2700 Birds. 



Occurrence of the Hoopoe (Upupa Epops) at Lewes. — A specimen of the hoopoe 

 was shot in this town about two months since. — Id. 



Variety of the Swallow (Hirundo rustica). — 1 have in my collection a dusky white 

 variety of the common chimney swallow, a young bird, shot here last August. — 

 Martin Curtler ; Bevere House, Worcester, December 12, 1849. 



Occurrence of the Virginian Colin (Coturnix Marylandica) near Tunbridge Wells. 

 — A beautiful specimen of the Virginian colin was shot at Rotherfield, near this place, 

 a few days ago : it is a female. It rose with some partridges, with which it had been 

 feeding. I have made inquiries, but cannot find that any of these birds have ever 

 been turned out in this neighbourhood. — Walter W. Reeves ; Parade, Tunbridge Wells, 

 January 4, 1850. 



Occurrence of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Romney Marsh. — I have been 

 fortunate enough to obtain that almost extinct bird in England, the great bustard, 

 which was shot at Lydd, in Romney Marsh, on January 4th. The man who shot it 

 informs me that he had in his garden a wounded wild goose, and that the bustard 

 (which he supposed to be a goose also) had been seen several times, by himself and 

 others, steadily flying over his garden, and that on the morning of January 4th, as he 

 was standing at his back door, he saw the bird at a distance flying direct to him : he 

 immediately stept into his house, got his gun, and killed the bird as it was passing 

 over his wounded goose. I believe this to be the only instance of its being killed in 

 Kent ; but from the information I obtained during the many years of my residence 

 in Romney Marsh, I think the great bustard was not uncommon formerly in that 

 locality. My specimen is a female, and in beautiful plumage. It measures, from 

 the crown of the head to the tip of the tail, 2 feet 6£ inches ; across the breast, with 

 the wings closed, 1 Oi inches ; from the extremity of one wing to the other, when ex- 

 panded, 5i feet. The crop contained a quantity of vegetable matter, principally sea- 

 tale. — jP. Plomley, M.D.; Maidstone, Kent, January 16, 1850. 



On the Capture, Habits and Change of Plumage in the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra). 

 — I beg to hand copies of correspondence between the late Robert Anstice, Esq., of 

 Bridgwater, and the late Col. Montagu, on the capture, habits and changes of plumage 

 of the black stork, which is now in the British Museum, and is the first specimen of 

 this interesting bird recorded as a visitor to Britain. Mr. Anstice was better known 

 as an amiable and excellent man, by his intercourse and correspondence with the dis- 

 tinguished men of science and eminent naturalists of his day, than by his published 

 works. Col. Montagu is too well known as an author on various branches of Natural 

 History to require any remark. The Leptocephalus mentioned by Mr. Anstice, in 

 his letter of December 6, 1814, was taken in Bridgwater River, and was the first spe- 

 cimen seen by Col. Montagu. — Wm. Baker ; Bridgwater, December 20, 1849. 



" Bridgwater, June 4, 1814. 

 " Dear Sir, 



" I have just obtained a bird which is in the list of your desiderata, and I 

 therefore hope it will be acceptable to you. * * * 



" As the bird agrees in every respect with the description given of the stork (Ardea 

 Ciconia), except that it is brown or cinereous everywhere but on the belly, which is 

 white, I suppose it to be the young bird of that species. I cannot indeed find, on a 

 short examination of the books which I have on the subject, that such changes take 



