Saline s Gidl in Ad%dt Plumage in the Isle of Mull. 133 



any authentic record was an immature specimen shot in 

 Belfast Bay, September 18, 1822, and recorded by Thompson 

 in the third volume of his " ISTatural History of Ireland " 

 (p. 310). I have compiled a list of some nine other Irish 

 and twenty-four English specimens obtained since that year. 

 Of the ten Irish, eight were killed in September and one in 

 October, no month being given for the remaining bird, 

 autumn only being added for date. Six of these were taken 

 in the neighbourhood of Dublin, three in Donegal, and one 

 in County Down. It is certainly strange that, whilst nearly 

 one-third of the recorded British specimens have been 

 obtained in the west and north of Ireland, until last year it 

 has never been met with on the west coast of Scotland. Of 

 the twenty-four English specimens, all except one were met 

 with in the months of September, October, and November. 

 Ten of these were obtained on the west and south coasts, 

 extending from the Bristol Chanoel to Eastbourne, and 

 eleven of the remainder between Scarborough and the Thames ; 

 the Yorkshire coast being credited with eight, whilst it has 

 been obtained in such inland counties as Cambridgeshire, 

 Shropshire, and Warwickshire. 



All the above were birds in the plumage of the first year, 

 with the exception of one obtained in Bridlington Bay on 

 August 10, 1872 (c/. Zoologist, 1872, p. 3316), which was in 

 full summer plumage, and it is strange that one of the only 

 five known instances in this state of plumage met with in 

 Europe was a male obtained off the coast of Brittany on 

 August 25, 1872, just fifteen days after. 



You will see from this the peculiar interest attached to 

 the bird now before you, it being only the second example 

 obtained in Britain, as it is also only the fifth in Europe that 

 has reached maturity. 



With reference to the records of this bird in Europe, it is 

 interesting to note that Muller obtained it at Thorshavn, 

 Faroes, on January 26, 1856. It has not been found in 

 Sweden, Norway, or Russia. It has been met with once in 

 the island of Heligoland. Dr Altum records it twice in 

 Miinsterland. One, a male in full plumage, has no locality 

 given. Holland, Holstein Hungary, Picardy, and Dunkirk, 



