H. Dugdale, and Mr. Edward B. Poulton.
A series of photographs, taken instantaneously from life, of the White
Stork, Ciconia alba, were exhibited by Mr. Edward Bidwell. These had
been executed in Germany, and most accurately represented the birds
during the breeding season. Not only were the nests, young thereon, and
old birds well shown, but the remarkable attitudes assumed preparatory to
alighting and commencing flight, as well as the peculiar twist of the neck
in calling, &c., were most instructive.
Dr. Francis Day showed and described some malformed Trout in an
early stage of development.
An important botanical paper on the Gentians was read by Prof. Huxley.
ZOOLOGIST.—JULY, 1887, Y
274 THE ZOOLOGIST.
April 21, 1887.—Wa. CarrutHers, F.R.S., President, in the chair.
Mr. W. Isaac Spencer was elected a Fellow of the Society.
Mr. Patrick Geddes read a paper “On the Nature and Causes of
Variation in Plants and Animals.” The fact of organic evolution is no
longer denied, but its physiological factors have not yet been adequately
analysed. Even those who regard natural selection as at once the most
important and the only ascertained factor of the process admit that such an
explanation being from the external standpoint—the adaptation of the
organism to survive the shocks of the environment—stands in need of a
complementary explanation which shall lay bare the internal mechanism
of the process,—i. e. not merely account for the survival, but explain the
origin of variations. The relative importance of the external and internal
explanation will moreover vary greatly in proportion as variations are
found to be ‘‘spontaneous,”—i.e. in some given direction continuously.
Avoiding any mere postulation of an inherent progressive tendency common
to both pre- and post-Darwinian writers, the definite analysis of the problem
starts with that conception of protoplasm which is the ultimate result of
morphological and physiological analysis,—viz. to interpret all phenomena
of form and function of cells, tissues, organs and individuals alike in terms
of its constructive and destructive (‘anabolic and katabolic”) changes.
While the external or environmental explanation of evolution starts with
the empirical study of the effect of human selection upon the variations of
animals and plants under domestication, the internal or organismal one as
naturally commences with the fundamental rhythm of variation in the
lowest organism in nature. It also investigates the nature of the simple
reproductive variation upon which the origin of species as well as individuals
must depend, before attempting that of individual variation. The inter-
pretation of all the phenomena of male and female sex as the outcome of
katabolic and anabolic preponderance is shown largely to supersede the
current one of sexual selection, and in some cases at least that of
natural selection; e.g. the specially important one of the origin of such
polymorphic communities as those of ants and bees. In such cases
natural selection acts not as the cause of organic evolution, but as the
check or limitation of it, and acquires importance rather as determining the
extinction than the origin of species. The process of correlation, especially
that between individuation and reproduction is mooted by the author, and
its application to the origin and modification of flowers, &c., outlined.
A discussion is given of the embryological and pathological factors of internal
evolution, with an outlined application of the whole argument to the
construction of genealogical tree of plants and animals.
A report was read “‘ On the Gephyreans of the Mergui Archipelago,” by
Prof. Emil Selenka, of Erlangen ; this communication, dealing chiefly with
a technical description of the species, a few being new.
en es
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. Q75
May 5, 1887.—Wm. Carrutuers, F.R.S., President, in the chair.
Mr. Ernest W. Forrest and Mr. George Perrin were elected Fellows;
Mr. W. Hadden Beeby, Mr. Adolphus H. Kent, and Mr. J. Medley Wood
(Natal) were elected Associates; Prof. Dr. Geo. Aug. Schwenfurth of Cairo,
Prof. Count Hermann Solms-Lanbach of Gottingen, Dr. Franz Stein-
dachner of Vieuna, M.le Dr. Melchior Treub of Buitenzorg, Java, and
Prof. Dr. Augustus Weismann of Freiburg, were elected Foreign Members
of the Society.
The Auditors elected to examine the Treasurer’s accounts were Mr. F.
Victor Dickins and Mr. George Maw on behalf of the Fellows, and Mr. J.
Edmund Harting and Mr. A. D. Michael to represent the Council.
Mr. J. R. Willis Bund exhibited specimens in spirit of the Rainbow
Trout, Salmo iridens, which had been reared at the Hatcheries of the Fish
Culture Hstablishment at Delaford Park. He pointed out the great
difference in size of members of the brood which were of the same age,
having been reared from eggs of the same batch. He mentioned that
circumstances tended to show that it was a migratory fish, hence as such
the value of its introduction into this country as a Stream Trout would be
materially diminished.
A Report on the Alcyonaria and Gorgonie of the Mergui Archipelago,
by Stuart O. Ridley, was read, and in which a number of new forms were
described. The author states that, looking at the Alcyonarian fauna of
the Burmese coast generally, we find that it is in no way behind that of
any other part of the Indian Ocean so far as known. Judging from the
present collection, it would seem to be rich in the soft fleshy Alcyonid
section—e. g. Spongodes and Lobophyton, &c.—while the Gorgonias are also
fairly represented in new species, and one new member of the family
Melithaide is now added, viz. Mopsella planiloca.—J. Munim.
ZooLocicaAL Society or Lonpon.
May 17, 1887.—Prof. W. H. Frowrr, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in
the chair.
The President read some extracts from a letter which he had received
from Dr. Emin Pasha, dated Wadelai, November 38rd, relating to some
skulls of the Chimpanzee from Monbottu, to some portions of the skeleton
of individuals of the Akka tribe, and to some other objects of natural history
which he had forwarded (via Uganda) to the British Museum of Natural
History.
Mr. A. Thomson exhibited some specimens of a rare Papilio (P.porthaon)
from Delagoa Bay, reared in the Society’s Gardens.
Prof. Howes exhibited a drawing of a head of Palinurus penicillatus,
276 THE ZOOLOGIST.
received from M. A. Milne-EKdwards, and remarked on the assumption of
antenniform characters by the left ophthalmite shown in this specimen.
A paper was read by Mr. W. F. Kirby, Assistant in the Zoological
Department, British Museum, entitled “A Revision of the Subfamily
Libelluling, with descriptions of new Genera and Species.” The last
compendium of this group was published by Dr. Brauer in 1868, in which
forty genera were admitted. Mr. Kirby now raised the number to eighty-
eight, all fully tabulated and described in his paper, which likewise included
descriptions of fifty-two new species. Mr. Kirby gave a short sketch of the
characters of the Libelluline, and more especially of the neuration, which
he considered to be of primary importance.
Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe read the third part of his series of notes on the
Hume Collection of Birds, which related to Syrniwm maingayi, Hume, and
to the various specimens of this Owl in the British Museum.
A communication was read from Mr. A. Smith Woodward, on the
presence of a canal-system, evidently sensory, in the shields of Pteraspidian
fishes. Mr. Woodward described a specimen which seemed to prove that
the series of small pits or depressions upon the shields of these ancient
fishes, observed by Prof. Ray Lankester, are really the openings of an
extensive canal-system traversing the middle layer of the shield.
A second communication from Mr. A. Smith Woodward contained some
notes on the “lateral line” of Squaloraja, in which it was shown that the
“lateral line” of this extinct Liassic Selachian was an open groove sup-
ported, as in the Chimeroids, by a series of minute ring-like calcifications.
June 7,1887.—E. W. H. Hotpswortn, Esq., F.Z.S., in the chair.
The Secretary read a report on the additions that had been made to
the Society's Menagerie during the month of May, and called attention
to a Tooth-billed Pigeon, Didunculus strigirostris, brought home from the
Samoan Islands, and presented to the Society by Mr. Wilfred Powell; to
two Red-spotted Lizards, Hremias rnbro-punctata, obtained at Moses’ Well,
in the Peninsula of Sinai, and presented to the Society by Mr. G. Wigan;
and to a small scarlet Tree Frog, Dendrobates typoaraphus, from Costa Rica,
presented to the Society by Mr. C. H. Blomefield.
Mr. Sclater called attention to examples of two North-American Foxes
now living in the Society’s Gardens, which he referred to Canis velow and
C. virginianus.
A communication was read from Mr. A. O. Hume, C.B., containing
some notes on Budorcas tawxicolor, the Gnu-goat or Takin of the Mishmee
Hills, and some remarks on the question of the form of the horns in the
female of this animal.
A communication was read from Mr. E. Symonds, containing notes on
various species of Snakes met with in the vicinity of Kroonstadt, Orange
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. Q77
Free State, specimens of which had been forwarded to Mr. J. H. Gurney,
and determined by Dr. Giinther.
Mr. Martin Jacoby gave an account of a small collection of Coleoptera
obtained by Mr. W. L. Sclater in British Guiana.
Prof. G. B. Howes read a paper on an hitherto unrecognised feature in
the larynx of the Anurous Amphibians. This was the existence in many
individuals of various species of a rudimentary structure, which appeared
to correspond to the epiglottis of Mammals, and which in some instances
attained a remarkable development as an organ of voice.—P. L. Sctarer,
Secretary.
EnToMoLocicaL Soctrty oF Lonpon.
June 1, 1887.—Dr. Davin SHarp, F.Z.S., President, in the chair.
Mr. Philip Crowley exhibited the following specimens of Diurni, from
the Kareen Hills, Burmah:—Papilio Zaleucus, Hew.,Papilio Adamsoni,
Smith, Papilio ? sp. (male and female), and Nymphalis Nicholii, Smith.
Mr. T. R. Billups exhibited several specimens of an ant found at Kew,
frequenting a species of palm from Tropical Australia, and which had been
determined as Tapinoma melanocephalum; also living specimens of Carabus
auratus, from the Borough Market, and of a species of Blaps from Northern
Africa.
Mr. Waterhouse exhibited a specimen of a Brazilian Locust, Cono-
cephalus ? sp., which he had for some time preserved alive, and which had
only died that same morning. He called attention to the change of colour
which he had observed in the eyes of this insect; in a bright light they
were dirty white or horn-coloured, with a black dot in the middle; but at
night, or if the insects were confined in a dark box, they became altogether
black; shortly after death, also, the eyes became black. Mr. M‘Lachlan
observed that he had noticed a darker spot in the centre of the eye in certain
Ephemeride, and in other Neuroptera. The discussion was continued by
Dr. Sharp and others, but no one seemed to be able to account for the
alteration in question.
Lord Walsingham exhibited specimens of Cateremna terebrella, Zk.,
a species lately taken in Britain, which he had caught in Norfolk, and bred
from fir-cones gathered in the same locality.
Mr. Meyrick read two papers, “On Pyralidina from Australia and
the South Pacific” and “ Descriptions of some exotic Micro- Lepidoptera.”
In these papers about sixty new species were described. A discussion
ensued, in which Dr. Sharp, Mr. Stainton, Mr. M‘Lachlan, and others took
part. Mr. Meyrick stated that, as far as the Pyralidina were concerned,
Australia could not be regarded as a separate region, for a large number
were not endemic, but appeared to have been introduced from the Malay
278 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Archipelago. The method of this immigration seemed doubtful. Mr.
Meyrick was of opinion that the insects flew very long distances, and
effected a settlement through their food-plants being widely distributed and
common. He instanced the undoubted immigration of certain Australian
species into New Zealand, a distance of 1200 miles. Mr. Stainton adduced
the instance of Margarodes unionalis, which is a South-European insect,
feeding on the olive, yet is occasionally found in Britain.
Mr. Meyrick exhibited, in connection with his papers, Oaychirota
paradoxa, Meyr. (unique specimen representing the family Oxychirotide),
Epharpastis dadala, Meyr., and Mixophyla erminea, Moore.
Mr. Meyrick also made some observations on the distribution of the
insect fauna in the various regions of Australia: he said that it appeared to
be more or less different in certain defined portions of the continent, which
might be roughly regarded as oases in the midst of desert districts: all his
observations, however, had tended to upset Mr. Wallace’s theory that
Eastern and Western Australia were originally separated, as the gradations
in the insect fauna from east to west were quite gradual; in Western
Australia the Tineina were the only group well represented by peculiar
endemic forms.
Mr. Pascoe read a paper ‘‘On the genus Byrsops,” a genus of Cur-
culionide.
The President announced that Lord Walsingham’s collection of Lepi-
doptera and larve, recently presented to the nation, would be exhibited in
the Hall at the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, until the end
of June.—W. W. F.
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.
A Nomenclature of Colours for Naturalists, and Compendium of
Useful Knowledge for Ornithologists. By Roperr Ripeway,
Curator, Department of Birds, U.S. National Museum.
8vo, pp. 130, with ten coloured plates and seven plates of
outline illustrations. Boston, U.S.
Some five years ago the present writer, in advocating the
desirability of adopting a standard of nomenclature for the
description of the colours of natural objects, remarked :*—
“In the Animal Kingdom the number of colours is very
great. They often form the most striking feature in the external
appearance of species, and hence have been considered by
* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1882, p. 391.
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 279
systematists as affording distinguishing characters of much
value. But an object may be described as of one colour by
one person, and be taken by another person for quite a different
tint; for the names of colours are frequently misapplied, and
one name is often indiscriminately given to many colours.
Hence arises an uncertainty in reading and a perplexity in
writing a description which would be obviated were some
standard of nomenclature available for general reference.
“So long ago as 1821 there appeared a manual the utility of
which seems to have been quite iost sight of, owing, perhaps,
chiefly to the fact that it has long been out of print and difficult
to procure, namely, Werner’s ‘ Nomenclature of Colours,’ edited
by Syme.”
This work, excellent in principle, was designed to meet the
very want which he now ventured to express, but which was
hardly experienced at the date of its publication, inasmuch as it
was not then the general practice to publish the careful and
detailed descriptions of species with which we are now familiar.
Assuming the want of such a standard nomenclature, and the
desirability of satisfying it, the writer was of opinion that the
publication of a new edition of Werner’s Manual, under the
auspices of the Zoological Society, would ensure a speedy adop-
tion of the standard, and would be the means of obviating in
future the confusion hitherto prevailing for want of it.
The suggestion having been taken up by Mr. Ridgway, and
carefully considered, has resulted in the publication of the
volume now before us. It is not a new edition of Werner’s
Manual, however, but an entirely original work, divided into two
parts, and covering a much larger field than that traversed by
Werner.
Part I., on the Nomenclature of Colours, contains remarks on
the principles of colour; on colours required by the zoological
or botanical artist; and includes a comparative vocabulary of
colours, in seven languages; and a bibliography containing the
titles of seven works only, the subject being one on which it
would seem that very little has been published.
Part II., entitled the “ Ornithologist’s Compendium,” includes
a glossary of technical terms, and tables for converting milli-
metres into English inches and decimals, and vice versd. Seven-
teen plates show the various shades (which are named) of all the
280 THE ZOOLOGIST.
primary colours with their combinations, and figures illustrating
the internal anatomy and wing-surfaces of a bird, colour markings,
egg contours, and a comparative scale of measurement standard—
a veritable multwm in parvo.
With regard to the patterns of colours, we find about twenty
shades of each represented on each plate in small oblong squares,
with the names immediately below them, and on the opposite
page an indication of the colours which when combined will
produce them. On the whole the result appears satisfactory,
but we may point out that the plates being hand-coloured there
must obviously be a risk of variation in different copies of the
book—a difficulty which was obviated in Werner’s Manual by
having every shade of colour printed in sheets which were cut out
into small pieces of the size required, and pasted on to the plates.
In addition to this, and in order to illustrate his meaning better,
Werner gave the name of such species in the animal, vegetable,
and mineral kingdoms as have the particular shade of colour
mentioned—an excellent plan to prevent misconception which
Mr. Ridgway might have adopted with advantage.
Another point for criticism which occurs to us is this: in
naming and figuring a particular colour, it seems to us that
Mr. Ridgway’s views do not always coincide with popular notions
on the subject. To take various shades of green, for example:
his “ malachite-green”’ (No. 6) does not correspond to the colour
of that mineral, which resembles rather what he names “ viridian
green” (No. 8), or “‘sea-green” (No. 5), while his “ pea-green”
(No. 9) reminds us rather of the dried than of the fresh pea, and
his ‘‘emerald-green” (No. 16) is not the colour of an emerald.
It may perhaps be said that these are really the shades which are
known to artists and artists’ colourmen by these particular names.
If so the author must be absolved from blame, and we can only
regret that the nomenclature has not been more accurately
determined.
Mr. Ridgway’s book in many respects will be found extremely
useful to working naturalists, and the adoption by them of his
standard of nomenclature, by securing uniformity, will obviate in
future a deal of misconception which at present arises whenever
the colours of a new species are loosely or inconsiderately
described.
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.) MUGUST, 188%, [No. 128.
THE SLEEP OF THE DORMOUSE, MYOXUS GLIS.
In ‘The Zoologist’ for May, 1882, we gave a translation
from the German of an interesting article on this subject con-
tributed by Dr. A. Rabus to ‘ Der Zoologische Garten.’ A further
contribution to the subject by Prof. Forel has since appeared in
the ‘ Révue de l'hypnotism,’ and as this journal is not likely to
come under the notice of many of our readers, they may perhaps
be glad to see the article in question in an English dress. We have
accordingly translated it, premising that while the observations
of Dr. Rabus relate to our well-known Myoxus avellanarius, those
of Professor Forel have reference to its congener, Myoxus glis,
a common species in the South of Europe. Prof. Forel says :—
“While residing at Munich I was offered two Dormice, whose
owner wished to get rid of them after having been bitten. He
gave them to me in winter, and I was much astonished at not
receiving them in a state of sleep. On the contrary, they were
quite active—a circumstance which I attributed to the heat of the
room. I put them in a large wire cage from five to six feet high,
in the centre of which there was a small fir tree. I also allowed
the little creatures the run of the room. Throughout the winter
they continued lively and active, eating an enormous quantity of
walnuts and hazel-nuts. As soon as one of them had laboriously
gnawed one through, the other came stealthily and tried to take
it away from him. They were always spiteful, ever ready to bite.
After having been fed all through the spring they became very
ZOOLOGIST.—auGusT, 1887. Z
282 THE ZOOLOGIST.
fat, and I was not a little astonished to see them one after
another, in the month of May, fall into their lethargic sleep,
which, according to all I had read in books, ought only to
have occurred in winter under the influence of cold. They
became as slothful as little bears—their movements got slower and
slower; finally they squatted in a corner and became completely
lethargic.
“In this condition their temperature became lowered, their
respiratory action became slower, and their lips presented an
ashy appearance. The little animals, placed in the open air, and
at first more or less rolled up, ended by remaining half extended
on their backs; nevertheless on being pricked they made certain
reflex movements, especially a feeble grunting or whistling, and
by dint of exciting them I was able for a moment to instil a little
life into them. But as soon as I left them quiet they relapsed
into their lethargy. I then made a rather curious experiment :
I took one of the Dormice and placed it on the top of the little
fir tree in the middle of the cage. Although it was asleep it was
sufficient to make it touch a slender branch with the plantar
surface of its paws to excite a reflex contraction, which made it
grasp the branch which it would instinctively have done if awake.
I then let go, leaving him thus suspended to his branch. He
relapsed by degrees into somnolency. The muscles of the
grasping paw slowly relaxed, the plantar surface extended began
to hold the branch only at its extremity near the claws, and
I feared my Dormouse was going to fall; but at the moment of
losing its equilibrium a sort of instinctive spasm shot through its
nervous system, and another paw seized the lower branch next
within reach in such a way that the animal only came down a peg.
Then the same performance was repeated. The Dormouse
relapsed into sleep at first, the foot slowly relaxed its hold up
to the moment of letting go, when the other paw caught hold of
a lower branch; thus it descended, sleeping without falling, the
whole way down the fir tree from top to bottom, until it reached
the floor of the cage, where it remained in a state of lethargy.
I repeated the experiment several times with the two Dormice,
always with the same result; neither of them ever allowed itself
to fall.
“The sleep of these Dormice—occasionally interrupted by a
day or a few hours awakening, more or less complete, during
NOTES FROM OXFORDSHIRE. 283
which time they ate a little—lasted the greater part of the
summer, and by degrees entirely ceased in the month of August :
they had slept throughout the greatest heat of June and July.
Towards the end of this lethargic sleep they became considerably
attenuated, though less so, however, than one would have
expected. Their body temperature taken during their lethargic
sleep was from 20 to 22 degrees centigrade.
‘From these facts it clearly results that the so-called winter-
sleep of the Dormouse cannot be directly due to the lowering
of its temperature; perhaps the state of their nutrition—the
amassing of fat in their tissues—is the cause, or one of the
principal causes. But it seems that this condition, whatever its
cause, is akin to catalepsy and hypnotic sleep. On this account
it seems to me that the study of hypnotism in the Dormouse
possesses considerable interest, and I should be glad if the
perusal of these remarks were to give rise to further useful
experiments.”
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM OXFORDSHIRE IN 1886.
By Onriver V. Apuin anp A. H. MacpueErson.
JaNuaRY.—On the 2nd, besides fifty or sixty Mallard and
Duck, sixty-five Pochards and five Tufted Ducks were seen upon
Clattercutt Reservoir. A male Merlin was shot close to Oxford
in the early part of the month. Sparrowhawks were common
throughout the winter about Oxford, when they might almost be
called winter visitors, as they are very scarce in summer. A
variety of the Song Thrush, having the top of the head pure
white, was shot on Headington Hill, and is now in M.’s collection.
A male Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was shot at Great Bourton
on the 9th. A Coot, frozen out, was captured in a garden on the
outskirts of Banbury on the 21st. A grey Goose of some kind
was seen flying over Banbury on the 23rd. A large flock of
Fieldfares at the end of the month frequented the vicinity of
Clattercutt Reservoir, coming down to drink at one or two un-
frozen holes, the ice around being considerably discoloured by
them. A rather light-coloured Short-eared Owl, the only one
heard of during the winter, was shot near Wroxton on the 27th.
Some very large flocks of Wood Pigeons were observed in the
284 THE ZOOLOGIST.
north of the county at the end of the month; on the 30th, two
flocks winging their way to roost in the Aynhoe Woods must
have numbered two hundred each.
Frpruary. — A very dark-coloured male specimen of the
Common Buzzard was trapped at Horton on the 5th. A male
Bittern was shot at Merton on the 8th. A Waxwing was seen by
Mr. W. Wyatt on the outskirts of Banbury on the 13th; he was
able to get pretty close to it, and watched it for some time; Mr.
Wyatt is well acquainted with the bird, having preserved two or
three specimens. A specimen of that unusual visitor to Oxford-
shire, the Dipper (now in F, C. A.’s collection), was shot by a
small stream in the northern extremity of the county, near Farn-
borough, on the 20th. A pied variety of the Jackdaw was shot
near Oxford this month. On the 9th, in a flock of about seventy
Ring Doves near Oxford, M. saw one apparently nearly pure
white. Throughout January and February Bramblings were
unusually numerous about Oxford ; a very richly-coloured specis
men was shot there at the end of the latter month, which had
almost assumed its full spring dress; another had its flanks of a
reddish orange; the earliest we heard of was shot in the north of
the county on January L0th; about the end of February a boy
took forty in his bat-fowling nets near Wroxton.
Marcu.—The weather was excessively severe during the first
half of the month, and all the Thrushes suffered greatly, but none
so much as the Fieldfares ; numbers of these were caught by the
hand—too weak to fly. The supply of haws being exhausted,
and the few remaining being in a dry and shrivelled condition,
the birds had great difficulty in obtaining food; one shot on the
6th had been feeding upon half-rotten swedes in the sheep-pens,
and the whole bird, the intestines especially, was thoroughly
impregnated with the smell. During the summer, when looking
for nests, it was quite a common occurrence to find the remains of
a Fieldfare in the middle of the hedge. About 150 Bramblings
were killed at three shots near Balscot in the first days of
the month. ‘Three birds received by A. from that place, shot on
the third, had lost nearly all the brown feather-edges of winter ;
one had a black chin; two more were shot at Wroxton on the 4th.
Mr. W. W. Fowler informs us that four Curlews were seen close
to the village of Kingham about the 12th of the month. One
Hooded Crow was seen by M. feeding with some Rooks in
NOTES FROM OXFORDSHIRE. 285
Christchurch Meadow on the 13th. Two days after, one was shot
about six miles from Oxford, and a third was killed near Banbury
on the 30th; this is an usually late date for them to linger in
Oxfordshire. A Great Crested Grebe in full nuptial dress was
killed on the Isis at Sandford on the 7th; they were delayed by
the ice from returning to Clattercutt Reservoir until the 28th; in
mild seasons they appear a month earlier. Tufted Ducks having
been frozen out since the early part of January (the ice bearing
skaters up to the middle of this month), a male and female put in
an appearance on Clattercutt on the 28th; they were evidently
paired, the drake closely following his partner with an air of
proud proprietorship; and it was hoped that they might remain
to breed, but they disappeared shortly after.
Aprit.— A male Ring Ouzel was shot on Headington Hill
early in the month. A pair of Nuthatches were observed by A.
on the 14th, carrying nesting materials into a hole about thirty-
five feet up in the trunk of an elm tree on Bloxham Grove, from
which he had eggs more than twelve years before; the clutch of
seven fresh eggs were taken at the end of the first week in May.
Mr. W. Fowler observed a pair of Pied Flycatchers in a field
studded with trees at Kingham on the 24th. On the same day a
beautiful example of the Lesser Tern was shot close to the barges
on the river at Oxford. One Black Tern was shot, on the 30th,
on the canal above Banbury. On the night of the 24th a Night-
ingale flew against a window in Banbury, and was picked up dead.
A Hoopoe was seen at Elsfield on the 26th.
May.—We are able to record the third occurrence of the
White Wagtail in the county, M. having observed one on the
river-bank above Oxford on the 4th. A specimen of the Common
Sandpiper was observed on the bank at Clattercutt on the 1st,
but had disappeared the next day. On the river above Oxford
four were seen on the 4th; they make but a very short stay with
us at this season. The Turtle Dove was observed at Great
Bourton on the 8th by both recorders; this is an early date for
its arrival. Hirundines suffered greatly from the stormy weather
in the second week (vide Zool. 1886, p. 300). An adult Black
Tern was shot on the river at Oxford on the 7th. A female
Whimbrel was killed at Thame on the 21st; although of not very
uncommon occurrence upon the spring migration, it is extremely
rare in autumn. On the 17th a curious light variety of the
286 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Yellow Bunting was shot close to Oxford. An immature Lesser
Black-backed Gull was shot on Port Meadow, Oxford, on the 12th.
On the same evening a flock of Gulls, all immature and either
L. fuscus or L. argentatus, passed over Oxford, flying north, high
up. Heavy rain fell on and off from the 11th until the 14th;
wind N.E., backing to N.W.; very large floods in the valleys.
Mr. Warner reports that during a stormy week in May (probably
the second) a flock of the Common Tern was noticed at New-
bridge in company with Swallows and Martins, playing about
over the surface of the water for a day or two. M. saw one in
the distance at Oxford on the 12th, and a flock of eight were seen
on the upper river near Godstow about the end of the month.
JuNE.—One specimen of the Lesser Tern was seen by M.
flying about over the river above Oxford on the 2nd. Four
immature specimens of the Common Gull were seen flying over
Port Meadow on the 19th. On the same day two large Gulls,
either L. fuscus or L. argentatus, were flying over the river at
Sandford; weather cold, with wind in the east about this time.
M. saw a Grey Wagtail on the banks of the Cherwell near Islip
on the 26th; it is extremely rare with us in summer. Although
common enough in the reed-beds of the Cherwell at Oxford, and
spreading thence into the thickets and bushes of the “ Parks,”
the Reed Warbler is decidedly rare in the north of the county.
On the evening of the 27th A. heard one singing in a large bed of
rushes at the upper end of Clattercutt, and in July detected its
presence also in an osier-bed on the Swere where it flows into the
Cherwell. A pair of Grasshopper Warblers probably nested in
the mowing grass of a meadow between Bourton and Hanwell, as
the male sung there nightly; they are found annually on the
small remaining portion of Hanwell Heath, a short distance off.
A pair of Bullfinches, forsaking their usual habit of seeking soli-
tude in the breeding season, nested this year in a belt of thick
yew trees which border a much-frequented path in Mr. F. C.
Aplin’s garden at Bodicote, within a dozen yards of the house.
Juty. — Mr. W. Fowler having seen a Red-backed Shrike at
Kingham on the 8th, made a careful search for pellets, and found
among other things two portions of the shrivelled skin of a Water
Shrew (S. fodiens), each forming a complete ring. Mr. Warner
reports that, on the 13th, a young specimen of the Long-eared
Owl was seen in broad daylight perched on a fence near Stanton
NOTES FROM OXFORDSHIRE. 287
Harcourt; as a resident it is decidedly rare with us. Two
examples of the Egyptian Goose were shot near Cowley about the
middle of the month; they had doubtless strayed from some
ornamental water; though Mr. Darbey, from whom we received
the information, could hear of none missing at that time, and
found no marks of confinement on them. A white variety of the
Swallow, a young bird, was shot at Hampton Doyle early in the
month.
Aucust. — A female Wheatear was seen by A. near Banbury
on the 13th; may possibly have nested in the district, migrants
being seldom seen until the first or second week in September.
At the close of summer the disastrous effect upon Swallows and
Martins of the cold stormy weather in May could be clearly
traced in the small numbers to be seen in the air after the second
broods had flown, and when in an ordinary year they should have
swarmed.
SrepremeBer. — When shooting near Nell Bridge this month,
we noticed a large nest placed in one of a row of four trees in the
meadows. The tenant told us that a pair of Herons came and
built it just before haymaking time (end of June), and that being
disturbed when the grass was cut, they left, but returned when
the fields were quiet again; no young seem to have been hatched.
There is no heronry in the neighbourhood, but the birds are con-
stantly to be seen about there. The first Snipe was seen and shot
there on the 13th. The Common Sandpiper was observed on the
Cherwell near Nell Bridge on the 15th. A Hooded Crow was
shot at the beginning of the month at Oxford; this is an early
date for it to arrive in the county, and, considering that examples
were observed up to the end of March, it seems possible that the
species may have bred in the Midlands this year. A specimen of
the Redshank was shot at Chorton, near Islip, in the early part
of the month. An interesting variety of the Corn Bunting was
shot at Marsden ; it had evidently been entirely white, and was
killed in the middle of its autumn moult while reverting to its
normal plumage; a few normal feathers showed on the breast,
and some of the new primaries had appeared; the majority of the
new tail-feathers had also come in; the old primaries and rectrices
were very much worn, and quite “hairy”; it is now in M.’s col-
lection. A white variety of the Linnet tinged with buff was also
shot during this month at Hinksey, and is now in M.’s collection.
288 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Two varieties of the Stock Dove were shot on Shotover Hill, near
Oxford, about the first week in September; one, a very pretty
variety, mottled with cream-colour, has been described in ‘ The
Field’ (October) by Mr. J. Whitaker, in whose collection it now
is; the other had nothing abnormal about it, except its primaries
and rectrices, which were of a nut-brown. A Curlew was shot at
Heyford during this month. A clutch of ten fresh eggs of the
Quail was taken at Standlake at the end of the month.
Ocroper. — Mr. Warner informs us that a Wheatear lingered
until the early part of the month, and was seen by him at Stand-
lake. A Redwing arrived in North Oxon on the 9th, and a
Fieldfare at Oxford on the 21st. A male Grey Phalarope, in
M.’s collection, was shot at Bletchingdon on the 18th. The
Brambling was first seen on the 30th near Oxford. During the
second week in the month large numbers of Common Terns
visited Oxford, and many of them were shot. On the 26th, M.
saw a Sedge Warbler close to the river above Oxford; it tried to
sing, but could only manage a few notes, and looked the picture
of misery, as the wind was very cold. A beautiful variety of the
Ring Dove was shot near Banbury on the 27th, having been
observed about the place since the previous winter, when it
accompanied a large flock. The mantle and wings are dove-
coloured, mottled with a little white; primaries light brown,
marked with white; tail brownish; lower back a delicate lavender,
otherwise normal. The man who shot it said it looked almost
white on the wing. It is now in Mr. Whitaker’s collection. At
the end of the month we had a considerable flight of Snipe, about
forty full birds and two Jacks being flushed from one or two
meadows at Nell Bridge; two days after, they had all departed.
Large numbers of Peewits on the 20th, and the meadows black
with Starlings. Some Teal also at that time. Two Pochards
had arrived at Clattercutt on the 30th, on which day a Crested
Grebe was seen in full winter dress.
NovemMBer.—A drake Shoveller was shot on Otmoor on the 12th,
where a good many Teal were bagged in the middle of the month.
DrcemBrer.—A fine male of the white variety of the Pheasant
(with normal irides) was shot at Elsfield on the 2ist. A fine
adult male Goldeneye and two in brown plumage, together with
twelve Tufted Ducks, four Pochards, and some thirty or forty
Wild Ducks, were seen on Clattercutt on the 11th.
( 289 )
THE PEARL FISHERIES OF AUSTRALIA.*
By G. W. GRirrFin,
U.S. Consul, Sydney, N.S. Wales.
Tue pearl-shell fisheries of Torres Strait belong to the colony
of Queensland, and are situated 1500 miles from Brisbane, and
more than 2000 miles from Sydney. Torres Strait is about
eighty miles in width, and separates Queensland from the island
of New Guinea. The navigation of the Strait, although said to
be safe and practicable, is in fact very difficult, on account of the
innumerable islands, reefs, and shoals scattered about. The chief
places at which the fisheries are conducted are Wai Weer, Albany
Island, Jervis Island, Endeavour Strait, Friday Island, Prince of
Wales Islands, and Possession Island.
Waces or THE Men.—A good diver can earn from sixty to
one hundred and fifty dollars per month. He usually signs
shipping articles for a period not exceeding three years, at a fixed
sum per month and an interest in the catch or lay. Mr. Bayne,
of Sydney, the owner of an important station at Prince of Wales
Islands, who for many years has been engaged in pearl-shell
fishing, states that several divers in his employ have earned as
much as three hundred dollars per month. The divers and crews
are composed of South Sea Islanders, Malays, and a few Chinese
and Lascars. The diver is the captain of the boat, and the other
men obey his orders. The duties of the tender consist in waiting
on the diver, helping him to dress, and looking after him while in
the water. The pay of the tender is from ten to twelve dollars
per month, with a small interest in the catch, generally from one-
sixtieth to one-eightieth part of the value of the shells. Each of
the vessels generally has one diver and four tenders, who compose
the crew. The tenders are engaged on regular shipping articles,
and are paid off like any other merchant seamen. Mr. Henry M.
Chester, the resident magistrate at Thursday Island, says, ina
recent report on the fisheries, that the natives are never over-
worked, and that they are always well fed and kindly treated.
He further says that payment is usually made them in blankets,
clothing, knives, hatchets, and beads, and that whenever they are
* Reprinted from the ‘Bulletin U.S. Fish Commission,’ vol. vi. (1887),
pp. 488—435,
290 THE ZOOLOGIST.
dissatisfied with what they receive they seek other employment.
Mr. Chester is of opinion that the competition for their services
is of such a character as to secure for them fair treatment. All
the available adult population of the island are employed as
swimming divers, under the “ Masters and Servants Act,” and
while their pay is small, it is made in the presence of the local
authorities, and all the old men, women, and children receive food
in seasons of scarcity. Mr. Chester admits, however, that the
occupation of a diver is dangerous, and not at all conducive to
longevity, but adds that the loss of life among the natives from
such causes is more than counterbalanced by the abundant
supply of wholesome food given them, and by the decrease in
infanticide and other savage practices to which they were formerly
addicted.
Metuops or Fisuine.—The method pursued in pear! fishing
is for a number of vessels to start out together and fish on the
same ground. Hach vessel carries supplies to last a fortnight.
When in about eight fathoms of water, if the tide is slack, the
diver will jump overboard. His boots are heavily weighted with
lead, so as to hasten his descent. Upon reaching the bottom he
walks leisurely along until he comes to a patch of shells; then
he signals to the boat to cast anchor. He carries with him a
sack or bag to hold the shells, and as soon as it is filled it is
lifted up, emptied out, and sent down to him again, he being able
to remain under water several hours at a time. Some divers
remain down from nine o’clock in the morning until five in the
afternoon. The Pearl-oysters lie on the ground, with the shells
partly open, and great care is required in handling them, for if
touched in the wrong way they will close upon the hand like a
vice. Accidents of this kind not unfrequently happen to inexpe-
rienced divers, who are obliged to signal those above to lift them
up and remove the Pearl-oyster from their hands. The monsoons
which blow in the Strait from May until the end of September
are often so severe that boats have to lay up for as much as ten
days at atime. The average catch for each boat is from one ton
to a ton and a half shells per month. Unlike the fisheries in
Ceylon and the Persian Gulf, there is little or no difficulty in
collecting the shells, for they either lie loose on the ground or
are only partially buried in the mud or sand. The fisheries off
the coast of West Australia, and especially at Shark Bay, produce
THE PEARL FISHERIES OF AUSTRALIA. 291
the true Pearl-oyster, Avicula margaritifera. For a long time
this shell was supposed to be valueless on account of its thin and
fragile structure, but now there is a great demand for it both in
America and in Europe. It is especially prized by the French
and German artists for fine inlaid cabinet work. The young or
chicken shell is the best, and commands the highest price. When
the Pearl-oyster is five or six years old the shells become blistered
and wormy, and it is said the oyster dies about the age of
seven years. The divers in fishing make no effort to select any
particular shell, but take every one that they can get, even the
dead shells, which have the least value of any, on account of
various blemishes, rottenness, lack of lustre, &c. Pure-white
silver-edged shells are the best. The oysters in the West
Australia fisheries are generally obtained by passing an iron
dredge over the banks, but divers are also employed. Pearl-
oysters are gregarious in their habits, and whenever one is met
with it is almost certain that numbers of others will be found in
the immediate neighbourhood. Divers are expert swimmers, and
they go down to a depth of four or five fathoms, where it is said
some of them can remain two minutes. The occupation is an
unwholesome one, and soon produces deafness and diseases of
the chest and lungs. Blood not unfrequently flows from the
mouth, ears, and nostrils after the usual dip of forty or fifty
seconds, which is repeated fifty or sixty times a day. The men
also run the risk of being eaten by Sharks, although death from
this cause is not apt to occur except in untried fishing-grounds,
as the noise of the divers is almost certain to drive the Sharks
away.
Tue Peart Sratrons.— All the pearl-fishing stations in
Torres Strait bear a close resemblance to one another, and
consist of a small but nice-looking residence for the manager
and one of less pretension for the men, a warehouse for storing
provisions, &c., and several sheds for drying the shells. Before
the shells are brought to the station the boats usually run into
land, and the men open the oysters, take out the pearls, if any,
and throw the soft parts overboard. The shells are then roughly
cleaned and stowed under the hatches. At the end of the voyage
they are taken to the station, where they are counted and
thoroughly cleaned. The shells are then assorted and dried, and
after the outer edges are chipped off they are packed in cases,
292 THE ZOOLOGIST.
each case weighing from 270 to 300 pounds, and are ready for
shipment. No systematic effort has yet been made to collect
pearls at Torres Strait, and such as are found become the
property of the men, who secrete them in various ways, often by
swallowing them. Some very fine specimens of pearls about the
size of a hazel-nut, and of remarkable beauty and clearness, have
recently found their way to the market from Torres Strait.
Other specimens of a much larger size have been found there,
but they were imperfect in shape and colour.
Formation or Prarus.—In oysters aged four years —which
are judged by the shells, weight, and appearance—the best pearls
are found. ‘The shell, like the pearl, is formed by the secretion
of the animal, and is composed of animal matter and lime. The
iridescent hues on the inside of the shell are occasioned by the
edges of the thin, wavy, concentric layers overlapping one another
and reflecting the light. The minute furrows, containing trans-
lucent carbonate of lime, produce a series of more or less brilliant
colours, according to the angle at which the light falls upon them.
Occasionally some of the finest pearls are found loose in the shell.
As many as one hundred pearls have been found in one oyster,
but of little or no value. The pearls of the young oyster are
yellow, and in the older oyster are of a pinkish hue.
Tur Use or Prearu-sHetts.—The pearl-shells shipped from
Australia to the United States and Europe are used principally
for the manufacture of knife-handles, shirt-buttons, &¢. Con-
siderable quantities are also used for papier-maché and other
ornamental work. The pearl buttons, shirt-studs, &c., now made
in the United States are said to be the best and cheapest in the
world—a fact due in great measure to the care used in selecting
the material and to the improved methods of cutting.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
To purify Water in an Aquarium.—In fresh-water aquaria the
introduction of a few pond-snails (such as Planorbis corneus, Paludina ~
vivipara, Limnea stagnalis, L. auricularia, &e.), which scour the inner
surface of the glass, is tolerably effective; but a better plan is suggested
by a writer in the ‘Norsk Fiskeritidende,’ who recommends that to every
100 grammes of water there should be added 4 drops of a solution of
1 gramme of salicylic acid in 300 grammes of water. A gramme is equal
NOTES AND QUERIES. 293
to rather more than 15 grains (apothecaries’ weight), 480 grains to the
ounce, and as a gallon of water weighs 10 lbs. or 70,000 grains, we get
1500 grs. : 70,000 grs. : : 4 drops : 186% drops; or, roughly speaking, we
may add for every gallon of water in the aquarium 186 drops (or one
dessert-spoonful) of the solution recommended. ‘This recipe, it is said, will
keep the water fresh for three months without renewal.
MAMMALIA.
The Cost of Rabbit Destruction in Australia.—The Hon. J. Salamon
recently stated, in the Legislative Council of Sydney, that up to that time
7,853,787 Rabbits had been destroyed and paid for at a cost of £361,492.
This represents the very large sum of 112d. per rabbit, and, adding to this
a proper proportion of the bonuses paid by stock-breeders, farmers, and
others, each Rabbit killed is found to have cost about 1s. 8d. In other
words, it costs as much, or more, to kill a Rabbit in Australia as to buy
one in England.
On the Bats found in Merionethshire.—The following notes on the
Bats inhabiting this part of Merionethshire may prove useful to those who
are interested in the distribution of the British species. Up to the present
time I have obtained specimens of six species, five of which occur more or
less commonly, though none of them are very abundant. ‘The sixth, the
Lesser Horse-shoe Bat, is very sparsely distributed, although it can scarcely
be called rare.
(1). Vesperugo noctula.—The Noctule is a common species, although it
seems not to have been previously recorded from any part of Wales. It
frequents most of the wooded parts of the district, especially such as have
the hill-sides covered with oak trees. I have observed it plentifully in fine
weather flying over the extensive marshes near Port Madoc.
(2). Vesperugo pipistrellus.—This bat is not nearly so abundant as in
most parts of England, and, except in the immediate vicinity of houses, is
probably outnumbered by several other species. Although the smallest of
the British bats, the Pipistrelle frequently preys on rather large insects ;
the crane-fly, Tipula oleracea, commonly known as “ daddy-longlegs,”
apparently forms a considerable portion of its food.
(3). Vespertilio daubentonii.— This is a common species in those
localities where it occurs; but, from the nature of its haunts, it might
easily be passed over unless specially looked for. It frequents pools of
stagnant water, or slow-runuing rivers, giving a decided preference to the
latter. On any still warm night it may be seen flying slowly and steadily
as close as possible to the surface of the water, into which it frequently dips
its nose, probably for the purpose of taking some floating insect. The cry
of Daubeuton’s Bat is very weak and shrill, sometimes prolonged into a
sort of chatter.
294 THE ZOOLOGIST.
(4). Vespertilio mystacinus.—The Whiskered Bat is probably the most
abundant species in this district, being found in all sorts of situations, in
company with the Pipistrelle, which it very much resembles in some of its
habits. It differs considerably, however, in its choice of a hunting-ground
and in its flight, which is slow and steady as in V. daubentonii. The
Whiskered Bat comes abroad earlier in the evening than the last-named
species, and usually selects for its hunting-ground the sheltered ends of a
high hedge or plantation, or even a cliff, along which it flies to and fro,
seldom rising as high as the tops of the trees or rocks nearest to it. When
crossing an open space it generally keeps close to the ground. I have never
observed this species frequenting the open places in woods of which the
Pipistrelle is very fond.
(5). Plecotus auritus.—Next to V. mystacinus this appears to be the
commonest bat in the district. Early in April last I observed a number of
Long-eared Bats frequenting a group of three tall silver-fir trees standing
close together among stunted oak and hazel bushes. On warm nights these
trees appeared full of bats, sometimes flying with the greatest rapidity
through the brauches and sometimes hovering like great moths at the
extremities of the twigs. On going underneath the trees the bats presented
a still more curious sight: generally upwards of a score might be seen
moving about in the space of a few feet. They appeared frequently to
come in contact with the branches, but whether by accident or not I was
unable to ascertain. [They were doubtless taking insects off the leaves.—
Ep.] One which I shot at this place had a small leaf of the silver-fir in
its mouth. The food of the Long-eared Bat consists chiefly of moths, and
I believe small caterpillars are also taken by it.
(6). Rhinolophus hipposideros.— The Lesser Horse-shoe Bat, though
generally distributed, is by no means a common species. It is apparently
strictly nocturnal in its habits, never coming abroad till it is quite dark,
and I can only recall one or two instances in which I have seen it on the
wing. During the day it may be seen hanging from the roofs of caves and
houses, always in the darkest part. I once saw several bats of this species
in the lower level of an old lead-mine, to gain access to-which they must
have descended a shaft fifty feet deep into an upper level, and after
traversing this, have passed through a small hole in the floor to the place
where I found them. On the few occasions on which | have seen this bat
abroad it was flying slowly close to the ground, somewhat in the manner
of V. mystacinus.— G. H. Caron Hariau (Aber-ia, Penrhyndendraeth,
Merionethshire).
BIRDS.
Cliff-birds at Dover.—During the first week of July the fine chalk
cliffs between Dover, the South Foreland, and St. Margaret’s Bay, present
a very animated appearance. Hundreds of Herring Gulls are nesting there,
— oe
BA 47h Py ye ty tp tia? o-.
NOTES AND QUERIES. 295
and the young ones may be seen about their nests, attended by the
parent birds. For some reason or other—probably for the want of suitable
ledges—the Herring Gulls do not appear to nest on the abrupt faces of
the cliffs, but in spots where land-slips have occurred, and where slopes
more or less covered with verdure, but at a very steep incline, have formed
amid the cliffs. In selecting such breeding-places the Herring Gulls have,
as might be expected, selected the more inaccessible slopes, and as far as
I could judge, walking below the cliffs, I did not notice any occupied
nesting-places that an ordinary rock-climber should attempt without the
aid of a rope from above. Great mortality occurs amongst the young gulls
from the nests being placed on these steep inclines, for the young tempted
from their nests lose their foothold on the slippery grass, and slide and fall
on the beach below, where they are abandoned by the parent birds. In the
first week of July, this year, my companion and 1 counted over fifty dead
young oues in the course of our walk along the base of the cliffs, and we
saw two young Herring Gulls lose their foothold and come down, trying to
save themselves with expanded feet and their little apologies for wings
extended; they reached the beach in safety, where we secured them, took
them home, and they are now flourishing in my companion’s garden.
There is, however, one exception to the general rule of these gulls breeding
on the cliff-slopes, and that is a few pairs making their nests on the gravel
beach at the very base of the cliffs just above the line of ordinary high
water. ‘The spots available are very few and restricted in area, and as they
can be reached at low-tide these nests are invariably plundered of the eggs.
My companion informed me that during the past seven years he had on
several occasions taken eggs from these nests on the shore. He is inclined
to think that the very great increase in the number of the Herring Gulls
since the Wild Birds Preservation Act came into force has led to the
crowding of the securer breeding stations, and that the gulls that nest on
the beach are the younger ones which have been unable to find nesting
room in the safer positions. It was satisfactory to learn, from my com-
panion’s personal observation, that the number of Herring Gulls had
largely increased during the past ten years. I should estimate roughly
that not less than four hundred pairs of Herring Gulls nest in the cliffs
between Dover and St. Margaret’s Bay. To ornithologists who reside in
the neighbourhood of London, and who may not have the opportunity of
visiting the more distant great rock nurseries of sea-fowl along our coasts,
I recommend a visit to these cliffs, but care must be taken to time it with
due consideration of the tides, for a mistake might lead to an awkward
predicament, as at high-water the sea rises to the cliff, except in a few spots
where some of the gulls, as I have already mentioned, make their nests on
the gravel. A visitor to the cliff immediately below the South Foreland
Lighthouses will be further gratified by finding that a considerable colony of
296 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Guillemots make it their breeding-station. It is a very bold perpendicular
headland, and I should consider to be only accessible to experienced
cragsmen with proper appliances. To stand below this cliff and watch the
Guillemots shoot down from their lofty ledges to the sea is a very pretty
sight. My eye could not discern any movement in their wings; the feet
stretched out behind seemed to be the guiding power. I picked up one
little downy black young one at the base of the cliff, which shows that the
Guillemots breed there. A pair of Peregrine Falcons nest in the cliffs
between Dover Castle and the South Foreland, and haye, I believe, reared
their young in safety this season. It has been a frequent source of pleasure -
to me during the past spring to visit these falcons’ breeding-place, as
I invariably saw one, sometimes both birds. The tiercel was wont to
resent my intrusion, by flying overhead and screaming querulously ; at times
he would “ wait on” within forty or fifty yards of me. ‘These birds have
shown me some good flights at pigeons this year. I was at first somewhat
puzzled where these pigeons came from, because all I saw flown at were
evidently home bred birds, and the falcons always intercepted them as they
were flying over the Channel. Placed on the edge of the cliff, I have
watched a pigeon flying with steady rapid flight over the Downs, heading
southward across the sea. As the pigeon passes over the cliffs the falcon
dashes out seaward from under the cliff, the pigeon sees its enemy and
rises high in air, the falcon mounts as well; to the inexperienced eye the
hawk appears to be flying in an opposite direction to the pigeon, but when
he has gained the proper altitude down he swoops like a bolt from the sky,
but the pigeon eludes bim by dropping with incredible rapidity to the sea.
Again the falcon rises, its evident intention being to drive the pigeon to the
shelter of the Kentish cliffs; the pigeon, seeing its course across Channel
barred by its mortal foe, seeks the shelter of the undercliff. The falcon
now has it all its own way, and the wings and skeletons of pigeons which
I have found at the base of the cliffs show what heavy toll the Peregrines
levy on the Belgian and French homing-pigeons returning to the Continent ;
for in several instances I found the name of the owner stamped upon the
inside of the primary wing-feathers of the pigeons, which proved to be
trained birds belonging to Belgian owners.—H. W. FE1LpEn (Dover).
Ornithological Notes from Mayo and Sligo.— Owing to the low
temperature of the spring months, our summer birds were late and very
irregular in the dates of their appearance in this locality, for with the excep-
tion of the Sandwich Tern and Whimbrel, none were up to their usual
time of arrival. The Sandwich Terns were seen on March 28th, but I did
not see or hear a Common Tern until May 15th. Of our land-birds the
Chiffchaff, as usual, was the first to make itself known—on April 22nd.
This bird, from the peculiarity of its song, attracted my attention at once,
for at first I thought that a Willow Wren and Chiffchaff were singing in
NOTES AND QUERIES. 297
defiance of each other,—as many small birds do at times,—and I could not
be certain that these birds were not present until I caught sight of the
Chiffchaff in a thorn-hedge, and had closely watched it for some time. It
began its song with the first two soft notes of the Willow Wren and ended
with the last two notes of the Chiffchaff—a combination of song that
puzzled me, for although I had been acquainted with both the notes of the
Chiffchaff and Willow Wren since I was quite a boy, yet I never heard
anything similar to it before, for the notes of both birds are so unlike and
are so well marked that no one can mistake one for the other. I was so
struck with its strange song that I intended to shoot and examine the bird,
but on the following day, when I went to look for it, it had disappeared
from the plantations, and it was a fortnight after before I heard another
individual singing in the usual manner. I should be glad to hear if any of
your readers ever heard a Chiffchaff sing as the one above mentioned. On
April 23rd T heard the first Willow Wren, but the cold weather stopped
its song for several days, until the 29th, upon which day I heard some
Whimbrels. The Cuckoo was not heard until May 2nd, and Swallows
appeared on the same day. The Corn Crake was not heard in this neigh-
bourhood until May 12th, nor Whitethroats until the 15th, and the first
Spotted Flycatcher on the 22nd; the poor bird appeared very uncomfortable
and cold-looking, owing to the stormy weather and heavy hail-storms of the
previous four days, when the thermometer fell to 39° on the nights of the
19th and 20th. However, as if to make up for the low temperature of
April and first half of May, the weather has now become very warm, the
thermometer all through June never having been below 70°, by day,
and on the 15th, 16th, and 17th it has been up to 74°, 79°, and 81% On
the 17th I was at Bartragh, and saw about a dozen Godwits, but all were
in the pale plumage of winter, none exhibiting any red feathers. I saw
some young Ring Plovers nearly able to fly, running about near their
nesting-places, and as I was walking along the sands by the open bay at
the north side of the island I was surprised at seeing a large flock of Red-
breasted Mergansers, at least a hundred birds, closely packed together,
swimming just outside the surf. There were very few birds with dark
heads in the flock, the majority appearing to be females or immature males.
It was a most unusual sight to me, for I never before observed Mergansers
at this season flock on the sea; indeed the most I have ever come across
would be perhaps half a dozen individuals fishing on the inside chanuels.
It is probable that the Shoveller Duck nests regularly every season on Lough
Conn, for a few years ago I saw an old male flying about a reedy bay on
the lake near the old abbey of Errew, and from its not wishing to leave the
place when disturked, but continuing to fly round, I am sure it had its
mate hatching close by; and this season, near the same part of the lake,
a pair were seen and the male shot some time last April. Many Wild
ZOOLOGIST.—AUGUST, 1887. 2A
298 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Ducks, as well as Red-breasted Mergansers, breed on the islands in the
lake, and there are several colonies of Black-headed Gulls and Common
Terns also. Redshanks regularly frequent the lake to nest on the islands,
and I have seen their eggs brought from an island near Cloghans.—
Roprrt Warren (Moyview, Ballina).
Ornithological Notes from Breconshire.— Your readers will be pleased
to hear that the Kite (Milvus regalis) is slowly increasing in this county.
I not unfrequently see one soaring steadily along in places where years ago
such a sight would have been a wonder. One of my boys, a good observer,
tells me that in October last he saw five in one spot soaring in cireles
higher and higher, until they flew in a straight line towards the Beacons.
They were probably two old birds and three young ones. A pair now
frequent Vennyvach Wood, the first time for certainly a number of years.
