950 The Zoologist— October, 1867. 



and, as it was uninjured, it was put iuto a cage with the intention of preserving it alive, 

 but as it was only supplied with bread soaked in milk you will easily imagine its fate, 

 that of starvation : I did not hear of its capture for more than a week after it was 

 dead. — Stephen Clogg. 



Variation in the Plumage of the Green Woodpecker. — A friend brought me an adult 

 female specimen of the green woodpecker, which he had shot on the 6th of May near 

 Hetherseit. The tips of ihe wings extended about two inches down each feather, and 

 nearly the whole of the tail-feathers were of a rusty brown colour. I have previously 

 noticed the same variation in the plumage of this species in the pages of the 

 ' Zoologist.'— T. E. Gunn. 



Variety of the Silver Pheasant. — On the 3rd of April a singular variety of the 

 silver pheasaut, an adult male, was sent me for preservation: it had been killed a short 

 time previously in this neighbourhood, having been put up from the water's edge in 

 company with some wild fowl, and the gunner, thinking it some unusual bird, shot it. 

 lis whole plumage is of a dark brownish slate, with a few of the pencilled feathers of 

 the ordinary type scattered here and there. In dissecting it, I found the heart, liver 

 and iuteslines thoroughly diseased: this would of course account for its abnormal 

 change of garb. In the stomach of the bird I found some barley, vegetable fibres,, 

 and a rather curious and indigestible morsel, viz. a felt gun-wadding, which was 

 doubled. — Id. 



Whitewinged Partridge. — On the 6ih of September I shot a partridge with white 

 wings and otherwise pied — a very rare variety in this district. — Clifton; Cubham Hall y 

 Gravesend, September 7, 1867. 



Hen swallowing a Slow-worm. — In the beginning of last month a young Minorca 

 hen belouging to my uncle, residing near Exeter, was killed, and iu its crop was found 

 a slow-worm, about eleven inches in length, but very little decomposed. Is this a 

 common occurrence? — J. L. Langdon Fulford ; Combe Keynes, Wareham. 

 [I have never known of a similar occurrence. — E. Newman.'] 

 Greenshanh and Wood Sandpiper near Aldeburgh. — Three specimens of the green- 

 shank were shot ou the 1 lib of September, on the River Aide, near Aldeburgh, Suffolk ; 

 Mr. N. F. Hele procured one, and I got two of them : the gizzards of two were empty, 

 but that of the third bird contained small seeds and le»s and wings of some species of 

 gnat. On the 13th instant I saw a pair flying over Thorpe Mere. I heard the note 

 of the wood sandpiper, on several occasions last week, ou Aldeburgh town mere. On the 

 11th, I saw two little stints feeding with a flock of dunlins on Thorpe Mere : I heard a 

 stint's note ou the 13th of September.— A. Clark- Kennedy. 



Curlew Sandpiper near Aldeburgh, Suffolk. — Ou the 1 1th of September, Mr. N. F. 

 Hele, of Aldeburgh, shot a curlew sandpiper on the Thorpe Mere, with a lovely red 

 breast, it was with a flock of dunlins when shot. On the morning of the 13th of Sep- 

 tember, Mr. Paget shot another specimen of this bird : this bird had a while breast. 

 I saw it feeding with a small flock of dunlins when it was killed. — Id. 



Curlew Sandpiper, <J-c, at Grangemouth. — At the coast at Grangemouth yesterday 

 (September 14th) my friend Mr. Belfrage and I killed two curlew sandpipers and one 

 godwit, besides knots, ring plovers and dunlins. The numher of waders on the spit of 

 land near Avon-mouth was something wonderful, and I am sure that there must have 

 been some other strangers amongst them. We saw several other godwils and curlew 

 sandpipers distinctly. — John A. Harvie Brown ; Dunipace House, Falkirk. 



