2946 Tue ZooLocist—FEBRUARY, 1872. 
although in the near neighbourhood of a large flock of dunlins and ringed 
plover. On only one occasion before have I found this species on this 
river or the moor, and that was some years ago, in the month of March, 
when I came across a pair close by the place from whence I obtained the 
present specimen.—Mareus S. C. Rickards ; November 18, 1871. 
Spotted Crake near Nottingham.—A beautiful specimen of the spotted 
crake (female) was caught by some farm lads when going to work at 
Colwick, near Nottingham: it ran past the gate which they were going 
through ; they ran it down to the Trent, which flows near, where it took to 
the water and swam out, but landed again on the same side, and was 
caught by them. I have seen three large flocks of wild geese, but too high 
to tell of what species; they were flying from north to south. I saw 
fifteen hooded crows on the 15th of October ; a woodcock on the 19th ; field- 
fares and golden plovers on the 2nd of November.—J. Whitaker, jun. 
Great Auk.—I have just been reading a book entitled ‘The Land of 
Desolation, being a Personal Narrative of Adventure in Greenland, by 
Isaac J. Hayes, M.D.’ (London, 1871). This American savant has had 
much experience in Arctic travel, and the book in question is a record of a 
visit to Greenland made in the summer of 1869. At p. 291 the following 
passage occurs :—‘“I found Mr. Hansen to be an enthusiastic naturalist. 
Among other valuable specimens which I owed to his kindness was a large 
collection of birds’ eggs and skins, and some fossils. To the study of the 
birds of the region and their habits he has devoted much attention. The 
great auk, long since supposed to be entirely extinct, he told me had been 
recently seen on one of the Whale-fish Islands. ‘I'wo years before one had 
been actually captured by a native, who, being very hungry, and wholly 
ignorant of the great value of the prize he had secured, proceeded at once 
to eat it, much to the disgust of Mr. Hansen, who did not learn of it until 
too late to come to the rescue. How little the poor savage thought of the 
great fortune he had just missed by hastily indulging his appetite!” Any- 
thing relating to the continued existence of the great auk is so interesting 
that I send you this extract, for what it may be worth. Mr. Frederick Hansen 
was, at the time of Dr. Hayes’s visit in 1869, the Governor of Godhayn, in 
Disco Island (lat. 69°), and had previously been Governor of Proven and 
Upernavik. Dr. Hayes gives a wood-cut of “The Great Auk,” but he 
does not tell us who sat for the portrait.—J. W. Dunning; 24, Old 
Buildings, Lincoln's Inn, January 10, 1872. 
Pomarine Skuas in Torbay.—I have just seen, at Mr. Shopland’s, in 
Torquay, two pomarine skuas, shot in Torbay on the 26th of October last. 
One is a fully adult bird; the other a bird in the second year’s plumage, 
but with some very slight remains of the first year’s dress on the lower part 
of the back: this specimen has the feathers at the back of the neck broadly 
margined with dull white. Mr. Shopland informs me that two other 
