262 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
against the telegraph-wires on the Exmouth Railway, near Topsham. Last 
September and October a good many were killed near Exeter, and I saw 
four specimens in the poulterer’s shops.—W. 8. M. D’Urpan (Albert 
Memorial Museum, Exeter). 
Osprey In DorsrtsHiRE.—A few days ago (May 3rd), in company with 
my eldest son, I had the pleasure of seeing a fine Osprey sitting on the 
parapet-wall of a bridge in Morden Park (adjoining the parish of Bloxworth). 
It flew slowly away when we were about a hundred yards distant, taking the 
direction of the Wareham Estuary. We have been twice since to Morden 
Park, hoping to catch another sight of this rare visitor, but without success, 
though it has been seen there on more than one occasion since by the 
gamekeeper, who lives in the park.—O. P. CamBrrpax (Bloxworth Rectory, 
Dorset). 
AN UNIDENTIFIED Owl sHot IN [reLAND.—In the hope that some 
one of your readers may help me to identify the bird, I send you a 
description of an Owl in the collection of Dr. Burkett, of Waterford, shot 
at Behe Lake, Co. Waterford, January, 1851. It seems too small for the 
Eagle Owl, and differs in other respects from that species. Beak black. 
Irides (artificial) yellow. Tufts on top of head pronounced. ‘Top of the 
head, tufts, upper part of back, and wing-coverts, dark brown, the larger 
feathers mottled at each side about the middle with light yellowish brown, 
and those feathers on the top of the head and upper back having also on 
each side near the end a spot of white. Lower half of back and wing- 
coverts also dark brown, mottled at sides with pale or yellowish brown, 
those feathers on the outer wing-coverts having a large spot of white near 
the end of the outer web (like an ocellus) surrounded with dark brown, with 
a small spot of white or pale yellowish brown half down the feather, some- 
times right across it, sometimes on the outer web only; these series of 
large spots of white and buff becoming more numerous on the long under- 
feathers of the scapulars, where they occur on both webs and run into bars. 
Rump and upper tail-coverts dark brown, mottled and barred with buff and 
white. Thus the large white spots are most conspicuous on the upper back 
and outer wing-coverts (from carpal joint outwards), while the irregular bars 
are on the upper tail-coverts. Primaries, secondaries, and tail-feathers, 
dark brown, with bars of paler brown and white, which bars are mottled 
with the darker brown, except on the inner webs, where they run into 
white. Tertials with mottled bars of the buff or white. Cere covered by 
feathers of facial disk. ‘The latter is mottled or barred with dark brown on 
a ground of buff or dull white. Lower margin of disk having on each 
feather several small bars of dark brown. ‘Throat white. Feathers on 
upper breast dark brown, having a large spot of white on each web towards 
the end, the middle portions of the feathers mottled transversely with 
