OCCASIONAL NOTES. 463 



phical range of Pavo cristatus ; and within these limits no exact locality 

 could be fixed, even if it were desirable, which it does not appear to be, for 

 if the so-called Japanned or Black-winged Peacock is only a variety, 

 Mr. Sclater's name would become a synonym of Pavo cristatus, or at most 

 it could only be spoken of, whether wild or domesticated, as Pavo cristatus 

 var. nigripennis. I may add that the female of my Pavo nigripennis 

 hatched a small brood this year, but, owing no doubt to the very damp 

 summer, only one is now alive ; this one shows no difference whatever to the 

 young of the same age of Pavo cristatus, although the mother did so even 

 at a much earlier age, in fact almost from the down ; which of the two 

 males — the common or the Black-winged Peacock — is the father of the 

 present young one, I am unable to say. I have trespassed considerably, I 

 am afraid, on your space, but this production of a pair of Black-winged 

 Peafowl from a pair of Common Peafowl seems to me worthy of mention, 

 and I should have sent you a note of it before, only I waited till the male 

 bird had developed his fully adult plumage, which he only did (especially his 

 train) after this last moult. — Cecil Smith (Bishop's Lydeard, Taunton). 



[In reply to these observations, Mr. Sclater remarks : — " I have now 

 reason to believe that the supposed locality of the Black-winged Pea-fowl 

 (Cochin China), given in the 'List of Animals in the Zoological Society's 

 Gardens,' was based upon incorrect or at all events uncertain information. 

 Yet, in spite of the new evidence afforded by Mr. Cecil Smith, I am still of 

 opinion that Pavo nigripennis does occur somewhere in a wild state, and that 

 its true patria will yet be discovered." — Ed.] 



Osprey near Worthing. — On October 20th an Osprey was shot on 

 the sea-beach in the parish of Ferring, near Worthing. As I happened to 

 be driving through the village, the bird was shown to me, and I bought it 

 of the lad who had just brought it up from the coast. Tt appears to be an 

 adult male. Weight, 4 lbs. ; length, 22| in. ; expanse of wings, about 

 5 ft. 3 in. — Sextus Vernon Clark (Angmeriug). 



Common Crane in Lincolnshire. — An immature specimen of the 

 Common Crane, Orus cinerea, was shot at Herringhill, near Spalding, on 

 the 25 th of October last. It is a bird of the year, and was seen about the 

 neighbourhood several days before it was killed. — A. Thomson. 



Pomatorhine Skua in Sussex. — A young male Pomatorhine Skua 

 was shot on the floods over Pevensey Level, on the 10th November, by 

 Mr Marshall, of Newbridge, who has kindly presented it to me. — 

 H. Nicholls (Hailsham). 



The Gadwall in Radnorshire. — I am much obliged to Mr. H. N. 

 Ridley for his remarks (p. 43 1 ) on the occurrence of this bird at Llandilo, 

 Aberdw, Radnorshire. I know the locality well, and the little flock he saw 



