NOTES AND QUERIES. 109 
seen on a ploughed field five miles distant, which when disturbed, about ten 
yards off dropped again in the same field.—W. Prenrts (Rainham). 
Weight of the Pectoral Sandpiper.—Referring to the question which 
has arisen (p. 73) as to the weight of the Pectoral Sandpiper, I may 
remark that one which was shot in Norfolk, in September, 1887, weighed 
2% 0z., as reported by Mr. R. W. Chase (Zool. 1887, p- 433), in whose 
collection that specimen is preserved.—J. H. Gurney, jun. (Keswick Hall, 
Norwich). 
Dusky Redshank in Summer Plumage in Lancashire.—I don’t know 
whether the occurrence of a Dusky Redshank (Totanus fuscus) on the coast 
of Lancashire is sufficiently unusual to merit a notice in the ‘ Zoologist,’ 
but I may report that one was shot by a keeper in the month of April, four 
or five years ago, and he still has it stuffed. JI had a good look at it, and 
found that it agreed exactly with the description in Yarrell’s ‘ British 
Birds,’ except that the legs and the dark red base of the lower mandible 
have lost their colour. The back also. was whiter than I expected, but he 
explained that he had made the white show as much as possible for effect. 
When first observed the bird was standing by a pool on the “ marsh ” land 
near the mouth of the Ribble, and was quite tame, and he shot it on the 
ground. It is in the sooty black summer plumage as I suppose all these 
birds are in April.—Cuartes F. Arcurspatp (Rusland Hall, Ulverston). 
[Although Totanus fuscus is an annual migrant to the British Islands, 
passing through the country twice a year in spring and autumn, it is much 
less common during the former than the latter season. We have often 
seen it in September and October, but on two occasions only have we met 
with it in the breeding plumage, once in Breydon Harbour, Norfolk, and 
once in Pagham Harbour, Sussex, and have seen but few specimens in the 
black plumage procured in England. We remember once when staying at 
Abbeville in the autumn, and shooting on a marsh near St. Valery, on the 
south bank of the Somme, we fell in with a small flock of these birds, 
Which were still in the black plumage peculiar to the breeding season. 
They were too wild however to suffer a sufficiently near approach to shoot 
one.—Ep.] 
Destruction of Eagles.—I observe with much pleasure the editorial 
protest against the destruction of Golden Eagles (p. 81), and, as I feel 
rather strongly on the subject, perhaps I may be allowed to emphasise, from 
personal observation, what has been said. In 1886 I was in North Uist, 
and enquired after a pair of Golden Eagles that had an eyrie on the island. 
‘They were protected by the proprietor. Were they thriving, then? No; 
they had nested duly, but the male bird had been trapped or shot, and the 
survivor was left a widow. In 1887 a pair of Golden Eagles occupied an 
eyrie in Skye. Of course, they bred? No; a keeper succeeded in 
