OCCASIONAL NOTES. 107 
September, however, I saw a specimen which had been killed as it was 
flying over the river, but it was terribly battered with large shot, its 
head being smashed and almost severed from the body. Its general colour 
was a pale yellowish white, the body tinged with gray, and the feathers of 
the wing-coverts were each bordered with bright rust-colour, so that it 
would have been a peculiar variety if it had been worth preservation. This 
was probably the bird I had watched during the summer, for although the 
man who shot it said he saw another at the same time similarly coloured, 
no such specimen was seen afterwards.—G. B. Corsin. 
Gray SHRIKE AND GoosaNDER IN County AnTRIM.—A female speci- 
men of the Great Gray Shrike was shot at Carnmoney, County Antrim, on 
January 13th; the stomach contained fragments of the bones of some small 
bird, but of what species I could not determine. On the 9th of the same 
month a young male Goosander was killed ou the six-mile water near 
Randalstown, and came into my possession the following day.—THomas 
Darracu (Belfast Museum). 
[In Thompson’s ‘Birds of Ireland’ the Goosander is characterised as 
“probably an annual winter visitant to Ireland, but in very limited 
numbers; and chiefly to fresh water.”— Ep. | 
Owis Wasuixe.—I have a pet Barn Owl flying at large in the yard, and 
on several occasions I have seen him wash in a tub of water. I have alsoa 
Long-eared Owl, but never knew him to wash, although he sits outside in 
rain and wind both night and day, and seldom seeks shelter or even a dark 
corner ; it is quite the contrary with the Barn Owl, as he does not seem to 
like the light, and seeks the cellar in the day-time. It would be of interest 
to me to know if others have observed Owls washing, and if so, of what 
species ?—THomas Darracu (Belfast Museum). 
[That Owls have no antipathy to water is evidenced by the fact that they 
have been observed to catch fish, and in their love of bathing, when oppor- 
tunity serves, they probably do not differ from other birds of prey.— Eb. | 
ReMaRKABLE VARIETY oF THE WitpD Ducx.—On the 11th January a 
strange specimen of the Mallard was submitted te my inspection. The 
head was yellowish green, the white collar absent from the neck, very slight 
traces of the rufous band on the breast, speculum ashy black instead of 
brilliant green. . It was shot below Topsham, on the Exe, a day or two 
before I saw it—W. S. M. D’Urzan (Curator, Albert Memorial Museum, 
Exeter). 
[Our first impression on reading this note was that the bird must have 
been a drake in the plumage of a duck, still undergoing that remarkable 
seasonal change of plumage to which we know the Mallard is liable at the 
close of the nesting season. But looking to the date at which it was 
obtained, this could scarcely have been the case. The Mallards begin to 
assume the duck’s plumage about the third week in May, and retain it 