This increase may be accounted for in two ways, viz., the almost total
absence of trapping on the moors and in the wilder and more secluded parts
of the county, and express protection of them by one of our largest hill-
owners. Woodcocks were fairly plentiful last winter, especially (as is
always the case here) in November and February. Wildfowl of all kinds
were scarce. ‘T'wo Scaup Ducks, Fuligula marila, were seen on the Gludy
Lake, but I heard of nothing else worth mentioning. Last autumn my boy
saw a male Sparrowhawk attack a Jay; they were rolling over and over on
the ground; he picked the Jay up, but it had very little life left; the hawk
flew off and pitched in a small oak tree close by, and then flew back to
within a few yards of the dead Jay, evidently leaving it with great
reluctance; the Jay had made a good fight for his life, as appeared by the
numerous feathers scattered about. The Great Spotted Woodpecker is
certainly increasing, while the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker is decreasing in
about the same proportion ; this is singular aud at present inexplicable, but
the fact remains. I also see the Stock Dove, Columba @nas, more frequently
than I did formerly. The Curlew, Numenius arquatus, appeared as usual
about the middle of March; on the 23rd I saw a pair near Llangorse Lake,
and two had been seen near here a week earlier ; it keeps its time of coming
with wonderful regularity, but now breeds in marshy places on the lowlands
as well as on the hill, one of the good results of the enforcement of the
Wild Birds Protection Act. A friend living on the borders of the county
writes me on March 28th that “The Raven is sitting in Craiglas, and, I
should say, nearly hatching. The Dipper, Cinclus aquaticus, is also
nesting.” The last-named bird builds very early about here; one, with
five eggs, sat on about a week, being found on the first Sunday in March,
in the middle of that heavy snow-storm. Unfortunately the Barn Owl is
getting very scarce; I never see one now, although my friend above quoted
writes me on the same date, “I am glad to tell you that the White or Barn
Owl is again to be seen about; they are very harmless, and it is a great
PPE tas y
NOTES AND QUERIES. 299
pity people are so ignorant about them”; in which expression of opinion I
quite agree.—-E. CamBrivGE Puixuies (The Elms, Brecon, 8S. Wales).
Unusual Nesting-site for the Wryneck.—In the last number of ‘ The
Zoologist ’ (p. 265) I recorded the fact of a Tree Sparrow nesting in a mole-
burrow in a brick-earth cutting in Kent. On July 9th I was examining the
holes in the same cutting on the chance of finding a late nest, when I heard
a sound, not unlike that made by shaking a handful of silver coins, issuing
from one of the holes; after half an hour’s hard work I was able to insert
my hand, when I discovered that the hole was occupied by five full-fledged
young Wrynecks. There appeared to be no nest, or, if there was, it was so
completely concealed under a mass of malodorous guano that I did not dis-
cover it. J have never met with any recorded instance of the Wryneck
breeding in a hole in the ground, and it may therefore be of interest to
publish the fact.—A. G. Butter (Natural History Museum).
Hawfinch in Yorkshire.—This interesting bird is yearly becoming
more common in this neighbourhood. There are at least half a dozen
places where it nests, and at least three regularly. Mr. Storey, of Pateley
Bridge, obtained a nest in Nidderdale last year, the first record of its nesting
in the Dale; the birds have again nested this year. During the winter
months an unusual number frequented the gardens in the town and on the
outskirts. I am inclined to think that they had all been bred in the
neighbourhood. On one estate great care is taken to protect them. The
head gardener, a very intelligent man, instead of shooting them, as his pre-
decessors had done, protects them carefully, but places nets over his fruit,
and thus prevents any complaints being made as to the damage done by the
birds to the fruit—Rr1tzy Fortune (Harrogate).
The Song of the Chaffinch.—In a recent number of ‘ The Ibis’ (1887,
p- 194), Mr. W. C. Tait remarks that in Portugal the Chaffinch begins to
sing (as with us in England) in February; he adds that there it recom-
mences to sing in September, and that he “has heard it as late as
November 27th.” I may be mistaken, but to my recollection the Chaffinch
rarely sings during the autumn months in Great Britain. At any rate
I have only a single record of the fact among my field notes, i.e., on the
10th of September, 1882, I heard a Chaffinch singing lustily in a garden
near Carlisle. 1 should be glad to learn from other readers of ‘'I'he
Zoologist’ whether our home Chaffinches are autumn songsters. If such
is the case, it is curious that the fact should be unnoticed in our text-books.
—H. A. Macprusrson.
Black Tern near Gloucester—On May 21st a specimen of the Black
Tern, Sterna nigra, was shot at the “ Lower Parting,” on the Severn, just
below Gloucester, and has been set up by a local taxidermist, in whose
hands I saw it. It is an adult female bird, in perfect breeding plumage.
300 THE ZOOLOGIST.
The only other recorded occurrence of the species in this county I know
of is one reported from Avonmouth by Mr. Wheeler in the ‘ Proceedings
of the Bristol Naturalists’ Society’ (vol. i., part 3). — H. W. MarspEn
(87, Midland Road, Gloucester.).
Mimicry of the Corn Bunting. — When birdsnesting on the Upper
Rhine, near Mulheim, I found the Corn Bunting abundantly established
on the lower grounds. During great heat the males sang incessantly (their
mates were sitting), perching indifferently on the ground, on low bushes
and rails, on the tops of walnut trees, and on the telegraph-wires. Their
song seemed to be identical with the dialect of those I had met with at
home, with a single exception. On June 19th a Corn Bunting perching on
a telegraph-wire poured forth a liquid and sweet song, embodying the notes
of the Crested Lark, which latter species is resident, though scarce, in that
district. That the Reed Bunting has a good ear and can be trained to sing
the Sky Lark’s song I have recorded elsewhere, but I never suspected the
Corn Bunting of a similar capacity —H. A. MacrHErson.
Spring Moult of the Wheatear—It appears that Wheatears occa-
sionally, if not always, moult their tail-quills after their arrival in this
country on the spring migration. Many examples procured at that season
are found to have the distal portion of these feathers of a brownish black,
more or less worn at the extremity, the broad buff edges or tips carried on
their departure after the autumn moult having either entirely or almost
worn off; some again have broad, almost white, tips to the feathers, these
being at the same time black and glossy ; others have mixed tails, consisting
of feathers in both conditions. A male iu my possession, shot in Sussex on
the 7th April, has the quills of the wings and tails very brown those of the
latter being dark to the extremity, the buff feather edgings having worn off.
Another, procured on March 18th, has blacker feathers (probably to be
accounted for in this case by a difference of age), but still untipped. Of
some three examples from North Wales, shot on April 29th, one is a
female having three new tipped feathers; the others are males, one having
an entirely old untipped tail, the other one new tipped feather, and all the
rest old. A Sussex male, 7th April, bas the first four on the right side
tipped light, and another from the same locality, 19th March, which still
retains much of the brown edgings to the dorsal plumage, has all the tail-
feathers tipped, with the exception of the third and fourth on the right side,
A third male, 5th May, has the four outside feathers ou the right side dark
to the extremities, the colour being rather brown and the feathers old and
worn in appearance; the rest shorter than these, blacker in tint, new and
glossy in appearance, and all tipped with white. This last bird was clearly
moulting its tail, and I am inclined to think that all the examples showing
mixed tails were similarly engaged at the time they were procured. The
NOTES AND QUERIES. 301
old and worn appearance of the untipped feathers, and the glossy new-looking
condition and blacker tints of those beaming light tips, is common to all the
examples I have examined.—Oiver V. Apuin (Bloxham, near Banbury).
Notes from Oxfordshire. — On the 3rd of December last a friend of
mine shot a Snipe, which fell into the river and which began swimming
towards the shore. Almost simultaneously with the shot my friend heard
a noise behind him, and looking round observed a Heron rising from a very
small pond which stands between this house and the River Isis. After the
bird had ascended some sixty or eighty feet, he was seen to drop something
from his beak to the ground. My friend went up to the spot, and found a
Pike of over a pound in weight, alive, and apparently none the worse for
the treatment it had received from the Heron. After the fish had been
picked up, the Heron returned to the spot, evidently much disconcerted by
the disappearance of its prey; as for the fish, it was brought home, and
weighed, and eaten ; it tasted somewhat muddy, but the flesh was firm and
good. On several occasions a Fox has been observed located in a tree, a
willow, close to the river; when the South Oxon Hounds came here some
short time since, Reynard was knocked out of his retreat, and after a run
across country he returned to his stronghold, which he still continues to
occupy. Not very far from the same spot, and in a thorn bush fourteen feet
from the ground, a Moorhen has made her nest, where she is diligently
sitting ; it is to be hoped she will briug off her brood. Birds and beasts of
all sorts have but a poor chance of escape along the banks of this river, in
spite of any assistance my keepers may be able to afford them here.
There are other enemies, however, besides dogs and bipeds, which make
the multiplication of birds somewhat precarious. I saw an example of this
on May 26th last. Close in front of the house, where every sort of bird
comes to claim protection, a Thrush had just hatched out her young; she
had a neighbour, a Jackdaw, who was engaged in the same pursuit in an
elm tree hard by. The Jackdaw had doubtless been anticipating the ad-
vantage of having such succulent young neighbours, and I happened to be
looking out of the window when he made his assault. He lit on the grass
plot and stalked in a dignified manner to the Juniperus thurifera, where
the Thrushes were ; he flew up to the nest, and brought down one of the
little delicacies in his claws. The terror and despair of the poor parents
was pitiable. They perched on an iron railing over and above where the
operation was going on, and watched the dismemberment and the deelutition
of their offspring in helpless ‘agony. Ever and anon they both flew at the
monster; the Jackdaw only deigned to turn his head and give a warning
look, when the affrighted parents retired. One after another the brood was
disposed of, and then the marauder disappeared. The poor Thrushes flew
down to the ground when he was gone, but nothing was left. It is possible
that the nest of a Sedge Warbler was robbed by a similar bird; one day
302 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the nest contained three eggs of the Sedge Warbler and one egg of a
Cuckoo; on the following day a portion of the shells of the eggs was alone
remaining. It is worthy of remark that two Cuckoo’s eggs were found in
the nest of a Hedgesparrow, together with four of the Hedgesparrow’s own
eggs. A curious fate attended a Kingfisher which had built a nest in the
bank of a small pond in the Park. The pond stands close to the head
keeper’s house ; there are usually Ducks upon it, and the Deer and Scotch
cattle are in the habit of going there to drink. The nest was known to be
there, and the bird had been frequently seen going to the nest. One
morning a person yisiting the place found the bird with uest and eggs
crushed as flat as a pancake, and a mark of the expanded foot of a bullock
was very evidently imprinted on the surrounding mud. That Skye cattle
are not entirely innocuous to birds is further proved by the fate of a Swan
which died here in May last. These cattle, when they have calves, are apt to
become very fierce. In this case a heifer had become troublesome, and had
frightened several persons in the park. It was being driven near a small
lake, and, finding a Swan on the bank, it deliberately tossed it up into the
air. The Swan lived for several weeks, but at last died from the effects
of the treatment.—G. W. Harcourt (Nuneham Park, Oxon).
Grouse Disease.—With reference to my remarks on this subject in the
last number of ‘The Zoologist’ (p. 265), I have received the following
interesting communication from Lord Walsingham :—“ June 9th, 1887.
I read with much interest the extract from ‘The Zoologist’ which you
were good enough to send me. Among the Grouse which you examined, I
should be inclined to think (c) was the only one that had the real Grouse-
disease—namely, that in which Cobbold’s threadworm, Strongylus per-
gracilis, was found in the ceca. It has certainly occurred in some places
in the South of Scotland and in the North of England. The Duke of
Roxburgh told me that, had he been asked to do so earlier, he could have
sent up any number of birds from Berwickshire, where the disease has been
very destructive. It has now ceased in places where it was most severe, but
it must have been very partially distributed. My moors in Yorkshire have
been quite free from the true epidemic, although a few birds died from some
cause or other after last shooting season: perhaps a stray shot may have
accounted for one or two. As I am on this subject, I send you two memo-
randa made after a conversation with Lord Ormathwaite a few days ago, one
of which bears upon the question of featherless legs. He tells me that in
August, 1872,—the great Grouse year,—when shooting at High Force,
he well remembers Raine, the head keeper, after a day iu which. nearly
1000 brace were killed, holding up a fat plump bird, one of two killed
that day, with no feathers on the legs, and saying, ‘I shall not see
any of you gentlemen here for three years to come.’ This prophecy
of the sweeping effects of the disease which he had detected was fullilled
NOTES AND QUERIES. 303
to the letter. Lord Ormathwaite also tells me that he once asked
his old stalker, Donald Fraser, at Fannick, Ross-shire, how long ago
he had first known the Grouse to die of disease in any large numbers.
His answer was that ‘he well remembered when he first knew it. He
was herding cows in the Reay country, and saw packs (probably meaning
large numbers) of Grouse all lying dead; and when he came home and
told the people what he had seen, the same day the news of the battle
of Waterloo arrived.’ So here is pretty good evidence that the disease, or
at least some very destructive epidemic, is no new thing. Moreover, this
fixes the time of year as the same in which the present modified outbreak
commenced.”—F. Jerrrey Bett. [See Dr. Klein’s Report on the Grouse
Disease, in ‘The Field’ of July 23rd ult.—Ep. |
Hybrid Greenfinch and Linnet.—The interesting notes on hybrid
Greenfinches furnished to ‘ The Zoologist,’ by my friend Mr. J. H. Gumey,
jun., tempt me to record the fact that such a hybrid was interviewed by
myself and two ornithological friends, while nesting on a moor near
Aberdeen on June 29th. The bird in question was feeding, when first
observed, upon a patch of growing turnips, of which some trusses bore
yellow flowers, while others had run to seed. This hybrid was feeding so
greedily upon the green seeds that we approached within a couple of yards
before he took wing. He was solitary, and had probably been hatched
the previous year. We revisited the spot the following day, but he had
departed.—H. A. MacpHErson.
Redstart laying spotted Eggs.—Never having seen, or heard of,
a spotted egg of the Redstart, I was very much surprised last summer at
taking a distinctly spotted variety of the egg of this bird. The hen
Redstart was seen leaving the nest, which was built in a stone wall. This
summer I have again taken a spotted egg; both cock and hen Redstart seen
continually. In both cases the greater number of the eggs in the set were
quite spotless. The markings are sparsely distributed over the broad end,
as in eggs of the Wren. The two localities in which the nests were found
are over four miles distant from one another, so I do not think it likely
that the eggs were laid by the same bird—E. W. H. Brace (Cheadle,
Staffordshire).
[Eggs of the Redstart “ with a few faint reddish specks” are noticed
in the fourth edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ vol. i. p. 331.—Eb.]
Hawfinch nesting in Kent.—Several young Hawfinches were seen
flying about in the Cemetery here in June. One of the old birds was with
them.—Henry Lams (Maidstone).
Cirl Bunting breeding near Godalming.—It will perhaps interest
your readers to know of the breeding of the Cirl Bunting in this locality.
About ‘the middle of May a nest was shown me by the caretaker of the
3804 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Godalming Cemetery, which adjoins this house; it was built in a small
yew tree close to one of the paths, and was composed of bents, mixed with
a little moss, and was lined with finer bents and some hair; it contained
four eggs of a dull white, tinged with grey, and streaked and blotched with
liver-brown. The nest was interfered with, one of the eggs was taken, and
the old birds forsook it. Having become aware of this I removed the nest,
but I was able to save only one of the eggs, which had been sat upon for
some days, and that one is in but a shattered condition. Since then the
same pair of birds have built a second nest, about a hundred yards distant
from the first, among some twigs growing out of the trunk of an elm tree,
and a foot and a half from the ground. When I first saw it (on June 18th)
it had four eggs which were almost ready to hatch; last week there were
four young ones in the nest, but yesterday morning (June 27th) I found
that two of the four—the cause I know not—were dead. I may add that
both my son and I have spent some time in watching the old birds. Hach
takes a share in feeding the young; when alarmed each utters a single
note which is repeated several times; also, when disturbed, the female
flutters along the ground as if hurt. The birds are not at all shy, but
continue to carry food—which appears to consist of caterpillars—to their
young whilst we are standing a few yards off. I observe that in the second
edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ it is stated that the Cirl Bunting has
been found in Surrey, near Godalming; and in the last edition of the same
work it is said to breed in Surrey; but I have not noticed any specified
instance of its doing so, and that is why I send you this account. The
second nest is precisely similar to the first. It may be well to add,
again, that I have been for many years a diligent observer of birds and of
their habits, and that I am quite certain the bird in question is the Cirl
Bunting, for with careful scrutiny of its plumage it is impossible to
mistake it—Hrnry Benson (Rector of Farncombe).
Curious site for Chiffchaff’s Nest.—On the 4th of June last I found
a nest of the Chiffchaff, containing three eggs, built in a holly-bush quite
five feet from the ground. The nest was very loosely built, and came to
grief before the young birds were reared. The old Chiffchaff was seen
and clearly identified—E. W. H. Braga (Cheadle, Staffordshire). —
Long-eared Owl laying in Rook’s Nest.—In March, 1886, a friend of
mine, while collecting a few Rook’s eggs near Barnborough, Northumber-
land, found a nest containing three eggs of the Rook and one of the Long-
eared Owl. ‘There can be no doubt about the latter, as the old Owl was
seen to fly from the nest.—Rirey Forruns (Harrogate).
The Missel Thrush occasionally a Bird of Prey.—-With reference
to the note under this heading (p. 263), I may mention that I obtained a
pair of Missel Thrushes from a nest in May last year, aud one of the
NOTES AND QUERIES. 805
birds—a handsome cock—is still in my possession. I have been in the
habit of giving him all my young dead Canaries, if only two or three days
old, and he has eaten them with considerable relish, bolting them whole:
the young Thrushes being larger could not be so readily swallowed, and
therefore would necessarily have to be pulled to pieces.—A. G. BUTLER
(British Museum Nat. Hist.).
Nesting of the Common Sandpiper.—Although the following facts
are mostly at second-hand, they may be of interest to some readers of
‘The Zoologist.’ The Common Sandpiper, 7. hypoleucus, disappears from
the banks of the Severn in this neighbourhood about the middle or end of
May, and I hear that it also leaves the lower reaches of the Wye—say from
Ross downwards—about the same time. It is not rare during early spring
on both rivers. Doubtless these birds move up-stream to breed on the
banks of the higher waters and tributaries of both these-rivers. It is found
breeding annually on the banks of the Lugg; and Dr. Williams, of Kings.
land, has this year brought a somewhat remarkable fact to my notice. The
nest is usually placed on the shingle and mud thrown up by the river, and
which becomes covered with docks and other coarse herbage. During the
last two seasons all the eggs have been destroyed by floods, and this year
a complete change of habit has taken place. Every nest except one—
possibly that of a new arrival in the district—has been placed out of reach
of any possible flood, some being sixty yards from the water, others in a
wood on a steep hillside, and one even placed in the head of a pollard
willow. An Ayrshire correspondent has sent me some fine clutches of only
three eggs each, and he suggests the fact of four (the usual number) not
being laid may be attributed to stormy weather. Has this been noticed
elsewhere ?—H. W. MarspeEn (Gloucester).
Note on the Ring Ouzel.—On June 13th, at Castleton (Derbyshire),
hearing a great noise from two Ring Ouzels, 1 watched them going to a
nest, from which one of them (the other looking on from close by) twice
took eggs to the grass near, where he began to eat them. I afterwards
climbed to the patch of grass, and found one of the eggs finished, the other
(quite fresh) only half eaten. The eggs in question were either Blackbird’s
or Ring Ouzel’s. I was unable to reach the nest. As this fact of Ring
Ouzels robbing a nest for the sake of the eggs is is strange to me, I thought
it worth communication.—ALrrep F. Buxton (5, Hyde Park Street, W.).
A new Egg-drill.— Several correspondents having written to me
asking about the egg-drill mentioned in ‘ The Zoologist’ for June, IT beg to
state that the full address of the firm from whom it may be obtained is
«The Dental Manufacturing Company,” 6 to 10, Lexington Street, Golden
Square, London, W. In ordering they should ask for No. 65 in “ Ash’s
Catalogue,’ and particularly mention that it is to be sharp-pointed. ‘They
306 THE ZOOLOGIST.
charged me Is. each, and for the instrument with a half-inch diameter,
which they had especially to make for me, 4s. 6d.—Hurpert Laneton.
A singular Bird’s Nest.—The ‘ Continental Times’ of July 13th states
that a bird’s nest, made wholly of long spiral steel shavings, without the
least particle of vegetable or animal fibre, has been found at Solothurn,
in Switzerland, the centre of a large watch manufacturing district. It has
been preserved in the local museum.
Unusual Site for a Flycatcher’s Nest. — The Spotted Flycatcher
almost invariably makes a nest for itself, but this summer a pair of these
little birds have hatched out their young in an old Missel Thrush’s nest
here. The site seems to be sufficiently curious to be worth notice.—
Dare. SrerHens (Trewornan, Wadebridge).
Nightingale singing in July.—On the 2nd of July, and again on
the 8th, I heard the Nightingale singing on the wooded banks of the
Medway above Maidstone.—HEnry Lame (Maidstone).
[This is a late date at which to hear a Nightingale. The song
generally ceases by the end of the first week in June. The young birds
being then hatched, the old ones busy themselves in getting food for
them.—ED.]
REPTILES.
Coloration of the Viper.—The remarks of my friend Mr. Lodge
(p, 271) have revived my interest in Vipers, and I should like to express
my accordance with his view, that the colour of Vipers bears little or no
relation to the colour of the soil on which they live. In the Forest of
Fontainbleau, and in Auvergne, a good many Vipers occurred to me some
years ago. The usual ground-colour was a bronze or olive-brown, and
I never met with the red variety. But in Auvergne a beautiful French-grey
variety was found upon the same ground as the bronze examples, and
seemed almost as abundant. The fact was impressed upon my mind by
three rather severe bites incurred in the capture of a lively grey specimen.
This grey variety has never come under my notice in Great Britain.—
H. A. Macpnerson (8, Kensington Gardens Square).
Mode in which Vipers are killed by the Hedgehog.—-M. Ferdinand
Coste, of Lacanche, in a letter to the French journal ‘1’Eleveur,’ writes as
follows :—“ Everyone knows that the Hedgehog is a sworn enemy of
reptiles in general and of the Viper in particular; but few perhaps are
aware in what way he contrives to overcome so recalcitrant and dangerous
an enemy and make a meal of it. My keeper was going his round this
summer in a wood which is unfortunately infested with Vipers, when he
espied an enormous one asleep in the sun. He was on the point of killing
it with a charge of shot, when he perceived a Hedgehog coming cautiously
NOTES AND QUERIES. 3807
over the moss and noiselessly approaching the reptile. He then witnessed
a curious sight. As soon as the Hedgehog was within reach of his prey
he seized it by the tail with his teeth, and as quick as thought rolled
himself into a ball. The Viper, awakened by the pain, at once turned, and
perceiving his enemy made a terrific dart at him. The Hedgehog did
not wince. The Viper, infatuated, extends itself, hisses, and twists with
fearful contortions. In five minutes it is covered with blood, its mouth is
one large wound, and it lies exhausted on the ground. A few more starts,
then a last convulsive agony, and it expires. When the Hedgehog
perceived that it was quite dead he let go his hold, and quietly unrolled
himself. He was just about to begin his meal and devour the reptile, when
the sight of my keeper, who had approached during the struggle, alarmed
him, and he rolled himself up again until the man had retreated into the
wood. The Hedgehog, then, did not exactly kill the Viper, but compelled
it to kill itself by darting against his sharp spines.”
Slow-worm attacked by a Missel Thrush.—One day last summer,
while driving to Dorchester, I noticed a little cloud of dust rising from the
road. On drawing nearer I saw it was caused by a Missel Thrush, Turdus
viscivorus, which held a struggling Slow-worm, Angwis fragilis, and was
pecking at it with all its might and main. When I got quite close, the
Thrush flew away, and the Slow-worm slowly wriggled off. When searching
for beetles I have often found Slow-worms under the loose bark of fallen
trees.— C. W. Date (Glanville’s Wootton, Sherborne).
FISHES.
Tunny at Penzance.—On July 11th a small Tunny, Orcynus thynnus,
Day, was brought to me. It measured two feet six inches over all, and
turned the scale at 201bs. It was taken by hand embayed in a salt-water
pool in the rocks at Newlyn, in this Bay. The stomach was gorged with
pilchards. The flesh had all the appearance of dark bull-beef. My friends
and myself dressed portions of it by several methods, with the following
results :—Stewed, it was delicate and good; broiled, it was coarse, but
palatable; baked in oil and vinegar (“ marinated”), it was very good. In
every case the taste of the fish was pronounced to be between that of
mackerel and salinon, but not so good as either of these fish separately. —
‘Tomas Cornisu (Penzance).
A Man killed by a Swordfish.—The schooner ‘ Venus’ is a small
vessel of about twelve tons, owned and commanded by Franklin D. Langs-
ford, of Lanesville, Mass., with a crew of three men, engaged in the general
fisheries off the coast of Massachusetts. On August 9th Capt. Langsford
sailed from home in pursuit of Swordfish. About 11 a.m., when eight
miles north-east from Halibut Point, in ipswich Bay, a fish was seen. ‘The
808 THE ZOOLOGIST.
captain, with one man, taking a dory, gave chase, and soon harpooned the
fish, throwing over a buoy with a line attached to the harpoon, after which
the fish was left and they returned to the vessel for dinner. About an
hour later the captain, with one man, again took his dory and went out to
secure the fish. Picking up the buoy, Captain Langsford took hold of the
line, pulling his boat toward the Swordfish, which was quite large, and not
badly wounded. The line was taut as the boat slowly neared the fish, which
the captain intended to lance, and thus kill it. When near the fish, but
too far away to reach it with the lance, it quickly turned and rushed at and
under the boat, thrusting its sword up through the bottom of the boat
twenty-three inches. As the fish turned and rushed towards the boat the
line was suddenly slacked, causing the captain to fall over on his back;
and, while he was in the act of rising, the sword came piercing through
the boat and into his body. At this time another Swordfish was in sight
near by, and the captain, excited and anxious to secure both, raised himself
up, not knowing that he was wounded. Secing the sword, he seized it,
exclaiming, ‘“ We've got him, any way!” He lay in the bottom of the
dory, holding fast to the sword, until his vessel carae alongside, while the
fish, being under the boat, could not be reached. Soon the captain said,
“T think I am hurt, and quite badly.” When the vessel arrived he went
on board, took a few steps and fell, never rising again. The boat and fish
were soon hoisted on board, when the sword was chopped off to free the
boat, and the fish was killed on the deck of the vessel. The fish weighed
245 pounds after its head and tail were cut off and the viscera removed ;
when alive it weighed something over 300 pounds. Captain Langsford
survived the injury about three days, dying on August 12th, of peritonitis,
the sword having penetrated his body to the extent of seven inches, and
entered the pelvic cavity. The sword has been deposited in the U.S,
National Museum.—W. A. Wrtcox (in a letter to Prof. S. F. Baird), Bull.
U.S. Fish Commission, 1887, p. 417.
Crenilabrus exoletus at Penzance.—Early in May, ina crab-pot in
about ten fathoms of water, I took a Rock-cook, Crenilabrus ewoletus. It is
not a rare fish here, but is rarely observed, and I note it on account of its
exceedingly brilliant colouring. The ultramarine-blue stripes over and
below the eye throughout the whole length of the head, were followed along
the back by markings, following the edges of the scales, of a similar blue,
intermixed with bright iridescent-green. The base of the pectorals and of
the caudal were similarly marked, as were also three or four rows of scales
below the lateral line; and it was similarly, but in fainter colour, marked
on the belly behind the vent, the blue colour preponderating; the sides
were of a golden bronze colour, and so also were the lower sides of the
preoperculum. The dorsal and anal fins were also bright blue at the base;
the belly was of a bronzed white. ‘he fish was a male, which may perhaps
NOTES AND QUERIES. 309
at this season account for its peculiarly brilliant appearance. It possesses
the very unpleasant character of having an extremely disagreeable odour,
even whilst alive. I presume that the reason why fish are very rarely
described in their true colours by ichthyologists is that they do not see
their specimens until they are dead and have lost their colours, but this is
the brightest coloured Rock-cook I have ever seen.—Tuomas CornIsH
(Penzance).
CEPHALOPODA.
Octopus at Penzance.— During the week ending July 16th I took two
specimens of Octopus vulgaris in my nets, in about eight fathoms water. 5 oe
They were both small ones, the largest less than three feet in length. ©
Both had ink-saes full of the ordinary fluid, but they did not attempt to
‘squirt it when taken. In fact, I never saw an Octopus attempt to squirt.
One was beautifully coloured at the time of its capture, mottled light and
dark sepia-colour. ‘The other was dull self-coloured when captured, but
attained this mottled appearance as it died.~—THos. Cornisu (Penzance).
MOLLUSCA.
Secretion of a violet-coloured fluid by certain of the Limnzide.—
My friend Mr. Wm. Nelson (Leeds) noted in the ‘ Quarterly Journal of
Conchology’ for May, 1877, that Limnea stagnalis had the power of
emitting, when irritated, a pale violet-coloured liquid, which he had
noticed on taking the animal (after killing) from the shell, and also when
lifting them alive from out of the water. It may be of interest to know
that both L. peregra and L. palustris also possess this peculiar property,
which I have frequently noticed in living specimens. ‘The liquid discharge
is of a much darker colour in palustris than that in peregra.— W. E.
CoLLINGE (Springfield Place, Leeds).
Rate of Progress by Snails.—The rate of progress in the land
Mollusca is so slow, that to travel “at a snail’s pace” has become
proverbial. It would seem from experiments recently made by an American
savant, at the ‘Terre Haute Polytechnic, that the precise rate has been
approximately determined. Half-a-dozen snails were allowed to crawl
between two lines ten yards apart, when the average speed was ascertained
to be at the rate of a mile in fourteen days. The particular species of
Helix is not named. It would be well to have stated this, for doubtless
some species can travel faster than others.
CRUSTACEA.
Livid Swimming Crab at Penzance.—I have to-day taken a crab
which I must describe as the “ Livid Swimming Crab.” It precisely
coincides with the descriptions given by Bell of P. marmoreus and of
310 THE ZOOLOGIST.
P. holsatus, except in its size, which is greater than that of P. marmoreus,
being 1$in. in length, and 13in. in breadth across the carapace, and in
the colour of the carapace, which is of a dull leaden hue all over, relieved
on the hepatic regions by two corresponding crescents of little white spots.
The specimen is a male, and is in excellent condition, and my conclusion
about it is that it is merely a largely developed specimen of P. marmoreus,
as Bell suggested P. holsatus might turn out to be. Its colour makes no
difference in my conclusion. It is well known that in many of our smaller
crabs the colour of the young is quite unlike the colour of the adult in the
same species. For instance, the little many-coloured Xanthos develop
into the well-known sluggish self-coloured reddish-brown crab.—THomas
CornisH (Penzance).
INSECTS.
Wasp attacking a Tarantula.— My friend Mr. Samuel Bligh, of
Catton, Coslanda, Ceylon, writes me as follows, under date of 22nd May,
1887 :—“ On the 16th a Mason Wasp, of a large species common here,
was discovered dragging a large Tarantula across my garden-path; it had
evidently stung to numbness its huge and venomous prey, and was taking
it to its nest. The Wasp was killed; the Spider is still alive, but com-—
pletely paralysed; it weighed three drachms, the Wasp only ten grains.”
I think the above may be interesting to readers of ‘The Zoologist.’—
J. H. Gurney (Northrepps Hall, Norwich).
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
ZooLoGicaAL Society oF Lonpon.
June 28, 1887.—Prof. W. H. Ftowrer, LL.D., F.R.S., President, in
the chair.
Mr. Sclater exhibited the skin of a White-nosed Monkey of the genus
Cercopithecus, lately living in the Society's Gardens, which appeared to be
the C. ascanias of Schlegel. It had been obtained by the Rev. W. C.
Willoughby from the west shore of Lake Tanganyika, Kast Africa.
Mr. Sclater also exhibited and made remarks on a specimen of the
Pheasant from Northern Afghanistan lately described by him as Phasianus
principalis.
An extract was read from a letter addressed to the Secretary by
Mr. A. H. Everett, of Labuan, reporting the return of Mr. John White-
head from his expedition to Kina-Balu Mountain in Northern Borneo, with
specimens of some fine new Birds, Mammals, and other objects of Natural
History.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 311
Dr. Giinther exhibited and made remarks on a hybrid Pheasant, between
a male Golden Pheasant, Thaumalea picta, and a female Reeve’s Pheasant,
Phasanius reevesi. Dr. Giinther also exhibited a living hybrid Pigeon,
produced by a male white Fantail Pigeon and a female Collared Dove,
Turtur risorius.
Dr. Giinther read a report on the zoological collections made by Capt.
Maclear and the other officers of H.M.S. ‘ Flying Fish,’ during a short
voyage to Christmas Island. This island is situated in the middle of
the Indian Ocean, south of Java, and had never been before visited by
naturalists. ‘The collection, which had been worked out by the staff of the
British Museum, consisted of ninety-five specimens, amongst which were
examples of two Mammals, two Birds, two Reptiles, two Mollusks, two
Coleoptera, two Lepidoptera, and a Sponge new to Science.
Mr. F. Beddard read a paper on Myrmecobius fasciatus, in which he
described a remarkable glandular structure stretched across the anterior
region of the thorax of this Marsupial.
Prof. F. Jeffrey Bell read the sixth of a series of studies on the
Holothuridea. The present paper contained descriptions of several new
species belonging to the genera Cucumaria, Bohadschia, and Holothuria.
Mr. A. Smith-Woodward read a report on the fossil teleostean genus
Rhacolepis. The author gave a detailed description of this Brazilian fossil-
fish, which had been named and briefly noticed by Agassiz. Three species
were defined, and the author showed that the genus had hitherto been
erroneously associated with the Percoids and Berycoids. He considered it
an EHlopine Clupeoid.
A communication was read from Mr. James W. Davis, containing a
note on a fossil species of Chlamydoselachus. The author pointed out that
some teeth from the Pliocene of Orciano, Tuscany, figured and described
by R. Lawley in 1876, were referable to this newly-discovered genus of
Sharks. He named the fossil species C. lawleyi.
Mr. Frank E. Beddard read the fourth of a series of notes on the
anatomy of Earthworms. The present communication treated of the
structure of Cryptodrilus fletcheri, a new species from Queensland.
A communication was read by Mr. Roland Trimen, containing observa-
tions on Bipalium kewense, of which worm he had obtained many specimens
from gardens at the Cape.
Dr. Giinther gave the description of two new species of fishes from the
Mauritius, proposed to be named Platycephalus subfasciatas and Latilus
Sronticinctus.
Mr. Sclater read a note on the Wild Goats of the Caucasus, in which he
pointed out the distinctions between Capra caucasica and C. pallasi, which
had been until recently confounded together.
Mr. G. Boulenger made remarks on the skull and cervical vertebre
812 THE ZOOLOGIST.
of Meiolania, Owen (Ceratochelys, Huxley), and expressed the opinion
that these remains indicated a Pleurodiran Chelonian of terrestrial and
herbivorous habits. The peculiar structure of the tail pointed to a distinct
family (Meiolaniida).
A second paper by Mr. Boulenger contained remarks on a rare American
fresh-water Tortoise, Hmys blandingit, Holbrook, which was shown to be a
close ally of Hmys orbicularis of Kuropean fresh waters, but to present
distinct differential characters.
Mr. A. Dendy read a paper on the West-Indian Sponges of the family
Chelinine, and gave descriptions of some new species.
Mr. H. Seebohm gave the description of a new species of Thrush, from
Southern Brazil, proposed to be called Merula subalaris.
A communication was read from Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, containing
the description of a new species of the genus Calyptomena, lately discovered
by Mr. John Whitehead on the mountain of Kina-Balu, in Borneo, which
he proposed to name C. whiteheadi.
This Meeting closes the present Session. The next Session (1887-88)
will commence in November.—P. L. Scrarer, Secretary.
ENnroMoLoacicaL Socrrty or Lonpon.
July 6, 1887.—Dr. D. Suarp, F.Z.8., President, in the chair.
The Rev. W. T. H. Newman, M.A., 11, Park Terrace, The Crescent,
Oxford, was elected a Fellow of the Society.
Mr. M‘Lachlan remarked that at the meeting of the Society in October,
1886, he exhibited a quantity of the so-called “ jumping seeds” from Mexico,
containing larve of Carpocapsa saltitans, Westw. The seeds had long ceased
to “jump,” which proved that the larve were either dead, had become
quiescent, or had pupated ; about a fortnight ago he opened one of the seeds,
and found therein a living pupa. On the 4th inst. a moth (exhibited) was
produced.
The President, on behalf of the Rev. H. 8. Gorham, exhibited the
following Coleoptera, lately taken in the New Forest :—Anoplodera sex-
guttata, Fab., wholly black variety ; Grammoptera analis, Fab.; Colydium
elongatum, Fab.; and a specimen of Tachinus elongatus, Gyll., with
brownish-red elytra.
Mr. S. Stevens exhibited a specimen of Orsodacna humeralis, Latr.
(lineola, Panz., var.), taken by him at Norwood: he also exhibited a
specimen of the same beetle taken by him fifty years ago in Coombe Wood ;
during the interval he had never seen it alive.
Mr. G. T. Porritt exhibited, on behalf of Mr. N. F. Dobrée, of Beverley,
a series of about thirty specimens of a T’eniocampa he had received from
Hampshire, which had previously been referred to as a red form of
PW pat of
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 318
T. gracilis. Mr. Dobrée was inclined to think they were not that species,
but T. stabilis.
Mr. A. ©. Horner exhibited the following species of Coleoptera from the
neighbourhood of Tonbridge: — Compsochilus palpalis, Esp. (5); Acro-
gnathus mandibularis, Gyll. (4); Homalota atrata, Mann., H. vilis, Er.,
and H. difficilis, Bris.; Calodera rubens, Kr.; and Oxytelus fulvipes, Er.
He also exhibited a Rhizophagus from Sherwood Forest, which appeared to
belong to a new species; and several specimens of Holopedina polypori,
Forst., also from Sherwood Forest, where he had found it in company
with, and probably parasitic on, Cis vestitus.
Mr. Elisha exhibited two larvee of Zelleria hepariella, Stn.
Mr. Stainton remarked that as the greater part of the larvee of Zelleria
were attached to the Oleacew, it seemed strange that certain species had
recently been found on Saxifrage.
Mr. Slater read a paper “ On the presence of Tannin in certain Insects,
and its influence on their colours.” He mentioned the facts that tannin
was certainly present in the tissues of the leaf-, wood- and bark-eating species,
but not in the tissues of the carnivorous beetles, and that black colour on
the elytra of certain beetles appeared to be produced by the action of iron
on tannin. A discussion ensued, in which Prof. Meldola, Mr. Poulton,
Dr. Sharp, and others took part.—W. W. Fowxer, Hon. See.
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS,
Die Waldschnepfe. Hin Monographischer Beitrag zur Jagd-
zoologie, von Dr. Junius Horrmann. Zweite vermehrte
Auflage. 8vo. Stuttgart, 1887.
Tue first edition of this book appeared in 1867, and in the
twenty years which have elapsed since its publication, considerable
advance has been made in the study of Ornithology. Not only
are there now a great many more skilled observers than formerly,
but their observations are much more systematic and thorough of
their kind. It may almost be said that more definite knowledge
has been gained on this subject during the last five and twenty
years than was acquired during the previous century. Especially
is this the case with regard to the migration of birds, the deter-
mination of their breeding haunts, the discovery of new species,
and the exposition of relationships from careful anatomical and
physiological research. With the greater facilities which now
exist for travel and exploration, naturalists have been enabled to
ZOOLOGIST.— AUGUST, 1887. 2B
314 THE ZOOLOGIST.
follow our summer migrants into their winter quarters, and to
ascertain whereabouts, and in what manner, those birds nest and
rear their young which visit us only during the winter months,
With this general advance in the science of Ornithology it is
not surprising that we have come to learn more even about so
common a bird as the Woodcock, sought after as it is not only
by naturalists and by sportsmen of every degree who are fond of
shooting, but also by that unthinking class of persons who expect
to have gibier of some kind in season or out of season, and care
not where it comes from, or how it is obtained, so long as it
appears in their ménu.
A glance at Dr. Hoffman’s monograph suffices to show that
it has been written for the two first-named classes; for the
naturalist who is fond of shooting, and for the ardent sportsman
who in the intervals of sport may like to read something of the
history and habits of a bird which, from the nature of its haunts
and its mode of flight, is at all times worth pursuit in the proper
season, and, in favoured localities, affords the most enjoyable
kind of shooting.
Commencing with some remarks upon the systematic position
of the Woodcock in the class Aves, Dr. Hoffmann gives a brief
review of the different species of Woodcock and Snipe known to
Science, with their geographical distribution, based in a great
measure upon Mr. Seebohm’s article on this subject which
appeared in ‘The Ibis’ for April, 1886, and adopting the
differentiations and trinomial nomenclature there proposed. As
Dr. Hoffman is not primarily responsible for the views which he
has thus adopted, but merely takes them upon trust, this is
perhaps hardly the place in which to criticise them, or we might
be disposed to question some of the opinions here reiterated,
and show cause for reducing the number of species enumerated.
Moreover, such a course is rendered the more unnecessary from
our expectation that in Mr. Seebohm’s forthcoming work on the
Limicole he will see reason to modify some of the views which
he has expressed even as recently asin April, 1886. We shall
at least expect to see Scolopax rosenbergi, Schlegel, identified
with Scolopax saturata, Horsfield, and Scolopax solitaria, Hodgson,
allowed to include the Japanese form which, under the trinomial
Scolopax solitaria japonica, has been raised to the dignity of a
subspecies by Mr. Seebohm in the article quoted. A closer study
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 815
of the South American Snipe, also, will probably lead to a further
revision of this difficult group of birds.
After describing the European Woodcock at length, and
noticing some of its anatomical peculiarities, such as the flexi-
bility of the upper mandible, which enables the bird to seize
more readily a worm beneath the surface which may be felt though
not seen, Dr. Hoffman discusses the question whether there is
not more than one race of Woodcock, on the ground that two
very different forms of this bird are well known to sportsmen,
namely, a large Woodcock (der Hulenkopf) of a yellowish tone of
colour, with a large head, and flesh-coloured feet; and a smaller
and slimmer bird (Steinschnepfe, Dornschnepfe, der Spitzkopf,
oder der Blaufuss), more sombre in colour, and with feet of a blue
or steel-grey colour. The former, it is said, breeds in Central
Kurope ; the latter does not, although some authorities maintain
that the differences above noted are indicative of sex only.
In a tabular form (pp. 25—32) Dr. Hoffman has given the
weight, measurements, and coloration of forty-two specimens
procured in spring (twenty-six males and sixteen females) with
critical remarks on the plumage of each, which has a special
bearing on the question whether the sexes of the Woodcock can
be recognized by any outward markings. It has often been
asserted that the sexes may be distinguished by the appearance
of the first primary, in which, it is said, the outer web is of an
uniform colour in the female, and has white or buffy-white zigzag
markings on a darker ground colour in the male. This, however,
has long ago been shown (amongst others by Gould) to be a
fallacy, and we have seen the first primary of a Woodcock which
had the markings referred to for half its length only, the remaining
half being quite uniform in colour. Thus no dependence can be
placed upon this character, which varies, not with sex, but with
age; mor’can any constant character be pointed out as an
invariable indication of sex.
One. of. the most interesting chapters in the book is that
(Chap. IV.) which deals with the life-history and habits of
this bird, including the habit of carrying its young (p. 85), its
peculiar note or call, its food, and propagation, under all of which
headings a number of useful statistics are given from personal
observation by the author or by some of his friends, as well as by
authors of note whom he cites. |
316 THE ZOOLOGIST.
In the succeeding chapter we have an account of the
geographical distribution of the Woodcock and its migrations,
including a table showing the date of its spring arrival at Stutt-
gart (Wurtemburg) and at Greifswald (Pomerania) as observed
for thirty years (1856—1886) by the author and by Dr. Quistorp,
of Griefswald, respectively. The regularity of its appearance
as noted by these two observers is remarkable, being almost
invariably during the first fortnight of March, very rarely during
the last week of February, and in two years only as late as the
Ist and 4th April, the autumn migration commencing in Northern
Europe and in the mountainous parts of Central Europe about
the end of the month of September, although later in Germany,
and, according to the weather, sometimes even as late as the
middle of November.
In Chapter VI. the winter quarters of the Woodcock are
defined with more or less exactness (pp. 108—120), and its
occasional appearance in the United States noted.
The concluding portion of the volume deals with Woodcock
shooting under various aspects, and includes some interesting
statistics in regard to the number of birds killed in different
years; while an appendix of eight pages contains an account of
the North-American Woodcock, with which species the author
became personally acquainted in New Brunswick.
On the whole it may be said that both naturalists and
sportsmen will find in Dr. Hoffman’s monograph an excellent
contribution to the history of a much-prized bird, written by one
who is evidently well qualified from his experience to deal with
the subject.
A Year with the Birds. By an Oxrorp Turor. Second Edition,
enlarged. Post 8vo, pp. 180. Oxford: Blackwell. London:
Simpkin, Marshall & Co.
_ We believe it to be now an open secret that Mr. W. W. Fowler
is the author of this very pleasant little volume, which has
deservedly reached a second edition; any doubt on the subject
may be almost certainly removed by a glance at the neat “ dedi-
cation,” which runs thus :—‘ Patri meo qui cum Aucupis nomine
aviun amorem filio tradidit.”
‘he object of the writer apparently is to show how much
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 317
real enjoyment may be gained from a study of Ornithology, even
in a city, and under circumstances which at first sight would
hardly seem favourable. The “list of birds observed in Oxford
and within a radius of four miles” (pp. 165—170) includes
upwards of a hundred different species, and, although a few of
them (like the Hoopoe) may be considered as of doubtful
occurrence, while others, like the Hen Harrier and Goshawk,
must be exceedingly rare within the radius referred to, yet it is
evident that even in close proximity to a large city like Oxford
there is an abundance of bird-life to be met with, offering an
attraction at all seasons to those who would have an object in
their walks.
It is surprising how many birds, in spite of the presence of
their deadliest enemies, boys and cats, will come into our gardens
to build their nests, if only fair opportunities are afforded them.
“An Oxford Tutor” tells us that in a garden close to his own,
wherein the owner had used: every means to attract them, there
were, in May, 1886, fifty-three nests, exclusive of those of
Swallows and Martins. The garden is not more than two or
three acres in extent, including a small orchard which adjoins it;
but by planting thick bushes and coniferous trees, and by placing
flower-pots and boxes in the branches at some height from the
ground, he inspired them with confidence in his good intentions.
The fact that a pair of Missel Thrushes reared their young there
only a few feet from the ground, and close to a stable and much
frequented walk, shows that even birds of wild habits of life may
be brought to repose trust in man by attention to their wants.
It is not often that one has an opportunity of seeing the
Grasshopper Warbler, though its note is very familiar; for it is
of such skulking habits and restless disposition that it seldom
affords more than a momentary glimpse of itself as it creeps
through the thick covert in which it delights. The author of the
present volume furnishes some interesting notes on this species
(pp. 101—108) from his own observation of it under favourable
circumstances. His attempt to sketch the local migration of
birds, as observed in the neighbourhood of a particular mid-
land village, is doubtless applicable to many other parts of the
eountry.
Nor is it only as an exponent of English bird-life that “an
Oxford Tutor” comes before us. . Vacation rambles in Switzerland
818 THE ZOOLOGIST.
have afforded many opportunities, which have been turned to
good account, for the quiet observation of some of the so-called
rarer British birds in some of their continental haunts. Com-
paratively little has been published in English on the birds of
Switzerland, and the chapter entitled ‘‘ The Alps in September”
will on this account, as well as for the information which it
affords, be read with interest by every ornithologist.
In the succeeding chapter on “the Birds of Virgil” (one of
the best in the book) we find ample proof that a knowledge of
natural history is a material aid to the proper understanding and
due appreciation of many passages in the works of this most
observant Latin poet. The brief sketch given of his home and
surroundings in early life (pp. 135—189) shows what opportunities
he must have enjoyed for a study of nature, and how well these
opportunities were subsequently turned to account :—
“The first sixteen years of his life were spent in his native
country of Cisalpine Gaul, almost under the shadow of the Alps.
His parents were ‘“‘rustic,” and he was brought up amongst the
woods and rushy meads of Mantua and Cremona. At that time
probably the great plain of the Po was still largely occupied by
those dense forests the destruction of which is said to be the
chief cause of the floods to which the river is liable. Much land
also must have been still undrained and marshy; and we can
still trace in the neighbourhood of Mantua the remains of those
ancient lake dwellings which an ancient people had built there
long before the Gauls (from whom the poet was perhaps
descended) had taken possession of the plain. ‘These woods and
marshes, as well as the land which Roman settlers had tilled for
vine or olive, must have been alive with birds in Virgil’s day.
There would be all the birds of the woods, the Pigeons, Owls,
and Hawks; there would be Cranes and Storks at the period
of their migrations, and all manner of waterfowl from the two
rivers Po and Mincio, and from the Lacus Benacus (Lago di
Garda), which is only about twenty miles distant. Later in life
he was as much in Southern as in Northern Italy. That the
first three Georgics were written, or at least thought out, on the
lovely Bay of Naples is tolerably clear from lines at the end of
the fourth Georgic. Here were all the sea-birds, and the wild-
fowl that haunt the sea; here the summer migratory birds might
land on their way from Africa. Here, from the sea and all its
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 319:
varying life, the poet’s mind would enrich itself with sights
unknown to him in the flat lands of the Padus, and grow to
understand more fully day by day the impressions—often dull
ones—which Nature had made on the poets who had sung before
him. He loved Campania and he loved Sicily; at Tarentum
also he sojourned, probably visiting the friendly and jovial
Horace. The hill-country of the peninsula and of the island
that belongs to it, became a part of his poetical soul; and
as he probably spent much of his time at his own Cisalpine
farm, after he was restored to it through his patron’s kindly
influence, be must have been constantly moving among all
the phases of Italian landscape—in the plain, on the hills, by
the sea.”
“An Oxford Tutor” criticises Virgil’s knowledge of birds,
of which some twenty different kinds are mentioned, and shows
that, although here and there we find some delusions which
were the common property of the age, his descriptions of
their habits are for the most part accurate, and happily
expressed. The classical scholar, as well as the naturalist, will
discover in this chapter much sound criticism, and very pleasant
reading.
As a tutor, the author considers that one of the most useful
aids towards education is to direct attention to the study of
natural objects, and his agreeable method of imparting infor-
mation will bring many, we cannot doubt, to his own way of
thinking.
A Bibliography of the Books relating to Fancy Pigeons. By
I’. B. Coompr Wiiuiams, with Notes on their Rarity and
Value. 8vo, pp. 20. Printed for the Author by West,
Newman & Co., Hatton Garden. 1887.
AuTHovGH nearly all the chief domestic races of Pigeons
existed before the year 1600, no English writer on the subject
appeared until John Ray, in 1678, in his edition of Willlughby’s
“Ornithology, published the first English account of fancy
Pigeons, and figured ten varieties of them.
Most English pigeon-books, and very many German and
French ones, are of comparatively recent date. Mr. Coombe
820 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Williams’s list, although it cannot be said to be exhaustive,
conveys a fair idea of the principal literature which exists
relating to fancy Pigeons, and will be very useful. Roughly
speaking, of the 140 titles, or thereabouts, which he quotes,
English writers are credited with 58; German (including
translations), 45; French, 21; Dutch, 3; Latin, 3; Italian, 5;
Spanish, 1; and Arabic, 1.
Amongst English books on this subject one of the rarest is
John Moore’s ‘Columbarium, or the Pigeon House; being an
Introduction to a Natural History of Tame Pigeons.’ 8vo,
pp. xiv.—60. London, J. Wilford, 1735. It is an original work,
and one to which subsequent writers on Fancy Pigeons have been
much indebted. It is of such rarity that only half-a-dozen copies
are known to exist, four of which are in the British Museum,
a fifth in the library of Mr. Esquilant, and the sixth in the
possession of Mr. Coombe Williams. In 1852 it was reprinted
by Eaton, and in 1874 by Wade, in Philadelphia, the latest
edition being that issued by Mr. Tegetmeier in 1879. Of these
we are acquainted only with the last named, which seems un-
fortunately to be not very accurate, for according to Mr. Coombe
Williams, although purporting to be a literatim reprint it contains
more than fifty misprints! Wade's edition also is condemned as
having no pretension to be a literatim reprint.
John Moore seems to have been somewhat of a celebrity in
his day. Pope addressed a poem of ten verses to him, and he is
mentioned by Swift in “‘a letter from a gentleman in the country
to his friend in town.” His death, which occurred in 1787, is
recorded in ‘The Gentleman’s Magazine’ for that year.
Amongst other rare books on this subject in the possession
of Mr. Williams, is a curious volume in French by de Sacy,
printed in 1805. It is entitled ‘La Colombe,’ and is translated
from the Arabic, the Arabic and French texts being printed on
opposite pages. This is stated to be ‘‘ very scarce.”
To judge by these and some other rarities which we notice
in the Catalogue, Mr. Williams may be congratulated on his
collection of ‘‘ Pigeon books,” and upon his useful list of them.
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.] SEPTEMBER, 1887. [No. 129.
a
ON THE GROWTH OF ANTLERS IN THE RED-DEER
AS OBSERVED IN CONFINEMENT.
By SamMvueEL Carrer.
As you have paid me the compliment of asking me to write
down my experience of keeping Red-deer in a paddock at
Kensington, I now do so, although I feel some diffidence in the
matter, having so little to relate.
The early years of my life having been spent amongst some
of the best sportsmen in Norfolk, in what was then the business
of my life, I had excellent opportunities for making observations
on all kinds of game and animals connected with sport, the study
of which has since helped me much in my profession of animal
painter. Deer always had a great fascination for me, but as they
could not be easily approached, either in parks or in the High-
lands, I was unable to do much beyond studying their general
appearance and beauty of movement. I therefore determined to
keep some as models in connection with my studio. Having
fortunately a good old-fashioned garden (one of the few left about
here, with stabling, &c.), I was able to arrange my deer-houses
and walks, which although limited as regards space, I found quite
sufficient for my purpose, and met, I consider, with fair success.
