The Zoologist— March, 1866. 141 



clowns often enough to ascertain if they remain there. A specimen 

 partly white was shot at or near Sidlesham on the 16th. The head 

 white, with the exception of a band of the normal colour at the back 

 part ; neck, breast and belly nearly all white ; back mixed with while, 

 and several wing-primaries and tail-feathers white ; the legs and feet 

 also of two colours — black and a kind of flesh-colour. 



Hen Harrier. — A female specimen of the hen harrier was shot on 

 the 16th, on a marsh adjoining Pagham Harbour, just near what 

 remains of Selsey Old Church, and has since found a place in my 

 collection. The man who shot it, finding the neck very much dis- 

 tended with what appeared to be some part of a small bird, and 

 thinking (the weather being close) that the harrier would keep better 

 by his doing so, cut the skin off the neck, and removed the legs and 

 part of the body of what he supposed to be a blackbird. On dissecting 

 after skinning I found in the stomach three pairs of legs of birds, one 

 pair having belonged to a sky lark, the other two pairs to some 

 smaller birds; there was also the bill of a lark and one of a thrush, 

 which latter may have belonged to the same bird as the legs which 

 were taken from the neck : whether it be so or not, Mrs. Falco cyaneus 

 appeared to have fared pretty well of late. It seems to me rather 

 wonderful that so bulky a bird as the hen harrier should succeed in 

 capturing these small birds. The general plumage of this specimen 

 was rusty brown. 



Purple Sandpiper. — One of these birds was shot at Pagham 

 Harbour on the 16th. 



Peeicit and Golden Plover. — Large flocks of peewits seen at times 

 throughout the month, also occasional flocks of golden plover in cer- 

 tain parts, but not nearly so numerous nor so widely dispersed as they 

 were last winter. 



Great Northern Diver. — On the 9th I obtained a specimen of the 

 great northern diver, which had been killed on the coast a day or two 

 before. From the size I take it to be a male — an adult male changing 

 to winter plumage, the white spots on the back being irregularly dis- 

 persed, and the throat with only a iew dark feathers remaining. The 

 skins of two others, killed previously to the above date, have been 

 prepared to be cut up for decorating ladies' hats : these were in about 

 the same state of plumage as the specimen described above. 



Pomarine Skua. — A specimen of the pomarine skua was captured 

 in a singular manner in the neighbourhood of Rogate, as will be seen 

 by the following paragraph from the 'West Sussex Gazette' of the 



