379 



COLLECTANEA. 



Art. I. Zoology. 



Barer Birds taken near Worcester, — Sir, Seeing in your 

 Magazine frequent notices of rare birds, or uncommon varie- 

 ties, killed in Great Britain, I make no apology for sending 

 you some account of one which has lately come into my pos- 

 session. It is 



A Bird of the Hawk kind, corresponding mth the Honey 

 Buzzard in size, and in having the space between the bill and 

 the eye thickly covered with feathers, and without hairs ; but 

 differing materially in colour, the plumage being of a uni- 

 form dark brown, glossed with purple, appearing nearly black 

 at a little distance ; and, upon a close inspection, the tail is 

 seen to be indistinctly blotched or barred with a lighter 

 colour, approaching to ash-colour, and each feather of it 

 being rather pointed makes the tail, when closed, slightly 

 forked. The bill, which is somewhat elongated like that of 

 the eagle, seems to have been of a dark bluish colour ; the 

 base of the under mandible, sides of the mouth, and cere, yel- 

 low ; legs feathered a little below the knee, very strong, and 

 yellow ; claws black ; the thigh feathers so long as nearly to 

 touch the ground as the bird stands. It was shot in the early 

 part of the last autumn, at Spetchley, near this place, the seat 

 of R. Berkeley, Esq. ; and I first met with it at a bird-stuffer's, 

 stuffed, but most miserably deformed, appearing to have the 

 wings dislocated, neck broken, &c. ; but the skin has since 

 been relaxed and restuffed by Mr. Thomas Robinson, of this 

 city, a bird-stuffer of considerable merit. As I did not pro- 

 cure the bird in a fresh state, I could not ascertain its sex or 

 the colour of the irides ; but I am assured, by the man who 

 first stuffed it, that the eyes were quite dark. I shall be 

 obliged, if you, or any of your correspondents, can inform me 

 if I am correct in supposing the bird I have thus endeavoured 

 to describe to be a variety of the honey buzzard (Falco «pivorus 

 Lin,, Pernis «pivorus Cuv»\ and if such a variety has before 

 been met with ; or is it a distinct species ? 



Of the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) I have pro- 

 cured this winter a beautiful specimen, killed a few miles hence; 

 and a fine specimen of that very rare bird the Fork-tailed 