I bred eleven young deer, or “ calves,” as they are termed, in six
years, one of the hinds being only in her first season when she
came. Having arranged their walk, which was about thirty-eight
feet long, with nine-foot pallisading and rough concrete floor,
ZOOLOGIST.—SEPT. 1887. 2c
322 THE ZOOLOGIST.
with drains and gratings to enable the man to wash the place
down every morning, I left the surface sufficiently rough to
wear their hoofs and keep them from growing too long. This is
of the first importance in keeping hoofed animals, to prevent
their becoming lame. A division was made in the centre, with a
gate so arranged that it could be opened and shut from the
outside, to separate the stag when necessary from the hinds, and
also for the safety of the man when cleaning the place when the
stag had his horns burnished. In each division there was a
separate retreat, with straw bed, hay-rack, and water-trough, and
everything was then ready for the deer, which I purchased from
Mr. Herring, the well-known dealer in deer, then living in the
New Road. One of the hinds being scarcely at the end of her
first year, she did not breed until the second season after I had
her,—that is, in her third year,—but the old hind (not her
mother, by-the-bye) had a good calf, and after that each season
they had a calf for five consecutive years. Whilst I kept them
I gave away two yearling hinds to the Zoological Society; but
I do not know what became of them, as I never saw them after-
wards, and could not learn anything detinite from the keeper,
though I did not press my enquiry.
One fine male calf, which was born in the last week in May,
1875 (the earliest, by-the-bye, I remember), I thought I would
keep, in order to see how he would turn out, and a fine deer he
made, being quite the height of the old stag at the end of the first
year. He had then begun to throw up his first points, which
were, as usual, straight ones, and were shed at the end of the
following April, or rather in the last week of that month, so that
I reckoned he was then one year and eleven months old. He
then commenced his first antlers, which, to my surprise, had nine
points, when fully up at the end of July! I might, I think, have
called him “a stag of ten,’ but the bay tine on one side was only
what is called an “ offer,” about half an inch long. I parted with
him in the following autumn to go to Richmond Park, where
I hoped to see him from season to season; but I was much
disappointed afterwards to find that they had been obliged to cut
him, for being brought up so tame, and having lost the natural
fear of man, he became too dangerous for a public park, and
would attack people, and even horses in carriages, I was told. It
was also unfortunate that when moving him they were obliged to
a a
ON THE GROWTH OF ANTLERS IN THE RED-DIEER. 325
saw off his horns, which they did by cutting off the brow-
tines close to the burr and the beam, just above, in the usual
way, and, as I was not at home at the time, the pieces were
eventually lost sight of, for at that time I had no idea of
writing or taking further notes on the subject, the deer having
been seen by all my neighbours and many visitors to my studio.
Amongst others, Mr. Tattersall, a near neighbour, saw them,
and Mr. Norman and the late Rev. John Russell, both great
stag-hunters with the Devon and Somerset Staghounds. I first
made their acquaintance and enjoyed a good season’s sport
with them, when I painted the late Master of that -pack,
Mr. Bisset, and other members of the hunt, with a stag at
bay in the Doone Valley.
Mr. Russell, I remember, was rather puzzled about the
antlers, as he always held to the theory that they progressed
more gradually, whilst I maintained that many of their deer
which they would have were seven years old were only three or
four years old, the rapid growth of the horns being due to the
fact that in that country they get such good browse in the large
covers of scrub-oak and other trees, as well as from the enclosures.
In this way getting generally better feeding than the deer in
Scotland, and having to put up with less severe winters, they are
larger and have better heads at a much earlier age. This accounts
for so many “ warrantable deer,” as they are called, being found
every season, notwithstanding so many being killed the previous
season.
I feel confident that the development of antler is more the
result of feeding than anything else, and I think my young stag
might have had “three upon top” if I had not thought it
necessary, when the horns had passed the “tray” and were
forming the top, to stop the supply of maize, on account of the
heat in the beginning of July, and the rather circumscribed
space in which they were confined, for they appeared to sutter
somewhat in consequence, the walk being open to the south
and very warm, although in the sleeping sheds the sun was
of course kept off. There is no doubt that in some herds
the deer, either from the food in their locality or from
some peculiarity in their nature, grow larger horns than those
in other herds. JI am almost convinced that the six points
indicate the proper head for a stag after shedding his first
324 THE ZOOLOGIST.
uprights, if he is a healthy animal, living under favourable
circumstances, with plenty of good browse and shelter, and on a
good soil—as, for example, in the better parts of Hertfordshire,
which centuries ago took its name (so I have been told) from the
size of “the great hertes” found there. My impression in this
respect was confirmed by a gentleman who visited my studio.
Being interested in deer, I told him about the young stag
throwing up such a large head immediately after shedding his
first uprights, and he replied that it was not at all strange, for it
was a matter of keep and comfort. He then related to me an
instance in which a congregation in church were surprised and
somewhat alarmed (I forget whether he said it was at Balmoral
or Braemar, but I think the latter) by two stags—both “ royals” —
walking in and down the middle aisle. It turned out that they
were two that had been given as calves to the children of a
farmer. Having been well nourished each threw up twelve points
immediately after shedding the first uprights; but becoming then
rather dangerous, were kept in a place of safety, but by some
accident had been let out. I only tell this as it was told to
me, and have been trying in vain to recollect the name of my
informant.
As to my own experience, there are a few things I have
noticed about deer which may be worth mentioning. It was an
invariable rule that when the hinds had shed their winter coat
and assumed their clean bright summer dress, you might in a
week, or ten days at the outside, expect the fall of the calf, and
it was the same with my Fallow-deer. But in noticing recently
the Wapiti in the Zoological Gardens, I was surprised to see
that (although each had a fine calf about a month old) the hinds
were still shedding their old coats, and that only on their legs,
face, and ears had the clean summer coat; they had got rid of
the long winter coat, but still their bodies were covered with the
shorter winter hair still falling off.
Another point I have remarked is the difference in the colour
of deer, and especially in the eye. Some are much lighter
coloured than others, and have an eye with a straw-coloured
iris; others have a dark brown eye and the red of the bodies and
the browns and grey about the face, neck, and legs much darker
in tone. So far as my experience goes, I am of opinion that the
dark deer belong to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, and
ON THE GROWTH OF ANTLERS IN THE RED-DEER,. 325
the light-eyed deer of a lighter and more mealy colour belong to
the parks and lowlands, being also larger and partaking more of
the character of the continental deer. I have noticed that Sir
Edwin Landseer painted the dark eye, which he may have selected
because it came in better from an artistic point of view, or because
he always painted Highland deer.
My stag was aged when I first had him, and was peculiar in
having odd eyes, one straw-colour, the other light blue. He was
a good stag, however, rather short and thick-set, and what I call
“mealy-faced.” The two hinds were darker in colour, especially
the younger one, with fine rich brown eyes; the calves took after
them, and the young stag had the rich brown eye, like his mother,
the largest hind. When quite young, with spotted coats, they
were so like the young Wapiti now in the Zoological Gardens
that I could not help being struck by the similarity, apart
from size. The young Wapiti, as a rule, are darker about the
face, ears, and eyes, but not more so than the young of my
small dark hind; and it is curious that the difference between
the Wapiti and Red-deer developes as they advance towards
maturity.
I am surprised that deer are not more often kept, for they are
very beautiful when viewed behind nice pallisading, and appear
perfectly happy. They do better in a limited place such as mine
than if they had a small run of grass, which only gets into a bad
state, spoils their feet, and affects their general health. I think,
moreover, my deer were also more contented at not having too
extensive a view, but only a few trees and shrubs in front of their
walks. Iam certain this would be a good plan in breeding fresh
stock for forests. The dry food which I gave them was hay and
maize, with an occasional change to oats; and for moist food
I found golden-globe mangolds the best, for I have kept these
roots stored in the outhouse all through the winter to the end of
June, and still good. This could not be done with swedes, and
the mangolds contain more moisture. In summer I gave green
tares, and grass from lawns where it could be got clean.
Besides the Red-deer I also kept a Fallow buck and four
does, which did equally well, but were not so pleasant to keep,
for they quarrelled so—not so much between the buck and does
as between the does themselves, which were constantly chasing
and biting each other.
826 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Both the calves of the Red-deer and the Fallow fawns used
to come out through the railings and lie by themselves in the
garden, and only went to their mothers for nourishment, except
at night for protection. The only accident which happened was
one killed by a large cat. It was one of the Fallow fawns, and
hearing it crying I went out, and caught the cat on its neck. As
he would not retreat more than a yard or two, I brought out my
little rook-rifle and shot him dead. It was the more astonishing
because this occurred when the fawn was more than two months
old, and a fine strong, well-grown one. It was not quite dead
when I arrived, but so injured that it could not stand, and
being a good deal torn, I thought it better to put it at once
out of pain. It was lucky they were not attacked in this way
when younger, for they were generally out in the garden, and
at-times it was a pretty sight to see them playing on the grass-
plot—three Fallow fawns and two Red-deer calves. But they
soon became bad gardeners, for they used to send the plants
flying in their races over the flower-beds as they became
stronger, and had to be kept in by wire-netting outside the iron
pallisading.
I have omitted to state that my old stag never had more than
eleven points, and one of them only an offer on one of the tops;
but I believe him to have been a very old stag when he came.
For the last year or two the tines were straight and flat, and
lacked the vigour of the curve. He might also have become a
“yoyal” if I had not been obliged, or thought it necessary, to
stop a good deal of the food in hot weather, just as the tops were
growing, because they used to stand and pant from the heat, as
the walk was without a roof and full in the sun, and in their
houses it was also very warm, so that both deer, I consider,
had the growth of horn checked. I have the old stag’s head
preserved, with his ten points; but he was going off from the
time I had him, although always a heavy deer.
SV ¢.
( 327.)
REPORT ON THE GROUSE DISEASE.*
By E. Ktern, M.D., F.R.S.
Lecturer on General Anatomy and Physiology at the Medical School of
St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, London.
Tue disease which during the spring and summer of the
present year prevailed amongst the Grouse on the moors of
Ayrshire and Cumberland is, according to the account given to
me by the keepers on the various moors, the same which visited
those parts during 1882 and at previous periods. The disease,
during the present year, commenced on all these moors about the
end of the first and during the second week of April, and lasted
in a seyere form until the end of May. During June it greatly
diminished, and by the middle of the month, although in every
one of the moors visited there were birds still affected, the disease
had so much abated that it may be said to have practically come
to a close. But I am sorry to say that this standstill seems to be
due, in some degree, to the fact that most of last year’s birds had
been almost cleared out by disease. At any rate, on some of the
moors few healthy old birds could be met with.
The symptoms of the disease in Grouse during the present
year are the same as those noticed in previous epidemics, and
I think there can be little doubt also that during this year
it is the typical and well-known “Grouse disease.” All the
keepers of the moors visited are unanimous on this point. The
birds affected with the disease show the loss of feathers on the legs,
the darker colour of the plumage on the back, the hoarse voice,
and the sluggish abnormal flight. The birds seek the water, and
when dead are generally found near or at the burnside or other
water, loch or drain, on the moors. The diseased birds which
I have examined—and this agrees with the accounts given by the
various keepers, as well as by other observers—differ in this, that
some die in a plump, others in a wasted condition.
The moors which I visited, and on which I examined diseased
birds are :—(1) Waterhead Moors, near Cumnock, rented by Mr.
L. Marshall and Mr. S. Grant; keeper, J. Sargent. (2) Craiglure
Moors, near Maybole, belonging to the Marquis of Ailsa; head
keeper, Mr. Cox; under keeper, Macdonald. (3) Kilkerran Moors,
* From ‘The Field’ of July 28rd, 1887.
828 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Kilkerran, belonging to Sir James Fergusson; keeper, Shiels.
(4) Blairquhan Moors, rented by Mr. G. Bailey Worthington ;
keeper, Tolmie. (5) Stellshaw Moors, belonging to Sir Frederick
Graham; keeper, Alexander Crow. (6) Flat Moors, rented by
Mr. Carter Wood; keeper, James Crow. (7) In addition to these
I examined a diseased bird sent from Peeblesshire.
1. WaTERHEAD Moors.—Few diseased birds to be met with.
The keeper shot a cock bird, which, by its dark plumage on the
back, its sluggish flight, and its legs bared of feathers, was
diagnosed as distinctly diseased. The bird was in a slightly
wasted condition. The post-mortem examination was made about
three hours later. The middle portion of the small intestine, and
both the cecal appendages, contained numerous teenie or tape-
worms. ‘The small intestine and cecal appendages showed three
perforations, evidently recent, and produced by shot. Through
these perforations some tapeworms were protruding. The liver
was much congested, and of a dark greenish colour, The second
bird shot on these moors was a hen bird, in fairly plump condition.
The post-mortem examination was made about three hours after-
wards. The peritoneum looked normal, except some patchy
redness in the small and large intestines. Several recent perfora-
tions were noticed on the small intestine and cecal appendages ;
from their nature they were probably caused by shot. Numerous
tapeworms were found protruding from the small intestine, and
extending freely into the peritoneal cavity. The mesentery, the
parietal peritoneum, and the under surface of the liver, were
covered with a layer of thick sanguineous exudation. The liver
was much congested and of a dark colour. The kidney was also
congested.
2. CrataLuRE Moors. — After a prolonged search, lasting
several hours, we got a diseased cock bird, which was shot by
the keeper. The bird was in a plump condition. The peritoneal
cavity was normal. The whole of the lower half of the small
intestine contained numerous tapeworms. There was patchy
congestion in many places in the wall of the small intestine. The
liver was congested and of a dark colour; the kidney appeared
slightly congested.
38. KinxErRAN Moors.—After several hours’ search, during
which time a fair number of healthy birds were met with, we came
across a diseased cock bird, which was shot by the keeper. The
REPORT OF THE GROUSE DISEASE. 329
bird was in a thin condition; bare on chest, abdomen, and
legs. The post-mortem examination was made about two hours
afterwards. Along the small intestine, which contained numerous
teenie, there were several recent perforations, some minute, others
larger, probably produced by the shots. Blood clots were found
in the abdominal cavity; these had probably been caused by
injury to a large vessel. There was sanguineous exudation on
the mesentery, on the parietal peritoneum, and on the upper
surface of the liver. Numerous tenie were protruding from the
small intestine into the peritoneal cavity, several whole tenis
and several small pieces of them being free in the peritoneal
cavity. The liver was congested and discoloured.
4, BLarrquuan Moors.—Two diseased birds were examined ;
they were shot by the keeper. One was wasted, and to all
external appearance, was considerably advanced in disease. On
opening the abdominal cavity, the parietal peritoneum, the
mesentery, and the serous covering of the intestines were found
greatly inflamed and covered with sanguineous exudation; so
was the external surface of the liver. The middle part of the
small intestine showed several perforations, probably all produced
by shot, teniz protruding from its cavity into the peritoneal
cavity; in the latter were numerous tenie. The liver was large
and much discoloured; the lungs and kidneys congested. The
second bird was, to external appearances, less diseased, and in a
fairly plump condition. The peritoneum looked healthy, but the
small intestine showed patchy hyperemia in several places. At
one of these places the wall of the intestine was particularly con-
gested and considerably thinned out, so that it required little for
a perforation. The whole small intestine was much distended by
numerous tenis, more than a dozen heads being noticed. The
liver was congested and discoloured.
5. StettsHAw Moors.—Numerous adult healthy birds were
seen, and numerous healthy and strong young ones. This was the
only moor where one might say there was a fair stock of Grouse.
During the whole day we came across only one cock bird that
could be considered, from external appearances, to be in a diseased
condition. It was shot, and found in a fairly plump state. The
peritoneum was healthy; the small intestine contained numerous
tenis, and showed in different parts congested patches. ‘The
liver was congested, and slightly darker in colour than normal.
330 THE ZOOLOGIST.
6. Frat Moors.—The first bird that I examined was brought
to me by James Crow, the keeper, who found it in a dying con-
dition. The post-mortem examination was made one hour later,
death having by this time ensued. In the peritoneal cavity there
were found free several big clots of blood, and also a little of
serous fluid; close to the left kidney were lying several blood-
clots and a mass of tapeworms. ‘These were protruding through
a hole in the middle part of the small intestine, into the cavity of
which the hinder portions of these teniz could be traced. The
small intestine showed at and near this perforation congested
patches. The liver and lung were congested, particularly the
former, which was of a dark green colour. The kidney was ina
state of extreme congestion, particularly the right kidney, on
which some big venous branches were found ruptured, and from
them blood was exuding. ‘The second bird examined was a cock
bird; it was shot because, from external appearances, it was
considered by the keeper to be in a distinctly diseased condition.
The animal was fairly plump. The peritoneum was much in-
flamed, particularly the parietal layer on the right side and the
serous covering on the intestines; sanguineous, thick exudation
on mesentery, and in right hypochondrium. The small intestine,
in its middle portion, was much distended by teniz, and on one
place opposite the right kidney there was a place noticed where
the wall of the intestine had become much thinned out and ready
for perforation. In addition to these birds, the keeper caught
two living hen Grouse, which seemed to all appearances to be in
a diseased condition. Both had the external signs of disease on
them, but were in a fairly plump condition. They were brought
to London in a living state. One was killed, the other died
after two days. The post-mortem examination of the first showed
patchy redness of the small intestine, the liver of a darkish colour.
Numerous teenie were present in the small intestine. The second
bird showed the congestion of the small and large intestines very
pronounced, and the same was observed on the pancreas. The
organ was much infiltrated with blood; the liver was enlarged,
much congested, and of a dark greenish colour. The small
intestine contained only a few teenie.
7. Through ‘The Field’ office I received a bird, which was
sent from Broughton, in Peeblesshire. The bird, when sent
off by the keeper, was still living, but it died en route. When
pad ow’ 1,°>%
REPORT ON THE GROUSE DISEASE. 331
I examined it, the day after, it was in a fairly good condition of
preservation. The small and large intestines showed a good deal
of congestion, the mesentery was inflamed, and there was a small
quantity of fluid sanguineous exudation in the peritoneal cavity.
The kidney showed great congestion, so did the lung; the liver
was much congested, and of a greenish black colour. In the
small intestine were numerous teenie. At one of the congested
points of the small intestine, the wall of the intestine was very
much thinned out and almost perforated.
From these observations it follows that all birds examined
showed, as the most constant anatomical symptoms, the conges-
tion of sonfe parts of the intestines, the great congestion and
discoloration of the liver and kidney, and in some cases also of
the lung. In some cases the peritoneum was inflamed, and there
was more or less inflammatory exudation in the peritoneal cavity.
Extravasation of blood from the kidney was observed in one bird
that had died spontaneously of the disease. In all the birds
tenize (TJ’enia calva) were present in the small intestine, in some
in great numbers; in one bird that died spontaneously only a few
examples were noticed.
Unmistakable perforation of the intestine was noticed in one
bird that had died spontaneously of the disease (from Flat Moors),
and in another bird (from Broughton), also dead spontaneously,
the intestine was on the point of perforation. The perforations
noticed in some of the birds that were shot must be left out
of consideration, since the nature of the perforation was not
incompatible with having been caused by shot.*
Comparing these observations with those of previous in-
vestigators, we find, then, that they harmonise to a great extent
with those recorded by Dr. Andrew Wilson in the ‘ Edinburgh
Medical Journal,’ and quoted by Mr. D. G. F. Macdonald in his
book on ‘Grouse Disease,’ p. 145. Mr. Wilson noticed in the
birds dissected by him a markedly congested state of the digestive
** The presence of tenie, whole and short pieces, found in some of the
birds examined by me is easily accounted for by remembering that if a
perforation of the small intestine takes place (by disease, as in one of my
birds, or by shot, as was most probably the case in several of the birds
examined), the teenie present in the intestine, by their known power of
rapid contraction, would be able to pass out into the peritoneal cavity; this
need not take more than some minutes.
332 THE ZOOLOGIST.
and respiratory organs. Prof. Jeffrey Bell, in ‘The Zoologist’ for
July, 1887, p. 265, noticed in some specimens a marked inflam-
mation of the walls of the intestine, in others a congested state
of the liver.
In ‘The Field’ of December 6th, 1873, p. 593, there is a
reference to a passage printed in the ‘ Oriental Sporting Magazine’
of January, 1829, and copied from the ‘ Greenock Advertiser,’ so
that it was probably first published in 1828—that is to say, sixty
years ago—to the following effect :—
“ Having heard a great deal said about a destructive disease spreading
devastation among the moor game of this district, we have taken some
trouble to inquire into the truth of the report, and, having ascertained it to
be correct, we afterwards caused some inquiries to be made into the nature
of the malady. From Mr. Wallace, a well-known adept in sporting matters
in this immediate neighbourhood, several Grouse, in a state of complete
emaciation, were sent to town. These were carefully dissected by one of
our medical friends, and the disease found in all of them to be tapeworm.
It is quite astonishing to observe the extent to which the disease can exist
in the feathered tribe before causing death..... Some years ago, when a
similar disease was prevalent, Mr. Wallace caused many specimens to be
examined, and in some of them life had been protracted in the animals
even after the worms had penetrated the intestines, twisted round their
outer coats, and produced such extensive suppuration in the cavity of the
abdomen, that the intestines literally floated in pus or matter.”
Now, the question presents itself, What is the cause of these
anatomical lesions? It is well known that there are a good many
theories concerning the cause of the Grouse disease; they have
very ably been put together and analysed by Mr. Macdonald in his
book on Grouse disease, quoted above. Of these theories three
deserve special reference :—The first of these was put forth by
Dr. Farquharson, who maintained—without, however, adducing
any definite facts to prove it—that Grouse disease belongs to the
category of infectious diseases. The second view is that advanced
by the late Prof. Cobbold, to the effect that Strongylus pergracilis
in the intestine is the cause of Grouse disease. And the third
view may be considered contained in the passage quoted above
from the ‘Greenock Advertiser’ of 1828. Other theories, such
as overstocking, inclement season, insufficient and bad food, &c.,
are more or less of the nature of secondary influences, such as
are known in other infectious diseases to increase or decrease the
REPORT ON THE GROUSE DISEASE. 333
susceptibility and spread of the malady, but cannot be regarded
as the causa causans.
The first theory supposes the existence in the diseased animals
of a hypothetical virus, which, by its multiplication within the
organism, sets up the symptoms and phenomena of the disease.
This virus, when finding access to a healthy bird, would here again
multiply and produce the same disorder. In many infectious
diseases the virus has been definitely shown to be some low form
of life, generally belonging to the group of species of Bacteria.
Some of these species have this great character, that they can live,
thrive, and multiply within the body (in the blood and tissues) of
certain species of animals, and by their chemical action, or other-
wise, therein produce a definite group of symptoms characteristic
of the particular disease. When they or their offspring find access
to a new susceptible body, they again multiply herein, and set up
the same diseased state. Thus some of the infectious or com-
municable diseases have been proved to be caused by a definite
species of microbes, differing in the different diseases. They are
known as pathogenic microbes, and they are distinguished from
other non-pathogenic species of microbes—though both are similar
in morphological respects—in this important particular, that the
latter have no disease-producing or pathogenic power—e. g., some
species of microbes associated with fermentative and putrefactive
processes.
The methods generally employed for the study of pathogenic
microbes are these:—(1) The blood or tissues, or both, of an
animal affected with an infectious disease should, as a first condi-
tion, contain some definite form of microbes discoverable by the
microscope; (2) these microbes, taken from the blood or tissues
of a diseased body, when transplanted on to various artificial
nutritive media, multiply thereon, and thus produce new crops;
(3) the microbes of these artificial crops, or those taken directly
from the diseased tissues, when transplanted (by inoculation or
otherwise) into a healthy susceptible animal, set up the same
disease as that from which they are derived ; and (4) in the animal
thus infected the same species of microbes must be found to exist
in the diseased tissues.
Accordingly (1) I made a careful microscopic study of the
blood and diseased tissues (liver and kidney) of Grouse dead of
the disease. Three birds were examined :—(a) the one sent from
804 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Broughton, and mentioned above, No. 7; (b) the bird that was
found in a dying condition on Flat Moors, and mentioned No. 6;
and (c) the bird that I brought to London with me, and that died
here after two days. In no instance have I been able to discover
the presence of a definite form of bacteria. Numerous micro-
scopic specimens were examined of the liver and kidney, and the
blood; they were prepared by the methods used for the micro-
scopic study of bacteria (staining with certain aniline dyes), but
no kind of bacteria was discoverable. (2) I have made a large
number of cultivations of blood on artificial nutritive media
(nutrient gelatine, Agar Agar mixture, &c.), such as are used for
this purpose in bacteriological investigations, but I have not been
able to obtain any growths. I was therefore forced to conclude
that, with our present means, no bacteria can be discovered as
having anything to do with the Grouse disease.
I directed my attention then to the second theory, that
advanced by Prof. Cobbold. The three birds which I used for
the bacterial investigation, and also the others examined, con-
tained no strongyles in their intestines, and therefore Cobbold’s
theory was not applicable to our Grouse disease.
The third theory above mentioned, namely tapeworm and per-
foration of the bowels, did seem to a certain extent to harmonise
with the observation made by myself, and recorded in a former
paragraph. And I confess it was this theory which I provisionally
accepted while in Ayrshire. But after I returned to London, and
after I had an opportunity of dissecting the two deceased birds
caught in Cumberland—one of which died two days afterwards in
London—and found no signs of perforation of the bowels, and,
moreover, in one bird only very few tapeworms in the intestine,
while the intestines, liver, and kidney showed such marked signs
of disease; and further, when I found that Mr. Crisp had stated
some years ago, in the ‘ Pathological Transactions,’ that he had
dissected several birds not dead of the disease, and that he found
in them numerous tapeworms; and finally, taking into considera-
tion that many competent anatomists had dissected birds dead of
the disease, but had not noticed any perforation of the bowels,
I had to give up this theory of the tapeworm being the cause of
the Grouse disease.
I will also state that the tapeworm theory always presented to
ine this serious difficulty, viz., how to reconcile with it the diseased
ewan ee
REPORT ON THE GROUSE DISEASE. 335
state of the liver, which I described in a previous paragraph. As
a matter of fact, most of the keepers were firm in the belief that,
in all birds dead of the malady this year and in previous years,
the liver was found, on opening the animal, in a diseased con-
dition. Others who have had experience in these matters, like
Mr. Bailey Worthington and others, were of the same opinion.
The fact that in the two diseased birds which I brought to
London, and in which the peritoneum was to all appearances
sound, but the liver and kidneys, particularly the former, in a
pronounced state of disease, presented an insurmountable diffi-
culty, and I may say, in consequence, I altogether abandoned the
theory of tapeworm.
Thus, except having learned from my own observations the
nature of the pathology of the diseased birds, I had to confess
the status quo ante.
This being the state of matters, and seeing that the liver is
the organ most constantly and distinctly affected, it was necessary
to examine this organ microscopically in order to study more
carefully the nature of the affection. ‘Two things seemed to
me to deserve special attention. In the first place, there can
be no doubt that the theory that Grouse disease belongs to the
group of infectious or communicable diseases best harmonises
with the general pathology above described, and the manner of
the spread of the disease, as observed in this epidemic and in
former years—viz., that the disease, having made its appearance
in a particular locality, gradually sweeps, as it were, over the
whole of this and the adjoining districts ; further, that the disease,
manifesting itself at first in isolated cases, soon becomes epidemic,
and then again gradually declines in frequeucy.
Secondly, the question of some species of bacteria being the
cause of the disease could not be answered in the affirmative.
But it was still possible that some other kind of fungus was the
cause of the malady, and in this case ought to be discovered in
the liver. In connection with this, it is necessary to bear in mind
that not all communicable diseases are due to bacteria. Amongst
these I may mention various forms of Protozoa, Amaba coli and
various Psorospermia (Coccidium oviforme in rabbit's liver); then
there are various higher Fungi, Favus fungus, Aspergillus flavus,
fumigatus, and niger; then several species of Mucorine, all of
which are known to be pathogenic to man and animals; then
836 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Actinomyces in cattle and man; and lastly some forms belonging
to the group of low Fungi known as Mycetozoa, Mixomycetes, or
Plasmodia. In this connection may be mentioned the important
discoveries of Marchiafava and Celli on the cause of intermittent
fever or ague. These observers have shown the existence, in the
blood of persons affected with ague, of certain forms of plas-
modium, and these are probably the cause of the disease; and
recently also Dr. D. Cunningham, of Calcutta, found in the tissue
of the so-called ‘‘ Delhi sore” (a cutaneous disorder in India),
a form of plasmodium.
Now, a careful examination, after my return from Scotland,
of microscopic sections of the liver of Grouse dead of the disease,
showed the existence, in the capillary blood-vessels and also in
large branches of the veins of the liver, of numerous objects which
do not belong, and are foreign to the normal liver tissue, as well
as to the blood, or any other tissue of the bird. In suitably
prepared specimens (hardening in alcohol, staining of fine sections
in methylene blue), every capillary blood-vessel, or at any rate
the spaces between the streaks of liver-cells usually occupied by
capillary blood-vessels, contain certain corpuscles, which are about
two to four times the diameter of the liver-cells, and of the white
blood-corpuscles. The bodies in question are present in very
great numbers, and are of various shapes—some cylindrical, others
spindle-shaped, some are irregular and with one or more pro-
cesses, while others are irregularly elongated; each consists of
a hyaline protoplasm, in which one or two oval nuclei are occa-
sionally noticed; but most of the protoplasm of the corpuscles is
filled with spherical or irregular coarse particles. The protoplasm
does not take the stain, while these particles are deeply tinted.
The impression these bodies give one is that they are some form
of plasmodium, arrested by the hardening re-agent in one or
the other phase of amceboid movement, such as is shown by
plasmodium, There.can be no question about these bodies, they
are present everywhere in the capillaries of the liver. I have seen
them also in most of the larger branches of the veins of the liver,
and here I have also met with forms which very well harmonise
with this view—viz., some forms spherical in shape, smaller
than the above, and inclosed in a distinct capsule; they would
correspond to the spores of plasmodium. Further, nucleated
corpuscles with uniform protoplasm were noticed differing from
wi. _ ae
REPORT ON THE GROUSE DISEASE. 337
white blood-corpucles in size and aspect; they were in groups of
three or four, and more or less in the process of coalescence,
such as is known to take place with the swarm-cells, derived from
the germination of the spores, in order to form a plasmodium.
That the presence of these Fungi in the blood-vessels of the
liver would at once readily explain the diseased condition of the
liver, is obvious. As to the inflamed condition of the peritoneum
noticed in some cases, this would follow the congested state of
tne liver; and the same applies to the congestion, inflammation,
and even perforation of the intestine observed unmistakably
in two cases that had died spontaneously of the disease; for the
extreme congestion of the veins of the liver might easily produce
that state, since the venous system of the intestines discharges
into the hepatic portal system. But the same Fungi may be also
present in the vessels of the intestine, and thus directly produce
the abnormal condition of this organ; but this I have not yet
inquired into.
At any rate, it will be necessary to study these bodies in the
fresh and living state, which I hope soon to be able to do; and
further, their distribution in the diseased animals, the distribution
of them and their spores on the moors, and the mode of entrance
into the birds, will have to be carefully gone into. It is evident
that on such studies will depend all preventive measures. So
much I will assert at present, that there exists in the liver of
diseased birds large numbers of corpuscles which are foreign to
the liver tissue, and which in all respects correspond to some
form of low Fungi, most probably to Plasmodia.
In conclusion, I wish to offer my best thanks for the kind
help and co-operation which I received from Sir Frederick
Graham, Bart., Mr. J. Bailey Worthington, and Mr. Leonard
Marshall. I have also to thank the following keepers :—James
Sargent, of Waterhead Moors,” Cumnock; head-keeper Cox and
keeper Macdonald, of Craiglure Moors; head.keeper Shiels, of
Kilkerran Moors; head-keeper Tolmie, of Blairquhan Moors ;
James Crow and Alexander Crow, of the Flat and Stellshaw
Moors respectively.
ZOOLOGIST.— SEPT. 1887. 2D
338 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE SISKIN,
AS OBSERVED IN THE Co. WICKLOW.
By Axuuan ELtison.
Havine observed a pair of Siskins, Carduelis spinus, near
Shillelagh, in 1885, as late as May 29th, I was led to conclude
that this species probably nested in the neighbourhood. Subse-
quent observation has enabled me to prove beyond question that
it does so regularly, and in at least one locality (the Coollattin
woods) far from uncommonly. I have also noted the curious
fact that while in most parts of the country the Siskin is scarcely
known, except as a winter visitor, the reverse is the case about
here. In spring and summer it is one of the most attractive
small birds in our woods, and passes into the open fields in early
autumn, when both old and young form small parties of from six
to twenty birds. From November to the beginning of March,
however, it is rare, appearing only at uncertain intervals and in
small numbers, apparently never remaining near one place for
any length of time.
On the few occasions when I have seen Siskins during winter
it has been almost always on the wing, flying very high and
seldom alighting, as if this locality afforded no attraction at that
season of the year. About the beginning or middle of March
they reappear in flocks, and immediately resort to their breeding
haunts—the pine woods. In early spring Goldfinches and Lesser
Redpolls associate with them in considerable numbers, the three
species traversing the pines and alders in company, in search of
food. As the season advances the Goldfinches and Redpolls
leave the pine woods and depart to their own breeding haunts in
the fields and hedges.
From what I have observed here it appears that the Siskin,
although resembling the species just named in habits, differs
from them in rearing two broods instead of one in the season.
It also builds its first nest a good deal earlier than other birds of
the same group. Of four Siskins’ nests which I have discovered
this year the first one contained young ones several days old on
April 29th—a date on which several of the Fringillide have not
even commenced to build. I have noticed many young broods of
Siskins on the wing by the third week of May or even earlier.
en ee
ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE SISKIN. 339
The first occasion on which I discovered a Siskin’s nest was
on May 21st, 1886, as announced in ‘The Zoologist’ for that
year (p. 489). This nest was built near the end of a branch, at
the top of a large Scotch fir, but was plundered either by Magpies
or Squirrels shortly after the eggs were laid. With great difficulty
I succeeded in securing the nest itself by cutting off the branch,
and gave it to Mr. A. G. More for the Science and Art Museum,
Dublin.
This year I determined to watch the Siskins closely, and to
make every effort to discover some more nests, to obtain the
eggs, and to find out as much as possible about the habits of the
birds and their distribution during the breeding season. The
result has been the discovery of four nests, two of which
I obtained with the full complement of eggs. The first nest
above mentioned contained five young on April 29th, and was
situated in a small Scotch fir, very near the top, at the insertion
of two of the lateral branches. On May 12th two young Siskins
were fully fledged and left the nest.
As I was particularly anxious to obtain the eggs, this nest
was rather a disappointment to me, but knowing that there were
many pairs of Siskins near the same part of the wood, I continued
my search in the neighbourhood of the first nest. I had seen a
pair of Siskins about a Douglas fir, and had noticed the hen bird
returning several times to a certain spot on a branch, which made
me suspect that she had selected it as a building site, though
the nest was then not yet commenced. I revisited the tree on
May 4th, several days afterwards, when I found the nest com-
pleted. It was near the top of the tree on a lateral brauch, some
distance from the main stem. On the 10th five eggs had been
laid, and the nest and eggs were then safely secured.
I subsequently discovered two more nests, both on May 24th.
One of these was built at the top of a tall lichen-covered spruce-
fir, against the main stem, and contained one young bird about
half-grown. The other nest, the fourth which I found, was
situated in a tall larch, near the end of a long lateral branch
some twenty-five feet from the ground, and when found had only
just been commenced, but must have been finished within two or
three days, for when I took it with five eggs, on June 8rd, the
eggs were already incubated. As may be imagined from its
position it was no easy matter to reach this nest; but I succeeded
340 THE ZOOLOGIST.
by fastening up the branch with a rope, so that it could not bend
or break as I made my way out along it.
All the Siskins’ nests I found this year were in Coollattin
woods, the locality where these birds abound in summer; but
that discovered on May 21st, 1886 (Zool. p. 489), was at a place
called Ballard, beside the Derry, two miles farther down the
valley. I know that Siskins have been breeding at this latter
place this year also, as I have observed both adult and young
birds there.
The dimensions of the nest now before me are :—External
diameter, about 34 in.; internal diameter, 13 in.; depth, 1} in.
The foundation and outer structure are composed of small dead
spruce twigs, while the walls of the nest are chiefly formed of
green moss, with fine roots around the margin, the whole being
bound together with wool, and smoothly lined with fibrous roots,
wool, horsehair, and a few feathers. The eggs are almost equal
to those of the Goldfinch in size, or very slightly smaller; of a
pale bluish green, nearly identical with the ground colour of a
Bullfinch’s egg, and with small specks of subdued lilac and a few
larger spots and dashes of deep purple and reddish brown. In
some the darker spots are nearly or entirely absent.
The young Siskins appear to be fed partly on Aphides, for
while watching the parent birds carrying food to them I have
observed that they gathered it from the leaves and green shoots
of the alder trees, which nearly always swarm with Aphides, as
anyone can testify who has made his way through an alder thicket
in early summer, the offensive insects falling down from the
branches in showers at the slightest touch.
I know no birds so interesting and varied in their habits as
Siskins. Their extreme restlessness makes them very difficult
to watch, for they seldom remain near the same spot even for a
few minutes at atime. They particularly affect the tops of large
fir trees, the highest point of the tallest spruce-firs being their
favourite resting-place. From such a point of vantage their call-
note, which is loud and clear, resembling the word “ glee,” is
constantly repeated. This call sometimes so nearly resembles
that of the Coal Titmouse as to be indistinguishable from it,
except by a practised ear, especially as the two species frequent
the same trees, and are often found in company. The male
Siskins are most indefatigable and pleasing songsters, and the
ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE SISKIN. 341
song is uttered from a branch, or tree top, as well as on the wing.
Frequently whilst singing the bird may be observed to dart from
its perch with an upward and somewhat circular flight, after the
manner of a Meadow or Tree Pipit, and after describing a curve
to realight at a little distance. But there is this difference, that
while a Meadow Pipit sings but once during its flight, the Siskin
often repeats its song several times before alighting, but always
changes the direction of its flight each time that it recommences
its song. This manceuvre is always accompanied by a wavering
and desultory motion of the wings, as if the bird was wounded
and scarcely able to fly—a peculiar habit which is exhibited by
the Greenfinch also in the pairing season. These flights are
often many times repeated within a few minutes, especially in the
neighbourhood of the nest, and while the female is occupied in
building. The song itself seems to include notes of almost
every other small bird, but I do not think it likely that the notes
are in reality borrowed. Sometimes it assumes a considerable
resemblance to that of the Chaffinch, but is rather harsher and
more prolonged. Then, again, the bird will sing almost without
a pause for some minutes together, introducing sounds which
resemble the notes of the Sedge Warbler, Sky Lark, Goldfinch,
Redpoll, Sparrow, and many other birds; but the most charac-
teristic part of the whole is a prolonged creaking note, with
which the song generally concludes. This is a sound which
once heard is not likely to be soon forgotten, or mistaken for the
note of any other bird. It is one of those strange bird-sounds
which, like the “drumming” of the Snipe, the “churr”’ of the
Nightjar, or the “trill” of the Grasshopper Warbler, are difficult
to describe. Another note, which is not so often heard, is a soft
chatter, which the bird generally utters as a call to its mate or
companions when about to take flight.
The male Siskins differ considerably in colour, some being of
so bright a vellow as to resemble Canaries, the throat being
jet-black, while others are greener and more dingy, the black
on the throat being nearly or entirely absent. These last are
evidently younger birds.
342 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ON THE NESTING OF THE TUFTED DUCK
IN KIRKCUDBRIGHTSHIRE.
By Rospert SERVICE.
Tur Tufted Duck has of late years been gradually extending
its breeding range in the British Islands, though I am not aware
that its greater abundance or wider distribution in the winter
months has been noticed in print.
Whatever may be the case elsewhere, it is certain that in this
district Tufted Ducks are far more frequently observed now than
they were previous to (say) 1880. Until about that period I very
seldom ever saw it, and only in certain favoured localities. Since
then it has become comparatively common, and may be observed
singly, or in small parties of half a dozen or more, every winter on
almost all the lochs of this district.
T cannot say that any corresponding increase in number has
been noticed on the Solway Firth. On the Kirkcudbrightshire
Solway it is very uncommon. Mr. Armistead states (‘ Naturalist,’
1886, p. 72) that he has seen two which were killed on the Firth,
but that it is decidedly rare. In reference to this remark the
Rey. H. A. Macpherson subsequently wrote (p. 150) that “ The
‘Tufted Duck is fairly common on the upper parts of the Solway.”
Owing to the different meanings evidently attached to the word
“ Solway,” we are left in doubt whether the actual waters of the
Firth are meant or not. The authors of the ‘ Birds of Cumber-
land’ characterize it as ‘‘a winter visitant, constantly present
with us from November to April, and tolerably plentiful near the
Solway, being less frequently met with far inland.”
There is a prevalent idea amongst sportsmen here that it is
one of the hard-weather fowl, and perhaps formerly this notion
had some foundation, but for several years past this duck has
made its annual appearance in winter in considerable numbers,
quite irrespective of weather. Sir Wm. Jardine has remarked :-—
“On the Solway we have observed it in a much less proportion
[than the Scaup]j, and only in small parties together. Its
describers consider it more lacustrine than the Scaup, and we
have frequently shot specimens in the Annan, fifteen or twenty
miles from the sea; the weather, however, was always severe
ON THE NESTING OF THE TUFTED DUCK. 343
when this bird appeared” (Brit. Birds, vol. iv. p. 143). Much the
same opinion has been expressed by Gray and Anderson in rela-
tion to the Tufted Duck in two of the neighbouring counties :—
“Strictly a winter visitant, frequenting the open sea in fine
weather, and coming up the larger rivers during storms” (‘ Birds
of Ayrshire and Wigtonshire,’ p. 46).
In all the references to this bird in our own and neighbouring
districts, no observation is made of its increasing frequency in
winter, nor—except where a hope is expressed by Messrs. Mac-
pherson and Duckworth (op. cit.) that it may yet be found breeding
in Cumberland—is there any allusion made to its nesting.
Last year I observed two pairs of Tufted Ducks frequenting
Lochratton, a loch a few miles west of Maxwelltown, during May
and June, and there is a strong suspicion that at least one of the
pairs nested, but I could not obtain any satisfactory proofs of it.
On the 23rd May of last year I saw a pair of Tufted Ducks on
Loch Ken. This year there were three of the same species
on Preston Merse, below Southerness, on May 15th; and during
the past breeding-season I have made frequent visits to Loch-
ratton for the purpose of observing a couple of pairs of Tufted
Ducks which again remained about the Loch after the other
Tufted Ducks, Goldeneyes, and Pochards had left. On the 24th
May their actions plainly showed them to be preparing for
nesting. Several days afterwards only one pair remained, and
these were seen together frequently till nearly the end of June.
On July 2nd I saw the male only, the female evidently having
commenced to hatch, but the place being strictly preserved
whereon the nest was likely to be, no attempt was made to find
it. On the 2lst July the female appeared out on the Loch
surrounded with a brood of eight young ones, which at a little
distance looked quite black. They were a few days old, so they
had been hitherto concealed amongst the reeds, or they may
have come down one of the burns.
A week later I again saw them, but in the interval they had
decreased to five, the three missing ones having probably been
taken by Pike, with which the Loch abounds. We approached
in a boat to within less than ten yards before the mother duck,
thinking her safety compromised, rose and spluttered along the
water, feigning inability to fly properly till she was forty or
fifty yards off, when she sat down on the water pecking at her
344 THE ZOOLOGIST.
feathers, and trying to look quite unconcerned, but every now
and then uttering a guttural sound like “ kuruk,” casting a glance
back to where the young ones were diving incessantly, in a vain
and most absurd-looking endeavour to hide themselves. She
several times flew back to within eight or nine yards of the boat,
and repeated the same manceuvres as before. When we left the
place, she gathered her brood round her, and made off quickly to
the shelter of the reeds.
It is satisfactory to add that this first recorded instance of
the breeding of the Tufted Duck in the Stewartry of Kirkeud-
bright has been well authenticated without infringing the Wild
Birds Protection Act by taking the life of any of the birds in
question.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
To purify Water in an Aquarium.—'There is an easier method of
keeping pure the water in a small aquarium than the chemical plan
suggested at p. 292. No doubt the snails do good scavenger work, but the
important point is to keep the water charged with ordinary atmospheric
air. This can be done by the use of an ordinary pair of bellows for a few
minutes twice or thrice a day. There is no mistaking the pleasure with
which the fish receive a good blowing up.—T. Cornisu (Penzance),
MAMMALIA.
A Herd of Red-deer from a single Hind.—The following information,
derived from letters addressed to Professor Flower by Mr. J. A. Houblon,
of Hallingbury Park, Bishop Stortford, has been kindly placed at our
disposal for publication in ‘ The Zoologist’ :—‘* A Red-deer hind was hunted
by Mr. Petre’s hounds into this neighbourhood and lost in 1875. I was
walking soon afterwards through the Forest (Hatfield Broad Oak) when
I saw the hind with a male calf at her foot. Since 1877 she has had one
calf every year, except one, though no stag, except her own offspring, has
been seen in the Forest since she was lost and left there. Two young
harts got drowned on going to drink at a muddy place from which they
were unable to extricate themselves. In 1881 we killed and ate a five-year
old stag thus reared, and another last year. The heads of these are good
average heads, and are now hung up in our hall. They have each of them
ten points, and neither of them showed any signs of degeneracy that we
could perceive. There are now (May 28th, 1887) five Red deer in Hatfield
NOTES AND QUERIES. 345
Broad Oak Forest, all of them sprung, as we believe, from this solitary
hind.”
Cat attacked by a Swallow.—Whilst walking in my garden not long
ago my attention was drawn to an unusual screaming of Swallows, and on
turning around I perceived my little kitten looking very frightened and
uncomfortable in the drive, about thirty yards from the house. To my
surprise this was caused by a Swallow which swooped down several times
and actually touched the Cat, making her jump round in a most ludicrous
fashion. The movement of the bird was so rapid that I could not see if it
touched the Cat with its beak or claws, but it certainly did with one or the
other. Poor Puss seemed too startled to move at first (except simply to
look round at the same spot), but eventually she fairly bolted with tail erect
(after the manner of Cats when Tim the Terrier is after them), closely
pursued by the Swallow until out of sight. I fetched Kitty again, and
placed her on the same spot, but directly she heard the scream of the
Swallow away she went as fast as her legs would carry her. I have often
seen Swallows hover and heard them scream around a Cat, but never before
saw one venture so close.—J. G. Hamutine (The Close, Barnstaple).
White Stoat in August.—I recently examined in the flesh a pure
white Stoat (Mustela erminea), which was shot by Mr. J. S. Phillips, of
Llandovery Court, Usk, on August 83rd, and forwarded by him with another
of the normal colour to the Editor of ‘The Field.’ August 3rd is an
unusually early date at which to find a Stoat in complete winter pelage,
and in this case there was no trace anywhere of the brown colour which go
often appears (even in mid-winter sometimes) in little patches on the head
or back, the fur being of a uniform pale yellowish white. It was still
further remarkable in having no black tip to the tail, a peculiarity which I
have never before observed in any Stoat killed in this country, although
such variation from the usual type, I believe, has been noticed occasionally
in the northern parts of North America and Canada. In the specimen
now referred to, which was one of average size, the eyes were not pink, but
of the usual dark brown colour. It has been preserved for exhibition in
the Natural History Museum, South Kensington.—J. E. Harrina.
Hedgehog eating Swedes. — My brother, the Rev. W. Bond, of
Edgton Vicarage, Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire, writing to me on July 2nd,
says:— Another thing I have lately heard is news to me, but which
I have no doubt is perfectly true, as I have heard it from two respectable
persons. Directly opposite my house was a field of swede-turnips last
winter. The farmer noticed that some animal was taking great liberties
with them; thinking rabbits were the delinquents, he set some snares, but
had no success. A small spinney runs along one side of the field, which
the landlord reserves, and it is under the charge of a woodman. The
346 THE ZOOLOGIST.
farmer desired this man to set some steel traps (which are commonly used
in these parts, notwithstanding the illegality), and in a very short space of
time he caught over twenty Hedgehogs. After this no more turnips were
eaten.” I see that Bell says Hedgehogs will readily eat vegetable
substances, and I know that tame ones will eat boiled potatoes and
cabbage. Gilbert White, in his 27th letter to Pennant, observed that
they eat the roots of the plantain in his grass-walks. If so, I do not
wonder at their eating swede-turnips, which I fancy would be much more
palatable—F. Bonn (5, Fairfield Avenue, Staines).
[With regard to plantain roots, the author of the ‘ Letters of Rusticus
discovered that the destroyer was not the Hedgehog, but a night-eating
caterpillar. See Harting’s edition of White's ‘Selborne,’ p. 91, foot-
note. -—Ep.]
A Badger in Birmingham.—lIt may interest some of your readers to
know that a specimen of this comparatively rare animal was dug out of a
hole recently in some sandhills in the neighbourhood of Chad Valley,
Edgbaston, which is in the borough of Birmingham. It had been com-
mitting great depredations among the poultry for some time past, until its
presence was at last suspected. A Fox was shot in the same locality last
spring.—W. Harcourt Bara (Ladywood, Birmingham).
The Bats of Merionethshire.—Natterer’s Bat, Vespertilio Nattereri,
may be added to the species mentioned by Mr. Caton Haigh in the August
‘ Zoologist’ (p. 293) as inhabiting this county, on the authority of the late
Mr. Wm. Thompson, of Belfast, who took a specimen in the ruins of
Harlech Castle in July, 1835, as recorded in his ‘ Natural History of
Treland’ (vol. iv. p. 2), and in the Zoological Society’s ‘ Proceedings’ for
1837, p. 52.—J. HE. Kensaxu.
BIRDS.
Unusual Site for a Flycatcher’s Nest.—A very similar occurrence to
that mentioned by Mr. Darell Stephens (p. 306) came under my notice
last year. In this case a pair of Spotted Flycatchers made a neat little
nest inside an old Thrush’s nest, which was placed on a horizontal bough
of a beech about ten feet from the ground. I thought this so unusual and
interesting that I made a sketch of it. When I left there were three
fledged young ones in the nest.—G,. E. Lopes (5, Verulam Buildings,
Grays Inn).
Curious Capture of a Snipe.— Cn coming home from a drive one day
in July last I was told a boy with some birds wanted to see me. On being
sent up he said, “I have brought two young Snipe and an old one”
(which he had in his hand). I said, ‘Is she hurt?” ‘* No, not a bit, sir.”
“How did you get her?” ‘ Well, I saw her with her two young ones in
NOTES AND QUERIES. 347
our garden. I caught the young ones and put them in a canary cage,
and tied a piece of string to the door and hid myself: in about ten minutes
she came, and after a bit went into the cage, and I pulled the door to.” I
gave him a shilling, saying, “ Are you satisfied?” “Yes, sir.” I replied,
tossing the Snipe up, “So am I; andI am sure the Snipe is.” The two
young ones are now in Mr. O. V. Aplin’s collection of birds in down.—
J. W. Wuiraxer (Rainworth Lodge, Notts).
Pied Puffin and Razorbill at St. Kilda.—Those of your readers who
are interested in abnormal plumage may be glad to know that among the
seafowl snared by the men of St. Kilda last June occurred a Razorbill and
a Puffin, in each of which the upper parts were pied with white. This I
learn from the late schoolmaster there, Mr. Murray, whom I first met on
the island last year. Mr. Murray tells me that the Razorbill is the only
pied specimen that has ever been taken at St. Kilda. ‘“ The pied Puffin,”
he continues, “is not such a rarity in St. Kilda. They see one or two
pied Puffins every year. This one was killed on Boreray during the first
week of June."—H. A. Macpurrson.
[In ‘The Zoologist’ for 1872 (p. 8279) Lieut.-Col. Feilden, in an
article on the Birds of the Feroes, remarks that white varieties of the
Puffin are not unfrequently seen there. Two were in the collection of
Herr Miiller, and he saw a beauty in the flesh brought from the island of
Naalsoe on the 17th June: it was pure white with black eyes, and one
single black feather on the breast; the legs and bill were of the ordinary
colour.—Eb. }
Open Nests of the Starling, Stock Dove, and Tawny Owl,—A
Starling’s nest was found on May 5th at Gatton, in Surrey, in an ivied
spruce-fir, some thirty feet up, the peculiarity of which was that it was a
cup-shaped nest open to the sky. I never remember to have come across
one like this before, though they are not unknown to the much greater
birds’-nesting experience of Professor Newton, ef. Yarrell B. B. (4th ed. ii.
p. 282, note). On an adjoining tree we found an open Stock Dove's nest,
built like a Wood Pigeon's. All the Stock Dove's nests I have seen before
were in holes. I have also seen three Tawny Owls’ nests this summer
which were quite open, one in the crotch of an oak, and two in the tops of
the stumps of decayed broken alders; two of them were in Norfolk and
one at Whitley, in Surrey.—J. H. Gurney, jun. (Keswick Hall, Norwich).
[Two or three instances of Tawny Owl's eggs being found exposed to
open view have come under our notice. Mr. C. B. Wharton some years
ago found eggs of this bird laid on the top of a heap of fir-needles, only a
foot or two from the ground.—Ep.]
Attempt to keep the Sand Martin in confinement.—Whilst in Kent
last July, a man brought me tive young Sand Martius which he had just
348 THE ZOOLOGIST.
taken from their nest. The burrow from which they had been taken
having been destroyed, and the birds themselves being too young to fly, L
determined to do my best to keep them alive. The idea of giving them
their natural food being out of the question, I mixed up for them a paste
consisting of four parts fig-dust and pounded dog-biscuit, two parts pea-
meal and yelk of egg, and one part ants’ eggs; but it was quite a week
before they would take this food from a feeding-stick, and the task of
opening their mouths for every morsel was one which I should not care to
repeat. After about ten days, all five fed themselves greedily from a small
glass pot of food, and I then turned them into a large flight-cage, hoping
that they would take sufficient exercise to keep them in health. In this,
however, I was disappointed, for, although at first they took short flights
and roosted high up on the perches, or rock-work, in the cage, they
gradually spent more and more time in cramming their crops, and one by
one they dropped off, until, at the end of the twenty-second day, the last of
the five died. I may add that, although when first taken these young
Sand Martins were beautifully clean, they so messed their faces with the
soft food it was necessary to give them, that before they died all their
beauty had departed.—A. G. Burter (Natural History Museum).
