NOTES AND QUERIES. 213 
or 19th being, I believe, the severest. —O. P. Campringe (Bloxworth 
Rectory, Dorset). 
Bittern in Nottinghamshire.—Farly in February last I saw, in the 
shop of Rose, naturalist, Nottingham, a fine male Bittern, which, he told 
me, had been shot quite close to the town. This is the second that has 
come under my notice this year. , The other was killed in the north of the 
county. Since writing this note I have received a letter from the Duke of 
St. Albans informing me that his head keeper saw a Bittern on Feb. 12th 
beside one of the ponds at Bestwood.— J. WutTaKER (Rainworth Lodge, 
Mansfield). 
Brent Goose and Fork-tailed Petrel near Ringwood.—On the 26th 
of November last a specimen of this small and sea-loving Goose was killed 
upon one of the many ponds which are to be found on the extensive heaths 
of West Hampshire and East Dorset. It is interesting to me as being the 
first I ever saw from this immediate neighbourhood. On several previous 
occasions both Canada and Bernacle Geese, and one Egyptian Goose, have 
been killed in the locality, but I believe all these species are reared upon 
private waters at no great distance, and the unpinioned birds often make 
their escape, especially about the time of the spring migration, and, being 
semi-domesticated, fall an easy prey to the prowling gunners. I do not 
know, however, that the Brent Goose has ever bred in captivity—at least, 
in this neighbourhood—so I think the bird in question must be a genuine 
wild specimen of this usually maritime species. It had been seen several 
days before it was killed, and evidently the boggy waters of the ponds had 
not proved so productive of what suited its appetite as the briny sea had 
done, for it was in a very lean condition when I saw it, and weighed only 
1lb. 90z. The Fork-tailed Petrel was caught by a boy on the 9th or 10th 
of December last, not half a mile from where the Goose was killed. He 
saw it flying about in a half-dazed state, and, thinking it was a curious 
Swallow, he caught it, and kept it in cage till it died on Dec. 11th, after 
refusing all food. Several specimens of the Fork-tailed Petrel were met 
with near here in December, 1882, which I recorded at the time (Zool. 
1882, p. 115), but in every case no doubt they were blown inland by stress 
of weather.—G. B. Corin (Ringwood, Hants). 
Screaming of the Cock Pheasant.—Although I have shot for nearly 
thirty years, I never heard a cock Pheasant make this peculiar noise until 
the other day. Accompanying a friend on February Ist, in order to kill 
some old cock Pheasants, we were beating a small wood with three spaniels 
and a retriever. All at once we heard a scream, more.like that of a child 
than anything else. We ran towards the noise just in time to see a fine 
cock Pheasant sailing away minus his tail and most of the feathers of his 
