146 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Sand Grouse near Redcar.—lI regret to state that three more Sand 
Grouse, Syrrhaptes paradoxus, have been killed near Redcar. One, a 
female, was shot from a flock of seven on the South Gare Breakwater, at 
the Tees Mouth, on February 14th. Another (also a female) was killed at 
the same place on the following day ; and a third, a male, was picked up 
on the sands on the 16th. It had an old wound in the side,—the cause of 
death,—was very poor in body, and the flesh was quite putrid. Both the 
others were in good condition.—T. H. Netson (Redcar). 
[How about the Sand Grouse Protection Act, which has been in force 
since the first of February ?—Ep.] 
Notes on Birds observed at Sea.—Every fact connected with the 
migration of birds is I think worth recording, and on this principle I send 
you some extracts from letters received from my son, whose duties as a 
sailor on the ‘Sobraon’ have caused him for some years to pass between 
England and Australia, leaving home generally about September 20th. 
He writes me that this year from some cause land birds have been in 
greater abundance than he has ever seen them. From lat. 15° N. to 5° N. 
and long. 20° to 23° W. birds were very frequent, especially Swallows, and 
in company with these Swallows were three Kestrels, all of which came on 
board and were caught (one had white claws) and carried alive to Melbourne. 
The one he caught he saw chase and capture a Swallow, and, what was a 
new fact to him, it plucked and ate the Swallow while on the wing. He 
gave this bird to the Melbourne Zoological Gardens. Two small Owls, the 
smallest he ever saw, were also caught, but he could not recognize them ; 
they only lived for a few days. Some Quails came aboard, but they were 
treated in a most inhospitable manner, being utilised as food for the 
previously captured Hawks,—a fate he much regretted, as he thinks he 
might have been able to preserve them for the Melbourne Zoo also. 
Several flocks, containing a dozen or so of individuals of some species of 
birds quite strange to him, passed the ship. On October Ist, lat. 49°15’ N., 
long. 5° 56’ W., in fine calm weather, they passed a dead Whale; a boat 
was lowered to examine it, and it was found to be floating belly uppermost 
with the head a long way under water; the skin of the belly was of a 
whitish colour, with deep longitudinal cuts or folds in it; the length was 
estimated at about seventy feet. He considered it, from all he could gather, 
to be a specimen of Balenoptera musculus, and in this he was probably 
correct. It was accompanied by a few Sharks, but he did not think it was 
far enough gone to attract the birds. In running their Easting down 
they saw the usual birds,—Petrels, Albatrosses, and so on. One Albatross 
dived under the water for something sinking. This, he says, he never saw 
the large Albatross do before, although he has seen all the smaller ones 
diving frequently. In this note of my son’s, who is a capital observer, 
there is one fact stated quite new to me,—that is, the possibility of a Hawk 