The Song of the Chaffinch.—At p. 299 ante, the Rey. H. A. Mac-
pherson asks whether “our home Chaffinches are autumn songsters.”
Amongst a number of other British birds, I keep two Chaffinches, one of
which was caught five years ago, and the other two years ago. They both
recommence singing every year in August, and continue singing during the
autumn, but they do not sing so freely as in the spring.—H. Goss (Sur-
biton Hill, Kingston-on-Thames).
The Song of the Chaffinch.—I have frequently heard the Chaflfinch
singing in the neighbourhood of Birmingham in the autumn. Throughout
the mild winter of 1881 I heard it almost once a week on the average. It
does not usually commence to sing with us until the end of February or
the beginning of March. The Kestrel, Green Woodpecker, and Crow have
recently been observed breeding in the borough of Birmingham.—W. Har-
court Bars (Ladywood, Birmingham).
Swifts nesting in Martins’ Nests. —The following is an extract from a
letter dated July 2nd, 1887, received from my brother, the Rev. W. Bond:
—‘“ Did you ever hear of Swifts nesting in Martins’ nests? This year
they have taken possession of some under the eaves of the vicarage
(Edgton Vicarage, Aston-on-Clun, Shropshire), which appears to me a very
unusual proceeding.” I wrote for further particulars, suggesting that
there might be a hole under the eaves of the roof, and on July 29th got
the following reply :—‘‘ You will think me very lazy not answering your
queries before about the Swifts. There is no mistake about it; there were
NOTES AND QUERIES. 349
two broods in Martins’ nests, one of which has flown ; the others are now
being fed by the old ones, as any one may see who will watch for a few
minutes. I mentioned the occurrence as I never heard of such a thing
before."—F. Bonp (5, Fairfield Avenue, Staines).
Plover’s Nest with Five Eggs.—On reading Mr. Whitaker's note
(p. 267), it reminded me of a Plover’s egg which I took near here some
sixteen or eighteen years ago. It was in a nest containing four other eggs
of the ordinary Plover type, except perhaps that the ground colour of these
eggs was somewhat lighter than usual, which made the smaller and darker
egg look more conspicuous, for neither in form, markings, size, nor colour
did it resemble any of them, being more ovate, having a brown ground
colour with most of the darker markings collected about the smaller end,
and the egg itself certainly not larger than that of a Song Thrush. An
old collector, to whom I once showed it, said if he had not known its
origin he would possibly have referred it to a variety of the Black Tern.
I cannot, of course, affirm that all five eggs were laid by one and the same
bird, but, as the Black Tern is sparsely distributed here as an autumnal
visitor, I may positively say it is not referable to that species ; and I see
no reason why it should not be a small, abnormally-marked egg of the
Plover, Vanellus cristatus, for we are well aware that sometimes where an
unusual number of eggs are laid there is a marked difference in the size
of what we suppose to be the ast of the clutch, although in such cases the
' smaller egg has generally a family resemblance—at least, in colour—to its
fellows.—G. B. Corsin (Ringwood, Hants)
[Would it not rather be the first of the clutch? The first eggs of
pullets are usually smaller than those laid subsequently.— Ep. |
Fork-tailed Petrel breeding on Islands off Co. Kerry.—I announced
last year in ‘The Zoologist’ (p. 867) that an egg of this species had been
sent to me from the Blasquet Islands. I am happy to say that a bird with
its egg has, at my request, been forwarded this summer from the same spot
to the Science and Art Museum, Dublin, and I am informed by my friend
Mr. Barrington that the specimen is Procellaria Leachii. He has more-
over received this summer another egg of this species from the same
island. It measures 1:31 by -97 in. I have also recently received an egg,
among others of the Storm Petrel, from the Great Skellig, which measures
1:21 by -93 in. Though these dimensions are unusually small for eggs of
the Fork-tailed Petrel, I have never known so large a size to be attained
by eggs of the Storm Petrel, of which I have examined hundreds, and I
should like to know if any reader of ‘The Zoologist’ can give an instance
of a Storm Petrel’s egg of this size. I have three eggs of the Storm
Petrel which measure respectively 1:2 by ‘84 in., 1:19 by ‘88 in.,
1-13 by ‘9 in. Mr. Seebohm gives as the greatest length 1-2 in., and the
350 THE ZOOLOGIST.
greatest breadth ‘86 in, I believe this egg from the Skelligs to be of the
Fork-tailed Petrel, though the bird was not found with it, as in the former
case. These are the first authentic records of this bird breeding on the
Trish coast. It appears to do so in very small numbers, and only on the
most outlying islands, for the three or four iustances I have given are the
results of careful and repeated searches which were entirely unproductive
in a locality nearer the coast where the Storm Petrel breeds in large
numbers.—R. J. UssHer (Cappagh, Co. Waterford).
Honey Buzzard in Dorset.—About June 2nd or 3rd a fine bird of this
species was killed not very far from Wimborne, and I had the pleasure of
examining it shortly afterwards. It is a very dark, rich-coloured specimen,
weighed 1 lb. 10 ozs., and measured 253 in. from beak to tip of tail. Its
muscular feet and claws were very dirty, and it must have been scratching
in the vicinity of cow-dung, as portions were attached to its otherwise dirty
legs; in fact, the natural colour of both feet and legs was entirely hidden
by the dirt. On dissection it proved to be female, as I had anticipated,
and in the ovary I counted seventeen eggs, ranging from the size of a
pin’s-head to a hazel-nut. The two largest were about equal in size, and
would have been, I supposed, the produce of the present season had the
bird escaped destruction. Its crop contained very little, except two small
grubs of some dipterous insects,—probably from the cow-dung, which it
had been undoubtedly investigating,—but in its gizzard I found the
remains of individuals of several orders of insects, amongst which the -
horny tail of the cockchafer and the pincer-like tail of the earwig were very
conspicuous ; beside this was a small quantity of vegetable matter, arising
no doubt from the empty skins of three full-grown larvee of Plusia gamma
(silver-Y moth), the specific distinctness of which could be easily made out,
although the caterpillar-skins were as empty and flaccid as if they had
suffered great pressure. The action of the gizzard seemed to have had no
more power over the skin of these caterpillars and the markings thereon
than it had upon the horny appendages of the other insects, but probably
time would have effected a change in both. It thus seems that the Honey
Buzzard is an indiscriminate insect-feeder, taking the insect in every stage
of its existence; and, since wasps and their grubs, together with dragon-
flies, is a well-known food of this bird, it seems a great pity that amongst |
many of the game-preserving community it should be classed as “ vermin,”
and killed as soon as discovered. I have been particular in describing what
I found in the stomach, for the man who killed it wished me to understand
that it was very destructive to his Partridges. It is interesting to note also
that this bird did not reject caterpillars bearing short hair-like spines upon
their bodies, as gamma does, for it is well known that some birds refuse
larve unless smooth-skinned, whilst others, as the Cuckoo, are said to
prefer those that are comparatively spinous.—G. B. Corin (Ringwood).
NOTES AND QUERIES. 351
Addition to the Avifauna of the Faeroe Islands.—I am indebted to
Mr. Edward Hargitt for handing over to me a portion of his specimens of
birds collected in the Feroe Islands, and lately, when arranging them, I
was pleased to discover in the collection two examples of the Bar-tailed
Godwit, Limosa lapponica (Linn.), a species not hitherto recorded from the
Feroe Islands; oue, a male in breeding plumage, procured by Herr H. C.
Miller near Thorshavn on the 14th of June, 1878; the other, in autumn
plumage, but without note of sex, nor date of capture, obtained by the
same gentleman on the Island of Stromoe. Whilst on the subject of birds
from the Feroes, I may refer to the catalogue of a sale at Stevens’s in
Covent Garden on the 25th April, 1887, wherein lot 179 is described as a
fine clutch (2) of Great Northern Diver, Faroes, 1880. Mr. Howard
Saunders, who attended the sale, informs me that the eggs were un-
questionably those of Colymbus glacialis; but I may point out that the
locality given is doubtless an error, for the Great Northern Diver has never
been known to breed in the Feroe Islands.—H. W. Freripen.
The Green Woodpecker an Egg-sucker.—We are well aware how
readily a “ bad name” attaches itself to any unfortunate object obtaining it,
and thus it is with some degree of diffidence I make an accusation against
the bird named, for it is a species giving such a marked characteristic to
many of our woodlands in the South of England, that I should be sorry if
any words of mine helped on the destruction of a single individual. Some
two or three seasons ago a gamekeeper asked me if I knew that the Green
Woodpecker was often as destructive to eggs as the Jay or Magpie, and
that more than once he had seen a bird attacking his pheasants’ eggs. I
felt very sceptical on the point, and explained to him as well as I could
that this species of Woodpecker often feeds upon ants and their pupe, for
which it naturally descended to the ground, and that often the beak of the
bird was covered with dirt from the mere fact of its searching about and
probing in the earth for such prey. No doubt many readers of this journal
have seen this crimson-crowned forester scrutinising an ant-hill, thrusting
in its bill to the utter confusion of the active inhabitants, and then securing,
with its barbed and glutinous tongue, a plentiful meal of the ants as they
ran hither and thither in their anxiety to protect the pupe. Upon making
enquiries of those who, by their occupation as woodmen, &e., would be
likely to know anything of this subject of egg-stealing, I found that the
majority seemed to be ignorant of the matter with regard to the bird in
question, whilst a few spoke of it as well known. This season, however, I
have had a more conclusive proof, viz., about the beginning of May a wood-
man told me he had seen a Woodpecker rifling a nest, and I asked him if
he could secure me a bird taken in the act of egg-sucking. During the
month I received three specimens—all males—with the following results on
dissection :—1. Beak and plumage of head very dirty; throat and crop
352 THE ZOOLOGIST.
containing what might have been the white of an egg. 2. Beak very dirty,
plumage comparatively clean, but in the throat and stomach undeniable
evidence of both white and yelk of egg. 3. Very clean, full-plumaged bird ;
stomach containing only a few ants and other insect-remains. Had I found
no more conclusive evidence than in No. 1, I should have treated the whole
story as a myth, attributing the flnid contained in the throat, &c., to an
unusual quantity, and an abnormal condition, of the glutinous substance
found naturally in the head and throat of this and allied species; but
I know not how to argue in favour of No. 2, for in that case it seems to be
“proven”; whilst in No. 3 the accusation is utterly disproved. Is it a
recognised fact,—it was new to me,—or is it an acquired habit, something
akin to the Kea’s love for (living) mutton-fat (Zool. 1881, pp. 290—801) ?
for I should have mentioned that game-preserving is not carried on less
keenly than it was some years ago in the locality where these birds were
taken. I should be glad to know that egg-sucking is but a case of depraved
appetite in a few individuals of the “ Yaffingale,” whose merry ‘laugh’
forms so pleasant an accompaniment to a woodland ramble.—G. B. CorBin
(Ringwood, Hants).
Dark Variety of Montagu’s Harrier in Hants.—At the end of May I
heard of ‘a black hawk” having been killed near here, and on enquiry
I have not much hesitation in saying it was the dark variety of the above
species, which has been obtained once or twice before in this locality. I did
not see the specimen in question, but its occurrence is, I think, worth
recording.—G. B. Corry (Ringwood).
Egg-drills.—We have received from Mr. Marsden, of 37, Midland
Road, Gloucester, two specimens of egg-drills—a small one sold at 6d.,
and a larger one at 10d.—which may be recommended. They are not so
well finished as the one previously noticed (p. 236), but they are less
expensive, and, being much shorter in length, are more conveniently
carried by the egg-collector.
Notes from Western Australia.—As I believe this district has never
been explored from an ornithological point of view, having been settled
only ten years, perhaps some notes may be of interest to readers of ‘ The
Zoologist,’ though, when I have been here longer, I shall have more to say
I trust. At present my camp is about twenty miles from the sea, and
about twenty miles north of the River Gascoyne, which, owing to a long
drought, has not run for three years. This spell of dry weather interferes
with bird-life; many must have died of thirst, and stronger species moved
to where there is water. The country may be described as a mass of scrub
from two to ten feet high, with here and there sand-flats and clay-pans,
where water holds when rain falls. Numerous shallow gullies intersect the
country, and are fringed by the white or swamp gum tree (the only tree
NOTES AND QUERIES. 3853
that grows here, and not to any great size). Near the sea are sand-hills
and salt-marshes,, which I have not yet explored at all. Coming down the
coast last January I shot many interesting birds at Derby (King’s Sound),
but they were all swamped in the boat returning to the ship. Mutton-
birds were very numerous all along, and at Cossack I saw and shot Ospreys.
At Ashburton a fine Sea Eagle settled on the mast-head, but was not
secured. The noble Wedge-tailed Eagle (A. audaa) is numerous here, and
very destructive to lambs: a good many have fallen victims to poison. It
is a pity to destroy such fine birds, but I have seen a pair kill five lambs in
one morning. Birds of prey are very plentiful, but as yet I have not
commenced to shoot for skins, the birds being in bad feather this time of
year, and I want to secure them with their eggs. Emus are seen almost
daily, in spite of the drought, and, from a specimen I examined on
March 23rd, I think Gould is correct in surmising that the Spotted Emu
is the bird of Western Australia (Dromeus irroratus). This was a female,
and contained a large cluster of eggs, some as large as a duck’s. March
25th no less than twenty-eight were seen in one flock near a pool, many
last year’s birds not full-grown. The Western Long-billed Cockatoo
(Licmetis pastinator) is seen in large flocks. I have only Gould’s ‘ Hand-
book’ to work from, but have seen and shot several of the following species,
which he describes as only being found in the interior :—Rose-breasted
Cockatoo (C. roseicapilla), the Varied Parrakeet (Psephotus multicolor), and
the Crested Bronze-wing Pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes). The Yellow-collared
Parrakeet (P. semitorquatus) is common, as are others of this genus I
have not yet identified. A flock of Black Swans were on a pool here
April 2nd, which I take to be a long way north for this species ; they were
in company with Avocets, Pelicans, Pink-eyed Duck, Australian Teal, and
other wildfowl. The Australian Curlew is very common, and a noisy bird
at night. When winter sets in, and we get rain, I hope to be able to send
some fuller and more interesting notes.—T. Carrer, of Masham, Yorkshire
(Boolathana Station, Gascoyne, Western Australia).
REPTILES.
Coloration of the Viper.—With reference to the remarks of Mr.
Macpherson under this heading (p. 306), it may be well to point out that
the Viper which occurs in the Forest of Fontainebleau is Vipera aspis,
and not the British Viper, Vipera berus. The characters by which these
two species may be distinguished will be found indicated by Mr. Boulenger
in ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1885, p. 8375.—J. EK. Harrina.
FISHES.
“Becker” or “ Braise” in Cornwall.—On August 3rd I took, in my
trammels, a “Becker” or “ Braise.” There exists considerable doubt
ZOOLOGIST.—SEPT. 1887. 25
354 THE ZOOLOGIST.
whether this fish is distinct from the Spanish Bream, but, having now
taken several specimens, I am convinced, from its shape, its peculiar
dentition, its lustrous colours when alive, and, above all, from the quality of
its flesh, that it is distinct, I do not regard the “ Becker” as a rare fish.
Every summer I see some hawked round our streets and sold as common
Sea Bream, but any one who is offereda short Sea Bream, with a red-bronze
back and a yellow-bronze belly, and with no spot over the pectorals, will do
well to buy it at the fishwoman’s price. He will have secured the
* Becker”; and, when he has stewed it in milk with shreds of parsley, he
will eat a fish superior to ''urbot—T. CorntsH (Penzance).
MOLLUSCA.
Middlesex Mollusca.—The following Mollusca were taken by me in
the neighbourhood of West Drayton, Middlesex, on the 30th May last :—
Spherium corneum, 8. rivicola, Pisidium fontinale, P. pusillum, Unio
pictorum, Anodonta anatina (and var. radiata), Neritina fluviatilis, Paludina
vivipara, Bythinia tentaculata, B. Leachii, Valvata cristata, Planorbis
vortex, P. complanatus, P. corneus, P. contortus, Physa fontinalis, Limnaa
peregra (and var. ovata), L. stagnalis, L. palustris (and var. tincta), L.
truncatula, Ancylus fluviatilis, Arion ater, A. hortensis, Limax agrestis,
L. levis, Succinea Pfeifferi, S. putris, Zonites nitidus, Z. crystallinus,
4. fulvus, Helix aspersa, H. nemoralis, H. hortensis, H. arbustorum,
H. cantiana, H. rufescens, H. concinna, H. sericea, H. rotundata, Cochli-
copa lubrica (and var. alba), Carychium minimum, and Vertigo pygmaa.—
8. C. Cocxerett (Bedford Park, Chiswick).
CEPHALOPODA.
Hawaiian mode of fishing for Octopus.—-The United States Fish
Commission in one of their Bulletins furnish an excellent report by
Mrs. Emma M. Beckley, Curator of the Hawaiian National Museum, on
“Hawaiian Fishing Implements and Methods of Fishing.” The writer gives
some curious details about Octopus-fishing. ‘The smaller kinds of Octopus,
which live in shallow water, are caught by women, who do their work with
remarkable skill. They can tell whether an Octopus is in a hole whose
entrance is no larger than a silver dollar, and, plunging their spears in,
they invariably draw one out. The larger kinds of Octopus, which are
always found in deep water, are caught by men with cowries, generally of
the Mauritiana, but sometimes of the tiger species. An Octopus will not
rise to a large-spotted or ugly cowry, so the fishermen have to take care
that the spots on the back of the shell are very small and red, breaking
through a reddish-brown ground. Cowries with suitable spots, but objec-
tionable otherwise, are slightly steamed over a fire of sugar-cane husks,
a process which gives them the desired hue. The fisherman, having
t,
NOTES AND QUERIES. 359
arrived at his fishing-grounds, first chews and spits on the water a mouthful
of candle-nut meat, which renders the water glassy and clear; he then drops
the shell with hook and line into the water, and swings it over a place
likely to be inhabited by an Octopus. The moment an Octopus perceives
a cowry, it shoots an arm out and clasps the shell. If the shell is of the
attractive kind, one arm after another comes out, and finally the whole
body of the Octopus is withdrawn from the hole and attaches itself to the
cowry, which it closely hugs, curling itself all around it. ‘The creature
remains very quiet while being rapidly drawn up through the water. Just
as it reaches the surface, the fisherman pulls the string so as to bring its
head against the edge of the canoe, and it is killed by a blow from a club
which is struck between the eyes. This must be done rapidly, before the
animal has time to become alarmed; for if it lets go the cowry it becomes
a dangerous antagonist, and there is risk of the fisherman being squeezed to
death. The cutting off of one or more of its eight arms does not affect the
rest in the least.
INSECTS.
Craneflies preyed upon by Gulls and Terns.—When dissecting a
mature Lesser Black-backed Gull, Larus fuscus, on the 15th August,
I found the stomach and throat crammed full of the common Cranefly,
Tipula longicornis. When taken out of the bird’s crop they weighed one
ounce and a half, so I thought the fact worth mention.—C. Brazenon
(Brighton).
[We have often observed the Black-headed Gull, Larus ridibundus,
and the Common and Black Terns, Sterna fluviatilis and nigra, catching
Craneflies on the wing, on a still summer evening, when these insects were
flying in clouds near the water.—ED.]
Retirement of Mr. A. G. More.—Mr. A. G. More, F.L.S., M.R.1.A.,
a long and valued contributor to ‘The Zoologist,’ has unfortunately been
obliged, owing to ill health, to resign his appointment as Curator to the
Natural History Department of the Science and Art Museum, Dublin.
Before he went to Ireland Mr. More had written an account of the Fauna
and Flora of the Isle of Wight in Canon Venables’ Guide to that Island,
and had also published an important series of papers “ On the Distribution
of Birds in Great Britain during the Nesting-season”’ in ‘ The Ibis’ for
1865. The central idea of cataloguing the nesting-places of birds was his
own, and the working of it out involved an immense amount of labour.
On first going to Ireland Mr. More originated the idea of producing a Flora
of Ireland. This he accomplished by putting in writing and critically
examining the great store of facts which the late Dr. D. Moore had
356 THE ZOOLOGIST.
accuraulated in his memory. The ‘ Cybele Hibernica’ was then published,
and well supplied a long-felt want. Mr. More is at present engaged
on a new edition of that valuable work. In 1867 Mr. More was appointed
as Assistant in the Museum of the Royal Dublin Society, and the pages of
‘The Zoologist’ and ‘ Ibis,’ and other journals testify to his activity in
investigating the Flora and Fauna of Ireland. A few of his more important
additions to the Fauna may be here noted:—In company with Mr. Wm.
Andrews he found the first Irish specimens of Montagu’s Blenny, Blennius
galerita, at Dingle and Connemara (‘ Zoologist,’ 1878, p. 297). In 1875
he summarised what was known concerning the occurrence of gigantic
Squids in Ireland (‘ Zoologist,’ 1875, pp. 4526 and 4569). ‘The form from
Boffin Island which he identified as Architeuthis dua and the one he
described as Dinoteuthis proboscideus, n.g. and sp., have since been recog-
nised by Verrill as being specimens of A. monachus. In 1881 (Zool. p. 334)
the Dusky Shearwater, Puffinus griseus, from Co. Kerry and Falco islandus
from Belmullet (p. 488) were added to the Irish list. He recorded the Cape
Pigeon, Daption capensis, as a straggler in Co. Dublin in 1882 (‘ Ibis’), but
has now some doubt as to the honesty of his informant. The Spinous Shark,
Echinorhynchus spinosus, was first recognised by Mr. More as Irish,
from the Dublin coast (Zool. 1882, p. 484), and again from Galway Bay
(Zool. 1885, p. 311). In 1885 he certified to the occurrence of the Wood
Sandpiper in Wicklow (Zool. p. 488). In 1885 Mr. More completed ‘A
List of Irish Birds, showing the Species contained in the Science and Art
Museum, Dublin,” this being the first of a series of official Guides pub-
lished by the Museum. This year he produced ‘ A Guide to the Mammals
and Birds of the Museum. On several occasions Mr. More has made
dredging excursions to various parts of the coast of Ireland, the results of
which may be seen in the above Museum. A list of his published notes
and papers, or an examination of the Museum under his charge, would not
give a complete view of the activity of his mind. His numerous friends
and correspondents can tell of his readiness to impart information and to
suggest lines of enquiry. His critical knowledge of British plants and
birds was continually being tested by local naturalists, and not a few of the
papers recently published on the Flora and Ornithology of Ireland owe
their origin or their value to his ability. Mr. More’s large circle of friends
will be pleased to learn that, although no longer connected with the Museum,
he will still continue to reside in Dublin; and his house, like his room in
the Museum in the past, will we hope continue for many years to be the
rendezvous of all those interested in Irish Natural History.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 357
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
EntromoLoeicaL Society or Lonpon.
August 3, 1887.—Dr. D. Suarp, President, in the chair.
Mr. John Witherington Peers, M.A., of Wendover, near Tring; and
Mr. R. G. Lynam, of the North Staffordshire Infirmary, Stoke-on-Trent,
were elected Fellows of the Society.
Jonkeer May, the Dutch Consul-General, exhibited a pupa and two
imagos of Cecidomyia destructor (Hessian Fly), which had been submitted
to him for exhibition by the Agricultural Department.
Mr. W. White exhibited, and made remarks on, a specimen of Philam-
pelus satellitia, Linn., from Florida, with supposed fungoid excrescences
from the eyes. Mr. Stainton said he was of opinion that the supposed
fungoid growth might be the pollinia of an Orchis. Mr. Poulton expressed
a similar opinion, and the discussion was continued by Mr. Pascoe,
Dr. Sharp, and others.
Mr. White also exhibited a specimen of Catephia alchymista, bred from
a pupa collected by Mr. Ralfe last autumn on the South Coast.
Mr. M‘Lachlan sent for exhibition a number of oak-leaves infested by
Phylloxera punctata, Lichtenstein, which he had received from Dr. Maxwell
Masters, F'.R.S.
Mr. Champion exhibited two rare species of Curculionide from the Isle
of Wight—viz., one specimen of Baridius analis, and a series of Cathor-
miocerus socius. He remarked that C. maritimus, Rye, had been placed in
recent European Catalogues as a synonym of the last-named species, but
that this was an error. He also exhibited a series of Cicindela germanica,
from Blackgang, Isle of Wight.
Mons. Alfred Wailly exhibited, and made remarks on, a number of
living larvee of Anthere@a pernyi, A. mylitta, Telea polyphemus, Platysamia
cecropia, Actias luna, Attacus cynthia, Callosamia promethea, and other silk-
producing species. He also exhibited imagos of the above species, imagos
of Antherea Yama-mai, and a number of species of Diurni from Sarawak.
Mr. Poulton exhibited crystals of formate of lead obtained by collecting
the secretion of the larva of Dicranura vinula on 283 occasions. The
secretion had been mixed with distilled water in which oxide of lead
was suspended. The latter dissolved, and the acid of the secretion being
in excess the normal formate was produced. Prof. Meldola promised to
subject the crystals to combustion, so that their constitution would be
proved by the final test.
Mr. Oliver Janson called attention to Mr. Pryer’s new work, ‘ Rhopa-
locera Niponica,’ and to the fact that the illustrations had been executed
by Japanese artists.—H. Goss, Hon. Secretary.
358 THE ZOOLOGIST.
NOTICES OF NEW BOQOKS,
Rough Notes on the Birds observed during Twenty Years’ Shooting
and Collecting in the British Islands. By E. T. Boorn.
With Plates from Drawings by E. Neate, taken from
Specimens in the Author’s possession. Part XV. and last;
folio. London: R. H. Porter. 1887.
CoMMENCED in 1881, and issued at intervals in parts, the
recent appearance of Part XV. has brought this fine work to a
conclusion. As the author tells us in his Introduction, more
years than he anticipated have been spent in describing the
habits of the birds observed by him, and it would now be more
correct to name twenty-five years instead of twenty as the period
over which his observations have extended. The public have
been the gainers, for the result is a collection of the most
interesting and valuable notes relating to many of the rarer
British birds which are not to be found elsewhere.
The concluding part, which is now before us, deals with the
Snow Bunting, Bittern, Common Sheld Duck, Wigeon, Mallard,
Dunlin, Ruff, and Common Tern, containing in addition the
title-pages, contents, and list of plates for the three volumes in
which the work may now be bound.
The illustrations by Mr. Neale from specimens in the author’s
collection, although perhaps somewhat unequal in merit as
regards drawing, are accurately coloured, and have this great
recommendation, namely, that in many cases several plates are
given of the same species in different phases of plumage, many
of which have not been previously represented in any other
work. As examples, we may note the plates which represent the
immature plumage of the Osprey, Kite, Hen Harrier, Montagu’s
Harrier, Bearded Tit, Yellow Wagtail, Ruff, Whooper, Shoveller,
Hider, Velvet Scoter, Gannet (six plates), and Sandwich Tern,
besides several Gulls, and eight plates of Skuas in various
plumages. Another noticeable feature in the plates is the care
that has been taken to reproduce accurately the colours of the
soft parts in the species figured. These colours, as everyone
knows, fade very quickly after death, and by the time a preserved
specimen is thoroughly dried, the colours of the bill, legs and
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 359
feet have completely changed in the process. It is therefore of
importance that they should be accurately noted before the bird
has been skinned. This Mr. Booth has been careful to do.
As regards the value of the letterpress we cannot speak too
highly. LHspecially interesting are his notes on the nesting
habits of our rarer birds, particularly those which, like the
Osprey, Kite, and Hen Harrier, have almost ceased to breed in the
British Islands, or those which, like the Brambling, have been
found to do so on very rare occasions. It must be admitted
that Mr. Booth has enjoyed remarkable facilities for exploring
out-of-the-way places in search of the nests of what may
be termed out-of-the-way birds. He has, in fact, gone
straight to the haunts wherein they were most likely to be
discovered, and in nine cases out of ten he has succeeded in
finding them.
Now and again he has been doomed to disappointment, as,
for instance, in the case of the Snow Bunting. In July, 1876,
he tells us, he made an attempt to reach the ground on the
summit of the high bills in the east of Inverness where the Snow
Bunting is supposed to breed; a dreadful storm of wind and
rain, however, put a stop to his advance, and rendered it an
impossibility to reach the haunts of these birds. He thus
graphically describes the situation :—
“Having settled to search Ben Muich Dhu for Snow Buntings, we
decided on making an early start, and leaving the lodge at midnight, we
drove to a bothy on the east side of the forest. Here four keepers and
foresters were awaiting our arrival, and an immediate start was made for
the high ground. The morning proved dull and gloomy, and we were well
up the Braemar Pass before it became fairly light. The weather then got
worse, and the wind increased, the mist and clouds rolled lower down the
hills, while the rain drifted in blinding showers, rendering it impossible
for us to advance. For two hours we sheltered among some large slabs of
rock near the highest part of the Pass in hopes that the storm might
moderate. At length, however, we came to the conclusion that it was useless
to attempt to reach the high ground; added to which the position we now
found ourselves in could scarcely be termed pleasant. ‘Che terrific gusts
as they roared round the crags above us now and then dislodged stones and
pieces of rock that came rolling down the side of the hill. Some of these
dashed past us at no great cuties just after we had quitted our shelter,
and I must confess I felt greatly relieved when we emerged from the Pass;
the unearthly howling and screeching of the wind among the jagged and
360 THE ZOOLOGIST.
pointed rocks was perfectly deafening, and the force of the blasts was such
that it would have been the height of folly to have proceeded further.”
The account given of the habits of the Ruff and Reeve, as
observed in one of its last breeding-haunts in Norfolk, is very
entertaining. So also are the remarks which follow about Terns.
Writing of the last-named birds, Mr. Booth says :—
«Many of the breeding stations to which the Common Tern resorted in
former days have been deserted. These birds are stated to have reared
their young in considerable numbers on several of the wide-stretching
shingle banks along the coasts of Kent and Sussex; I doubt, however,
if a single egg has been laid on several of their former haunts in this
locality for some years. Common and Arctic Terns not unfrequently
breed in company. * * * The only species I was unable to
identify on the Farne Islands were the Sandwich and Arctic, with
the exception of a single Roseate Tern [which was procured]. I was
not then aware that the Common Tern had been stated by several
authors to nest on these islands; not a single specimen, however,
was observed. * * * From repeated observations concerning the
nesting habits of Terns, I am of opinion that the Common Tern usually
lays three, and the Arctic Tern invariably four eggs.”
The remarks on the migration of Terns in spring and autumn
as observed by the author (too long to be quoted here) will,
we are inclined to think, be new to many. Indeed, did space
permit, there are many pages in the last part of the work now
before us from which we should like to make extracts.
But, as we have intimated on former occasions when noticing
the progress of this work, Mr. Booth’s ‘ Rough Notes’ should be
in the hands of every ornithologist to be perused at leisure.
Especially should it be studied by those who are pleased to
assert that British Ornithology is “ played out,’ and that there
is nothing more to be learnt on the subject. We venture to
think they will find in these pages a very great deal that they
did not know before, and of which most probably they never
dreamed. Mr. Booth is candid enough to tell us of his failures
as well as his successes, and young and ardent ornithologists
would do well to profit by his varied and pleasantly told
experience.
Plate 5.
Zool. Oet. 1887.
‘durro5 2 wevrmeyy ‘WseM
97)08.L07 F 07 001A.
SSRN
Yue euy,
oe
j 2 = as
Z 4 Sy + /
“URAL
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.} OCTOBER, 1887. [No. ]30.
ON THE BANK VOLE, ARVICOLA-GLAREOLUS (ScureBeEr).
By rae Epiror.
Pirate V.
Tue variation both in regard to size and colour which is
observable in the Voles formerly led to the inference that there
were many more species in this country than are now known to
exist here. Thus the Irish naturalist, Thompson, described a
Vole of which specimens were obtained in Perthshire, at
Megarnie Castle, and subsequently at Aberarder, in Inverness-
shire (Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1841, p. 270), and which he named
Arvicola neglecta, under the impression that it was a distinct
species. Baron de Selys Longchamps also, in an article entitled
“ Distribution Geographique des Campagnols en Europe,” de-
scribed another, under the name of Arvicola britannicus (*‘ Revue
Zoologique, 1847, p. 807), which was thought at the time to
differ from the now well- known Arvicola agrestis (Linn.), to
which species, however, both of these have since been referred by
Professor Blasius and other writers. Bellamy also, in his
‘Natural History of South Devon’ (1889), described and figured
a Vole under the name of Arvicola hirta (p. 369), which, both
from the description given as well as from the figure (wherein
the tail appears to be much too short for A. glareolus), would
seem to be merely a variety of A. agrestis.
It is now pretty well ascertained that only three species of
Vole are indigenous to the British Islands, namely, the Water
ZOOLOGIST.—ocr. 1887. 2F
362 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Vole, or Water Rat, as itis commonly termed, Arvicola amphibws ;
the Short-tailed Field Vole, A. agrestis; and the Bank Vole,
A. glareolus. The characters which distinguish all these from
the true mice and rats belonging to the genus Mus are to be
found in the form of the skull, and especially the teeth, the
molars, for example, having no roots. Their external appearance
also is different. Instead of a long narrow head, large prominent
ears, and long tail, either naked or sparsely clothed with hairs,
they have a large rounded head, ears so short that they are
almost hidden in the fur of the head, and a comparatively short
tail well covered with hair.
It is remarkable that neither the so-called Water Rat nor
either of the two smaller Voles are found in Ireland, in which
country, in fact, there is no representative of the genus Arvicola.
In Scotland all three species occur, and are widely distributed.
A. amphibius is common throughout the mainland and in Orkney,
but the late Edward Alston could obtain no satisfactory evidence
of its existence in the Inner Islands, though said to be found in
Islay and Mull; and it is certainly absent from the Outer
Hebrides. A. agrestis, though common on the mainland, in the
Inner Islands, and in Orkney (according to Messrs. Baikie and
Heddle, Hist. Nat. Orcadensis, p. 16), has not been found in
Shetland. In the Outer Hebrides it has been reported from
Rodil and Loch Boisdale, and in 1879 Mr. Harvie Brown
captured a specimen, now in the British Museum, at Newton,
North Uist. A. glareolus, the least well-known of all, was first
noticed in Scotland by Macgillivray, who examined specimens
procured at Kelso and Bathgate, in Linlithgowshire (Naturalists’
Library, Brit. Quad. vol. vil. p. 272), and is locally distributed.
It has not been recorded, however, from any of the Islands, nor
from further north than Morayshire, where, according to the
Rev. G. Gordon, it is extremely common, and particularly
destructive to young larch trees, climbing the branches to feed
on the young buds, and barking the stems in winter.
In ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1866 (pp. 9, 10) Mr. Alston noticed
the occurrence of the Bank Vole in Lanarkshire, under the
impression, at that date, that it was a new addition to the fauna
of Scotland; but he had overlooked the previous notice of it by
Macgillivray above referred to, an inadvertence subsequently
admitted (Zool. 1866, p. 240).
ON THE BANK VOLE. 363
In the Appendix on the Fauna of Banffshire, which is given
at the end of Smiles’s ‘ Life of a Scotch Naturalist’ (Thomas
Edward), the Bank Vole is apparently included under the name
Arvicola pratensis, for it is described as resembling Arvicola
agrestis, the Short-tailed Field Mouse, in appearance and habits,
but ‘“‘recognisable by its much longer tail” (p. 393). This
Appendix, as we learn from the Preface (p. vil) was prepared by
Edward himself, and it is to be regretted that he has given no
further details concerning this little animal, so as to place the
fact of its occurrence in Banffshire beyond all doubt.
In Messrs. Alston and Harvie Brown’s Account of the
Mammals of Sutherlandshire (Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow,
1875) we find the statement (p. 145), that this Bank Vole has
“‘not hitherto been recorded from Sutherland, but from what we
have observed of its distribution in other parts of Scotland we
think that it will probably be found in some districts. It seems
to be a widely-spread but rather local species.”
In Mr. Lumsden’s Catalogue of the Mammals of the neigh-
bourhood of Loch Lomond (Proc. Nat. Hist. Soc. Glasgow,
1877) the Bank Vole is included provisionally on the ground
that a specimen was procured by Dr. Dewar on the shores of
Loch Katrine.
Crossing the Scottish border we find the occurrence of the
Bank Vole in NoRTHUMBERLAND vouched for by Messrs. Mennell
and Perkins in their Catalogue of the Mammalia of that county
(Trans. Tyneside Nat. Field Club, vol. vi. 1864) on the strength
of specimens obtained by Selby at Twizel (Mag. Zool. and Bot.
li. 92, 1838), and by Dr. Johnston, of Berwick (Proc. Berwick
Nat. Field Club, i. p. 24).
In CumMBERLAND, according to the Rev. H. A. Macpherson, it
is probably thinly distributed, but has hitherto been detected in
only two localities in that county, namely, at King Moor, Carlisle,
and on the arable area bordering the English Solway at Allonby.
near Maryport. It was from the latter place in the spring of the
present year, that, thanks to Mr. Macpherson, the specimen
was forwarded which now forms the subject of the accompanying
plate.
In Duruam it does not appear to have been noticed by any
author treating of the fauna of that county, but, inasmuch as it
is known to occur in counties to the north and south of this,
364 THE ZOOLOGIST.
there can be little doubt that its detection there will be merely a
matter of time.
In Yorxsurre, according to Messrs. Clarke and Roebuck
(Handbook Yorks. Vert. p. 14), it has been reported from a few
localities scattered irregularly over the whole county. In Upper
Nidderdale it is considered common (‘ Naturalist,’ 1886, p. 197).
In Lancasuire, Mr. George Roberts, of Lofthouse, Wakefield,
whilst visiting at Lytham, in April, 1866, found a dead Bank
Vole in its nest, which was formed in a heap of potatoes and
composed of soft short straws (Zool. 1866, p. 206).
In DerrpysurrE the Bank Vole was noticed by the late
Mr. Harpur Crewe at Calke Abbey, where, in February, 1863, he
obtained half a dozen specimens (Zool. 1863, p. 8554). The
following spring he announced the capture of more than thirty
others at the same place during the preceding twelve months
(Zool. 1864, p. 9016). So that in South Derbyshire, at all
events, it would seem to be tolerably common.
In regard to NoTTINGHAMSHIRE and LincoLNsHIRE information
is wanting.
As regards STAFFORDSHIRE, no mention of the Bank Vole is
made by Garner in his ‘Natural History of Staffordshire’
(1844), although he includes the Short-tailed Vole (Arvicola
agrestis) as “very common.” Mr. John R. B. Masefield, how-
ever, in a more recent account of the existing indigenous
Mammalia of North Staffordshire (1886), states (p. 13) that it is
far from uncommon in the district of Cheadle; it is an animal
as well as a vegetable feeder; and that one was taken in a trap
baited with flesh-meat.
For SHROPSHIRE, so far as has been ascertained, a report on
the existing small Mammalia is still wanting.
In LeicestrrsHIRE, Mr. Montagu Browne has not met with
the Bank Vole (Zool. 1885, ‘p. 219), although he has some reason
to believe that it occurs there.
From NorRTHAMPTONSHIRE and BEDFORDSHIRE information is
desirable.
In CAMBRIDGESHIRE we have the authority of the Rev. L.
Jenyns (now Blomefield) for stating that it is a native (Man. Brit.
Vert. An. p. 34).
BERKSHIRE also, on the same authority, may be added to the
list of counties in which it has been found.
ON THE BANK VOLE. 3865
With regard to Norroux, when Mr. Southwell, in 1871,
prepared a List of the Mammalia of that county (Trans. Norf.
Nat. Soc. i. p. 78, and Zool. 1871, p. 2756) he was unable to
include the Bank Vole amongst the species found there; but
some years later, when a revised edition of his Catalogue
appeared (Trans. Norf. Nat. Soc. ii. 1884), he supplied the
omission, for in the meantime (1878) Mr. F. Norgate had obtained
several specimens of this Vole at Sparham, and one in the
adjoining parish of Bawdeswell (Zool. 1874, p. 4236, and Trans.
Norf. Nat. Soc. ii. p. 469), and in a footnote to the second
edition of Lubbock’s ‘ Fauna of Norfolk’ (1879, p. 10) Mr. South-
well mentions Keswick, Aylsham, and Northrepps as localities in
which it had been met with or procured.*
In Surrorx, Mr. G. R. Rope has found the Bank Vole to be
“far from uncommon” in the neighbourhood of Blaxhall, where
he resides; and in ‘ Science Gossip ’ for July, 1886, he has given
an interesting account of it from his own observation, both in a
state’ of nature as well as in captivity. From this account we
shall have occasion to quote presently when dealing with the
observed habits of this little rodent.
It was in Essex that the Bank Vole was first detected as a
British species, and was described by Yarrell under the name
riparia from specimens procured at Birchanger, in that county,
in the ‘ Proceedings’ of the Zoological Society for 1832, p. 109,
as well as in the ‘ Magazine of Natural History’ (vol. v. p. 599).
Much more recently (1882) Dr. Laver, of Colchester, has seen
specimens from West Bergholt and Layer de la Haye in the same
county (Trans. Essex Field Club, vol. ii. p. 175); and in August,
1885, as recorded by Mr. EH. Rosling (Zool. 1885, p. 433) an
albino Bank Vole was taken by him uninjured from a cat at
Chelmsford, and forwarded alive to the Zoological Gardens,
where it was identified by Mr. Bartlett.
In HERTFORDSHIRE as well as in BERKSHIRE we have the
authority of Yarrell for stating that it occurs.
In Mipp.esex, also, Yarrell procured specimens which, if we
mistake not, were taken by Mr. F. Bond in the neighbourhood of
* The so-called ‘‘ curious variety of the Bank Vole,” killed near Norwich
in the autumn of 1865 (Zool. 1866, p. 152) proved to be an albino Water
Vole,
366 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Kingsbury. Many years ago, when residing in that parish, we
found the Bank Vole not at all uncommon in certain sheltered
spots, in dry ditches and hedge-banks, and about the hollows of
old tree-roots. We used to catch them alive in ordinary mouse-
traps and keep them in a Dormouse-cage, and very interesting
pets they were. Now and then the cats used to bring one in
freshly caught, but they much more frequently brought in the
Short-tailed Field Vole (Arvicola agrestis), of which one cat, a
famous mouser, sometimes brought in three or four a day, with
an occasional Mus sylvaticus 'from the kitchen-garden. On
examining the contents of the stomachs, of such as were brought
in dead in this way, we found that those of A. agrestis contained
a soft mass of green herbage smelling quite fresh, while those of
A. glareolus and Mus sylvaticus contained a hard mass of what
appeared to be ground acorns, nuts, or farinaceous food, having
a faint sickly smell.
In the Home counties, generally, the Bank Vole is probably
locally distributed, although evidence of its occurrence in Kent
and Surrey is not forthcoming.
In West Sussex and on the borders of HampsHIrE, near
Petersfield, we have reason to believe that it frequents the
“hangers” or wooded slopes of the South Downs, for on one
occasion, when covert-shooting in that neighbourhood, we picked
up a dead specimen, which was too far decomposed to be
preserved.
In the western counties of England it appears to be hardly
known at all,* and no information respecting it has reached us
from any part of WauEes. No Voles of any species are mentioned
in the list of Mammalia given in Dillwyn’s ‘Materials for a
Fauna and Flora of Swansea’ (1848).
In Cornwa tt, according to Dr. Bullmore, it is not uncommon
in the neighbourhood of Falmouth (‘Cornish Fauna,’ 1886,
p- 5); and Mr. W. P. Cocks, in his “ Contributions to the Fauna
of Falmouth” (‘ Naturalist,’ vol. i., 1851), gives two localities
near I'almouth where it is found. It was to have been expected
that some additional information in regard to this species would
appear in the revised edition of Couch’s ‘Cornish Fauna,’
published in 1878, with the co-operation of Messrs. Brooking
* It is not mentioned in Hastings’ ‘ Natural History of Worcestershire.’
ON THE BANK VOLE. 367
Rowe, Thomas Cornish, E. H. Rodd, and C. Spence Bate; but
nothing further is stated beyond the facts above mentioned.
In DevonsuirE the Bank Vole appears to be either very rare
or extremely local. For a long time it was only accorded a place
in the fauna of Devon on account of its having been included, by
the Rev. W. 8S. Hore, in a list contributed by him to Rowe’s
‘Perambulation of Dartmoor’; and for this reason it was
included by Mr. Brooking Rowe in his ‘Catalogue of the
Mammals, Birds, &c., indigenous to or observed in the County
of Devon,’ published in 1863. The species of Vole described
and figured by Bellamy, in his ‘Nat. Hist. S. Devon’ (1839),
under the name of Arvicola hirta, as already remarked, was most
likely a variety of Arvicola agrestis. It was not until 1879 that
Mr. D’Urban, the energetic Curator of the Albert Memorial
Museum, at Exeter, was enabled to state with certainty that
A. glareolus really does occur in Devonshire. In ‘ The Zoologist’
for that year (p. 487), after stating that there were no well-
authenticated instances of its occurrence in that county, he
announced his reception at last of a living specimen, which had
been captured by Mr. A. Dudley at Ide, near Exeter. Other
examples may, therefore, be expected to occur.
We can hardly doubt, also, that it will be met with in WiuTs
and DorsetsuHire, if looked for in suitable spots.
The Bank Vole is included by Mr. A. G. More in his
“Catalogue of the Mammalia of the Istz or Wieut,” printed in
Venables’ ‘Guide to the Isle of Wight’; but, beyond the mere
insertion of the name, no information is given respecting it. As
this ‘ Guide,’ however, was published so long ago as 1860, when
less attention was paid to the geographical distribution of species
than at the present time, due allowance must be made.
It is most probable that in the attempt which has been made
to trace the distribution of Arvicola glareolus in the British
Islands, many records may have been overlooked which ought to
have been noticed. In this case it is to be hoped that readers will
forward a note of such omissions as may appear to them important,
and particularly a note. of any localities with which they may be
acquainted in counties where, so far as the writer is aware, the
occurrence of this species has not yet been made known.
In order to aid those who may have leisure to search for it,
we may point out the chief characters which serve to distinguish
368 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the Bank Vole from the Short-tailed Vole, and will conclude by
giving some account of the habits of the rarer species as noticed
by several good observers. This by way of supplement to the
remarks under this head, which are given in the second edition
of Bell’s ‘ British Quadrupeds.’
Yarrell, when first describing the Bank Vole as British,
under the name of Arvicola riparia, pointed out the striking
difference between that species and A. agrestis in the length
of the tail in proportion to length of body, the tail of the Bank
Vole being much longer, equalling about one-half the length
of the body; while that of the Short-tailed Vole reaches only to
one-third of the length of body. The number of caudal vertebree
he ascertained to be in A. agrestis, 19; in A. glareolus, 23. In
agrestis, also, which is the larger of the two species, he found the
eavity of the thorax much larger, the ribs of greater expanse, the
sternum longer, and the feet slightly shorter. The proportions
of the Bank Vole, as Bell has pointed out, are more elegant, its
colours brighter, and its fur more smooth and glossy. The head
is narrower and less flattened; the eyes larger and more con-
spicuous; and the ears longer, showing distinctly above the fur.
The head and back are rich chestnut, which passes on the flanks
into a more or less clear grey; while the breast, belly, and feet
are almost pure white.* The young are much darker in colour
than the adults.
Of nine adults obtained by Mr. Rope in Suffolk, near
Blaxhall, the average dimensions were:—Head and body, 3
inches 8 lines; tail, 1 inch 9 lines. One example, a female,
measured as much as 4 inches in head and body, the tail being
1 inch 9 lines. An old female (with five young), brought in by a
cat belonging to Mr. Norgate, of Spurham, near Norwich, was
larger and redder than an old male; ear, 6 lines long and 6 broad;
base of tail covered with long hair, like that of the body (Zool.,
1874, p. 4236).
Arvicola agrestis is a dweller in the open fields; A. glareolus
affects more sheltered situations. The haunts of the latter
* Mr. Rope says, ‘‘the bright fawn or orange tint observable on the
under parts of some specimens varies a good deal in intensity, being some-
times altogether absent.” An albino specimen, procured at Chelmsford in
August, 1885, by Mr. E. Rosling, was reported in ‘The Zoologist’ for that
year, p. 433.
ON THE BANK VOLE. 369
species have been well described by Mr. Rope, who writes as
follows :—
“Their favourite haunts here are old rough ivy-covered
hedge-banks, especially those from which the soil has been
washed away in places, leaving the roots bare, and thus forming
hollows behind them; banks adjoining woods and plantations
seem particularly attractive to them. In spots like this, pleasingly
varied by a sprinkling of old mossy stubs, brambles and bushes,
with the roots of overhanging trees backed by deep cavernous
recesses, the Bank Vole makes its burrow, and forms runs in all
directions, partly above and partly below the surface ; probably
also making use of those of the mole. I have caught them, too,
among artificial rockwork, and in a plantation in which are banks
thickly covered with the lesser periwinkle, among the roots and
stems of which they had formed numerous runs.”
The late Mr. Edward Alston also noticed that the Bank Vole
is partial to gardens (‘ Zoologist,’ 1867, p. 669). He kept one for
some time in confinement, and gave an account of it in this
Journal (1866, pp. 9, 10). It would eat almost any vegetable
substance, but preferred roots and fruit to herbage, a raw
potato being a special delicacy. Gooseberries were neatly
emptied by a small hole on one side, the skins of all fruit being
rejected. Mr. Rope, who has kept several of these little animals
in confinement at various times, remarks :—
“Not only do these little animals make pleasing and
interesting pets, but they also thrive remarkably well in con-
finement. On more than one occasion, indeed, on placing a
freshly-caught specimen with the former occupants of a cage, I
have been struck with the superior plumpness and sleekness of
the latter; I may also add that I have never had one die in
captivity. A female caught here in January, 1883, was exceed-
ingly fond of bread, and would often carry a large piece up a
ladder to her sleeping-place ; in fact, I have always found them
prefer bread and grass to any other food, and this has generally
been the staple diet of those I have kept. In captivity they will
also eat haws, peas, nuts, apples, and hemp-seed; of maize, like
the Tits (Paride), they only devour the middle, rejecting the
greater part of the grain; their fondness for the seeds of the
sunflower is another taste they share with those birds. In
addition to grasses, they probably feed in the wild state upon
370 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the leaves of various other plants, but the following are all that
I can vouch for with absolute certainty: sheep’s-parsley, common
plaintain, Brussels sprouts, and hogweed. They are able to bite
through the shell of most filberts, but I doubt whether that of
the hazel-nut would not prove too much for their gnawing
powers. Several times during March, 1884, I pegged down
apples in the runs of these animals, but in no instance were they
bitten, though, as stated above, they eagerly devour them in
captivity. The stomach of a specimen, caught during the month
of July, 1884, by a cat, contained a mass of partially-digested
matter, consisting apparently of small seeds (resembling those of
grasses), rather that of leaves and blades of grass. Victor Fatio,
in his ‘ Faune des Vertébrés de la Suisse,’ states that during the
winter the Bank Vole subsists on bark and roots; he also affirms
that, in addition to its usual vegetable diet, it also devours worms,
and is in the habit of robbing the nests of small birds building on
or near the ground. This taste for animal food and insects has
been observed on various occasions in its congener the Short-
tailed Field Mouse, and the Water Rat has also been accused of
occasionally exhibiting similar tastes. There can, however, be
little doubt but that by far the greater proportion of the food of
all three species is of a vegetable nature. When angry these
little creatures make a great fuss, grinding their teeth and using
their voice very freely, which may be described as a short grunting
squeak, neither so sharp nor so prolonged as that of Mus sylvaticus
or musculus. In quarrelling their actions are ludicrous in the
extreme: they dodge round each other in a perfectly upright
attitude, hopping on their hind legs, and now and then nearly
throwing themselves over backwards in endeavouring to avoid
each other’s attacks, the fore paws being held stretched out
before the face for protection. There is a great deal of fuss, and
much squeaking and grinding of teeth, but very little comes of
it all, and in general they are peaceable and gentle in their
ways. ‘They are remarkably quick and active in their move-
ments, the usual manner of progression being a succession of
short jerky runs, very bird-like in character, and not unlike the
action of the Hedgesparrow when on the ground. They are
most expert climbers, and quite at home among the branches
and twigs of hedges and bushes. Many years before I had
become personally acquainted with the appearance and habits of
ON THE BANK VOLE. 371
this pretty little animal, I saw what I have now little doubt
was a Bank Vole, climbing about in a whitethorn fence in this
parish (Blaxhall), probably in search of haws. (Dormice do
not occur here.) Last summer I kept three Bank Voles with a
pair of Dormice in a very large bell-glass, having a super-
structure of wire-gauze, in which a rough bush was fixed for
them to climb about on: this they often made use of, and ran up
and down with almost as much agility as their companions; but
they evidently lack the power of jumping long distances from
branch to branch, possessed in such perfection by the Squirrels
and Dormice. A female killed by a cat, July 4th, 1884, con-:
tained five young, which to all appearance would have been
born almost immediately ; probably, however, the species breeds
much earlier in the year than this, and, like A. agrestis, has
several litters during the spring and summer months. According
to the writer last quoted, they breed from twice to four times,
producing from four to eight in a litter.
“A word as to traps may be acceptable to some of your
readers. I have caught Bank Voles in various kinds of traps,
but have found nothing answer better than a larger make of the
common (live) mouse-trap with a slanting door. If the usual
small-sized penny trap be used, the bait-hook must be shifted
one wire farther from the mouth, so as to give greater length to
the trap, otherwise the hind-quarters of the captive will be
crushed by the falling door; but even with this alteration the
trap is not large enough, and it is far better to use a bigger one.
There is a useful trap for this purpose in form somewhat like a
toast-rack, with a small wire falling door at each end, the floor
being of wood; one advantage of which is that it may be easily
covered up and kept dry and warm, should the night prove wet
or frosty; in which case the little prisoner would (without such
protection) almost certainly be found in a few hours dead and
stiff. For bait nothing is better than a crust of bread: a soaked
pea or even a bit of cheese will also be found attractive. A very
few hemp-seeds scattered about the entrance of the trap serve as
a useful ground-bait.”
The figures in the accompanying plate have been drawn—
one (1) by Mr. G. E. Lodge, from a specimen received by Mr.
