NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 7 



great body of those birds must winter in countries beyond 

 the United States, and that Heaven has gifted them, " in 

 common with many others," with instinctive judgment and 

 strength of flight sufficient to seek a more genial abode 

 during the winter season. 



On the same day received a beautiful male specimen of 

 the European Wheat-ear {Saxicola cen&nthe), shot by 

 Lieutenant Wood, 20th Regiment. Can find no mention of 

 this bird, either in Wilson or the " Ornithology of the State 

 of New York." Is this bird an inhabitant of the American 

 Continent ? If not, how are we to account for its appear- 

 ance in the Bermudas ? There is no mistake as to the 

 identity of the bird, which agrees perfectly with Bewick's 

 description of it. Tail feathers preserved. 



Sergeant Perkins brought me the skin of a Tern recently 

 killed by Dr. Cole, of the 20th Regiment. This bird is quite 

 black on all its upper parts, from the head to the extremity 

 of its very forked tail, wings included. Under parts pure 

 white. In size it resembled the Common Tern of North 

 America, but proved to be the Sterna fuliginosa, or Sooty 

 Tern of Wilson. 



Examined two specimens of the Sandpiper class (the 

 Tringa semipalmata of Audubon and Wilson), not larger 

 than the little Stint, of America, and very similar in plu- 

 mage. The feet of these birds were black, and semi- 

 palmated, or webbed. 



Captain Fayrer, of the "Tenedos" hulk, tells me that 

 during his residence in these islands (about three years), he 

 has obtained two beautiful specimens of the Snowy Owl 

 (Surnia nyctia) male and female, shot at Boss' Cove, the 

 skins of which were sent to England. One of these birds 

 had several rats in its crop when killed. 



