436 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



from authors touching upon it, and a bibliography of the subject.— J. A. 

 Harviu Brown (Dunipace, Larbert, N.B.). 



Nansen's Discovery of the Breeding Haunts of Ross's Gull.— The 

 'Daily Chronicle' during the past few days has given us the first connected 

 narrative from the pen of the " Hero of the White North." This account 

 of the greatest adventure of the century, or perhaps of all time, in the fields 

 of Polar research contains information long desired by ornithologists. To 

 wit, the discovery of a breeding station for the rare circumpolar Gull, 

 fflwdostethia rosea, Macgillivray. The small group of islands where 

 Nansen discovered Ross's Gull in considerable numbers and evidently 

 breeding, lies by his observation in 81° 38' N. lat. and 63° E. long. 

 Reference to the map at the commencement of vol. ii., 'New Lands 

 within the Arctic Circle,' by the celebrated explorer Julius Payer, shows 

 that the group, named Hirtenland by Nansen, is situated about thirty-two 

 geographical miles due east of Freedom Island, the latitude of which is 

 doubtless accurately determined by Payer, who during his memorable 

 sledge-journey up Austria Sound passed within eight miles of it. 

 Apparently the Hirtenland group of Nansen occupies a position within 

 an area laid down by Payer as Wilczek Land, — proof of the difficulty in 

 charting untrodden lands in the Polar Regions. In this instance, a supposed 

 continuous coast-line, laid down by so experienced and careful an observer 

 as Payer, on closer acquaintance resolves itself into groups of glacier- 

 covered islands. Mistakes in the determination of land by optical vision 

 may easily be made in those fog- and snow-obscured regions. It seems to 

 me not improbable that the members of the Jackson-Harmsworth Expe- 

 dition may attempt to reach the Hirtenland group next spring, so that it 

 is within the bounds of possibility that next year we may see for the first 

 time the eggs and young of one of the rarest, and iu its distribution one of 

 the most remarkable, of birds. — H. W. Feilden (Wells, Norfolk). 



Occurrence of Phylloscopus viridanus in Lincolnshire.— During the 

 afternoon of Sept. 5th I shot a specimen of Phylloscopus viridanus in a 

 hedge near the sea-bank at North Cotes, on the Lincolnshire coast. 

 According to Herr Gatke, this species has appeared three times on the 

 island of Heligoland, but has not occurred elsewhere in Europe. It is a 

 native of Central Asia, breeding in Turkestan and wintering in India. In 

 general appearance it closely resembles our common Willow Wren, but has 

 a conspicuous wing-bar formed by the yellowish buff tips of the greater 

 wing-coverts. It is also somewhat greener on the upper parts, and less 

 yellow beneath. It further differs in the proportionate lengths of the 

 wing-feathers, and in the colour of the legs, which are almost as dark as in 

 the Chiffchaff. The specimen obtained by me proved to be a female, and, 

 I believe, adult. The weather prevailing at the time of its appearance was 

 such as usually results iu a great immigration of small birds. The wind 



