THE ZooLocisT—OcToBER, 1875. 4635 
Being badly stuffed in the first instance, the total length of this 
bird could not be ascertained with any certainty. Mr. J. H. 
Gurney informs me that in skins of Egyptian stilts brought home 
by his son three males exceed three females in the length of the 
tarsus by about one-third of an inch. I have also measured the 
tarsi of a young female from Mr. Gurney’s collection, with the 
following result :— 
Immature female (Egypt) - - - - 4S inches. 
Adult female (Ingham, Norfolk) — - . 3 A! Ge oe 
Supposed male (Ditchingham, Norfolk) - ok) haar 
This, I think, therefore, with the colour of its plumage on the 
back and wings, may decide the sex of the latter specimen. 
Spotted Redshank.—A young bird, in its first year’s plumage, 
was shot at Stalham about the second week in August. 
Great Snipe.—One example of the “double” or “solitary” 
snipe was killed at Ranworth on the 20th of August, and three 
more at East Ruston in the first week of September. 
Henry STEVENSON. 
Norwich, September 11, 1875. 
Ornithological Notes from Devonshire, Cornwall, Sc. 
By JoHN GATCOMBE, Esq. 
(Continued from §. S. 4490). 
JUNE, JULY AND AucustT, 1875. 
June Ist. Found several young herring gulls just hatched at 
Wembury, and was much struck with the wonderful instinct dis- 
played by the little creatures; for so long as an eye was upon 
them they would remain perfectly motionless, and the colour of 
their downy plumage so closely resembled that of the surrounding 
rocks that they were difficult to make out, even with a good glass. 
On some flat rocks far below, and close to the sea, were about one 
hundred adult gulls lying basking in the sun, with their heads all 
turned in the same direction, presenting a very curious effect. 
I have often wondered how some of the herring gulls can sit on 
their nests with the rays of a blazing mid-day sun directly upon 
them; indeed I have watched them for hours, with their mouths 
wide open, apparently gasping for breath. Among two or three 
