The Zoologist — February, 1873. 3399 



great eyes" staring at her, and, being dreadfully frightened, called 

 out lustily for her master, who on rushing in was just in time to see 

 something disappearing up the chimney, and bravely thrusting up 

 his hand to pull this " something" down, got " something" for his 

 pains which he will not forget in a hurry, his hand being, as I was 

 informed, severely torn. 



Scoter and Northern Diver. — November 19. Saw some common 

 scoters and a large northern diver swimming and diving off the 

 " west mud" in the Hamoaze. Scoters appear in large flocks some- 

 times during November on our coast, especially should the wind be 

 easterly, when they are tolerably tame; but, strange to say, although 

 the large guns of the "Cambridge" gunnery ship were discharging 

 shot at a target in the vicinity of the above-mentioned scoters and 

 divers, they seemed to take little or no heed of the noise. As the 

 big guns are constantly firing close to the " west mud," I think the 

 birds about that locality must have become used to them, nist as 

 they do to a passing train. 



Snow Bunting and Siskin. — November 20. Dissected a very 

 fine snow bunting which had been killed in the neighbourhood 

 of Mary Tavy : it was very fat, and its stomach contained minute 

 seeds and rather coarse transparent sand or gravel. Snow buntings 

 are very uncommon with us in Devonshire. Two or three days 

 previously several siskins were seen, and some caught, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Liskeard, Cornwall. 



Kittiwake Gull. — Nov. 23. During a severe gale from the S.W., 

 flocks of kitti wakes made their appearance in the Sound and Har- 

 bour, many of which were so exhausted as to allow themselves to 

 be knocked down with stones and sticks. How strange it seems 

 that these poor birds should suffer so much during protracted gales, 

 when the other species of gulls do not appear to be aff'ected in the 

 least. Hundreds of these innocent visitors have been shot during 

 the last fortnight, I am sorry to say. 



Richardson'' s Skua. — Nov. 25. Saw a fine adult Richardson's 

 skua fly past the Devil's Point at Stonehouse. Its somewhat gliding 

 flight was swift and elegant, but it did not attempt to molest any 

 of the smaller gulls on its way, so I think it was merely seeking 

 refuge from the heavy gale that was blowing at the time. I was 

 near enough to see that its upper plumage was smoke-gray, with a 

 white patch or two on the wings, such as most if not every species 

 of skua is sometimes subject to. The top of its head was very 



