86 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



proved to be that of a Yellow-billed Cuckoo, with a curious 

 malformation of the upper mandible of the bill, which was 

 curved over to the right side of the lower mandible, and 

 gave rise to the impression that the bird belonged to the 

 family of Crossbills. This bird was captured yesterday. 

 It is the third specimen that has come under my notice 

 this season. 



Saw a fine specimen of the Rice-bird (Dolichonyx oryzi- 

 vora of Audubon), shot by Mr. Fozard. Length, six and 

 eight-tenth inches. 



October 26th, 1848. — Yesterday both Mr. Wedderburn 

 and Mr. Fozard were out and scoured the neighbourhood 

 without seeing a single bird of any kind, with the excep- 

 tion of one or two Rice-birds. This afternoon I saw Mr. 

 Wedderburn returning with his gun, and was informed by 

 him that " the Snipes were in," that in coming through 

 Facey's Marsh after sunset, he flushed several couple of 

 them, and though it was so dark he could hardly see them, 

 he managed to bag a couple. These were very fine plump 

 birds. 



Mr. Wedderburn also met with two Bitterns, during his 

 walk, one of which he winged, and lost in the thick grass 

 around Mr. Harry Tucker's Pond. 



Note. — The breeze has been from the west nearly all 

 day, and threatening heavy rain from that quarter. This 

 evening it has shifted to the south-west, and considerably 

 increased. 



October 2jth, 1848. — Mr. Wedderburn was out this morn- 

 ing at daybreak and killed a couple of Snipe in the 

 neighbouring marshes, also a Crake {Ortygometra jamai- 

 censis), which he unfortunately lost. 



