Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 1 (1843).djvu/378

350 pearing much delighted with the music. They informed me that this beautiful creature was bred up by the musicians, whom it always accompanied voluntarily.—''Wm. Hewett; East Ilsley.''

Note on the occurrence of the Red-legged Hobby near Norwich. About a fortnight since an adult male of the red-legged hobby was killed in this neighbourhood. The contents of the stomach consisted of beetles.—J.H. Gurney; Norwich, August, 1843.

Note on the Screech Owl. The country people hereabouts superstitiously fancy that the " screech owl," as they term it, attends the windows of dying persons; and I have often heard old nurses say that they thought the sick person would die, for they heard the owl beat against the window in the night. The fact is, these poor birds are attracted thither by the light, which is generally kept burning in a sick-room.—''Wm. Hewett; East Ilsley.''

Notes on the Rooks. It is a pretty and amusing sight, on our open downs, during the sultry days of summer, to see the manoeuvres of the rooks. They all rise up in a flock, and, making a tremendous cawing, wheel round and round in the air with many successive circles, each time ascending in this spiral manner still higher and higher, so that at last they get to such a height as to be almost invisible; indeed I have sometimes seen them go quite out of sight. The noise of these birds, their numbers, and singular whirling motion, are altogether highly amusing. After having thus ascended to an amazing height, they successively become exhausted, when, discontinuing all exertion, they fall motionless to the earth with a fearful rapidity, as though hit by a bullet. When however within about twenty yards of the ground, they extend their wings, and alight in safety. A yeoman near here being desirous of forming a rookery on his estate, employed a poor man to construct several artificial nests, and fix them in the highest trees; which being done, the rooks of a neighbouring colony immediately forsook their old haunts and repaired to the desired spot, where they have ever since continued to build. Rooks in this neighbourhood, during the summer months, leave the hill country very early in the morning, and go to the vale, where they feed during the day, returning again at night to their former haunts, which are large coverts, where the trees are thick and high, and where also they never build. These immense flocks often extend more than a mile in length. In very hot weather rooks often roost on the tops of the highest hills on our open downs, so that when I have been riding at night, I have frequently found myself in the midst of an immense flock of these birds. I have known rooks at Farnborough (which is very high ground) frozen so as to be unable to escape, their wings being actually rendered useless by the frozen sleet, so that the poor birds fell tumbling to the ground on attempting to fly.—Id.

Note on the Royston Crow. The royston crow, called in these parts the "Chilton dun crow," annually arrives in this neighbourhood in October, retiring about March. This bird is very rarely seen about the hills or in the immediate vicinity of East Ilsley, whilst at Chilton, only three miles distant, and throughout the vale, they are common. When observed on the hills, or to the south of the downs, the country people predict a hard winter.—Id.

Note on Magpies, Jays and Crows. Many ferocious birds, such as magpies, jays and crows, show their anger by making a most terrific chattering; when any enemy such as a fox or human being, approaches their nest, which no apprehensions of dan-