of swallows and martins. It was of a beautiful pearl-gray colour, and showed the chestnut mark on the throat, but not so distinctly as birds in the ordinary plumage. First woodcock and hooded crow seen on Friday, October 16th.— J. Whitaker.

Gray Phalarope in Cornwall.-Two gray phalaropes were shot here on Friday, the 9th of October: I had not heard of any for some years before. I yesterday took a long walk on our western beach, when I was much struck with the unusual scarcity of birds, only meeting with a flight of eleven turnstones, a few pipits, wagtails, about a dozen carrion crows, two wheatears (late visitors), one kingfisher, a large flock of brown linnets, one cormorant, and a very few gulls. My memory carried me back some thirty years or more, recalling the many flocks of various shore birds I should have seen at that time during a similar walk,―turnstones, ringed dotterels, gray sandpipers, sanderlings, &c.,—but now, alas! how changed. I am at a loss how to account for it.-Stephen Clogg; Looe, October 17, 1874

Gray Phalarope in Cheshire.—While walking along the shore near here, on Tuesday, October 6th, I came upon a beautiful little gray phalarope swimming along the edge of some salt water pells behind the sea-wall: it was very tame, and allowed me almost to touch it with my walking-stick. I went again the next morning to see if my little friend was still there, but he had taken his departure. It was in perfect winter plumage.—Arthur J. Clark-Kennedy; Leasowe Castle, Birkenhead.

Mute Swan in Guernsey.—I have preserved and stuffed two very fine mute swans (Cygnus Olor), male and female, shot on the island, in the Bray Pond, near the Vale Church, on the 7th of this month. The male was seventy inches in length, spread of wings one hundred inches, and weighed seventeen pounds and a half; the female was fifty-seven inches in length, spread of wings ninety-one inches, and weighed fourteen pounds and a quarter. Five others passed over the island on the same day from southwest to north; they were flying very low, and, judging from their colour, were young birds. The specimens I have to preserve are pure white over the back, but the feathers on the belly are slightly tinged with gray. Last Monday, the 21st, I got a very fine adult female kestrel, with fourteen tailfeathers, each feather perfectly tipped with white: the feathers were quite new, as if the bird had just finished its moult.-James Couch; Sept. 26, 1874.

The Black Gannet.-Will you allow me to suggest that the piebald gannets mentioned by Mr. Taylor (Zool. S. S. 4199) are only young birds in the ordinary plumage of the second or third year, and no unusual variety at all.-Cecil Smith; Bishop's Lydeard, near Taunton.

Buffon's Skua near Falmouth.-Mr. Vingoe showed me last evening an adult specimen of this small skua, which he received from the neighbourhood of Falmouth, and it was reputed to have been killed ten miles inland.

Unfortunately it arrived without its important character of two middle tailfeathers, the elongation of which beyond the lateral tail-feathers I should have been greatly interested in observing, and also whether these feathers graduated to a point from the roots, or were of equal width throughout, a character which the late Mr. Yarrell thought essential to the true Buffon's or arctic skua. In the specimen which I have, and which is half the size of a Richardson's skua in the same case, the middle feathers exceed the others by five inches, but they graduate towards the tips: this was reported, with a general description of the bird, to Mr. Yarrell, and he regarded this feature as fatal to its being Buffon's skua. I believe I have mentioned this, or something like it, to you before, but I mention it again, as I think there is some uncertainty, and therefore inviting discussion whether there may not be a still smaller species, and with still longer tail-feathers, and of equal width to the end.-Edward Hearle Rodd; Penzance, October 6, 1874. Pomarine Skua in North Devon.-The occurrence of the pomarine skua upon our coasts in the adult state, although perhaps not so unusual an event as it would formerly have been considered, is yet doubtless one of sufficient infrequency to justify its being placed upon record. An instance has recently fallen within my own experience, and inasmuch as it furnished an opportunity for observation of the habits of this species, with which British ornithologists have so few chances of becoming personally acquainted, I think a somewhat detailed account of the occurrence in question may prove interesting to the readers of the 'Zoologist.' Being at Northam Burrows on the 7th of October, I strolled along the coast in the afternoon, about high-water time, and during the prevalence of a strong south-westerly wind. I had not gone far before I observed a large bird swimming, or rather resting, on the water close to the shore, which I at once conjectured to belong to the skua tribe. I observed that it had much more of the body visible above the water than in the case of either gulls or divers when in that position, and the breast seemed unusually full and protuberant. I noticed a peculiar habit which the bird appeared to have of jerking up its head and throwing back its neck at regular intervals of a few seconds between each other. When I had got to within about fifty yards of it, it rose rather heavily, and after sailing about in a slow and stately manner for a short time, pitched upon the shore of a creek some distance off, where it remained for some little time, repeatedly extending and flapping its wings, and I think (although of this I am not certain) continuing the movement of the head and neck before referred to. Having approached it from behind some neighbouring sand-hills, I put it up, and having observed the peculiar hawk-like air with which it looked around it as it rose, I fired, and it dropped winged into the creek; there it sailed about, apparently otherwise uninjured, with its tail elevated after the manner of a moorhen, until I at length secured it. It proved to be a male

