2026 



Birds. 



tunately been secured with brass or steel wire, instead of gold or silver: had it been 

 done with either of the latter, in all probability poor Dan might yet have been alive, 

 if not to tell his tale to have shown his wonderful cure ; but as it was we did not like 

 putting him again to the pain of drilling fresh holes in his mandible, as the old ones 

 were worn through ; and though we kept him many days, in hopes that he might get 

 accustomed to the loss of his false bill, and be able to feed himself, we found him to- 

 tally unable to do so : as he was getting weaker and weaker, from want of sustenance, 

 we were most reluctantly obliged to destroy this attached and sagacious creature, 

 having had him nearly seven years. On measuring him after his death we found him 

 to be — 



ft. in. 



From wing to wing 8 



From tip of the tail to tip of the bill 4 10 



Round the body (but when in good condition, as previous to 



his accident, he must have measured far more) 2 7 



— Ellen Webley Parry ; Tref organ, near Cardigan, December 22, 1847. 



Occurrence of Bewick's Swan (Cygnus Bewickii) in Wexford Harbour. — On the 

 1st of 2nd month, 1844, I had an opportunity of examining a fresh specimen of this 

 bird, obtained in our harbour. There were three or four of them in company.— Joseph 

 Poole; Killiane, Wexford. 



Note on the Bimaculaied Duck (Anas glocitans). — I beg to send you a drawing on 

 the block, of the female bimaculated duck which came into the possession of Mr. Tomes 



Female Bimaculated Duck (Anas glocitans). 



at the beginning of last year, and of which a description, with some observations by 

 him, will be found in the ' Zoologist ' (Zool. 1698). The evidence in favour of and 

 against the supposed hybridism of this duck has been so accurately stated by Mr. 

 Tomes, that it is unnecessary to add anything upon this subject. I may, however, 

 state my conviction that it is a distinct species. It should be also noticed, with refe- 

 rence to Mr. Selby's description of the colour of the legs of the bimaculated duck, 

 which he states to be orange, that in the specimen in question, the bill and legs pre- 

 cisely resembled in colour those of the common teal, being of a bluish gray. — William 

 R. Fisher ; Cambridge, February 3, 18-18. 



