NOTES. 307 



When obtained, it had ahnost completed the juvenile 

 plumage — only a few traces of down remaining. The first 

 stage of the autumn-moult commenced about the middle of 

 July, by the shedding of some feathers at the junction of the 

 forehead and bill. New and more upright feathers began to 

 grow all over the forehead. This had the effect of completely 

 altering the contour of the face, in that the smooth and regular 

 shape gave place to a more uneven and bristly appearance. 

 During the moult 7ione of the nostril- or chm- feathers were shed. 



The second autumn-moult commenced about the end of 

 July, 1911, when the flight- and tail-feathers were gradually 

 dropped and replaced, and in September and October the 

 whole body underwent a complete moult. At this time the 

 bill began to show a little whiteness about the nostrils and 

 the base of the lower mandible, caused by the dropping out 

 of some of these feathers. The feathers on the chin also 

 began to drop out. This continued right on through the last 

 two months of the year ; those of the nostrils and the base of 

 the bill not being replaced, while those of the chin were to 

 some extent replaced by new feathers. Walter Stewart. 



CORMORANT IN SHROPSHIRE. 



Although the Cormorant {Phalacrocorax carbo) is a frequent 

 visitor to the meres of north Shropshire, it is rarely met with 

 in the southern half of the county. It may therefore be worth 

 recording that at the end of January, 1912, an immature bird 

 of this species was shot on the Teme near LudloA\'. 



H. E. Forrest. 



SHAG IN WORCESTERSHIRE. 

 On January 27th, 1912, a man named John Coldrick, of 

 Bewdley, Worcestershire, shot a Shag {Phalacrocorax graculus) 

 in the Dowles Brook, which forms the boundary between 

 Worcestershire and Shropshire (so perhaps the specimen may 

 be regarded as an occurrence for both counties). Owing to 

 the kindness of Messrs. Spicer and Sons, the Birmingham 

 taxidermists, I was able to examine the bird soon after being 

 set up. It proved on dissection to be a male, and was of a 

 dull brown on the under-parts. Bernard Starley. 



[This occurrence should be compared with those recorded 

 by Mr. Coward in our last issue (p. 279). — Eds.] 



SUPPOSED FORMER ABUNDANCE OF THE 

 GLOSSY IBIS. 



The story that the Glossy Ibis {Plegadis falcinellus) was once 

 common enough in Norfolk to be called the " Black Curlew," 



