2770 The Zoologist — September, 1871. 



brownish gray, feet darker ; claws brown, those on the smaller toes lighter 

 towards the extremities. Spurs indicated. — W. Craibe Angus; June 10. 



Double Embryo iu a Pbcasant's Egg. — The other day I came upon a 

 pair of common pheasants in the same shell, which were all but hatched. 

 I have no doubt but they would have separated in due course, but I pre- 

 ferred keeping them together, and in spirits. The head of one of the 

 embryos is placed above the posterior of the others, one of the feet of 

 each being coiled above the head of the other. On a previous occasion I had 

 a pair of curlews iu one shell, and I once observed seven ducklings following 

 a hen which was set on six eggs. — Id. 



Immigration of Great Bustards. — At the same time that the great 

 bustards appeared in this country they would seem to have been similarly 

 plentiful at some places on the Continent, and although the dates do not 

 sufficiently correspond to lead us to the supposition that they were all 

 member's of one flock, yet I think the coincidence should not be lost sight 

 of, having no doubt that they were all impelled by the same cause — 

 viz. the severity of the weather. In Belgium, as M. Dubois informed me, 

 about ten were killed, of which three occurred at Gand and two at 

 Brussels, and one, a female, was sent to him by Count Mens, with a 

 request to know if it was good for eating: this happened about Christmas; 

 and on the 17th of January a magnificent female was shot at Nice, which, 

 through the kindness of a friend, was presented to me. A similar 

 visitation took place in February at Halle, in Germany, where seventeen 

 were killed (Wilh. Schliiter in litt. ad R. B. Sharpe); and possibly by 

 consulting the foreign journals, other cases might be found. — J. H. Gumey, 

 jun.; 2, Beta Place, N.W. 



Ringed Plover breeding at a distance from the Coast. — I should be 

 very much obliged if you could let me know if it is a common thing for the 

 ringed plover to breed at some distance from the coast. I found some eggs 

 yesterday on a stony island in the River Dee, at least five miles from the 

 mouth. A pair breed there every year, and seem to be very late. A pair 

 of oystercatchers also breed on the same island. — '- Lewis Edwardes ; 

 3, St. Marys Place, Crotcn Street, Aberdeen, N. B., June 26, 1871. 



[I only know of this bird as breeding on the coast, and Montagu's 

 experience appears to be the same ; but I shall be obliged by the opinion of 

 others. — Edward Newman.] 



Waterbens and Wood Pigeons snccessirely occupying the same Nest. — On 

 the 10th of May, 1871, a waterhen's nest was found at Keswick, near 

 Norwich, situated in a thorn tree in the rookery near the River Yare, at a 

 height of seventeen and a half feet from the ground. The nest when 

 examined was found to contain seven eggs and three young waterhens, one 

 of which scrambled out and fell to the ground, but was immediately replaced, 

 and the nest and its contents left undisturbed till the 19th of June, when 



