454 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Hedgehogs either died or were killed by terriers, but certainly as soon as 

 the precious animals disappeared, sure enough the vermin appeared again." 

 My friend asks for another consignment of Hedgehogs, which I hope to 

 despatch shortly, on the condition that at least they shall not be destroyed 

 by dogs. I should be very glad if any of your readers can give me any 

 information, from their own experience, on the subject of Hedgehog v. Eat. 

 — Lilford (Lilford Hall, Oundle). 



Wild Cat in Shetland. — Mr. James G. Laurenson, merchant, Lerwick, 

 while shooting Rabbits, on Tuesday, October 7th, had rather a strange 

 adventure with a Wild Cat. He went down the cliff east of Bressay 

 Lighthouse, to about 200 feet from the sea, where he shot a Rabbit, and 

 was in the act of picking it up when he saw the Wild Cat in pursuit of a 

 Rabbit ; he fired at it, but did not kill it, as it was too far away for No. 6 

 shot, which he was using, to take effect ; it immediately bounded up the 

 rocks, and sprang at him ; he had the left barrel ready, and shot it while 

 in the act of springing on him : it however alighted on his breast, and tore 

 his wrist with its claws. It weighed 15 Ids., and measured 38 inches from 

 nose to tip of tail ; its chest measured 17i inches. — Thomas Marshall 

 (The Store, Stanley, N.B.). 



BIRDS. 



Occurrence on the Welsh Coast of (Estrelata torquata, Macg. — 

 In the month of December a rare Petrel from the South Pacific was shot 

 off the coast, in Cardigan Bay, between Aberystwith and Aberaeron, and 

 was taken by the fisherman who shot it to the clergyman of the parish. 

 Seeing that it was an uncommon bird, and being unable to name it, he 

 suggested that it should be offered to the local taxidermist for preservation. 

 The latter accordingly mounted it, and it has recently been purchased from 

 him by Mr. J. W. Willis Bund, who brought it to me for identification. 

 Through the kind assistance of Mr. Osbert Salvin, who has made a special 

 study of the Petrels, it has been determined to be, without doubt, a spe- 

 cimen of (Estrelata torquata, whose true home is in the South Pacific Ocean. 

 It was first described and named in « The Zoologist ' for 1860 (p. 7133), by 

 John Macgillivray, who obtained it, in 1859, at Aneitum, one of the New 

 Hebrides group of islands. Other specimens have since been procured in 

 Fiji, as noted by Mr. Salvin in ' The Ibis ' for 1888 (pp. 359, 360). The 

 bird now before me is rather dark on the under-side ; but this appears to be 

 a variable character, as specimens in the British Museum vary from pure 

 white on the under surface to nearly the colour of the present example. 

 How it contrived to wander so far from its natural haunts, and reach the 

 Welsh coast, is quite inexplicable, unless we are to assume that it was 

 influenced by the Gulf Stream, which is so often alleged to bring us waifs 

 and strays whoso appearance on our coast cannot otherwise be accounted 



