Reptiles, 2231 



of the roseate tern was shot on a large piece of water adjoining the mansion at Tus- 

 more Park. It is now in the hands of Mr. Osraan, bird-stuffer, Oxford.— Thomas 

 Prater ; Bicester, August 17, 1848. 



Occurrence of the Masked Gull (Larus capistratus) at Aldborough. — A beautifully 

 marked specimen of this doubtful species was killed at Aldborough in the early part 

 of April, and came immediately into the possession of Mr. H. Haward, by whom the 

 following measurements were made. Mr. Gould, who does not admit the so-called 

 masked gull to the rank of a species, chanced to be in Ipswich, and had an opportu- 

 nity of examining the specimen in question soon after it had been set up. Mr. 

 Gould acknowledged he had never before seen so small an example, and I think I 

 may say he is inclined to doubt if this can be a mere variety of L. ridibundus. 



Weight 6 oz. 



Whole length ... ... 14 in. 



From tip to tip of wings ... 35 in. 



Tarsus ... ... ... \f 



Middle toe 1 T " 5 



Beak to front feathers ... lf 5 

 — F. W. Johnson, Surgeon ; Ipswich, August 18, 1848. 



Note on Triton palmipes. By Julian Deby, Esq. 



Triton punctatus male, in spring. Triton palmipes male, in spring. 



Having just read in the • Zoologist ' (Zool. 2149) a note about a species of newt, 

 by Mr. Wolley, I take the liberty of sending you a few lines on the animal mentioned, 

 which is not an uncommon species with us, having been found in the running streams 

 of the mountainous part of our country, as well as in the great marshes of the Cam- 

 pine. It is the Triton (Lissotriton) palmipes of Daudin, the Salamandra palmata of 

 Latreille and Cuvier, the Molge palmata of Merrem. 



The first author who mentions this reptile is Razoumowsky, in his ' Histoire Na- 

 turelle du Jorat et de ses Environs : Lausanne, 1789, p. Ill : ' his description is a very 

 good one, and leaves no doubt as to the species he meant. He named it " Lacerta 

 paradoxas. Helvetica, ou Salamandre Suisse," from a supposed analogy between it and 

 the Rana paradoxa of Linneus. He discovered this animal in 1788, in the fountain 

 of Vernens, in the canton of Vaud, where it lived in common with the Triton punc- 

 tatus. 



