284 FIRST APPEARANCES OF BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 



Hammond, R.N., whilst on board H.M.S. Griffon, on February 

 26, 1907, and was recorded by him in " The Field " of 

 i\Iarch 2, 1907 (p. 355). (E. R. B.) 



Buffon's Skua {Lcs/n's Biiffonii, Boie). — Three were seen 

 flying low over the water towards the S.S.W., \ mile S.E. of 

 Poole bar buoy, on August 29, 1907. (G. R. P.) 



Spoonbill {Platalea leucorodia, L.). — Three specimens, which 

 proved on dissection to be two males and one female, were shot 

 in Poole Harbour, by a Poole gunner, on October 27, 1906. 

 The bird-stuffer who preser\-ed them, believes that one male and 

 the female were mature birds, and that the second male was 

 immature. INIr. W. Parkinson Curtis examined them, and kindly 

 supplied me with this information. (E. R. B.) 



General Zoological Notes. 



Lizards. — It was so warm the first fortnight of Januarj' 1907, 

 that lizards were out sunning themselves on the heath near 

 Wareham, on January 11. (S. E. V. F.) 



Small Red Viper {Vipera rubra, Leighton). — On June 10, 

 1907, Mrs. Eustace R. Bankes killed at Norden, Corfe Castle, a 

 remarkably small pale reddish viper. Believing it to be the true 

 small red viper {Vipera rubra, Leighton), I forwarded it to Pro- 

 fessor Gerald R. Leighton, INLD., who informed me that it was 

 undoubtedly a male example of this species. Of this interesting 

 and scarce reptile, the only other Purbeck specimen that I have 

 ever seen occurred at Corfe Castle, on May 18, 1905. (Pro- 

 ceedings XXVn., 262). (E. R. B.) 



Smooth Snake [Coronella Aiistn'aca). — In June, 1907, on the 

 heath near Norden, Corfe Castle, I came across a recently killed 

 specimen of the smooth snake. This species appears to be rare 

 in this district, and I only know of two other individuals having 

 been met with in Purbeck, viz., one at Norden and the other at 

 Holme. (E. R. B.) 



Abundance of Queen Wasps. — Queen Wasps were recorded 

 by Mr. T. Alexander as being in extraordinar)- numbers in 



