468 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



western locality by the tremendous gales from the S.W. on August 26th, 

 and again on September 1st from the W. — John Cordeaux (Eaton Hall, 

 Retford). 



The Manx Shearwater Inland. — Ornithologists, generally speaking, 

 look upon the presence of the Manx Shearwater inland as due to stress of 

 weather. From its regular appearance in Notts, however, during the 

 months of September, October, and November, I have come to the con- 

 clusion that we must look to a moderate amount of overland migration as 

 the cause ; the birds apparently travelling by the usual route via the Trent 

 Valley and across the intervening counties to the Bristol Channel. As the 

 Manx Shearwater is a maritime bird, we should naturally expect most of 

 the inland records to refer to those counties bordering the sea. Had all 

 specimens been recorded that have been captured in Nottinghamshire, T 

 think we should find that not a year has passed without one specimen 

 having occurred. For the last five or six years I can say from my own 

 observations that not a year has passed without one being captured, in 

 some years two, and once as many as three having come under my notice. 

 The winds at the time of these occurrences, when noted, have usually been 

 strong, and always from the west or south-west. If we take the last five 

 or six years as average years, we shall see at once that the records for Notts 

 greatly exceed those for Norfolk and Suffolk, quoted by Colonel Feilden, 

 which probably extend over a long period. There is no doubt that the 

 trend of the Norfolk coast and the position of the Wash may lead the 

 Manx Shearwater astray, but, considering the scarcity of this bird in the 

 adjacent sea, I am more inclined to think that the Norfolk birds are 

 stragglers from the overland line of migration, driven out of their course by 

 the prevailing winds. For the intervening counties lying in the route, I 

 have few records to refer to ; but for Leicestershire six specimens are 

 recorded, and a seventh was captured during September of the present year. 

 For Oxfordshire, which, however, is rather out of the regular course, half a 

 dozen specimens are noted of comparatively recent occurrence, and chiefly 

 during the months of September, October, and November. Immediately 

 preceding Col. Feilden's note (p. 4*28) is another record of the occurrence of 

 this bird in Nottinghamshire. — F. B. Whitlock (Beeston, Notts). 



Fork-tailed Petrels in North of Ireland. — The number of Fork-tailed 

 Petrels which have recently been met with in different parts of Ireland lias 

 been very remarkable. On the *27th September two were picked up dead, 

 two were shot, and three others seen near the Glenavy shore of Lough 

 Neagh. On the same day one was observed on Lough Conn, Co. Mayo, 

 and the following morning one was picked up dead, and another stoned to 

 death by boys at the same place. On the 28th one was found alive in one 

 of the suburbs of Belfast, and one dead near Buncraua, Co. Donegal. One 



