NOTES,
33
its Environs," published by the Geological Survey, which includes the
country near the Thames, between Windsor and Gravesend. The
south-west of Essex (Epping Forest, Brentwood, Romford and Grays
Thurrock) is within the north-east borders of this map. The guide
gives some account of the underground range of old rocks beneath
the London Basin. (pp. 100, Fourth edit., 1884, price 1s.)
Abundance of Wildfowl in Essex.—"I am now going to narrate what
possibly sportsmen who go down there [Bradwell] at the present day for wildfowl
shooting will not believe. I have seen the sky darkened with wild geese, covering
a space of half a mile by a quarter of a mile as thick as manure spread upon the
ground, and making a noise which I could only compare with fifty packs of hounds
in full cry. I have also seen seven acres at low water covered with widgeon,
curlew, and ducks, making such a noise that I could not hear my brother talking
to me a few yards off. Colonel Russell was off the coast in his yacht. He told
me that he sent off from Maldon to London upwards of two tons of geese."—From
"Sporting Reminiscences of an Old Squire," by T[homas] K[emble], Chelmsford,
1887.
Lesser-spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus minor, L.) at Wix. — A
specimen of this bird, lately (February, 1888) shot at Wix, has been sent to Mr.
W.N. Cater, Priory Street, Colchester, to be preserved.
Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola, L.).—In the "Zoologist" (3rd ser. xii., 62),
Mr. John Cordeaux writes : "Under date of November 10th, a curious note comes
to me from the Swin Middle L.V. : when the lantern was lowered at sun-
rise a fine woodcock was found dead on the top. Now if the bird had struck the
lantern in flight it would either have fallen on deck or into the sea ; the proba-
bility therefore is that it alighted on the lantern top, and simply died from
exhaustion." I saw two woodcocks here on November 12th, probably part of the
same flight as that mentioned above, the "Swin Middle" light vessel being
about seven miles due east of Foulness Point. Woodcock have been scarcer here
than usual this season ; when I shot at Hazeleigh Hall Wood on December 28th,
we killed three and saw three others.—E. A. Fitch, Maldon.
Merlin and Hoopoe near Maldon.—Last November (1887) Charles
Catchpole, Mr. Hanbury's keeper, shot one of these beautiful birds, the Merlin
(Falco asalon), the smallest of our British Falcons, at Langford Park The same
man shot a fine Hoopoe (Upapa epops) in Langford Park during the first week in
September, 1886. Both this and the Merlin are preserved.—Edward A. Fitch,
Maldon.
Black Rabbits at Roxwell, Essex.—In a wood near here two litters of per-
fectly black rabbits were born during last summer, and I have often seen the families,
consisting of five full grown animals and five smaller ones, playing about near the
wood in the summer evenings. Although we have almost annihilated the rabbits in
the wood during the winter we have only found three out of the ten black animals,
and I fancy that they were killed off by the foxes and cats much more rapidly than
the normally coloured ones, owing perhaps, to their more conspicuous appearance.
The uniform grey tint of the usual run of rabbits is no doubt a protection from such
enemies.—Reginald W. Christy, Boyton Hall, Roxwell, January 26th, 1888.
[The occasional appearance of black rabbits has often been noticed among
apparently quite wild families. We presume that in the instance recorded by Mr.
Christy there was no reason to suspect any crossing with a tame animal ? We
have heard it stated that the black rabbits occasionally found are small and
weakly specimens of their race—if this is so, they would be quickly weeded out by
predaceous enemies. Mere change of colour would be no protection from foes
that hunt by scent, such as the stoat. We shall be glad to have any observations
on the above subject from our readers.—Ed.]