﻿462 
  THH 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  I 
  sent 
  it 
  to 
  South 
  Kensington 
  Museum 
  on 
  Oct. 
  27th, 
  where 
  Mr. 
  

   Howard 
  Saunders 
  pronounced 
  it 
  Buflbn's 
  Skua, 
  without 
  doubt. 
  This 
  

   specimen 
  was 
  shot 
  just 
  after 
  the 
  terrific 
  gale 
  of 
  this 
  month, 
  which 
  

   somewhat 
  coincides 
  with 
  those 
  killed 
  during 
  the 
  great 
  storms 
  of 
  

   October, 
  1879 
  (Saunders's 
  ' 
  Manual'). 
  I 
  consider 
  this 
  a 
  rare 
  occur- 
  

   rence, 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  pleased 
  to 
  hear 
  of 
  any 
  other 
  Somerset-taken 
  

   birds.— 
  Stanley 
  Lewis 
  (Mount 
  Pleasant, 
  Wells, 
  Somerset). 
  

  

  Notes 
  on 
  Swiss 
  Birds. 
  — 
  On 
  reading 
  the 
  Rev. 
  C. 
  W. 
  Benson's 
  notes 
  

   on 
  Swiss 
  birds, 
  I 
  thought 
  perhaps 
  my 
  notes, 
  made 
  at 
  Clarens, 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  nearer 
  the 
  Rhone 
  Valley, 
  in 
  October, 
  1897, 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  interest. 
  

   I 
  have 
  put 
  them 
  down 
  somewhat 
  in 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  their 
  abundance 
  : 
  — 
  

   Black-headed 
  Gull, 
  Chaffinch, 
  Nuthatch, 
  Blackbird, 
  Blue 
  Tit 
  (all 
  very 
  

   common), 
  Grey 
  Wagtail 
  (common), 
  Jay, 
  Magpie, 
  Crow 
  (all 
  very 
  com- 
  

   mon), 
  Green 
  Woodpecker, 
  Great 
  Spotted 
  Woodpecker 
  (both 
  common), 
  

   Great 
  Crested 
  Grebe, 
  Little 
  Grebe 
  (six 
  seen), 
  Tree-Sparrow 
  (one 
  flock), 
  

   White 
  Wagtail, 
  Siskin, 
  Goldfinch 
  (common), 
  Bullfinch 
  (only 
  one 
  

   seem, 
  Starling, 
  Pipit 
  (? 
  species), 
  Great 
  Grey 
  Shrike 
  (November 
  to 
  end), 
  

   Marsh-Tit, 
  Ring-Ouzel, 
  Long-tailed 
  Tit 
  (two 
  family 
  parties). 
  On 
  

   Oct. 
  27th 
  I 
  saw 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Sandpiper 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  stones 
  round 
  

   Lake 
  Leman 
  (which 
  we 
  improperly 
  call 
  the 
  Lake 
  of 
  Geneva) 
  for 
  half 
  

   an 
  hour. 
  It 
  was 
  very 
  tame 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  like 
  a 
  Dunlin, 
  only 
  smaller, 
  with 
  

   a 
  grey 
  head, 
  speckled 
  back, 
  white 
  breast, 
  and 
  a 
  long 
  bill 
  like 
  a 
  Snipe. 
  

   I 
  did 
  not 
  see, 
  during 
  my 
  five 
  weeks' 
  stay, 
  a 
  Hedge-Sparrow, 
  Thrush, 
  

   Linnet, 
  or 
  Lark. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  Mute 
  Swans 
  on 
  the 
  

   Lake. 
  I 
  saw 
  one 
  Nutcracker 
  at 
  Glion, 
  which 
  is 
  above 
  Montreux. 
  — 
  

   George 
  W. 
  Bradshaw 
  (Hill 
  Road, 
  Sutton, 
  Surrey). 
  

  

  Modern 
  Egg-Collecting. 
  — 
  I 
  was 
  very 
  interested 
  in 
  reading 
  Prof. 
  

   J. 
  H. 
  Salter's 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  above 
  (ante, 
  p. 
  433). 
  This 
  imposition 
  has 
  

   been 
  going 
  on 
  for 
  some 
  time, 
  collectors 
  paying 
  ridiculous 
  prices 
  for 
  con- 
  

   tinental 
  eggs, 
  thinking 
  they 
  are 
  in 
  possession 
  of 
  " 
  rare 
  British-taken 
  

   clutches." 
  Why 
  is 
  it 
  that 
  some 
  British-taken 
  (?) 
  clutches 
  of 
  rarities 
  

   go 
  so 
  cheaply 
  at 
  Stevens's 
  Auction 
  Rooms, 
  sometimes 
  not 
  realizing 
  a 
  

   penny 
  more 
  than 
  foreign-taken 
  ones: 
  are 
  the 
  data-tickets 
  fakes? 
  

   There 
  is 
  always 
  a 
  doubt 
  attaching 
  to 
  so-called 
  British-taken 
  eggs. 
  

   Mr. 
  Salter 
  mentions 
  the 
  unfortunately 
  high 
  prices 
  obtained 
  for 
  " 
  well- 
  

   authenticated 
  clutches." 
  Of 
  course 
  he 
  refers 
  to 
  those 
  having 
  good 
  

   data, 
  with 
  perhaps 
  an 
  eminent 
  naturalist's 
  name 
  attached 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  

   pretty 
  w 
  T 
  ell 
  known, 
  and 
  no 
  doubt 
  come 
  under 
  the 
  hammer 
  again 
  and 
  

   again 
  as 
  the 
  various 
  collections 
  are 
  broken 
  up; 
  but 
  the 
  collector 
  who 
  

   to-day 
  buys 
  illegal 
  unblown 
  British 
  rarities 
  in 
  the 
  belief 
  that 
  they 
  

  

  