2080 The Zoologist— April, 1870. 



Goosaiuler. — February 15. An immature male, measuring twenty- 

 six inches and a half over all, was brought me this evening by one of 

 our gunners, who shot it near the Humber embanlimenl coming over 

 from ihe land. It is the fourth of this species I have come across in 

 this district in fifteen years ; one of these was an adult male shot at 

 Cleethorpes in the winter of 1866. Some years since, in the winter, 

 when walking down this beck at dusk two goosanders rose from a 

 deep hole at a sharp bend in the stream, and I was lucky enough to 

 get the male, a magnificent adult. He fell winged, and when I lifted 

 him disgorged two trout, which, judging from their freshness, could 

 only have been just swallowed : the larger of these was seven, the 

 other about five inches long. 



Sltieldrake. — February 17. Has been more than usually plentiful 

 on the Humber during the winter : 1 have seen eight in one day shot 

 on the coast. The muscular coat of the stomach in this species is 

 very thick and strong, and apparently capable of reducing any tough 

 morsel. One opened to-day contains sand, and about a hundred 

 small shells of the genus Buccinum. 



Blnclcffirnii/ed Direr. — An adult feuialu was shot on the Humber 

 on the 16lh. I had an opportunity of examining this bird, which 

 belongs to a friend. As I know many of the readers of the ' Zoologist' 

 are interested in the plumage of the divers, I copy from my note-book 

 the description of the plumage of this bird, which was a very fine 

 specimen, and partly assuming the summer plumage. 



Colymbus ardlcxis (Linn.) — Adult Female. 



Totiil Icnslli over all 



Bill along ridge 



„ gape to tip 



Depth at nostrils ...--.- 

 Width below nostrils -....- 



Wing from Ikxine 



Tarsus ..-.---- 



Iris red-currant colour. Bill grayish blue, gradually becoming 

 darker towards the tip, ridge of u})per mandilde nearly black. Feet 

 and tarsi dark olive-brown outside, pale flesh inside. Head and upper 

 neck mouse-colour; forehead, sides and nape much darker. Upper 

 plumage, scapulars and wing-coverts black, glossed with green. A 

 row of feathers on each side of upper back lipped with white, forming 

 two diverging lines. Scaptdars broadly tipped with white, with the 

 shafts of feathers black. The feathers of tlie greater and lesser wing- 



