Birds. 5249 



the interstices of the celliferous surface are furnished with strong hook-shaped pro- 

 cesses curving upwards, generally two on each side of a mesh ;" and he adds, " nothing 

 of the kind is seen in the British species." This last is, however, a mistake, as the 

 hooks are to be found on the side of almost every mesh in my specimen ; but the 

 Looks are nothing but the labial spines of the cells, which are thrown into distinct 

 relief by the branches rounding off towards the oval interspaces. The spinous character 

 of the mouth does not arise, as in Discopora hispida, from the unequal growth of the 

 cell, but constitutes a distinct appendage, for the polypidom does not increase in 

 thickness with age, as in some of the Tubuliporidae, but simply enlarges in its flat 

 surface. In this respect its mode of growth resembles the encrusting Flustras. — 

 R. Q. Couch ; Penzance. 



Occurrence of the Rosy Feather-star (Camatula rosacea) and the Dotted Brittle- 

 star (Ophiocoma punctata) at Banff. — I had heard a little, and had seen a plate or two, 

 of the remarkable star-fish, the rosy feather-star, and had also seen something like it, 

 if not the same, in stone; but it was not until a few days ago that I had the pleasure 

 of beholding, for the first time, the real bona fide animal itself. What a pretty 

 creature ! but how brittle ! O how beautiful ! Does any one wonder, as I used to do, 

 when he hears of a stone-lily or of a lily-star, as applied to this genus ? Then let him 

 get a sight of a crenard-star, and sure am I that his surprise will give place to admi- 

 ration : and how curious! said to have been once the " most numerous of the ocean's 

 inhabitants," and now only about a dozen kinds are to be found alive, and only one in 

 the British seas, and that but rarely met with. Well, I am proud to be able to record 

 its occurrence on the Banffshire coast. The specimen alluded to was taken from the 

 stomach of a cod-fish (Morrhua vulgaris). I would beg also to mention the 

 occurrence here of the dotted brittle-star: this is likewise a rare species with us; 

 I have only as yet met with three, and that but lately, two from the stomach of 

 a cod, and one from that of a haddock (Morrhua ceglefinus). — Thomas Edward; 

 Banff, August 8, 1856. 



Instance of a Honey Buzzard feeding on Blackbirds Eggs. — Mr. Thurtell, bird- 

 stuffer, of this town, informs me that he found the remains of blackbirds' eggs in the 

 crop and stomach of a honey buzzard which he stuffed in the spring of 1854, and 

 which was shot in a wood at Somerleyton, near this place. The circumstance being 

 authentic is perhaps worth recording in the ' Zoologist.' — /. H. Gurney ; Lowestoft, 

 August 16, 1856. 



Extraordinary Effect of Sudden Cold on Sivifts. — On Tuesday, the 8th of 

 July, I was at Deal: the early part of the day was warm, but a continued drizzling 

 rain fell; this, however, did not prevent swallows and swifts from hunting after their 

 prey much as usual : towards evening a sudden atmospheric change took place, the 

 thermometer fell rapidly ; it became so cold that an overcoat was not uncomfortable. 

 Sitting at the window, and amusing myself by watching the swifts, which were very 

 numerous, I was struck by observing that their flight was unsteady; they fluttered up 

 against the walls of houses, and I saw several even fly into open windows. Whilst 

 observing these occurrences a girl came to the door to ask me if I wanted to buy a 

 XIV. 2 T 



