The Zoologist/4th series, vol 3 (1899)/Issue 695/Notes and Queries
NOTES AND QUERIES.
MAMMALIA.
RODENTIA.
An Albino of the Beaver (Castor canadensis).—From all accounts by those in a position to know, the Beaver seems to be following the Buffalo into a precarious existence. Before long now both may have undergone the fate of so many other extinct species. It is therefore of importance that any items of information about the Beaver should be placed upon record. So far as I can find in the limited literature of the subject within my reach, no notice seems to have been taken of albinism in the Beaver, though doubtless the variation takes place as frequently in the species as in other animals. On the walls of the Mansion House of Mavisgrove here, there has hung for several generations past a square glazed case which contains a very beautiful pure white Beaver skin. Not long ago I had the privilege of examining it, and, although it is now one hundred and twentyone years since it was made into a specimen, the skin is still in the best of preservation. There is a printed label attached, but the record thereon is merely a paraphrase of a written statement, now faded greatly, which is gummed to the back of the case. The written document is as follows:—"In the year 1777 Mr. Joseph Aimse, the Indian interpreter at Michilimackinac, informed Colonel de Peyster, then Major to the Kings Regt., and Commandant of that post, situated at the confluence of the Lakes Huron and Michigan, that an Indian had been seen standing for several days at the corner of the storehouse, who had just informed him that he had been directed by a spirit in the form of an Amik Waubascan (white Beaver),[1] whilst slumbering in the Great Beaver Island, to take his stand there, and kill the commandant as he passed; but, finding his heart fail to give the fatal blow, he begged to be sent out of that part of the country which the commandant refused, but ordered him to go to the island and fetch him the white Beaver, which the Indian accordingly did; and this is the skin of it.—(Signed) A.S. de Peyster." Apparently this document is in the handwriting of Col. Arentz Schuyler de Peyster himself, who, as I find from a short biographical notice in McDowall's 'Sketches from Nature,' pp. 314-321, was a Dutchman by extraction, but a Briton by adoption. His grandfather was a magistrate in Amsterdam, and his father, who emigrated to America at an early age, entered the Army, and held for years the appointment of Lieutenant-Governor of New York. Col. de Peyster entered the Army before he was seventeen years of age, and the best part of his military career was spent in Canada. His wife was a Dumfries lady, and probably for that reason the last years of his life were spent here. He died at Dumfries Nov. 26th, 1822, at the age of ninety-seven, having held the Royal Commission for upwards of fourscore years.—Robert Service (Maxwelltown, Dumfries).
[A white Tiger is reported as having recently been shot in Assam. The general colouration of the skin is white, the stripes not being very clearly indicated. We read that the skin has been sent to Mr. Newing, a Calcutta taxidermist, for preservation.—Ed.]
AVES.
White Eggs of Redbreast (Erithacus rubecula).—On the 15th of April this year I found a Redbreast's nest in a bank, containing a pure white egg, and at the time of writing there are five, and the bird is sitting. The eggs are very round in shape, and greatly resemble a small Kingfisher's egg in appearance. I enclose one for inspection.—Wm. Delves, Jun. (Maynard's Green, Horsham Road, Sussex).
[Pure white eggs of the Robin are well known, though some collectors have never met with them under natural conditions. This bird is now very abundant on my part of the Surrey Hills, and Mr. Service informs me of the same plentitude near Dumfries, where he has never previously seen the nests so numerous.—Ed.]
A Stray Visitor to Kent.—On Saturday morning (April 15th), whilst eating my breakfast opposite a window facing my garden, I observed a tiny Warbler doing me good service by clearing the aphides from my rose trees. The sun was shining, and the bird was only about eight feet distant from me, so that I could see it quite distinctly; it was about the size of a Goldcrest, but olive-green above, pale yellow beneath, and with a well-defined eye-stripe. If this was not Phylloscopus superciliosus, I can give no name to it, for it was far too small for a Chiffchaff or a Willow Warbler, both of which I often see either in the spring or autumn in my garden. I watched the bird carefully for three or four minutes before it flew away.—A.G. Butler (Beckenham Road, Beckenham, Kent).
