3012 THE ZooLoGist—APRIL, 1872. 
in the very light brown, or immature plumage. This species, as well 
as the glaucous gull, when on the wing, may be easily distin- 
guished from all other gulls, even when young, by the peculiar light 
colour of the primaries, which when viewed from below appear almost 
transparent, presenting a pretty effect against the light of the sky 
above; and somehow the wings of an immature Iceland or 
glaucous gull when stretched in flight always remind me of those 
of a barn owl, but I should fancy they would bear a still greater 
resemblance to those of the Greenland falcon, both in size and 
colour: but that bird I have never had the good fortune to see in a 
wild state. I once shot a glaucous gull which disgorged a short 
junk of conger eel, almost as large round as my arm. 
Feb. 5th. Observed between tweuty and thirty great blackbacked 
gulls resting on the West Mud, near a large number of herring gulls 
and other species. There were also several guillemots and razor- 
bills diving about the harbour and in the Sound, and at low water 
a great number of curlews, dunlins, and ring dotterel were feeding 
on the mud. Strange to say I have not observed the lesser black- 
.backed gull during the winter. 
Buzzard.—Examined two exceedingly fine buzzards, in the 
flesh, which had been trapped and sent to a bird-stuffer for preser- 
vation. They were both varieties, showing an unusual amount of 
white and ferruginous colour on their plumage. The thighs of one 
were most beautifully barred with ferruginous on an almost white 
ground. 
Feb. 7th. Morning very fine and mild. Took a short walk into 
the country. Missel thrushes and robins singing in every direction. 
Saw a skylark high in the air singing delightfully ; also heard the 
call-note of the wood lark. Starlings very numerous: this species 
has bred and increased wonderfully in the neighbourhood of 
Plymouth of late years, and they assemble in such numbers to 
roost in a shrubbery at Stoke, adjoining Plymouth, that I am 
credibly informed they actually broke down a branch eight inches 
in circumference by their weight. 
Feb. 8th. An Iceland gull again flew past me to day, quite 
close. 
Razorbill.—Feb. 10th. Razorbills very numerous, diving close to 
the rocks, and many floating dead on the water or washed up along 
the shore. This, I understand, has been the case almost throughout 
the entire length of the English coast during the last two months, 
