7312 . Birds. 



Cere bright yellow ; eyes large, deep hazel ; beak, at the base, blue horn, the centre 

 and lip almost black; top of the head, throat, front breast and back liver-brown; the 

 feathers on the occiput neck in front and behind detached, ciliated and loose, with 

 paler points. Quill-feathers abruptly narrowed by indentations of both webs towards 

 their ends, which are black ; inner webs towards their base, in the widest part pale 

 brown. Secondaries brown, broadly tipped with buflf-yellow, forming a conspicuous 

 bar. Greater and lesser wing-coverts ending in distinct oval elliptic spots, gradually 

 diminishing in size over and to the ridge of the shoulders, and appearing at the 

 extreme margin like small drop-shaped streaks, but distinct and separate. Tail deep 

 brown, tip much worn, but paler; upper tail-coverts broadly edged with dull yellow ; 

 the colour of the feathers next to the tail almost white. From the breast downwards 

 to the vent a mixture of dirty yellow and brown, the centre of the feathers being 

 yellow, with the edges all round brown; the feathers on the vent buflf-yellow. Thigh- 

 feathers buff-yellow, the upper portion striped longitudinally with dark brown, ter- 

 minating in uniform dull yellow. Tarsi feathered to the feet, which are bright 

 yellow; claws dark brown, almost black ; the toes ending in four well-defined plated 

 scales, similar in form to those of the golden eagle. 



Sex, male. In the first year's plumage. 



On dissection it appeared that an injury to the elbow of the wing prevented the 

 bird from taking flight. Mr. Vingoe informs me that the flesh in this portion of the 

 wing was like jelly, and there can be no doubt that the bird had met with a recent 

 blow in that part; the high condition of the bird is evidence that it could not have 

 been of long standing, but the remarkable cullajised appearance of the gizzard, 

 without a particle of food, shows that the bird had taken no prey for a day or two. 

 — Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, December 15, 1860. 



Hare Birds occurring at Weston-super-Mare. — The following uncommon birds 

 have, within the last few years, been obtained at Weston-super-Mare, and for the 

 most part are in the possession of Mr. Stone, a local collector : — Richardson's skua. 

 Fulmar petrel, Iceland gull, glaucous gull, ivory gull, little gull, black tern, gray 

 phalarope, hoopoe, quail, Bohemian waxwing, cirl buntings. — Edmund T. Higgins ; 

 Bristol, December, 1860. 



Occurrence of the Gyrfalcon (Falco islandicus) near York. — I have now in my 

 house a very fine specimen of the gyrfalcon, shot at a place called Upper Poppleton, 

 a few miles from here. It was brought to my house a few hours after it was shot, 

 and purchased by my wife for 5s. It is a young female, and I should suppose a last 

 year's bird. — David Graham; Market Street, York, November 20, 1860. 



The Tree Sparroiu. — We have a visit of this finch under peculiar circumstances. 

 It very sparingly occurs in Cornwall, and for a long time one instance only of its 

 occurrence was recorded. A Norwegian brig put into this port yesterday, and amongst 

 other articles of cargo six of the above birds were handed from the ship to a person at 

 the quay, and they were brought to me for inspection. When the ship was mid-way 

 between the two coasts, between the Dog-a-Bank and the Galloper Light, thousands 

 of these little sparrows fell on board, and the master kept half a dozen merely out of ; 

 curiosity. He describes the quantity of birds as an immense flock, the evidence 

 of which appears to be conclusive from the extent of the drop])ings which attracted 

 the notice of the person who made inquiries about the birds, and obtained the half- 

 dozen brought for my inspection. — Edivard Hearle Rodd; Penzance, November 9, 1860. 



