9610 Birds. 



own observation iu Sussex. From Temminck's remark, " Les jeunes 

 sont tres-communs, sur les mers de I'interieur de la Hollande," &c., it 

 would appear thai the adult is less so. He says that at a year old, 

 " On remarque quelques plumes d'un roux marron," and after the 

 second moult, " tout le devant du cou est d'un roux marron." He 

 says nothing of its losing these brighter colours in the winter, but 

 rather impresses us with the idea of their gradual growth. 



Henry Hadfield. 

 Ventnor, Isle of Wight, May 3, 1865. 



Ornithological Notes from the Comity Dublin. 

 By H. Blake-Knox, Esq. 



77ie Colymhi in Dublin Bay. — Dublin Bay is visited every year by 

 considerable numbers of both redthroated and northern divers, also 

 small birds called blackthroated divers are to be met with, but these 

 I think are only northern divers; at least, they do not differ in 

 plumage. October brings in these birds in great numbers; but then 

 the plumage we covet most, the adult summer, is not to be obtained, 

 all old birds being in the moult, partly in summer, partly in winter 

 dress. Young birds, at this season and all winter, of the northern 

 diver have the feathers of the shoulders or back and the scapulars dull 

 h\aicV, pointed, and with a broad band at lip of hoary gray; no white 

 speckles anywhere in the plumage ; the throat and cheeks white ; 

 irides brown. Adult birds shot in November and December have the 

 feathers of the back and scapulars olive-black, truncate, a broad band 

 of brown-gray at lip; this band pale in the centre, almost like a spot: 

 throat and cheeks white ; irides arterial blood-red. In July-feathered 

 birds no white spots. The brown- gray band turns hoary gray later in 

 the season from the weather. As late as January I have shot birds 

 with summer feathers still in their plumage, and appearing new : these 

 were old females ; whether these feathers were retained all winter or 

 not I cannot say. Young birds killed in February and March were in 

 moult, the new feathers similar to the adult in winter and truncate ; 

 no sign of the adult summer dress. I do not think this dress is 

 assumed by the young till the second spring. That it is partially 

 assumed in second winter, as some assert, ] do not believe, birds with 

 a mixed plumage being adults moulting; even calling these " second 

 winter birds," where do they go in winter ? Others, again, assert that 

 all our winter Colyrabi are young birds ; now from dissection I will 



