The Zoologist — January, 1871. 2441 



the sand grouse iu 1803) as to the direction of flight and distribution of the 

 immense body of quails that, from some cause difficult to arrive at, must 

 have reached our shores last spring, and remained to breed. My own notes, 

 though by no means complete at present, prove these birds to have been 

 scattered all over the county : in places where they have never been known 

 before, and in the feu district, on the western side, between two and three 

 hundred birds have been killed, and over a thousand eggs taken besides. 

 With such returns, then, from East and West, — Pembrokeshire and Nor- 

 folk, — it is most desirable to ascertain whether the ilidland and Southern 

 Counties have been visited in like manner. The localities recorded up to 

 the present time in the ' Zoologist ' comprise Scotland East, Yorkshire 

 East, Lincolnshire North, Norfolk, Suffolk, Denbighshire, Pembrokeshire, 

 Bedfordshire and Sussex (Lewes). — H. Stevenson; Norwich, Dec. 12, 1870. 



Dottorels iu Somcisctsliire. — On the 1st of May, IBO'J, I obtained five 

 dotterels, shot the day previous on the Mendips, about a mile and a half 

 north-east of Wells : they were taken to the town birdstufter, and from him 

 I received them. When first seen the flock consisted of nine or ten, and 

 seven were killed. All the specimens I received were in a state of moult, 

 in two of them the summer dress fast attaining completion. There appeared 

 to be two males and three females, but this was not proved by dissection. 

 These birds are said to occur here very seldom ; however, on the 21st of 

 August last, I saw one specimen and heard another on the same hill where 

 the five were obtained the year previous. This would be an early return for 

 this species, supposing them to have bred northwards, and not in this 

 district. — F. D. Foiver. 



Wood Sandpiper in SomerscfsLire. — A few days ago I was in a bird- 

 stuffer's shop at Taunton, and saw a bird which I could not quite make 

 out hanging up in a dark corner. On asking to have it handed down, 

 I was told it was " only one of them little summer sandpipers." However, 

 I found it to be a very fair specimen of the wood sandpiper. On making 

 further inquiries, I was informed that the birdstutTer, Mr. Petheric, had shot 

 it himself on the 9th of May last near the village of Cheddou, about three 

 miles from Taunton, and had brought it home and stuffed it, thinking it 

 was only a summer snipe. I of course immediately carried it off with me 

 and added it to my collection, as being the only Somerset wood sandpiper 

 I had yet either seen or heard of. — Cecil Smith; Deceniher 15, 1870. 



Scliinz's Sandpipci" at Barnstaple. — Four specimens, in all, of Schinz's 

 sandpiper [Triiuja Buonapartil of Yarrell) occurred during the month of 

 November at Barnstaple. Two are in the possession of Mr. Cecil Smith, 

 of Lydeard House, Taunton ; one came into my hands ; and the fourth was 

 unfortunately too much injured by shot to be preserved. The engraving iu 

 Yarrell, and also the coloured picture in Morris, give a faithful representa- 

 tion of this straggler from America. In addition to the white rump, there 



