THE ZooLoGistT—JANUARY, 1872. 2907 
The other day I procured from the market here (Liverpool) a gray plover, 
which I believe to be of a very unusual size. Length not quite thirteen 
inches; expanse of wings twenty-four inches; weight nine ounces. I have 
certainly never seen such a large one.—H. Durnford; Claremont House, 
Waterloo, Liverpool, November 1, 1871. 
Richardson’s Skua at Rye.—On the 2nd of October I received from Mr. 
J. H. Gurney, jun., a specimen of Richardson’s skua, which had been shot 
at Rye, in Sussex, during the last week in September. There is a circum- 
stance about the plumage of this bird which strikes me as being worthy of 
notice, viz., that although it is in fully adult plumage (white breast, long 
tail-feathers, &c.) there are still a few feathers with the light-coloured tips 
remaining in the back, plainly indicating that it was only a bird of the second 
year, and had never passed through the uniform dark plumage represented 
in the centre figure of Yurrell’s picture, which both Yarrell aud Macgillivray 
consider the second year’s plumage. Now I cannot speak from my own 
experience about the changes of plumage in this bird, as this was the first 
recent specimen I ever examined: but it seems to me that the assumption 
of the fully adult plumage in the second year has not been previously 
noticed. ‘The specimen had been so long dead that Iam unable to speak 
positively about the sex, but I believe it to have been a male. Will any 
good naturalist give me the benefit of his experience of this bird in the 
‘Zoologist.’ I should not have troubled you with these remarks, had I not 
been advised by Mr. Gurney to make a note of it, as I called his attention 
to it in a private communication.—J. G. Tuck ; Tostock House, near Bury 
St. Edmunds, Suffolk, October 8, 1871. 
Trunk Turtle in Bridlington Bay.—I have to record the occurrence on 
our coast of a very large and rare turtle (Sphargis coriacea). On the evening 
of October 25 two men, whilst herring fishing in Bridlington Bay, Yorkshire, 
about a mile from the harbour, had their attention attracted by something 
unusual disturbing the nets, and on hauling in found an immense turtle 
entangled in them, which they succeeded in securing with some difficulty, 
My informant states that “it measured from the snout to the tail eight feet : 
across from the tips of the flappers eight feet; round the thickest part of 
the body seven feet six inches; and is estimated to weigh upwards of 
1000 lbs.” This great turtlee caused no little astonishment when towed 
into the harbour and landed on the beach between seven and eight the same 
evening, and is I believe the largest ever recorded as having been taken on 
our shores. It died on the Friday morning following its capture.—Alwin 
S. Bell; November 8, 1871. 
