The Zoologist— April, 1867. 683 



of gold to our feet, as if rejoicing that man could show some love for 

 aught but the gold it seemed to be. How few have seen those nimble 

 feet pattering the edge of the receding wave and not heeding the 

 returning swell, except it rose beyond the tarsi, and when it did to see 

 those white-marked wings open and lift their resplendent burden, 

 uttering a soft sweet cry to some shell-grown pinnacle, on the mural 

 sides of which, going down, down, down to the " mermaid's caves," 

 bloom the gorgeous sea anemones, bright star-fish, feathery Algae, and 

 pearly shells. How few have watched you, when your repast was done, 

 run with wings elevated and meeting above the back, and chase each 

 other from point to point in playfulness and joy; then stretched in 

 noisy flight out on the now darkened sea, but only to return and settle 

 in a little clump, with low crouched heads and down-pointing bills, till 

 hunger again calls forth your latent energies. Peace ! thank God 

 that I have seen it, and know that it can be met on earth ! Peace, 

 rudely broken peace by him who tells you this, for that sharp-ringing 

 crack, that gray-looking vapour stealing away on the calm night air, 

 tells a tale of suffering, and yonder poor "black maw" (great black- 

 backed gull) floating beneath the cold silvery moon, some hours 

 risen, denotes the victim. This was his roosting rock, and I was 

 covetous. * * * * 



On the Autumn Moult of the Gray Phalarope. — November 1st. 

 The Rev. M. A. Malhew, ^writing from Weston-super-Mare (Zool. 

 S. S. 500), informs the readers of the interesting fact that the feathers 

 of the phalarope rejuvenate or transmute instead of moulting in the 

 autumn. Though I never had the pleasure of noticing this in the 

 phalarope (though I have in many other birds), any examined by me 

 changing the plumage by a perfect moult, still I observed a very great 

 peculiarity in the texture of the feathers, that is their great lightness 

 and transparency. In the wiuter gray feathers this transparency is 

 most apparent, for when overlapping a summer feather the summer 

 feather can be seen through it as through a mist. This is decidedly 

 the frailest and lightest of our birds for its size and bulk. It is a 

 beautiful little fairy creature ; and the most inuocent, harmless and 

 confiding of our birds. What a pity its innocent habits, and its wind- 

 bound and forlorn condition, did not earn for it a better reception at 

 Eastbourne and vicinity : truly Mr. Dutton's account, though well 

 meant and not inculpating himself, is a very butcher's bill. 



Migration of the Blackbird. — November 5th. There have been 

 inquiries in the ' Zoologist,' as to what becomes of the old robins in 



