NOTES AND QUERIES. 463 



from the Note-book of the late Miss Anna Gurney, of Northrepps," pub- 

 lished in the 'Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' 

 Society " (vol. ii. p. 19). The coloured drawing referred to represents an 

 example " in winter, or perhaps female, plumage." The letter is dated 

 " Northrepps Hall, 10th April, 1890," and possesses a melancholy interest 

 from the fact of its having been written only the day before Mr. Gurney 

 was seized by the attack which ended fatally on the 20th of the same 

 month: — "Dear Mr. Southwell, — I have just been referring to Miss 

 Gurney 's drawing of the Pomatorhine Skua, and on looking through the 

 portfolio I observe one (also by her) of a Little Bustard, shot at Mundesley 

 in November, 1820. I do not think that Mr. Stevenson has mentioned 

 this specimen, and possibly you may like to do so in your Appendix. — 

 Yours very truly, J. H. Gurney." — T. Southwell (Norwich). 



Pomatorhine Skua in Co. Mayo. — On the 24th of October an adult 

 specimen of the Pomatorhine Skua (the black variety) was shot on Lough 

 Conn, by Mr. John Garvey, of Ballina. It was the only bird of the kind 

 seen that day on the lake. The specimen is very black all over, with the 

 exception of an odd white feather appearing on the under tail-coverts, and 

 the long tail-feathers are fully grown to their normal length, showing that 

 the bird is adult. — Robert Warren (Moyview, Ballina). 



King Duck at Hunstanton.— On November 3rd, 1890, a young female 

 King Duck, Somateria spectabilis, was shot off Hunstanton St. Edmunds, 

 by Mr. S. Brown (for whose collection it is being preserved), and sent the 

 next day to me, for determination, by Dr. Whitty. This bird measured in 

 total length 21 J- inches; the wing from the flexure 10 J inches; tibia If 

 inch ; middle toe 2£ inches, and the nail of the same toe about f-ths of 

 an inch. The plumage was very dark, and I believe the bird was mistaken, 

 when alive, for a Common Scoter ; the beak, bluish lead-colour at the tip, 

 gradually shading off to a dull pinkish leaden hue at the basal portion ; 

 legs and toes yellow-umber, the interdigital membranes dark brown in 

 centre; iris dark brown. From the condition of the feathers I have no 

 doubt it is a bird of the year. It is singular that this bird should have 

 occurred so near the spot at which a previous specimen, recorded by me in 

 • The Zoologist ' for 1889 (p. 383), was killed.— T. Southwell (Norwich). 



Black Redstart in Devonshire. — As I was looking out of the window, 

 on November 2nd, a young male Black Redstart pitched on the grass lawn 

 within a few yards of me, and I had a good look at it. It was almost 

 immediately pounced on by a Sparrow, and got a severe buffeting, which 

 seemed to scare it a good deal, and it soon flew away, and I have not seen 

 it again. It had no white alar patch, but the breast was rather dark. I 

 know of only two other examples which have occurred near this town. 

 Indeed, few specimens have been obtained east of the Exe, though it is so 



