Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 2 (1898).djvu/250

218 had all the time been keeping just out of reach, immediately seized the bone, and at once flew off with it to the street below, where it was quickly joined by the other Crow, and the two birds enjoyed what they could get off the ill-gotten bone together. There being a fair number of people passing along the road, the Hawk dare not follow them, but was left outwitted on the ledge. I have no doubt similar instances have been observed by others, showing the sagacity of many birds, and T only record this note as I think that any interesting fact in bird-life should be published, and by so doing ornithologists help one another in the study of this interesting branch of natural history.—, Assist. Direct. Zoological Gardens, Melbourne.

Ornithological Notes at Alum Bay, Isle of Wight.—The precipitous chalk cliffs stretching from Freshwater Bay to Alum Bay, in the Isle of Wight, are the favourite breeding resort of many of our sea-birds. While staying at Alum Bay, at the beginning of last month (April), I had a good opportunity of seeing them at the commencement of their breeding season, as their favourite place is the Alum Bay end. Looking over the edge of the cliff from the Alum Bay downs, at one particular spot, one sees countless Herring Gulls flying about in all directions; rows of Razorbills and Guillemots sitting on the ledges in the cliff, or dotted about in the blue sea far below; Cormorants flying to and fro; and an occasional Rock Pigeon darting out of some crevice, and whirling away out of sight with its rapid flight. Jackdaws too breed in great numbers in the crevices in the chalk, and a pair of Ravens have a nest every year somewhere in the cliff. I saw them several times wheeling about and tumbling over in the air in their peculiar manner, evidently on the look-out for Gulls' eggs wherewith to feed their young ones. My brother saw two pitched battles between one of the Ravens and a Herring Gull, in which the two birds clung on to each other, and rolled down the cliff like a black-and-white ball. But the way to see the birds to advantage is to get a boat, and row from Alum Bay round "the Needles," and a little way down the coast towards Freshwater. With view to doing this, I interviewed a fisherman of the name of Isaacs, who seems to be the great local authority on the birds. He told me that a pair of Peregrine Falcons bred on the cliffs every year, and that many years ago he had taken both eggs and young birds, but that they had not now been disturbed for a long time. He also said that the Shag and Great Black-backed Gulls bred there in small numbers. On April 16th a friend and I were rowed round by him. It was a perfect morning, and the sea was calm as a lake. Herring Gulls and Cormorants were flying about and sitting on "the Needles" rocks as we approached, but when we had rounded "the Needles" and gone a little way down the coast, the sight was wonderful. Herring Gulls swarmed in the air and on the rocks. Rows upon rows