410 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



recorded prior to the publication of his own book in 1869. For instance, 

 about the end of April or beginning of May, 1859, a Hoopoe was shot at 

 Piddy (' The Field,' 7th May, 1859). On the 20th October, 1860, one was 

 shot at Weston-super-Mare, and two years previously one was obtained at 

 the same place (' The Field,' 17th Nov. 1860). On the 10th May, 1862, 

 the late H. Ward, of Vere Street, London, had a Hoopoe which had been 

 sent to him for preservation from Bath. On enquiry, it was ascertained to 

 have been shot on May 1st at Keynsham. — Ed.] 



Notes from Scarborough. — The weather having been fine, and the 

 wind westerly during the whole of the autumn until October, migrating birds 

 have not appeared in great numbers on this part of the coast. Since August 

 I have noted the occurrence of the following species : — On Aug. 19th, two 

 examples of the Curlew Sandpiper, Tringa subarquata, were obtained on the 

 north shore; one of these (an old bird) retained the red breeding plumage to 

 a great extent, the other was an immature bird. On Oct. 21st, an adult 

 Greenshank, Totanus canescens, occurred in the same place. Little Stints, 

 Tringa minuta, have passed in limited numbers, one being obtained on the 

 north shore on Aug. 29th and another on Aug. 31st ; these are the only 

 two examples I have seen this autumn. On Sept. 17th, a male Peregrine 

 Falcon, just completing the moult into adult plumage, was shot whilst 

 chasing a Jackdaw. The bird had frequented some high cliffs, a little to 

 the south of Scarborough, for about six weeks previously. Merlins, Falco 

 asalon, have been somewhat abundant. I have seen several on the coast ; 

 one, a handsome male in adult plumage, was shot on Sept. 14th. This 

 bird was discovered breeding, during the past season, on the high moors 

 above Scarborough, the four eggs and the male bird being brought to me 

 for identification. The male was sitting when the nest was discovered, and 

 was shot as he flew off the eggs. On Sept. 21st, I had brought to me an 

 immature male Black Redstart, Ruticilla titys, which had been killed with 

 a stone by a little boy near Scarborough. It was considerably lighter in 

 colour than one (a female) which I shot some four years ago. On Oct. 14th, 

 a mature specimen of the Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus hyperboreus, 

 was shot whilst feeding on the north shore, and brought to me. A strong 

 N.E. gale was blowing at the time. Not having skinned the bird at the 

 time of writing, I am unable definitely to record the sex, but from the size 

 (7J inches in length), I should say it is a female. This is the first example 

 I have seen in this district, and T find on reference to Messrs. Clarke and 

 Roebuck's ' Vertebrate Fauna of Yorkshire,' that it is described as " a casual 

 visitant in autumn and winter, of very rare occurrence." It is, however, 

 recorded on two previous occasions at Scarborough; one, mature, in 

 December, 1853, and in November, 1854. The fishermen tell me that the 

 Pomatoihiue Skua, Stercorarius pomatorhinus, is unusually abundant on the 



