442 Zoological Society : — 



Wagtails, which is a very uncommon occurrence, for we seldom 

 have more than two or three pairs during the whole summer, and last 

 summer (viz. 1857) I did not see one, although I looked for them 

 several times. 



"The birds named as above in 1855 were to be seen from about 

 the 1 2th of February until the latter end of March. On the 14th of 

 Februar}' I observed amongst them a Grey-headed Wagtail, and im- 

 mediately went home for my gun, and I shot it and preserved the 

 same : the head was only partially grey. The next day I killed a 

 better specimen ; and within a fortnight from killing the first, I ob- 

 tained seven specimens in all, they being all male birds. I have no 

 doubt that there were females with them, but I could not make 

 them out from the Yellow Wagtails. 



" The last killed were in the best plumage. 



" During the time these birds were on the Denes the wind was 

 blowing from the north-east, with bright sunny days ; and the wind 

 had been blowing from the same quarter from about Sept. 20th, 

 1854, and continued to do so until April 13th, 1855, not having any 

 other direction for twenty-four hours during the whole time. 



" I know only of two instances of the Grey-headed Wagtail being 

 killed in this locality — one male in the last week of May 1851, and 

 a male in May 1852 : this was with a female. 



" James Thirtle, 

 "Bird Preserver, ^c, Loioestoft." 



Mr. Gould also called the attention of the INIeeting to three 

 beautiful specimens of Steller's Duck, which had been brought for 

 exhibition by Mr. Stevens. Mr. Gould remarked, that although this 

 species was a native of high northern regions, even to within the 

 Arctic circle, it had been more than once killed in England. The 

 bird certainly belongs to the family of the true diving ducks, of which 

 the King and the Eider may be considered typical examples, and 

 with these it has usually been associated by ornithologists ; but the 

 female differs remarkably from the females of those species in pos- 

 sessing a well-marked speculum on the wing, and the bill on exami- 

 nation will be found to differ in form, approaching nearly to that of 

 the Smew (genus Merr/ellus), or perhaps still more nearly to that 

 of Merffanefta ; but it is not precisely like that organ in either of 

 those genera, and Mr, Gould therefore considered that Mr. G. R. 

 Gray had very properly made it the type of a new genus, Eniconetta. 



On the Characters of four species of Bats inhabiting 

 Europe and Asia, and the description of a New 

 Species of Vespertilio inhabiting Madagascar. By 

 Robert F. Tomes. 



One of the most beautiful of the Bat kind is the Vespertilio 

 pictiis of Pallas. Like many of its congeners, it has been abundantly 

 supplied with titles. One of these is Vesp. Kerivoula, given to it by 

 Boddaert. 



Dr. Gray having perceived that it possessed some peculiarities 



