The Zoologist— December, 1876. 5179 



to the ear-coverts, though not crossing the forehead, which is ash-gray. 

 Wings dull brownish black, with the coverts, secondaries, tertials, and 

 primaries more or less broadly edged and tipped with white ; bases of the 

 primaries white, forming a conspicuous patch similar to that of L. excubitor. 

 Throat, breast and belly wholly dullish white, without an indication of the 

 semi-circular bars usual on the breast of the young L. excubitor ; but the 

 sides under the wings are gray, faintly barred, and showed, I think, a slight 

 blush when first caught. Outer tail-feather altogether white, with the 

 middle of its shaft only black ; outer web, base and tip of the second feather 

 white, with an elongated patch on the middle of the inner web ; centre of 

 the third feather black on both webs— base and tip white ; fourth feather 

 black, with the exception of a very small portion of white at the base and 

 tip ; two middle feathers wholly black, but all the quills of both wiugs aud 

 tail are much narrower in proportion than those of L. excubitor. The plain 

 white under parts, however, and the outer feather of the tail suffice, I think, 

 to distinguish the young of L. minor.— J. Gatcombe ; 8, Lower Durnford 

 Street, Stonehouse, Devon. 



[This makes the fourth recorded occurrence of the lesser gray shrike in 

 England. The first was obtained at Scilly in November, 1851, and is in 

 the collection of Mr. Rodd, of Penzance. The second was shot near Great 

 Yarmouth in the spring of 1869, and is in the possession of the Rev. 

 Murray A. Mathew, of Bishop's Lydeard ; the third was procured also near 

 Yarmouth, in May, 1875, and is in the collection of Mr. J. H. Gurney, of 

 Northrepps, near Norwich. — Ed.] 



Rufous Warbler at Slapton, Devon.— I wish to record the occurrence 

 near here— at Slapton, and bordering on the sea— of the rufous warbler 

 {Mfon galactodes), on the 12th of this month. As a gentleman and some 

 friends were crossing a turnip-field, a small bird of a very light colour was 

 seen to rise and fly on to the hedge : its peculiar action of flying up per- 

 pendicularly and alighting again at the same place, with expanded tail, 

 attracted attention, and it was approached and shot. The bird was sent to 

 my brother, R. P. Nicholls, at whose house I have carefully examined it, 

 and find it to be a male of the above species : it has much the appearance 

 of a bird of the year, the dark band on the tail being very indistinct, and 

 the middle feathers short. The specimen mentioned in Yarrell as having 

 occurred in 1859 must have been captured but a short distance from the 

 spot where this bird was taken. I have also to mention the occurrence here 

 of a female Montagu's harrier, a little tern, a curlew sandpiper, and a little 

 stint.— Henry Nicholls; Roseland, Kingsbridge, Devon, October 20, 1870. 



[We have received a second notice of this bird from the Rev. Murrav A. 

 Mathew, who saw it at the house of Mr. Nicholls. He confirms the state- 

 ment that it is an immature specimen, and adds that "in the adult bird a 

 band of black extends across the end of the tail, with a white edging, giving 



