466 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of the Tiger, whose head appears above his horns ; his back is nearly level, 

 but his front legs are doubled up under him and he is just in the act of 

 falling. The head is drooping and lifeless, and the whole appearance of the 

 Buffalo tends to confirm the generally accepted opinion, that the Tiger with 

 jiis kuocli-down blow dislocates the neck of his victim." 



Porpoise in the Thames. — On the last day of September some e.Kcite- 

 ment was caused among the watermen plying on the river and persons 

 walking along its banks, by the appearance of a Porpoise, which was seen 

 to be ascending with the tide near Westminster. A number of shots were 

 fired at it, but ultimately the pursuit ceased with the disappearance of its 

 object. Later in the day, however, a Porpoise, believed to have been the 

 one shot at in the morning, was captured by a bargeman, who struck it with 

 his boathook off the Sufferance and Providence Wharf, Lambeth. When 

 taken ashore, it was found to be about five feet in length and to weigh 

 three-quarters of a hundredweight. 



BIRDS. 



I 



Ruffs and Reeves in Lincolnshire.— It is worth recording that on 

 September I'-Jth 1 saw a flock of Ruifs and Reeves in the Great Cotes 

 marshes, the latter apparently being very considerably in excess of the 

 males. They rose from a large grass walk in company with eight young 

 Curlews, but separated from them almost immediately, pitching alone in 

 the ne.xt field. There must have been at least twenty, probably more, but 

 they flew so closely — all in a lump — tliat I did not count them. On the 

 18th I saw a Rulf and seven Reeves, and also a single Ruff. The young 

 Curlews come over by hundreds, in parties of seven to ten, in the bare 

 summer-eaten clover walks and grass marshes at dusk every evening to 

 feed, returning, with much noisy clamour, just at daybreak. They find 

 numerous small coleopterous insects in the dried-up dung, from which 

 source in this dry season their main supply of food appears to be drawn. 

 The recent strong east winds have brought several immigrants on to the 

 coast, including Pied Flycatchers and Redstarts, also large flights of 

 Linnets and Greenfinches. — John Cdudeaux (Great Cotes, Ulcebyj. 



Breeding of the Ruff in Lancashire. — I wisii to correct an erroneous 

 impression originating in a statement made by Pennant (' British Zoology,' 

 vol. ii. p. 75, footnote), that Ruffs "visit a place called Martin Mere, in 

 Lancashire, the latter end of March or beginning of April, but do not 

 continue there above three weeks." I have, in my opinion, conclusive 

 evidence that the Ruff bred on the ]\Iere witiiin the last fifty years. Several 

 of the oldest Mere-men now living, who have been close observers of the 

 birds of the district and are keen wildfowlers, say positively that they have 

 seen birds during the whole of the summer, have noticed them assume and 



