26 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Zinches. C. pallidus breeds at Gibraltar, where Colonel Irby observed it 
nesting in the “weep” holes of the masonry of a portion of the old sea- 
defences this last spring. Attempts were forthwith made by an energetic 
officer of the Rifle Brigade to get at the eggs; but these were unfortunately 
found to be at a great distance from the mouth of the holes, in some cases 
as much as 10 feet, and, though various contrivances were resorted to, all 
that could be reached were broken in the attempt.—Savitz G. Rem, R.E. 
Anrcporr or A RouGH-LEGGED Buzzarp.—The following circumstance 
has been communicated to me, as having recently occurred in this neigh- 
bourhood, and is, I think, worthy of record:—A Rough-legged Buzzard 
pounced on a good-sized rabbit, and, flying off with it in its talons, settled 
on the top of a pole where a pole-trap happened to be set for hawks. In 
this trap the Buzzard was caught by one leg. It did not, however, relin- 
quish its prey, but breaking the fastening of the trap it flew to a distance 
of about fifty yards with the trap hanging to one foot and the rabbit grasped 
in the other. It then alighted, and when found was in the act of devouring 
the rabbit, notwithstanding its being itself held captive by one leg in thé 
gripe of the pole-trap.—J. H. Gurney (Northrepps, Norwich). 
Terns AND Skuas IN THE Estuary oF THE Moy.—On the 11th May 
Common Terns appeared in the Estuary in their usual numbers, and by 
the 20th and 21st an unusually large flight arrived, comprising both the 
Common and Arctic species, but in what proportion the two arrived I could 
form no opinion, though I shot a few of both for comparison. They 
remained in the Bay and Estuary for about a week, and then disappeared, 
leaving only the usual stock of Common Terns that breed in the neigh- 
bourhood. This flight was accompanied by six Richardson’s Skuas, three 
of which were in dark and three in light-coloured plumage. As they all 
had long tails, no doubt they were all old birds. I was very much 
interested in watching their habits, and perceived that, although they all 
consorted together when resting on the water or the sands, they generally 
kept in pairs, a light and a dark bird resting quite close together. 
Forgetting that Saxby, in his ‘ Birds of Shetland,’ states that he has had 
birds of both sexes and all ages in both plumages as well as in an inter- 
mediate stage, and also that he has taken a light and a dark-coloured 
nestling from the same nest, I imagined that each couple might be male 
and female, the former being the light and the latter the dark-coloured 
bird, and in order to ascertain the fact I shot three of them. One of these 
had a pure white throat and breast, the white extending completely round 
the back of the neck, with a faint tint of straw-colour at the sides of it. 
The second had only the white breast, with a faint tinge of the straw-colour 
also on the sides of the neck; and the third was dark all over, having a 
few traces of a lighter brown colour on the breast and sides of the neck. 
