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THE ZooLoGiIst— SEPTEMBER, 1876. 5079 
gull. They quit their breeding haunts at Scoulton and Hoveton before 
they have learned what danger is, and coming down to the sea-coast fly 
heedlessly within range of every gunner. Last month (July 14th) I saw 
one in a field at Cromer: it was quite able to fly, but apparently insensible 
to danger: after several attempts to catch it with a net I left it to feed in 
peace, but, unluckily for the poor gull, the field abutted on a school: as 
soon as lessons were over a troop of boys poured out, espied it of course, 
and speedily brought it down with a stone. I understand from a gentleman 
who is a naturalist that he saw a Richardson’s skua on or about the 9th at 
Blakenny, which is early—J. H. Gurney, jun.; Northrepps, Norwich, 
August 13, 1876. 
Erratum.—In my note on the godwits in the August number of the 
‘ Zoologist’ (S. 5. 5046) for British read bartailed.—J. H. G., jun. 
Sternum of the Peregrine Falcon.—I mentioned in the ‘ Zoologist’ (S. S. 
8046) the occurrence of a female peregrine beginning to assume the adult 
plumage at Hempstead, in Norfolk, on the 2nd of February, 1872. In my 
father’s opinion it is an early bird of the preceding summer, but the adult 
plumage is very considerably developed, and I should have supposed that 
it had been older. I allude to it again to say that I have compared its 
sternum with the sterna of several other peregrines, and to my surprise 
find it the only one which has posterior emarginations in lieu of holes—a 
fact which militates against the commonly received opinion that these 
membranous spaces in birds fill up with age, until they become nearly or 
quite ossified.—Zd. 
Hen Warrier in Northumberland.—On the 27th of May last I observed 
one of these birds passing over this neighbourhood; it was flying low in a 
north-westerly direction, and passed me within easy gun-shot; therefore, 
I could not mistake the species, with which in days gone by I was so 
familiar. I used often to watch and admire this bird as it hunted and 
quartered so beautifully the outskirts of those extensive mosses in the west 
of Stirlingshive in search of its quarry. No pointer or setter could surpass 
it in this; it left no likely part untried, and when its quarry rose almost 
under its wings it immediately swooped at it; but if the quarry deftly evaded 
this first swoop, the harrier seldom made a second, or even attempted pursuit 
to obtain it—Samuel Yuille; Shotley Hall, Durham. (rom the ‘ Field’ 
of July 8th, 1876.) 
Syrnium aluco.—Mr. Gatcombe (Zool. 8.8. 3398) mentions a tawny owl 
which flew down a chimney. An owl of this species flew down a chimney 
at Northrepps. I was not before aware that they frequented such places. 
It was a most grimy creature when I saw it—a regular melanism, in fact, 
and the only melanism of a tawny owl I ever heard of, except the specimen 
at Constantinople, which has been recorded twice in the ‘ Ibis’ (1870, p. 77, 
1876, p. 63).—J. 7. Gurney, jun. 
