492 Letters, Extracts, Notices, S^c. 



rant, Phalacrocorax stictocephalus, Bp., of Gould's ' Birds of 

 Australia/ vol. ii. p. 495, for M. Marie states that the bird 

 he obtained was P. melanoleucus. It is therefore an entirely 

 new addition to the New Caledonian fauna, and our best 

 thanks are due to Mr. Vivian for so kindly placing the bird at 

 our disposal. From information received, it appears that the 

 bird (a young one) was shot while sitting on a branch of a 

 tree (mangrove probably) in a small river on the west coast, 

 not far from this town. Mr. Brewer, another officer of the 

 same ship, tells us that two days previously he saw two birds, 

 apparently of the same species, but did not shoot one, being 

 in the pursuit of nobler game in the shape of " Black Ducks'*' 

 {Anas superciliosa) . A Mr. Saxton, who knows the Cormo- 

 rant well from his residence in New Zealand, informs us that 

 at tlie north end of the island he has frequently seen " Shags,'' 

 as he calls them, with white sides to the face and throat, and 

 some white on the lower part. He says they were half the 

 size of the great New-Zealand Siiag, and frequented an inland 

 swamp, perching on trees. This is probably the Ph. melano- 

 leucus procured by M. Marie, so that we may boast of two 

 Cormorants belonging to the New Caledonian ornis. 



Yours &c., 



E. L. Layard. 



Langass Lodge, Loclimadde, Nortli Uist, 

 June 13, 1888. 



Sirs, — It may be of interest to ornithologists to know that 

 there is reason to suppose that the irruption of Sand Grouse 

 has this year, as on a former occasion, extended to the Outer 

 Hebrides. Dr. John Mackney, in a letter to my factor here, 

 writes, on 25th May : — '' I have just seen on the Machair 

 here (Benbecula) what I believe is a covey of ten Pallas's 

 Sand Grouse. I first saw a solitary bird on the moor near 

 the house here a few days ago, and although I saw it two or 

 three days in succession, I did not get a good view of it, but 

 I thought of Pallas's Grouse from its appearance. To-day, 

 however, I met with no less than ten of them together, and 

 although they were a little shy, hiding themselves in the sand 



