NOTES AND QUERIES. 63 



wings, something darker ; the upper part of the tail where the feathers 

 join to the body is ash-coloured, then a ring of black, and on the extreme 

 part of the tail-feathers a ring of aurora flame, or gold colour, but under 

 the tail a perfect cinnamon. The prime flying feathers of the wings are 

 curiously diversified, for upon each wing, whose feathers are for the most 

 part black, are white spots, answerable to each other. Then the extreme 

 points of nine of the longest pinion-feathers are tipped with white and 

 lemon or gold colour ; the lesser pinion-feathers, which are seven in num- 

 ber, are tipped with white, and the extreme part of these seven feathers on 

 each side are of a pure vermillion colour, but these vermillion tips are no 

 feather, but of the nature of the stem of the feather, though dilated 

 broader at the ends." This accurate and extremely intelligent description 

 of the Waxwing (Ampelis garrula) makes it regrettable that so capable an 

 observer as Mr. Thomas Baskervill did not devote more of his Journal to 

 the birds which he met with in the course of his itineraries, which, though 

 full of interest, give what in the present day we should consider an undue 

 prominence to the excellence of the inns at which he "lay" aud the good 

 cheer which was there to be obtained. — T. Southwell (Norwich). 



Red-breasted Snipe in Ireland. — On October ] 1th, 1893, I received 

 from County Tipperary, Ireland, an adult female of the Red-breasted Snipe, 

 Macrorhampus griseus, changing to winter plumage. Professor Newton, 

 who has examined this bird, gives its dimensions as — bill, 2*65 ; tarsus 

 15 ; wing, 6. It will be seen that these measurements closely approach 

 those of the supposed western form, but it seems to me that eastern and 

 western forms cannot be with certainty distinguished. Lord Lilford has 

 had a figure of this specimen drawn for his ' Illustrations of British Birds.' 

 — F. Coburn (Holloway Head, Birmingham). 



Common Scoter in Warwickshire in August.— On August 7th, 1893, 

 Mr. H. C. Grove shot a Common Scoter, (Edemia nigra, on Powell's Pool, 

 Sutton Park, Warwickshire. The bird is apparently an immature male, 

 but it had been roughly skinned, and the skin was nearly putrid when I 

 got it, so that I cannot positively state the sex. The date seems a most 

 extraordinary one for this bird to be found at such a spot. Mr. Grove sug- 

 gested that it had probably been bred in the park, but there is no proof 

 whatever to support this supposition. No other birds of its kind were seen 

 in the pool, but later Mr. Grove shot a female Pochard. This is the first 

 record I have of the Common Scoter for Warwickshire. — F. Coburn. 



Uncommon Birds in the Isle of Man.— -Mr. G. Adams, taxidermist, 

 of Douglas, Isle of Man, has shown me a Little Auk, Mergulus alle, which 

 was sent him from Peel, for preservation, in the last week of December. It 

 displays a considerable amount of dark mottling on the lower part of the 

 front of the neck. He has also a Grebe which, from its medium size and 



