48 MACPHERSON : STORM PETREL IN SUMMER. 



On November 9th I received from a shore-gunner an adult 

 female Great Grey Shrike {Lanius exaibitor) killed near Hunstanton. 

 I saw Snow Buntings {Pledrophanes fiivaiis) on the Norfolk coast, 

 October 17th. 



STORM PETREL IN SUMMER. 



Rev. H. a. MACPHERSON, M.A., M.B.O.U., Etc., 

 Carlisle: yoini-Aiii/ior rf the '' Bii-ds of Cniiiberland^ etc, 



I AM interested in Mr. Cordeaux's note of a couple of Storm 

 Petrels seen off Spurn on August 20th, because it confirms a 

 suspicion I have for some time entertained, that these small Petrels 

 do not breed in their first year. The late Mr. Gatcombe recorded 

 a male example of Procellaria pelagica obtained on June 22nd, 

 1883, at Plymouth. He also recorded one obtained on Sept. 7th, 

 1879, which is rather an early date for so late a breeding bird to 

 have left its quarters. In the 'Field' of December 1886, Mr. W. 

 Beckwith recorded a Storm Petrel obtained in Shropshire on 

 July 1 6th; and I am sure that a special search would reveal other 

 instances of this Petrel being found far away from its nesting haunts, 

 tiilien it ought to be breeding. With regard to Leach's Petrel 

 {^P. leucorrhod) the case is similar. 



I find that the late Mr. Heysham, of Carlisle, had a fresh 

 specimen of this Petrel in his hands on July 31st, 1841, on which 

 day he sent the bird to Blackett Greenwell, in order that ' he might 

 examine a scarce British bird in the flesh.' 



Again, in 1875, Mr. Devvar shot a Leach's Petrel on Loch Tay 

 in the month of July (Proceedings of Natural History Society of 

 Glasgow, 4, p. 68). These isolated instances of birds found a long 

 distance from their breeding-stations are too meagre to be conclusive 

 in any way ; but I am glad to draw attention to a point that has not 

 been thrashed out. 



Perhaps I may add that in July last, in company with my friend 

 Mr. F. P. Johnson, I visited an island haunt of F. pelagica, in order 

 to dig out a nest for the National collection. This was accomplished 

 successfully, and the nest, bird, and egg may now be seen in the 

 museum at South Kensington, being one of the latest additions to 

 the series of groups of breeding-birds. The Petrel's nests are not 

 easy to discover, unless a terrier or two be introduced. The terriers 

 at once detect the musky odour of the Petrel in a burrow, and 

 scrape impatiently at the entrance. We only took two eggs, one for 

 the museum, and one for Mr. Johnson, an example that many 

 oologists would do well to follow. 



Naturalist, 



