MISCELLANEA 221 



July 31st, 1908, at Newbiggin. An 'irruption' of Sandgrouse 

 in Central Europe has attracted a good deal of attention 

 this year, and the occurrence of this bird at Newbiggin is 

 doubtless connected with the same movement. This year's 

 irruption, however, has not been by any means on the scale 

 of those of 1863 and 1888; comparatively few of the birds 

 have penetrated as far to the north-west as England. 



Glossy Ibises at Alnmouth. — On September 3rd, 1908, a 

 Glossy Ibis ( Plegadis falcinelbis) was sent to the museum by 

 " Whist " of the " Newcastle Journal," with the information 

 that it had been shot at Alnmouth two days previously by 

 Mr. Thomas Jefferson. Through "Whist's" good offices it 

 was presented by Mr. Jefferson to the museum ; and it was 

 followed on the evening of September 5th by a second example 

 from the same source. Mr. Jefferson subsequently furnished 

 us with an interesting account of the birds. It appears that 

 to begin with there was a party of five ibises. They were first 

 seen about noon on Sunday, August 30th, at Boulmer, having 

 apparently come in from the sea, flying in single file, and 

 heading towards Alnmouth. They seem to have been ex- 

 hausted, for that afternoon near Alnmouth some small boys 

 were chasing them about and throwing stones at them. Later 

 they were very difficult to approach. In addition to the two 

 shot by Mr. Jefferson, one was picked up dead, and a fourth 

 was taken alive in a trap the following week. This last bird 

 was kept alive for a few days by Mr. D. Deuchar of Wark- 

 worth, for whom it has since been preserved. 



Mr. Jefferson notes that the ibises frequented the burns 

 near the coast rather than the coast itself, and that they 

 always flew inland when disturbed. Of the two examples 

 presented by him to the museum, one, the first, is very 

 distinctly larger than the other. There is a difference of 

 practically an inch in length of bill {^^^ ins. to 4 A ins.), and 

 other measurements differ in the same proportion. Both birds 

 are in immature plumage, the back dark irridescent green, and 

 the head and neck dusky brown streaked and speckled with 



