224 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a female Wild Cat, caught in Scotland on March 4th. It measures 29£ 

 inches in length. — James Sutton (Durham). 



Polecat in Northamptonshire. — As I gather from recent numbers of 

 'The Zoologist' that a certain interest attaches to "modern instances" of 

 the occurrence of the Polecat in this country, I write to say that I was 

 informed by Mr. PercyMitchell, of Cranford Hall, near Kettering, that one 

 was trapped there by his gamekeeper in the month of September, 1891. My 

 falconer has just informed me that a Polecat (trapped on the property of my 

 neighbour, Mr. Freeman, of Clapton, on Friday, April 1st) has been sent to 

 him for preservation. — Lilfoed (Lilford Hall, Oundle). 



Earliest use of Foxhounds. — An earlier notice of Foxhounds than 

 that noticed by Mr. H. A. Evans (p. 143) will be found in the ' Twelfth 

 Report of the Historical Manuscripts Commission,' Appendix, part vii. It 

 occurs among the MS. of Sir Daniel Fleming, Bart., of Rydal. The 

 abstract furnished is the following; — " November 17th, 1674. Newsletter 

 11th. On Saturday or Sunday next his Royal Highness, and the Duke of 

 Monmouth, and divers persons of quality go to Chichester, where they are 

 to lodge in the Bishop's Palace, and expect all the gentry of the neigh- 

 bourhood to repair with their dogs for seven or eight days' fox-hunting" 

 (p. 114). — A. H. Macpherson (Carlisle). 



CETACEA. 

 Rorqual in the Humber. — On April 14th a large Rorqual, Balamoptera 

 musculus, was stranded on the Den, a prominent shoal just within the Spurn. 

 It was there killed by the life-boat crew, and subsequently towed across to 

 the sands at Cleethorpe, on the Lincolnshire side, for exhibition, where 

 I saw and examined it on the 16th of that month. The dimensions 

 were: — Total length over all, 76 ft. ; girth behind pectorals, 32 ft. 4 in. ; 

 gape, 15 ft. 6 in. ; across tail, 15 ft. 6 in. ; length of pectoral fin, 7 ft. 6 in. 

 The baleen-plates were 18 inches in depth near the angle of the mouth 

 and tapering towards the front, and 9 inches in width, brownish in colour 

 towards the back of the mouth, but in front almost pure white, clouded 

 with violet. This and the comparatively small size of the pectorals, as well 

 as some other external features, point to the conclusion that this was the 

 so-called Common Rorqual, and not Sibbald's Rorqual (B. Sibhaldii, J. E. 

 Gray) — the only other of the Bahmopterida with which it could be con- 

 fused. It was sold on the coast for £75, and the skeleton will be preserved. 

 —John Cordeaux (Eaton Hall, Retford). 



BIRDS. 

 Plumage of the Serin Finch. — There are one or two points in con- 

 nection with the winter plumage of the male Serin, Serinus hortutanus, on 

 which those who have seen more specimens than I have may perhaps be 



