The Zoologist— Octoher, 1869. 1803 



Golden Eagle in Norfolk. — A conesponden't in the ' Field,' of December 19, 1868, 

 announced that a golden eagle had been found dead in the StiflFkey Marshes, in this 

 county, and, though in a state of decomposition when discovered, that the sternum and 

 feet were preserved. I have since had an opportunity of examining one of these feet, by 

 which the speciesis clearly identified ; and I am now enabled, for the first time, to record 

 the occurrence of this eagle in Norfolk. The history of this specimen appears to be as 

 follows : — It was first seen in November lying dead in the marshes, on the property 

 of Mr. P. Bell, of Siiffkey, by a fisherman named Green, who mentioned the fact to 

 Mr. T. J. Mann (the ' Field ' correspondent), who was at that time shooting in the 

 neighbourhood : he immediately visited the spot and secured such parts as were most 

 likely to identify the species, the carcase being then too far gone for preservation ; but, 

 from his description of the tail-feathers, "chesnut brown, shading off to a perfect 

 black at the tips," it was no doubt an adult bird. The foot sent to me in January last, 

 by Mr. Mann, had the toes still supple, as if taken from a recently killed specimen ; 

 and from its small size, though having formidable talons, I have no doubt, on com- 

 paring it with the fine series of golden eagles in the Norwich Museum, that it belonged 

 to a male bird. I could not ascertain at the lime, either locally or from the Journal, 

 that any eagle of this kind had escaped from confinement; and I suspect, therefore, 

 from the locality in which it was found, close to the sea, that it was the victim of some 

 random shot off the coast, and died almost as soon as it reached the shore. — Henry 

 Slevenson ; Norwich, Sept. 13, 1869. 



Capture of the Eagle Owl in Norfolk. — I had the pleasure of seeing a magni- 

 ficent specimen of that rare English bird the eagle owl (Bubo maximus), iu the 

 flesh, at Mr. E. Ward's, Wigmore Street, on Monday. The expanse of the wings was 

 5 ft. S\ in. This specimen was shot on Saturday on the coast of Norfolk, and was 

 sent to be preserved by Mr. T. F. Buxton. This grand bird, which preys on fawns, 

 hares, grouse, &c., is a resident on the continent of Europe generally, particularly the 

 mountainous parts; skins have also been received from China and Astrakan. It is not 

 an uncommon bird in our vivaria, but Ciin only be regarded as an occasional visitant 

 to the British Isles ; though specimens have been shot in most of the counties on the 

 eastern coast. The bird is apparently a female, and it exceeds the dimensions givtfn 

 by Macgillivray. — W. B. Tegelmeier {in Field). 



[This subsequently proved to be an escaped specimen. — E. N.'] 



Snowy Owl in Ross-skire. — A male bird of this species, adult and in the moulting 

 stage, was shot in Beaufort Castle grounds, near Beauly, Ross-shire, on the 21st of 

 August this year. I saw the bird in the flesh in Inverness, at Mr. M'Cleary's, bird- 

 stufi'er, to whom it had been sent for mounting. — A de Hugel ; Gairloch, Ross-shire, 

 August 30, 1869. 



Woodchat in Kent in 1868. — For several days during the month of July, 

 1868, a woodchat shrike had been known to frequent gardens in the neighbour- 

 hood of Faversham and Murston, but for a time all endeavours to shoot the bird 

 were unavailing, as it was extremely wild. Towards the end of the month, however, 

 it was seen upon a cherry tree in an orchard at Murston, by Mr. N. Barlow, who 

 killed it, and took it to a local taxidermist, who informed him it was a common bird 

 and of no value ; but as soon as the possessor of the rarity had departed the 

 unscrupulous dealer sold it to a gentleman who well knew its worth for a lar e sum. 



