NOTES AND QUERIES. 341 



July 20th. I am sure the birds belong to the Blue-headed species, for 

 I had a very close view of them, scarcely fifteen feet from me, and I could 

 easily make out their plumage. — Charles Donovan, jun. (Myross Wood, 

 Leap, Co. Cork). 



[This Wagtail is a rare visitor to the South of Ireland. — Ed.] 



White-winged Black Tern in Norfolk. — A specimen of this rare 

 Tern, Hydrochelidon leucoptera, was forwarded to me, in the flesh, by 

 Mr. G. Smith, The Priory, Yarmouth, which was shot on one of the Broads 

 on June 10th. The bird proved a male, and is in full adult summer 

 plumage, except one or two feathers in the tail, which are still grey. 

 I believe another was seen at the same time. — R. W. Chase (Edgbaston, 

 Birmingham). 



American Bittern in Pembrokeshire.— I write a line to record the 

 occurrence of the American Bittern at St. Davids, in Pembrokeshire, in 

 October, 1872. I saw it in May last in the possession of Mr. Greenway, 

 who shot it, but who, until he showed it to mc, had always been doubtful as 

 to its identity, though he had recorded it with doubt at the time in ' Land 

 and Water.' — Cecil Smith (Lydeard House, Bishop's Lydeard). 



REPTILES. 



Food of the Common Ringed Snake. — During the last ten years 

 I have kept many Common Snakes. I used formerly to offer them toads 

 as food ; these were always refused, till one day a fine Snake ate a small 

 toad. The Snake died during the following week; its stomach bore a dark 

 green mark ; I opened it, and found it to contain a dark green mass, which 

 had discoloured the intestines at that part, and had even affected the skin. 

 This Snake was the only one I ever had which would eat the Great Water 

 Newt, Triton cristatus, though all my other Common Snakes have readily 

 eaten the Palmate and Smooth Newts. I believe the Great Water Newt, 

 like the Toad, secretes an acrid matter in its skin, which naturally causes 

 them to be rejected as food by creatures which would otherwise prey upon 

 them. — C. Witchell (Stroud). 



FISHES. 



Large Sturgeon in the Thames.— There has been recently on view 

 at the International Fisheries Exhibition a large Sturgeon, which was 

 captured in the Thames off Erith early in the month of July last. Some 

 workmen who observed it floating down the river in an almost lifeless 

 condition, succeeded in dragging it ashore. It was found to measure six 

 feet three inches in length, and weighed 117 pounds. The cause of death 

 was believed to be suffocation from the sewage which runs into the river at 

 Crossness. — J. E. Hakting. 



