4 BIRDS OF GUERNSEY. 



include it, however, on the authority of a note 

 kindly sent to me by Mr. MacCulloch, who says : 

 " An Osprey was shot at St. Samsons, in Guernsey, 

 on the 29th of October, 1868. I cannot, however, 

 say whether at the time it was examined by a com- 

 petent naturalist, and as both the Osprey and the 

 White-tailed Eagle are fishers, a mistake may have 

 been made in naming it." Of course such a 

 mistake as suggested is possible, but as the Guernsey 

 fishermen and gunners, especially the St. Samsons 

 men, are well acquainted with the White-tailed 

 Eagle, I should not think it probable that the 

 mistake had been made. The bird, however, can- 

 not be considered at all common in the Islands ; 

 there is no specimen in the Guernsey Museum, and 

 Mr. Couch has never mentioned to me having had 

 one through his hands, or recorded it in the 

 1 Zoologist,' as he would have done had he had one ; 

 neither does Mrs. Jago (late Miss Cumber), who used 

 to do a good deal of stuffing in Guernsey about 

 thirty years ago, remember having had one through 

 her hands. There can be no reason, however, why 

 it should not occasionally occur in the Islands, as it 

 does so both on the French and English side of the 

 Channel. The wonder rather is that it is so rare 

 as it appears to be. 



The Osprey, however, is mentioned in Professor 

 Ansted's list, and only marked as occurring in 

 Guernsey. 