H. A. Macpherson, from Allonby, Cumberland; the other (2) by
Mr. G. Rope, from a living specimen in his collection, captured
by him near Blaxhall, in Suffolk.
372 THE ZOOLOGIST.
SWALLOWS AND SWIFTS IN CAPTIVITY.
[THE account given by Mr. A. G. Butler (p. 347) of his attempt to keep
Sand Martins in confinement has recalled to mind the experience in this
direction of Mr. W. E. Teschemaker, as related by him in ‘ The Bazaar,
Exchange, and Mart’ of the 13th April last. Experiments of the kind
have been so seldom made, or, if made, the results have been so seldom
reported, that we believe many of our readers will be glad to see
Mr. Teschemaker’s remarks reproduced here. ]
Knowine from practical experience how hard it is to preserve
in health for any length of time the majority of our British
Warblers, it was only recently that it occurred to me that it
might be possible to domesticate our Hirwndines also, and it was
not until the end of last summer (1886) that I put the matter to
a practical test.
The Swallow and its congeners always seem so fragile, so
ethereal—such devotees of the sunny south—that the last thing
in the world that one thinks of in connection with them is a
cage, or any other such conventional domicile. Nevertheless
I am pretty well convinced now that not only are they readily
domesticated, but also that they make most charming and
interesting pets.
The first thing I did, when my attention was directed to this
subject, was to glance at such books of reference as I had by me.
No volume, however, to which I had access mentioned any case
of the Hirundines being domesticated; nor am I aware of any
work on aviary birds that does so, though of course it is quite
possible that some that I have not been able to consult may
contain the required information. The best of all such works,
Bechstein’s ‘ Cage Birds,’ does not include the Hirundimes, nor
does the last edition of his work, which contains also the addenda
of Sweet’s “‘ Warblers,” and is most complete.
Last of all, I hunted out an old edition of Bewick (the
pioneer of many a modern book), and there I found what I
wanted—a detailed account of a successful attempt to reclaim
the Swallow. First and foremost, then, I will give the substance
of Bewick’s narrative. This experiment was made by Mr. James
Pearson, of 21, Great Newport Street, Long Acre, London, and
was communicated to Bewick by Sir John Trevelyan, Bart.
SWALLOWS AND SWIFTS IN CAPTIVITY. 373
It appears that about the latter end of August, 1784, Mr.
Pearson obtained five or six Swallows in a fowling-net at night.
He put them at first separately into small cages, and fed them on
‘Nightingale’s food.” After about ten days of hand-feeding, they
consented to take food for themselves, and were then put all
together into a deep cage, four feet long, with gravel at the
bottom; a broad shallow pan with water was placed in it, in
which they sometimes washed. All went well for some little time ;
but one day, as the cold weather approached, they were observed
to plunge repeatedly and excitedly into their bath, and, very
shortly after, all five became torpid, and three died; the
remaining two revived, and lived until Christmas, when they also
unfortunately became afilicted with inflamed feet and succumbed.
In the following year, however (1785), Mr. Pearson repeated
the experiment with four birds, this time covering the perches
with flannel, and met with complete success! ‘The Swallows
thrived, sang their pleasant chattering song all through the winter
months, moulted soon after Christmas, lived for three or four
years, and only perished from neglect during the illness of
their owner.
I only came across the above passage late in the year 1886—
so late that I doubted whether I could obtain any Swallows to
make the attempt with. I was at that time in the Isle of Man,
and the Swallows had almost all left for warmer climes; more-
over, I wanted young Swallows.
However, chance favoured the idea. At six o’clock one
evening (it was the 6th of September)—a dark, cloudy, stormy
evening, which foretold a storm to come—my cousin and myself
anchored our boat off the Banner Rock, a little south of St. Anne’s
Head, on the Manx coast, and sprang on to a reef, exposed by a
dead low spring-tide, and thence scrambled up to the base of the
cliff, in order to explore a cave which was said to exist about
there, and from which a subterranean passage was said to lead to
Castle Rushen. The back of the cave was blocked with masonry ;
so ran the legend. Well, we found a cave that answered to the
description, crawled some way in on hands and knees in pitchy
darkness (for we had lost candle and matches), and, far in, we
found the masonry; but, what is more, out flew a Swallow from
above our heads. We soon spotted the nest, which contained
four young birds, fully fledged, and quite able to fly.
374 THE ZOOLOGIST.
I give this somewhat detailed preamble, not because I see
anything phenomenal in having been on the Manx coast on
Septemaber 6th, but, firstly, because some of your readars may
not have heard of a Swallow's nest—which one always associates
with chimneys—in the abysmal depths of a wild part of a wild
coast; secondly, because September 6th is the latest date but one
that I have found a Swallow’s nest with young; and, thirdly,
because if anyone who reads this is up in the North, he may
find in the Banner Cave that unusual coincidence—a legend
fulfilled !
Well, we took two of the young Swallows home, and fed them
by hand on flies and lean meat (chiefly flies) for three days, at
the end of which time they would take flies from the hand freely.
They seemed chilly little mortals, and required to be kept warm
at night in a small cage padded thickly with cotton-wool. Very
soon they began to fly about the room, and would perch on the
hand at a given whistle. They picked flies very neatly off the
window-panes, but were never very successful in catching them
in the air. The fact was, the family became such willing and
assiduous caterers that the birds were far too lazy to exert them-
selves on their own behalf. They seemed even to prefer lean
meat to flies. So tame were they that, if tossed up in the garden,
they always returned to the hand without fail, chattering away
familiarly all the time. Altogether, they proved among the most
fascinating of the many feathered pets I have kept. Next to
seeing a Peregrine come swooping down to a swing of the lure,
I think there is no sight so enjoyable as watching these elegant
little birds, with their marvellous power of wing, circle round and
over one in graceful curves, free as the air, then shoot down in
one moment and alight simultaneously on one’s shoulder, twit-
tering gaily the while, and peer comically into one’s hand to see
if any dainty has been reserved for them! I know of no bird so
thoroughly or so easily tameable as the Swallow. .
Unhappily, I have to chronicle their early death. One
strangled itself by getting its head between the wires about a
fortnight after it came into my possession ; and, curiously enough,
about a fortnight later, had its wing broken by a tame Hedgehog,
who snapped at it while resting for a moment on the floor. Both
birds were perfectly healthy.
The third piece of evidence I have to offer is the case of a
NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 375
lady living at Rugby, who, in 1885, kept three Swifts for a little
more than three months. These were kept in a middling-sized
cage with no perches, and were fed almost entirely on lean beef
given in small fragments. They were at length killed because
they absolutely refused to fly away, and their mistress was obliged
to go away from home. They were strong and well, and afforded
the greatest amusement.
Here, then, are three instances of the successful domestication
of our British Hirundines. Probably it has been often done; and
I am only surprised that they are not more frequently kept.
I hope any bird-lover who has made the experiment will give us
the result of his experience; and if these few jottings only induce
those who have not, to do so—they will not, Iam sure, have been
penned in vain.
I have purposely refrained from prolix directions. A few
hints, however:—(1) A bath frequently; covered perches; as
much exercise as possible; a moderate temperature—no sudden
changes. (2) Feed on flies at first; when you cannot get live ones
supply a few dead and dry ones with the lean meat (these cleanse
the maw, and are almost indispensable) ; as little food should be
given as possible.
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL.
By THE LATE JoHN GATCOMBE.
[Tue following notes, made during the year 1886, by the late Mr.
Gatcombe, whose death we were sorry to announce in a previous number
(p- 233), reached us only a short time before his decease, and have stood
over until now for want of space. They conclude a series of observations
communicated by him annually to this Journal since the year 1872.—Ep.]
In the month of January several Long-eared Owls were
obtained and sent up from Cornwall (three of them by one
person), one of which was an unusually light-coloured variety.
On the 21st Mr. Clogg, of Looe, kindly forwarded for my
inspection a beautiful variety of the Redwing. The general
colour of this bird was a delicate light buff, with the usual
markings thereon of a darker tint. I have seen somewhat similar
varieties of the common Song Thrush, but none so striking in
colour as this, and consider such variation in the Redwing to be
376 THE ZOOLOGIST.
of much rarer occurrence. During this month a number of
Kingfishers and Green Woodpeckers were received by the bird-
stuffers, the cold weather, as usual, having a great effect on these
birds.
On Feb. 6th the weather was exceedingly severe; notwith-
standing which a Common Guillemot was captured, which was
in full breeding plumage. By the 21st I remarked Larus ridi-
bundus with nearly a full black head, and also examined another
Guillemot undergoing a change of plumage—this consisted of a
change in the colour of the feathers without any sign of moult.
On March Ist several examples of Larus ridibundus were
observed with perfectly dark heads; and on the 8th a Peregrine
Falcon was shot on Dartmoor whilst in pursuit of a Black
Grouse. Many Barn and Tawny Owls were forwarded to the
birdstuffers. Up to March 26th Lesser Black-backed Gulls were
numerous in our harbours previous to their departure for their
breeding-stations. A few Wheatears appeared.
On April 18th, wind east, light but cold, there was an arrival
of Willow Wrens and Chiffchaffs on the coast.
On May 11th two Curlew’s eggs were taken on Sherbaton
Farm, Dartmoor, two miles from Prince Town; and several more
Tawny and Barn Owls were sent to the bird-preserver. On the
18th a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was received. I also under-
stood from Mr. Nicholls that a Hoopoe was obtained about this
date in the neighbourhood of Kingsbridge, South Devon; and
Mr. Clogg, of Looe, Cornwall, informs me of a Common Redstart
having been procured—the first of the kind he had ever met with
in that locality. Strange to say, although the Black Redstart is
seen on the coast there almost every autumn and winter, the
common species is considered rare throughout the county. He
also mentioned a Great Northern Diver having been recently
taken in a trammel-net. On the 21st I was shown a Nightjar,
which had been killed by flying against a telegraph-wire.
On June 10th a Common Buzzard was trapped, and also a
Kestrel. The stomach of the latter bird contained a Slow-worm,
Anguis fragilis.
On July 28th an immature Peregrine Falcon was sent to the
birdstuffer, and on August 5th another fully adult male killed in
Cornwall, which makes the fourth example I have examined
within the last six months. What a pity it seems that so many
NOTES FROM DEVON AND CORNWALL. 377
of these noble birds should be thus destroyed. On August 9th
I observed the last Swifts for the season.
On September 5th the birdstuffer at Stonehouse received an
Oystercatcher and Wryneck (a very uncommon bird in Devon
and Cornwall). I also saw a Quail at a poulterer’s in Devonport ;
this was a male bird with the dark patch beneath the chin. On
the 12th I examined an adult Arctic Tern which had been killed
in the neighbourhood. A curious young Sparrow, in brownish
white plumage was sent to me by Mr. Clogg, of Looe, and about
the same time I observed in our garden a Sparrow showing a
white patch on each wing, reminding one of a hen Chaffinch.
On the 29th a Great Black-backed Gull, in moult, was killed in
the harbour.
On October 3rd Richardson’s Skua was shot near Saltash, on
the River Tamar; also a Storm Petrel and three Oystercatchers
near Plymouth. After a tremendous gale four or five Grey
Phalaropes and several more Storm Petrels were obtained. Most
of the latter were found dead inland; one, however, which was
alive, but in an exhausted state, lived in a cage for nearly a
fortnight, being fed on minute scraps of fat, but I think would
have survived much longer on oil; it also drank freely when
water was offered. The food in one of the Phalaropes examined
consisted of the bodies and wings of some small brown beetles,
one valve of a very thin and minute marine shell, and many
fragments of decayed seaweed. A young Gannet, in the spotted
plumage of its first autumn, was also procured—the first I had
seen for many years in that state of plumage. About this date
I examined an adult Kittiwake, which possessed a very small but
perfect hind toe and claw—the first I had ever met with which
showed this peculiarity among the large number of specimens
I have hitherto closely examined. Although perfectly formed
this small toe and its claw measured only one-eighth of an inch
in length, being the same on both feet. A nice specimen of the
Great Snipe, Gallinago major, weighing seven and a half ounces,
was killed on Dartmoor by Mr. Charles Clark. On the 24th,
wind east, strong and cold, lots of both Arctic aud Common
Terns were seen in the harbour and along the coast—no doubt
driven in with the Phalaropes and Storm Petrels by the late
severe gales. On the 27th a variety of the Common Partridge
was brought to the birdstuffer. Its flight-feathers were pure
ZOOLOGIST.— OCTOBER, 1887. 26
378 THE ZOOLOGIST.
white, but the rest of the upper plumage of the usual colour, with
the exception of the head, cheeks and throat being of a lighter
tint. On the 29th the first Black Redstart made its appearance
on the coast—a rather early date, as this bird is seldom seen
here before the first week of November. Two Snow Buntings
were sent to the birdstuffer, one from Cornwall and the other
from the neighbourhood of Plymouth. This species is by no
means common with us.
On Nov. 2nd another Black Redstart was observed near the
Devil’s Point, Stonehouse; and on the 4th a Great Northern
Diver, in nearly full summer plumage, which appeared to be in
exhausted state, was knocked down with a paddle by a boatman
in Weston Mill Creek. On the 6th an immature Peregrine Falcon
was killed by a gamekeeper at Sheviock, on the Cornish side of
the River Tamar; the crop contained the remains of a Partridge.
I was informed by my friend H. M. Harrison that on the 9th inst.,
when out rabbit shooting at Crafthole, on the Cornish side, he
remarked large flights of Missel Thrushes, in some instances as
many as 150 in a flock; this species had previously been very
scarce with us. On the 11th a Common Buzzard and Long-
eared Owl were obtained; the crop of the latter was completely
filled with the remains of mice. An immature Crested Grebe
was also received by the birdstuffer, the gizzard of which was
stuffed, as usual, with feathers and some bones of small fish.
The colour of its iris was of a light orange, with a narrow
yellowish white ring surrounding the pupil, similar to that of
the Sclavonian Grebe. Another, but immature, Northern Diver
was also killed about this date.
On Dee. 9th a young Black Guillemot, in the plumage of the
first year, was obtained in Plymouth Sound—the only specimen
I remember to have seen in this locality. At the same time
a fully adult Razorbill was brought in, which had the tongue
protruding through an aperture in the throat just under the
chin, in which state it had apparently been for a long time, the
border or rim of the hole having perfectly healed and become
hardened, and the hole itself sufficiently large to give the tongue
perfect play, so as to allow the bird to swallow its food. The
protrusion of the tongue was three-quarters of an inch, the tip of
which had turned or twisted into a perfect scroll. The head
of this bird was preserved. Several Purple Sandpipers, T'ringa
THE BRITISH MARSH TIT. 379
maritima, and Guillemots were obtained during the prevailing
north-east winds; and on the 12th I purchased in the Plymouth
Market an immature specimen of the Common Dotterel, Endro-
mias morinellus, killed on Dartmoor, and the first local specimen
I remember to have met with.
THE BRITISH MARSH TIT.
By LronwarD STEJNEGER.*
PARUS PALUSTRIS DRESSERI, subs. nov.
Dracnosis.— Similar to typical Parus palustris, but much
darker; the brown of the back more olive, and the rump clearer
and lighter buffish brown; flanks much browner; tail shorter, the
longest rectrices averaging 49 mm; outer pair of rectrices shorter
than the rest, which are nearly of equal length.
Hasirat.—Great Britain.
Typz.—U.S. National Museum, No. 96,550.
It is curious that none of the British ornithologists have had
the courage to describe this bird under a distinctive name, not
even those who recognise Parus britannicus as a distinct species,
since there is no lack of evidence in the literature that they have
been aware of the difference of the British Marsh Tit from the
Scandinavian and Central European bird, for which Linneus’s
name, P. palustris, is properly retained, and most of the modern
authors, when speaking of P. palustris generally, or when describing
it, have been obliged to qualify their reference to its occurrence
in Great Britain by remarking that examples from this island are
very much darker than P. palustris vera.
Thus, for instance, Messrs. Dresser and Sharpe (° Birds of
Europe,’ iii. p. 100 seqv.) make several remarks to the same
effect :—‘‘ Male from England. Very much darker than con-
tinental specimens, the back especially; the rump very much
paler than the rest of the back, and inclining to rosy white ;
cheeks and centre of the body underneath dingy white; the flanks
dark buff, this colour almost extending to the abdomen” (p. 100).
** From the ‘ Proceedings of the United States National Museum,’ vol. ix.
(pp. 201, 202). Advance sheet kindly forwarded by the author.
380 THE ZOOLOGIST.
“But in a comparison of specimens care must be taken to have
the true Scandinavian species, and not the sombre English sub-
species” (p. 105). ‘Compared with the true P. palustris of
Sweden, our English Marsh Titmouse is a very much darker
bird, and has the head slightly browner and less glossy. As,
however, there are many continental specimens which, in their
winter dress, approach British examples, we feel that it would not
be advisable to bestow a specific name on our insular form, as
the distinctions are not so clearly characterised as in the Coal
Titmice. That our island bird, however, is constantly darker is
apparent on comparison of a series of specimens from Great
Britain and the Continent. Capt. R. G. Wardlaw Ramsay has
kindly sent us some Scotch specimens which exactly agree with
English birds” (p. 109) (italics mine). Professor Newton’s remark
(Yarrell, Brit. Birds, 4 ed., i., p. 497) is much to the same effect,
and so are those of Mr. Seebohm (‘British Birds’ Eggs,’ i.,
pp. 476, 477). The latter gentleman thinks that the amount of
brown is not sufficiently great to warrant the separation of the
British bird from the continental one, notwithstanding the fact
that he himself has described as a “variety” P. japonicus, and
recognised as deserving of a separate (though varietal) name
“forms” like P. brevirostris and P. baicalensis.
From the series which I have now before me, I see no
difference between the present case and that of P. britannicus,
neither in the quality nor in the quantity of the additional
colouring matter of the British forms. The Coal Tit is con-
siderably more bluish in the grey, and consequently the suffusion
of buff in P. britannicus causes the back to look more olive.
Intermediate forms occur in both. Very well! Therefore we
give them trinomials, calling one P. ater britannicus, the other
P. palustris dresser. I am quite unable to appreciate the
consistency or logic of recognising the former and rejecting
the latter.
In addition to the difference in colour, it appears to me
that P. dresseri has a shorter tail than true P. palustris, as
I have found the longest tail-feathers in the former averaging
49 mm., against 53 mm. in the latter, while the other dimensions
seem to be nearly the same.
In default of a better place, I wish to correct here a quotation
in the synonymy of P. borealis as given by Sharpe and Dresser
NOTES AND QUERIES. 381
(‘Birds of Europe,’ iii. p. 107), and by Gadow (Cat. B. Brit.
Mus., viii, p.51). These gentlemen regard “ Parus fruticeti,
Wallengr., Naumannia, 1854, p. 141,” as a synonym of P. bore-
alis, while in reality Wallengreen proposed the new name for
“ P, palustris, Auctorum,” regarding, as he did, P. borealis, Selys,
as a synonym of P. palustris, Linn. We hold that Linneus’s
diagnosis is equally applicable to both forms, and that the name,
therefore, is to be applied to that one, to which it was first
restricted by Selys-Longchamps. P. fruticeti, Wallengr., there-
fore, is a synonym of what we consider P. palustris vera.
NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
Hornless Stags.—Hornless ‘stags have long been known to the shooter
of large game in Germany by the name of “ Flatheads,” or “ Monks”
(Plattkopfe oder Ménche). In these animals the so-called “rosette” on
the skull, which forms the proper base of the horns, appears remarkably
deformed, and is entirely clothed by a prolongation of the hairy skin of
the forehead. The cause of this phenomenon in many districts has been
often attributed to interbreeding for many years, as well as to neglect in
regenerating the blood through natural selection with deer from other
districts. But since Deer and Roe which are kept in confinement and
fed liberally with oats, grain, dry pease, maize, acorns, beechmast, and
chestnuts, set up horns and antlers of extraordinary dimensions, one
naturally comes to the conclusion that it must be the absence of this and
similar food which prevents or retards the formation of horns. Indeed it
is in the extensive forests (e.g. the Forest of Goerde) consisting exclusively
of pine and fir, that the so-called “ Flatheads” are principally found, and,
as regards food, are chiefly restricted to heather during the winter, other
food being exceptional. Besides the more or less exceptional “ Flatheads,”
there are other deer found there with only one “rosette” deformed, the
other very likely supporting a well-developed antler, carrying from ten
to twelve points. [No such antlers are ever seen now on British Red-
deer.—Ep.] Others again may have. insignificant smooth horns of a dull
colour, which in some specimens take peculiar curves or are distorted in
the shape of a spiral. Those deer which, instead of horns, are provided
merely with a strong and straight antler on one side only, were formerly
known as “ murderers,” being dangerous adversaries to other deer during
382 THE ZOOLOGIST.
the rutting-season, and consequently they were always sought to be removed
—the sooner the better. As a rule, neither of the above-mentioned
distortions, nor the entire absence of horns in the so-called ‘“ Flatheads,”
should be regarded as indicating a lack of generative power, and at any
rate ought not to be confounded with that abnormal formation of horn
which inevitably results from injury or total loss of the horn in deer and
roe. In regard to strength and weight, the “ Flatheads,” in the districts
referred to, are seldom inferior to antlered deer of the same age, and some-
times even exceed them in that respect. They also enter upon the ruttirg-
season in due course, and are then extremely pugnacious. Their mode of
fighting is peculiar; they stand up on their hind legs, as do also the
hinds, and strike savagely at their adversary with their fore legs. It is
remarkable that if any horned deer is attacked by a “ Flathead” in this
way, it will instantly fight in the same manner, rearing up vertically,
without making use of its horns, which otherwise would be such terrible
weapons. It thus happens on such occasions that considerably stronger
animals, possessing ten or twelve points, are forced to retreat after a few
charges by the ‘ Flathead,” owing to the superior pluck of the latter.
Such a scene, drawn from nature, is depicted in an engraving in the
‘ Illustrirte Zeitung’ of October 2nd, 1886 (p. 345). Combats of this kind,
where ‘‘ Flatheads” exist, may be occasionally observed when a herd is
temporarily enclosed and surrounded in a small space—as, for example,
during a chase. These encounters are of a less serious character and of a
shorter duration, for they are only casual encounters provoked through
excitement.—L. Bucxmann. (Translated from the ‘ Illustrirte Zeitung,’
October 2nd, 1886.)
The Roe-deer in Cumberland.—The presence of Roe-deer in Cum-
berland having been doubted in some quarters, for lack of published
information, it becomes desirable to state that a limited number are
established near Wigton (not Netherby), in the north of this county. The
graceful little deer wander through the largest of our border plantations,
occasionally making their appearance in new and unexpected localities.
Thus in 1880 a buck, which had no doubt forded the Eden, took up its
abode in the Cotehill Wood, where it was frequently seen for two years, as
reported by Mr. T. H. Horrocks and other gentlemen. Ultimately it
disappeared; no one knew exactly where, but suspicion fell upon a local
poacher who brought a Roe into Carlisle about the time of its supposed
decease. The resident Roes (which are believed to be aboriginal, with fresh
importations a few years since) maintain their numbers steadily, but there
is no marked increase. The leaves of brambles form an important part of
their diet during the winter months. When visiting the haunts of the
Roe in Cumberland on April 23rd, 1886, Mr. Duckworth witnessed a curious
incident. On that day a Roe which had been reared as a pet by the keeper's
NOTES AND QUERIES. 383
children, but had disappeared for a period of eight or nine months, returned
to her early home. The children gathered eagerly round their lost favourite,
caressing her and hastening to decorate her slender neck with the insignia
of a blue ribbon. The wilder mate, which had accompanied the truant part
of the way, kept watch in a covert about two hundred yards distant,
awaiting the return of his partner with evident concern.—H. A. MAcPHERSON
(Trans. Cumberl. and Westmorl. Assoc. Lit. and Sci., 1887, p. 44),
[The Roe was abundant in Cumberland during the reign of Charles i,
when a number (31) were transported from the woods around Naworth Castle
to the royal park at Wimbledon. An account of the transportation will be
found in Harting’s ‘Essays on Sport and Natural History,’ pp. 47, 48.
—Ep.]
The Grampus or Killer on the Coast of Norway.—I am indebted
to Professor Flower for the inspection of a photograph of a Grampus, or
Killer, Orca gladiator (Lacépéde), which was captured on February 26th,
1885, at Bildéen, a small island about 15 English miles west of Bergen.
Extraordinary to relate, no less than sixty-two of these animals were
captured at the same time in this Fjord, and the photograph before me,
representing one of the largest males, was taken on the spot immediately
after capture by a photographer of Bergen. The precise dimensions have
not been forwarded, but as the length of the animal in the photograph is
about nine inches, one is easily enabled to judge of its proportions. On
comparing it with the figure given at p. 445 of the second edition of Bell's
‘British Quadrupeds, including the Cetacea’ (which is probably the figure
most accessible to the majority of our readers) it is seen to differ from it
in many respects. In the first place, the white spot above the eye is
very much larger in the Bergen specimen, extending from the eye back-
wards to an imaginary line drawn perpendicularly from the anterior
insertion of the flipper, the breadth of this spot being about one-third of
its length. In the second place, the specimen photographed has not the
belly white throughout its entire length, as represented by Bell. It is only
white “ fore and aft,” as a sailor would say, the intermediate portion being
of the same colour as the back and sides—namely, slaty black, so far as
can be judged. In the third place, the dorsal fin is not only more triangular
and upright, but is much more solid than is depicted in Bell’s figure, and
without any indication, as there suggested, of what in a fish would be
termed fin-rays; the same remark applying to the tail; and, fourthly, as
regards the position of the flippers, which are oval anteriorly and pointed
posteriorly, they appear from the photograph to be directed backwards rather
than downwards, as represented by Bell, although doubtless they are capable
of a certain freedom of movement. The “saddle-mark” of a grey colour,
to which Bell makes allusion as being “ sometimes” present, is seen in the
photograph to be situated immediately behind the dorsal fin. So far as
3884 THE ZOOLOGIST.
I am aware, there is no previous record of anything like so many as sixty-two
examples of this cetacean being captured at one time.—J. E. Harrine.
BIRDS.
Ornithological Notes from Hunstanton, Norfolk.—Adult Sanderlings
appeared in considerable flocks on the shore at Hunstanton during the first
week of August. On the 4th I saw four Cormorants, and the same day
had a good view ofa Seal, which had been basking on a sand-bank off Holme
Point. On August 25th I met with a flock of Curlew Sandpipers, and
obtained two specimens, one a fine mature bird in almost full summer
plumage, and also saw four or five Little Stints, one of which I shot. I have
never met with either species here before. On the 27th I got another
Curlew Sandpiper, an immature bird, from a flock of Ring Plovers feeding
on the shore near the old Hunstanton life-boat house. Curlews, Whimbrels,
and Oystercatchers have been passing along shore daily to and from their
feeding grounds with the rise and fall of the tide. Arctic, Common, and
Lesser Terns have been very abundant, the two latter species especially so,
congregating in large flocks on the beach and on the sand-banks. Iam
glad to say that I think very few have been shot. Many of the readers of
‘The Zoologist’ have no doubt read with much regret of the wholesale
slaughter of Kittiwakes and other sea-birds during the last few weeks at
their breeding stations, especially at Flamborough Head, and it might be
worth the consideration of ornithologists whether some united effort could
not be made for the extension of the close-time for sea-birds till August 20th
or Sept. lst.—Junian G. Tucx (St. Mary’s, Bucknall, Stoke- on-Trent).
[From the accounts which have lately reached us of the wanton
destruction of sea-birds before they are strong on the wing at Bridlington
and Flamborough, we should rejoice to see the close-time extended as
proposed to Sept. Ist.—Ep.]
The Nightingale in Scotland.—A writer in ‘The Scotsman’ of
Sept. 19th last, after citing the correspondence between David Earl of
Buchan and the Hon. Daines Barrington, a century ago, relative to a
proposed attempt to introduce the Nightingale into Scotland, recapitulates
the methods suggested by Lord Buchan for the benefit of any enterprising
naturalist who may feel inclined to repeat the experiment, namely, “ (1) to
procure from England several pairs of Nightingales trapped in the beginning
of April, before they build; (2) to procure eggs and place them in the nests
of the genus Motacilla ; and (3) to bring down a number of nestlings, with
hen Sky Larks for nurse, and cage Nightingales in full song for instructors.”
On May 16th, 1795, Mr. Thomas Milne, Curator of the Botanical Gardens
at Oxford, succeeded in obtaining five Nightingale’s eggs, which he instantly
dispatched to Lord Buchan by the ‘ Royal Charlotte. They reached him
on the 19th. By the 21st he had discovered, after much search, a Hedge-
sparrow’s nest, where her first egg had been laid about two hours before ;
NOTES AND QUERIES. 385
he placed a Nightingale’s egg there ‘tinted with chalk-powder,” and with-
drew the Sparrow's. This process he repeated till three of the eggs were
disposed of. This nest unfortunately was soon afterwards robbed. ‘“ The
same evening,” writes the Earl, ‘I gave the remaining pair of eggs to John
Burton, gardener to Mrs. Scott, of Harden, at Mertoun, to place in a nest
suitable to the purpose, which he had discovered in a place where he could
watch, and protect it from plunder, being on the roof of the hot-house
there, adjoining his own house. ‘This disposition of the remaining eggs was
intended not only to give a better chance of success in the experiment,
but to pay a compliment to my friend Lady Diana Scott, who had gone to
the bird men in London, in the year 1787, to bespeak nestlings for me,
when I thought of rearing them with hen Lark nurses, from which plan
I desisted.” On the 16th June the Earl’s agent wrote to him from Kelso,
in great excitement, that Burton had been successful; that two Nightingales
had actually been hatched there on the 10th inst. ; that the practicability of
the thing had been ascertained. Burton was “fixed in his opinion as to
the birds being Nightingales, and that they left the nest at the proper
time,” and were different from the Chaffinch. Fame and immortality were
now spoken of, and compliments heaped upon Lord Buchan, to whom was
accorded the merit of haviug been the first who “ either thought of, or had
the spirit to try the experiment ;” and it was prophesied—‘ Your fame in
Scotland will oft be celebrated in the Nightingale’s song.” A notice was
prepared for the local paper that “A pair of Nightingale’s eggs were
deposit in a Straw-finch’s nest on the 24th May, and actually hatched on
the 10th inst.” But when the first burst of excitement had subsided
doubts arose. It was seen that from the date when the eggs were ‘‘ deposit”
to the 10th June was a very short time for incubation. Therefore a
messenger was sent to Mertoun to question John Burton more particularly.
lt was found that he was “ not clear in the matter.” This was the report.
“ Originally there had been five eggs in the nest, and he only withdrew
two, substituting the two Nightingale ones, and of these five only two were
hatched, the other three were broken by the bird. So that Burton could
not say whether the two were the produce of the Nightingale eggs or not.
Further questioned, Burton could not say the birds flew or had been taken
by any beast. The nest was undisturbed. Nor could he say much as to
the colour of the birds.” Therefore it was thought only prudent to defer
for the present the newspaper notice lest they should be laughed at for
announcing, as it is somewhat quaintly phrased, ‘ the accouchment of two
Chaffinches in place of Nightingales.” Thus ends the record of an experi-
ment which did no justice to the careful preparation that preceded it.
The Tufted Duck on the Solway.—My friend Mr. R. Service is a
little at a loss to reconcile the statements of Mr. Armistead and myself as
to the abundance or scarcity of the Tufted Duck on the Solway. Allow
386 THE ZOOLOGIST.
me to point out that we are really entirely of one mind on the subject. In
the district westward of Silloth, with which Mr. Armistead dealt, the
Tufted Duck is a searce bird; but in the neighbourhood of the upper
Solway—that is, from Silloth to Gretna—the Tufted Duck is fairly plentiful,
and can be found at all times (save in the breeding season) on one particular
loch. When our volume on the ‘ Birds of Cumberland’ was being written
I enquired of the Heysham family for any existing MSS. of the late
Mr. T. C. Heysham, of Carlisle. No such papers could be found, and J was
obliged to fall back on the information which Mr. Heysham included in a
few articles published in ‘ Loudon’s Magazine,’ and—a little earlier—in
the pages of the ‘ Philosophical Magazine.’ A few weeks since I made
fresh application to the representatives of Mr. Heysham, and this time
with success. Mr. Heysham Mounsey, of Castletown, is still unable to find
any of his late relative’s memoranda; but Mr. Mounsey, of Carlisle, has
most kindly made a diligent search in the family archives, and though the
greater part of Mr. Heysham’s writings were committed to the flames by
his executors, yet we have left much of his correspondence with Mr. Yarrell,
Mr. Gurney, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Gould, Mr. Proctor, and Mr. Doubleday.
We have also letters from many local correspondents, and fuller data as to
the rarer birds obtained in Mr. Heysham’s time than I ever hoped for.
The notes which refer to the nesting of the Dotterel would furnish materials
for an excellent article. I have alluded to these circumstances because
I think they will interest many, but I only wish to notice one point. In
the ‘Birds of Cumberland’ (p. 106) we chronicled the fact that a Tufted
drake was shot on the Solway a few summers ago in the middle of July.
Mr. Heysham proves to have anticipated us, with a note of a Tufted drake
shot on the Solway on July 15th, 1838, or some thirty years earlier. I will
only add that when male ducks are killed in England in the middle of July
the natural inference would be that they have bred in the vicinity.—
H. A. MacpHErson.
Roller and other Birds in the Isle of Wight.— While walking along
the old channel of the Yare, which runs through what was once the upper
part of Brading Harbour, Isle of Wight, on July 25th last, I came upon
an old black-breasted Dunlin, accompanied by four young birds in first
plumage; they were extremely tame, and by crawling through the rough
grass and thistles I was able to get within ten paces of them. It seems
improbable that these were bred on the moors of Cornwall, as the tendency
of such would, I suppose, be to move westward and then south in autumn
rather than to the east, as they must have done had they been of Cornish
origin, and although it is stated in “ Yarrell” that the Dunlin is not known
to breed in Dorsetshire nor along the south coast, I cannot help thinking
that this brood may have been reared in the marshes of Dorset, or more
probably Sussex. It would be an unusually early date for migrants from
NOTES AND QUERIES. 387
the northern counties. On the mud-banks were also several Common
Sandpipers and one Ringed Plover, but the former‘birds also migrate south
very early, and often appear in Oxfordshire about that time; the latter, I was
informed, bred in the vicinity. A Roller, which was shot in the island in the
summer of 1886, was shown to me as an unknown bird ; and I also examined
a Rose-coloured Pastor killed some twenty-five years ago. I was glad to hear
that the Peregrine still bred regularly on one of the cliffs on the east side of
the island; the nest had, I believe, been robbed this year, and I saw nothing
of the birds, the only species noticed about the cliffs being some breeding
Herring Gulls and Shags, and a Kestrel. The Herring Gulls on the wing
(above eghty) were all adult, with one exception—viz. a very brown young
one following the old birds, which could not fly well. A little way further
along the coast I saw two immature Great Black-backed Gulls on the wing,
but these of course were not bred there.—OLivER V. APLIN (Bloxham, near
Banbury).
Disparity in Size and Colour of Eggs of the same Species,— In
support of the Editor’s suggestion (p. 349), I can cite an instance in which
an abnormally small egg was certainly not the last laid. Some years ago
I found a Hedgesparrow’s nest which as yet contained only two eggs, one of
them not larger than a Wren’s, the other—as well as the rest laid after-
wards—being of the normal size. There is little doubt that in this instance
the small egg was the first of the clutch. On May 10th last I took four
Chaffinch’s eggs exactly like Bullfiach’s eggs of the ordinary type—light
blue with a circle of purplish spots on the large end. But that I saw the
_ nest and the parent birds, I would not have had the slightest suspicion that
the eggs were not those of a Bullfinch.—AtLan ELiison (Shillelagh,
Co. Wicklow).
Lesser and Black Terns near Gloucester—On September 12th a
specimen of the Lesser Tern, Sterna munuta, was shot on the Gloucester
avd Berkeley Canal, about four miles from Gloucester, the first recorded
in this county, although I believe the species has been seen or shot before.
Another Black Tern was also shot on the Severn, near Gloucester during the
last week in August.—H. W. Marspen (37, Midland Road, Gloucester).
White-winged Tern in Cornwall and Scilly.— Allusion has been
made to the difficulty of distinguishing between the young of the Black
Tern, Sterna fissipes, and the White-winged Tern, S. leucoptera. Among
several of the former, at Mr. W. H. Vingoe’s at Penzance, I saw one which
presented characters which led me to think it could not be of that species,
and I am glad to say that on being submitted to Mr. Howard Saunders
he decided it to be a White-winged Tern. It was shot at Sennen, in
Cornwall. When Mr. Harting edited the late Mr. Rodd’s work on the
‘ Birds of Cornwall,’ the White-winged ‘Tern had not been identified as a
3888 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Cornish bird; but it has since occurred both in Cornwall and Scilly. On
May 14th, 1882, an adult bird of this species was shot on the Long Pool
at Tresco, and is now in Mr. Dorrien Smith’s collection at the Abbey,
where it is shown with the rest of his collection to visitors on application.—
J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Keswick Hall, Norwich).
Esquimaux Curlew at Scilly— By the kindness of Mr. Dorrien
Smith I have inspected a specimen of the Esquimaux Curlew, Nwmenius
borealis, obtained by him at Tresco, Scilly, on September 10th. It was an
adult in full plumage, and there is no doubt about the identity of the
species; but on comparing the description given of it by Wilson and
Yarrell with that of other authors within reach, and with the bird itself, we
find a discrepancy in the length of the tarsus. We cannot make it more
than one inch six lines. Wilson and Yarrell (apparently following Wilson)
make it one inch ten lines. The specimen much resembles in shape a
small Whimbrel, with one of which birds it was in company when taken ;
but its plumage, especially that of the under side of the body and wings,
differs much from that of the Whimbrel, as does also the bill, both in shape
and comparative length.— Tomas CornisH (Penzance).
Manx Shearwater in Gloucester—On Sept. 8th a Manx Shearwater,
Puffinus anglorum, was picked up in a field at Hempstead, about a mile
below Gloucester on the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal. The thigh-bone
was broken, and the man who found it brought it to Gloucester and turned
it into the docks ‘‘for a swim.” It was afterwards killed, and came into
my possession, in the flesh, two days later, through the hands of Mr. Coles,
birdstuffer, of this town. On dissection it proved to be a female, and is,
I believe, the first recorded to have been procured in this county.—H. W.
MarspDEn (37, Midland Road, Gloucester).
Cormorants roosting on a Church.—A few weeks ago four or five
Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) came nightly to roost on the tower of
Holy Trinity Church in this town, and probably would have continued to
do so for some time had not some over-curious people ascended the tower
one evening after they had alighted, thinking to get a nearer view of them.
At the first sound of approaching footsteps the birds of course immediately
decamped, and have not since returned. After this they took up their
quarters for some time in an overhanging tree about a mile further up the
river (Taw). The tower referred to is situated near the river, entirely
surrounded by houses, but is unusually high. Is it not an unusual
occurrence for these birds to select such a roosting-place? This town is
situated about five or six miles from the sea.—J. G. Hamuine (The Close,
Barnstaple).
|We have occasionally heard of Cormorants roosting upon the towers
of churches, which they apparently consider the best substitute for sea-
cliffs to be found inland.— Eb. |
NOTES AND QUERIES. 889
The Folk-Lore of Ceylon Birds.—A correspondent of the ‘ Ceylon
Observer ’ of Colombo, referring to the interest excited by Mr. Swainson’s
book on “The Folk-Lore and Provincial Names of British Birds,” notes
some points in the folk-lore of the birds of Ceylon, obtained largely in
conversation with natives. The Devil-bird (Syrniwm indrani) stands facile
princeps for his evil reputation; his cry heard in the neighbourhood of
villages is a sure harbinger of death, and the superstitious natives are
thrown into great consternation by its demoniac screech. The legend
about the bird is as follows :—A jealous and morose husband, doubting the
fidelity of his wife, killed her infant son during her absence and had it
cooked, and on her return set it before her. She unwittingly partook of it,
but soon discovered that it was the body of her child by a finger which she
found in the dish. In a frenzy she fled to the forest, and was transformed
into a ulania, or Devil-bird, whose appalling screams represent the agonised
cries of the bereaved mother when she left her husband's house. The
hooting of Owls in the neighbourhood of houses is believed to bring
misfortune on the inmates. The Magpie-robin, though one of the finest
of the song-birds of Ceylon, is similarly tabooed; it has a harsh grating
screech towards evening, which is considered ominous. The quack of the
Pond-heron flying over a house is a sign of the death of one of the inmates,
or of a death in the neighbourhood. If the Green Pigeon (Nila kobocya)
should happen to fly through a house, as it frequently does on account of
its rapid and headlong flight, a calamity is impending over that house.
Similarly with the Crow. But Sparrows are believed to bring luck, and
are encouraged to build in the neighbourhood of houses, and are daily fed.
The fly-catcher Bird of Paradise is called ‘‘ cotton thief,” because in ancient
times it was a freebooter, and plundered the cloth merchants. As a penalty
for its sins it was transformed into a bird and doomed to carry a white
cotton attached to its tail. The Red-wattle Lapwing, the alarm bird of
sportsmen, has the following legend connected with it:—It is said to
represent a woman who committed suicide on finding herself robbed of all
her money, amounting to thirty silver pieces, by her son-in-law. The cry
of the bird is likened to her lament: ‘“ Give the silver, give the silver, my
thirty pieces of silver.” Its call is heard at all hours, and the stillness of
night is broken with startling abruptness by its shrill cry. Another story
about it is that when lying in its nest in a paddy-field, ora dry spot ina
marsh, it lies on its back with its legs in the air, being in continual fear
that the heavens will fall and crush its offspring. The story current about
the Blue-black Swallow-tailed Flycatcher (Kawudu panikkia) and its mortal
enemy, the Crow, is that the former, like Prometheus of old, brought down
fire from heaven for the benefit of man. The Crow, jealous of the honour,
dipped its wings in the water and shook the drippings over the flame,
quenching it. Since that time there has been deadly enmity between the
390 THE ZOOLOGIST.
birds. The Indian Ground Thrush (Pitta coronata) is said to haye once
possessed the Peacock’s plumes, but one day, when bathing, the Peacock
stole its dress; ever since the Pitta has gone about the jungle crying out
for its lost garments. According to another legend, the bird was formerly
a prince who was deeply in love with a beautiful princess. His father sent
him to travel for some years, and on his return the princess was dead. He
still wanders disconsulately about calling her name. It is also said that
the Peacock, being a bird of sober plumage, borrowed the brilliant coat of
Pitta to attend a wedding, and did not return it. The disconsolate Pitta
wanders through the jungle calling on the Peacock to restore its dress—
hence the cry, ayittam, ayittam (my dress, my dress). The cry of the Horn-
bill (Kandetta) is inauspicious and a sure sign of drought. The bird is
doomed to suffer intolerable thirst; not being able to drink from any
stream or rill, it has the power only to catch the rain-drops in its bill to
quench its thirst, and keeps continually crying for rain.
The Misdeeds of the House Sparrow.—Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., has
recently issued a pamphlet with this title (to be obtained from Messrs.
Gurney and Jackson, 1, Paternoster Row), which is intended as a reply to
one with a somewhat similar title by the Rev. F. O. Morris, and combats
the opinion that Sparrows do more good than harm by reason of the great
number of injurious insects which they destroy in summer. According to
Mr. Gurney “ recent investigations have conclusively shown that the Sparrow
does not destroy nearly so much insect-life as was supposed.” He adds that
“Old Sparrows as a rule do not eat insects. The larve which form the
customary food of young Sparrows are for the most part species which prey
on shrubs and plants, but not on corn, suchas Teras contaminana, Triphena
pronuba, and Pontia brassice.” He asks for evidence of their eating the
wireworm, or the larve of the gamma moth, or cranefly (daddy-longlegs).
“« They eat the rose-aphis, but no one has detected them eating the wheat-
aphis (4. granaria), which is much more to the point, though at least one
competent observer has made diligent search for it.”
Osprey in Hertfordshire.— On Sept. 17th, as a party of gentlemen
were shooting in the parish of Great Gaddesden, near Hemel Hempstead,
a large bird which rose from near the River Gade and flew within gunshot,
was winged by Mr. George Meacher, of St. Margaret’s. It was only slightly
injured, and, as the party formed a circle round it, it exhibited its hooked
beak and talons with such effect that no one felt inclined to touch it. At
last a farm-labourer seized it, and it was brought for identification to
Hunton Bridge, where it has remained until to-day (Sept. 23rd), and proves
to be a male Osprey. It has been confined in a covered fowl-run and fed
upon fish. It refused to eat anything dead, but directly a live Dace was
placed in a trough within reach it quickly devoured it. Minnows proved
NOTES AND QUERIES. 391
too insignificant to attract it, and were allowed to swim about in the trough
unmolested, but for Chub, Perch, and Dace it evinces a decided predilection.
Its method of feeding is peculiar: tearing the fish open, it devours the
entrails, before proceeding to feast upon what one might reasonably suppose
to be more attractive diet. It measures five feet two inches from tip to tip
of wing, and is in capital plumage. It is recovering from the injury to its
wing very rapidly, and I have but little doubt that, in the course of another
week, it will again be able to fly. It appears that the Osprey occurs in
England during September more frequently than in any other month. It
visits us on its southward migration, and in a few exceptional instances has
been known to remain during the winter. Since the above was written
another Osprey is reported to have been shot, about Sept. 20th, near
Wheathampstead by Mr. W. Thrale, and has been forwarded for preserva-
tion to Mr. Norman Thrale, of Port Vale, Hertford. The two birds were
probably travelling companions on their way south for the winter.—JoHN
E. Lrrriesoy (Hunton Bridge, near Watford).
Snow Bunting breeding in Confinement.—During a recent visit to
the Elgin Museum, the Curator, Mr. John Gatherer, showed me a couple
of eggs of the Snow Bunting, E'mberiza nivalis, which had been laid in his
own aviary. This aviary, an open-air one, contained several other small
birds besides a pair of Snow Buntings, and on building materials being
supplied during the past summer, the Snow Buntings very soon showed
signs of nesting. They chiefly collected dry grass, of which the nest was
almost entirely composed, and two eggs were laid. But the hen Snow
Bunting was disturbed by a hen Greenfinch, which took possession of the
nest, and at intervals occupied it; the result being that the eggs were never
hatched, and were subsequently found to be addled. These eggs, although
typical of the species in size and markings, are more richly coloured than the
average specimens usually seen in collections. They have been presented
by Mr. Gatherer to the Elgin Museum.—J. E. Harrine.
Swifts appropriating Martin’s Nests.—I can record a case similar
to that mentioned by Mr. Bond (p. 348). Two pairs of Swifts laid their
eggs this year in Martins’ nests under the eaves of the roof of the church of
this parish. The eggs were brought to me by my keeper, who afterwards
pointed out the nests to me. I made an examination of them, and found
that a lining of hay had been introduced; otherwise the nests were unaltered.
A new roof had been built during the winter, and the entrance to their
usual nesting-place had probably been closed ; hence possibly their selection
of this curious site—Huexu G. Barciay (Colney Hall, Norwich).
Wryneck nesting in holes in the Ground.—Mr. A. G. Butler’s note
(p. 299) on the Wryneck breeding in a hole in a brick-earth cutting confirms
my record of the supposed nesting of this species in a Sand Martin's burrow
392 THE ZOOLOGIST.
(Zool. 1885, p. 27), in which case, although the eggs were taken, the old
bird was not identified.—Oxivrr V. Artin (Bloxham, near Banbury).
REPTILES.
Mode in which Vipers are killed by the Hedgehog.—As some of
our readers have expressed themselves a little incredulous with regard to
the statements made under this heading (p. 306), it may not be amiss
to quote the following corroborative story, which is narrated by Broderip in
the second volume of ‘ The Zoological Journal’ (p. 19), his informant being
no less an authority than the late Dean Buckland :—*“It is not so well
known, he says, that like the Peccaries these ‘hedge-pigs’ will devour
Serpents. That they will do so appears from the following interesting
communication, for which I am obliged to my friend the Rev. William
Buckland, Professor of Zoology in the University of Oxford, and President
of the Geological Society. Having occasion to suspect that Hedgehogs,
occasionally at least, preyed on Snakes, the Professor obtained a Common
Snake, Coluber natria, and also a Hedgehog which had lived in an
undomesticated state some time in the Botanic Garden at Oxford, where it
was not likely to have seen Snakes, and put the animals into a box together.
The Hedgehog was rolled up at their first meeting; but the Snake was in
continual motion, creeping round the box as if in order to make its escape.
Whether or not it recognised its enemy was not apparent; it did not dart
from the Hedgehog, but kept creeping gently round the box ; the Hedgehog
remained rolled up, and did not appear to see the Snake. The Professor
then laid the Hedgehog on the body of the Snake, with that part of the
ball where the head and tail meet downwards, and touching it. The Snake
proceeded to crawl,—the Hedgehog started, opened slightly, and, seeing
what was under it, gave the Snake a sharp bite, and instantly rolled itself
up again. It soon opened a second time, repeated the bite, then closed as
if for defence; opened carefully a third time, and then inflicted a third bite,
by which the back of the Snake was broken. This done, the Hedgehog stood
by the Snake’s side, and passed the whole body of the Snake successively
through its jaws, cracking it, and breaking the bones at intervals of half
an inch or more, by which operation the Snake was rendered entirely
motionless. The Hedgehog then placed itself at the tip of the Snake's tail,
and began to eat upwards, as one would eat a radish, without intermission,
but siowly, till half the Snake was devoured, when the Hedgehog ceased
from mere repletion. During the following night the anterior half of the
Snake was also completely eaten up.”—Eb.
BATRACHIA.
Enemies of the Toad.—It is currently believed that the Common
Toad, Bufo culamita, is so repulsive in appearance as to eacape becoming
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 393
the prey of other animals. A short time since I was told by a friend that
a wounded Corn Crake, Crex pratensis, recently caught by his dog,
disgorged a very small Toad (apparently of this year’s hatch); and that,
on examining the bird’s crop, he also found a Frog of much larger size.
About a fortnight ago I noticed in a poultry yard a cock calling his hens
to partake of some choice morsel held in his beak. This on examination
also proved to be a small Toad with its head much crushed and battered by
the cock’s beak.—G. T. Rorx (Blaxhall, Suffolk).
FISHES.
Thresher Shark at Portland.—While staying at Weymouth, during
the last week in August, a specimen of this fish, measuring about ten feet in
length, was captured off the Chesil Bank, Isle of Portland.—W. Harcourt
Bara (Ladywood, Birmingham).
Ray’s Bream at Scilly.—Ray’s Bream has recently been obtained off
the Scilly Islands, and I believe this to be its first recorded appearance
there. It was taken in a Mullet- (Grey Mullet) seine, shot off Tresco, in
the Islands of Scilly, and therefore in free water, swimming at large.
I think this is the first recorded specimen captured in the open sea.
Through the kindness of Mr. J. C. Tonkin, of St. Mary’s, I received the
specimen in a perfectly fresh condition.—THomas Cornisu (Penzance).
[Ray gave the first account of this fish, having obtained a description
and figure of one left dead by the receding tide in Middlesburgh Marsh, at
the mouth of the Tees, in September, 1681. The largest number of British
examples, according to Dr. Day (Fishes of Gt. Brit. i. p. 116), have been
taken in the north of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Cornish examples,
however, have been recorded by Couch (Zool. 1846, p. 1406), Clogg (Zool.
1866, p. 349), and by Mr. Cornish himself (Zool. 1875, 4542).—Ep.]
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
Entomonogicat Society or Lonpon.
September 7, 1887.—Dr. Suarp, President, in the chair.
Mr. Arthur Sidgwick, M.A., Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford,
of Woodstock Road, Oxford, was elected a Fellow of the Society.
Mr. Jenner Weir exhibited a living larva of Myrmeleon europaeus, which
he had taken at Fontainebleau on the 6th August last.
Mr. Elisha exhibited a series of bred specimens of both sexes of Zelleria
hepariella, Stn. ; and also, on behalf of Mr. C. 8. Gregson, a series of eighty
varieties of Abraxas grossulariata, selected from the specimens bred during
the year 1886 from 4000 larve obtained from eggs laid by selected varieties,
the result of crossing and interbreeding for more than twenty years.
ZOOLOGIS1.—ocr. 1887. 2H
394 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Mr. Stainton remarked that the female of Zelleria hepariella had
until lately been considered a distinct species, and was known as Zelleria
insignipennella, but directly Mr. Elisha began breeding the insect its
identity with Z. hepariella was established.
Mr. Tutt exhibited specimens of Crambus alpinellus, C. contaminellus,
Lita semidecandriella, L. marmorea (dark forms), and L. blandulella (a new
species), Doryphora palustrella, and Depressaria Yeatiana, all collected at
Deal during last July aud August.
Mr. Stainton observed that Crambus alpinellus was so named from the
earliest captures of the species having been made on the lower parts of the
Alps, but that it had since been found on the low sandy ground of North
Germany, and its capture at Deal quite agreed with what was now known
of the distribution of the species in Germany. It was first recorded as a
British species by Dr. Knaggs in 1871, from two specimens taken at
Southsea by Mr. Moncreaff. Mr. Stainton further observed that he had
named Mr, Tutt’s new species “ blandulella” from its similarity to a small
maculea, of which one of the best known synonyms was blandella. He
also remarked that Deal was a new locality for Doryphora palustrella, which
had hitherto only been recorded from Wicken Fen and the Norfolk Fens
in England, and from the neighbourhood of Stettin on the Continent.
Mr. Waterhouse exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Coote, a variety of Lycena
phleas; also a number of Stenobothrus rufipes, and three specimens of
Coccinella labilis, recently taken by himself at Herne Bay.
Mr. Martin Jacoby exhibited specimens of Spilopyra sumptuosa, Baly,
and Sybriacus magnificus, Baly. He also exhibited several species of
Galerucide, belonging to a genus which he proposed to call Neobrotica,
closely resembling in shape and coloration certain species of Diabrotica,
but differing therefrom in structural characters. He remarked that the
late Baron Von Harold had described a Galeruca from Africa, which,
except in generic characters, exactly resembled the South American genus
Dircema. ,
Dr. Sharp communicated a paper, by Mr. Thomas L. Casey, “On a
new genus of African Pselaphide.”
Mr. Bridgman communicated a paper entitled “‘ Further Additions to
the Rev. T. A. Marshall's Catalogue of British Ichneumonidae.”
