OCCASIONAL NOTES. 471 
be a fine male Osprey, in good plumage, measuring twenty-three inches in 
length and five feet two inches across the wings. It was extremely thin 
and poor, the stomach being absolutely empty. — CuHarLes A. PARKER 
(Gosforth, Cumberland). 
Waitt Parrripces iv Surrey.—This season there have been on 
Mr. Lewis Loyd’s property, Spring Park, near Shirley, Croydon, no less 
than eleven pure white Partridges—five in one covey, three, two, and one 
in others. The keeper noticed them when quite young; the one died when 
young, but the five, three, and two were all reared; of these nine have been 
shot. I carefully examined one Mr. Loyd kindly gave me the morning after 
it was shot, and found the legs of a dirty straw-colour, and the eyes a pale 
grey-blue, with no distinct pupil, so no doubt in life they would have been 
pink, and the bird a true albino. Thorpe, of South Croydon, who is 
preserving mine, has also two of the others for preservation, and these are 
certainly older than the one I have. Mr. Loyd’s keeper tells me he has 
never before seen any white birds on the estate, and can form no idea why 
they should have occurred. Can any reason be given for this singular 
freak of nature? If all had been in one covey it would be supposed that ill 
health or disease had something to do with it, but occurring in five covies 
it seems unlikely that this was the cause.—Puinie Crowxey (Waddon 
House, Croydon). 
Hooror near Briauton.—On the 27th August last, whilst at Port- 
slade, near Brighton, I saw a Hoopoe on the lawn by the side of the house 
I was visiting. It flew away and did not return again that day, but returned 
the next and remained until the 30th, when, hearing that several people 
with guns were on the look-out for it, I shot it. It proved to be a female, 
and was in very fair plumage.—Hrrsert Laneron (Brighton). 
CuHoucH IN OxFoRDsHIRE.—An examination of a specimen in the 
Oxford Museum and a reference to the plate in Mr. Dresser’s ‘ Birds of 
Europe’ leave me very little doubt that the Chough I mentioned last 
month (p. 422) is the Alpine bird, Pyrrhocoraa alpinus, Koch, as suggested 
in your editorial note. With regard to its having escaped from captivity, 
I may say that the plumage was clean and not rubbed in the least, nor did 
the food found in the stomach point to its having been caged at any very 
recent period. Possibly though it was an escaped bird, and had been at 
liberty long enough to lose its marks of confinement.—OLiver V. APLIN 
(Bodicote, Oxon). 
BiLve-THROATED WARBLER AT DartrorD.—On September 4th I shot 
aspecimen of the Blue-throated Warbler in the marshes near Dartford. 
I take it to be the Scandinavian form, as it has a decided rufous spot above 
the blue breast, the same colour as below the blue band.—W. Daviss 
(Hythe Street, Dartford). 
