Cetacea.— Birds. 2409 



Occurrence of the Two-toothed Whale (Physeter bidens) at Hull. — Dr. Cogswell 

 observes of Physeter bidens (Zool. 2320) that only three specimens are known, viz., 

 one stranded in Elginshire, another at Havre, and a third at Ostend. A fourth spe- 

 cimen exists in the Museum of the Literary and Philosophical Society at Hull. It 

 was stranded close by Hull, in the Humber, a few years ago, and was then thought 

 to be a quite unknown species, and to myself and many others who examined it ap- 

 peared to be perfectly toothless ; and it was only when the lower jaw was denuded of 

 flesh, in skeletonizing it, that the two teeth appeared, which had been quite covered 

 by the gums. It was a female ; and a very correct figure was drawn by Mrs. Alder- 

 son, the wife of Dr. Alderson, then residing in Hull. This was engraved on stone, 

 and in figure perfectly resembles the one depicted in Jardine's ■ Naturalist's Library,' 

 in the volume upon whales, except that the two teeth, instead of being one on each 

 side of the lower jaw, are both of them in the front extremity of it. — T. Thompson ; 

 HulL March, 1849. 



Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) near Rye. — There is a golden eagle in the marsh 

 now, but we cannot get near him. — J. B. Ellman : Rye, February 16, 1849. 



Occurrence of the White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Somersetshire. — A 

 large white-tailed eagle, measuring 7 feet from wing to wing, and weighing upwards 

 of 9 lbs., was shot a few days ago, whilst wending its rapid flight over a wood, in the 

 neighbourhood of High Ham, Somersetshire, by Mr. Wm. Thyer, of that place. The 

 bird has been purchased by Edwd. Quekett, Esq., of the town, who intends giving it 

 a place in his museum. — Communicated by J. C. Garth. 



White-tailed Eagle at Deal. — On the 21st of February a large eagle was seen ho • 

 vering over the lower sand-hills. From the description given me by a person who 

 lives there, it was most probably the white-tailed eagle. — J. W. Hullce ; 155, Lower 

 Street, Deal. 



Plumage of the Hobby (Falco subbuteo). — Dr. Scott expresses a doubt (Zool. 2383) 

 as to whether a bird which he possesses is the Falco subbuteo or F. rufipes. It is 

 unquestionably the former, — the common hobby, — the thighs of which are always 

 deep rufous when the bird is adult ; when young they are yellowish white, with oblong 

 brown spots. The adult male Falco rufipes is of a uniform deep lead colour, with 

 the thighs and under tail-coverts deep rufous. — Henry Doubleday ; Epping, March, 

 1849. 



Plumage of the Hobby. — Observing that Dr. Scott, of Exeter, entertains some 

 doubt as to whether the falcon he describes is the common hobby (Falco subbuteo), on 

 account of the uniform rufous colour of the thighs, which in his opinion connects it 

 with the red-legged hobby (F. rufipes), I beg to acquaint that gentleman that among 

 the various English specimens of the F. subbuteo in my collection, there are as many 

 without as with the longitudinal streaks or markings of dark brown on the thighs ; 

 and it is quite clear, from the plumage generally, that those birds of both sexes 

 which have the thighs of a pure bright rufous buff are adult, and that the others are 

 immature. It is true that this does not correspond with the illustrative figure and 

 description in Mr. Yarrell's most excellent work (the extraordinary truth and correct- 

 ness of which, in matters of detail generally, no one has more frequently tested and 



