66 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the one I saw was very beautifully marked, all the dorsal portion being 

 glossy black and the ventral surface yellowish cream-colour, which during 

 life was probably pure white. There was also a patch of the latter colour 

 commencing over the eye, and continued some distance backward. The 

 line of demarcation between the two colours was sharply defined, and when 

 nearly under the dorsal fin was directed upwards and backwards, and recurved 

 upon itself in a way difficult to describe in words, but very pretty in effect. 

 The saddle-shaped patch frequently noticed in this species was absent in 

 these two individuals. Possibly the two may have been the offspring of 

 one female, but of that I have no further evidence than that they were 

 apparently of the same age. — T. Southwell (Norwich). 



BIRDS. 



Grebes in the Washburn Valley, Yorkshire. — I have a specimen of 

 the Great-crested Grebe, which was picked up dead on the margin of 

 Swinsty Reservoir, Nov. 14th, 1894. It is a young bird, and, as far as I 

 can ascertain, this is the only instance of the occurrence of this species in 

 this valley. I have on several occasions observed the Sclavonian Grebe on 

 these reservoirs. — Wm. Storey (Fewston Lodge, near Otlev). 



Red-necked Grebe on the Solway Firth. — The Red-necked Grebe is 

 an irregular visitant to the north-west of England, but it generally appears 

 on our rivers during the prevalence of hard weather. I never happened to 

 come across a specimen in the pretty first plumage until last September, 

 when a Red-necked Grebe arrived near Silloth on the 22nd of the month. 

 It was a solitary bird, and proved to be in very perfect feather, but rather 

 wanting in condition. — H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



Eared Grebe in the Hebrides. — The Hebrides appear to lie to the 

 north-west of the usual migrations of the Eared Grebe; hence we rarely 

 meet with this species upon our Highland lochs. The Little Grebe is, in 

 my experience, the commonest Grebe to be found on the north-west coast 

 of Scotland. The Sclavonian Grebe is also to be met with sparingly every 

 winter. On the other h ind, the Eared Grebe so seldom wauders to the 

 Hebrides that sometimes years elapse between its known visits. In 

 January, 1895, an Eared Grebe, in winter plumage, was shot in Skye by 

 my keeper. We compared it with a second specimen, killed on Ulleswater 

 Lake about the same time. There was already a fairly good series of 

 Sclavonian Grebes in the Carlisle Museum, but specimens of the Eared 

 Grebe were wanting, so that these two specimens proved very acceptable. — 

 H. A. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



Note on Turdus alpestris. — Whilst on a visit to some friends in Hun* 

 gary last spring, we made an excursion up the mountains, and encamped 

 at an altitude of 6000 ft. We amused ourselves by birdsnesting. We 



