4332 THE ZooLocist—FEBRvaRY, 1875. 
Purple Sandpiper.—On the 80th one shot on the beach; there 
was a company of seven, probably the same family. They are 
rarely met with on this part of the coast. 
JoHN SCLATER. 
Castle Eden, Durham. 
Ornithological Notes from Somersetshire. 
By Ceci, Situ, Esq. 
I THINK it is quite a year since my last notes appeared in the 
‘Zoologist, but during that year there have been so few events 
worthy of record that I did not trouble you before. Migrants, both 
summer and winter, came and weut about their usual time; the 
only two exceptions | have noted below. 
Stonechat.—On the 27th of February I saw in some fields near 
the sea about Quantox Head an unusual number of stonechats 
together: these were probably a migratory flock just arrived; if so 
they were some time earlier than I have generally noticed such 
arrivals. Of course a good many stay with us all the year, but 
these generally keep about singly, or at most in pairs. 
Egyptian Goose.—On the 9th of April Mr. Esdaile, of Cotheleston 
House, brought me a bird to identify, which had been shot on his 
pond, where it had been seen staying about for some days. The 
bird turned out to be an Egyptian goose, but whether it was really 
a wild bird or only an escape; or a descendant of an escape, is 
impossible to say. Several years ago a large flock of Egyptian 
geese, which had been bred in Mr. Esdaile’s ponds, were shot down 
and driven away, as the farmer who rented some grass fields 
adjoining the pond used to complain of them, saying to his land- 
lord, “ Drat them geese! three on ’em do eat as much grass as one 
sheep ;” so that the bird now killed may have been one of the 
survivors or a descendant of one. 
Siskin and Lesser Redpoll.—On the 18th of April there was a 
small flock of siskins and lesser redpolls in some oak trees near 
the garden: this is rather later than either of these birds usually 
remain about here. 
Eared Grebe.—On the 18th of April I received from Mr. Rowe, 
of Barnstaple, an eared grebe, alive and apparently in a healthy 
state. It only lived, however, about a week, but during that time 
it was very lively and very tame. At first I kept it indoors, when 
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