NOTES AND QUERIES. i yi 
lighter towards the vent, which was nearly white. I have stuffed it, and 
8 J 
propose to set it up with another Greenfinch of the normal colour. — E. J. 
Wuiresourst (Farnborough Rectory, Wantage). 
House Sparrow with rufous breast.—The circumstance of my having 
received, on June 20th, a number of Sparrows from Holt, in Norfolk, for 
the purposes of the enquiry carried on for the Norwich Chamber of Agri- 
culture (cf. Zool. 1884, p. 428), among which were three cocks with a 
mixture of strong rufous diffused through the black of the breast and chin, 
leads me to enquire the meaning of this state of plumage. It is not 
seasonal, for I have obtained similar Sparrows (of course always cocks) in 
August and September, as well as at Christmas; and in the late Mr. 
Dawson Rowley’s collection at Brighton there are two such birds labelled 
as having been procured in February and June. In some of the specimens 
the abnormal feathers were quite a bright rufous, with a tinge of chestnut 
extending from the chin downwards. — J. H. Gurney, Jun. (Northrepps, 
Norwich). 
White’s Thrush in Mayo.—A fine specimen of this very rare Thrush 
(Turdus varius, Pallas) has been presented to the Museum of Science and 
Art, Dublin, by Captain Robert Ruttledge-Fair, who informs me that he 
shot it early in January last (about the 9th) at Westport, Co. Mayo. It 
was killed “while beating a wood for Woodcock. It rose from thick under- 
wood and flew much like a Woodcock, for which it was at first mistaken.” 
This is the third specimen of this Thrush which has been procured in 
Treland.—A. G. Mors (Science and Art Museum, Dublin). 
Red Grouse in Somersetshire and Wiltshire.—The occurrence of a 
hen Red Grouse at Wrington, in Somersetshire, in September last (Zool. 
1885, p. 66) is very remarkable, and possibly may be accounted for by the 
plenteousness of Grouse in Monmouthshire, the bird in question having 
probably flown across the Severn from some part of that county. It would 
be well to know whether it was alone when killed, for, if so, this would bear 
out my theory. I presume it was killed out of heather. With regard to 
the Grouse said to have been killed at Wedhampton, in Wiltshire, in 1794 
(Montagu, Orn. Dict.), I am rather sceptical. At that time Black-game 
were fairly plentiful in the New Forest, and I think it most probable that 
in this instance a grey hen was mistaken for a Red Grouse, a very likely 
error in those days [the more so as Montagu says he was only shown “a part 
of the bird."—Ep.]. Although a Wiltshire man myself, I do not know 
Wedhampton; but if at the eastern part of the county, Black-game might 
easily stray from either Hampshire or across from Surrey, where they then 
occurred more plentifully than at present. Has the late Mr. Marsh, of 
Sutton Benger, Wilts, made any mention of this bird? if so, I will say no 
more, for no one had a more extensive knowledge of the county of Wilts and 
