NOTES AND QUERIES. 219 



stretched across and it was drawn in to the bank. It was found to have 

 one of its legs broken, which may have caused its inability to rise. It was 

 taken to a farm, but refusing to eat, was put out on the pond again, 

 where it was found dead the next day. It had been left under some gorse 

 for over a fortnight, when I got to the place, and immediately had it skinned 

 and sent to Manchester to be set up ; fortunately it was in time for preser- 

 vation. This was a Bewick's Swan. The place where it was caught was 

 at Orrisdale, Kirkmichael, very close to the sea-coast brows. The winter 

 here was very mild, but an unusual quantity of wildfowl arrived. On 

 February 19th, three Shovellers, Anas clypeata, two drakes and one duck, 

 were shot at Langness, out of a party of four. The Shoveller seems to be 

 a very rare bird here. — Frank Nicholson (1, Laureston Terrace, Douglas, 

 Isle of Man). 



Turdus migratorius in the British Islands.— On the 4th of May 

 last, an adult male American Robin, or Red-breasted Thrush (Turdus 

 migratorius), was shot at Spriugmount, Shankhill, a few miles from 

 Dublin. Mr. Murphy saw it feeding in a field, and recognising it to be a 

 6tranger, sent for a servant-man to shoot it. It was in good condition, and 

 the stomach contained the remains of beetles. It was sent to Mr. Edward 

 Williams, of 2, Dame Street, Dublin, who showed it to Mr. A. G. More 

 before he skinned it, and sent it to me directly afterwards, whilst the skin 

 was still soft. It does not show any sign of having been in a cage, the 

 feet being quite clean and healthy, and there is no sign of undue abrasion 

 on either wings or tail. It is in almost full breeding plumage, and belong 

 to the typical or eastern race of the species ; the tail being very dark, and 

 the white patches at the end of the outer feathers being well developed. 

 This species has heen previously recorded as a British bird (Harting, 

 * Zoologist,' 1877, p. 14), an example having been caught alive in April 

 or May, 1876, near Dover. It has also occurred on the Island of Heligo- 

 land, where a fine example flew against the lighthouse, and was picked up 

 dead, on the 14th of October, 1874 (Gatke, ' Die Vogelwarte Helgoland,' 

 p. 264). Four other European occurrences are recorded (Dalgleish, 

 « Bulletin of the Nuttall Ornithological Club,' 1880, p. 68), one near 

 Berlin, and three in Austria. Under these circumstances we may fairly 

 claim the American Robin as a rare straggler to Europe, and add it to the 

 list of British Birds. — Henry Seebohm (22, Courtfield Gardens, S.W.). 



Notes from Sussex. — The following notes are from the letters of an 

 obliging correspondent residing at Pevensey. Writing on Oct. 27th last 

 he says that a Marsh Harrier and a Great Grey Shrike were observed near 

 Bexhill. Two Spotted Crakes and a Purple Sandpiper were shot at 

 Pevensey. On Dec. 10th he records a Shieldrake, and remarks that he 

 has not known one shot there for nearly twenty years. In a later letter, 



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