190 The Zoologist— April, 1866. 



Occurrence of the Purple Sandpiper at Shnreham. — Od the 6th of November, when 

 walking on the shore near the entrance to Shoreham Harbour (Brighton side) I shot 

 five purple sandpipers, one an old bird, ilie rest birds of the year. The same day I saw 

 several flocks, varying from four to ten birds in each fluck. The sea at the lime was 

 moderately rough ; they were feeding and running along the sea-weed in the edge of 

 the breakers, and were frequently covered by tlie foam : when disturbed they flew 

 about one hundred to two hundred yards, and then began feeding again. They were 

 very much tamer than the dunlins, of which I saw but very few. A man showed me 

 one that he had shot that morning. Next day they had entirely disappeared, and 

 1 never saw a single specimen the remaining time 1 was at Brighton, which was about 

 six weelis. I shot one solitary specimen in December, 1864, by the side of the wide 

 water at Shoreham. — A. H. Smee ; 7, Finsbury Circus, 



Leach's Petrel at Shoreham, — During the gales in the latter part of November, 

 whilst returning home by the side of the wide water between Lancing and Shoreham, 

 as it was getting dusk, I perceived a bird the flight of which I did not know, 

 apparently about the size of a swift, hovering and occasionally dipping down to the 

 water. It flew with a laboured flight, and appeared to be very feeble, as it beat up 

 against the wind. I waited until it came within fifty yards before I fired : on picking 

 it up I found that its wing was broken. It was evidently a petrel, but too large for 

 the stormy petrel. On further examination I found it to be a forktailed petrel: it was 

 an old bird, in a poor and emaciated ctmditiou, in very fair plumage, with the excep- 

 tion of the tail-feathers, which were slightly broken and worn at the ends. The colour 

 was sooty black, not at all of the brown hue figured by Morris. The white markings 

 on the wings were very distinct — in fact, so much so that I was uncertain whether it 

 might not have been Thalassidroina Wilsoni, until I had compared it with specimens 

 in the British Museum. — Id. 



Gulls breaking Mussel-shells. — While out shooting, on the 12th of February, on 

 the sea-coast near Drogheda, I observed a herring gull, that was feeding on some 

 shingly ground, take a large mussel, fly up with it in the air and then let it drop to the 

 ground : (m alighting, and finding that the shell was unbroken, it again took it up and 

 repeated the process a number of times, flying higher and higher with it until it was 

 broken. Since then I have observed both herring and peewit gulls several times resort 

 to this sagacious expedient on this coast. While speaking of these birds, I may as well 

 mention that in a part of the county Tipperary, some ticenty miles from the sea, which 

 I visited last month, the gulls are in the habit of frequenting (and dwelling on per- 

 manently, in the winter, to my belief,) the pasture-lands and marshes. They were to be 

 seen every day, and at all times of the day, feeding with the ronks and .starlings, and the 

 inhabitants there call them "white crows," so accustomed are they to their presence. 

 One often sees gulls following the plough and feeding on the lands a few miles from 

 the sea, but I have never seen them frequent, to such an extent, a district so far from 

 their marine humes as the one I have just mentioned. — IV. Vincent Letjge ; South 

 Shoebury, March 20, 1866. 



Erratum. — lu my last communication (S. S. 146, line 5), for "Curlews and lap- 

 wings nesting," read " Curlews and lapwings resting" — W. V, L. 



