sun, they rise, they fall, they skim the sand, from slowly moving clouds of smoke, the flight of thousands as the flight of one, their clear soft flute-like "T-you-ha-who" ringing through the morning air, and around on all sides little L. canus barking and crying in the most plaintive manner "e-yah e-yah e-yah" (something like the bark of a dog, and evidently the origin of its name). Though wary on the strands they may be killed in great numbers as they hover over a dead companion. Many gulls seem to be on the strand merely to rest themselves, as they do not appear to feed, but stand with the head crouched on the back, and one leg and foot buried in the plumage of the belly. The morning wash is generally performed before sunrise, the bird seeking some shallow pool in which it stands ducking the head, and by that means throwing water over the back; the wings are kept in perpetual motion, gently striking the water, and the tail swinging; a great shaking and preening match follows, and then winter's whitest mantle or the waves' unsullied crest is not more white or pure than the breast of the gull; but the feathers of the back, I could not describe them-so immaculate the blue and so delicate the texture. Again, whilst snipe-shooting we meet this little gull in the damp rushy meadows, in the bogs, and along the uncultivated grasslands of the coast, feeding on the drowned worms and the larvæ of the ghost moth, the long-legs and the dor-beetle. A more solitary or dreary scene could not be witnessed than a bleak sea-shore field, of a wild dark day, dotted with gulls lying or standing, all humped up and motionless, head to wind. They are very partial to grass-lands, miles inland, after snow has thawed, and, in fact, are to be met inland both in stormy and fine weather. I quite believe in the popular opinion that the gull secks the land more during stormy than during fine weather, and on such occasions flies much further inland.

"Seagull, seagull,

Sit on the strand;

God help the poor sailors
When you come to land,"

is a common Irish rhyme, and I think in many cases too true. I have many times seen them with the feet so stained with red bog-mud that the salt water had not washed it off, showing how protracted some of their visits are to land. Many of our inland lakes are permanently frequented by them, and as they are seen during summer they must consequently breed on their islands and sedges. It is also one of the gulls that follow the plough, and in company with rooks and jackdaws

devour the worms and insects laid bare by the husbandman: at such times it must be of immense service on account of the quantity it consumes. The indigestible portions of the worms it devours are vomited up in the shape of jelly, and should the bird have any fishy substance in its throat a phosphorescent brilliancy is given to these rejectæ at night; hence our Irish peasantry ignorantly imagine them the remains of "falling stars." I know an old fellow who takes his oath to having seen the "star" fall to the ground, and on going to pick it up found it composed of "Starch, ready and all for washing; and when I seen what it was-God bless us! (signing the cross)-I took a tremblin', for I knew the good people (fairies) were near, and when I gother strength again I ran home beyant two mile, and fell widout life into the middle of the flure (floor). Well I went next day to show the 'star' to another boy (in Ireland we are boys till we marry), and blessed saints! shure the ferment (firmament) must have dropped in after I left, for the ground was thick with 'stars.' Oh! divil a lie in it, there was starch enough there for a riformatry (reformatory where washing is done by reclaimed females). Well ould Andy took to laughing and said that say-gulls made them, but never b'lieve it, sir; he only said so because there was a power of gulls about the day before." There are many Irish superstitions about the gull, and I believe much of the "fairy talking," "laughing," "singing" and "sighing," "little white women," &c., heard and seen at night could be traced to the poor storm-bound gull.

Nidification.-From early in May the common gull seeks its breeding-haunts, which are the shores of lakes and salt marshes, unfrequented islands, peninsulars and rocky cliffs. The nest is placed by the water's edge on the face of the frowning precipice, and on the top of the dizzy cliff; amongst the sedgy grass, upon the cold rock, and amongst the green samphire or the crisp ling: it is composed of grasses, ling, dry sea-weed and other floating rubbish, turf and various other dry substances. The eggs are three in number, olive-brown, yellowish brown, greenish brown, grayish or greenish white, spotted, blotched, and sometimes streaked with gray and various shades of brown and purple. It breeds in many places gregariously, though as an Irish bird it might be termed solitary, our sea-cliffs being but sparingly frequented by it, and then the nests are scattered most frequently in the lofty regions of the herring gull. I am sorry I cannot say whether it nests upon the shores of our lakes. Any Irish sea-fowl station that can boast of the common gull breeding amongst

its birds has something to boast of. When breeding solitary I always, found it extremely shy, leaving the nest on the approach of danger, and not appearing again till all seemed quiet. It shows greater determination when in company, and hovers over the intruder, dismally repeating "e-yah, yah-yah.

