3280 Birds.-— Fishes. 



Occurrence of the Whiskered Tern at Stilly. — A bird was submitted to my inspec- 

 tion which was shot near Trescoe Abbey, on one of the Scilly Islands, a few days since, 

 and which I have no doubt is an immature specimen of the whiskered tern (Sterna leu- 

 copareia). It is larger and more bulky in appearance than the black tern, with the 

 remarkable distinction of a prominent angle on the lower mandible, giving the bird 

 quite a gull-billed appearance. The feet are semipalmated, and the tail three quar- 

 ters of an inch deep in the fork. Unfortunately I cannot well get at some of the lead- 

 ing dimensions, as the bird is set up. The length from the carpal joint to the end of 

 the first quill-feather is about 9 inches less ^ ; from the bottom of the neck to the end 

 of the longest tail-feather, 7 inches. The whole under parts pure white ; the upper 

 part of the back dark brown, with the edges of the feathers lighter ; scapulars dark 

 brown, with broad margins of yellowish white; top of the head, occiput and nape 

 black, with a powdered mixture of gray and rufous ; forehead to crown white ; a few 

 light bluish gray feathers, apparently newly moulted, are interspersed on the upper 

 region of the plumage ; greater and lesser wing-coverts light bluish ash, some of the 

 feathers having the extremities brown ; tail with a gradually deeper tone of slate-gray 

 towards the point of each feather, which terminates in a brown spot edged with yel- 

 lowish white ; the collar of the neck above is bluish ash ; the ear-coverts are grayish 

 black, exhibiting a large patch. The under parts being of a uniform pure white, the 

 whisker is not developed. The bird appears to be in a state of active moult, and ra- 

 pidly assuming the winter plumage, as described by Mr. Yarrell, in his ' British 

 Birds,' iii. 406. — Edivard Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, September 2, 1851. 



Occurrence of the Pomarine Skua in Adult Plumage near Penzance. — An adult ex- 

 ample of this species occurred this week about a mile from Penzance, in Mount's Bay. 

 The autumnal moult appears to be nearly completed. The middle tail-feathers extend 

 about l£ inch beyond the tail, and are of equal breadth to the end : the sides of the 

 neck exhibit a set of disconnected subulated feathers of a pale primrose-yellow : the top 

 of the head and back dark brown : the abdomen and vent ash-brown : the upper part 

 and sides of the breast blotched and sparingly spotted with indistinct brocoli-brown. 

 Length from tip of the beak to lateral tail-feathers 17£ inches ; breadth 46 inches. — 

 Id.; October 10, 1851. 



Note on the Short Sun-fish , (Orthagoriscus Mola). — In the January number for 

 the present year (Zool 3001) I mention that a large specimen of this fish was brought 

 ashore at Pennan in the course of the summer of 1850. I had not such an opportu- 

 nity of examining that specimen as I could have desired, and the only palpable dispa- 

 rity, as it occurred to me, between it and the written descriptions of the species to 

 which my attention had been directed, lay in the scalloped configuration of the cau- 

 dal fin, which also appeared uniform with the rest of the body, or, as the fisher- 

 men observed, " it seemed to have no tail at all.'' I am happy in being able to say 

 that a most favourable opportunity of more minutely examining this species has just 

 been given me, which confirms former observations, as well as puts it in my power to 

 enlarge upon them. On the 19th ultimo, a crew of fishermen belonging to Gardens- 

 ton captured a noble specimen of the species in question off Troup Head, the most 

 northerly point of this line of the Moray Firth. When first seen, it was slowly float- 

 ing along on the surface of the water, having its dorsal fin and shoulder exposed. 