bird, and with the exception of the two centre tail-feathers, one of which was shot or broken off and the other injured, is in perfect plumage, the yellow collar around the neck being clear and distinct, and the brown of the back, wings and crown of the head being very rich and deep. The cere is unusually large and prominent; the legs are very hard and horny, and, with the feet, of a deep black, without the slight bluish tint usually noticeable, all these features being clearly indicative of complete or even advanced maturity. Upon my way back across the moor, and about half a mile further on, I came across another specimen of the same species, which, however, did not appear to have been associating with the other bird, and which I had not previously noticed. When first I saw it, it was busily engaged upon the carcase of a dead sheep, and did not seem to be conscious of my approach. I observed with great interest the savage way in which it proceeded with its meal, running at the body, and tearing out the entrails with even greater energy and avidity than is usually displayed by the crows, which make such short work with the carcases of the many hapless sheep that are worried to death by dogs upon the Burrows. This latter specimen, which I also captured, is in the dark blackish brown plumage of the first year, with the light blue bill and legs peculiar to that stage; the cere, though sufficiently distinct, being not nearly so prominent a feature as in the adult bird, and the two centre tail-feathers being only about an inch longer than the others. I may mention that the recent wild and stormy weather had driven in an unusually large number of gulls and terns, which had been fishing up and down the estuary for some time previously, and into whose labours the skuas would no doubt have entered with zest, had it not been for the untimely termination to their predatory career which I have just described.-Marcus S. C. Rickards; 37, Cornwallis Crescent, Clifton, October 15, 1874.

Richardson's Skua near Clevedon and at Instow. I omitted at the time to notice the occurrence near Clevedon of an adult specimen of Richardson's skua, towards the close of last year, I think in the month of December. I saw this specimen in the shop of a birdstuffer, who told me it had been shot whilst flying about some fishermen's nets upon the shore a short distance from Clevedon. The yellow collar was wanting in this specimen, but the purity of the breast and length of the centre tail-feathers (which, however, had partially been shot or broken off) conclusively showed it to be a fully adult bird. Whilst on the subject of Richardson's skua, I may mention that one day in the latter part of August, 1872, when in the birdstuffer's shop at Barnstaple, I was shown a specimen of this bird in the flesh which had just been shot at Instow. It was evidently a bird of the year and in the uniformly dark plumage of that stage.-Id.; October 21, 1874.

An old Tortoise.-I send you the following, cut from our local paper, the Elkton Democrat' of October 3rd, 1874:-" Mr. Joseph Benjamin, of Bay View, exhibited at our office, on Tuesday, a land tortoise having carved upon the under or smooth part of the shell the inscription, J. B., 1827.' Mr. Benjamin states that in that year (then a boy fourteen years of age) he recollects having picked up the tortoise in a field belonging to his father, and that he marked it as above with a penknife, and put it down again. After about twenty years he came across the tortoise in the same field, and carried it to his house, and the critter' wended its way back to its old quarters. Since then he has seen it frequently, and always took it home, and it, in turn, would go to its old hunting grounds. The tortoise seems not to have increased in size, as it bears marks of having been attacked by a dog at the time Mr. Benjamin first saw it, forty-seven years ago. Mr. Benjamin sets great store by his prize, and says he intends to keep it as a relic of his boyhood. We have often heard of old tortoises, but this is the first one we have seen that could be vouched for." Benjamin is a farmer living near here, and I think there is no reason to doubt the veracity of his statement. The land tortoise is very common here, and I have requently found them with names and initials engraved on their shells. We also have the " snapping turtle" and "terrapin," both of which are very nice eating, and are common in all our streams.-Edward Sweetapple; Public Ledger Paper Mills, Elkton, Maryland, October 8, 1874.

