Arrangement of the Gulls. — Flight of Pigeons. 567 



Mr. Eyton's Arrangement of the Gulls. — Having observed 

 in your valuable Magazine, of last month, some elaborate re- 

 marks on my 'Arrangement of the British Gulls,' by Mr. M' 

 Coy, I hope you will allow me the opportunity of stating that 

 I believe his manifold difficulties will be at once accounted 

 for, and an omission corrected, (to which I am obliged to him 

 for calling my attention), which I had certainly overlooked 

 in revision, by the insertion of " head coloured in the sum- 

 mer plumage," after the character at present given of Zema. 

 —T. C. Eyton. — Donnerville, Sept. llth, 1838. 



Gypaetos barbatus. — Last week a specimen of the Gypaetos 

 barbatus of immense size was shot among the rocks of the 

 Stockhorn-mountain. Its height was more than 3 ft., and it 

 measured above 10 ft. from tip to tip. This is probably the 

 same individual which was observed in the months of May, 

 1837 and 1838, not far from St. Maurice in the Canton of 

 Wallis, where it had carried away two children, but succeeded 

 in escaping destruction ; its nest only being discovered, 

 during the absence of the old birds among the rocks of the 

 Dent du Midi, and its two young taken out of it. The latter 

 were then 6 or 7 weeks old, but measured 2 ft. in height, and 

 8 ft. from tip to tip. The first child which the bird destroyed 

 in 1837 was a girl 7 or 8 years old, who had been sent by her 

 parents to collect dry leaves. The child did not return, and 

 a few days after, her shoes, part of her clothes, and a few 

 eagle-feathers were found on a glade in the wood. This 

 year a child disappeared in the same neighbourhood, who 

 was gathering flowers near the outskirts of the wood. On 

 the spot where it had been seen last, there was found one of 

 its shoes and scraps of its stockings. The shoe of a child is 

 said to have been discovered in the aery on the Stockhorn. 

 On the supposition that this shoe had belonged to the child 

 last mentioned, the latter must have been carried through 

 the air a distance of 15 leagues over the mountains of the 

 Pays de Vaud, the Saanenland of Bern, and the Simmenthal. 

 —Thun, Aug. 16th. Communicated by Dr. Weissenborn. 



Flight of Pigeons. — Towards the latter end of July thirty- 

 two male-pigeons brought to Dresden from the little town of 

 Herve, between Liege and Virviers, were let loose, after 

 having been marked with the arms of the magistrate. The 

 weather was fine, and they took their departure 5 minutes 

 after 6, A. M. They first flew towards the east, but soon 

 collecting themselves, took a westerly direction, and vanished 

 within a few seconds. Only two of them reached Herve. 

 The distance is 320 geographical miles (60 to a degree), the 

 mean quickness of their flight has been calculated at 860ft. 

 (390,000 to a degree) a minute. — Id. 



