4766 Tue ZooLocGist—JANUARY, 1876. 
duck’s—in the latter, the duck which had laid to the partridge’s.—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Reported Occurrence of the King Duck at Maldon.—A fine specimen of 
the female king duck was shot on the River Blackwater, at Maldon, on the 
28th of October, and is now in the hands of a naturalist for preservation.— 
Richard Poole. (‘ Field,’ November 6.) 
Longtailed Duck at Hunstanton.—A longtailed duck (Harelda glacialis) 
was shot by me on the Hunstanton marshes on the 27th of October.— 
Charles F. A. Bagot; Castle Rising. (Id.) 
Information Wanted about the Worcestershire Tropic-bird.—Among 
the 409 species in the Introduction to Gould’s ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ 
T see no mention of the tropic-bird. In the ‘ Zoologist’ for 1871 two sup- 
posed occurrences are treated of (S. S. 2666, 2725), and with regard to the 
former of the two my father when at Worcester obtained a few additional 
particulars from the curator of the Museum, who informed him that it was a 
red-tailed tropic-bird; that it was stuffed by an animal-painter and bird- 
stuffer named Pitman (now deceased) for a gentleman whose name he could 
not remember, who brought it after it was mounted to the Museum, 
intending to present it to the collection (in a work published in 1856 it is 
erroneously stated to be in the Museum), but meeting Mr. Walcot there he 
gave it to him instead; that Mr. Walcot lent it with other stuffed birds to 
the Museum for exhibition, but after a time took them all back to his own 
house, where they remained until about thirteen or fourteen years ago, 
when his entire collection was sold fo a gentleman at Pennoch’s Court, near 
Worcester; that about 1867 this gentleman’s birds also shared the same 
fate, being disposed of in lots by Mr. Matthews, auctioneer, and that the 
tropic-bird was one of them, but what became of it nobody now knows. 
There is the chance that this note may fall under the eye of some one who 
can give the desired information. Phaéton ethereus has occurred at Heli- 
goland Island (‘ Naumania,’ 1851, part ii., p. 16), as kindly pointed out to me 
by Prof. Newton, and in Norway (Degland and Gerbe’s Ornith. Europ., ii., 
p- 363). I doubt I am not giving the original references, but it is sufficient 
to show that there is some plausibility for considering that it may be a 
genuine straggler to England. Probably, on the above authority, Dr. Bree 
inserts it in his list of doubtful species at the end of the ‘ Birds of Europe.’ 
Likewise Blasius and Dubois have admitted it into their respective cata- 
logues. The Worcestershire specimen would seem to have been P. rubri- 
caudus, Bodd., but not the Lancashire one. If anyone knows what has 
become of it we may ascertain which it was. I think it is more likely to 
have been P. ztherius, and under that name it is given by Mr. Lees, in his 
interesting article on the “ Birds of the Malvern District” (J. c.).—J. H. 
Gurney, jun. 
Black Tern in Durham, — Mr. J. Sclater (S. S. 8439) records a black 
