MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



43 



A Real Rara Avis. — During the past week a bird of unusual size was 

 observed flying towards Exmouth, on the Devonshire coast, from the sea. 

 On arriving near land it wheeled round, and, after flying back some dis- 

 tance, was seen through a glass to descend into the sea near Straight 

 Point. Two men immediately put oif, and were fortunate enough to cap- 

 ture it. On examination, it turned out to be a Black Swan. It was 

 poor in flesh, and evidently exhausted by long flight, but shewed by its 

 plumage, and other indications, that it had never been in captivity. It 

 is supposed that by a long succession of storms it has been driven from 

 the Pacific, its only known habitation. — "The Times," October 30th., 1855. 



Perhaps some of the Devonshire readers of "The Naturalist," can give 

 a little more information on this subject. — Idem. 



The Mealy Redpole. — Many of these beautiful little birds have been seen 

 in the neighbourhood of Leeds since the beginning of this month, (November.) 

 Both old and young ones have been caught by bird-lime in considerable 

 numbers. The old birds have on the occiput a large patch of deep brilliant 

 crimson. The anterior and lateral portions of the neck and breast are 

 shaded with a much lighter crimson. Their length is five inches; the wing 

 from the carpal joint is three inches. The tail is considerably forked. 

 The young birds have a much less crimson patch in extent on the occiput; 

 none whatever on the breast or neck, and their general plumage is a much 

 lighter shade. The Lesser Redpole has not been seen at all. — Richard 

 HoBsoN, M.D., Leeds, November 19th., 1855. 



Green Sandpiper. — A pair of those rare birds known as Green Sand- 

 pipers have been observed to frequent the Wooler Water, and the River 

 Till, adjacent, since the latter end of July. A few weeks ago, George 

 Culley, Esq., of Fowberry Tower, succeeded in shooting one of them; and 

 during the late severe weather, John Thompson, Esq., of Wooler,'shot 

 the other. Both of these specimens were males, and weighed two ounces 

 and a half each. — Ifevjcastle Paper, March 24th., 1855. 



Oj/ster-catcher. — On Thursday morning last, 0. C. Harris, Esq. shot a 

 specimen of the Pied Oyster-catcher, Sea-pie, or Olive, {Hoematoptis Ostralegus, 

 Linn.; L' Haiti ievy Bufi".) near Mr. Stoke's mill, in the parish of Weston 

 Favell, Northamptonshire. 



Additional Note on the Starling in the "Birds of TerricTc." — On another 

 occasion my attention was attracted by the screams of a pair which had 

 young ones in a hole perforated by the Green Woodpecker in an elm, full 

 eighteen feet from the ground. On looking up I perceived a Stoat, (3Ins- 

 tela erminea,) about to enter the hole. How he managed to get up to 

 that height I had not the opportunity of observing; but how he managed 

 to get down again was by a process exceedingly simple, and by a far less 



