284: THE QUERIST. 



Occurrence of the Pomerine Skua in Norfolk. — On the 28th. Septemher 

 last, a magnificent specimen of the above rare Gull was shot at Marshton, 

 Norfolk. It is an immature male, in that stage of plumage from which 

 the late lamented Mr. Yarrell took his figure in his valuable work on the 

 Birds of Britain. — S. P. Savill, Jun., 13, Regent Street, Cambridge. 



Great Skua, (Larus cataractes.) — On Thursday last, 9th. October, 1857, 

 some boys caught a bird on the road at Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, which 

 proved to be a female of the year of the above. — Idem. 



Common Tern, (Sterna Hirundo,) shot Inland. — A farmer shot one of 

 these truly sea-birds when resting on his cow-lodge, on the afternoon of 

 Thursday, October 8th., 1857, at Hardwick, Cambridgeshire, driven thither 

 far from its native home by the late heavy gales. — Idem. 



Ring Ouzel, (Turdus torquatus.) — A labouring man shot one of these 

 birds, a male, which was sitting at the time upon a plum-tree in Cherry 

 Hinton chalk-pits, Cambridgeshire, September 6th., 1857. This is ex- 

 ceedingly early for their appearance in this county. — Idem. 



Since penning the above, I have received notice of an adult Pomerine 

 Skua, (Lestris pomerinus ;) also an Arctic Skua, and three pairs of Great 

 Skuas, (Larus cataractes,) shot on the coast of Scotland by some fishermen^ 

 who were at the time herring-fishing there, were bought in the market at 

 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. — Idem. 



Sphinx convolvuli. — I took a fine specimen of this fly on the 7th. of 

 September, on a post, just out from its chrysalis. — Arthur Havers. 



The Spider. — The other day I was passing through my kitchen, when 

 my servant drew my attention to a Spider which had descended from 

 the ceiling, crawled along the table-cloth for a few inches, caught a fly, 

 and was again ascending its web to the ceiling. I saw it ascending with 

 the fly in its claws. My servant saw it in the act of holding or seizing 

 the fly on the cloth, as it was the buzz of the fly on being caught that 

 attracted her attention. Is not this a curious proceeding for a web-spinning 

 Spider? — Idem. 



€\t (tarist. 



Can any of my — I beg pardon, our — Entomological readers tell me which 

 is the best part of the New Forest for Entomological operations, which «,je 

 best time of the year there, and where a poor man, a working Ento- 

 mologist, could obtain suitable accommodation, and at what rate? — F. O. 

 Morris, Nunburnholme Rectory, Hayton, York, October '. \d. 