Food.-Omnivorous. Floating garbage, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, &c.; carrion, worms, and various land and marine insects. Potatoes

and bread are the only vegetable substances I know of it eating, though I have heard of it feeding on corn and growing turnips. Its stomach is not at all adapted to digest any but cooked vegetables, so that dire necessity must have caused it to feed on such food.

Cry.-Lament and apprehension, "e-yah e-yah yah-yah-yah;" pain and anger, "is-kree-e-e," "yah-wah-wah-wah;" pleasure, “is-klahe-e;" anxiety, "is-key-ah."

Flight, Resting, Swimming.—The flight is a succession of steady beats of the wings and gliding soars; it is more like the noble gull's than either the kittiwake's or the blackheaded gull's. It is freely master of its wings, as its volatile and erratic flights would prove.. No bird shows more varied action than does the common gull when fishing in company, none of them so competent to pursue a companion for the piece he cannot swallow, and none of them so competent to elude pursuit. From a great height they will throw themselves quickly to the water by a rapid zigzag fall, just steadying themselves an instant above the surface before darting or alighting on their prey. In windy weather the flight is very pretty and shows great expertness, lying up to wind one moment and progressing by steady beats of the wing; the next gliding with outspread and motionless pinions, balancing itself by throwing the body slightly from side to side, now falling to a foot above the surface, repeating the steady beats; anon rising in the air and throwing up its breast to the wind, allowing itself to be carried fifty yards or more before the blast, when it will again shear to the water and progress steadily against the storm. Very varied and gay indeed is its flight. Like all the family it swims with breast deepest, the tail elevated and the head carried gracefullyswimming with no great speed, merely using this power when fatigued or lazy from feeding, or when requiring to alight on the water to devour some large piece of food. They rarely rest on rocks, preferring, if in their neighbourhood, the strands or the fields adjacent to the sea. They stand with the head on the shoulders, and one foot generally buried in the under plumage. The walk is stately, the neck carried

stiff and arched; the run is crouching, the head carried on a line with the body.

HARRY BLAKE-KNOX.

Dalkey, County Dublin.

(To be continued.)

Notes on the Mammalia of Berkshire and Buckinghamshire.—

Hedgehog.-A few days since I was in the shop of one of the Eton birdstuffers, who told me that one or two summers ago he had brought to him alive four hedgehogs; one was the mother, and there were three young ones, the mother and one of the young being of the usual colour, and the remaining two having all their quills of a pure white colour. This is not, I believe, a common occurrence.

Gray Rat.-On the 30th of January I saw a rat sitting on one of the lower branches of a willow tree overhanging the water of a small stream running into the Thames near Windsor. It was apparently feeding, and I was surprised to observe that it was of an iron-gray colour all over, nearly approaching to white. I continued to observe it for about five minutes, during which time it did not move more than to occasionally turn its head towards me, and continue to feed. This is not a very common variety in this neighbourhood, although no doubt some have occasionally been taken.

Common Squirrel.—While walking through Ditton Park, on the 27th of January, 1 saw one of these active little animals take a rather surprising leap: it leaped at least four feet, in an almost upright direction, from the upper branch of a thorn to one of the thin branches of a larger tree, and it seemed to make a sort of hissing noise; it might have been its feet scratching on the branches, I cannot positively say. Do squirrels make any noise with their mouths?

Common Mouse.-A variety of the mouse was captured by a cat in Eton, on the 30th of Jauuary. Its head and legs were of the usual colour, but its back was a sandy yellow colour, not very light. Is this variety common?

