The Zoologist — November, 1873. 3773 



principal food of the species in this neighbourhood, as specimens of the bird 

 were killed in February whilst pulling up the j'oung pea-plants as soon as 

 they appeared above-ground. — G. B. Corhin; Riiigwood, Hants, Sept. 1873. 

 Nesting of the Saudwich Tern on Walney Isliiud. — In the September 

 number of the ' Zoologist ' I promised to make enquiries concerning the 

 time of nesting of the Sandwich tern on Walney Island, and to let Captain 

 Feilden know the result. As I only received an answer to my letter the 

 other day T have hitherto been unable to fulfil that promise. Capt. Feildeu 

 was right in his supposition that I had been misinformed concerning these 

 birds : the son of the proprietor of the land on which they nest now tells me 

 that there were, if he remembers rightly, a few of the large sea swallows 

 about wlien I visited the island (31st May), and that they remained, he 

 thinks, about a fortnight after I left. I can only suppose that the watcher, 

 who accompanied me to the nesting-ground of the blackheaded gulls, told 

 me the Sandwich terns had then left the island because he did not wish me 

 to disturb them ; and I can the more readily beUeve this, as he was very 

 anxious I should not remain a minute near the gulls to blow the eggs I had 

 taken ; and indeed he watched over them as jealously as a gamekeeper 

 guards his pheasants. I am sorry I made the mistake I did, and, but for 

 the delay in receiving a reply to my letter, I should have corrected it 

 sooner. — H. Durnford; October 18, 1873. 



Ommastreplies sagittatus off Ilastiugs. — On the 26th of September a 

 remarkably large and fine specimen of Ommastrephes sagittatus of Lamarck 

 was brought to Hastings, and was purchased by Messrs. Gibson and Allen, 

 the fishmongers. It was said to have been taken by the fishermen in one 

 of their mackerel-nets. The dimensions of the creature are as follows : — 



Length from the front of the head to the point of the tail - 1 ft. 9i in. 



Circumference of body - 1 >> 2 „ 



Greatest breadth of tail-fins 1 „ 2 >» 



Length of head M n 



Length of each tentacular arm 3 „ 3J „ 



Length of si^read from tip to tip of the extended tentacular 



arms - - - - - 4 „ 9 „ 



Length of rows of suckers on each tentacular arm ... 9J „ 



Length of the largest of the tentacles lOi » 



According to the accounts given in Forbes and Hanley's 'History of 

 British Mollusca,' it would appear to be rare as a British species, and that 

 it is by far the largest specimen that has been recorded as taken on our 

 coast. I have salted the specimen, and have sent it to my friend Mr. Henry 

 Lee, who has given us such interesting anecdotes of the habits and manners 

 of the Octopods in the tanks of the Brighton Aq}ia.vivim.—J.S.Boweria7ik; 

 2, East Ascent, St. Leonards-on-Sea. 



SECOND SEEIES — VOL, VIII. 8 ^ 



