204 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



To show the variation in size to which this species is subject, I 

 shall give the dimensions of those obtained in the Forth, and 

 then quote what different authors state on the subject. 



The eight specimens shot at Kincardine were all females except 

 one; they averaged 27 inches in length, — the largest being 29 

 inches, and the smallest 25J inches. These, I may mention, were 

 all in immature plumage. An adult male, killed by Mr Thomson 

 on the same day on the Forth, measured 30 inches in length; and 

 another, also a beautiful adult bird, shot by Dr Dewar, had the 

 wings, when closed, extending fully an inch beyond the tail. 

 This is contrary to what is said of the specific characters given by 

 most authors, who state that the wings when closed are of the 

 same length as to the tip of the tail. The average measurement 

 of wing from flexure of the specimens here referred to was 19 

 inches. 



Mr George Paterson's specimen, killed on 2d January, measured 

 as follows : — 



Length, 29; wing, 18-|-; breadth, 62 J inches. 



Mr Harvie Brown's adult male, shot on the 4:th January, 

 measured — 



Length, 29 J; wing, 19 J; breadth, 64 inches. 

 Two others, in immature plumage, measured as follows : 

 L Length, 27|; wing, 17J; breadth, 60 J inches. 

 IL „ 26 „ 17 J inches. 



No. IL showed the same length of wing from flexure, while it 

 varied an inch and a half in total length. 



Capt. Sabine, in his " Memoir of the Birds of Greenland," gives 

 the measurements of one — a young bird — shot in Davis' Straits on 

 6th June : — Length, 26 ; breadtli, 58 inches ; and another — a full 

 adult male : — Length, 29|- ; extent, 63 inches ; showing a 

 difl'erence of 3 J inches in the length, and 5 inches in the total 

 expanse. The smaller bird referred to by this author difl'ered 

 strongly from the larger in being nearly white all over ; and, 

 being so very much smaller in size, he conjectured it might have 

 been caused by sickness, or by scarcity of food. 



Dr Edmondston, in the " Wernerian Society's Memoirs" 

 (Vol. v., p. 176), states the dimensions of one to have been: 

 — Length, 33; breadth, 64 inches; while another specimen, shot 

 in Balta Sound, in November, 1821, measured in length only 29 

 inches. 



