NOTES AND QUERIES. 473 



centered with whitish and buff. Primaries hair-brown, slightly marbled 

 with paler. Secondaries darker, with pale brown in the outer portion ; 

 fringed on ends, and mottled at base with pale buff. Hinder wing-coverts 

 creamy white, edged aud dabbled with pale brown. Axillaries also creamy 

 white, thickly dabbled towards end with hair-brown aud light brown. Legs 

 and toes a drab tinge of yellow ochre; nails horn-brown. Bill slaty 

 horn-brown. Irides brownish hazel. Length 14 in. ; height 12 h in. Thus 

 showing it to be a heavy bird for a " cheeper." It was shot in Shropshire, 

 on Sept. 8th, and was singled out from a covey of eight; all the others 

 were said to be of the normal colour. — F. Coburn (Holloway Head, 

 Birmingham). 



Notes from Hampshire. — It may be of interest to readers of ■ The 

 Zoologist' to hear of some of the more noteworthy captures in the Win- 

 chester district, zoologically rich, during the past year. I am indebted to 

 Mr. Chalkley for this list: the dates appended refer to those on which the 

 specimens were sent to him for preservation : — A Hen Harrier (Circus 

 cyaneus), shot by a keeper at Stockbridge on Nov. 23rd, 1895. Jan. 10th, 

 1896, Peregrine Falcon shot at Bramdean. Feb. 5th, Peregrine Falcon, 

 shot at Whitchurch. Feb. 18th, Peregrine Falcon, shot at Micheldever. 

 Feb. 27th, Otter (Lutra vulgaris), killed at Swathling, weighing 24| lbs. 

 This animal is much rarer here now than formerly. March 6th, a Curlew 

 (Numenius arquatus), shot at Shoeburyness. May 23rd, a Hobby (Falco 

 subbuteo), shot at Warnford. Aug. 14th, a Hobby, shot at Aviugton Park. 

 Sept. 15th, a Grey Phalarope, shot at Aviugton Park. Mr. Chalkley has 

 several examples of this bird in his own collection which were shot near 

 Winchester. Oct. 10th, Mr. Chalkley called my attention to a communi- 

 cation iu a local paper in the Isle of Wight, recording, " that a Yellow-billed 

 Cuckoo was found dead at Ventnor." This is quoted on the authority of a 

 birdstuffer out there, a Mr. Smith, I believe. Several Herons have been 

 sent to him at various dates, and one Skua Gull. I regret to state that an 

 unusual number of Kingfishers have been shot this year in Hampshire. 

 — G. W. Smith (The College, Winchester). 



Variety of Barn Owl.— On the 12th of August last, I saw an Owl 

 which, unfortunately, had been shot the previous evening. Its dorsal 

 plumage was darker than usual, aud it had a deep buff band across the 

 breast, the lower parts of the belly being white aud spotted, a variation not 

 unusual. But about the 8th of September I saw another, much darker 

 than any previous specimen I had seen. The upper plumage was much 

 \ darker than usual, and the whole under parts were of a warm, unspotted 

 buff; sex, male. This specimen is not so dark perhaps as one described 

 by Mr. Gurney (Zool. 1894, p. 226], or of one or two others recorded in 

 previous volumes, yet its appearance amongst others of the more ordinary 

 type is rather conspicuous. I may state that its face was white, with the 



ZOOLOGIST, THIRD SERIES, VOL. XX. DEC. 1896. 2 O 



