7236 * Birds, S^c. 



Courier ' as taten near Logielmond. Associating these facts, it seems evident an ex-' 

 tirpalion of the birds introduced by the Marquis oiBreadalbane is not yet completely 

 eflFected, and we hope may not he.— George R. Twinn ; The Elms, Birmingham, Sep- 

 tember 29, 1860. 



Occurrence of the Buffbreasted Sandpiper (Tringa rufescens) near the Land's End. — 

 On the 8th instant Mr. Vingoe, naturalist, of this place, discovered, on some high 

 moor ground near a pool, a very good specimen of this little sandpiper in apparently 

 the first year's plumage. It exactly resembles in every respect the s])ecimen which T 

 gave you notice of, and which appeared in the 'Zoologist' some years since. That 

 specimen was killed, I think, on the sea-shore near this place. It therefore appears 

 that it does not confine itself to the tidal estuaries, but affects moorland marshes.— 

 jEdward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, September 26, \860. 



Occurrence of the Red Phalarope at Scilly. — On the 8th inst. a specimen of this 

 small phalarope in adult winter plumage was observed swimming about in the fresh- 

 water lake at Trescow. It was shot after having been fired at and flushed on the wing 

 several times, the bird showing, by its returning to the same spot, its characteristic 

 tameuess. — Id. i October II, \S60. 



Zoology of the Pratas Shoal, a Coral Reef in the China Sea. — During a survey of 

 the dangerous reef of coral formation in the China Sea, named usually the Pratas 

 Shoal (although not a shoal but a reef), T spent a day in exploring the natural pro- 

 ductions of the little island which'arises from the sunken portion of the great subcir- 

 cular reef on the western side. It is a small island composed of coral and coral-sand, 

 about a mile and a half long, and half a mile wide. It is covered with a dense scrub 

 made up chiefly of Scariola lobelia. At the western end there is a salt-water lagoon 

 running into it for nearly half a mile. The following enumeration of genera found 

 on so small an island may be of use as illustrating the colonisation of coral islands. 



List of Animals obsekved on Peatas Island. 



Mammals. Rat, mouse. 



Birds. Hawk, swallow, kingfi>.her, thrush, wagtail (two species), butcher-bird, 

 cuckoo, pigeon, plover (two species), godwit (^Limosa), padi-bird (Ardea), curlew, snipe, 

 sanderling (two species), ganuet. 



Reptiles. Turtle, lizard {Zootoca). 



Amphibians. None. 



Fishes. None on the island itself, except a species of Periophthalmus in the 

 lagoon. 



Mollusks. Succinea, Melanopus, Truncatella. 



Insects. Coleoptera : Opatrum, Chilocoris, Microzaeum, Cryptocephalus, Hallica, 

 Dermestes (in dead gannets), Calandra, Brachelytra (two species). Orthoptera : For- 

 ficula, Blatta (two species), Mantis, Acheta, Gryllus, Locusta, Trnxalis. Neuroplera : 

 Libellula. Hymenoptera : Formica (three species), Andrena. Lepidoptera : Sesia 

 (large species), a moth with white wings common on Scavida, Tinea (small species) on 

 leaves. Hemiplera : two species of sand-bug and one shield-bug. Diptera : three or 

 four kinds of flies. 



Myriapods. Geophilus (under masses of Madrepore). 