The Grasshopper Warbler in Breconshire.—As might be expected from the nature of the country, the Grasshopper Warbler (Sylvia locustella) is not uncommon in Breconshire. We have here most of the conditions in which this little summer migrant delights, such as rushy meadows with grass tussocks here and there, neglected fields containing clumps of stunted blackthorn bushes and brambles, dingles furnished with little alder bushes, and dry wastes of low cover. In places of this kind it nests, and may be heard singing during the season, the favourite haunt being round Llangorse Lake, where it may be termed common. I first heard the unmistakable little trill of this bird when I came to live here fifteen years ago, and found the first nest on May 29th, 1886. It was placed in a tuft of rushes, and contained five fresh eggs, two of which, with the nest, are now in the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. I have since found five more nests. Eggs from three sets in my possession are mostly zoned; one clutch taken on June 9th, 1893, is unusually highly coloured. Every nest is wonderfully well concealed. If it contains eggs the sitting bird disappears at once in the nearest cover; if there are young, both birds come back and commence creeping and tumbling about, wings and tails spread, within three or four yards of a bystander's feet, uttering a rapid metallic "tick." For some years I tried to shoot a male bird before the nesting season, but without success, owing to the persistent way in which it keeps out of sight when singing, and have been obliged to content myself with a pair of nestlings, which, set up in a nest, make a nice little case. With a bird like this, which is often heard but seldom seen, the song is all-important for identification purposes. In this case it seems to me to be precisely like the sound made in drawing out a line from a small Trout fishing-reel the check spring of which happens to have the right pitch. During fifteen years the earliest date on which I have heard the song is April 15th, and the latest July 24th. It is sometimes to be heard in July in fields of standing wheat. —E.A. Swainson (Woodlands, Brecon).
Common Crossbill in Worcestershire.—Whilst rambling over Brake Wood, near Churchill, on April 15th last, I noticed a few Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) among the Scotch firs, busily employed with the cones. Upon making enquiries from the keeper, he stated that he had noticed them there for the last three years, sometimes numbering upwards of fifty, though this winter not so plentiful. I could not satisfy myself that they were breeding there. The cover is only a small one, and gave me a splendid opportunity of finding their nest had they been so doing. —J. Steele-Elliott (Hillcrest, Clent).
Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus) in North Cheshire.—On April 12th, when walking in some meadows about six miles from Manchester, I noticed a bird flying about a low fence close to a railway embankment. I went cautiously towards it, keeping close to the fence. The bird kept flying in and out of the gaps in the fence, often settling in the grass, and occasionally making an attempt at a song. At first the yellow on the head made me think it was only a Yellowhammer, but presently getting a better view, I was surprised to see that it was a Cirl Bunting, as I understand that this species is very rare in this part of the country. I may add, however, that I was informed that another example of this species had been seen only about two miles from the spot where I met with the Cirl Bunting. This other example was seen in a little-frequented part of the district in the summer of 1897 or 1898, my informant distinctly recognizing the species; in fact, I closely cross-examined him on the differences between the Cirl Bunting and the common Yellowhammer, but he remained confident that he had correctly diagnosed the species. In the meadows alluded to above the following Buntings occur regularly: Emberiza citrinella, E. schœniclus, and the local E. miliaris.—Graham Renshaw (Sale Bridge House, Sale, Manchester).
