THE ZooLocist—APrRIL, 1872. 3025 
razorbills which several of your correspondents have noticed on different 
parts of the coast. In my walks along the beach at Torquay I have 
observed the same circumstance: the strand in places was literally strewed 
with dead birds: they appeared in good condition.—H. C. Cuppage ( Lieut.- 
Col. ).—‘ Field’ of March 2. 
Mortality amongst Razorbills.—Seeing that you have given publicity to 
several letters on the “ mortality amongst razorbills,” it may interest your 
readers to know that a similar circumstance has occurred on the Durham 
coast off Castle Eden, only in this case the number of guillemots and razor- 
bills have been about equal. The same thing happened here in the months 
of January and February, 1870, when a larger number were washed ashore 
than at present. There were also a few puffins amongst them. I picked 
up one specimen of razorbill which differed from any I have ever seen. It 
was without the white streak between the beak and the eye. I have shown 
this to several naturalists, none of whom ever noticed this peculiarity in 
the bird. One of your correspondents mentions the little auk having been 
taken inland. TI have in my collection one that was picked up alive on the 
road in front of some houses at Castle Eden, three miles from the sea, about 
seven or eight years ago. In all these cases the sea has been very rough, 
and all the birds that I examined were very thin, with empty stomachs. I 
have no doubt they perished through not being able to obtain food. John 
Sclater; Castle Eden Castle, Durham.—lId. 
Mortality amongst Razorbills.—I see you have two or three letters from 
correspondents respecting the great mortality amongst razorbills, but they 
are all from the South of England, and perhaps it may be interesting to 
some of your readers to hear that the same thing has occurred in the 
North. On the beach at Sunderland quantities of razorbills and guillemots 
have been found dead, both young and old birds, evidently from starvation. 
The weather for the time of year has not been particularly bad, the wind 
blowing almost invariably from the west and south-west. Of course occa- 
sionally after a strong north-east gale we have birds either washed ashore 
or found almost dead on the beach, as was the case two winters ago, when, 
amongst others, six redthroated divers, a species rarely seen here, were 
picked up near the docks; but for such a large number of birds to die in 
moderately fine weather seems unaccountable.—C. Grimshaw.—‘ Field’ of 
March 9th. 
Ostrich-farming in South Africa.—This new branch of farming has been 
carried on very successfully for the last few years, and, as the subject may 
be interesting to some of your readers, I venture to offer a few remarks on 
the mode of domesticating ostriches, habits of the bird, &. Within the 
limits of the Cape Colony the wild ostrich has become comparatively rare, 
and the bulk of feathers annually exported come from the interior, and are 
collected by traders, who are constantly travelling to and from the market, 
