OCCASIONAL NOTES. _ 183 
half. A specimen in the same state of plumage, obtained here some years 
since by the late Mr. D. W. Mitchell, measured fifteen inches and a half 
from the carpal joint to the end of the wing. Some of your readers might 
very properly remark that from my description this specimen might as well 
be a small Glaucous as a large Iceland Gull, but I think the length of the 
quill-feathers beyond the tail shows its character against the Glaucous Gull. 
Tt will, however, be necessary to be cautious in dealing with this point— 
viz., the length of the quill-feathers of this bird, as mentioned by authors. 
The quill-feathers of the Glaucous Gull are spoken of by most of our 
authors as scarcely equalling the tail-feathers in length: this, however, is 
a mistake, for in my specimen, and in one in Mr. Vingoe’s possession, the 
feathers exceed the tail, slightly certainly, but by an inch at least. In Mr. 
Gould’s figure of the Glaucous Gull, in his ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ I see 
he makes the length of the quill-feathers exceed the tail, in accordance with 
the two specimens I have mentioned.—E. H. Ropp (Penzance). 
Curious Errecr oF THE Recent Froops.—During the month of 
January last one or two Kingfishers were picked up dead in the water, 
close to the Vicarage, apparently from starvation, the flood rendering it 
impossible for them to find their usual sustenance. I may add that these 
birds have been unusually plentiful in the neighbourhood this winter, and 
very tame.—Anrtuur P. Morrzs (Britford Vicarage, Salisbury). 
Kine Duck 1n Orxney.—On the 31st January last I was out shooting 
in the String of Shapinsha, and came across a solitary specimen of the 
King Duck (Somateria spectabilis); which I bagged. It was an adult male 
bird, and I have sent it to be preserved by Ward, of Vere Street, London. 
The man from whom we hired the boat, and who accompanied us, said that 
although he had been in the habit of shooting and fishing about the islands 
for years he had never seen one before.—R. P. Harper (2, Royal Crescent, 
Scarborough). 
Tue “CurLEw” oF THE WiLtsHiRE Downs.—With reference to the 
remarks which appeared in the January number of ‘ The Zoologist’ on the 
supposed breeding of the Common Curlew (Numenius arquata) on the 
Wiltshire Downs, as mentioned in the Appendix to the ‘ Birds of Marl- 
borough,’ it may interest you to know that I have made some enquiries on 
the subject. Marsh, a labouring man, one of the two Marlborough men 
who took the eggs and captured an old Curlew, on being shown a stuffed 
Stone Curlew (idicnemus crepitans), immediately identified the bird which 
he had taken with that species, and when shown the head and wings of the 
Common Curlew said he had never seen a bird like that before. The only 
authority, therefore, for the breeding of the Common Curlew near Marl- 
borough is now the list published some fifteen years ago in the ‘ Flora of 
Marlborough,’ and as only one specimen of this bird has ever been recorded 
to have been taken near here, there can be little doubt that the species 
