Reptiles. 7795 



stirred up and having her tail stolen. It is curious that I did not see a single egg 

 without its owner sitting on it, and perhaps one may hence presume that they feed at 

 night. In some places their nests were excessively numerous, their eggs or young 

 occurring every few yards. There were to be found about as many young as eggs, 

 some of the former almost as large as their mothers, and nearly able to fly ; but I did 

 not see a single immature bird that had started in life on its own account, though I 

 have no doubt many had already done so. Most of the eggs had been incubated some 

 time ; in fact, on blowing fifty or so of them, I hardly think that I found half a dozen 

 fresh, the majority being within a few days of hatching. I was rather short of baskets 

 for carrying eggs, and cousequently I did not get as many as I might have done. 

 Certainly I had been told that the eggs might be picked up by the thousand, but I 

 had not believed the statement. This species is much finer and larger than the yel- 

 lowbilled one {P.flavirostris, Brandt.) Of this there were a few about the island; but 

 I did not find a single egg, or see a bird on the ground. When on the wing, the fine 

 rosy colour suffused over the whole under surface of the redtailed species comes out 

 very well. — Edward Newton, 



Occurrence of Chelonia carelta in Britain. — I had an opportunity of examining 

 the turtle referred to by Mr. Edward (Zool. 7713) as having been got at Pennan, imme- 

 diately on its arrival in Aberdeen, when it was in a very lively condition, and weighed 

 25 tbs,, no great weight certainly for the species to which this individual belongs. It 

 is the Chelonia carelta, not C, imbricata, and may therefore be considered an addition 

 to our fauna, so far, at least, as mere stragglers can be considered such. This, with 

 the two other species already described as having been found on our coasts, is de- 

 scribed and figured in Cuvier's ' Regno Animal,' and may be easily recognised from 

 its fifteen dorsal plates, serrated jaws, and heart-like outline. Dr. Dyce has fully 

 described this individual in the ' Annals' for October, where there is also a notice of 

 another specimen having been got on the banks of Loch Lomond,— a most extra- 

 ordinary occurrence certainly, though we must not forget that it might have possibly 

 made its way to this spot from the sea. It appears a very singular circumstance that 

 no less than three turtles should have been procured all about the same time, and all 

 probably of the same species ; it would be somewhat difficult to suggest the likely 

 cause of this, though this is a point of some interest and deserves investigation. I am 

 somewhat disposed to believe that in some of the instances recorded by Fleming of the 

 capture of C. imbricata this species (C.caretta) may have been iatevded.— W. Suther. 

 land; Aberdeen, October 7,1861. 



Colias Edusa.—Whihi riding across Durdham Downs yesterday (September 24th) 

 I saw what appeared to me to be a specimen of Colias Edusa. Although I have 

 seen great numbers in clover and lucerne on the south coast in August, I am not 

 aware of one being captured in this locality during an experience of more than twenty 

 years. I therefore almost doubted my eyes, and determined, if possible, to become 

 better acquainted with it. Not being provided with net or forceps, I had some diffi- 

 culty in getting near, but eventually succeeded, whilst holding my horse with one 

 hand, in securing my prize between the finger and thumb of the other. It proved to 



