The Zoologist — January, 1874. 3835 



times met with similar instances in India, but never before in this country. 

 I am aware that the circumstance is not unique, but it is perhaps of suffi- 

 ciently rare occurrence to he worth recording. — W. E. Hart; Eilderry, 

 Co. Donegal, December 15, 1873. 



Yirginian (taail in Northamptonshire. — I send you herewith a bird which 

 I shot on the 1st of December, when out partridge shooting. Three of 

 them were flushed from a hedgerow, and the one sent, being the nearest, 

 paid the penalty. I have been a gamekeeper all my life, and have never 

 seen a similar bird before ; neither can any one here tell me what it is. 

 I shall be glad if you will name it, and give me any further particulars in 

 your power as to its rarity or otherwise. — John Treeton ; Gamekeeper to 

 Baron Rothschild, Ashton, near Oundle, Northamptonshire. [The bird sent 

 is the Virginian quail or coHn [Ortyx virginianus). As its name implies, it 

 is an American species, which has been introduced into this country. 

 A good many have been turned down at different times in the eastern 

 counties, as well as at Windsor (by the late Prince Consort), and again in 

 Scotland, but with little success. We have not previously heard of any in 

 Northamptonshire ; but, as the bird sent was shot near Oundle, we should 

 not be surprised to hear that it was one of several turned out by Lord 

 Lilford, whose enterprise in the cause of acclimatisation is well known to 

 naturalists. — Editor of'Eield,' Dec. 6.] 



A four-legged Chicken. — During the past summer a malformed specimen 

 of the common fowl was sent to me as a curiosity ; but, as it had been dead 

 for several days, its preservation was impossible. It was a chick, and had 

 lived several days ; but it had four legs, two of which were in their proper 

 place and were used in walking, whilst the other pair were placed much 

 nearer the tail, and were both shorter and smaller than the natural legs. 

 I need hardly state that the posterior pair were useless in walking. Some 

 time since I saw a young duck exactly similar to the chick above mentioned, 

 but that had lived for several weeks, and was accidentally killed. — O. B 

 Corbin. 



lierons in Richmond Park. — Walking round Penn Ponds, Richmond 

 Park, on Friday last, T had the pleasure of seeing iifteen herons rise from 

 the bank of the upper pond, and alight in the covert near at hand, some of 

 them perching on the topmost boughs of the largest trees. To a naturalist 

 residing in town, and with few opportunities of seeing this bird, the sight 

 was most interesting. Would they be likely to nest in the park if not 

 disturbed? Their doing so would certainly add another charm to that 

 already pleasant spot. — ' Field,' Dec. 6, 1873. 



Spoonbill in Cuernsey. — Among the many rare and curious birds which 

 visit the island of Guernsey in autumn may be noticed the spoonbill 

 {Platalea leucorodia), a specimen of which was shot at the Vale a few days 

 ago, and taken to Mr. Couch, taxidermist, College Street. This is the 



