Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 1 (1897).djvu/172

144 to me by a friend out there, may be of interest, as showing that the supply of Vultures is equal to the demand at these well-known Parsee institutions:—"An unfounded report gained currency some days ago that the Parsee deaths from the pestilence having increased considerably, the Vultures kept at the Towers of Silence were unable to dispose of all the dead bodies exposed there. The secretary of the Parsee Punchayet Funds made personal enquiries into the matter, and has published an authoritative contradiction of the report, from which it appears that in the Tower of Silence known as Kappis Khaoo's there is ample space for 237 corpses, which are chiefly those of Shenshahi Parsees. In the Banajee Tower of Silence there is space for an equal number of dead bodies, chiefly those of Iranees and Kadmee Parsees, while there is no objection to Shenshahi corpses being laid therein. There is also space enough in the Anjuman and Manockjee Sett's Towers of Silence for 262 and 141 corpses respectively. The Mody Tower of Silence is used only for members of the Mody family. During the last fortnight (first half of January, 1897) about 150 dead bodies were consigned to the towers, most of them in the Kappis Khaoo Tower, while the corpses of Iranees and Kadmee Parsees were laid in the towers kept apart for them. According to the testimony of the corpse-bearers who enter the towers, the appearances in them were in no way different from their normal state, while the Vultures were sufficiently numerous to respond to the extra demand made upon them. According to an exact calculation made, the Vultures sitting on the walls of one tower were found to number 195, exclusive of the large number of other birds perching on the walls of the several other towers and on the trees. While the former number of Vultures was 250, there are now over 400 waiting daily at the towers."— (Flaxton, York).

Ornithological Folk-Lore.—In Mr. P. Ralfe's interesting paper on Manx Bird-names (p. 71) mention is made of the Wheatear and Swallow as two of the "Seven Sleepers." Could he tell us what the other five birds were which indulged in supposed hibernation? On the Dorset coast I was told that the Wheatear was one of the seven sleepers, and was always visible at Portland on the first foggy day in March. Referring to my note-book, I find that the following eleven birds have been given me in various places as representatives of the lethargic heptarchy, the Wheatear always being included, and generally heading the list of every combination, probably in consequence of its early migration and conspicuousness on the coast, where more notice is taken of birds than is the case inland. I have found the first-named seven to be the most frequently mentioned:—Wheatear, Swallow, Sand Martin, Martin, Swift, Cuckoo, Landrail, Spotted Flycatcher, Nightjar, Wryneck, and Nightingale.— (Brunstead Rectory, Norwich).