426 T&E ZOOLOGIST. 



much to the amazement of the men of the fishing fleet who were in the 

 neighbourhood, who could not understand how, with neither sails nor oars, 

 Galbraith's skiff was going fast yet dead in the eye of the wind. When the 

 Dolphin and skiff reached within three or four hundred yards of Carradale 

 the strength of the animal, which was observed to be flagging, suddenly 

 gave way. It had been coming frequently to the surface to breathe, and 

 seemed to have difficulty in getting down below the surface again. Mr. 

 Galbraith, taking in the slack of the tow-rope sufficiently, got a purchase 

 on it with block and tackle, and hoisted the tail upwards out of the water. 

 This action deprived the Dolphin of its power. Its head went down below 

 the surface of the water, and, after a short but violent struggle, it was 

 drowned. For the remainder of the distance it was towed into the pier by 

 the smack. About sixteen or seventeen hours after death it was in Glasgow, 

 and examined by Mr. Eglinton, of the Kelvin grove Museum, who found 

 that, owing to the exhaustion following great muscular effort and other con- 

 ditions, the skin had begun to slide, due to rapid putrifying changes, and 

 that it was unfit for preservation by stuffing, a matter of great regret to 

 Mr. Campbell and others. The skeleton, however, is preserved. The calf 

 is preserved whole in spirit, and is well worthy of examination." 



BIRDS. 



Autumnal Migration of the Meadow Pipit. — On October 16th, 

 whilst walking along the shore at Emsvvorth, I noticed flocks of Titlarks, 

 Anthus pratensis, in such numbers as I have never seen before, evidently 

 on the point of migrating. I first observed them on the shore immediately 

 in front of Thorney Island, which they covered in a brown mass. The 

 different flocks, which were seen in several directions, must have numbered 

 many thousands. Knox, in his ' Ornithological Rambles in Sussex,' gives 

 an account of similar flocks near Brighton, early in September, and 

 Mr. Borrer, in his lately published ■ Birds of Sussex,' says that by the end 

 of September most of them have departed for the winter. I think you may 

 like to place my date on record, as it is apparently an unusually late one. — 

 F. H. Arnold (The Hermitage, Emsvvorth). 



Barrow's Goldeneye (Clangula islandica).— Writing of ducks, it may 

 be of interest to record an attempt to rear the Iceland Goldeneye. Not 

 being able to go to Iceland myself, I asked my friend, the Rev. H: H. 

 Slater, to assist me. Mr. Halfdanarson kindly sent a man to Myvatn, 

 where he procured twenty eggs of Barrow's Goldeneye, which were carried 

 home and placed under three hens. Unfortunately one of the hens broke 

 all the eggs in her charge. The other two hens only hatched out one duck- 

 ling apiece, and these unfortunately soon died. Mr. Slater thinks that the 

 shaking which the eggs received on horseback must have addled the 

 majority of them. Perhaps some one else may be more fortunate in 