Turtle in Mount's Bay.-A turtle, alive, was yesterday morning taken in a pilchard drift-net, about two miles south of Mousehole Island, in Mount's Bay, a spot well within the headlands of the bay: this would be in about twenty-nine fathoms water, rocky bottom, and the net would be fishing at from two to four fathoms from the surface. Its weight is about seventy to eighty pounds, and it corresponds in all respects with Wood's description of the "green turtle," except that its upper mandible projects slightly over the lower, and neither upper nor lower is (that I, examining it in a showbooth, could see) notched or serrated. The plates of the carapace corresponded precisely with those of the green turtle, and did not overlap, as is mentioned in the hawk's bill. When captured it was covered with barnacles and sea-weed, but showed no signs of weakness. The fore left flapper is partly carried away, but the wound is an old one, or at least is thoroughly healed. I take it for granted that the reptile must have been lost from some ship homeward bound from the West Indies or thereaway; but I note the fact that no ship known to have turtles on board has been lost in Mount's Bay since one in the winter of 1871-2, from which to my knowledge, two living turtles were saved.-Thomas Cornish; Penzance, October 6, 1874.

Clausilia Rolphii in Surrey.-As I do not notice any record of Clausilia Rolphii having been found in Surrey, and as Mr. Gwyn Jefferys did not know of its occurrence, I think it may be interesting to some readers of the Zoologist' to know that I discovered it this year at Mickleham, near Dorking, Surrey, in considerable abundance.-H. Groves; 13, Richmond Terrace, Clapham Road, S.W.

Zoological Society's Gardens in Regent's Park.-Since my last notice. the following animals have been added to the collection :

Published 1st October.-A Praslin parrakeet (Coracopsis Barklyi) and four redcrowned pigeons (Erythrænas pulcherrima), from the Seychelles, presented by the Hon. Sir Arthur Gordon; two Burchell's bustards (Eupodotis kori), from South Africa; a Hocheur monkey (Cercopithecus nyctitans), from West Africa a Punjaub wild sheep (Ovis cycloceros), from N.W. India; two blackish sternotheres (Sternotharus subniger), from the Seychelles; an octopus (Octopus vulgaris), from the British Seas.

Published 8th October.-Two call-ducks, European, presented by Mrs. Wilson; four little bustards (Tetrax campestris), European; a Rhesus monkey (Macacus erythraus), from India; a solitary tinamou (Tinamus solitarius), from South America; three lesser pintailed sand-grouse (Pterocles exustus), from North Africa; two Cornish choughs, European.

Published 15th October.—An Australian rail (Rallus pectoralis), from New Holland; a gannet, European; a whitewinged trumpeter (Psophia leucoptera), from South America; a dusky monkey (Semnopithecus obscurus), from Malacca; a Pinche monkey (Midas Edipus), from New Granada; a bonnet monkey (Macacus radiatus), from India.

Published 22nd October.-A chacma baboon (Cynocephalus porcarius), from South Africa; a Ducorps' cockatoo (Cacatua Ducorpsii), from the Solomon's Islands; two lions from South Africa; a Malbrouck monkey, from West Africa; a sun bittern, from South America; two European rollers; a nakedthroated bell-bird (Chasmorhynchus nudicollis), from Bahia; a solitary tinamou (Tinamus solitarius), from Rio de Janeiro.

A penguin has also been received, by the mail-steamer Neva,' from Brazil; it nearly escaped off Southampton, where it was most imprudently allowed to have a swim in the sea with a string tied to its leg; the string broke, but the liberated bird was fortunately recaptured, and is now safely deposited in the Eastern Aviary. A toothbilled pigeon (Didunculus strigirostris) also arrived on the 24th October, and is under the care of Mr. Travis in the Western Aviary, but whether purchased by the Society, or merely deposited for awhile I am unable to say. I hope two birds of such excessive