6860 Birds. 



The Isle of Wight claims nine birds not yet found in Sussex, 

 viz. : — 



Woodchat Canada Goose 



Crested Titmouse Black Guillemot 



Whitewinged Crossbill Northern Puffin 



Black Woodpecker Masked Gull 



Squacco Heron 

 Bembridge, December, 1859. 



A. G. More. 



Occurrence of the Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitoi) at Forres, N. B, — An 

 esteemed friend and excellent naturalist, at Forres, sent me, the other day, a fine spe- 

 cimen of the above bird, which I have put into the hands of a birdstuflFer. My friend 

 •writes me that " it was shot by Mr. Mackintosh, shoemaker, in a jrarden ou tlie south 

 side of the town (Forres), between the Free Church and the Mills, having been 

 started from a hawthorn hedge. On the hedge, and at the spot from which the bird 

 rose, the headless body of a robin was found partially devoured. Another individual 

 of the same species (shrike) was seen at the same time ; and ou a subsequent day one, 

 probably the same, was observed at the same place." The recent appearance of this 

 bird is recorded for several localities (Zool. 6808). The one I now give is the most 

 northerly where the observation has been made and published, and is the third 

 time I have known this bird to have been met with within the province of Moray. 

 — George Gordon ; Birnie by Elgin, January, I860. 



Occurrence of Larus icthyaetus, a new British Gull, in Devonshire. — Among 

 the many objects of Natural History discovered during the past months may be 

 noticed the following remarkable bird. This bird, to which may be applied the 

 term of the giant of the blackheaded gulls, was shot by a boatman, Mr. William 

 Pine, while employed by William Taylor, Esq., of Bridgewater, who was engaged 

 in fishing for bass in the river off Exmoulh, about the end of May or the 

 beginning of June last; it was in company with a flock of ordinary gulls. Its 

 remarkable size and appearance attracted the attention of the boatman, who, having 

 his gun with him, singled it out, and fortunately obtained the bird, which has since 

 been kiudly presented, by the above-mentioned gentleman, to the writer. The usual 

 locality of this bird is the shores of the Caspian Sea, but it is also recorded as having 

 been found on the shores of the Bed Sea, the Ganges and the Ionian Islands, as well 

 as accidentally ou the margins of the Danube, in Hungary. One is led to suppose 

 that it is by no means a common bird, as examples are rarely seen in collections. It 

 is the Larus ichthyaetus, Pall. Itin. u., Ap. n. 27 ; Id. Zoogr. ii. p. 322, t. 77 ; Rupp. 

 Atlas, t. 17: the great gull, Lath. Gen. Syn. iii. pt. II. p. ;i70 : Xema ichthyueius, 

 G. R. Gray, List of Gall. SfC. B. M., p. 171. Head entirely, and part of neck pure 

 black ; the rest of neck, beneath the body, upper tail-coverts, tail, ends of scapulars 

 and secondaries pure white ; the rest of upper surface of a pale plumbeous-gray ; quills 

 pure white, with the ends black and the tips white, which latter colour is more promi- 

 nent ou the first quill, while the second has the black also divided irregularly with 

 white near the end ; a small white mark above and beneath the eyes. Bill at its base 

 livid-yellow, with a crimson ring- like spot near the tip, which is fuscous-yellow ; and 



