The Zoologist — October, 1874. 4201 



found that lie, like the prophets of old, was not duly honoured in his own 

 country ; however, there is some truth iu the quaint remark referred to. — 

 Henry HadfieU ; August 7, 1874. 



Affection of the Sea Gull for its Yoang. — Standing on the jetty at 

 luverary, on Loch Fyue, one morning iu the autumn of 1870, I witnessed 

 an interesting instance of the affection of the gull for its offspring. Three 

 birds, of the species which may be seen any day following in the wake of 

 the tourist steamers, two old ones and a young one, were allured, by a few 

 pieces of biscuit adroitly jerked far out into the loch by a friend of mine, 

 within a short distance of the jetty. The old birds too knowing to come 

 within a stone's throw, the tempting morsels were picked up by the unwary 

 young one. The supply of biscuit exhausted, one of those lads who are 

 invariably on the spot if an opportunity for mischief presents itself, began 

 to throw stones at the young gall, whose brilliant white plumage made it 

 an admirable mark ; the old birds, seeing the danger it was in, circled 

 round and round, urging it by their cries and example to leave the 

 dangerous spot, twice flying straight away, as though leaving it behind, 

 and then returning. The foolish bird, at last struck by a piece of coal, fell 

 into the loch, lying upon the water like a little ball of snow-white feathers. 

 At the sight of this mishap the old birds were evidently in great distress, 

 their motions and cries being redoubled. Before, however, the lad who had 

 fetched it down, and had jumped into a boat, could paddle to pick it up, the 

 bird, which had been only stunned, fluttered and flew a few yards, when the 

 old birds instantly swooped down to its assistance, by their cries encouraged 

 it, and it slowly rose between them and flew away, one of the old ones on 

 either side, straight up the loch, evidently a sadder and a wiser bird, having 

 received a lesson it was not likely soon to. forget. — Richard Ball ; Upper 

 Mary Street, Birmingham, September 21, 1874. 



Name of a Bird. — A very peculiar looking bird was shot by Mr. J. Knight, 

 of Wrecclesham, near Farnham, on the 19th September; its head, wings, 

 back and tail are of a beautiful cream-colour, beak yellow, and its breast is 

 spotted similar to that of a missel thrush. The bird is now in the hands of 

 a birdstuffer of this town, who believes it to be the common song thrush. — 

 W. H. Legg ; Farnham, Surrey. 



[Is it not a pied variety of the missel thrush ? — E. Newman.] 



Beaumaris Shark taken off Bastings. — On the '48th of August a fine 

 specimen of the Beaumaris shark [Lamna monensis) Avas taken in the nets 

 of one of our fishing-boats about five miles off Hastings. It measured 

 eight feet six inches iu length, and the gape of the jaws laterally and 

 perpendicularly was nine inches and a half I have the jaws and the 

 vertebral column ; the diameter of the largest vertebra is one inch and 



