NOTES AND QUEEIES. 71 



contained a mass of half-digested earthworms. Two female Peregrines 

 were shot at Branston, one adult, the other in immature plumage; their 

 stomaciis contained one shrew mouse, three frogs, one toad, and a mass of 

 frog, mouse, and lark remains — the mouse was nearly entire. The 

 Common Buzzard was pretty numerous in this county last year : I had no 

 less than twelve specimens in hand, and the majority were immature birds. 

 Their stomachs contained nothing worth recording, but in one I found two 

 pheasant chicks, two partridge chicks, two mice, and the remains of some 

 frogs. I had one specimen of the Honey Buzzard (a female) from Gains- 

 borough. A fine male Hoopoe was shot at North Hykeham ; its stomach 

 was full of lepidopterous larvae, which I could not distinguish, as they 

 were too much digested. — J. F. Mash am (South Park, Lincoln). 



Curious Variety of the Guillemot. — A Guillemot was shot in Torbay 

 by Mr. Drummond on November 27th, 1883, and was taken at once to the 

 Torquay Natural History Society, where it was carefully examined by Mr. 

 W. Else, the curator, an experienced taxidermist. It answers completely to 

 Yarrell's description of the Common Guillemot {Uria troile), with the single 

 exception that those parts of it which should have been black are a very 

 light ash-grey, while the shafts of some of the small feathers in the said 

 parts are brown. In short, looked at casually, the bird would be pronounced 

 to be entirely white. As the irides were dark hazel it cannot be regarded 

 as a case of albinism ; nor does it appear to be a case of disease, for the 

 bird was in good condition, and weighed 36 oz. average, while an ordinary 

 specimen of the Common Guillemot, also in good condition, shot in Torbay 

 a few days after, weighed 34 oz. Yarrell makes no mention of such 

 a variety. It is now in the Museum of the Torquay Natural History 

 Society. — William Pengelly (Torquay). 



Curious Nesting-place of the Sand Martin. — Underneath a bridge of 

 the London and North Western Railway, which crosses the canal at 

 Oxford, we found a nest of the Sand Martin, containing one egg. The nest 

 was placed in a hole between the bricks, and could not possibly have been 

 excavated in any way by the old birds. — J. R. Earle (15 Norham Road, 

 Oxford). 



Kite and Marsh Titmouse in the Pyrenees. — 1 was at Eaux Bonnes, 

 in the French Pyrenees, which is only a few miles from Argeles, for a few 

 days in December, 1870. I had not any gun, but I scrutinised every bird 

 with a pair of binoculars, and I noted two species — the Common Kite, Milvus 

 regalis, and the Marsh Titmouse, Pants palustris — not met with bv Mr. 

 James Backhouse (p. 20). Of the latter bird I identified two examples, 

 while of the former I saw eight or ten in one valley ; and I remember that 

 one passed the carriage so near as to make me long particularly for a gun. — 

 J. H. GuENEY, JUN. (Hill House, Northrepps, Norwich). 