Mr. Distant read a paper entitled ‘ Contributions to a Knowledge of
Oriental Rhynchota.”
Mr. Enock read notes “On the Parasites of the Hessian Fly,” and
exhibited specimens of injured barley. A discussion ensued, in which
Dr. Sharp, Mr. Jacoby, Mr. Billups, Mr. Waterhouse, and others took
part.—H. Goss, Hon. Secretary.
( 395 )
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.
Ocean Birds. By J. F. Green. With a Preface by A. G:
GurtteMaRD, and a Treatise on skinning Birds by F. H.
Gumtemarp, M.D. 4to, 120 pp.; 6 Coloured Plates.
London: R. H. Porter. 1887.
A good work on ‘ Ocean Birds’ is a desideratum. A charming
volume might be written on the species to be observed in a
voyage round the world. Starting from New York a traveller
could scarcely fail to see a few coast birds before the ship was
out of sight of land—Gulls, Terns, or Skuas, and, if the breeding
season was over, probably a few Gannets, Razorbills, Guillemots,
or Cormorants. A brief account of the species which occur on
these coasts, and a few hints respecting the peculiarities of each
species, especially those that would enable the voyageur to
recognise them on the wing, would be profoundly interesting.
Once out at sea the species to be observed in the wide Atlantic
would be perhaps not more than three or four in number. The
most conspicuous of these would be the Fulmar, Fulmarus glaci-
alis; the least conspicuous, Wilson’s Petrel, Oceanites wilsoni ;
and the rarest—though, in reality, by no means rare—the Great
Shearwater, Pujfinus major. All these birds belong to the Procel-
laride, which are the only true Ocean Birds. On again sighting
land it would be most interesting to learn how to recognise
the channel coast-birds. Then, again, some information is still
desirable concerning the peculiarities of the coast-birds of the Bay
of Biscay. A chapter on the Petrels, Shearwaters, and Gulls of
Madeira, the Canaries, and Cape Verd, might clear up many @
difficulty. By some extraordinary oversight, the most conspicuous
bird of this part of the ocean, the Yellow-legged or Mediterranean
Herring Gull, Larus cachinnans, is not mentioned by Mr. Green.
When the last individual of this species has been left behind, and
the line has been crossed, flocks of Sooty Terns, Sterna fuliginosa,
are almost sure to be observed for a couple of days. Then
perhaps for a week very few birds are seen, except a solitary
Storm Petrel, or a pair of Shearwaters now and then, until the
Cape is neared, when sea-birds again become numerous. What
are the little white birds that fly about in large flocks in these
latitudes? The sailors call them “ Whale-birds.” Are they the
396 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Blue Petrel (Halobena cerulea) or the Broad-billed Prion (Prion
vittatus) ? These are questions the traveller is sure to ask, and
to which Mr. Green’s book supplies no answer. What is the
species so common on the Southern Ocean from Cape Town to
East London? Its plumage both above and below is sooty-
brown, without a speck of white. The sailors call it the ‘‘ Cape
Hen.”
A book on Ocean Birds ought to be written geographically.
It is a mistake to arrange the species systematically. Mr. Green's
volume would have been much more interesting and useful if he
had simply told us what he has himself observed. He might
have added as much as he thought necessary from published
works, but the backbone of the book ought to have been extracted
from his own diary.
The plates are artistic, and good examples of chromo-
lithography, but would be of greater use to travellers had they
been more strictly accurate.
Mr. Green has compiled some interesting notes on the
Albatrosses, but the information given is at times somewhat
confused. On page 4 he tells us that T’he Albatross is Diomedia
exulans ; and on page 7 he adds, “the great breeding-place of the
Albatross is Tristan da Cunha.” ‘Then follows an account by
Professor Moseley of the breeding of the Albatrosses on this
island, which the reader naturally supposes to relate to the
Albatross, until the final sentence of the quotation informs him
that “the Great Albatross, D. exulans, also nests on Tristan da
Cunha.” Which species of Albatross then is the Albatross of
Moseley? Mr. Green does not tell us; nor does he inform the
reader where Moseley’s notes are to be found. The fact is that
Moseley, in his “Notes by a Naturalist on the ‘Challenger,’”
p. 129, describes the breeding of the Yellow-billed Albatross,
Diomedia chlororhynchus (which he calls D. culminata), not on
Tristran da Cunha, as stated by Mr. Green, but on Nightingale
Island, twenty miles to the south-west. On page 6 some expla-
nation ought to be given of which species is meant by “the
Yellow-billed species (D. melanophrys).”
On page 23, Mr. Dresser is made to say that the Fork-tailed
Petrel is only an Atlantic species. It is equally common in the
Pacific, as the next sentence—which, however, is omitted by
Mr. Green—states.
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 397
The plates, as we have said, are not satisfactory; the index
to them is even less so. Plate III., fig. 6, appears to represent
a Shearwater which is very common in the Southern Ocean. In
the list of plates it is called the Black-eyebrowed Albatross. On
page 4 we are told that this is the English name of Diomedia
melanophrys, which is stated to be figured on Plate IL., fig.6. As
there is no fig. 6 on Plate II., we may take it for granted that the
II. is a misprint for III. This misprint is repeated on page 95,
while the bird figured is certainly not the Black-browed
Albatross.
The Petrels, like most birds which are able to swim, have
remarkably “fluffy” plumage. All the feathers appear to be
covered with fine down, so that they lie one over the other
without absolutely touching. This arrangement gives to their
plumage a softness—a tone (to use a familiar artistic term) which
is exquisitely beautiful, and which is perhaps best expressed by
the word velvety. A Storm Petrel is one of the most beautiful
objects in nature. Every feather lies in its place; the gradation
of light and shade is a study for an artist. The subtlety of these
gradations is marvellous, the depth of tone unrivalled, the general
effect almost sublime in its beauty, its delicacy, its perfect loveli-
ness; and when the bird is alive, in the wonderful curve of its
outline. But instead of a good figure we find on Plate IV. a
wretched caricature: in his search for the picturesque, or rather
the grotesque, the artist has libelled the poor Storm Petrel.
Report on the Migration of Birds in the Spring and Autumn of
1886. By a Committee of the British Association, consisting
of Mr. Joun CorprEavux (Secretary), Professor NEwvon,
Messrs. Harviz Brown, HacGue Crarkg, R. M. Barrineton,
and A. G. Morr. 8vo, pp. 174. Macfarlane & Erskine,
19, St. James Square, Edinburgh. 1887.
Tuts is the Kighth Annual Report of the Committee appointed
by the British Association for the purpose of obtaining observa-
tions on the migration of birds at lighthouses and light-vessels,
and reporting the same. It includes observations from 126 stations
out of a total of 198 supplied with schedules, letters of instruction,
and cloth-lined envelopes for wings. In the previous Report
398 THE ZOOLOGIST.
attention was particularly directed to the main lines of migration
by which birds approach the east coast of Scotland both in spring
and autumn. The two chief lines indicated are by the Pentland
Firth and Pentland Skerries, also by the entrance of the Firth of
Forth as far north as the Bell Rock Lighthouse. On the east
coast of England the stream of migration is not continuous over
the whole coast line, but the same direction is persistently followed
year by year. There is a well-marked line, both of entry and
return, to the Farne Islands, on the coast of Northumberland.
Second to this in importance is the mouth of the Tees, both in
the spring and autumn.
The North Yorkshire coast and the elevated moorland
district from the south of Redcar to Flamborough, including
the north side of the headland, is comparatively barren, few
birds appearing there. Bridlington Bay and Holderness to
Spurn and Lincolnshire, as far as Gibraltar Point, on the
coast of Lincolnshire, give, perhaps, the best returns on the
east coast.
In Norfolk there are indications, in the returns sent from
the Llynwells, Dudgeon, Leman Ower, and Happisburgh light-
vessels, that a dense stream of birds pours along the coast from
east to west, probably to pass inland by the estuary of the Wash
and the river systems of the Nene and Welland into the centre of
England, thence following the line of the Avon Valley and the
north bank of the Severn and Bristol Channel, and crossing the
Trish Sea to enter Ireland at the Tuskar Rock, off the Wexford
coast. This is apparently the main thoroughfare for birds in
transit across England to Ireland in the autumn. Large numbers
of migrants also which pass inland from the coasts of Holderness
and Lincolnshire eventually join in with this great western high-
way by the line of the Trent, avoiding altogether the mountainous
districts of Wales. The coast of Essex, with the northern side
of the Thames is fairly good; but the coast of Kent, between the
North and South Forelands, including the four Goodwin and the
Varne lightships, is an uninteresting district for arrivals, the chief
migrants seen being such as are apparently following the coast to
the south.
Autumn migrants approaching the Humber from the sea cross
the river diagonally from E.S.E. to W.N.W. This course is so
persistently followed that year by year, on such days when migra-
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 399
tion is visible, birds are observed to cross the same fields and at
the same angle. Supposing this course to be continued, they
would strike the Trent at or near Gainsborough.
Much information has been obtained from the legs and wings
sent in the envelopes provided for that purpose; and by this
means already several rare and unusual wanderers have been
recorded, not the least interesting being the occurrence of a small
_ Asiatic species, the Yellow-browed Warbler, at Sumburgh Head,
Shetland, on September 25th, and an immature example of the
American Red-winged Starling, at 3 a.m. on October 27th, at the
Nash Lighthouse, Bristol Channel. This station lies directly in
the track followed by migrants from England to Ireland. The
Black Redstart was killed at the Nash Lighthouse on the night of
October 29th; and another interesting occurrence was that of the
Green Woodpecker, seen on October 26th, with many other birds,
at sunrise, passing to the S.E. The Black Redstart was also
received from the Fastnet, Co. Cork, found dead on October 30th.
It is also recorded at four other stations on the south coast of
Ireland, where its regular occurrence in the winter on the
south and east coasts has now been fully established by this
inquiry.
From the Irish coasts the rarities received were numerous,
including the second Irish specimen of the Wryneck from Arran
Island, Co. Galway, killed striking 2 a.m. on October 6th. From
Tearaght, Co. Kerry, a Pied Flycatcher was caught at the lantern,
September 21st, the species only having once before occurred in
Ireland—in April, 1875. The repeated occurrence of the Corn
Crake, several miles from shore—killed striking against lanterns
between 100 and 200 feet above sea-level—must satisfy the
sceptical that this well-known species can fly at a high level with
great power and velocity. The Water Rail, which seems so
unwilling to fly, was received from the Fastnet and Tuskar on
October 26th and 28th; also from Spurn light-vessel, Nov. 1st,
one; Llyn Wells light-vessel, Nov. 4th, two; and Coquet Island
lighthouse, same date, one; showing a widely-extended migratory
movement of this species during the last week in October and
early in November.
The Great Spotted Woodpecker occurred in considerable
numbers in the eastern counties of Scotland about the middle of
October. Almost all the specimens examined were either old
400 THE ZOOLOGIST.
birds or with very slight traces of immaturity. This immigra-
tion extended southward to the coast districts of Lincolnshire,
where considerable numbers were obtained in the autumn and
winter.
At Rathlin O’Birne (West Donegal) immense flocks of birds—
Starlings, Thrushes, and Fieldfares— passed west from Dec. 18th
to 23rd. The nearest land to the west of this rocky island is
America. This is not an isolated occurrence. The westerly
flight of land-birds at stations off the west coast of Ireland has
been noticed on other occasions; the movement is apparently as
reckless as that of the Lemmings.
The autumnal passage of Quails from England is shown by
their occurrence at the Smalls Lighthouse, Sept. 8rd, and the
Eddystone on October 5th; also a wing from the Shipwash light-
vessel, off the Essex coast, obtained on October 26th.
An enormous rush of immigrants is recorded from the east
coast of England on October 4th, 5th and 6th, with easterly and
south-easterly winds. On the west coast of Scotland, during the
same period, at the majority of stations the rush of birds was
enormous; but the movement was much less accentuated on the
west coast of England, and to a less degree still on the Irish
coasts.
As usual, on the east coast of England, Rooks, Daws, Hooded
Crows, Starlings, and Larks occupy a considerable portion of the
schedules. Chaffinches cross the North Sea in extraordinary
numbers; they are always numerous, but last autumn the immi-
gration was in considerable excess of previous years. With these
exceptions, however, there was a marked falling off in the migra-
tion of some species whose breeding range lies chiefly in the north
of Kurope—Fieldfares, Redwings, Ring Ouzels, Bramblings, Snow
Buntings, Short-eared Owls, and Woodcocks.
Hight Reports having now been issued, it seems highly
desirable that an attempt should be made to analyse, classify, and
digest the large mass of facts brought together in these Reports,
so as to show the actual results which have been arrived at by
the inquiry.
eats
THE ZOOLOGIST.
THIRD SERIES.
Vou. XI.] | NOVEMBER, 1887. [No. 131.
ON THE PRESENT CONDITION OF THE EXISTING
HERDS OF BRITISH WILD WHITE CATTLE*
Tus Report does not include extinct herds, but as one herd—
that in Lyme Park—has only very recently ceased to exist, and
as this is the first account of the Wild Cattle published since that
catastrophe, it has been thought well to include a short notice of
that ancient stock.
The following list includes all the herds now remaining in the
British Isles, arranged according to the probable order in time of
their arrival at their present abode. In the detailed account of
the different herds further on, they are arranged to some extent
geographically,.from north to south.
Chartley Park, near Uttoxeter, Staffordshire (Earl Ferrers),
appears to have been enclosed by the middle of the thirteenth
century.
Chillingham Park, near Belford, Northumberland (Earl of
Tankerville), seems to have been enclosed before the latter part of
the same century, and possibly before 1220.t+
* Report of the Committee, consisting of Mr. E. Bidwell, Prof. Boyd
Dawkins, Prof. Bridge, Mr. A. H. Cocks, Mr. E. de Hamel, Mr. J. E. Harting,
Prof. Milnes Marshall, Dr. Muirhead, Dr. Sclater, Canon Tristram, and
Mr. W. R. Hughes (Secretary), appointed by the British Association for the
purpose of preparing a Report on the Herds of Wild White Cattle at present
existing in Great Britain. Read at Manchester, Sept. 1887.
+ For these dates see the authorities quoted by Harting, ‘ Extinct British
Animals,’ pp. 280—232.
ZOOLOGIST.—NOv. 1887. 21
402 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Lyme Park, near Disley, Cheshire (Mr. W. J. Legh), at the
latter part of the fourteenth century.
Cadzow Park, Hamilton, Lanarkshire (Duke of Hamilton).
Date of enclosure unknown, but the present park occupies a
portion of the old Caledonian Forest, in which Robert Bruce is
traditionally stated to have hunted the Wild Bull in 1320, and
where in 1500 James IV. of Scotland took part in the same
wild sport.
The above are probably the only herds remaining on the
ground on which they were originally enclosed.
Somerford Park, near Congleton, Cheshire (Sir Charles W.
Shakerley, Bart.). The cattle cannot be traced here more than
about 200 years, though it is possible they have been here since
the original enclosure of the park; it is perhaps more likely that
they were brought in the seventeenth century from Middleton
Park, Lancashire, from a herd which in turn is supposed to have
come from Whalley Abbey.
The Middleton herd is now represented by offshoots (to some
extent cross-bred, however, and now, like the Somerford herd,
domesticated) at Blickling, near Aylsham, Norfolk (Marchioness
of Lothian), and at Woodbastwick Hall, near Norwich (Mr. A.
Cator). The cattle were removed from Middleton about 1765 to
Gunton Park, Norwich (Lord Suffield), where they became extinct
in 1853 ; but some had meanwhile—viz. between 1793 and 181U*—
been introduced to Blickling, and others in 1840 were sold to
Mr. Cator, of Woodbastwick.
The herd at Vaynol, near Carnarvon (Mr. G. W. Duff-
Assheton-Smith), was started in 1872 from stock purchased from
Sir John Powlett Orde, of Kilmory House, Argyllshire. This
stock (see pp. 411, 412) was originally at Blair Athol, Perth-
shire. In 1834 the herd was sold to the Marquis of Breadalbane,
Taymouth, and to the Duke of Buccleuch, Dalkeith. When the
latter herd was broken up, the late Sir John Orde purchased the
only survivor and transported it to Argyllshire. In 1886 the
entire remainder of the Kilmory herd was transferred to Vaynol,
and incorporated with those already there.
At Hamilton, Chartley, and Somerford, persons who have
known the herds for a number of years have expressed the opinion
* Storer, ‘ Wild White Cattle,’ p. 307.
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 403
that the cattle have somewhat deteriorated in size within their
recollection; but there is nothing to prove this, and it must be
remembered that by degrees things appear smaller than the recol-
lection of the first impression received as children.
At Chillingham, Chartley, and Hamilton, the heads seem
slightly larger in proportion to their bodies than in ordinary
cattle, the feet larger and broader, and the legs stouter. May not
these be taken as indications of a certain amount of deterioration
in their size? At Chillingham the cattle have a “ fine-drawn”
almost ‘‘ washed-out” appearance, which may be considered as the
result of close breeding, and the fact of more male than female
calves being born is probably the effect of the same cause. It is
interesting to note that in the semi- or wholly-domest cated herds
at Vaynol, Somerford, and Woodbastwick, the calves are extremely
shy when first born, and only become accustomed to human beings
by degrees.
If it is not beyond our province to make a suggestion, it
would be extremely interesting if the noble owners of the three
ancient herds would co-operate with some other owner of a large
park—if haply such could be found—willing to undertake the
following experiment:—Namely, that all calves which would
ordinarily be converted into veal or steers should instead be sent
to build up a new herd, which, combining the blood of the only
remaining ancient herds, and with no artificial selection exercised,
might be expected to revert more nearly to the aboriginal wild
type than could be achieved in any other manner.
Hamittron (Capzow).—On August 22nd last this herd was
made up as follows:—Bulls: 2, six years old; 1, five years
old; 2, three years old; 6, two years old; five calves; total,
16 bulls. Females: 25 cows, four years old and upwards; 10
heifers, two years old; 9 yearlings and calves ; total, 44 females.
Total, 60 head (against 54 at the beginning of the year). The
coloration and markings are tolerably uniform, though ten years
ago, at any rate, there was a variety in the amount of black on
the outside of the ears, and in a slight degree in the amount on
the muzzle. Any that are defective in their points are slaughtered
or made into steers; there are none of the latter at the present
moment in the park, but two were shot last October, and some of
the young bulls will be operated on in the fall. There isa good deal
of black on the fore legs in this herd, the hoofs are black, also tips
404 THE ZOOLOGIST.
of horns, roof of mouth, and circle round eyes; black calves are fre-
quently born—ten years ago the average was about three annually.
Three years ago a bull, which was considered as a Highland bull,
arrived from Kilmory; it was marked precisely like the Hamilton
cattle, but one of its progeny was white all over, and another was
black, so the bull and all its stock were killed. The new blood was
introduced in consequence of an idea prevailing that the breed
was deteriorating from too close breeding. Last year (1886) a
bull was procured from Chillingham, and perhaps greater interest
attaches to the result of this admixture of blood than any other
event in connection with the white herds of recent years. The
first two calves were born in March last, and three others some-
what later. Four of these were males, and only one a female.
Three of the bull calves took after their sire in having brown ears,
und have been destroyed. The remaining bull calf is described as
beautifully marked, with black points after the Hamilton pattern.
The heifer calf has her ears slightly tipped with a few brown hairs,
but the keeper thinks she may throw well-marked calves by a
Cadzow bull. There is no certain evidence of new blood having
previously been introduced into this herd, however unlikely it is
(as shown by Storer) that a small number of cattle could have
been continually bred only inter se for centuries, and the herd
still exist. But Sir John Orde was told that one, if not two,
Highland bulls bred in the herd some years ago. With regard
to what has been recorded as to this herd being formerly polled,
the following appears to be fresh evidence:—Joseph Dunbar, a
labourer who has been in the ducal service for about fifty years,
says that forty-five years ago (say, 1842) the cattle were all hornless,
and the present Duke’s grandfather caused all showing the least
appearance of being horned to be killed. The calves are all born
here in spring and early summer; to insure this the bulls are
kept in a run apart from the cows during the greater part of the
year. At the present time the Chillingham bull is in a third
enclosure with seven cows (in March the Chillingham bull was by
himself, and the ten calves then in existence, in a fourth enclosure).
When the grass is scanty, hay and turnips are given, and the cows
in addition get a little cotton-seed cake. The keeper (Scott), who
has known them for upwards of twenty years, says they are much
less wild and dangerous now than formerly, in consequence of
being visited by so many people of late years.
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 405
CuittincHam.— In October last this herd numbered sixty
animals, which has been the average number for the last twenty-
three years, though Lord Tankerville wishes to raise the number
to 70, which would suffice for the extent of the park. During the
period named, 113 male calves and 105 females have been dropped,
averaging over nine a year. The deaths have averaged about ten
annually. The causes of death, besides the shooting of oxen and
an occasional aged or sickly bull or cow, include old age, drowning,
injuries received in fighting, rupture, cancer, fall, and other in-
juries; poverty and want of food; and, in calves, the failure of
the dams’ milk. The cattle live on good terms with the Red-
deer, but will not tolerate the Fallow-deer or sheep in the park,
possibly because they eat the pasture too close. They never will
touch turnips. During the last few winters ensilage has been
given them along with the hay, but for a long time none of them
would eat it. They sniffed at it and turned away, and it
remained untouched, even when all the hay had been eaten.
At length a young bull was seen to try the ensilage; he went
back to the herd, and they returned to the ensilage with him.
Since then it has always been finished before the hay is
attacked. It is not thought prudent to give too much ensilage,
as it appears to stimulate the milk in the cows too much for a
time, and it afterwards fails. One difficulty in increasing the
herd is that the cows continue to suckle their calf even after a
second calf is born, and the latter is consequently left to starve.
The calves dropped in winter suffer from want of milk. The herd
is subject to sudden panics, owing to strangers frightening them
purposely to see them run, and several calves have been trodden
to death in these stampedes. Drowning in the marshes has been
a frequent cause of death in wet winters and during thaws. It is
denied that any calves are now coloured otherwise than the correct
white, with black extending very slightly beyond the naked part of
the nose, and red ears; though in Bewick’s time (towards the end
of the last century) there were some with black ears, and from
the steward’s book in 1692 it appears there were not only several
animals with black ears, but some entirely black and one brown.*
* Storer, ‘ Wild White Cattle,’ p.154; and Harting, ‘ Extinct British
Animals,’ p. 284. Bewick, ‘Quadrupeds,’ 1824, p. 39, in a foot-note, says :—
‘* About twenty years since there were a few at Chillingham with piacx
406 THE ZOOLOGIST.
It is believed that Culley’s celebrated shorthorns at the beginning
of this century were bred by a cross secretly obtained with a Chil-
lingham wild bull.* During the last ten years Lord Tankerville
has been trying the experiment of strengthening the domestic
breed by crossing wild cattle and shorthorns. He commenced
with a wild bull and two shorthorn cows. They produced a
heifer and bull calf respectively on June 10th and 17th, 1877.
Both the calves had red noses, though the male’s was smutted
with black; while the heifer (her dam’s first calf) was the more
correctly marked about the ears. The bull calf, being the first
male of this new race, was named ‘‘ Adam.” In April, 1878,
Adam’s dam, a shorthorn cow, produced a bull calf by Adam.
This bull when 33 years old measured 56 inches at the shoulder.
In the following year Adam became the father of two more bull
calves out of shorthorn cows. In 1877 a wild yearling heifer was
shut off from the herd, and the following year a second one, in
continuation of this experiment. The elder one dropped a calf
by a shorthorn bull in 1880, but it died; its fertility was after-
wards at least temporarily impaired by a remarkable contingency.
but in October, 1881, both were supposed to be in calf to a short-
horn bull. None of these were to be added to the wild herd, nor
were the wild cows to be ever readmitted.
Lymz.—Mr. W. J. Legh, writing on June 3rd last, states that
this “herd ceased to exist about four years ago.” It will be of
interest, therefore, to mention what state it was in ten years ago,
since which time we have no particulars of it. The herd being
on the decline so long ago as the year 1859, Mr. Legh purchased
in October of that year the last surviving cow and calf from the
Gisburne herd, and added them to his own at Lyme. The latest
account of this herd appeared in ‘ The Zoologist’ for 1878, and
refers to a visit made by Mr. A. H. Cocks in June, 1877. Correcting
one or two obvious errors by comparing this account with Mr.
Storer’s, taken in August, 1875, the following list includes the
animals that were nearly, or quite, the last representatives of this
ancient and interesting herd :—One old bull, said in 1877 to be
dying of old age, and to be eleven or twelve years old, though
EARS, but the present park-keeper destroyed them, since which period there
has not been one with black ears.”
* Bewick, op. cit. p. 41 (foot-note), says:—‘*Tame cows, in season, are
frequently turned out amongst the wild cattle at Chillingham.”
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 407
referred to by Mr. Storer in 1875 as three years old; one bull,
brought from Chartley as a yearling, in 1877 was probably rising
or upwards of seven years; one cow, aged about ten; one cow,
from the last named, by the old bull, died previous to August,
1875; one bull, out of the last-named cow probably, by the
Chartley bull, sent to Chartley; one cow, black, out of the old
cow first mentioned, by the Chartley bull was in 1877 rising or
turned five probably ; one heifer, about two years old, by the old
bull, out of the old cow, both first mentioned; one heifer, about
eighteen months old, out of the black cow, by the old bull; one
heifer calf, by the Chartley bull, out of a domestic cow; one
heifer calf, from Vaynol.
Somerrorp.—In July last the herd consisted of thirty animals,
made up as follows :—8 bulls, viz., one born about April, 1885,
one born about March, 1886, one born about June 2Ist last;
18 cows of all ages, the youngest being about two years old;
5 heifers, viz., one about two years old, one born about February,
1886, one born about May, 1886, one born about June, 1886, one
born about September, 1886; 4 heifer calves, viz., one born
January, two born about end of April or beginning of May, one
born July 21st; total, 30. No steers are reared, all surplus bull
calves are fed for veal. Three calves born this year have died,
viz., one male from quinsey, two females born prematurely. Two
heifers were due to calve in September and four cows in October.
This will make a total of fourteen births during the year, from
which we may infer that this herd is in no danger of extinction
from shy breeding. These cattle weigh up to fifteen score to the
quarter when fed for beef. They are thoroughly domesticated,
and allow one to move freely among them, and the second bull
permitted two visitors and Mr. Hill (the agent) to handle him
simultaneously. The cows are all regularly milked. The butter
made from them is pronounced the best in the county, and they
are as a rule excellent milkers. The highest record (fide Mr. J.
Hill) is thirty-three quarts per diem, but the drain on this cow’s
constitution proved fatal in four months, notwithstanding that
everything possible was done in the way of feeding.
These cattle are polled, and no exception is known to have
occurred. They are black-pointed, but there is considerable
range in the markings—far more than in any other herd. When
Mr. Hill became agent, some nine years ago, he found the herd
408 THE ZOOLOGIST.
somewhat uncared for, and many of the cows so aged as to be
past breeding, and he has, therefore, during that interval of time,
been keeping every good heifer calf, without weeding out too
stringently on account of irregular markings. About 1876 or 1877
a young bull was exchanged with the Marchioness of Lothian for
one from Blickling. This cross succeeded fairly well, a pecu-
liarity in this strain being that many are born with the ears
square-tipped, as if the animals had been marked by cropping.
About the year 1879 a young bull was exchanged with Mr. A.
Cator, of Woodbastwick. This bull was brown-pointed, but threw
calves with red ears and muzzles, which were the first so marked
known to have occurred at Somerford. Of the twenty-three cows
and heifers, eleven have either very little black fleckings about the
body or even none at all; while halfea dozen have a good deal of
black in thickly-grouped fleckings, spots, and small patches; two
or three have probably fully one-third of the entire hide black.
One cow, about ten years old, may be described as a blue-roan,
black and white hairs being placed almost alternately over the
greater portion of her body, which give her a blue-grey coloration.
The fronts of her fore legs below the knees are black, and all the
outside of her ears, instead of as usual from one-third to a half
at the distal end. This cow was (according to Mr. Hill) giving
twenty-four quarts of milk per day. One cow is red-pointed, and
slightly flecked on the neck with the same colour. The black on
the nose in the majority extends evenly round the whole muzzle,
including the under jaw, but some have merely the naked part of
the nose black, and in one or two even this is rusty coloured and
not perfectly black. All, with the exception of the red-pointed
cow, have a narrow rim of black round the eyes. The animals
with the least black about them appear to have the finest bone
and smallest heads. This may be following the old strain, while
the others perhaps more nearly follow the cross-strains. The red-
pointed cow and one of the pure white ones have small knobs or
excrescences on either side of the frontal bone, like budding
horns, but they do not protrude through the skin. The bulls
(though both immature) are very strongly made, very broad across
the thighs, short on the legs, and with remarkably broad, thick-set
heads. Both are plentifully flecked with black, and in the younger
of the two the fleckings extend to the lower part of his face, while
the black on his muzzle is broader than in probably any other
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 409
example of park cattle. The cows produce their first calf when
from two to two anda half years old. The bulls run with the
herd throughout the year, but, in order in some degree to regulate
the birth of calves, individual cows are temporarily shut up. One
of the handsomest of the cows is almost entirely white, and is the
daughter of a cow that died this year at the extraordinary age of
twenty-three (at Chillingham they rarely reach ten) years. She
was very dark, although of the old strain, and had withstood
infection during the cattle plague epidemic. The old bull, aged
eleven, was consigned to the butcher this spring, as he had become
dangerous, having nearly killed the cattle-keeper.* In winter all
the cattle, especially the bulls, develop long hair on the poll and
neck, which divides along the central line and covers them like a
mane. The hairs decreasewin length backwards to the withers,
where they cease somewhat abruptly. The bull calf and three of
the heifer calves have very little black about them beyond their
ears and muzzles, while the fourth is the blackest individual in
this herd, having probably more black than white about it, in spots
and patches with ill-defined boundaries. One of the cows and the
younger bull have some black in their tail tassels, in all the rest
it is quite white. The udders of the cows here are as large as
those of ordinary domestic cows, which is not the case in the
herds which are not milked. About 180 acres of the park are
allotted to the cattle, consisting of excellent upland turf sloping
down to the river Dane. It is said that the whole herd will some-
times gallop to a pond in their enclosure, and go in so deep that
little but their heads remains visible. In dry seasons, when the
river Dane has become unusually low, instances have occurred of
cattle of both sexes crossing the river both ways; but calves
produced by the park cows are kept if correctly marked, even
when the sire was probably a common bull. The cattle are
housed at night during winter, and supplied with hay.
CuarrLEy.— This herd in July last was made up as follows :—
Bulls: 1, nine years old; 1, six; 1, four; 1, three; 1, one;
4 calves; in all, 9. Females: 6 cows, aged; 2 cows, four years
old ; 2, three; 2, two; 6 yearlings; 2calves; in all, 20. Bullocks:
1, four years old; 1, three; 3, two; inall, 5. Total, 34. This
* This was no doubt the “ big calf, eight or nine months old,” seen by
Mr. Storer on August 6th, 1875 (‘ Wild White Cattle,’ pp. 258 and 259).
410 THE ZOOLOGIST.
is the largest number recorded during recent years. An idea or
tradition prevailed that the number could not be raised beyond
21, so the late Karl tried the experiment, and succeeded in April,
1851, in getting the number up to 48. The late Mr. E. P. Shirley,
in November, 1878, recorded 27; the late Rev. John Storer, in
July, 1874, found 25, and apparently an increase of two or three
in the December following. In June, 1877, Mr. A. H. Cocks*
found the number reduced to 20. Mr.J.R. B. Masefield,+ whose
visit was apparently about 1884, remarks that “‘a few years ago
the number was reduced to 17”; but at the time of his visit the
number was 28, and three had been recently killed. Mr. E. de
Hamel, t in May, 1886, found 30. The existence of this herd,
according to Sir Oswald Mosley (Hist. Tutbury, Co. Stafford,
1832), seems to be traceable further back even than that of
Chillingham— namely, to 1248-49. The animals in this herd are
heavier in front and lighter behind than any of the other herds;
in general shape and character, both of bodies and horns, they
closely resemble the old domestic breed of Staffordshire long-
horns. The colour is uniform—white, with black noses, ears,
and feet, sometimes ticked. Occasionally black calves are born,
but are not kept. An old tradition says that the birth of a black
calf means a death in the family of Ferrers. The number of
calves reared annually would average about half the number of
breeding cows. The udders of the cows are remarkably small, H
and incline forwards at an angle—very unlike the huge gland of
a domestic cow. There is no evidence or knowledge of fresh blood
having at any time been introduced. Lay cows were formerly
admitted to the park, and crosses with the wild bulls obtained,
but this was stopped twenty years ago. The result of these crosses
was very good meat, but the cross-breeds were very awkward to
milk or handle.§ The park is nearly 1000 acres, and is in its
natural, original condition. It has never been manured, or
* ¢ Zoologist,’ 1878, p. 276.
+ Proc. North Staffordshire Nat. Field Club, 1885, p. 33.
{ Handbook for the use of the British Association when visiting
Birmingham, 1886.
§ A heifer calf born in 1875 from a domestic cow by a wild bull was
said to resemble the wild animals very closely. Seen in the distance,
the clear white, characteristic of the young of the park herds, was con-
spicuous.
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 411
broken up, or seeds sown, and contains a very great variety of
wild plants. The cattle are fed on hay during winter in sheds.
Vaynou.— In August last the herd here consisted of fifty-three
animals—namely, 1 old bull, 2 young ditto, about 20 cows, and
about 30 heifers and calves of both sexes. They are short-
legged, straight-backed animals, all white with black muzzles,
black tips to the ears, and more or less black about the hoofs,
varying, however, in individuals, some being only faintly marked
in this way. They all have horns, not very long, sharp, and
turned up at the ends, but not quite uniform. In winter they are
fed with hay, but are never housed, and none of the cows are
ever milked. The beef is of excellent quality. The original
importation of this herd from Kilmory took place in 1872, con-
sisting of 22 head—namely, 1 bull, 9 cows, 6 heifers rising two
years, 6 yearling steers. In May, 1882, the herd numbered 37
or 38, including eight young calves, and one bull, which would be
killed when three years old. In August, 1886, the remainder of
the Kilmory herd were brought here—namely, 2 yearling bulls,
14 cows and heifers, 8 two-year old heifers, 8 yearling heifers;
32 in all. The average number of calves born yearly (previous
to the addition of the remainder of the Kilmory herd) was about
14, of which perhaps half a dozen were reared, the remainder
being killed for veal. Some time within six or eight years of the
first instalment of cattle coming to Vaynol a black bull calf was
born. Very few deaths occur, and only among the calves, of
which now and then one dies of “scouring.” The cattle, although
never handled nor housed in winter, are not fierce, and will allow
a near approach (except when they have calves) without showing
any signs of impatience or alarm. Since the arrival of this herd at
Vaynol in two instalments no fresh blood has been introduced, nor
have any exchanges been effectual; nevertheless, Mr. Assheton-
Smith is of opinion that the cattle have improved both in size
and weight. Sir John Orde, in a letter dated June Ist, 1887, says
that, shortly before he parted with the herd, he obtained two
young bulls from Hamilton, with a view to changing the blood,
but they proved useless, and both met with accidents, and had
to be destroyed. His desire to introduce fresh blood was owing
to an opinion that the cattle were deteriorating in bone and horn
from close-breeding, and also slightly in fertility. The origin of
the Kilmory herd, as gathered by Storer, is that the late Sir John
412 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Orde in 1838 purchased a bull, the only survivor of the Duke of
Buccleuch’s (Dalkeith) section of the old Athol herd. This was
used with Kyloe (West Highland) cows, carefully selected. After
some few years this bull and Lord Breadalbane’s (Taymouth)
were exchanged, and the latter was used with good results until
1852, when a West Highland bull calf was bought, and this sire
was supposed to have much improved the stock. No further
crosses were made up to the time Mr. Storer’s book was published
(1879); but since then the present Sir John Orde, in the letter
above quoted, says that they had had at various times crcsses
with ordinary Highland, Ayrshire, and Indian cattle. The first
named was the only one found desirable, the produce of some
cows recently that proved infertile with the wild bull being very
satisfactory in everything except colour. The cattle show traces
of their Kyloe extraction. About 200 acres of the park at Vaynol
are allotted to the cattle, consisting of old (artificial) pasture,
bordering a lake. In the same park are Red- and Fallow-deer,
and in the plantations round the park there are a few Roe-deer
descended from Scotch and German stock. A Roe doe was seen
in August last with two fawns.
Buicxiine.—In July last this herd comprised :—Bulls: 1, five
years old; 2, two years old; lcalf. Cows: 9; 2 yearling heifers;
6 calves. Total, 21. Only the two young bulls and the two
heifers were in the park; the others were kept up. Storer says
that these cattle were introduced from Gunton about the begin-
ning of the present century, and that they were nearly destroyed
a few years since by the rinderpest, which killed off all but three
or four; since then the herd has been somewhat made up, and
consequently somewhat altered its characteristics. The cattle
here are black-pointed, but the six heifer calves born this year
are irregular in their markings. Two have black ears, but no
spots; while one has red ears, and the other has white ears.
These cattle, it is said, sometimes have red points; some-
times there is no colour about them at all. They are frequently
spotted like flea-bitten Arab horses. All calves with black
points are preserved, amounting to about five or six in a
year. ‘Lhe herd is low at present—only numbering about twenty
altogether, ranging from tive years old to calves of this year.
There have been a large proportion of bull calves during the last
year or two. The individual animals are finer at the present
WILD WHITE CATTLE. 413
time than when Mr. Storer made his report, but they are not so
large as they were previous to the rinderpest, which destroyed
the whole herd except a few calves. By the advice of Mr. Storer
a cross was obtained from Somerford, two young bulls being sent
thence, one of which had an incipient horn. There was another
cross about five years ago with a cow from Yorkshire, which in
appearance was like the cows in the Blickling herd—it was out of
a white shorthorn by a black Galloway. No horns have appeared
among its descendants, though one cow always throws black
calves (which are never reared), and in some of the others the
black points have been more than usually pronounced. As soon
as the animals are adult, and are taken into the dairy herd, they
no longer range in the park, but are fed in meadows. The land
is light, and they are given cotton cake all through the summer ;
in winter this is supplemented by hay, but no roots are given.
They are housed at night in cold weather.
Woopzastwick.—The herd here in August last contained :—
1 bull; 12 cows, aged from nine to two years; and about the
same number of young animals. Ten calves have been born this
year, of which three have died. There is also a white shorthorn
bull, which was used for breeding purposes last year. Originally
all these cattle had red ears and red muzzles. Latterly, however,
for want of fresh blood, it has been impossible to maintain the
red points. A red-pointed bull, received in exchange from
Somerford (about 1879), proved useless. Mr. Cator was there-
fore obliged to use a black and white bull sent from Somerford,
which had (as was supposed) some black Angus blood in him.
The stock by this strain have nearly all had black points, though
some few have them of a dark chocolate colour, and a few others
are red-pointed. ‘This bull had a good deal of black on his back,
and the calves at first took after him, being in most cases more
or less spotted with black. As he got older, however, the calves
took after the cows, and in 1883, which was the last year he was
used, all the calves came pure white, with black ears and noses.
The next bull used was a son of the last, and the result was
satisfactory as regards markings, although more calves were
black- than red-pointed. ‘The present bull is a son of this one,
and is a splendid animal and beautifully marked. Though a
little light behind, as all this breed seem to be, they are very
heavy in the withers. At different times some three or four
414 THE ZOOLOGIST.
different shorthorn bulls have been used, the last occasion being
last year (1886). This was done with a view to improving the
hindquarters, which are rather light. They are inclined to be
weak in the loins, and their coats had been getting very fine.
This last cross has not proved very successful as regards
marking, all the calves turning out pure white, ears and all, and
a few will have horns, while the character of the head differs
from the old type, which was short, and broad between the eyes.
The cattle, from interbreeding, had become delicate, and thin in
the coat, but the shorthorn cross has much improved the coat.
The white of the shorthorn looks yellow by the side of the pure
white of the park breed. Though the cattle are not considered
hardy they are good milkers when well-fed. This herd originated
from Gunton stock. According to Storer the late Mr. A. Cator
bought one cow at a sale about 1840; his son, the present
proprietor, says in a letter, “about the year 1832.” This cow
produced a bull-calf, and at various times subsequently the herd
was recruited by red-pointed calves from Blickling. The cattle
here are kept in fields, and do not enjoy the wider range of a
park. The soil is poor and gravelly. They are stalled all the
winter and fed on turnips. In the exceptionally protracted bad
weather of last winter they were given oil-cake in addition.
In conclusion, the Committee request that the thanks of the
British Association be conveyed to the following noblemen and
gentlemen for the assistance they have kindly rendered in the
preparation of this Report, and that a copy of this Report may
be forwarded to each of them:—The Dowager Marchioness of
Lothian, Blickling Hall, Norwich. The Earl Ferrers, Chartley
Castle, near Stafford. The Earl of Tankerville, Chillingham
Castle, Belford, Northumberland. Sir John W. P. Campbell-
Orde, Bart., Kilmory, Loch-Gilp-Head, N.B. Sir Charles W.
Shakerley, Bart., C.B., Somerford Park, Congleton, Cheshire ;
and his Agent, J. Hill, Esq., Smethwick Hall, Congleton.
G. W. Duff-Assheton-Smith, Esq., Vaynol Park, Bangor, North
Wales. A. Cator, Esq., Woodbastwick Hall, near Norwich; and
his son John Cator, Esq., Woodbastwick Hall, near Norwich.
D. C. Barr, Esq., Chamberlain to his Grace the Duke of
Hamilton, Hamilton, Lanarkshire.
( 415 )
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NORFOLK
AND SUFFOLK.
By T. E. Gunn, F.L.S.
Tue following notes comprise the more remarkable ornitho-
logical events which came under my observation in these two
counties during the year 1886.
An adult female Montagu’s Harrier was killed in the neigh-
bourhood of Gaywood, near King’s Lynn, and forwarded to me
on August 16th. On Dec. 17th a young Peregrine Falcon was
shot on the Woodhall estate, near Downham Market. The
stomach contained remains of a Partridge. I failed to detect any
traces of entozoa, which have occasionally been met with in this
species. (See ‘ Zoologist,’ 1880, p. 515; and 1881, p. 306.)
On June 29th I received an adult female Long-eared Owl, and
on July 8rd and 5th two fully fledged young ones that, having
moulted their wing-feathers, were able to fly. The stomachs
contained remains of field mice. The colour of the irides in
both old and young birds, noted whilst the birds were alive, was
bright orange.
An adult female Barn Owl with the breast of a deep buff
colour was shot Oct. 29th near Harford Bridges, Old Lakenham,
and sent tome. I have on several previous occasions received
examples of this variety, and generally at the period of the
autumn migration. The chief marks of distinction in the sexes
are the spotted flank feathers of the female, those of the male
being quite plain. The plumage of the under parts, which in
the ordinary Barn Owl is white, is in this variety a deep buff,
while the back and upper parts are several shades darker than
usual. The stomach of the specimen noted contained the
remains of a common brown rat.
In my former notes (Zool. 1886, p. 472) I reported my success
in breeding and rearing the Little Owl. Last year I was not
quite so fortunate. The old and young birds passed successfully
through the autumn moult, when it became almost impossible to
distinguish them, so nearly alike were they in plumage. They
agreed pretty well until January, when their usual pugnacious
disposition again manifested itself to such an extent, that I was
compelled to remove the young ones to another cage. The old
birds, however, appeared to get on no better by themselves, but
416 THE ZOOLOGIST.
fought so furiously at times that I was afraid they would tear
each other to pieces, and I had on several occasions to separate
them. Eventually they settled down more quietly, and the
female, taking to the nest, laid four eggs, which she sat upon for
the usual time, but failed to hatch. Meanwhile, in another cage,
two of the three young birds had mated, and, after attempting to
get rid of the third by driving and hunting it about the cage,
they eventually killed and devoured it. Although the ususl
complement of eggs was laid, they were not hatched; but, as the
two pairs of birds seem now to be more comfortably settled,
I anticipate better results next breeding season.
An adult male Little Owl was shot Nov. 6th, and sent to me
from the neighbourhood of Harleston. Its stomach contained
the remains of a tumbler dung-beetle, a centipede, five or six
lepidopterous larve (including that of the common sword-grass
moth), and a small black beetle, unidentified. This specimen
exhibited no traces of confinement; its internal organs were
healthy, and its plumage quite perfect. On comparison with my
tame specimens it proved to be much less in weight, being
62 ozs. instead of 7 to 10 ozs. The plumage of the wild bird
also was somewhat darker, the beak of a deeper yellow, the
claws finer, sharper, and more deeply curved; the following
being its dimensions:—Total length (beak and tail included),
92 in.; expanse of wings, 22} in.; wing, from carpal joint, 63 in. ;
cere and bill (ridge of upper mandible), 1 in.; tail, 3 in.;
tibia, 22 in.; tarsus, 13 in.; middle toe and claw, 1} in.; outer
toe and claw, 1 in.; inner toe and claw, 1} in.; hinder toe and
claw, 2 in.; weight, 64 ozs. avoirdupois.
On Sept. 13th an immature male Nightjar was shot at Beeston,
near Norwich. The spots on the outer primaries, which are
generally white in the adult bird, were in this specimen of a pale
brown, as in the female, excepting that on the first primary,
which had just commenced to show a white centre. The stomach
contained remains of insects, principally small beetles.
As usual at this period of the year, a small flock of Gray
Wagtails made their appearance on Oct. 2nd at the dam at the
back of the New Mills, Norwich. I noticed one, a particularly
rich-coloured male bird. A few days after their appearance they
were scattered along the banks of that part of the river (Wensum)
between the New and Hellesdon Mills.
NOTES FROM NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK. 417
The Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, at one time regarded as
rare in Norfolk, is now added to my list yearly. A female
specimen was shot Jan. 26th at Runton, near Cromer, its stomach
being filled with insect remains. A second, also a female, had
been previously killed on the 22nd near this city. A third was
caught by a cat, Oct. 7th, in the parish of Cossey, and brought
into the house alive, but died the following day.
On June 25th I found a nest of Greater Spotted Woodpeckers
in the decaying trunk of an old birch tree, the hole being situated
about twelve feet from the ground. The old birds had made
several previous borings above the spot finally selected, the wood
apparently being too much decayed to answer their purpose.
My attention was first directed to the nest by the clamorous
cries of the young birds, five in number. Of these the two
smallest and latest hatched proved to be males; the three others
larger and older, as indicated by the fuller development of their
feathers, were females. I have before remarked this disproportion
in the size of the sexes, in the young of the Sparrowhawk (Zool.
1885, p. 51). The stomachs of the young Woodpeckers were
filled with larva-skins, spiders, and small beetles. The decayed
tree was felled, and I cut out that section of the trunk which
contained the nest. A number of broad spreading fungi were
attached to the trunk, which the old birds apparently used as
shelters in their borings, a particularly fine one being situated
just above their abode, and on which I occasionally saw the old
birds sitting. The stomach of an adult male of Picus major,
received on Nov. 30th, contained three full-grown larva-skins
of the wood-leopard moth, together with other insect remains.
An immature male Missel Thrush, procured on July 5th, had
in the stomach remains of small beetles and larva-skins, and
three Filaria, each about an inch long.
The first specimen of the Ring Ouzel seen during the autumn
migration was a male, shot Sept. 30th at Rockland, near Norwich.
On dissecting an adult female Kingfisher I found the stomach
contained a roach which measured 2% in. in length, and which,
being longer than the bird’s body, was nipped across the middle,
and lay doubled in the stomach.
Mr. Gurney (Zool. 1886, p. 391) mentions the fact of
Bramblings, Fringilla montifringilla, being more numerous during
the winter of 1885—86 than had been the case for some years:
ZOOLOGIST.—NOV. 1887. 2k
418 THE ZOOLOGIST.
I can fully confirm this statement. One field of sainfoin near
Norwich, in February, 1886, was occupied by immense flocks of
Bramblings. A gamekeeper, taking advantage of their numbers,
cleared the snow from a patch into which they crowded to feed,
and, firing both barrels of his gun into the flock, picked up about
six score. I regret to add that I did not hear of this until
several days afterwards, when it was too late to examine them,
as they had been eaten by his ferrets.
On Oct. 21st a fine young Goshawk, Astur palumbarius, was
shot near Yarmouth.
In the Editor’s footnote to a communication headed ‘“‘ Swallow
perching on an angler’s rod” (Zool. 1886, p. 417) an instance is
mentioned of a White Owl perching on a gun while held in a
sportsman’s hand. A somewhat similar instance occurred to
myself when collecting small birds a few years since ; I was lying
in ambush with my walking-stick gun protruding, when a Wren
suddenly perched on the barrel, and remained there some few
seconds before taking flight.
In reference to Mr. Kelly’s communication (Zool. 1886, p. 368)
on the subject of three Cuckoo’s eggs in one nest, I may refer
to a similar circumstance that occurred to my knowledge in this
neighbourhood, and which I recorded at the time in ‘The
Zoologist’ (1865, p. 9618). In my case, however, there were two
young Cuckoos and one addled egg, in addition to two young
Meadow Pipits. The young Cuckoos being hatched, it was.
impossible to say if all belonged to one parent, as might possibly
be determined in the case of the eggs, if it be true that the same
hen Cuckoo always lays similarly-coloured eggs.*
Two immature male Blackbirds were shot on Sept. 16th, the
first having the two outer feathers of one side of the tail white ;
the second having the breast, back, tail, and upper tail-coverts of
a slate-colour ; wings pale greyish brown; head, neck, and throat
pale ash-brown, spotted with darker brown, as is usual in imma-
ture birds; feet and legs pale brown. On Dec. 4th an adult
female Blackbird, killed at Tivetshall, had its stomach filled with
* Let me here express my regret that the proposed ‘‘ General Index” to
‘The Zoologist’ still remains unpublished; it would prove an invaluable
boon to working naturalists, and especially to the contributors to this
Journal.
NOTES FROM NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK. 419
remains of the guelder-rose berries, several stones of whitethorn
berries, the empty skin of a lepidopterous larva two inches in
length, a millepede, and two blackberries. The plumage of this
bird was beautifully variegated with white feathers all over its
surface. An adult male in similar variegated plumage was
killed on the 83rd of the same month near Ipswich, and sent to
me for preservation. The food of this was guelder-rose berries,
small snails, and beetles.
A curious chocolate-coloured variety of the Rook (a female
bird) was shot at Old Buckenham on Sept. 17th; the head, back,
rump, upper wing-coverts, and under parts of its plumage of a
deep chocolate-colour; the wings and tail brown, the feathers
being edged with brownish grey on the outer margins ; its bill,
irides, legs, toes, and claws partake of the general coloration by
being of a dark chocolate.
An adult male Green Woodpecker, shot near Norwich in
January, had the secondary feathers and coverts of the left wing
of a pale brown colour. Variation in the plumage of this species,
I believe, seldom occurs. Another specimen, also an adult male,
was sent me by Mr. G. Whincop from Horsford, Sept. 6th. It
had only eight tail-feathers, the centre ones being curiously
aborted, the shafts curled up, and with only a few fibres in lieu
of well-developed webs.
As the Quail is apparently not of so frequent occurrence as
formerly, I may mention the only example I saw last year,
namely, a hen-bird, which was shot at Old Buckenham on Oct.
17th. The ovary contained small eggs, and the stomach seeds
and grit.
A dark variety of the Wigeon, an immature male, was shot
on Strumpshaw Broad on Oct. 21st. It had apparently but just
arrived, and was very tame. It would not be flushed by a dog,
but merely swam out of his reach. The stomach was filled with
grass and grit.
An adult female Smew was shot in February on Rockland
Broad. The stomach contained remains of fish only. This
marine species seldom wanders so far inland except during severe
weather. I have one that was killed on the River Wensum above
Norwich in cold weather a few years since.
An adult male Pochard, shot at Colney, near Norwich, early
in February, had the irides of a brilliant carmine.
420 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Mr. W. D. Ward, of King’s Lynn, informs me he killed, with
his punt-gun, on Sept. 18th, two out of three Avocets in that
locality, and gave them to his friend Mr. Thompson, who has
had them preserved.
Mr. Ward also shot a male Spotted Redshank on Sept. 13th,
an adult bird, retaining traces of its summer plumage. The
base of lower mandible was deep red, as also were the legs and
feet, the same parts in spring and summer being of a deep
claret-colour.
Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., sent me for preservation a white
variety of the Ringed Plover that he had shot at Cley on Sept.
lst, an immature specimen, and a female by dissection. Irides
pale brown; legs pale straw-colour; the entire surface of the
dorsal plumage creamy white, with a crescent on each side of the
neck of a pale ashy brown; as also are the outer edges of the
primaries and the centres of the middle tail-feathers. Iremounted
a similar variety, obtained in Norfolk four years ago, for Mr. H.
M. Upcher, of Feltwell.
Early in February an adult male Bittern was shot by Mr. R.
Johnson in the neighbourhood of Tunstead ; it weighed 2 lbs.
23 ozs. On Dec. Ist a female specimen was killed at Benacre,
near Wangford, by a gamekeeper. The ovary contained minute
eggs, and in the stomach were remains of a sharp-nosed eel,
fragments of the elytra of a beetle, and bits of weed, as well as
stems of reeds and several shrimps.
Two examples of the Egyptian Goose were killed on the
marshes of Barford on Dec. 17th, one being a fine old male.
An adult male Goosander was shot by the Rev. J. R. Lane
on the River Wensum, at Tatterford, on Feb. 10th. It was in
splendid plumage, with a rich salmon-coloured breast; iris deep
red. Both the gullet and stomach contained the remains of
roach, and a quantity of minute pebbles. On Feb. 25th, on the
Bure, at Wroxham, I caught sight of a male Goosander about
100 yards off in one of the smaller broads, and two days later I
received two adult males that were killed on the upper lake at
Gunton. Lord Kimberley informed me that he had noticed
several Goosanders on his lake at Kimberley in Dec., 1886, and
Jan., 1887. The majority appeared to be old birds, several of
them males, which are easily distinguished, even at a considerable
distance, by their conspicuous plumage. The Rev. H. H.
NOTES FROM NORFOLK AND SUFFOLK. 421
Lubbock wrote word that he saw seven of these birds flying over
the Gunton lakes on Feb. 7th.
