NOTES AND QUERIES. 335 



Though Colonel Malone's description does not altogether agree as to colour 

 and size with that of the Ruddy Sheldrake, yet, as the size and hue of 

 birds on the wing may be mistaken, and as other flocks made their appear- 

 ance in Ireland about the same time (at a season when Wild Geese are in 

 the arctic regions), it is open to conjecture that the two last-mentioned flocks 

 may have been Ruddy Sheldrakes. It will be interesting to note if the 

 species has occurred this summer elsewhere in the British Islands. — R. J. 

 Ussher (Cappagh, Co. Waterford). 



[On the 28th March last a Ruddy Sheldrake made its appearance on a 

 piece of water at Burley Manor, Ringwood, Hants, and was described in a 

 letter to the 'Times,' dated "Burley Manor, April 12th," by Mr. W. C. 

 Esdaile, who did all he could to protect it while it remained in his neigh- 

 bourhood. In 'The Field' of August 6th, Mr. F. Menteith Ogilvie 

 announced the recent occurrence of another bird of this species near 

 Aldeburgh, Suffolk; and the Rev. H. A. Macpherson, in 'The Field ' of 

 August 13th, "reported that a third had been shot in Cumberland on 

 July 20th."— Ed.] 



A Tame Golden Eagle. — I promised to send you some account of the 

 Eagle which our former under-keeper took from the nest near here. He is 

 now the landlord of the hotel at Luib, and has still the bird in his stable. 

 It is a Golden Eagle, I think a hen bird, and nearly, if not quite, full 

 grown. It is fairly tame, and will sit on his hand ; but he does not carry 

 it often so, partly because he is a busy man, and partly because he is afraid 

 of its losing its balance, and regaining it in a manner extremely painful. 

 It has not been pinioned, nor had any of its feathers touched, and can fly 

 very well. It escaped the other day, and flew for about half a mile, but 

 settled on the ground, and allowed him to come up and catch it again. I 

 think he wants to get rid of it, as his wife is afraid it will eat or injure her 

 first-born, who has just reached that age when he can run about by himself. 

 The owner has had one or two people enquiring about the bird, and has 

 been offered a life-membership of the Zoological Society, if he will present 

 it to the Gardens ; but he does not think that good enough, as he can never 

 derive any of the advantages except writing F.Z. S. after his name. He 

 told me the story of its capture ; it was the only one in the nest, and he 

 was lowered by a rope. He found it surrounded by the remains of about 

 thirty grouse, seven lambs, hares and rabbits in abundance, and rats, mice, 

 and moles. — Francis Head (Luib Hotel, Perthshire). 



Wild Hybrid Birds. — M. Andre Suchetet continues his observations 

 under the title " Les oiseaux hybrides rencontres a letat sauvage." The 

 third part of his essay (270 pages), dealing with the Passeres, has just 

 appeared in the ' Memoires de la Societe Zoologique de France,' and further 

 parts will complete the series. These published researches of M. Suchetet 



