20 THE ORNITHOLOGIST. 



fishing, and probably contains some monster pike. Besides the Grebes, there 

 were the usual Coots, Moorhens, and Wild Ducks, and also some Teal. A 

 few Common Sandpipers frequented the banks one day. But by far the 

 most interesting birds were a pair of Pochards (Fuligula ferind). They 

 kept close together, but I saw no young ones, and I think that for some 

 reason or other they had not bred. The male was in full spring dress, and 

 had not altered at all. I know of no instance of the Pochard breeding in 

 Northamptonshire. In the two splendid volumes on the Birds of Northamp- 

 tonshire just published, Lord Lilford does not mention any instance of its 

 being observed in that county during the summer months. I have omitted 

 to say that my brother saw the Pochards in June. — O. V. Aplin (Bloxham. 

 Oxon, February 4th, 1896). 



NOTES AND NEWS. 



Mr. H. Mead-Briggs reports (" Science Gossip," December, 1895) that 

 the Golden Eagle reported to have been shot in December, at Minster, 

 in Thanet, Kent, has turned out, upon inspection, to be an immature white- 

 tailed or sea eagle. 



At a meeting of the Natural History Society of Glasgow, held December 

 23rd, 1895, Mr. John Paterson exhibited a specimen of the Spotted Crake 

 (Porzana maruettn) which had been shot on the river Add, Argyllshire. 

 Although included in Mr. Harvie-Brown's " Vertebrate Fauna of Argyll," 

 the bird is of extremely rare occurrence in the county, and in the Western 

 Highlands generally. 



At the meeting of the Linnean Society, held on January 16th, Mr. J. E. 

 Harting exhibited, on behalf of Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant, some eggs and 

 skins of two rare Petrels from the Salvage Islands, lying between the Canaries 

 and Madeira. These islands were stated to be of volcanic origin, faced with 

 steep rocks from 100 to 300 feet in height, and covered with loose, sandy 

 soil, with but little vegetation. The Petrels exhibited were Pelagodroma 

 marina and Oceanodroma cryptoleucura, which were found nesting in burrows 

 after the manner of the Shearwater (Puffin as kuhli), of which great numbers 

 were also breeding there. 



In his " Notes on the Ornithology of Northamptonshire," in the " Zoolo- 

 gist " for February, Lord Lilford records the fact that an adult Greyhen 

 was shot upon the manor of Wigsthorpe, and brought to him. He remarks 

 that he is only acquainted with one previous occurrence of Blackgame in 

 Northamptonshire (see Zool., 1851, p. 3278). He also mentions some inter- 

 esting albinos — a white Swallow seen near Peterborough, August 31st ; a 

 White Starling near Lilford, October 6th ; and a white Chaffinch which 

 frequented his pleasure grounds from June until December. 