An adult female Red-throated Diver was killed on Oct. 20th
at Westleton, near Saxmundham, in the gullet of which I found
three small flounders fresh and entire. The stomach contained
fish-bones and small pebbles.
An immature Common Tern was found (Oct. 17th) entangled
in some reeds on Surlingham Broad by two men who were pike-
fishing. The bird was still alive when found, but so much
exhausted with struggling to release itself that it died soon after-
wards. A few years since, I remember, a Kingfisher was
entangled in a similar manner in Kendal Dyke, Hickling Broad,
but in that instance the prisoner was more fortunate, and flew
away on being released.
On Oct. Ist I saw a large flock of Common Gulls hovering
over the new railway station at Thorpe. The weather was cold
and stormy, and an easterly wind had probably driven them thus
far inland. Two birds of this species were brought to me alive
a day or two afterwards in an exhausted condition. One of these
is still alive in a friend’s aviary, subsisting on fish, flesh, and
grain, and on seemingly good terms with a couple of Moorhens.
The stomach of a Common Gull which I dissected on Nov. 30th
contained fish-bones and scales, the seeds of two species of rush,
and the legs of a beetle.
An adult female Cormorant was shot on April 12th on
Hickling Broad while perched on one of the stakes that mark
the course of the river channel. This species is now only an
occasional visitor to this part of the east coast, although in
former times, according to Sir Thomas Browne, it used to breed
upon trees at Reedham ; and the Rev. R. Lubbock, in his ‘Fauna
of Norfolk’ (p. 173), notes that ‘Cormorants have in some
seasons nested in the trees around Fritton decoy in some
number ; in other years there has not been one nest.”
429 THE ZOOLOGIST.
ON THE GOLDENEYES AND PTARMIGAN OF ICELAND.
By tHe Ruy. H. H. Sater, B.A., F.Z.S8.
Arter having hazarded an opinion which is contrary to
general experience, it is always satisfactory when subsequent
evidence arises to support it. I recently recorded in ‘The
Ibis’ (1886, p. 49) my belief that the Common Goldeneye,
Clangula glaucion, Linn., occurs in Iceland. I had only the
evidence of my field-glass to go upon, and however well satisfied
with such an observer may be in his own mind, he prefers to
have conclusive evidence to lay before others.
Iam glad, therefore, to be able to mention that in a box of
skins lately received from a trustworthy correspondent in the
north of Iceland, there were two examples of C. glaucion. One
of these is fully adult, with green-glossed head; the other a
young bird in its first distinctively male dress, with sooty
unglossed head. They were killed in the winter of 1885 in the
Hyja- or Oefjérd.
Clangula islandica was first distinguished from C. glaucion by
Latham, and definitely named by Gmelin in 1788. Faber, the
Linneus of Iceland, as Prof. Newton points out (Baring-Gould,
‘Iceland, its Scenes and Sagas,’ Appendix, p. 416), seems not to
have been aware that the two species had been determined to
be distinct, and his remarks on Clangula refer presumably to
C. islandica.
There has been no record of the occurrence of C. glaucion
in Iceland since Faber’s time. Herr Preyer, indeed (‘ Reise
nach Island,’ &¢., p. 411), goes so far as to remark that
“ Anas clangula, L., kommt in Island durchans nicht, vor und
wird durch Fuligula barrovi ersetzt.” Nor does Prof. Newton
(1. c.) hint at its occurrence. Henceforward it will have a title
to be represented in the catalogue of the birds of Iceland.
I think it must be a scarce visitor, seldom seen far from the sea.
It was near the Skaga fjérd that I saw it; when at Myvator,
where ducks most do congregate, I made a careful sketch of the
heads of the two Goldeneyes, and submitted it to the various
egg-farmers there, who have indubitably a fair knowledge of the
birds they cultivate (there is no exaggeration in this word, though
the birds in question are strictly wild), and their testimony was
GOLDENEYES AND PTARMIGAN OF ICELAND. 423
unhesitating and unanimous, that they were quite familiar with
the one (islandica), but the other they had never seen there.
It is sometimes asked, ‘‘ What is a Grouse, and what is a
Ptarmigan?” I should be inclined to divide the genus Lagopus
roughly into two groups, in order to answer that question :—
first, the Grouse, which “beck,” as our Red Grouse and the
Willow Grouse do; secondly, the Ptarmigan, which grunt or
croak. This difference, which is striking enough to one
acquainted with the various species out of doors, is not the only
one; the Grouse, as before mentioned, have the fifth primary
longer than the second ; the Ptarmigan, as above, have the fifth
shorter—at least this is the case in L. mutus, the Common Ptar-
migan, and L. rupestris, the Rock Ptarmigan; whether it holds
good in L. hemileucurus of Spitzbergen, and L. leucurus, Sw., of
N.W. America, I am unable to say, but should be glad to learn
as to the Lagopus collected in the Kurile Islands ; examination of
my only specimen (in winter dress) shows that the second and
fifth primaries are equal in length, but this may only mean that
its wing-quills were in this case not fully developed.
Although it is possible to separate L. albus, the Willow Grouse,
in winter dress from L. mutus or L. rupestris, by examination of
the primaries, I cannot find any constant character by which to
separate the two latter, though they are distinct enough in
summer or autumn plumage. But whilst examining my series
of L. rupestris in winter dress, I hit upon a somewhat interesting
peculiarity, which I do not remember seeing mentioned anywhere.
Of my twenty-two winter examples, twenty are males, and I was
struck with the manner in which the black lore varies in
different birds. Some have merely a small black spot imme-
diately in front of the eye, and another at the base of the upper
mandible, with one-fifth of an inch of plain white intervening
between them; these I take to be young birds. Others have a
broad loral band reaching from in front of the nostrils, over the
eye, into the auriculars, and also a small stripe of black feathers
on the lower mandible. I am inclined to believe that the extent
of the black loral patch depends upon, and increases with, the
age. I found a few odd feathers of the autumn plumage still
remaining on the neck and back; about nalf of these, in the
supposed younger birds, are ordinary male feathers, and the rest
are feathers like those of the female—in other words, the remains
424 THE ZOOLOGIST.
of the first plumage, which in both sexes resembles that of the
old female. Any coloured feathers remaining upon those which
I take to be the old birds are ordinary male feathers. Moreover,
the development of the comb, or wattle over the eye, corresponds
with that of the black lore. In the old males there is a full red
wattle, with fringed and projecting upper edge; in what I con-
sider the adolescent males, who have only the promise of a black
lore, the comb is insignificant, and yellowish in colour, like that
of the hen bird.
Will any reader of ‘The Zoologist,’ who may happen to have
a series of skins of any other Ptarmigan, be good enough to look
over those in winter plumage, and state whether he finds a
similar state of things to exist ?
NOTES ‘AND. QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
Parasitic Disease in the Hare.—At a recent meeting of the Paris
Biological Society, M. Mégnin gave an account of a peculiar disease which
is very prevalent at present among Hares in Alsace. It is a parasitic
disease, a sort of pulmonary tuberculosis, caused by the presence, in the
lungs, of Strongylus commutatus (Filaria pulmonalis of Frélich). The same
disease was noticed in Thuringia in 1864.
Squirrels at a distance from Trees.—In the month of September
last, when Grouse-shooting in Elginshire, I was surprised one day to come
suddenly upon a Squirrel in the heather, right out on the open moor, far
away from any trees. The little animal was proceeding by short bounds
through the heather, every now and then stopping to rest, as if much
fatigued, and was apparently on migration. A similar case has been
noticed by the late A, EK. Knox in one of his delightful books, * Autumn
on the Spey’ (p. 52); and other instances are mentioned by Mr. Harvie
Brown, in his excellent essay on the Squirrel, Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edinb.,
vol. vi. (1881), p. 166.—J. E. Harrine.
Young of the Hedgehog.—On the 17th October last I was shown a
Hedgehog which had been found in an outhouse, with a litter of seven
young ones, as near as I could gutiess about a month old. Bell, in the
second edition of his ‘ British Quadrupeds’ (p. 110), says, “The female
produces from two to four young ones early in summer”; and Macgillivray
(Jardine’s Nat. Lib.) states that “arly in the summer the young are
NOTES AND QUERIES. 425
produced ; they are generally three to four, and are born blind.” It would
be interesting to know whether this was the second litter this year.
T suppose Hedgehogs are capable of producing two litters in a year, as
T have not heard or read to the contrary.—F. Haywarp Parrort (Walton
House, Aylesbury).
Distribution of the Bank Vole.—I see by your paper in ‘The
Zoologist’ for October, that you wish for localities for the Bank Vole.
T accordingly send you a list of the counties in which I have taken this
little animal. At Kingsbury, Middlesex, it was quite common twenty years
ago; I sent some from there to the late Mr. Yarrell. The first specimen
I ever saw was brought to me by a favourite cat; I have it still, and it is
the best specimen I think I ever saw. I have taken the Bank Vole in
Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Hants (Isle of Wight), Hertfordshire, Cam-
bridgeshire, Herefordshire ; and I once found a dead one within a quarter
of amile of Monmouth. About twenty years ago I saw a very pretty variety,
of a light cream-colour with red eyes, that was taken in Huntingdonshire.
I believe it will be found to be regularly distributed in England, if looked
for.—F REDERICK Bonp (Staines).
Black Rat in Wexford.— The Black Rat is not infrequent in the |
neighbourhood of New Ross. I have myself met with it at Kilmanock,
where it can hardly be called very rare. I have also heard of it at
Duncannon, a village near Arthurstown, not far from Hook.—GErrRaLD
E. H. Barrert-Hamiuton (Harrow School, Middlesex).
The Musk Rat and the Unio.—There has been much discussion in
regard to the method by which the Musk Rat, Fiber zibethecus, Cuv., opens
the Unios which it uses for food, and many methods have been suggested
as to the manner in which the body is taken from the shell. Nearly every
method proposed has been based upon the strength of the adductor muscles
and the supposed impossibility of overcoming their power without killing,
or at least poisoning the animal. In experimenting with some Unios last
summer, I found that it was an easy matter to get the shell open as far as
the ligament would open it, and that in this condition it required much
less than a Musk Rat's strength to force it entirely open. When the Unio
is travelling along, its foot projects a half inch or more from the lower side
of the shell. If, while the foot is in this, its usual condition, the two valves
be pinched, the foot will be caught between the closing shells; if the pinching
be continued for half or three-quarters of a minute, the animal, probably
from the pain produced, becomes paralyzed and unable to make use of the
adductor muscles. Now, if the shell be released, it will fly open about
one-half inch, and can easily be torn entirely open. The strength needed
to keep the foot from being drawn into the shell is not great, being far less
than that of the jaws of the Musk Rat. So all that it is necessary for
426 THE ZOOLOGIST.
Fiber to do when he wants his dinner is to swim along until he sees a
Unio at the bottom, dive, and quickly seize the animal, then swim leisurely
to his hole or the bank. By the time he has reached a good place for
eating his meal the Unio will be ready to open far enough for the insertion
of paw or nose, and the luscious bivalve can be devoured from the whole
shell. In my own experiments I was usually, though not always, successful.
The failures I think were always due to the fact that not quite enough of
the foot was caught by the closing shell; this was caused by my disturbing
the animal before taking hold of it. If the Musk Rat be not more supple
than I, he must occasionally miss his meal.— Prof. Austin C. Apgar, Journ.
Trenton Nat. Hist. Soc. 1887, p. 58.
Bats preyed upon by Owls.—There is nothing new in the fact that
Bats are sometimes preyed upon by Owls, as also by the Hobby, Falco
subbuteo (Zool. 1877, p. 472), for this has been ascertained by examination
of the pellets ejected by these birds, or by discovery of the remains of Bats
in their stomachs. But it does not often happen that one is enabled to see
how the Bat is captured by the Owl, and we may reasonably suppose that,
as a rule, he is snatched from the wall, or roof, of thé church, barn, or old
building in which both species have been in the habit of roosting. The
rapid eccentric flight of a Bat would in nine cases out of ten probably prove
too much for the steady-going ‘mousing Owl.” But that an Owl will
occasionally venture a flight at a Bat is vouched for by an observer at
Greenlaw, where, in the High Street, one evening in August last, an aérial
contest of this kind was witnessed. We are indebted to Mr. L. Richardson
for the following account of what took place:—* A number of persons
standing in the High Street about half-past eight o’clock on Thursday
evening (Aug. 18th) saw a Bat, followed by an Owl in hot pursuit, fly over
the houses on the south side of the street. The pursuit was continued
down the street for a short distance, the Bat being only about a foot in
advance of its pursuer, which, strangely, kept at this distance, without
apparently making any effort at a nearer approach, and at the same time
keeping a like average distance below the flying line of the Bat, which in
its wavering was continually changing its altitude. By this strategy the
Owl was ready to strike on the first favourable opportunity presented by
the Bat coming downwards. This opportunity was not long in coming.
The Bat crossed the street into the Green, where it made a sudden dart
downwards. The Owl at once got under, forcing the Bat up again, and
causing it to continue its forward course a little further. The Bat soon
made another descent, and when on a level with the Owl the latter instantly
struck it with one of its wings, either stunning or killing it, and when it
was falling it was secured by the Owl, and borne away in triumph to the
neighbouring church-tower.” From the infrequency with which the skulls
or other remains of Bats have been found in Owls’ “ peilets,” we may infer
OO
NOTES AND QUERIES. 427
that they are probably only captured when the Owl is “hard up” for more
palatable and more easily captured prey.
BIRDS.
Breeding of the Tufted Duck in Aberdeenshire.—On the 11th of
August last I was in a boat on Loch Skene, near Aberdeen, for the purpose
of looking for the Tufted Duck, Fuligula cristata, which I had been told
had bred there for the last three years. I heard also that, shortly before
I was there, a female Tufted Duck, with a brood of young in down, was
seen to cross a road not very far from the lake, and that one of the young
ones was caught, the mother having flown off into some standing corn close
by. Ihave little doubt that when disturbed she was leading her young
from the breeding-place to the lake for the first time. She called her young
to her into the corn.. When we were on the lake we saw, first, several
parties of Teal and Mallard, both of which breed there. We afterwards saw
a Tufted Duck rise from the water, and from her manner as she went off,
flying as if wounded for about a hundred yards, and then returning to the
same spot and again acting in the same manner, I have little doubt but that
her young were on the water, but owing to its being very rough we could
not detect them. On another part of the lake we afterwards saw another
Tufted Duck acting in a similar manner, and I came to the same conclusion,
but we failed to get sight of the young. I learned from the keeper that
there were this year five or six broods of young Tufted Ducks on the lake,
and I have since heard that he saw the first brood on the lake two years
ago, and that, now his attention was called to it, he had known the call-note
for several years. Besides the two which I suppose had young I counted
a flock of about twenty-five Tufted Ducks flying high in the air, and several
smaller parties which did not leave the lake.—Wiutt1am Borrer (Cowfold,
Sussex).
[In connection with this subject, on which we have lately received two
or three communications, attention may be directed to a short paper by
Mr. R. Jex Long, printed in the ‘Proceedings of the Natural History
Society of Glasgow’ for 1880 (vol. iv., p. 53), entitled ‘* Notes on the
oceurrence of the Tufted Duck, F'uligula cristata, as a breeding species in
Scotland.”— Ep. ]
Food of the Mistletoe Thrush.—I shall be obliged to any of your
readers who will tell me if they have ever observed the Mistletoe Thrush,
Turdus viscivorus, or any other bird, to feed upon the berries of the mistletoe.
Although called iZoBépes by Aristotle, and viscivorus by later authorities, it
seems doubtful whether either name is especially appropriate. In this part
of Shropshire the mistletoe is not common, but I have frequently noticed
that the berries on the few plants we have are left to decay even after severe
winters, when those of hawthorn and holly have all been eaten. Perhaps
428 THE ZOOLOGIST.
some of your correspondents who live where mistletoe abounds will give me
their opinion. —Witiram EK. Becxwirs (Eaton Constantine, Salop).
Swifts laying in Martins’ Nests.—In ‘ The Zoologist’ for September
(p. 348) I see Mr. F. Bond writes about Swifts nesting in Martins’ nests.
About ten years ago I found two or three pairs of Swifts building, or rather
laying, in Martins’ nests outside a barn in Lincolnshire. I saw the Swifts
going in and out of the Martins’ nests, and, getting up to the latter with a
ladder, I found Swifts’ eggs in the nests, some of which I have still in my
collection.—G. E. Loner (5. Verulam Buildings, Gray’s Inn).
Late stay of the Swift in Ireland.—On October 4th, near Cappagh,
Co. Waterford, while watching the movements of a large flight of
Swallows, in company with my friend Mr. R. J. Ussher, we were
astonished to see among them a Swift, which came flying close over
our heads in full view, and was clearly identified by both of us. Is
not this an exceptionally late stay for this bird, at least in Ireland? At
Shillelagh the Swifts have never remained later than August 16th, and
they generally depart at least a week earlier, though this year I saw a
solitary one flying about Shillelagh church on August 27th. The flock of
Swallows among which we saw the Swift was a very large one, numbering
some hundreds, most of them Hirundo rustica, but with a few House
Martins amongst them, many settling from time to time on the tree tops,
and then flying off again. They had evidently halted for a short time to
rest and feed before finally leaving the country. Later in the afternoon
we noticed large numbers of Swallows flying towards the south-east, in the
direction of the sea. I observed several House Martins near Shillelagh on
October 11th. Mr. Ussher wrote to me that there was again a large
number of Swallows at Cappagh on the same day. The Chiffchaff was still
at Shillelagh on October 6th.—ALLawn Ex.ison (Shillelagh, Co. Wicklow).
Knot on the West Coast of Scotland.—The Knot, Tringa canutus,
is generally considered a scarce bird on the west coast of Scotland, and the
late Mr. Robert Gray was of this opinion; yet ever since the middle of
September there have been several hundreds of birds of this species on the
shores of Loch Gilp. To what extent does the species really occur on this
coast ?—ArtHur H. Macpuerson (Bishopton, Lochgilphead, N. B.).
Lesser Redpoll nesting in Middlesex.—On Sept. 14th I found two
young Lesser Redpolls, Linota rufescens, at Highgate, dead, but quite fresh.
This is interesting, not only as affording evidence of the Lesser Redpoll
nesting in Middlesex, but on account of the late date for the nestlings, which
is unusual. In the ‘ Birds of Cumberland,’ where a full account is given of
the nesting habits of this bird (p. 47), the authors say, “ The first eggs are
usually laid early in May, but we have found fresh eggs in July. In a letter
to me upon the subject, one of the authors, the Rev. H. A. Macpherson,
writes, “The date is very unusual. I have known Goldfinches to have
NOTES AND QUERIES. 429
young in the nest at, the end of this month (September), but I never heard
of Redpolls nesting after July. In Switzerland all birds breed late on the
high stations, but your date for the Linota is very remarkable.” I may
add that I have seen Lesser Redpolls at Highgate every year throughout
the summer, and they probably breed here regularly. In 1884 a pair built
a nest among the upper twigs of an arbutus tree, from which I obtained
four eggs.—JoserH VINE (11, Chester Road, South Highgate).
Late nesting of the Greenfinch.—On the 16th September I took a
nest of three young Greenfinches, apparently about five days old, out of
a plum tree in an orchard near Sittingbourne, Kent. One of the birds was
delicate, and died on the 29th; the other two (a pair) are vigorous at the
present time (October jst). As the parents must have been in moult when
the nest was discovered, it is highly improbable that they would have
continued to feed the young until able to shift for themselves. — A. G.
Burier (Natural History Museum).
Missel Thrush feeding on Pieris rape.—While staying at Winder-
mere, during the first week in August, J was astonished to see a Missel
Thrush capture three specimens of Pieris rape on the wing in succession
and devour them.—W. Harcourr Bats (Ladywood, Birmingham).
Nidification of the Noddy and Sooty Terns in the West Indies.—
From a long letter lately received from a friend at Kingstown, Jamaica,
I gather the following facts, which I think may be of interest to ornitholo-
gists, especially as so much doubt remains as to the number of eggs these
birds lay. The egg of the Noddy (Anous stolidus) is more chalky than
that of the Sooty Tern (Sterna fuliginosa) and is also distinguished, after
boiling, by the peculiar consistency of the albuminous portion, which,
instead of turning white, has an opalescent appearance that my friend
«can only compare in colour to that of soapy water.” The Noddy
rarely, if ever, nests on the sand, but heaps up a mass of sea-weed on
the low bushes or clumps of prickly-pear growing on the ‘‘Cays.” On
the other hand, the Sooty Tern (more generally known in the West Indies
as the “ Egg:bird”) invariably nests on the ground on a few weeds only.
My correspondent’s further notes I copy verbatim;—I am not able to
state positively as yet whether the Noddy lays one or more eggs. [Auduban,
who visited a famous breeding-place of the Noddy on one of the Tortugas,
called Noddy Key, off the coast of Florida, states that this bird, like the
Sooty Tern, lays three eggs.—Ep.} The eggs are gathered by the crews
of two or three sraall schooners that leave here for the Cays in March or
April, timing their departure so as to arrive just as the birds begin to lay.
It often happens, however, that they find the birds in possession and sitting.
The only way therefore to ensure getting fresh eggs is to break all they
can see or even reach. After this they are taken as soon as laid. The
430 THE ZOOLOGIST.
men say that on landing the birds fly up in immense numbers, and
the nests are in such close proximity one with the other as to make
it difficult to decide upon the number in each nest. The men, however,
believe that they lay but one egg if not disturbed. This applies to
the ‘ Egg-bird.’ The Noddies refuse to leave their nests, and resist with
open beak all attempts to dislodge them, and have to be forcibly removed to
get at their eggs."—H. W. MarspEn (Gloucester).
Manx Shearwater in Staffordshire.—A specimen of this bird, picked
up alive in a village near here, was given to me on the 9th of September
last.—EH. W. H. Braae (Cheadle, Staffordshire).
Manx Shearwater in Herefordshire.—A Manx Shearwater was picked
up on the 7th September last in the parish of Upton Bishop, near Ross.
When found it seemed remarkably tame, and during the four or five days
it was kept alive it made no effort to fly. It weighed 14 ounces, and
measured 123 inches from tip of bill to end of tail. Though it would not
feed itself it retained all that was put down its throat; chopped meat,
sopped bread, and minnows were given to it. It refused fresh water, but
when put into a bath of water in which Tidman’s sea-salt had been
dissolved, it drank readily. It appears to me that hurricanes are not the
only cause of the appearance of sea-birds at a distance from the sea.
Possibly they may change the east for the west coast by the most direct
route, or if migratory species the land may lie between them and their
destination. Gulls seem to do fairly well on the passage, but Petrels not
so well, judging from several 1 have heard of being found dead and dying.—
W. Buaxe (3, Myrtle Villas, Ross).
Sooty Shearwater at Flamborough.—Allow me to record the capture
of a specimen of the Sooty Shearwater, Pujfinus griseus, which was obtained
near Flamborough, August 27th, and is now in the possession of Mr. J.
Morley, birdstuffer, of this town, where I saw it the day after he had
mounted it. A very dark specimen, in good plumage, was shot in the
autumn of 1879, by Sir William Feilden, Bart., near Filey, and is now in
his collection.—R. P. Harper (2, Royal Crescent, Scarborough).
Note on the Tree Pipit.—-In the last edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British
Birds’ the Tree Pipit is described as having the legs, toes, and claws pale
yellow-brown (vol, i. p. 574). A male and female which I procured this
year, on the 14th May and the 11th June, had three parts pale brownish
flesh and pale flesh with no brown shade respectively, the feet very slightly
darker in each case. These colours were noted down at once, and I observed
that they had changed slightly in a few hours. ‘Ihe legs finally dry to
pale—almost transparent—yellowish brown, the feet being a shade darker,
and the description in Yarrell was probably drawn up from a specimen in
this condition.—Oxiver V. Apxin (Bloxham, near Banbury).
NOTES AND QUERIES. 431
Male Tufted Duck retaining the Breeding-plumage.—A few years
ago I winged a male Tufted Duck, which fell on the Black Lake at Sir A.
Reed’s, and was left to see if one of the other sex would join it; but
it remained in single blessedness all the spring and summer, and
surprised me by retaining its full breeding-plumage, only getting a little
duller in August. This year I had three pinioned Tufted Ducks on water
in front of the house here, two males and one female; two of thein paired,
and the other male was left by himself. About May the paired male began
to show signs of summer plumage, and by June had completely changed
into the dull chocolate dress; but the other male was just as bright and
smart as ever, and even now (September 2nd) is in fair breeding-plumage,
though during the last month he has got less white on the flanks.—
J. Wuiraker (Rainworth Lodge, Notts).
Song of Chaffinch in Autumn.—I heard this bird singing for the
first time this autumn, on August Ist, near Birmingham.—W. Harcourr
Bara (Lady wood, Birmingham).
Troglodytes parvulus a Migrant.—When we observe the habitually
short flights taken by the Common Wren when disturbed, and examine its
small and apparently feeble wings, it is difficult to understand how so
diminutive and weak a bird can traverse wide open tracts where no trees
exist, and even venture to cross the sea. Yet that it does so, both in spring
and autumn, is evident from the returns received from the keepers of the
lightships and lighthouses. In the last Report (the eighth) on the Migration
of Birds issued by the British Association Committee (vide antea, p. 397) its
appearance on the west coast of Scotland is noted (p. 69) at Turnbury on
two different days in April, and at Skerryvore on May 6th. In September
it was seen at Corsewell and Little Ross; in October at Rona, Skye,
Skerryvore, Rhinns of Islay and Lochindaul; and in November at Little
Ross. On the east coast of Scotland one was captured in August at the
lantern at Inch Keith, in the Firth of Forth, and “ great numbers” were
seen at the Isle of May on the 21st and 24th October (p. 14). On the
east coast of England in spring (March 24th) one came on board the light-
ship at the Outer Dousing, and was caught on deck, while seven of these
little birds were killed against the Flamborough lighthouse on May 17th.
In the autumn several were observed at the following lighthouses and light-
ships :—Cromer, Cockle, Leman and Ower, Spurn, and Farne (p. 32). This
points to a regular migration of the Wren in spring and autumn—a fact
which a few years ago would have been discredited as improbable. During
the last week of September in the present year, when returning one evening
from Grouse-hawking on Riddlehamhope Moor, Northumberland, I came
unexpectedly upon a Wren making its way across the open moor, far away
from all trees, and with no shelter of any kind except the heather in which
432 THE ZOOLOGIST.
it was from time to time resting. ‘This seemed strange enough, but how
this tiny bird can manage to cross the sea without a rest is to me a greater
wonder.—J. EK. Harrina.
Report on the Migration of Birds.—As some of your readers may
fail to find the “ Llyn Wells” or ‘“ Llynwells” light-vessel, so often men-
tioned in the Reports of the Migration Committee on any map of the
Welsh coast, where they would be most likely to search for it, it may be
well to explain that the Lynn Wells light-vessel referred to is moored in
the Wash between the counties of Norfolk and Lincoln.—T. SourHWELL
(Norwich).
Tawny Pipit near Brighton.—A specimen of this rare visitor, the
Tawny Pipit, Anthus campestris, was taken in a net close to the Ditchling
Road, about a mile from Brighton, on August 25th, and upon dissection
proved to be a male.—R. W. Cuase (Edgbaston, Birmingham).
[The number of rare Passerine birds (rare, that is, in England) which
are captured by the birdcatchers near Brighton is very remarkable. In
this locality Anthus campestris has occurred more frequently than in other
parts of England, while its visits, alvays in autumn, have hitherto been
confined to the southern counties.—Ep. |
Long-tailed Duck in Cumberland.—The Long-tailed Duck, Harelda
glacialis, was first obtained in Cumberland in November, 1834, since which
date a very few immature birds have been killed upon the Solway and its -
tributaries. In 1884 a male bird was killed on March 19th, and I saw a
small party on the Solway in the succeeding November. No others were
heard of until the 10th October last, when an adult female bird was shot
near Silloth, and forwarded to me through Mr. Duckworth. The date is
earlier than any previously obtained in autumn.—H. A. MacpHErson.
Purple Heron in Lancashire—An example of ‘the Purple Heron,
Ardea purpurea, was killed, on the 7th April last, in the neighbourhood of
Alderley Edge, about thirteen miles from Manchester. It was an adult
male bird, and weighed 2 lbs. 4 oz.; width between the extended wings,
4 ft. 8Lin.; length from tip of bill to sole of foot, 3 ft. 10 inches.—
J. Picky (83, Bridge Street, Manchester).
Crossbills in Kent.—In a note communicated to the ‘ Rochester
Naturalist’ for October, 1887 (p. 311), Mr. Henry Lamb reports that a pair
of Crossbills, Lowia curvirostra, were shot near Maidstone in July last.
Open Nests of the Tawny Owl and Stock Dove.—
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| JANUARY, 1887. (Vor. XI., No. 121.
“JAN 1887 — ana | |
THE ZOOLOGIST
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NOTES AND QUERIES.
The Essex Field Club, 23, SRN
MaAmmatia.—The Fur Trade of London, 23. Habits of me ‘Weasel, Charles
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Birps. —Ruddy Sheldrake. in “Treland, R. Js Ussher, 25... Little Gull in.
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SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
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NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS.: : : ae :
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‘travels in New Guinea.
Fa Catalogues had.
Helahivaes or Sea ieee Prof. F. Jeliea Bell, MA. 41. ori
Notes on a Voyage to the Greenland Seas i in. 1886, Rabert Gray, 48.
Notes on the Vertebrate Animals of Leicestershire, Montagu Browne, B ie
NOTES AND QUERIES. —
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38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday, Februar y 14th, at*hal
12 precisely, a beautiful assortment “of BIRDSKINS, INSECTS, a
Natural - History Specimeris. collected by Mons. AUGUSTE Lines
Wwrst, Newman & G0. Printers. 54. Fence Garden, ee
ee — BY
ee EB HARTING, B.LS., F.Z.8.
Mmeas OF ome Burris ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union.
" DELEOTANDO PARITRRQUE MONENDO.
Oe: . ae
LONDON :
‘SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & C On
= STATIONERS’ ‘HALL COURT.
~ a sy . rae a at
7
PRITISH BIRDS’ EGGS: a. Handbook of British Oatogy. “By ARTHUR”
eat GO Burin. -F.LS4 F.Z.S., &e' Mustrated-by 38 Plates: ‘eontaining B71.
| Sedat ately coloured Figures, representing the Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, nee 23) Hie
oe 6d. nett, post free. oe
i HANDBOOK of the COLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT 3
BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Herserr KE. Cox, F.E.S. Two Vols. =:
| cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free.
4 GMAL US of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Davi Beaks MBS ee
&e. Second Edition ;* price 1s. nett, post:free, or on one side only of stout
: paper for labels, price 2s. Gd. nett; post free. er
London: E. W. Janson, 35, Little Russell Street.
{ —_
i SALE.—‘ THE ZOOLOGIST,’ Vols. I.—XII., 18483—1854, complete,
- bound. What. offer? WANTED, the volume fot 1866. Apply, B. B.
ie Tatu, 20, Bootham, York.
E. MARSHALL, WRITER vo tax NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
59, EversteicH Roap, LavenperR Hitt, S.W.— Labels made and £
iwritten for collections of Natural History, &c. Diagrams painted and written |
for Lectures, oe
Just published : Post Free for Two Stamps,
OF R NITHOLOGY: NATURAL HISTORY and SCIENTIFIC
BOOK CIRCULAR. No. 79, containing, inter alia, about 500 OS “Y
‘on ORNITHOLOGY, On sale by ea
WitiiamM WESLEY & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London.
a
| BIRDS’ EGGS FOR SALE. Sera
; 1 SELL A BEAUTIFUL OOLLECTION of about 50 nee with a
‘Eggs of Cuculus canorus in different colours. rae.
H. B. MOSCHLER, Kronforstchen, near Bautzen, Saxony.
HARLES JEFFERYS, NATURALIST, TENBY. i
CHEAPEST PLACE FOR British SE ietae, Crustacnans, KcHinopr RMS, eer.
Birps! Eees, &c. Lists free. >
; The Sichade prick to ‘Tue Zoonoaist’ is 12s. for the
wear, ‘which includes all Double Numbers, if paid in advance to
ust, Newman & Co., 54, Hatton Garden, London. Post-Office
Or ders may be drawn on Hatton Garden Office. Cases for ke
1886, 1s. 2d. Bound Volumes, 18s.
Sourn Lonpon Eyromotocicau: ano. Naturat Hisrory Soctery.—We are
asked to state that the address of this Society has been recently changed from =
1, Denman Street, 'S.E., to The Bridge House, London Bridge, S.E. Evening
Meetings are held on ie second and fourth Thursdays i in each mouth at 8 o’clock.
All articles and communications intended for publication in ‘ Tur Zoouosist,’
and books and pamphlets for review, may be forwarded direct to the nas 7
Mr. J, E. Hartine, 24, Lineoln’ ‘Tam Fields, London: .
(Late of 518, NEW OXFORD STREET),
, OXFORD STREET, W.C.
H.W. MARSDEN,
Natural History Agent anv Bookseller,
; 37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
: EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in England at
very moderate prices.
_ EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &c.
eS PRESERVED LARVA of rare British Lepidoptera.
ABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Entomorocisrs, O6Locists,
OrnitHoLocists, Botanists, &c., &e.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e,
- BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS. ~
3 - BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these
‘the stock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in-Europe, while
large : stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
: YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
3 Parcels ‘a Exotic Insects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’ _
- Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
he- BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS recommended and supplied.
(Send sigs the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.)
W. K. MANN, Naturalist,
Sug LLING TON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL.
+ I have now in Stock one of the most complete and authentic Collections of
IRDS’* EGGS for sale at moderate prices, over 300 Spectres 1n CLUTCHES,
ith full data, and many complete with Nest, One of the largest selections im
country. of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
OLEOPTERA, &c. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,
abinets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
Shells ir on approval. New corrected Catalogue free. —EsraB isin 1868.
om ESTABLISHED 1851,
BI RKBECK BAN K.— Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane.
THREE per CENT. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on demand,
WO per CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated on
inimum monthly balances, when not drawn below £100.
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds,
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange,
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities.
: ‘The. BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, can be obtained post free, on
FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager.
EEE te NRE NEE SNR ea lig a SR ee
he Birkbeck Building Society’s Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions.
OW ro PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS ver MONTH,
_ with immediate Possession and no Rent to pay. Apply at the Office of the ~
BECE Borpixe Soolety. :
YW xo PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND For FIVE SHILLINGS
pes MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening
Apply at the Office of the Brresecx “REEHOLD LaNnp Society. A Pamphlet,
, on application. FRANCIS RAVEN SCROFT, Managaz.
uilding:, Shancery Lane
Fm Ron Se ME En 3 at eS saad 3
a 3 re oe
CONTENTS. ee
On the former Existence of Binnie in South-West Scotland, Robert Service,
The Distribution in Great Britain of the Lesser Horse-shoe Bat, J. EH. Kaaay BB:
Notes on a Voyage to the Greenland Seas in 1886, Robert Gray, 94, oa
Belostomide and other Fish-destroying Bugs, Geor ge Dimmock, 101. eas =
NOTES AND QUERIES. Gaeati =
Death 6 of Mr. Robert Gray, 106. iB 3
Mammatia.—Dormice in a Garden, E, P. Lear 106. Bats in Captivity,
Ff’. Hayward Parrott, 106.
-Brrps.—On the Wing-spur of the Coot, Moorhen, and Water Rail, Rev. Mauric
C. H. Bird, M.A.,.107. Note on Eider Ducks, John Murdoch, 1¢
Partridges with white “ Horse- shoes,” Oliver V. Aplin, 108. Usefulnes “
the Rook in destroying Caterpillars, W. Harcourt Bath, 109. Albino ie 8
observed in the Harrogate District, J. R. Fitzgerald, 110. Habits « 1¢ aa
.Green Sandpiper, G. H. Caton Haigh, 110. Crossbills at Rynn, Rosenailis, a
Queen’s County, Anna Croasdaile, 111. Little Bustard in Sussex, Percy H..
Coombe, 111. Varieties of Common Wild Ducks, J. Whitaker, FL. S5A1k
Thrush nesting on the Ground, F. H. Birley, 112. Plumage of the Tufted
Duck, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, M.A., 112. Plumage of the Kestrel, F. C.
Aplin, 112. Supposed assumption of Male Plumage by a Female. Kestrel,
J. H. Gurney, jun. 118, Hybrid Finches, J. Jenner Weir, F, LBs 118.
White’s Thrush in the Scilly Islands, Thomas Cornish, 114.
Fisnes.—Scabbard Fish on the Cornish Coast, Thomas Cornish, 14. pas
Motxusca.— Muscular Power of Snails, Capt. H. Hadfield, ptres - Marine~
Mollusca of Kerry, 7. D. A. Cockerell, 115. =
CRUSTACEA. —Inachus dorynchus at Penzance, Thomas Co nish, 116.
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
Linnean, 117. Zoological, 118. . Entomological, 119.
Natural History pbcinmenn.
R. J.C. STEVENS will SELL BY AUCTION, at his Great Renilis
38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday, March 14th, at half-past 12
precisely, A small Collection of MINERALS, the property of a Gentleman,
SHELLS, EGGS, HEADS and HORNS of ANIMALS, . BIRD and
ANIMAL SKINS, Insects, and other Natural-History specimens, Curiositie:
Antique Charles I. Cabinet, &c. Gi
On view the Saturday prior, from 10 till 4, and OEE of Sale and 3
Catalogues had. :
European and Exotic Goikéntara.
M® J.C. STEVENS will SELL BY AUCTION, at his Great Baie:
38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday, March 28th, at half-past 12
precisely, ‘The ‘well-known COLLECTION of EUROPEAN ana: EXOTIC
COLEOPTERA, in fine condition and mostly named, formed by the late
Rev. C. A. Kuerer, M.A., of Trellick, near Monmouth, together with, th ea
Cabinets, Eutomological aud other Books, &e.
: On view the Saturday prior, from 10 till 4, and morning of Sale, and
Catalogues had. =
Neiee Ng pani & Co., Printers, 54, Hatton Ganon eo, ,
APRIL, 1887. (Vor. XI, No. 124.
“a APR 1987
THE ZOOLOGIST
4 Monthly Journal
ae BY
. e z. HARTING, PLS E25.
~
Sahat OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Dai,
DELEOTANDO PARITERQUE MONENDO.
| LONDON :
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & C0:
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
Pot Shae a Se
THOMAS COOKE & SON,
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological Apparatus, &o,
(Late of 518, NEW OXFORD STREET) Rie
,
30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, W.C.
=
HARLES JHEFFERYS, NATURALIST, TENBY.
CHEAPEST PIACE FoR Barrtisn SHELLs, CRUSTACEANS, EcHInoDERMs,
Birps’ Ecos, &c. Lists free.
J MARSHALL, WRITER ro tz NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
- 59, Everstercnh Roap, Lavenprr Hint, S.W.— Labels made and
‘
written for collections of Natural History, &e. Diagrams painted and written %
for Lectures. ros bea
Just published: Post Free for Two Stamps,
.
ORNITHOL OGY: NATURAL HISTORY -and SCIENTIFIC E
BOOK CIRCULAR. No. 79, containing, inter alia, about 500 Works aq
on ORNITHOLOGY. On sale by » 4
;
Wituiam Westey & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London.
RITISH BIRDS’ EGGS: a Handbook of British Odlogy. By ARTHUR
G. Burier, F.L.S., F.Z.S., &. Illustrated by 38 Plates, containing 871
accurately coloured Figures, representing the Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, price
31s. 6d. nett, post-free. -
A HANDBOOK of the COLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT |
BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Herzerr E. Cox, F.E.8. Two Vols.
cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free. aie te
(GATALOGDE of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Daviy Suarp; M.B.,
&e. Second Edition; price 1s. nett, post free, or on one side only of stout
paper for labels, price 2s. 6d. nett, post free.
London: E. W. Janson, 35, Little Russell Street.
ESTABLISHED 1851.
B IRKBECK BAN K.— Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane.
THREE per CENT. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on demand.
TWO per CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated oa
the minimum monthly balances, when not drawn below £100, :
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds,
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange,
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities,
The BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, can be obtained post free, on —
application to FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager,
March 31st, 1884. ats, :
s f . = . ;
The Birkbeck Building Society’s Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions,
OW to PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS pr MONTH, 5
with immediate Possession and no Rent to pay. -Apply at the Office of the é
BirkBEoR Bumpine Soorery. ; it, ae
Ho’ ro PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE SHILLINGS —
res MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening ;
purposes, Apply at the Office of the Brexseck FREEHOLD Lanp Society. A Pamphlet,
with full particulars, on application. _ FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT. Manager. ;
bad “7 3° yy —e ? * ee LF "- Re oe, te See) xe
_ EstaBLIsHED 1868.
W. K. MANN, Naturalist,
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL.
The following CLUTCHES of EGGS now in Stock, fine selected
_ examples, with full data :—N. Perenopterus, A. Fulvus and Nevia, F’. Islandicus,
_ Peregrinus, Subbuteo, Vespertinus and Asalon, S. Tengmalmi, P. Enucleator,
_ L. Curvirostra, P. Graculus, ©. Corax, P. Martius, ©. Ruficollis, P. Petrosa,
--O. Tarda and Tetrax, E. Morivelfus, S. Interpres, T. Glottis, Fuscus, Ochropus,
Glareola and Maritima, §. Rusticola, C. Alba and Nigra, B. Stellaris,
C. Histrionica, C. Glacialis, Sterna Fuliginosa and Stolidus, L. Minutus.
SINGLE’ EGGS, with data:—P. Graculus, C. Canorus, with Clutches, ~
_ §$. Paradoxus.. G. Major and Gallinula, B. Ibis, D. Bailloni, B. Brenta,
B: Leucopsis, 0. Augyptiaca, M. Alle, B. Columbina.
FINE SKINS of Stringops Habroptilus, Apteryx, Owenii, Ceriornis,
Lyra...
Beat Re «= All the above at very reasonable prices.
a W. K. MANN, Naturalist,
.LLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL,
‘I have now in Stock one of the most cioralee and authentic Collections of
IRDS’ EGGS for sale at moderate prices, over 800 Sprcirs 1N _CLUrcHES,
th full data, and many complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in
this country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
eo ERA, &e. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,
“Cabinets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and:
‘Shells sent on approval. Brass Blow-pipe and 8 Steel Egg-drills, different sizes,
st make, post free, 2s. New corrected Catalogue free.—EsraBLIsHED 1868.
H.W. MARSDEN,
_ Natural History Agent anv Bookseller,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
OPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in England at
eet very moderate prices.
EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &c.
PRESERVED LARVZ of rare British Lepidoptera.
INETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Enxtomonoaisis, OdLoeists,
; Orni1HoLocists, Botanists, &e., &c.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING. PAPER, &e.
: BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS.
RITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these
ock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while ~
e stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
Is of Bxotic Insects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’
Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
BESY: BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS recommended and supplied.
& (Send cca the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.)
: BIRDS’ EGGS FOR SALE.
f
) bee eet? yn fins
ESTABLISHED 1851... . us oe
B IRKBECK BAN K.— Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane. —
THREE per CENT. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on emand,
TWO per CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated om
the minimum monthly balances, when not drawn below £100, : ~ < ae
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds, 2
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange, 7
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities. wy
The BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, can be obtained post-free, om a
application to FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager. 2
March 31st, 1884. : : af 3
The Birkbeck Building Society’s Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions, ~
HOY to PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS PER MONTH,
with immediate Possession and no Rent to pay. Apply at the Office of the
BrrKBEOR Burpine Soorery. ak
Ho” ro PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE SHILLING
3
pes MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening
e of the Brrxewex FRerHoLp Lanp Socrety, A Pamphlet,
pation. . FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager. _
purposes. Apply at the
-H. W. MARSDEN,
“Natural History Agent and Bookseller,
-- 37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
weg EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in England at
ne very moderate prices.
a EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, ke.
- PRESERVED LARV of rare British Lepidoptera.
JABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Enxromoxoeis's, Osrocisis,
OrnitHoLoeists, Boranists, &e., &e.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e.
2° BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS.
ee _ BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these |
the stock is far the largest aud most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while |
a large s jah of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
areels of Byotic Incects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’
: Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
‘The BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS recommended and supplied.
Eee (Send Jor the new -and enlarged. Catalogue of August, 1886.)
W. K. MANN, Naturalist,
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL.
BIRDS’ EGGS for sale at moderate prices, over 300 Sprcirs IN CLUTCHES,
oe jull data, and niany complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in ~
“this country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
COLEOPT ERA, &c. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,
Cabinets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
Shells sent on approval. Brass Blow-pipe and 8 Steel Egg-drills, different sizes,
best make, post free, 2s. New corrected Catalogue free.—EstaBLISHED 1868 ~.
a 2 a
BIRDS’ EGGS FOR SALE.
SELL ‘A BEAUTIFUL COLLECTION of about 40 Clutches, with
_ Eggs of Cuculus canorus in different colours.
y = H. B. MOSCHLER, Kronforstehen, near Bautzen, Saxony.
==.
D
: This day i is published, 8vo, sewed, 6d.
EIST: OF “BRITISH BIRDS, Revised to April, 1887, by Howarp
‘Saunas, F.L.S., &c., Editor of Vols. 3 & 4 of the Fourth. Editiou of
ell’s History of British Birds.”
| * Labelling specimens or for Reference ;- the various species, whether
108 breediug in the British Islands, Occasional Visitors, or of doubtful history,
ing distinctively printed.
FURNEY & JACKSON sSuecesors to Mr. Van Fetish 1, Paternoster Row.
Turf- Plates for Insect. Cabinets & Baas
x .
NHE VERY BEST MATERIAL for INSECT BOXES; in_plates
~ 28cm. 13cm. x 1} em. (11 inches X 54 x 4 inch thick). Sold in
3 f 45. plates weighing 3 kilos (about 6 tbs.), and sent, packing and carriage
of Pape Ofice Order for 5s. If not na may bayer
Kreigk, Hanover, Germany. veep ae
‘TI have now in Stock one ofthe most complete and authentic Collections ry iaaa
ea
“Remarks ‘on British Bats, The Editor (with a Plate), 161.
A Synopsis of the Snakes of South Africa, G. 4. Boulenger, 11s
Notes’ on the Seal and Whale Fishery of 1886, Lhonias, Southwell, Pr, ss
ay NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA. ~ ohne of Habits in the Brown Rat, J. EH. Har ting, FB. iE 8.
189. Marten Cat in Breconshire; H. Cambridge Phillips, F.Z.
~ Common Rorqual at Skegness, T. Southwell, ELAS,, 190. °Fhe-
Seal, ae A. Ward, 191.
Mas hericn, M.A., 193, Albino Birds in ‘Poaniy uae 4. fitiny
Wood Pigeons casting up Pellets, 7. J. Mann, 193. Blackbird
Thrush’s -Nest, F.R. Fitzgerald, 194. The Ptarmigan in South
Scotland, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, 194. Woodcock and Pheasant. laying in
the same Nest, #. H. Birley. 194. House Martins nesting in October, -
. FR. Fitzgerald, 194. - The Green-backed Porphyrio, J. A. Gurney, FE.
195. White- eyed Pochard and Bewick’s Swan in Norfolk; The Shel
or. * Bar-goose” on the lissex Coast, Rev. M. C. H. Bird, M.A., 19:
Harlequin Duck on the Northumbrian Const, Robert W. Chase, Rev. Juli
Tuck, M.A. 196. Paired Varieties of the Jackdaw, Rev. O. P. Cambridg
M.A., 196. Black Redstart-in Co. Waterford, Rev. William W. Tiny
M.A., 196. oo
Fisuxs.—-Cyclopterus lumpus at Scilly, Vhomas Cornish, 196.6
Inszors.—Scarcity of the Black-yeimed White, 197. ;
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. mig
Zoological, 197. Entomological, 199. —
Communications ‘with the following signatures have been received:—Oliver
V. Aplin, G. A. Boulenger, A. H. Gocks, Mathias Dunn, F. R. Fitzgerald, . *
C. R. Gawen, A. Hooton,- Lilford, R. von Lindenfeld,:-H. AS. Macpherson,
T.-H. Nelson, C. Parkinson, G. T. Peialte Pee-dc Ussher, John’ N, Whites +
All articles and communications jitendaa for publicslion in ‘THE Zooxocis'
and books and pamphlets for review, may be forwarded direct to the alien
Mr. J. KE. Harring, 24, Linéoln’s-Inn Fields, London. :
Advertisements and Subscriptions should: be sent to Wxsr, Newsan cs
54, Hatton Garden, London, E.C. optaee
A Course or Ten Lucrorns on the Crassirication. of the VERTEBRATES
will be delivered in the Lecture Room in the Society’s Gardens, - Regent's Park,
on Thursdays at 5 p.m., commencing April 7th, by Mr. PF. E. Bepparp, ¥
Prosector to the Society ‘and Davis Lecturer. The course w ill be free to F
of the Society. bee
Natural History Specimens.
R. J. C. STEVENS - will SELL BY AUCTION, at his Graal 01
at 38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday; May 9th, at half-past,
precisely, a faite: lot of FORBIGN aud EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA and of
- -Tusects, BEIRD-SKINS. and EGG3,. SHELLS, MINERALS, FOSSILS,
HEADS and HORNS of ‘ANIMALS, and-other Natural- History Spe
Cabinets, Entomological and other Hiseka, &e. =
On view the-Saturday prior from 10 till 4 cand’: morning a Sale and |
eaounes had.
Wade. Newman & Cow Printers, 54, ‘Hatton Garden, 1 EK. oh :
aS 4 Monthly Journal
EDITED BY
a) zB HARTING, EF. LS. F. 2.8.
MEMBER OF THE ‘BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ Union.
LONDON:
‘SIMPKIN, MARSHALL -& CO.
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
“
THOMAS COOKE & SON,
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological Apparatus, ess Bae
(Late of 518, NEW OXFORD STREET), pS Ne
30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, we.
HARLES JEFFERYS, NATURALIST, TENBY. =
CHEAPEST PI ACE FOR Brivis SHELLS, CRUSTACHARS, ‘Ecuinope RMS,
Birps’ Ecos, &c. Lists free. =
EK. MARSHALL, WRITER ro tar NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, -
59, EveRSLEIGn Roap, Levrnper Hinz, §8.W.— Labels made and —
written for collections of Natural History, &c. Diagrams painted and written”
for Lectures. oa Se
Just published: Post Free for Two Soph
O RNITHOLOGY: NATURAL HISTORY and SCIENTIFIC
BOOK CIRCULAR. No. 79, ss are inter alia, about 500 Works —
on ORNITHOLOGY. On sale by
Witiram Wester & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London.
RITISH BIRDS’ EGGS: a Handbook of British Odlogy. By ARTHUR ©
G. Burier, F.L.S., F.Z.8., &c. Illustrated by 38 Plates, containing 371 -
accurately coloured Figures, representing the Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, price
31s. 6d. nett, post free.
HANDBOOK of the COLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT
BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Herserr E. Cox, F.E.S. Two Vols.
cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free.
(ze re LOGUE of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Davip suas M.B.,
&c. Second Edition; price 1s. nett, post free, or on one side only of stout
paper for labels, price 2s. 6d. nett, post free.
London: E. W. Janson, 85, Little Russell Street.
. ESTABLISHED 1851,
B IRKBECK_ BAN K.— Southampton Buildings, chee Lanes
THREE per CENT, INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on demand.
TWO per CENT. INTEREST ‘allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated on -
the minimum monthly balances, when not drawn below £100. ~ j
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds, —
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of —Bills- of Exchange, oat
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities, — <
The BIRKBECK pe with full particulars, can be obtained post free, on
application to FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, ——
March 31st, 1884. ’
The Birkbeck Building Society’ 5 Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions.
OW to PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS pER MONTH, —
with immediate Possession and no Rent to pay. Apply at the Office of the an
Birxsecx Buripine Soorery.
OW -ro PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE SHILLINGS —
rER MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardenin Lees :
purposes, Apply at the Office of the BirksEck FReEHoLD LAND Socrery. A Pamphlet,
with full paciiculacs, on cee = : FRANCIS: HAVENACHDET, Manag
pS ah
GG “COLLECTING. See nace Steel Drills and Metal Blowpipe, 1s.
44 ‘ Hints on Egg Collecting and Nesting,’ 32d. ‘Chip Boxes, four sizes nested,
1s. LOd. per gross, free. A Jange stock of ‘Eggs in clutches :—2 Golden Eagle,
ES 50. ; 2 White-tailed Eagle, 7s.; 2 Honéy Buzzard, 15s.; 8 Greenland Falcon,
4s. ; 3 Rough-legged Buzzard, 83.; 8 Kite, 3s.; 2 Black Kite, 1s. 6d.; 2 Griffon
Vulture, 8s.; 4 Scop’s Owl,-6s. 6d.; 5 Woodchat, Tega Nightingale, Qs. 6d. ;
Black Redstart, 1s. 3d.; 5 -Orested Lark, 1s. 6d.; 5 Short-toed Lark, 1s. 6d. ;
Raven, 7s. 6d.; 10 Wry neck, Qs. 6d.; 3 Little Bustard, 6s. 6d. 3 38 Goshawk; 3s. ;
8 Ruff, 1s. 6d.; 4 Phalarope,. -5s. 4 Gadeit: 3s.; 2 King Dock 12s. 6d. “On
proval” full “data” and locality given. Illustrated Catalogue free.
PSE & W. DAVIS, Naturalists, 13, Hythe Street, Dartford, Kent.
BRITISH BIRD SKINS.
R SALE by private treaty and in one lot about 800 SPECIMENS,
the Property of a private sols as All in mplensid condition.
- BIRDS! eas FOR SALE.
aos Eggs of Cuculus canorus in different colours. -
H. B. MOSCHLER, Kronférstchen, near Bautzen, Saxony.
W. K. MANN, Naturalist,
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL.
‘T have now in Stock oné of the most complete and authentic Collections of
country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
OLEOPTERA, &e. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. ~ Books,
binets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
ells sent ov approval. Brass Blow-pipe and 8 Steel Egg-drills, different sizes,
t make, patt free, Qs. New corrected Catalogue free.-—EsraBLisHEep 1868.
_. H. W. MARSDEN,
Natural Bistorp Agent anv Bastin,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
ee LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in England, at
very moderate prices. —
OTIC LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &e.
~ PRESERVED LARVZ of rare British Lepidoptera.
