302 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



March iSth. — Dr. Higgs informs me that he saw a large 

 brown Owl last evening on the north shore, near the 

 Ducking Stool ; that it sat upon the stone wall within a 

 short distance of him, and afterwards flew up into a tree, 

 where he left it. 



March 2gth. — Mr. Hudson Smith sent me, by the 

 Somerset mail, this morning, a fine specimen of the 

 North American Robin {Turdus migratorius). Length, 

 ten inches. It appears to have been shot yesterday. This 

 is the first bird of the kind I have seen here since the 

 spring of 1850. 



March 3 1 st. — Received intelligence of a " Wild Duck " 

 having been seen in White's Marsh, and two others near 

 the sluice gates. Went out with my gun, and succeeded 

 in killing the first, which proved to be a male Blue-winged 

 Teal, in splendid adult plumage. Two Moorhens, or 

 Coots, I am not certain which, were observed near the 

 sluice gates at the same time, one of which I killed, but 

 from the easterly wind blowing off shore it drifted away 

 from me. Saw one Water Thrush, and heard the rattle 

 of the Kingfisher. 



April 2nd. — Yesterday it blew a gale from south, veering 

 gradually to west. To-day the weather is clear and bright. 

 Saw a Yellow-bellied Woodpecker in the front street of 

 Hamilton, climbing the branches of the stunted " Pride of 

 India" trees. 



April 4th, — Saw Captain Tolcher, of the 56th, in town 

 to-day, who told me that on the 2nd instant he shot a 

 Frigate Bird ( Tachypetes aquilus) at Ireland Island, which 

 measured upwards of seven feet from wing to wing. 



