Birds. 9619 



feathers, ligbtly packed together, and stained of a saffron -col our, in which were the 

 elytra of two or three species of Coleoplera, among which I recognized those of Badister 

 bipustiilatus and Phylan gibbus; there were no signs whatever of marine Crustacea or 

 small fish. I have drawn up a description of this bird, as that given by Yarrell is 

 evidently from a younger or more immature specimen than mine. Beak black ; lip of 

 lower jnandible, which is curved upwards, slightly tinged with horny white; irides 

 scarlet ; head, upper surface of neck and throat black ; lower part black, streaked with 

 silver-gray and cbestnul ; chin black, with a few scattered while feathers; from 

 behind the eye, and forming the ear-coveris, a triangular patch of elongated feathers, 

 rich chestnut-brown ; the black feathers of the head and upper portion of the throat 

 are also somewhat elongated ; back and all the upper suiface of the body dark shining 

 brown, almost black ; secondary wing-feathers white, but scarcely seen unless the wing 

 is expanded; breast and belly pure shining silvery white; sides under the wings and 

 flanks chestnut, mingled, on approaching the lower part of the body, with while and 

 dusky streaks ; legs dark green on the outside, greenish olive within. Whole length 

 nearly thirteen inches. — Gervase F. Malhew ; Raltigh House, near Barnstaple, 

 April 20, 1865. 



Carnivorous Propensity of the Great Blackbacked Gull. — The account given by 

 Dr. Saxby, in his " Ornilhological Notes from Shetland" (Zool. 9486) of three great 

 blackbacked gulls attacking and killing a wounded golden-eyed duck, and at which he 

 expresses surprise, brings to my recollection a somewhat similar case which occurred one 

 day wheu I was shooting in the neighbourhood of Lishon. I was being rowed in a small 

 boat up a stream which flows into Jackass Buy, at a place called Coinha, nearly 

 opposite the city, when a mallard widgeon passed, at a considerable height above my 

 head ; I fired at and evidently struck it severely, as it flew on up the stream with 

 apparent difiiculty, and was soon lost to view, owing to a bend in the river. I loaded 

 a^ain and proceeded, and a short time afterwards observed a great blackbacked gull 

 struggling with something in the middle of the stream, some distance ahead of me: 

 on pulling towards it the gull rose, but was not sufficiently close to kill, although 

 I treated it to a charge of No. 4. On approaching the dark object left floating on the 

 surface of the water, I discovered that it was my mallard widgeon ; it was quite 

 warm, seemed to have been dead only a few moments, and was liltle damaged, having 

 lost bill one of its eyes, and some of the feathers of the shoulders having been plucked 

 off", the flesh exposed and slightly torn, but in other respects quite presentable for the 

 table. — Id. ; Portsmouth, March 18, 1865. 



Proceedings of Societies. 

 Entomological Society. 

 May 1, 1865.— H. T. Stainton, Esq., V.-P., in the chair. 



Donations to the Library. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks voted to the donors: — ' Pro- 

 ceedings of the Natural History Society of Dublin,' Vol. iv. Part 2 ; presented by the 

 Society. 'Bulletin de la Socieie Linueenne de Normandie,' Vol.ix. ; by the Society. 

 ' Memoires de la Societe de Physique et d'Histoire Naturelle de Geneve,' Tome xvii., 



