9784 Birds. 



corn-field, only not in my direct way, I walked tbrough it in the direction of tlie sound, 

 and, though scarcely expecting it, 1 flushed both birds. Their note was subsequently 

 heard in the same vicinity, but only sparingly, and a week after the above dale seemed 

 to cease entirely. — /. C. Atkinson; Danbij, Grosmont, York. 



Pure White Gull.— The Rev. M. A. Mathew, in the current number of the 

 ' Zoologist' (Zool. 9734), says, " A large gull, snow-white all over, with legs and bill 

 of a uniform green tinged flesh-colour, is somewhat a nondescript, and I should be 

 very glad to hear if any of the readers of the ' Zoologist' have ever mei with a simil.ir 

 one, or could give me any light upon the matter." As I have just such a gull in my 

 collection, I beg to off"er the following remarks. Possibly Mr. Malhew's bird and mine 

 may prove to be of the same species, but, as he has not given any measurements, I 

 have no guide but colour, coupled with his assertion that it is a large gull. My bird 

 was shot on the Lancashire coast, at Lylham, in February of the present year. 

 Although consorting with other large gulls, it at once attracted attention by its pure 

 white plumage, and many attempts were made to shoot it, but for several days it 

 escaped. At length a friend of mine, observing that it frequented the flats which were 

 left exposed at low water, ran his boat out one morning and waited for the tide to 

 recede. This plan succeeded, for he got a long shot with a carlridge, and killed the 

 bird. As it now stands in my collection, between a great blackbacked gull on one 

 side and a herring gull on the other, it appears intermediate in size between these two. 

 The following are the measurements, although, it should be observed, they can hardly 

 be considered as quite correct, as they were taken after the bird had been stuffed : — 



Length of bill from gape 



Entire length from base of bill .... 

 Carpal joint to lip of closed wing 



Length of tarsus 



Middle toe, nearly equal to tarsus, being . 



In endeavouring to identify the species, I considered ihatil could not be an ivory gull, 

 which would be smaller in size, and would have black legs (whereas these are of a 

 brownish flesh-colour), and it also exceeds by measurement the average size of an 

 Iceland gull. Tiiking into consideration, therefore, ihe size of the bird, the colour of 

 the plumage, and the length and colour of the tarsus, I came to the conclusion that it 

 must be a very old glaucous gull. I say very old, because, as is well known, that all the 

 gulls when immature are mottled more or less with pale brown; and the adult glau- 

 cous gull has the back and wings of a very pale bluish gray colour : it is possible, there- 

 fore, that these parts may become white with age. Mr. Mathew's suggestion, that his 

 bird may possibly be an albino, deserves consideration, but, like himself, I have never 

 yet seen or heard of an albino gull ol any species. However, whether the bjrds prove 

 albinos, or very old individuals of a species rare in England, I think we may congratu- 

 late ourselves on the possession of a prize not to be obtained every day. I should be 

 glad if Mr. Mathew will favcjur us with the measurements of his specimen, as further 

 particulars will perhaps decide this interesting question. — /. Edmund Harling ; 

 Kingsbury, Middlesex, September 19, 1864. 



Errata. — In my communication respecting the Birds of the Dorsetshire Coast 

 (Zool. 9666), for " Faroe Isles," read " Fame Isles," and for " Columbia livia," read 

 " Columba livia."— /d. 



