OCCASIONAL NOTES. 259 
portion of the skull, and are sharp-edged, Dr. Gray even going so far as to 
create for it a new genus (Lagenocetus); but it is now generally held that 
the excessive development of the maxillary bones is a sexual peculiarity, 
and that Eschricht’s belief that the form known as ZF. latifrons is really the 
male of H. rostratus will prove to be correct. The sex of the individual 
from which the skull now recorded was derived not being known, of course 
no fresh light is afforded by it towards settling the point at issue, nor can 
this be done until many more specimens of both sexes and various degrees of 
maturity have been examined, or till a female of the latifrons type, or an 
adult male of the rostratus type, is met with. —T. Sourawet. (Norwich), 
SUPPOSED OCCURRENCE OF THE CRANE ON THE PRomoNTORY OF Howry, 
NEAR Dusiin.—On the 18th of January last, during the severe snowstorm, 
my cousins, the Messrs. MacDougall, of Howth, while wildfowl shooting on 
the southern side of the Hill of Howth, saw a large bird resting on the 
snow, a rocky point by the seaside. At first they thought it was a Heron, 
but, upon a nearer approach, it arose, and, circling upwards to a considerable 
height, flew northwards over the hill. They were close enough to see 
its colours, and describe it as having a black head, and the rest of the body 
greyish blue. But what chiefly attracted their attention was its enormous 
size, about “ twice that of a Heron,” its appearing to have no neck (from 
the head being thrown back), and the apparent appendage to the tail caused 
by the legs being thrust out straight behind. Upon measuring its foot- 
mark in the snow, from the hind to the tip of the middle toe, it was five 
inches and a half in length. They followed the bird over the hill and 
watched for it afterwards, but it appeared no more. I think there can be 
no doubt that this bird was a Crane, which is an extremely rare visitant to 
Ireland. Thompson mentions two having been obtained (one in 1834, and 
another in 1846), and quotes from Smith’s Histories of Waterford and 
Cork to the effect that flocks were seen in those counties during the great 
frost of 1739. Two, which are now in the Museum of Natural History in 
Kildare Street, were obtained in Kerry about twenty years ago. Two, 
which are now in the Museum of Science and Art, Kildare Street, Dublin, 
were recently transferred from the collection of the late Natural History 
Society of Dublin, in which they had been preserved for many years, 
having been obtained from the South of Ireland.—Henry Cutcuxsrer 
Harr (Dublin). 
OrniTHOLOGIcAL Notes rrom THE IsLE oF Wicur.— During the 
past winter wildfowl were unusually abundant on the Solent, but being 
much disturbed and shot at were very wild. Vast flocks of small birds were 
seen passing over the island in a north-westerly direction, many perishing 
by the way, being washed up by the tide, as reported in the local papers, 
