VOL. VII.] NOTES. 301 



flying towards us, alighting and stumbling away with 

 •drooped wing, sometimes varying the direction by travelling 

 across our front instead of awa}^ from us. 



The bird was not lame or hurt, as it could \va,\k. perfectly 

 well when not feigning lameness. Although I have visited 

 this guUery many times, I have never before or since seen 

 this peculiar habit. H. B. Turkey. 



ARCTIC SKUA IN SHROPSHIRE. 



•On October 6th, 1913, an example of Stercorarius parasiticus 

 was found dead at Broad Oak, four miles north of Shrews- 

 bury. It appeared to be an immature bird of the dark 

 form, the under-parts being dusky with some white mottlings. 

 This Skua has been recorded several times previoush^ in 

 Shropshire, always m rough weather. H. E. Forrest. 



"HAIRY" VARIETY OF THE MOORHEN. 



An example of the so-called " hairy " variety of the Moorhen 

 {GalUnula cli. cMoropus) was shot by Sir Henry Wiggin at 

 Walton Hall, Eccleshall, Staffordshire, on January 10th, 

 1914, and sent to Mr. Spicer, taxidermist, Birmingham, for 

 preservation. In my opinion, the peculiar " hairy " plumage 

 is due to a disease, or partial atrophy, of the feathers. 

 Reference may be made to the Zoologist, 1901, p. 108, in 

 wliich particulars of other local examples are given. 



H. E. Forrest. 



SLENDER-BILLED NUTCRACKER IN SURREY. 



I have recently had an opportunity of examining a Nut- 

 cracker which was shot on October 13th, 1913, in Addington 

 Park (near Croydon), Surrey; it is the Slender-billed form, 

 Nucifraga caryocatactes tnacrorhynchus. I saw it both in the 

 flesh and in skin. T. A. Coward. 



Northern Bullfinch in Orkney. — Mr. W. Eagle 

 Olarke records {Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 15) that he saw in the 

 museum at Stromness an example of Pyrrhula p. pyrrhula 

 captured iri the neighbourhood in October 1912. Mr. E. W. 

 Powys reports (Field, 6.XII.13, p. 1202) that a pair of 

 Bullfinches (probably of this form) were in a plantation 

 on Eday for several days at the end of November, 1913. 



Crossbill nesting in Suffolk in January. — In the 

 Field (17.1.14, p. 139) the Editor states that he has inspected 

 a young Crossbfll {Loxia c. curvirostra) Avhich was picked 

 up in a plantation at Mildenhall by a keeper, who saw the 

 old birds feeding it and the rest of the brood which were 