TS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Extomoxogisrs, OoLoeists,
= OrnitHotoeists, Botanists, &c., &c.
- BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e.
< BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS.
: BRIVISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these
ck is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while
e stock of. Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
ee of Exotic Incects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. Biitish Birds’
Ret Skins Sent 01 approval. Other articles. guaranteed.
ON ABOVE SUBJECTS pecerantended and supplied, —
ad ident ged Catalogu e of Aw st, 1886.)
RDS’ EGGS for sale at mcderate prices, over 800 Sprcirs 1N CLUTCHES, »
ih jull data, and many complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in:
On the Habits of. the Tee: tailed Field ae G. me Rope lwith P ite), 20S
The Finwhale Fishery of 1886 on the ae Coast, ss bic Cocks,
228.
& NOTES AND SuBRIES.
Death of Mr. John Gatcombe, 283.
233. ‘A Pied. Hares Ai Whitaker sitar Tas. 253, "the 2 ‘supp
“Serotine in the Newcastle Museum, 7’. ‘Southwell, F.Z8., 284. rte
Occurrence of Vesper tilio murinus in Dorsetshire, C. Wi. Dale; FL, (SFR 234
Change of Habits in the Brown Rat, E. W. H. Blagg, 234.
. Brreps. —Nesting of the Stock Dove in East Lothian, G. Pow, 235. Sian
of the Tufted Duck, J. Whitaker; 235: Blackeap in Co. Waterford in
January, J. N. White, 236. Wood Pigeons casting up Pellets, ae W. H.
Blagg, 236. A new Ege-drill, Herbert Langton; 236, ; :
Rupritus.—Varieties of the Viper, EH. P. Larken, 237.
Crusracea.—Axius stirhynchus in Cornwall, Thomas Cornish, 287."
Inseors.—Practical. Entomology at South Kensington, pode ‘eae a a
Bird’s Nest, 4.1. Buckland, 238. ‘
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES.
Zoological, 238. Entomological, 239.
Gain ainiieniena with the folowing signatures wavonialie ote? NO gc
O. V. Aplin, A. H. Buckland, W. E. Boakawith: E. W. H. Blagg, E, R. Clutter-
buck, T. Cornish, C. W. Dale, C. R. Gawen, J. Goaillen: J. H. Guraey,
J. E. Harting, A. Horton, Lord Lilford, H. A. Macpherson, J. Murie, T. H. Nelson,
Ki-G: Phillips, G: Robinson, W. D, Roebuck; W. H. St. Quintin, J. by ee
also Reports of the Expoecdings of the Linueati aud Zrological Bociotteer
All articles and communications intended for publication in ‘Tur Zitser: i
and books and pamphlets for review, may be forwarded direct to ‘the eeya 4
Mr. J. BE. Harrine, 24, Lincoln’s-Inn Fields, London. om
Advertisements and Subseriptions should be sent to Wasr, Nuwaan hoe .
54, Hatton Garden, London, H.C. Saheat
British Lepidoptera and Coleoptera, &c.
R. J.C. STEVENS. will SELL BY AUCTION, at his: Great Rooms
+ 38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday, June 13th, at half-past 12
precisely, the- “COLLECTION of BRITISH LEPIDOPTERA formed by
Rosert’ H. Mirrorp, Esq., of Hampstead, contained in two good. Cabit
co .prising many rarities all in splendid condition ; also the Collection
by the late Mr. Packman, a fine lot of Bit ISH COLEOPTERA, a
Natural History Specimens. :
On view from 10 till 4 the Sites prior and morning ioe Sale,
Catsgeie had.-
Turf- Plates for Insect Cabinets & "Boxee eee
JHE VBRY BEST MATERIAL for INSECT. BOXES; in p
1 “98 em. X 13-cun x 1 em. (11 inches x-53X_ ¢ inch thick), Sold.
parcels of 45 plates. weighing 3 kilos (about 6ths.), aud sent, packing and ¢
free, on receipt of Post-Office Order for 5s. If not approved may be retun
: HERR N’ KREYE, Hanover, -Germany.. ‘
‘Wa st, Newnan: & Co,, . Printers, 54, Hatton Sariens. EC
~~
“JULY, 1887,
4%
THE ZOOLOGIST
2 Monthly | Journal |
NATURAL HISTORY.
‘EDITED BY
Je BE. HARTING, F.LS., ZS.
5 oe Memee oF THE tata Siakuesionoaies’ “Unto.
DELECTANDO PARITERQUE, MONENDO.
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO.
eon STATIONERS’ HALL COURT..
“Price ONE SHILLING.
A Va ie ee SAL Mabe sate ns gn ah a res See ote ee sale 0 a cea Ae a
Dealers 1n Lepidoptera, Ova, Larvx, and Pupx. Birds’ Eggs, single and in clutches with full
J. & W. DAVIS., Naturalists, Hythe St, DARTFORD, KENT. «a
“ data’? Skins, Artificial Eyes, and Naturalists Requisites. Hlustrated Catalogue Free. 7/7 ee
We offer the following Clutches this month, 2 Golden Eagle 50/- 2 Gift
on Vulture 8s. 2 Egyptian Vulture 10s. 6d... 2 White-tailed Eagle 7s..-3 Greenland Falcon 42s. 5 Merlin
6s. ‘5 Kestrel 2s. 3 Goshawk 3s, 8 Kite 3s. 2 Black Kite 1s, 6d. 3 Commoh Buzzard 3s. 3 Tonph leeds
Buzzard 38s. 2 Honey Buzzard lis. 6 Tawny Owl 4s. 6d. 4Scop’s Owl 6s. 6d. S Great Grey Shrike 12s 4
Lesser Grey Shrike 2s. 5 Red-backed Shrike ls. 5 Woodchatls. 4 Red-eyed Flycatcher 2s. 6d, “i Red-~
wing 8s. 6d. 5 Fieldfare Is. 94. 4 American Robin ls. 4 Nightingale 2s. 5 Black Redstart ls. 8d. 5 Gt
Reed Warbler 1s. 6d. 8 Wheatear 2s. 5 Rufous Warbler. 3s. 10 Great Tit 2s. 10 Blue Tit 2s. 6d. 7 Cole F
ls. 9d. 4 Orested Tit1s. 4d. 5 Pied Wagtail 1st*-4 Grey-headed Wagtail 2s. 5 Yellow Wagtail 2s. 6d. 5 -
Meadow Pipit 1s. 3d. 6 Orested Lark Is. 6d. 5 Short-toed‘Lark ls. 6d. 5 Reed Bunting ls. 3d. 5 Cirl Bun-~ ~
ting 3s. 6d. 4 Ortolan Bunting 3s, 5 Hawfinch 3s. 9d. 4 Serinfinch 2s. 6d. 5 Goldfinch 2s, 4 Red-winged
Starling 1s. 5 Raven 7s. 6d. 5 Carrion Crow 1s3d. 4 Hooded. Crow 1s. 5 Magpie ls. 5 Great Black ~
Woodpecker 12s. 6d. 9 Wryneck 2s. 3d, 5 Hoope 5s:, 1'Great Spotted Cuckoo ( with the clutch of Me pie’s -
it was found in. ) 5s. 3 Yellow-billed Ouckoo 3s. 2 ‘itaok- billed Cuckoo 2s. 6d. 4 Bee Water 3s. elted ©
Kingfisher 7s. 5 White-bellied Swallow 3s. 2 Red-necked Nightjar 5s. 2 Rock Dove 9d.- 9 Pisano Isr
6 Capercaille 10s. 9 Black Grouse 10s. 7 Ptarmigan 5s. 9 Quail 3s, 9 Virginian Colin 7s. 2 Gt Bustard
3s. 6d. 3 Little Bustard 7s. 4 Ringed’Ployer 1s. 4d. 4 Woodcock 10s. 2 Kentish Plover ls.’ 4 ae
Sandpiper 10s.. 4 Schinz’s Sandpiper 5s. 6d. 4 Red-necked Phalarope 5s. 4 Black-tailed Godwit 3s, 4 Night
Heron 2s. 4 Whimbrel 3s, 2 Crane 6s. 6d. 2 Numidian Crane 7s. 9d. 7 Wigeon 4s. 6d. 2 King Duck I2s.
5 Merganser Is. 9d. 6 Goosander 6s. 3Black Ternls. 3 Sandwich Tern2s. Any sent ‘‘ On approval”
Improved Steel Egg Drills and Metal Blow-pipe 1/- Post free. ‘* Hints »
on Egg Collecting and Nesting.” 33d. Ostrich Eggs. 3/6 cach. Chip ete 4
sizes nested, 1/6 per.gross, Postage ‘4d, extra. Napthaline. (best) 3d, oz. 1/3. per -
half pound. Label List for labelling British Birds Eggs, printed in graduated type,
3d. post free. Morris’s Nests and Eggs of British Birds, with 233 finely-coloured eng-
ravings of Eggs, and Nests.. Published at £3. 3s. Offered at £2. Morris’s History of —~—
British Birds, With 365 finely-coloured Engrayvings. 6 Vols. Published at £6. 6s, 0d. —_
Offered at £4. Practical Taxidermy. Illustrated. 7/9 Bree’s Birds of Europe, not
observed in the British Isles. With 238 beautifully coloured plates. 5 Vols. Published
at £5. 5s. Offered at £3. 15s. Couch’s History of the Fishes of the British Islands.
With 252 Coloured Plates. New Hdition..4 Vols. Published at £4. 4s. Offered at £2.
17s. 6d. Any Book on Natural History supplied to order. a
Retangular Glass-top Boxes, 3-in, x 24-in. x l-in. 1/6 doz. Carriage paid. Round
Glass-top Boxes, for Eggs. 23-in. diameter. 1j-in. deep. 4s. per doz. 3-in, x 1}-in 5s.
doz. . 3}-in. x 2-in. 6s. doz. . Smaller sizes kept in stock. We hold a very fine stock of m
named Exotic Birp’s Sxins. Selections of which can be sent by Parcel Post.
Artificial Eyes, Black, from 6d. gross. ; Coloured Kiyes from 2/6 gross.
H. W. MARSDEN, .
Natural History Agent and Bookseller,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
BKUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA,—The largest and best stock in England at
very moderate prices.
EXOTIC LEPIDOPTEKA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, ee
PRESERVED LARVZ of rare British Lepidoptera. rate
CABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Entomotoaisrs, DOLOGIST ES,
Orni1HoLocists, Botanists, &e., &e.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e.
BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS.
BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these -
the stock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while
a large stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are el@agp ou hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
Parcels of Exotic lusects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’
Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
The BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS recommended and supplied.
(Send for the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.)
Ie
THOMAS COOKE & SON, #&
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological Apparatus, &e.
(Late of 513, NEW OXFORD STREET),
4
eg Ww. K. _ MANN, ‘Naturalist,
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL,
~ IT haye now in Stock one of the most erlang and authentic Collections of
BIRDS’ KGGS_ for sale at. moderate prices, over 300 Sprecurs 1N CLUTCHES,
with” full data, and many complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in
this country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
‘COLEOPTERA, &e. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,’
Cabinets, and all kinds of Apparatus sup) plied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
~ Shells sent on approval. Brass Blow-pipe-aid 8 Steel Ege-drills, different sizes,
best muke, poste? free, 4s. New corrected Catalogue free.—EsraBLisHrpD 1868.
ae ‘Turt-E Plates for Insect Cabinets & Boxes.
pe VERY BEST. MATERIAL for INSECT BOXES; in plates
. 28cm. * 13 em. x 1d cm. (11 inches x 5% X 4 inch think): Sold in
parcels of 45 plates weighing 3 kilos (about 6 ths.), and sent, packing and carriage
ee, on receipt of Post- Office Order for 5s. . If not approved may be returned. —
: HERRN KREYE, Hanover, Germany. ;
7p > RITISH BIRDS’ EGGS: a Hanilbook of British Odlogy. By ArrHuR
2G. Burien, F.L.S.; F.Z.S., &e. Illustrated by 38 Plates, containing 371
"accurately coloured Figures, representing the Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, price
s. 6d. nett, post free.
| HANDBOOK of the COLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT
A BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Hersezrr E. Cox, F.E.8. Two Vols.
oth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free.
ATALOGUE of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Dayip Suarp, M.B.,
- &e. Second Edition; price 1s. nett, post free, or on one side only of stout
er ‘tor labels, price 2s. 6d. nett, post free.
Bye << London : E. W. Janson, 35, Little Russell Street.
in Tost published : Post Free for Two Stamps,
; RNITHOLOGY: NATURAL HISTORY and SCIENTIFIC
™“™ BOOK, CIRCULAR. No. 79, containing, inter alia, about 500 Works
) _ ORNITHOLOGY. Ou sale by =
eee _ Wittram Westry & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London.
FOR SALE.
AMMALIAN SKINS, SKULLS, SKELETONS, BIRD- SKINS, and
EGGS. — Price Lists free.
eB: MOSCHLER, Kronforstchen, near Pavan Saxony.
ESTABLISHED 1851.
IRKBE CK BAN K.—Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane.
THREE per CENTS INTEREST allowed. on DEPOSITS, repayable on demand,
‘TWO per CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated om
inimum- monthly balances, when not drawn below £100.
“The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds,
ings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange,
ends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities.
The BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, can be obtained post free, on
cation to FRANCIS ssi ees heh Manager.
March 31st, 1884. ‘3
The Birkbeck Building Society’s Annual messin exceed Five Millions.
TOW ro PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS PER MONTH,
_ with immediate Possession and no Rent to-pay. Apply at the Office of the
ow Po PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE SHILLINGS
- 3-9 MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening
_ Appl ne Office of the BrrgBE7k *REEHOLD Lanp Society. A Pamphlet,
particu pplication. — _ FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT. Monsees.
~ Brros.—A Puffin’ in London, Right Hon. Lord Lilford, 263. Puffin: ‘on the.
a ble ee
CONTENTS ree
Faets in ihe Life- Histor y -of the Pollack, Gadus rolgnree Matthias. Dunn :
Notes on the Ornithology of Northamptonshire and Neighbourhood, ls
Lord Lilford, F.LS., 249, Sec. ee
Notes on the Fauna of Iceland, Uno von Troil, D. D., ba So eee
On’ the Shedding of the Claws in the Ptafmigan and allied Binks, To
Btejneger, 258.
NOTES AND QUERIES. _
Mammatia.—Northern Limit of the Range of the Noetule in “Gea: B ai
J. E. Harting, PLS, F.Z.S., 260. ” Food of the Greater Horse- shoe Bat,
< Rev. H. A: Macpherson, M.A., 262, ° Small Rorqual_at Pee Pipes 2 6
Balkwill, 262.. .
- Thames in July, Riley Fortunz, 263. ~The Missel Thrash oceasionally
Bird of Prey, E. A. Sanford, 263. Kestrel and ‘Slow-worm, J. C0. Mav el-
~ Pleydell, F.L.S., 263. Nesting of the Marsh Warbler in Gloucesters re
A.W: Saas 264. Unusual. Nesting-site for the Tree: Sparrow, “A
Butler, F.L.S., 265. - Hawfinch nesting ta Surrey, David J. Rice, 2
The ‘* Grouse Disease,” Prof. I’. 7effrey Bell, P.Z.S., 265. Hybrid Gree
finches; J. H. Gurney, jun., F.Z.S , 266. Plover's Nests with five Ege
J. Whitaker, F.L.S., F.ZS., 267. Jackdaw taking possession of 1 Magpie’s
Nest, H.W. H. Blagg, 267. Thrash’s Nest_ without: the usual- Linin
J. Whitaker, 268. Habits of Rooks, C. R. Gawen, 268. Young Dippers taking
to the Water, 4-H. Buckland, 269. Swallow in Somersetshire i in December,
E. R. Clutterbuck, 269. Cream-coloured Courseriu Cardiganshire, A. Hootan,
269. Food of the Spotted Flycatcher, W.H. Beckwith, 269. Nor folk Plover
nesting in Nottinghamshire, J. Whitaker, 269.. Autumnal. Migration of Birds
~ at Teesmouth, 7’. H. Nelson, 270. Food of the Smew,Rev. H.. A. Mappestai
271. The Anéestry of Birds, 271. :
Reprines.—Colour and Size of Adders, G. Hi. Lodgé, 271.
Fisoes.—Lumpsucker on the Welsh Coast, @. H. Caton Haigh, 278.
InsEcts.—Bees occupying Birds’ Nests, Riley Fortune, 273.
Scrmntiric Societies. —Linnean, 273. Zoological, 275. Hatscralonionl 277
Novices or New Booxs.—‘ A Nomenclature of Coléurs for Naturalists, and Co
pendium of Useful Knowledge. for Or nithologists,” by Robert Ridgnps au
British and Foreign Lepidoptera - and Coleoptera. |
R.J.CG. STEVENS will SELL BY AUCTION; at his Great. Room
+ 38, King Street, Covent Garden, on Monday, July-11th, at balfpast:
precisely, the. Collection of BRITISH and FORBIGN LEPIDOPTERA
COLEOPTERA, and other Insects, formed by J, M. FRasur, deceased. -
On view the Saturday prior from to till 4 and morning of Sale,
—— had. ; . AG
-
fhae possible ‘coe on: bound either gn. morocee or calf
uncut. Original copies. Cramer & Stoll, 5 vols., 442 -plates. ~ Drar
cover, original), 3 vols. -Doubleday’s ‘ Genera Diurual Lepidoptera.’ ‘Hewitso
‘ Exotic Butterflies,” 5 vols. Hewitson’s Lycenide, 1-yol. Edwards's
American Butterflies, 2 2, vols. ~ Distant’s ‘Rhopalocera Malayana’* =]
‘Ceylon Butterflies.’ Godman’s (Rhopalocera portion), 1, yok, and one-to comple as
Felder, : ‘Reise dér Fregatto Novara’ (Rhopaloceta portion), and others? <= =
F. E.S., care of John ae sree ee Shooter's Hill ‘Kent, 78. H.
59, EVERsiEicn: Roan, sues: oe S.W. Babes
written for collections of anced History, ke. eae paltted a a
for Lectures. | .
‘Tam Szams.] AUGUST, 1687. [Vor XL, No. 128.
Yas AUG 137
THE ZOOLOGIST
AX Monthy Journal
NATURAL HISTORY.
-+
EDITED BY
J. EB. HARTING, F.LS, F.ZS.
MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION.
oy
DELECTANDO PARITERQUE MONENDO,
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO.,
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
Price ONE SHILLING.
THOMAS COOKE & SON,
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological ‘Apparatus, &e.
(Late of 513, NEW OXFORD STREET),
30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, W.C.
H. W. MARSDEN,
Natural History Agent and Bookseller,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER.
EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in Bs ides at
very moderate prices.
EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &c.
PRESERVED LARVZ of rare British Lepidoptera.
CABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Enromoxoeists, Obxosists,
OrnitHoLoeists, Boranists, &ec., &c.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &c.
BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS.
BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these
the stock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while
a large stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
Parcels of Exotic Insects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’
Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
The BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJEOTS recommended and supplied.
(Send for the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.)
Turf-Plates for Insect Cabinets & Boxes.
\HE VERY BEST ‘MATERIAL for INSECT BOXES; in plates
28 cm. X 13cm. X 14 em. (11 inches X 5% X 3 inch thick). Sold in —
parcels of 45 plates weighing 3 kilos (about 6 Ibs.), and sent, packing and carriage
free, on receipt of Post-Office Order for 5s. If not approved may be returned.
May be seen at 54 Hatton Garden.
HERRN KREYE, Hanover, Germany.
ESTABLISHED 1851.
IRKBECK BAN K.—Southampton Buildings, Chancery Tans,
THREE per CEN’. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on demand,
TWO per "CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated on oa
the minimum monthly balances, when not drawn below £100,
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds,
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange.
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities.
The BIRKBECK ALMANACEK, with full particulars, can be obtained post free, or
application to FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager.
March 31st, 1884. 3
The Birkbeck Building Society’s Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions.
OW to PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS per MONTH,
with immediate Possession mud no Rent to pay. Apply at the Office of the
Birxseck Burmpine Socrery.
QW to PURCHASE «a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE SHILLINGS
PER MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening
purposes. Apply at the Office of the Birxpeck FreEnorp Lanp Society. A Pampilet, — :
with oe partigulares on epplicssen, FRANCIS. RAVENSCROFT, Manager.
_ BOTANICAL DRYING PAPER.
A New Consignment just received from the Mill.
3 ‘Se _ -16 by 10 in. when folded, 15s. per Ream, 1s. 1d. per Quire.
> 4 NED ~ 18 by 11 in. + 19s. a Is. 4d. se
Brikase 20 by 12 in. ne 23s. re 1s. 9d. %
20 by 16 in. - 30s. “ 2s, 2d. me
Ios* EXTRA THICK DRYING PAPER.
eS eared am rr ian: alas acto ene! a Mercalets ale
. Made in response to a demand for a paper such as is used in the
American Herbaria.. Of the same quality as the ordinary paper, but
more than four times the thickness; only one sheet is required between
_ specimens. Extremely durable.
- Price (only one size), 18 by 22 in., flat, £4 per ream ; 5s. per quire. —
at
_ London: WEST, NEWMAN & CO,, 54, Hatton Garden.
a ee FOR SALE. é
-~ fAMMALIAN SKINS, SKULLS, SKELETONS, BIRD-SKINS, and
Be Bs “RGGS. | Price Lists. free:
S = : “H. B. MOSCHLER, Kronfoérstchen, near Bautzen; Saxony.
ees Just published: Post Free for Two Stamps,
— GONCHOLOGY and CRUSTACEKA.— Catalogue containing upwards: of
_™—“, 900 works. Contents:—ConcHotoay and Crustacea. Classification,
Structure, Physiology, Economie Uses, &c. Faunas, Monographs, Fossil
~ Conchology. SUPPLEMENT containing works on Entomology, Ichthyology,
_ Mammalia, Ornithology, Geology; Astronomy, Physical Science.
he Witiiam Wester & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London.
Dealers 1m Lepidoptera, Ova, Larve, and Pups. Birds’ Eggs, single and in clutches with full
data ?? Skins, Artificial Eyes, and Naturalists Requisites. Illustrated Catalogue Free. —
We offer the following Clutches this month, 2 Golden Eagle 50/- 2 Griff-
- on Vulture 8s. 2 Egyptian Vulture 10s. 6d. 2 White-tailed Eagle 7s. 3 Greenland Falcon 42s,
- 63. 5 Kestrel 2s. 3 Goshawk 3s. 8 Kite 3s.
- J. & W. DAVIS., Naturalists, Hythe St, DARTFORD, KENT.
i
5 Goldfinch 2s, 4 Red-winged
5 Raven 7s. 6d. 5 Carrion Crow Is. 3d. 4Hooded Crow Is. 5 Magpie ls. 5 Great Black
eck 2s, 8d. 5 Hoope 5s. 1 Great Spotted Cuckoo ( with the clutch of Magpie’s
os. 3 Yellow-billed Ouekoo 3s. 2 Black-billed Cuckoo 2s. 6d. 4 Bee Eater 3s. 5 Belted
in . 9 White-bellied Swallow 3s, 2 Red-necked Nightjar 5s. 2 RockDove 9d. 9 Pheasant 2s.
6 Oapercaille 10s. 9 Black Grouse 10s. 7 Ptarmigan 5s. 9 Quail 8s. 9 Virginian Colin 7s. 2 Gt Bustard
_ 3s. 6d, 3 Little Bustard 7s. 4 Ringed Plover 1s. 4d. 4 Woodcock 10s. 2 Kentish Plover 1s. 4 Purple
_ Sandpiper 10s. 4 Schinz’s Sandpiper 5s. 6d. 4 Red-necked Phalarope 5s. 4 Black-tailed Godwit 3s. 4 Night
_ Heron 2s, 4 Whimbrel 3s. 2 Orane 6s, 6d. 2 Numidian Orane 7s. 9d. 7 Wigeon 4s. 6d. 2 King Duck 12s,
9 Merganser 1s. 9d. 6 Goosander 6s. $BlackTernls. 8 Sandwich Tern 2s. Any sent ‘* On approval ”
W: K. MANN, Naturalist,
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL.
___-I have now in-Stock one of the most complete and authentic Collections of
_ BIRDS’ EGGS for sale at moderate prices, over 300 Sprcius 1n CLuroHEs,
with full data, and many complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in
this country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
~ COLEOPTERA, é&c. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,
' Cabinets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
hells sent on approval. Brass Blow-pipe and 8 Steel Egg-drills, different sizes,
make, post free, 2s. New corrected Catalogue free.—EstaBLisHED 1868,
Hl
Rg
a aes Ag pal fle age oe
CONTENTS. zi
The Sleep of the Dormouse (Myoaus glis), 281. ; Bs
Ornithological Notes from Oxfordshire in 1886, Oliver V. Apt ‘and A ie 3
Macpherson, 283. : a
The Pearl Fisheries of Australia, G. W. Gr iffin, 289.
To purify Water in an Aquarium, 292.
NOTES AND QUERIES. ee ieee
Riueariven —The Cost of Rabbit Destruction in Australia, 298. On the Bats — te
found in Merionethshire, G. H. Caton Haigh, 293. ee
Brrps.—Cliff-birds at Dover, Lieut-Gen. H. W. Feilden, 294. Ornithological —
“Notes from Mayo and Sligo; Robert Warren, 296. Ornithological Notes —
from Breconshire, H. Cambridge Phillips, F.Z.S , 298.- Unusual nesting-~
ahi Ath: gee reece
site for the Wryneck, 4. G. Butler, F.Z.S., 299, Hawfinch in Yorkshire,
~ Riley Fortune, 299. The Song of the Chaffinch, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, »
M.A.,-299. Black Tern near Gloucester, A. W. Marsden 299. Mimicry — fe
of the Corn Buuting, Rev. H. 4. Macpherson, 300. Spring Moult of the ~~
Wheatear, O. V. Aplin, 300. Notes from Oxfordshire, G: W. ‘Harcourt, BS
301. Grouse Disease, Prof. F. Jefrcy Bell, M.A., 302.’ Hybrid Green- |
finch and Linnet, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, 803. Redstart laying spotted —
Kggs, H. W. H. Blagg, 303. Hawfinch nesting in Kent, Henry Lamb, 303. __
Cirl Bunting breeding near Godalming, Rev. H. Benson, M.A.,303. Curious _
site for Chiffchatf’s Nest, EH. W. H, Blagg, 304. — Long- eared Owl laying in
Rook’s Nest, Riley Fortune, 304. The Missel Thrush occasionally a Bird ~
of Prey, A. G. Butler, 304. Nesting of the Common Sandpiper, H. W.-
Marsden, 305. . Note on the Ring Ouzel, Arthur FP. Buxton, 305... A new
Eigg-drill, Herbert Langton, 305. A singular Bird’s Nest, 306. Dausial
site for a Flycatcher's Nest, Darell Stephens, 306. Nightingale singing in
July, Henry Lamb, 306. tees
Reprites. —Coloration ‘of the Viper, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, 306. Mode in —
which Vipers are killed by the Hedgehog, 306. Slow-worm attacked bya... 34
Missel’ Thrush, CG. W. Dale, F.L.S., 307. ree
Fisues.—Tunny at !’enzance, Thomas Cornish, 807. A Man killed by a Sword-
fish, W. A. Wilcow, 307. Crenilabrus exoletus at Penzance, T. Cornish, 808.
CEPHALOPODA. — Octopus at Penzance, J’. Cornish, 309. a
Moxuusca.—Secretion of a violet-coloured fluid by certain of the ‘Limniide: ‘*
W. E. Collinge, 309. — Rate of Progress by Snails; 309. ee
Crusracea.—Livid Swimming Crab at Penzance, Thomas Cornish, 309.
Ixseots.— Wasp attacking a Tarantula, J. H. Gurney, F.Z.8., 310.
Scientirio Soctetres.—Zoological, 310. Hutomological, 312. ,
Norices or New Booxs.—‘ Die Waldschnepfe,’ von “Dr. Juhng Hoffmann, | 313. ee
© A Year with the Birds,’ by an Oxford Tutor, 316. ‘A Bimiiog tenes ofthe
Books relating to Fancy Pigeons,’ by T. B. Coombe Williams, 319.5 -
» ts
Neat oy
1 he
Renee ml agit
RITISH: BIRDS’ EGGS: a Handbook of British Odlogy. By ARTHUR
G. Burier, F.L.S., F.Z.8., &e. pS by 38 Plates, containing 871
accurately coloured Figures, representin, e Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, price - ¢
31s. 6d. nett, post free. 3
HANDBOOK. of the COLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT
BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Herbert EE, Cox, F.ES. “Two Vols.
cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free. bs
ATALOGUE of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Davm Suanrp, MB. ae
&e. Second Edition; price 1s. nett, post free, or on one side only ae stout
paper for labels, price 2s. 6d. nett, post free. aig th
London: E. W: Janson, 35, Little Russell Street. ; Ee pet)
K. MARSHALL, WRITER to rok NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
59, Bversteigh Roap, LavenpbEer. Hitt, 8.W.— Labels” made an
written for collections of Natural History, Bis Diagrams paitited and written
for Lectures. _
West, Newman &-Co., Printers, 54, Hatton Garden, E. C.
we = RS a Wot. SF Lens Weekes. poy i Sot ce ee 3 hae , Fie ee
THE ZOOLOGIST
Wy
> ys
A Monthly Journal
a
OF
NATURAL HISTORY.
EDITED BY
J. KE. HARTING, F.L.S., F.Z.S.
‘ MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION. ° j
DELEGTANDO PARITERQUK MONENDO.,
ate LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL & CO,
STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
Price ONE SHILLING.
Natural History Agent anv ‘Bookseller,
yee
H. W. MARSDEN,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER. = —>
EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best stock in England Abe
very moderate prices. Z
EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA, -COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &c.
PRESERVED LARVZE of rare British Lepidoptera. rc
CABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Enromoxoaists, Oéxoaisrs, ee
OrnirHoLocists, Boranists, ke., ke.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e:
BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS
BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of these
the stock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while -
a large stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand.
YOUNG BIRDS in Down.
Parcels of Exotic Insects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’
‘Skins sent on approval. Other articles guaranteed.
The BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS recommended and supplied.
(Send for the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.)
THOMAS COOKE & SON,
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological Apparatus, &c.
| (Late of 513, NEW OXFORD STREET), | .
30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, W.C. —
Turf-Plates for Insect Cabinets & Boxes.
HE VERY BEST. MATERIAL for INSECT BOXES; in plates —
28 cm. X 138 cm. x 1} cm. (11 inches x 5% X 3 inch thick). Soldin .”
parcels of 45 plates weighing 8 kilos (about 6 tbs.), and sent, packing and carriage
free, on receipt of Post-Office Order for 5s. If not approved may be roumeee “
May be seen at 54 Hatton Garden.
HERRN KREYE, Hanover, Germany.
ESTABLISHED 1851,
Bt IRKBECK BAN K.— Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane.
THREE per CENT. INTEREST allowed on DEPOSITS, repayable on.demand. __
‘TWO per CENT. INTEREST allowed on CURRENT ACCOUNTS, calculated on —
the minimum monthly balances, when not.drawn below £100, Sf
The Bank undertakes for its Customers, free of charge, the custody of Deeds, fae
Writings, and other Securities and Valuables; the collection of Bills of Exchange —
Dividends, and Coupons; and the purchase and sale of Stocks, Shares, and Annuities.
The BIRKBECK ALMANACK, with full particulars, can be obtained post free, Ob ae
application to - FRANCIS RAVENSCROFT, Manager. —
March 31st, 1884. Le :
The Birkbeck Building Society's Annual Receipts exceed Five Millions. Vy
OW to PURCHASE a HOUSE ror TWO GUINEAS per MONTH,
with immediate Possession and ‘no Rent to pay. Apply at the- Office of. the :
Birxseck Bompine Socrery. 3
JOW to PURCHASE a PLOT or LAND ror FIVE ~ SHILLING
PER MONTH, with immediate possession, either for Building or Gardening» —
purposes. Apply at the Office of the Brrxseck Freenorp Lanp Socizry. A Pamphlet,
with full particulars, on application. FRANCIS BAVENECSOE T, Man
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane. >
WELLINGTON TERRACE, CLIFTON, BRISTOL,
__. _ I have now in Stock one of the most complete and authentic Collections of
‘BIRDS’ EGGS for sale at moderate prices, over 800 Sprcuis 1n CLUTCHES,
_ with full data, and many complete with Nest. One of the largest selections in
_ this country of BIRDS’ SKINS, BRITISH and EXOTIC LEPIDOPTERA,
- COLEOPTERA, &c. Beautiful stock of SHELLS for sale cheap. Books,
Cabinets, and all kinds of Apparatus supplied. Exotic Insects, Bird-skins and
Shells sent on approval. Brass Blow-pipe and 8 Steel Egg-drills, different sizes,
é eucet make, post free, 2s. New corrected Catalogue free.—EsraBLisHrp 1868.
oa & MARSHALL, WRITER vo tak NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
59, Eversteicn Roap, Lavexprr Hitr, §8.W.— Labels made and
written for collections of ‘Natural History, &c. Diagrams painted and written
“for Lectures.
YRITISH BIRDS’ EGGS: a Handbook of British Odlogy. By ArrHuR
2 G. Butter, F.L.S., F.Z.8., &c. Illustrated by 38 Plates, containing 371
- accurately coloured Figures, representing the Eggs of 195 Species. Cloth, price
* As 6d. nett, post free.
ch HANDBOOK of the (OLEOPTERA or BEETLES of GREAT
+ooer BRITAIN and IRELAND. By Herrerr E, Cox, F.E.S. Two Vols.
_ cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free.
get of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Davm Suarp, M.B.,
&e. Second Edition; price 1s. nett, post free, or on one side only of stout
7 pore for labels, price 2s. 6d. nett, post free. ~~
3 London: E. W. Janson, 35, Little Russell Street.
FOR SALE.
\ HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF EUROPE, by H. E. Dresser.
Royal 4to, 8 vols., half-moroceo, gilt tops, price £52 10s.
F. Rang, 38, South Street, Durham.
HE LISTS OF BIRDS’ EGGS, BUTTERFLIES (Lepidoptera),
BEETLES (Coleoptera), &c., are newly edited, and will be sent gratis
d Dost free, +.” ;
UA KricHetporrr, Naturalist, 135, Oranien Strasse, Berlin, ‘5S.
FOR SALE.
| AMMALIAN SKINS, SKULLS, SKELETONS, BIRD-SKINS, and
EGGS. Price Lists free. =
eke By MOSCHLER, Kronférstchen, near Bautzen, Saxony.
EAs & W. DAVIS., Naturalists, Hythe St, DARTFORD, KENT. &
Friar in Lepidoptera, Ova, Larvme, and Pups. Birds’ Eggs, single and in clutches with full
Ree data” Skins, Artificial Eyes, and Naturalists Requisites. DIlustrated Catalogue Free.
EA offer the he following Clutches tk this month 2 Golden Ea Eagle 50, 50/- 2 Britt
‘ulture 88 ulture 10 tailed Eagle 7s. con 42s.
Kestrel as. ri Gochawe 3s. 3 ite 3 8s, 4 Finale Kite Is. 6d. 8 Comme Bi Dasara 3s. 3 Rough-leaged
d 3s. 2 Honey Buzzard lis. 6 Tawny Owl 4s. 6d. 4 Scop’s Owl 6s. 6d. 5 Great Grey Shrike = 4
Sera? 5 Red-backed Shrike ls. 5 Woodchatls. 4 Red. — catcher 2s. 6d. 5 Red-
agri ls. 94, 4 American Robin ls. 4 Nightingale 2s. Redstart Is. 3d. 5 Gt
2s. 5 Rufous Warbler 3s. 10 Great Tit Bis 10 Blue Tit 2s. 6d. i Cole
Wagtail 2s. 5 Yellow Pe ay 5
ls: 6d. 5 Reed Bunting 1s. 3d. 3 ein Bon, ;
-winged
8 agpie ls. 65 Great Black
2s. 3d. ae 5s. 1 Great Spotted Cuckoo ( with the clutch of Magpie’s
ee billed Guan 8s. 2 Black-billed Cuckoo 2s. 6d. 4 Bee Hater 3s. 5 Belted
White-bellied Swallow 8s. 2 Red-necked Nightjar 5s, 2 Rock Dove 9d. 9 Pheasant 2s. ~
108. 9 Black Grouse 10s. 7 Ptarmigan 5s. 9 Quail 3s. 9 Virginian Colin 7s. 2 Gt Bustard
4 an aS Plover Is. ad. 4 Woodcock 10s.. 2 Kentish Plover ls. 4 Purple
-4 Sehinz’s Ma Orauo 6s, 64 6d. : Rei-nesked Phalarope 5s, 4Black-tailed Godwit 3s. 4 Night
imbrel | 6d. 2 Numidian peed B | « 7 Wigeon 4s. 6d. 2 King Duck 12s.
3 lack Tera is = ‘ern 2s. Any sent‘ On approval”
—-) a oe of S 1. ts See eS rae a
; OONTENTS. °) 5:72
On the-Growth of Antlers in the Red-deer, as observed in Confinement, tie
Samuel Carter, 321. ; A a
Report on the Grouse Disease, . Klein, M.D., ELB.S., 827° 3
On the Breeding Habits of the Siskin, as observed in the Co. Wicklow,
Allan Ellison, 338. :
On the Nesting of the Tufted Duck in Kirkcudbrightshire, Robert Service, 342.
NOTES AND QUERIES. RA, sore.
To-purify Water in an Aquarium, T. Cornish, 344. ;
Manwsaria.—A Herd of Red-deer from a single Hind, 344. Cat attacked by a_ 3
Swallow, 345. White Stoat in August, J. E. Harting, F.L.S., F.Z.8., 340.
Hedgehog eating Swedes, F. Bond, F'.L.S., 345. A Badger in Birmingham,
W. Harcourt Bath, 346. The Bats of Merionethshire, J. F. Kelsall, 346.
Bravs.—Unusual Site for a Flycatcher’s Nest, G. E. Lodge, 346, Curious
Capture of a Snipe, J. W. Whitaker, F.LS., F.Z.S., 346. Pied Puffin and
Razorbill at St. Kilda, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, M.A., 347. Open Nests of
the Starling, Stock Dove, and Tawny Owl, J. H. Gurney, jun., F.Z.8., 347. °
Attempt to keep the Sand Martin in Confinement, 4. G. Butler, F.Z.S., 347.
The Song of the Chaffinch, H. Goss, F.L:S., W. Harcourt Bath, 348.
Swifts nesting in Martins’ Nests, F. Bond, 348. Plover’s Nest with Five
Eggs, G. B. Corbin, 349. Fork-tailed Petrel breeding off Co. Kerry, R. J.
Ussher, 349. Honey Buzzard in Dorset, G@. B. Corbin, 350. Addition to
the Avifauna of the Feroe Islands, Lieut.-Col. H. W. Feilden, 351. The
Green Woodpecker an Egg-sucker, G. B. Corbin, 351. Dark Variety of
Montagu’s Harrier in Hants, G. B. Corbin, 352. Egg-drills, 352, Notes
from Western Australia, 7’. Carter, 352. (as \
Reprites. —Coloration of the Viper, J. LE. Harting, 353. -
Frisaes.— Becker” or “ Braise” in Cornwall, T’homas Cornish, 353.
Moxttvsca.—Middlesex Mollusca, S. C. Cockerell, 354.
CepaaLopopa.—Hawaiian mode of fishing for Octopus, 354.
Ixsncts.—Craneflies preyed upon by Gulls and Terns, C. Brazenor,.355.
Retirement of Mr. A. G. More, 355.
Scienviric SocreTiEs.—Hntomological, 357.
Nortces oF New Booxs.— Rough Notes on the Birds observed during Twenty
Years’ Shooting and Collecting in the British Islands,’ by E. T. Booth,
Vart XV. and last, 358.
NORWICH. 3 ie
IMPORTANT SALE of the Collection of NORFOLK BIRDS of Heyry —
Srrvenson, Esq., F.L.S.; also of Pictures and Drawings of the Norwich —
School, and a magnificent drawing of Scoulton Gullery, in Norfolk, by _
J. Worr, the celebrated German Bird Painter: x pair.
AY Bs SPELMAN have received instructions to SELL by AUCTION, .
} on Monday, September 12th, 1887, the above Valuable Collection, including =~
Gases of Pallas’ Sand Grouse, Black-winged Stilt, White Stork, Crane, Roller,
Rough-legged Buzzards, Spoonbill, Sclavonian Grebes (summer plumages), Bee- —
eaters, Golden Orioles, Squacco Heron, Avocet, Savi's Warbler, Pectoral and -
Broad-billed Sandpipers, Sabine’s Gull, &., comprising about 400 specimens ;
also Skins. - May be viewed and Catalogues had of Messrs. Sperman, Norwich.
s
Just published : Post Free for Two Stamps,
PEG he act ade and CRUSTACHA.— Catalogue containing upwards of —
2 900 works. Conteuts:—ConcHoLoGy and ORUSTACKA. Classification, —
Structure, Physiology, Economic ‘Uses, &c. Fatnas, Monographs, Fossi
Gonchology. SUPPLEMENT containing: works on Entomology, Ichthyology,
Mammalia, Ornithology, Geology, Astronomy, Physical Science. sili
f Wituiam WEsury & Son, 28, Essex Street, Strand, London. —
‘Printers, 54, Hatton Garden, E.C.
GAS aN eS Ces Ray
ER OONTAINS A PLATE.
- OCTOBER, 1887. see XI., No. 130.
NATURAL HISTORY.
: EDLTED BY
J. B. HARTING, ELS. F.Z.S.
MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION.
DELECTANDO PARITERQUE MONENDO.
‘LONDON:
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL
' STATIONERS’ HALL COURT.
& CO.,
Price ONE SHILLING.
hy ae Pee eres ee eee Ie ohm de ig ate SPE ncetce
THOMAS COOKE & SON 7s,
Naturalists, Dealers in Entomological Apparatus, te,
(Late of 513, NEW OXFORD STREE1),
30, MUSEUM STREET, OXFORD STREET, Wo.
H. W. MARSDEN,
Natural History Agent and Bookseller,
37, MIDLAND ROAD, GLOUCESTER, .
EUROPEAN LEPIDOPTERA.—The largest and best. stock in Kugland at
very moderate prices.
EXOTIC, LEPIDOPTERA, COLEOPTERA, ORTHOPTERA, &e.
PRESERVED LARVZ of rare British Lepidoptera.
CABINETS and APPARATUS of all kinds for Enromoxoais''s, OdLoaisys,
OrnivHoLoaists, Boranists, &e., &e.
BOTANICAL CASES, DRYING PAPER, &e.
BRITISH and EXOTIC SHELLS. :
BRITISH SPECIES of BIRDS’ SKINS & BIRDS’ EGGS.—Of th . ~~
the stock is far the largest and most authentic in Britain, probably in Europe, while ;
a large stock of Exotic Skins and Eggs, especially American, are always on hand. oe
YOUNG BIRDS in Down. saa:
Parcels of Exotic Insects, Birds, or Shells, sent for selection. British Birds’ Spent
Skins sent on approval... Other articles guaranteed. :
The BEST BOOKS ON ABOVE SUBJECTS. recommended and supplied. Ri,
(Send for the new and enlarged Catalogue of August, 1886.) Batre
UFFON’S ‘ HISTORY of BIRDS, FISH, INSECTS, and REPTILES,’
embellished with upwards of 200 engravings, in 5 volumes. Bound, whole —
calf, wide margins: a very good copy. 1793. Price 12s. 6d. x
West, Newman & Co., 54, Hatton Garden, London. ao
K MARSHALL, WRITER to THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
59, Pw Riera Roap, LavenpER Hint, §8.W.— Labels made stk:
written for collections of Natural History, &e. Diagrams. painted and written -
for Lectures.
rae ges)
EN et
Bene
FOR SALE.
AMMALIAN SKINS, SKULLS, SKELETONS, BIRD-SKINS, and
EGGS. Price Lists free.
H. B. MOSCHLER, Kronférstchen, near Bautzen, Barco
3... ni & w. DAVIS., Naturalists, Hythe St, DARTFORD, KENT.
re
mo
be
bay
Dealers in Lepidoptera, Ova, Larve, and Pup». Birds’ Begs, single and in clutches with full = =
** data” Skins, Artificial Eyes, and Naturalists Requisites. Tlustrated Catalogue Free.
We offer the following Clutches this month, 2 Golden Eagle 50/- 2 Griff. AE
on Vulture 8s. 2 Egyptian Vulture 10s. 6d. 2 White-tailed Eagle 7 7s. 3 Greenland Falcon 42s. 5 Merlin
6s, 5 Kestrel 2s. 3 Goshawk 3s. 3 Kite 3s. 2 Black Kite 1s. 6d. 8 Oommoh Buzzard 8s. 3 Rough-legged
Buzzard 3s. 2 Honey Buzzard lis. 6 Tawny Owl 4s. 6d. 4 Scop's Owl 6s. 6d. “5 Great Grey Shrike “es x a
Lesser Grey Shrike 2s. 5 Red-backed Shrike 1s.. 5. Woodchat ls. 4 Red-eyed Flycatcher 2s, 6d. 5 Red-
wing 3s. 6d. 5 Fieldfare 1s. 9d. 4 American Robin ls. 4 Nightingale 2s. 5 Black Redstart ls. 84. 5 Gt ~—
Reed Warbler 1s. 6d. -8 Wheatear 2s. 5 Rufous Warbler 3s. 10 Great Tit 2s. 10 Blue Tit2s, 6d. 7 Oole
Is, 9d. 4 Orested Tit ls. 4d. 5 Pied Wagtail ls. 4 Grey-headed Wagtail 2s. 5 Yellow Wagtail 2s.6d. 5
Meadow P Aa Is. 8d. 5 A yeti Lark ls. 6d. 5 Short-toed Lark 1s. 6d. 5 Reed Bunting Is. 3d. 5QirlBun-
ting 3s. 4 Ortolan Bunting 8s. 5 Hawfinch 3s. 9d. 4 Serinfinch 2s. 6d. 5 Goldfinch 2s. 4 Red-winged —_—
Seite I Is. 5 Raven 7s. 6d. 5 Oarrion Crow ls. 8d. 4 Hooded Crow 1s. 5 Magpiels. 5 Great Black — ¥ 2s
Woodpecker 12s. 6d. 9 Wryneck 2s. 3d. 5 Hoope 5s. 1 Great Spotted Ouckoo ( with the clutch of Magpie’s.
it was found in. ) 5s. 8 Yellow-billed Ouckoo 8s. 2 Black-billed Cuckoo 2s. 6d. 4 Bee Rater 3s. 5 Belted — -
Kingfisher 7s. 5 White-bellied Swallow 3s. 2 Red-necked Nightier 5s. 2 Rock Dove 9d. 9 Pheasant 2s.
6 Oapercaille 10s. 9 Black Grouse 10s, 7 Ptarmigan 5s. 9 Quai
rF
CS eee Sree Ney
RE haat em
Yor a ares
Phas)
3s, 9 Virginian Colin 7s. 2 Gt Bustard
8s. 6d. 3 Little Bustard 7s. 4 Ringed Ploverls. 4d. 4 Woodcock 10s. 2 Kentish Ploverls. 4Purple
San ‘piper 10s. 4 Schinz’s Sandpiper 5s. 6d. 4 Red-necked Phalarope ds, 4 Black-tailed eee 8s. 4 Nig ae ’
Heron 2a. 4 Whimbrel 3s. 2 Crane va 6d. 2 Numidian Crane 7s. 9d. 7 Wigeon 4s. 6d. 2 King Duck Sauer
5 Merganser le. 9d. 6 Goosander Os. $ Black Tern Is. 8 Sandwich adorn Eide sent ‘On approval” .
Stee ey
< es ow r eady, pr ice P Navepeve, post free,
AD. NOTES: FROM. HELIGOLAND FOR THE YEAR 1886.
: : By H. GATKR, C.M.Z.S., Hon.M.B.0.U.
Ze, tier and the movements of birds for every day in the year. To be had from
The | ‘ublishers of ‘The Naturalist,’ Park Row, Leeds.
< Bis. 6d. nett, post free.
* BRITAIN and JIRELAND.~ By Herserr E. Cox, F.E.S. Two Vols
2 cloth, price 17s. 6d. nett, post free.
: _ (CATALOGUE of BRITISH COLEOPTERA. By Davin Suarp, M.B.,
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CONTENTS.
On the Bank Vole, Arvicola glareolus (Schyabet): The Editor (with a Plat), sol.
Swallows and Swifts in Captivity, 372.
Ornithological Notes from Devon and Cornwall, The late John Gatcombe, 375.
The British Marsh Tit, Leonhard Stejneger, 379.
NOTES AND QUERIES. Z
Mammatia.—Hornless Stags, L. Beckmann, 381, . ‘The Roe-deer in Cunmhetleal
Rev. H, A. Macpherson, M.A., 382. ‘The Grampus or Killer ¢ on the Coast
of Norway, J. E. Harting, FsL.S:, F.Z.8., 383.
Brrps.—Ornithological Notes from Pidosinnton, Norfolk, Rev. Julian G. Tuck,
M.A., 384. The } Nightingale in Scotland, 884. The Tufted Duck on the
Solvay Rev. H, A. Macpherson, 385. Roller and other Birds:in the Isle of ~
Wight, Oliver V. Aplin, 386. Disparity in Size and Colour of Eggs of the
same Species, Allan Hilison, 387. Lesser and Black ‘Terns near Gloucester,
H. W. Marsden, 387. White-winged ‘Tern in Cornwall and Seilly, J. A.
~~ Gurney, jun., F.ZS8., 387. Esquimaux Curlew at Scilly, Thomas Cornish, —
388. Manx Shearwater in Gloucester, H. W. Marsden, 388. Cormorants
roosting on a Church, /. G. Hamling, 388. The Folk-lore of Ceylon Birds,
389. ‘The Misdeeds of the House Sparrow, 390. Osprey in Hertfordshire,
John E. Littleboy, 390. Snow Bunting breeding in Confinement, J. H. —
Harting, 891. Swifts appropriating Martin's 2 Nests, Hugh G. Barclay, we, ta
Wryneck nesting in holes in the Ground, Oliver V. Aplin, 391.
Reprinus. -—-Mode in “which Vipers are killed by the Hedgehog, The Editor, 302. .
Barracata.— Enemies of the Toad, G. 7. Rope, 392.
Fisues.—Thresher Shark at Portland, W. Har‘court Bath, 393. Ray’s Bream
at Scilly, Thomas Cornish, 393. re
ScienriFic SocreTies.—Hnutomological, 398.
Notices or Nuw Booxs.—‘ Ocean Birds,’ by J. F. Green; with a ‘Premeeby;
A. G. Guillemard, and a Treatise on Skiuning Birds by F, H. Guillemard,
M.D., 395. ‘ Report on the Migration of Birds in the Spring and Autumn iS
of 1886," by a Committee of the British equines 397.
/ All muieles fed communications intended en publication in ‘ THE Zéauooide? “
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4| Tam Senms.] NOVEMBER, 1887. [Vor. XI., No. 181. 7%
& NOV 196%
| THE ZOOLOGIST
ot
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A Monthly Journal
Or
NATURAL HISTORY.
KHDITED BY
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CONTENTS.
On the present condition of the existing Herds of British Wild White Cattle, 401. a
ri o9e 7
Ornithological Notes from Norfolk and Suffolk, 7. L. Gunn, F. L.Sy4tae
On the-Goldeneyes and Ptarmigan of Iceland, Rev. H. H. Slater, B.A. F.Z.8., 422. e
NOTES AND QUERIES.
Mammatia. —Parasitic Disease in the Hare, 424. Squirrels at a distance from
Trees, J. #. Harting, F.L.S., F.Z.8., 424. Young of the Hedgehog,
I’. Hayward Parrott, 424. Distribution of the Bank Vole, Frederick Bond, x
F.LS., 425. Black Rat in Wexford/ Gerald E. H. Barrett-Aamilton, 425.
The Musk Rat and the Unio, Prof. Austin C. Apgar, 425. “Rats preyed upon ;
t
by Owls, 426.
Brrpos —Breeding of the Tufted Duck in Aberdeenshire, William Borrer, MA.
FLAS., 427 Food of the Mistletoe Thrush, William E. Beckwith, 427,
Swifts laving in Martins’ Nests, @. E. Lodge, 428. Late’stay of the Swift 2
in Ireland, “llison, 428. Knot on the West Coast of Scotland; Arthur
H. Macpherst 428. Lesser Redpoll nesting.in Middlesex, Joseph Vine. 428.
Late nesting of the Greenfinch, 4. @. Butler, F.L.S., F.ZS., 429 Missel
Thrush feeding on Pieris rape, W. Harcourt Bath, 429. Nidification of the ©
Noddy and Sooty Terns in the West Indies, H. W. Marsden, 429. Manx
A
Shearwater in Staffordshire, E. W. H. Blagg, 430. Manx Shearwater ins
Herefordshire, W. Blake, 430. Sooty Shearwater at Flamborough, R..P.-
Harper, 430. . Note on the Tree Pipit, Oliver V. Aplin, 430. Male Tufted eh
Duck retuining the Breeding-plumage, J. Whitaker, EDS.) PGS AS
Song of Chaffinch in Autumn, W..Aarcourt Bath, 431. Troglodytes par-
vulus a Migrant, J. E. Harting, 481. . Report on the Migration of Birds, —
T. Southwell, F.Z.8., 432. Tawny Pipit near Brighton, R. W. Chase, 432.
Long-tailed Duck in Cumberland, Rev. H. A. Macpherson, M.A., 432. ——
“rg
"1
Purple Heron in Lancashire, J. Pickin, 432. Orossbills in Kent, 432.
Open Nests of the Tawny Owl and Stock Dove, G. FE. Lodge, 432. Osprey - 4
captured in the Bristol Chanuel, Wm. Shakespeare, 433. Pectoral Sandpiper —
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O. Cunningham, 483.
Crustacrea —Crustucea from the Channel Islands, Edward J. Miers, FL Ssaae
F.Z.S., 483.
HotornurioiEa.—The Trepang Fishery, J. G. Swan, 434. oes
Sctentiric Socrerres.—Entomological, 436.
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3 Monthly Journal &
. EDITED BY
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MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION.
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<
K MARSHALL, WRITER to ruz NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM,
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