228 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
(« Zoologist,’ 1865, p. 9418, and 1867, p. 829). On the 25th September, 
1876, a Purple Gallinule was shot near Grange in Furness, Lancashire, by 
Robert Allan, gamekeeper to Mr. E. Mucklow, of Castle Head, Grange. 
and was preserved by Kirkby, the taxidermist, of Ulverston. We are 
further informed by the Rev. E. W. Dowell, of Dunton Vicarage, Faken- 
ham, Norfolk, that an adult bird of this species was killed in one of the 
head streams of the Wensum River, at Tatterford, early in October, 1876. 
Mr. John Marshall, of Belmont, Taunton, has a bird of this species in his 
collection, which he purchased some years ago at Mr. Troughton’s sale, and 
which was labelled as killed in Ireland. Thompson, in his ‘ Natural 
History of Ireland’ (Birds, vol. ii. p. 331, note), refers to a specimen of this 
bird which was found about the first week of November, 1845, lying dead 
in a ditch near the village of Brandon, on the coast of Kerry.—Eb.] 
OccuRRENCE OF THE LirtLE Owr In Sussux.—On the 16th March 
last I saw in the shop of Mr. Pratt, naturalist, Brighton, a specimen of the 
Little Owl (Noctua passerina), which had been shot the previous evening in 
an orchard close to the town of New Shoreham. It was in most perfect 
plumage, not showing the slightest sign of having been in confinement. 
On dissection it proved to be a female, and the ovary contained about thirty 
eggs, of which four were considerably advanced. The stomach contained 
nothing but a few grains of gravelly detritus. This is only the second 
specimen I have met with, or heard of as having been killed in this county. 
The first, a male in my collection, was obtained, also in an orchard, near 
Fletching Park, in May, 1848. The female bird, which I have now 
secured, is rather the larger bird of the two—Witi14m Borrer (Cowfold, 
Horsham). 
[The synonymy of this species, is extremely confused, scarcely two 
writers being agreed as to the name it should bear. It is clear, however, 
that it is not the Stria passerina of Linneus, which is a perfectly distinct 
and much smaller European species, and has not been met with in this 
country. In his new edition of Yarrell’s ‘ British Birds,’ Prof. Newton, 
following Prof. Sundevall, identifies it with the Striv noctua of Scopoli, and 
points out (vol. i. p. 118) that as the generic names Athene and Noctua are 
preoccupied in Entomology, its proper designation, according to the Rules 
of Zoological Nomenclature, is Carine noctua (Scopoli).—Eb. ] 
Norge oN THE SHorT-EARED Owi.—On the 8rd April a Short-eared 
Owl was sent to me by an experienced and intelligent gamekeeper in the 
parish of Northrepps, Norfolk, with a note, from which the following is 
extracted :—“ Lately we have seen where three Partridges have been 
killed, and yesterday morning the remains of a fourth were brought to me, 
which, after carefully examining, I considered to be the work of an Owl, so 
a trap was set in the evening, baited with the remains of the Partridge. 
The trap was watched, and just after dusk an Owl was seen working the 
