The Zoologist— December, 1870. 2409 



Mr. Buslie, telling Lim to secure the bird for his collection. The bird remained till 

 the 25ih of the same nionih exposed for sale, when Mr. Bushe directed Mr. Glennon, 

 of AViclilovv Street, to procure it and have it set up for hiin. The bird was in a 

 putrid slate when purchased, and Mr. Glennou found great diflSculty in making a 

 tolerable specimen of it. I examined the bird on the 5ih of this mouth: there is no 

 doubt of its identity, and in all probability it was killed in Ireland, as no game is sent 

 from America at this season, nor is it at all likely such a bird would be at any time 

 imported for food, and certainly this bird was not sent to be sold as a rarity, for 

 Mr. Duff tells me si.\pence purchased it. Ireland is by no means so far south as its 

 winter haunts in America, Latham mentioning one killed at Rio de Janeiro. 

 Supposing it driven by storm from Greenland to Iceland, the distance is not 

 so insurmountable as would at first appear. I am of opinion that most of the 

 American sea-fowl found on our shores come to us by that route. This is the second 

 occurrence of this bird in Britain, the former specimen occurring in Scotland, as 

 mentioned by Yarrell. — H. Blake-Knox ; November 7, 1870. 



PS. — Since my note on the occurrence of ihe Esquiinaux curlew in Dublin 

 Market, I have heard from Mr. Duff that the bird belongs to Sir Victor Brooke. — 

 H. Blake-Knox. 



Selling's Stint at the Lizard. — I observed yesterday, in the hands of Mr. Vingoe, 

 another specimen of this small stint in the same state of plumage as the last reported. 

 The colour of the legs may be described as black, tinged with olive. — Edward Hearle 

 Rudd; October :iO, 1870. 



Schinz's Sandpiper in North Devon. — I yesterday received a specimen of this rare 

 sandpiper, which had been shot on the river between Barnstaple and Instow: it was 

 in change of plumage, probably in the same state as the one mentioned by Mr. Rodd 

 in the November number of the 'Zoologist' (S. S. 2384), where the principal 

 distinctions between this bird and the purre are pointed out. I failed, however, to 

 find any difference in the colour of the leys: those of all the examples of the purre 

 I have being quite as dark as the Scbinz's sandpiper: probably in perfectly fresh 

 specimens of both the difference might be detected. — Cecil Smith; Lydeard House, 

 Taunton, November 7, 1870. 



PS. — On the 10th of November another example of Schinz's sandpiper was sent 

 to me from Barnstaple. It was forwarded to me in the flesh this time, so I have 

 been able to preserve the sternum, which differs materially from that of the purre, as 

 there is only one notch on the hinder part of the flat portion of the sternum, whilst in 

 that of the purre there are two very distinct and rather deep notches. — Id. ; Nov. 14. 



Sternum of Schinz's Sandpiper. — I had to-day an opportunity of examining the 

 sternum of another specimen of Schinz's sandpiper, also killed at Barnstaple: it 

 differed from the one mentioned in my last note in having two notches in the hinder 

 part of the sternum : not so conspicuous, indeed, or so deeply indented as in the purre, 

 but still distinctly two. What may be the reason for this difference in two birds of 

 the same species, and in all other respects exactly similar, it may be difficult to say ; 

 possibly it is owing to age. I have seen something of the same sort of difference iu 

 the sternum of the Norfolk plover. — Id. ; November 19, 1870. 



Curlew Sandpiper near Aberyslwith. — On the 23rd of August I received a curlew 

 sandpiper {Tringa subarquata), which was shot near Aberystwith by Mr. Hunt, of 

 Hopwood, Worcestershire. — A. M. Browne ; Birmingham. 



