to attack the viper with impunity. — I.W. Slater ; Fairfield, January 10th, 1846.
[I have long been convinced that the hedgehog is essentially a snake-destroying animal. Some observations lately under my eye, whilst superintending the reprint of the ' Letters of Rusticus,' go far to prove that snakes and adders are the natural and usual food of the hedgehog. I may also state that the writer to whom I have alluded has a passage conveying a somewhat similar opinion to that expressed by Mr. Slater, namely, that the spines of the hedgehog are provided as an especial protection against the fangs of the adder ; and further that the roots of plantain spoken of by Gilbert White, as having been eaten by the hedgehog, must have been devoured by the larva of a moth, perhaps a species of Hepialus. In all these remarks I fully concur. — Edward Newman.]
Cattle mouthing bones. — I wish to call your attention to Pontoppidan's account of cattle mouthing bones. In the second part of his ' Natural History of Norway,' he says, " it is not only fish-bones the cows here eat, but likewise the bones of their own species, which they swallow greedily, and gnaw them with their teeth as dogs would. Nay, the eating of bones is a cure for the cows of this country when they have broke their legs. — H. Stanley; Alderley Park, January 22nd, 1846.
The Spotted or Silver Eagle. — Your grand new eagle is the Silver Eagle of this country, a very common bird. We have two kinds of eagles, the golden and the silver. Your figure is a good deal like the bird it is meant for, but the spots are not clear enough, nor are they the right shape, they are oblong and of a clear, silvery white. In Cahirciveen you may see both kinds of eagle in captivity, if you or any of your friends sliould be there, enquire at the hotel. What we call the golden eagle has a white tail when old. — No name or address, arrived January 10th, 1846.
The Spotted or Silver Eagle. — Neither your figure (Zool. 1208) nor Mr. Yarrell's of the Aquila Naevia is good : both figures represent the scapulars and wing coverts as merely tipped with white ; the fact is the spots are most beautifully defined and regup larly elliptical.— Robert Ball ; Granhy Row, Dublin, January 3rd, 1846.
The Spotted or Silver Eagle. — When in the neighbourhood of Killarney in May, 1840, 1 was told of an eagle quite new to me, and being determined to obtain one dead or alive, I posted off to Valentia Island on the west coast. I soon found that the eagle I was in quest of was perfectly well-known, that it was called the silver eagle, and that a pair bred regularly on the rocks in Valentia Island. Having obtained a boat, I landed on the Island and almost immediately on landing I saw a tame eagle of this very species ; he immediately threw himself into an attitude of resistance, and seemed inclined to dispute the passage. I found that this beautiful bird was not to be purchased for money : the gentleman to whom it belonged had had two taken from the nest ; but a few days before I was there one of them had swallowed the bait and hooks left by some fishermen on the beach while they were gone to get some refreshment, and this killed him ; unfortunately no attempt was made to preserve this specimen. — Richard Weaver; 9, Vine Street, Birmingdam, January 3rd, 1846.
[The insertion of the first of these notes of the Silver Eagle without name or ad- dress is at variance with my established custom, but the writer is perhaps unacquainted with this, will he give his real name and address, as I am particularly desirous of
