116 Tringa new to the British Isles. 



driven out of their usual line of flight during their migra- 

 tory movements. The occurrence of the pectoral sandpiper 

 Tringa pectoralis near Yarmouth, is noticed and a plate given, 

 by Eyton, in his continuation of Bewick's Birds. I am not 

 aware of a move recent instance of its occurrence, and have 

 thought it might be interesting to some of your readers to 

 know something more respecting the capture of the above- 

 named specimen. This tringa seems allied both to T. vari- 

 abilis and T. subarquata ; and in the form of the bill shows 

 some affinity with the knot (T. Canutus). In size, it is superior 

 to the curlew tringa, (T. subarquata). It was killed on Oct. 

 17. 1830, on the borders of Breydon Broad, an extensive 

 sheet of water near Yarmouth, rather celebrated for the nu- 

 merous rare birds which have, at different times, been ob- 

 served and shot on its banks and waters. The person who 

 killed it remarked that it was solitary, and its note was new 

 to him, which induced him to shoot it. It proved a female 

 on dissection. It was preserved by the late Mr. J. Harvey 

 of Yarmouth, as a curious variety of T. variabilis, with some 

 doubts as to whether it might not be a new species. I de- 

 tected the bird in Mr. Harvey's collection, and felt convinced 

 it was an undescribed species of Tringa. I also received 

 from him the particulars above stated. 



This specimen has been examined by M. Audubon, and 

 identified by him with the Tringa pectoialis of North America. 

 During the last summer, another bird of the Tringa family, 

 new to this country, has been obtained from the same locality; 

 the flat-billed sandpiper (Tringa platyrhyncha; the Becasseau 

 platyrhinque of Temminck's Manuel) : it was shot on the 

 2,5th of May, 1836, on the muddy flats of Breydon Broad. 

 It was in company with some dunlins and ring plovers. From 

 the season of the year, it had probably acquired its summer 

 plumage ; and it very closely agrees with the nuptial gaib of 

 the species as given by Temminck. This bird is rather inferior 

 in size to the dunlin, but may be always readily distinguished 

 from that species by the peculiar form of the bill, as well as 

 by considerable difference in plumage. This specimen was 

 preserved by a friend of mine, who did not notice the sex. 

 It is probable that this sandpiper may occasionally be found 

 on our eastern coasts during the time of its periodical flights, 

 but, from its similarity to one or two closely allied species, 

 has hitherto escaped detection. 



A fine specimen of the honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus) 

 was shot in the parish of Stratford St. Mary, Suffolk, in the 

 end of September, 1835 ; and, some time in the month of No- 

 vember of the same year, a purple-crested heron (A'rdeapur- 



