NOTES AND QUERIES. 105 
shoulders, and a long streak on the upper part of the brush. The eyes 
were the normal colour, so he could hardly be called an albino, nor could 
he have changed to winter pelage, as Stoats frequently do, for we had 
heard of him from the keeper at Cotheleston, who had seen him from 
time to time all the season, even before the cub hunting commenced in 
August, though nore of us had met with him.—Crcin Samir (Bishops 
Lydeard). . 
Pine Marten in Scotland. — At a recent meeting of the Clydesdale 
Naturalists’ Society, Mr. James Lumsden exhibited a specimen of the Pine 
Marten, Martes abietum, which was killed by the head forester, Mr. James 
M‘Donald, in the Black Mount Forest on the 30th November last. This 
animal is said to be now of rare occurrence in Scotland. 
Risso’s Grampus in the English Channel.—I have to record the 
occurrence of another and a rare cetacean in the Channel, Risso’s Grampus, 
Grampus griseus, which was captured in a herring-net, on February 3rd, 
about eight miles south of the Eddystone Lighthouse. It proved to bea 
female, and a beautiful specimen, showing, on its dark grey skin, the eccentric 
marble-like markings which are peculiar to the species. Its head was much 
rounded, and, as I thought, had a great resemblance to that of a Seal. 
Extreme length of body nine feet; greatest girth five feet two inches; 
dorsal fin high, and flippers rather long and pointed. Three teeth only in 
front on either side of the lower jaw, and none on the upper jaw. The 
fishermen said that when first caught, and also when dying, it made a noise 
like groaning. This is the second example that has been taken off Ply- 
mouth; the first, procured in 1870, is now in the British Museum. The 
skeleton of the recent specimen is being prepared for the Plymouth Insti- 
tution, and its skin has been presented to the Albert Memorial Museu n, 
Kixeter.—JoHn GarcomBx (Durnford Street, Stonehouse). 
Dead Whales in the English Channel.— During the month of 
November last, two large Rorquals, Balenoptera musculus, male and female, 
each over sixty feet in length, were found floating dead in the Channel 
within three weeks of each other, one off the Start and another near the 
Eddystone. ‘The first was taken into Brixham, where it remained several 
days, and was afterwards purchased and towed by steamer into Plymouth ; 
but the second, a magnificent animal, was brought by two trawlers into 
Plymouth directly after it was found, and was (with the exception of its 
belly being greatly inflated with air or gas) in a most perfect state of 
preservation both in colour and form. I am sorry to add that, although 
these were the only large whales which had been brought into the port for 
more than fifty years, they excited but little interest. Only twelve months 
since I travelled from Plymouth to a place called Littleton Pill, fifteen 
miles beyond Bristol, for the express purpose of seeing a large Rorqual 