Cuckoos' Eggs in Nest of Red-backed Shrike.—In Dr. Rey's interesting article on Cuckoos' eggs (ante, pp. 176-8) there is one observation which shows how different the habits of the same species may be in different countries. I refer to the statement that in the neighbourhood of Leipzig 84 per cent, of the Cuckoo's eggs are found in the nests of the Red-backed Shrike, which in England seems to be one of the most uncommon foster-parents. During the last four years I have certainly seen in situ over thirty nests of the Red-backed Shrike, and have had the opportunity of examining the unblown eggs of perhaps twelve or fifteen more, not one of which contained a Cuckoo's egg or a young Cuckoo, though Cuckoos and Shrikes abound in the same meadows. A Cuckoo's egg was found here in 1894 in a Shrike's nest, but there was no other egg, and the nest was apparently a deserted one. A friend who knows the Shrike well, and has found many nests, is of opinion that a pair of Red-backed Shrikes would give a prowling Cuckoo they found in the near neighbourhood of their nest a warm reception, in which I quite agree with him.—Julian G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds).
Variation in Cuckoos' Eggs.—After reading Dr. E. Rey's views as to the reason of the great variation in Cuckoos' eggs (ante, pp. 176-8), it struck me that his theory, that the variation is caused by the different diet supplied to the nestling Cuckoos by their foster-parents, may not generally be accepted by ornithologists as a satisfactory explanation. In the first place, it may be questioned whether there is any material difference in the diet provided by the various species of foster-parents, for even hard-billed birds, e.g. Buntings and Finches, feed their young largely on an insectivorous diet. The young Cuckoo would in almost every case be reared mainly on an insectivorous diet by its foster-parents, and when once it was launched out into the world, and dependent on its own exertions for a food-supply, it would doubtless adopt similar habits of feeding. But if it is the difference in the food-supply that causes the Cuckoos to lay eggs of varied types, I would ask Dr. Rey to explain why the Common Guillemot lays eggs of such wonderful variety? The food of one Guillemot at any rate does not differ from that of another Guillemot. I would ask the same question, too, with regard to the eggs of the Tree Pipit, a species whose eggs show a very great amount of variation.—E.W.H. Blagg (Cheadle, Staffs).
Colour of the Bill of the Grey Lag-Goose.—At a recent meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club, Mr. Caton Haigh asked me what was the colour of the bill of a Grey Lag-Goose (Anser cinereus). I answered, as probably many other persons interested in ornithology would have done, flesh-colour. Now, this last winter I have had opportunities for examining twenty freshly killed Grey Lag-Geese, and in no single instance was the bill flesh-colour. All the ornithological works that I have been able to refer to give the colour as flesh-colour, with the exception of Mr. F.O. Morris. I have looked it up in Seebohm's 'British Birds,' Yarrell, Mr. Howard Saunders's 'Manual,' Prof. Newton's 'Dictionary,' Col. Irby's 'List,' &c, with the same result. All the Geese that I examined were killed by me in March, and I took the trouble of catching some wing-broken birds alive so that the colour should have no opportunity of fading. Each bird had a lemon-coloured bill, almost pale orange, with a narrow fleshcoloured line down the centre, and a white nail. Can the explanation be that this is the colour only at this time of year, or that all these authors have taken the colour from the skins? for after the Geese had been dead some days the colour became more as they state. I shall be very glad to hear the opinion of naturalists or sportsmen, who may have had chances of examining freshly killed specimens, as to the colour of the bill they have found, and at what season of the year they have made their observations. The weight of the birds killed varied between 6¾ lb. and 9¾ lbs., so that it is probable that I examined both old and young birds.—H. Leyborne Popham (21, Ryder Street, London, S.W.).
[Macgillivray described the bill of this bird as "yellowish orange, with the unguis white or bluish grey."—Ed.]
Russian Partridges.—I recently saw, in the shop of a local gamedealer, some Russian Partridges with black horseshoes on their breasts. I should be glad to know whether these birds come from any particular district, as most of the Partridges sold as Russian that I have previously noticed have little to distinguish them from English birds.—R.H. Ramsbotham (Shrewsbury).
