OCCASIONAL NOTES. 295 
Scaup Duck so far inland. As to advertising, as suggested by Mr. Mathew, 
it only adds to the expense, and the only satisfaction likely to be obtained 
is the production of the mutilated remains of the missing bird. But to 
return to the Somersetshire Purple Gallinule, it is a bird which I think we 
ought to be very careful how we admit to a place in the British list, for its 
habitat, though not sufficiently distant perhaps to render its reaching these 
shores without the aid of man impossible, is sufficiently so to make it very 
improbable, especially when we take into consideration the habits and 
nature of the bird, and also the fact that it is easily and not unfrequently 
kept in confinement, both in public and private grounds. It may frequently 
be seen in Leadenhall Market, at Mr. Jamrach's, and such places; more- 
over, very few occurrences have been recorded, and some of these may be 
referred to Porphyrio smaragdonotus, a bird still less likely to have wandered 
here of its own accord. The original notice in ‘ Science Gossip,’ which was 
written rather more than a year before Mr. Mathew’s note in ‘ The Zoolo- 
gist,’ and which I will now quote, seems to point to this bird having 
escaped, and makes no mention of a second bird having been seen but not 
taken. It will be found at p. 41 of the volume for 1876, and is as follows :— 
“On the 25th of August last a fine specimen of the Hyacinthine Gallinule, 
Porphyrio veterum, was taken in this neighbourhood (Badgworth). It was 
found in one of our ‘rheins,’ or running ditches, unable to fly, having 
apparently been shot at. By the help of a dog it was chased to a hedge 
and there captured. It pecked savagely at the faces of all who came near it, 
and one boy, whose curiosity got the better of his caution, received a blow 
which pierced the lip and wounded the gum. In fact, its bill when wielded 
with such hearty good—I should rather say ill—will was a formidable weapon. 
The blue on the neck, breast and belly of the bird is of a very lovely hue. 
I shall be glad if any of your readers could inform me whether the bird is 
often found in this country. I have never seen one before. Its wings do 
not seem well adapted for long flights, and it may have escaped from some 
private collection. After a day or two's captivity it was killed and stuffed, 
and is now in the possession of its captors.” To this I replied in a subse- 
quent number, giving some little account of the bird and quoting Mr. 
Harting’s very useful ‘Handbook of British Birds’ as to the number of 
occurrences, and his opinion that these had “doubtless escaped from some 
ornamental water,” an opinion in which [ thoroughly agree, and think we 
may well include the present specimen in the same category.— CECIL 
Smita (Bishop's Lydeard, Taunton). 
PurPLE GaLLINuLEs 1n En@Lanp.—When enumerating the recorded 
instances of the capture of some species of Porphyrio in this country (p. 227), 
we accidentally omitted to note the capture of one at Redbridge, near 
Southampton, in February, 1864, as reported by Mr, Henry Reeks in ‘ The 
Zoologist’ for 1866, p. 229.—Ep. 
