108 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



pair of wings from a former second pair of feet? Certainly this claw is not 

 a temporary natural appendage such as the nib on the beak of a newly- 

 hatched chick, or the tail aud two-chambered heart of the tadpole. What 

 then is its use? — Maurice C. H. Bird (West Rudham, Norfolk). 



[Our correspondent should read an article " On the Claws and Spurs 

 on Birds' Wings," by Mr. J. A. Jeffries (Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist. 

 ] 881, p. 301) ; and another with the same title by Mr. P. L. Sclater, 

 puWished in ' The Ibis ' for April, 1886, pp. 147-151.— Ed.] 



Note on Eider Ducks. — On reading Mr. A. H. Chapman's article in 

 ' The Zoologist' for January last " On the Habits aud Migrations of Wild- 

 fowl," I was especially interested in his remarks on what he calls "a most 

 extraordinary feat performed by Eiders" (p. 13). On firing at the leading 

 bird of four flying in company all dropped to the shot, although only the 

 first was killed. During my stay of two years (1881-3) in Arctic Alaska, 

 with the U.S. Signal Service Expedition to Point Barrow, I had ample 

 opportunity for observing the habits of a different species of Eider, the 

 King Eider, Somateria spectabilis, very abundant in that locality during the 

 migrations, and frequently observed a somewhat similar performance. 

 I have made a brief reference to this observation in ray report on the birds 

 of the expedition (Report U.S. International Polar Expedition to Point 

 Barrow, 1885, p. 120), The King Eiders, when migrating northwards, 

 pass Point Barrow during May and June in enormous flocks. They have 

 already paired before reaching the Point, and travel (to quote my words in 

 the passage referred to) in " pairs, flying alternately, ducks and drakes. 

 If a duck is shot down, the drake almost invariably follows her to the ice, 

 apparently supposing that she had alighted." In such cases the drake 

 drops so suddenly that more than once we were deceived when shooting 

 Eiders, and, running in to pick up our two birds, were surprised to find 

 the drake, who was sitting flat ou the ice with his head up like a wounded 

 bird, suddenly " pull himself together " and make off unhurt, before we 

 could collect our senses sufficiently to secure him with the second barrel. 

 Dr. Leonhard Stejneger, of the U.S. National Museum, who spent a year 

 on Behring Island, informs me that he has witnessed a similar performance 

 by Steller's Duck, Eniconetta stelleri. I had supposed that this peculiar 

 feat was only performed by paired birds, but Mr. Chapman's observation 

 goes to show that other influences than those of sex may induce the Eiders 

 to indulge in this extraordinary game of " follow my leader." — John 

 Murdoch (U.S. National Museum, Washington, D.C.). 



Partridges with white "Horse-shoes."— When shooting, on the 20th 

 September, just over the Northamptonshire boundary, I shot a Partridge 

 which had the horseshoe pure white, with the exception of a spot or two of 

 faint chestnut at the upper end, imperceptible until the feathers were lifted. 



