156 Letters, Extracts, Notices, b^c. 



Mr. Joseph Manii made a close scrutiny of a second and 

 larger specimen, which was running on a field on the farm. 

 While he was fetching his brother, Tom Mann, to shoot the 

 strange bird, it made its escape. The brothers searched 

 unsuccessfully for the Pipit; but, in a lower part o£ the 

 same field, they discovered, and shot, the only Black Red- 

 start {Rutici/la titys) that they have ever seen in life. On 

 examining it, I found it to be an immature bird. 



Yours &c., 



H. A. Macpherson. 

 Allonby Vicarage, Cumberland, 

 November 14tli, 1898. 



Sirs, — In the month of September of this year, on the 

 Lake of Garda, was observed a conspicuous arrival of 

 Skuas. They appeared in a flock of about 40 individuals, 

 and, after having spent all the month ou the waters of 

 the Garda, they disappeared in the first days of last 

 October. They frequented the coast along and opposite 

 to Lugana, Bardolino, Tromba di Corno, Lazise, and Ser- 

 mione. Count Fratta Pasini, who possesses a very nice 

 castle near the smiling Lazise, told me that he met with 

 them many times; they were very tame, noisy and cheerful; 

 they approached very near the fishing-boats, so that it would 

 have been a very easy thing to kill the whole flock. About 

 ten specimens were taken ; six of them are now in my 

 collection, another in that of Prof. Garbini of Verona, the 

 others were eaten (but not found good !). All Avere caught, 

 except that of Mr. Garbini, by Count Fratta's Avildfowl- 

 shooter, Nicholas Azzale. He told me that if he had wished 

 he could have killed the whole flock, because they flew so 

 near his swivel-canoe that he could easily have shot several 

 of them with a simple two-barrelled gun. But as he was 

 ignorant of any interest which these birds offered to the 

 naturalist, he killed only a few specimens, in order to show 

 them to his master. Count Fratta. They generally flew 

 slowly all the day upon the waters of the lake, and were 

 rarely observed to rest. They fished continually, and pounced 