Heavy Death-rate of Lapwings.—The month of March, 1899, has been notable for having—at least here—the most severe snowstorm which has been experienced for well over half a century. The result is that considerable disturbance has been caused in the ordinary habits of our birds. The occasion has been conspicuously brought to notice by the many Lapwings (Vanellus vulgaris) which have been starved to death. Twenty were seen dead here within a few yards of each other. Of course they rushed towards marshes and water sides for food and shelter; but they seem to have succumbed to the severity of the frosts, as they could have easily obtained sufficient food to keep them alive, the ground being quite fresh about the damp places where they find food in cases of ordinary "Lapwing storms," as they are locally called—i.e. storms occurring after the arrival of the Lapwings. Others could be seen in a very feeble condition, being apparently only capable of flying with great exertion. These birds were being threatened with extermination by the prevalence of assiduous egg collecting, until measures were adopted to terminate it by a certain date of the year. There is no doubt that these birds have increased in numbers since, but this arctic visitation has clearly done much in limiting that increase. Lapwings seem to have little notion of impending storms, if we judge from the certainty by which a few bright days in early spring bring them to their summer resorts. But I may observe that before an ordinary spring snowfall they are in the habit of collecting in flocks, and apart from being led to any place where available food has a common attraction. There is no doubt that such a severe and protracted storm at the date mentioned must affect many birds seriously, and the question of the particular situation of our various migratory birds must be of value in comparing their instinctive powers to keep in their winter quarters until that season, in the strict sense, has passed away. The exact date of the equivalent here to the present stormy March is 1837, and before that a short April storm in 1813. A similar March storm occurred in 1812.—Wm. Wilson (Alford, Aberdeen, N.B.).
Nesting of the Common Snipe (Gallinago cœlestis) near London.—It may perhaps interest some of your readers to know that a nest of the above species, containing four eggs, was discovered on Epsom Common on the 17th of April. I have not heard of the nest of the Snipe from this locality for the last five years, and believed that it had deserted this spot, which was formerly somewhat favoured by it both in winter and occasionally in the nesting season.—John A. Bucknill (Hylands House, Epsom, Surrey).
Songs of Birds affected by Weather (vide Zool. ante, p. 183).—No birds have sung here since I came up on the 8th of April, except one Wren, and to-day (April 19th) one Chaffinch. Why? Surely, surely the awful climatic conditions. The climatic conditions, I consider, may be easily imagined by those who live in more favoured climes by the simple statement, "No birds singing"; to which I append the rider: Trout are not in condition when birds are not in song, in late seasons like this spring of 1899.—J.A. Harvie Brown (Drachlaw, Turriff, Aberdeen).
REPTILIA.
Notes on the Cape Monitor (Varanus albigularis).—The Cape Monitor seems to be fairly plentiful in the Transvaal, judging from this district. I have often come upon them basking in the hot sunshine on the bank of a "spruit" (rivulet). When disturbed by a human intruder they will leap into the water with a "flop." On Aug. 1st, 1898, I found in a female twenty-four eggs of a dull white colour, not unlike snake's eggs, and oval in form, about the same thickness as a fowl's egg, but considerably longer. I have seen a couple in confinement for some time now. One was an old one (the largest I have seen here), and was quite ugly (presumably with age), the skin being rough, the colour very dirty-looking and faded. It has been like that ever since it has been in captivity, now some nine months. This one measured about four feet in length. It was very sluggish in its movements, and, when teased or even approached, would emit a sort of hissing sound, and lash out with its tail. I had a younger one also, not more than eighteen inches long. This little reptile was very "slippery" and shy. When come upon suddenly in its favourite occupation of lying in the hot sun, it would dart in among the stones which formed its home like a "flash of lightning," figuratively speaking. These specimens lived on raw beef, also Crabs and Frogs. Though they had a tank of water, they were found more often out of, than in it.—Alwin C. Haagner (Dynamite Factory, Modderfontein, Transvaal).
[All the Monitors which I found around Pretoria belonged to the species V. niloticus. I am glad to learn that Mr. Haagner's experience in keeping V. albigularis in captivity was more satisfactory than mine in reference to the first named species.—Ed.]
- ↑ The only white one seen in that part of the country.