14 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
attention. A correspondent of ‘The Field’ (Nov. 1st) notices 
the unusual numbers of Pomatorhine, Richardson’s and Buffon’s 
Skuas seen along the Durham coast. On October 14th, also on 
the 15th and 17th, some thousands appear to have passed in small 
parties of seven or eight together during the three days, the bulk 
of them being adult birds. From Flamborough Mr. Bailey writes, 
“We have had more Skuas this year than I can remember, with 
the exception of 1872 and 1873, when I saw them flying in flocks 
of from twenty to thirty.” Great numbers were seen off our 
Lincolnshire coast in October close in shore or on the sands, aud 
numerous examples were shot, finding their way to the bird- 
stuffers and game dealers. One Pomatorhine I examined had 
the fully-developed tail and was an old bird, but entirely dark in 
plumage. On the Norfolk coast, as Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., 
informs me, they were equally numerous, and many had fallen to 
the local gunners, the bulk of them being Pomatorhines. 
So far I have heard of no Bramblings having been seen either 
in Lincolnshire or Norfolk. Writing from Essex, November 20th, 
Major Russell says that when off the mouth of the Blackwater 
River on the 16th, wind northerly, about twelve Bramblings passed 
his boat, flying N. by W. or N.N.W off the sea towards the nearest 
high land visible, Mersea Island) They were near enough to 
show the tawny bars on the wing. 
After a fine and dry November with the commencement of 
December, as a lion at one bound, the winter has sprung upon us. 
The frost on December 2nd, at 7.80 A.M., was so intense as to 
freeze water in my bedroom shortly after having been poured out, 
and buckets of water taken from the springs in the yard froze 
almost instantly. In the afternoon I went to try for a Snipe in the 
marsh; the drains were frozen hard enough to bear my weight 
anywhere, and I found the Snipe had collected at the little pools 
made by-the dripping from the under-drains. My first shot killed 
a Snipe, but also aroused about one hundred and fifty wild geese 
which were resting on the grassland near the Humber, and shortly 
after this another lot of sixty-five came nearly within shot. From 
each field came the mellow twittering of the Snow Buntings, and 
amongst the rough grasses and reeds on the drain-banks, searching _ 
for snails, were numbers of those dark “ Hebridean” 'Thrushes 
whose occasional visits to us in severe winters I have before 
remarked upon. I also saw the largest flock of Golden Plover it 
