26 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



killed in England at all, hut is a foreign skin. White, the man who, Mr. 

 Cording says, shot the Stilt, is at the present time working for him at his 

 shop in Cardiff. Mr. Whitaker asked a man in Nottingham, who knew 

 White well, and he elicited from him that, so far as he knew, White had 

 not handled a gun for the last two years. Moreover, as this Nottingham 

 birdstuffer knew White well, and was also in the habit of communicating 

 the occurrence of any rare or interesting bird to Mr. Whitaker, it seems 

 highly improbable that the occurrence of such a rarity as the Black-winged 

 Stilt should have been unmentioned. I think it only right that I should 

 at once lay these facts before the readers of ■ The Zoologist,' for there is no 

 doubt whatever in my mind that Mr. Cording disposed of a foreign-killed 

 bird as a British one, and I think that such practices (too common with 

 birdstuffers generally, I am afraid) should be immediately exposed, and 

 collectors put on their guard. — Digby S. W. Nicholl (The Ham, Cow- 

 bridge, Glamorgan). 



American Bittern in Co. Kildare. — An American Bittern (Botaurus 

 lentiginosus) was shot on Maddenstown Bog, Co. Kildare, on October 31st 

 last. It is a very rare visitor, having hitherto only occurred six times in 

 Ireland. — R. F. Scharff (Science and Art Museum, Dublin). 



Protection of Birds on the Fame Islands.— Reporting on the result 

 of the measures taken to protect the sea-birds which resort to the Fame 

 Islands during the breeding season, Mr. H. G. Barclay says: — " I have 

 every reason to believe that the birds were very well protected in 1889. 

 I visited the Islands twice, and each time I satisfied myself by personal 

 investigation that the birds had not been unduly disturbed. My last 

 visit was on the 3rd of July, in company with Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun. 

 On this oceasion I noticed a considerable number of young birds. I men- 

 tion this to show that there had been no general robbery of eggs. Some- 

 times a few were taken, and one or two such cases were reported to me, but 

 I thought it best to take no notice of them, except by a letter of remon- 

 strance in one rather flagrant case. Early in the breeding season I 

 thought it seemed advisable to order the collection, three times a week, 

 of all the Gulls' eggs that were laid on the Islands. This continued until 

 the 24th of May, after which date the Gulls were not further molested. 

 Eighteen hundred eggs were taken and distributed amongst the fishermen 

 in the neighbourhood, and this, I believe, helped to promote a more 

 friendly feeling towards the watchers on the Islands, and also prevented a 

 too early increase in the number of young Gulls, which is not desirable 

 where they breed in close proximity to birds of a less rapacious character. 

 No harm attached to the Gulls, as I can testify, for they hatched off in 

 considerable numbers towards the end of June and the beginning of July. 

 The weather was more favourable than last year, but the watchers reported 

 to me that many young birds were destroyed by heavy rains about the 



