The Zoologist — January, 1871. 2443 



drops of a very clear oil, siuelling like cod liver oil, exude from its Leak, 

 aud found in its crop, partiall3- digested, the remains of some grub or worm. 

 The birds were quite fat. The boatman wlio took me on the last occasion 

 said that he bad noticed several small parties of these birds swimming near 

 the Breakwater within the past few weeks. I have heard of their having been 

 seen in like numbers from the Hoe and at Millbaj', and niany have been 

 shot by others, so that they must have been scattered over nearly the whole 

 of the Sound. — F. H. Bcdkivill ; 13, Princes Square, Plymouth, Nov. 4, 

 1870. 



King Duck in Leadcnhall Market. — On the 17th of November Mr. Gat- 

 combe purchased a female king duck {Somatcria spectahiUs, L.) in Leadenhall 

 Market. It appeared to have been dead not more than four days ; there is 

 therefore every probability that it had been killed in British seas. The 

 female king duck is a far smaller and redder bird than the female eider. 

 It may also be distinguished by the ridge of skin on the top of the beak 

 going further than that on the side, the reverse being the case in the eider. 

 Degland states that the feet in the (female) king duck are yellow, which, if 

 true, would be another distinction, but in my specimen they are dark olive. 

 Mr. Gatcombe also informs me that, according to Macgillivray, the eider 

 duck has sixteen tail-feathers, and the king duck fourteen, but none of the 

 eiders in my collection have so many as sixteen. — J. H. Gnrney, jun. ; 

 2, Beta Place, Alpha Boad. 



little Auk, &c., near Dorer.— x\ little auk was taken last week: its 

 capture was very singular; a party fisliing saw the bird close to the boat, 

 and on throwing the bait for fishing the bird tried to seize it ; the party then 

 threw the bait again towards the bird, and succeeded in bringing it to the 

 boat's side, and then caught it with his hand. Last mouth Baillon's crake, 

 three gray phalaropes and the common cormorant were taken in the Hytbe 

 Canal by Mr. F, Young. — Charles Gordon ; Museum, Dover, November 24, 

 1870. 



Forkedtailcd Petrel in South Devon. — A forktailed petrel was obtained 

 near Paignton, South Devon, on the 2Gth of November, and sent to Mr. 

 Shopland, bird-preserver, Torquay. — J. H. Gurney; Marldon, Totnes, 

 December 3, 1870. 



Forkedtailed Petrel at Brighton. — On Thursday, November 24, a 

 forkedtailed petrel was taken alive on the sand opposite West Street, in this 

 town, aud brought to Mr. Swaysland. It appeared quite lost and exhausted. 

 The sea being very rough prevents these birds from feeding, and when weak 

 from want of food they try to shift their quarters, and the wind overpowers 

 them. But this event appears always to happen to them in November, and 

 I find my notes full of cases of this species being picked up, alive and dead, 

 here and inland — always, however, in this month. — Geo. Dawson Bowley ; 

 Chichester House, Brujhton. — From the ' Field' of December 3rd. 



