rare British Birds. 23 



grass. The flesh had not the delicacy of appearance or flavour 

 which it is described by some authors to possess. 



November. A specimen of the Petrel, named after Dr. Leach, 

 (Procellaria Leachii,) was brought to the London market alive; 

 it died on the evening of the same day. The month of December 

 following produced two other specimens, one killed in Devonshire, 

 the second in Hertfordshire. 



1824. Juli/. A female of the Long-legged Plover (Charadrius 

 himaniopus,) was sent to the London market from Lincolnshire ; 

 and about the same time, a very fine male bird was shot in Nor- 

 folk ; in the intestines of this male bird was a species of tape 

 worm, six inches in length, broad, flat and jointed. 



A male and female of the Pigmy Curlew ( Numenius pi/gmceus) 

 were shot in Norfolk, exhibiting the perfect summer plumage. 



1824. August. A very fine old male of the Pigmy Curlew Avith 

 two young birds of the year, was shot in Huntingdonshire. 



September. A young Arctic Gull ( Lestris parasiticus) was shot 

 on the Thames near Battersea. 



November. During the first week of this month a beautiful 

 specimen of the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus,) was shot 

 while swimming on the Thames near Battersea. It proved to be 

 an old female having nearly completed its winter plumage, but 

 still bearing sufficient marks of its summer dress to form an inte- 

 resting state of change. The contents of the stomach were too 

 far digested to ascertain the quality. 



More than a dozen Stormy l-*etrels ( Procellaria pelagica) were 

 procured, on the Eastern Coast principally, during the remark- 

 able windy weather that occurred this month. One bird was shot 

 from a coal barge while flying about over the Thames between the 

 bridges of Blackfriars and Westminster. 



Two Pigmy Curlews, birds of the year, and several Sanderlings 

 (Charadrius calidn's,) in complete winter plumage, were brought 

 to London market. The Rough-legged Falcon (Falco lagopus^ L.) 

 occurred three or four times in this month, one of which, a female, 

 was shot in the Isle of Wight : a second, a female also, was caught 

 by a trap in Gloucestershire. The bony ring in which the orb of the 



