The Zoologist— Novembee, 18G9. 1907 



Stvift. — September 18. Last appearance; a single bird seen. 

 Thrush. — September 20. — Thrushes are now plentiful in our turnip 

 fields, and keep rising before the dogs, to the no small annoyance of 

 nervous sportsmen. 



Lesser Blackbacked Cull. — This species is now common on the 

 flats : it is not with us a resident species, and is seldom seen except 

 during the autumn. Before rain or wind these gulls are very noisy, ~ 

 and tower, flying round and round in circles, much after the manner 

 of the brown head. Their cry is extremely hoarse, somewhat resem- 

 bling that of the wild goose, but is not nearly so musical. 



Starling. — There are some old ash trees in one of my hedgerows 

 thickly covered with gray lichens. I observed a flock of starlings 

 this morning flying about them and settling on the trunks and larger 

 limbs, clinging to the rough bark like so many woodpeckers : there 

 was a good deal of lichen scattered on the ground, and on examining 

 these trees I found beneath their gray covering a small white grub, 

 not unlike a cheese-maggot, but larger. There are also many long- 

 legged spiders in the interstices of the bark. 



Hybrid Wild Duck. — September 23. I killed a dark-looking duck 

 from the beck this morning, which I cannot identify : I think it pro- 

 bably either a hybrid between the common A. boschas and the 

 American dusky duck, A. obscura ; or between the common wild 

 species and one of the foreign birds previously alluded to — some of 

 which I have good reason for thinking have gone wild in this district. 

 The following description was taken the same evening : — 



Male. — Length over all 231- inches. 



„ of bill 1\ „ from angle of forehead along ridge. 



„ . of tarsus 1.^^ inch. 



„ of wing from flexure, \\\ inches. 

 Expanse of wings, 33j inches. 

 Weight 2j lbs., rather over. 



Second quill longest; third shorter than first; bill greenish yellow, 

 darker along ridge ; nail black. Feet larger and coarser than those of 

 the mallard, reddish yellow, webs darker. Tail of eighteen acute 

 feathers, none recurved. Top of head and little lower than eyes 

 dark brown, nearly black, shot with drake-green. On the lower neck 

 there is a white collar, which does not extend to the back of the neck ; 

 there is also a white spot on chin. The remainder of the plumage is 

 blackish brown, the feathers more or less margined with a lighter 



