574 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



beech-tree a new boring made by a Green Woodpecker, which had been 

 worked out to a depth of eight or ten inches. I put some green fir-boughs 

 under the hole, and find to-day (November 25th) that the work is still 

 going on. — Julian G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds). 



Supposed occurrence of a Great Spotted Cuckoo in Co. Kerry.— 

 On April 30th of this year Mr. Thomas King, lightkeeper at Skelligs Rock 

 Lighthouse, reported " a Great Spotted Cuckoo on Rock at 8 a.m., very 

 tired-looking, fresh south-west breeze, blue sky, cloudy." Writing more 

 fully to me, Mr. King says : " This bird was about the size of a Sparrow- 

 hawk, but more bulky in body; its feathers were ruffled and loose, and it 

 appeared very much fatigued. Back of bird a dark slate colour ; wing 

 same colour as back, but feathers white at the points ; throat orange or 

 yellow ; breast a light slate colour or grey ; under tail white ; all tail 

 feathers white at the points ; crest of a lighter colour than back and slightly 

 erected ; bill of a bluish black ; tail about seven or eight inches long and 

 inclined downwards. When first observed was coming from a south- 

 westerly direction and lit on rock, and when approached within twenty 

 yards would fly about the same distance away to another rock, and 

 continued so for about half an hour, flying at short intervals when 

 approached, and seemed very much frightened at the large number of 

 Puffins that were flying about at that time. I had a good opportunity of 

 seeing it as I followed it about from one place to another with the telescope, 

 and lost sight of it at the north-east point of rock amongst the Puffins. I 

 trust this description will give you an opportunity of judging its species; as 

 far as I can see by the books at station, it resembles no other bird but the 

 Great Spotted Cuckoo." Coccystes glandarius (Linn.) has only once been 

 obtained in Ireland. Its occurrence is noted by Thompson (' Natural 

 History of Ireland,' vol. i. p. 364) as follows : — " The Cuckoo pur- 

 sued by Hawks was taken by two persons on the Island of Omagh " 

 (should be Omey, which is near Clifden, co. Galway). The bird when 

 chased by the Hawks appeared fatigued, weak, and emaciated, as though it 

 had taken a long flight, as Woodcocks and other birds of passage do on 

 first arrival. The 1st of March, 1842, is said to have been the time of its 

 capture." This specimen, which was in the Museum of Trinity College, 

 Dublin, in 1890, was examined by Saunders, who found it to be in immature 

 plumage (' Manual,' p. 279). It is probable that both specimens reached 

 the west coast of Ireland from the north of Spain, and from the description 

 of the plumage the Skelligs bird was most likely an immature male. — 

 Richard M. Barrington (Fassaroe, Bray, Co. Wicklow). 



Presumed Summer Appearance of Shore Lark in Devon. — With 

 reference to Mr. C. Dixon's letter on this subject (p. 471), I am auxious to 

 state that I described exactly what I saw ; and that to whatever species the 



