'84 MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



On the '24th. of last month, (February,) a Little Auk, (Ilergulus allc,) was brought to me, 

 having been found in a farm-yard in this parish, ten miles from the sea "as the Crow flies." 

 Tiio man who first saw it went into the house to fetch a gun, and in the intei-val the bird 

 went into the stable. It was during the severe storm from the north-east which has caused 

 such disastrous losses at sea, and has left all our part of the country covered with snow for 

 nearly a month. The occurrence was' suflBciently uncommon in itself, but I mention it the 

 more especially, because, having at the time no opportunity of convej'ing the poor little bird 

 back to its native element, which I wished to do, as it was entirely uninjured, and it being 

 impossible to feed it properly, and being glad of it also as a specimen of a rather rare species, 

 it occuiTed to me, not liking to kill it in cold blood, to try the effect of chloroform, so effective, 

 as described in the "Aphorismata," in my "Natural History of British Butterflies," in the 

 case of insects. The attempt was perfectly successful: I dropped a few di-ops of the soporific 

 drug on a bit of cotton wool, wrapped it about the bill of the bird, and in a few seconds it 

 was lulled without pain into the sleep from which it never awoke. I left the wool on for a 

 considerable time, to ensure its not coming to consciousness again, and this object also was 

 completely gained. In any similar case, I hope similar means may be adopted. — Francis 

 OiiPEji Morris, Nafferton Vicarage, Driffield, March 7th.,'J1853. 



Note on the Autumnal Moult of Colymbus glacialis. — On the 2oth. of October, I observed a 

 pair of C. glacialis the first time this season, swimming close together; both appeared to be 

 in their summer liverj', shewing on examination with a glass the mottled upper plumage and 

 dark and tinged head and neck. A female was shot from the rocks near the same spot and 

 brought to me on the 8th. of November, probably one of the same pair; it was deep in moult, 

 most of the dark feathers of the head and neck being replaced by white ones, still leaving a 

 dark ring around the lower part of the neck; back, scapulars, and rump retained about half 

 the summer livery, interspersed with the gray tipped feathers of winter ; wings, not yet moulted, 

 but beautifully spotted with white on a black ground. It had a very small green shore crab 

 whole in the gullet, and was very starved and thin, having had a succession of stormy weather 

 some time past, from which these birds suffer severely, probably by the retirement to shelter 

 and deeper water of the flat-fishes, etc., and crustaceans on which they usually feed. At such 

 times I have repeatedly observed the frontal feathers erected forming a short obtuse crest, the 

 tail usually carried high, and the whole bird shewing more than usual out of the water, 

 probably from loss of weight or energy. These birds have the power of sinking rapidly in 

 the water without change of position, so as to submerge their bodies below the surface. I 

 remember some years since trying to get a rifle shot at one fishing in smooth water amongst the 

 rocks at ebb tide, and waiting a dive, hid myself behind a rock ; the bird rose at a fair distance 

 light and buoyant, but before I could fire its quick eye detected me, and it immediately sank 

 so far as to secure its body, and shew nothing but tlie neck and scapulars above water; thus 

 effectually securing itself fi-om the shot, which passed over it, unharmed, allowing it to 

 pursue that life for which it is so admirably adapted, and which is so often destroyed from 

 mere thoughtlessness on our parts — Clement Jackson, East Looe, November 15th., 1852, 



Sterna fuliginosa, (of Latham, Wilson, Bonaparte, Audubon, and Nuttall,) or Sooty Tern, 

 was exhibited by Mr. Yarrell, at the Linnican Society, February 15th. This bird is not only 

 new to the British Fauna, but also to that of Europe. It was shot in October last, near Burton- 

 on-Trent, and had been sent to Mr. Yarrell, by W. Desboast, Esq., to whose collection it 

 belonged. Athenseum, February 19th., 1853. — J. Mc'Intosh. 



Rare Birch near Fhjmouth. — During the severe gales of the past month the following scarce 

 birds have occurred at Plymouth: — A fine specimen of the Fork-tailed Petrel, {Procellaria 

 Leachii,) was picked up in an exhausted state off Mill- bay, by some persons passing in a boat ; 

 and not many days after the Greater or Cinereous Shearwater, {Puffinus cinerem,) was brought 

 in from the Sound, captured in a similar manner and kept alive for nearly a fortnight. It 

 remained sleepy and dull during the day, but became very restless towards night. Withui the 

 last fortnight a nice specimen of the Snow Bunting, {Plcctrophanes nivalis,) has also been 

 obtained in tliis locality. — J. Gatcombe, Plymouth, December 8th., 1852, 



' Rare Birds near Whitby.— ^it\\m the last two years, the following birds have been 