Badger. I have been informed that a pair of badgers bred in the vicinity of Surly Hall, on the Thames, last summer, and that they are occasionally seen now. Some time ago, as Mr. Fisher, of Eton, told me, one young one was seen by a labourer near the Cavalry Barracks in Windsor, who killed it with a prong, thinking that it was a large polecat.

Weasel and Stoat.-Weasels are very common here, as also are stoats, but perhaps not so common as the first-named species. We have no martens in this neighbourhood, so far as I am able to ascertain.-A. Clark-Kennedy; Eton, February 1, 1867.

Peregrine Falcon in Kent.-A month or two ago the keepers here, attracted by a great confusion among some rooks, came up and disturbed a large peregrine falcon from a rook which she had knocked down. Soon afterwards one of the same men saw a peregrine, probably the same, swooping down at some pheasants that were feeding. I myself also saw a very large hawk hovering about in the park, which, from its falcon

like shape, I conjectured was the same bird.-Clifton; Cobham Hall, Kent, January,

1867.

Goshawk in Ireland.-Mr. Thompson, in his Natural History of Ireland,' says that the goshawk "cannot be included in the Irish Fauna with certainty." It is probable that he never saw an old and rare folio volume entitled 'The Gentleman's Recreation,' by Richard Blome, which was published in London in 1686. In this work, amongst other subjects, is a valuable treatise on hawking, a pastime which at that date was much in vogue. The author tells us that in collecting materials for this treatise, he was assisted by some of the ablest falconers in England, and the careful way in which it is written, as well as the minute particulars into which he has descended, show that no pains were spared to make the work as accurate as possible. Speaking of the goshawk, he says, "There are divers sorts and sizes of goshawks, which are different in goodness, force and hardiness, according to the several countries where they are bred; but no place affords so good as those of Muscovy, Norway, and the North of Ireland, especially in the county of Tyrone." I need do no more than point out that these words, "especially in the county of Tyrone," sufficiently set at rest any doubt which might arise as to "Ireland" being a misprint for "Iceland," while the particulars of size, colour and markings, as well as the signs by which we may know a good goshawk, which are subsequently given by the author, sufficiently indicate the species referred to. If we may conclude that the goshawk was once common in the North of Ireland, the causes which have led to its total extinction there in less than two centuries afford a curious matter for speculation.-J. Edmund Harting; Kingsbury, Middlesex, January, 1867.

Kite in Stirlingshire.-About the middle of last month, when returning in the carriage from church, I saw a large hawk sitting on the ground tearing something to pieces. During the short view I had of him I observed a peculiar lightness of colour on his head, and from his general appearance I thought to myself, "Surely that must be a kite." About ten days after that, when ferreting rabbits on one side of an embankment, I caught sight of a large bird, "with the tail of my eye," as the expression is. I wheeled round and fired a snap-shot, just as he dipped out of sight on the other side of the embankment, but without any effect that I could discover. I did not see him yet distinctly, but though I did not observe the forked tail I again noticed the whiteness of his head. On the 12th of this month I went round the river looking for ducks: I had just knocked over a couple of teal, killing one and winging the other, and was reloading my gun, when down swoops the same large hawk, and was evidently making for the winged teal, but seeing me he sheered off, and I lost sight of him in a thick wood near. I saw the whitish head, the reddish cast of his general plumage, and the forked tail distinctly, and, in fact, am now perfectly certain as to his being a kite. Long ago the kite built its nest among the pines of Ben Lomond, but it is now indeed a rare, rare visitor to Stirlingshire. Two gamekeepers in the neighbourhood had told me that a very large hawk was haunting Torwood Forest, which is the only place where he could obtain comparative safety from molestation. I wonder very much, however, that he has lived so long about the same locality, as all the ground in this district is overrun with gamekeepers, several of whom have seen him, and are no doubt planning his destruction. If my gun had been loaded I could easily have bowled him over when he made a dash at the winged teal.-John A. Harvie Brown ; Dunipace House, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, January 19, 1867.