156 THE ESSEX NATURALIST
We have Black-Headed Gulls in the garden every winter but they
have been bolder this year, in coming down into the garden for food.
Throughout the bad period we had from four to nine Wood Pigeons
coming for food and driving off other birds.
We had large numbers of Sparrows and Starlings, about six Black-
birds and one Robin, as constant inhabitants, and frequent visits from
Song Thrushes and Chaffinches, with Greenfinches in March. A Wren
which was a regular visitor, we saw for the last time, near our sitting-
room window, in driving snow, on 6th January.
M. S. Johnson
OSPREY IN ESSEX
On 2nd May 1962, Mr. G. Dent was staying at Birch Hall, Theydon
Bois. In the evening near the entrance to Morgan Farm he saw a large
bird which he was able to identify as an Osprey, it was flying at about
120 feet, and was being mobbed by a Carrion Crow. The bird was prob-
ably on the early spring passage, which takes place through East Anglia.
The bird appeared to be immature, as the upper breast was fairly heavily
marked.
M. T. P.
UNUSUAL COLORATION IN TADPOLES
A number of tadpoles were brought to the Laboratory amongst
the material for the Brentwood School Speech Day exhibition. The tad-
poles were collected in the School grounds. It was subsequently noticed
that there were four that lacked the normal dark pigmentation. The
tadpoles were a very light "brown" in colour and one could quite easily
see the viscera; and, under the microscope, the circulation of the blood.
M. T. P.
THE MAGPIE IN ESSEX
It is as well to go back 15 years to get a true picture of the changes
in the Magpie population between Wickford and the coast at Dengie.
In 1947 my brother and I used to get the help of German P.O.W.s to
drive the thickets in this district, in April, in an endeavour to reduce
the number of Magpies in the area.
On one evening in April 1947, I stood at the edge of Canny Wood,
Cold Norton, and counted 250-300 Magpies circling over the centre of the
wood. They would gain height rapidly and then pass over the guns
right out of range. All our efforts resulted in little success, but their
numbers are considerably less now than in that year.
In spite of that, from Billericay to Fambridge, any train passenger can
count up to a score of Magpies flying alongside the track. They are
even more numerous in the Southminster area.
Each year up to 1960, nearly every Spotted Flycatcher's nest on our
farm was destroyed by Magpies and I estimate that 80%-90% of Thrushes,
Whitethroats and Linnets nests were destroyed each year by Magpies
and Jays. J. T. Friedlein