THE ZooLoGist—Mancu, 1876. . 4839 
upon it as a migratory straggler. Possibly they were two birds which had 
escaped: the Zoological Society has had many living specimens sent over 
from America; and yet it is odd that their owners did not take better care 
of them, great rarities as they must have been in that day. 
“In the year 1644 the Pica Brasiliensis, or Toucan, whose beak is. near 
as big as its whole body, was found within two miles of Oxford, and given 
to the Repository in the Medecine school, where it is still to be seen; which 
argues it a bird of a very rank wing, there being a necessity of its flying 
from America hither, except we shall rather say it might be brought into 
England by ship, and afterwards getting away, might fly hither.”"—E tract 
from Plot's ‘ Natural History of Oxfordshire’ (1677). 
“The Brazilian Magpye; this was driven upon the coasts by the violent 
hale-storm described in Mr. Burgher’s first Plate, and found dead upon the 
sea-coasts in Lancashire.” — Extract from Leigh’s ‘Natural History of 
Lancashire’ (1700). 
This storm is stated to have taken place about 1698; the plate referred 
to is a picture of it in the book. On another plate is given a figure of the 
toucan, copied from Willughby.—J. H. Gurney, jun. 
Wall Creeper (Tichodroma muraria) in Lancashire.—On the 8th of May, 
1872, a fine specimen of this continental species was shot at Sabden, a 
village a few miles from here, at the foot of Pendle Hill, and as I am not 
aware of its ever having been noticed before in this country, I send below 
the particulars, It was seen flying about by itself,—its bright colours 
drawing the attention of a lot of mill-hands,—did not appear to have a 
mate, and was at length shot by a man named Edward Laycock, who took 
it to Mr. W. Naylor, of Whalley, an accomplished naturalist, and who 
has for many years been President of the Accrington Naturalist’s Society. 
Large slugs had been used to kill it, and it was so mangled that Mr. Naylor 
could not determine the sex, and had great difficulty in making it at all 
presentable; however, it was managed somehow, and remains in his pos- 
session still. It was noticed at the time that the grasshopper warbler 
(Avicula locustella) was heard for the first time that spring on the same day. 
The following are its dimensions, &c., as taken from the stuffed specimen :— 
Tip of bill to tip of tail, five inches and seven-eighths; wings, outstretched, 
tip to tip, eight inches; bill, seven-eighths of an inch; hind claw, thirteen 
sixteenths of an inch; middle front claw, fifteen-sixteenths of an inch ; 
tarsus, one inch and one-eighth. Top of head, back, and upper tail-coverts 
ash-coloured. Throat and breast gray, becoming much darker, almost black, 
on the belly, vent and under tail-coverts, which last are tipped with white. 
Tail-feathers black, ten in number; the two outer on each side white-tipped ; 
the rest tipped with ashy-gray. Primaries underneath, a white band at the 
base, and a rhomboidal white spot three-eighths of an inch long towards the 
top on the inner webs. Secondaries underneath, a pale reddish band at the 
