148 Bird's, 



solitary puffin at the mouth of the Tyne on the 10th of January ; these 

 birds desert our coasts at the approach of winter. — Id. 



Note on an early nest of the Sparrow, A pair of sparrows built 

 a nest and laid several eggs, at Markle, near E. Linton, about the 

 15th of December. — Id. 



Note on the occurrence of Rare British Blinds, I send the follow- 

 ing note on the occurrence of a few rare birds for *The Zoologist.' 1. 

 Purple martin of Wilson, [Hirundo purpurea). Two specimens were 

 obtained last autumn near Kingsbury reservoir, by Mr. J. Calvert, of 

 Paddington. One of these is now in my possession, which I believe 

 is a male. The only recorded notice that I am aware of, of this bird 

 having occurred in the British islands, is in the second volume of Yar- 

 rell's ^ British Birds,' p. 275 : it is mentioned as having been killed 

 near Kingston, Co. Dublin. 2. White wagtail, [Motacilla alba, Linn.) 

 I was fortunate enough to obtain three specimens of this bird in May, 

 1841, on the banks of the reservoir; one of these is in Mr. Yarrell's 

 collection, and was, I believe, the first British-killed specimen which 

 that gentleman had seen. 3. Dusky redshank, {Tot anus fusciis). A 

 fine bird, in full adult breeding plumage, was killed here in June, 1841, 

 and is now, I believe, in the possession of a gentleman at Eton. 4. 

 BufF-breasted sandpiper, [Tringa rufescens)-, and 5. Wilson's petrel, 

 '\Thalassid7'oma Wilsoni). A specimen of each of these, obtained on 

 the Sussex coast, have lately come into my possession. 6. Iceland or 

 lesser white-winged gull of Yarrell, [Larus leucopterus). I saw in the 

 hands of a bird-preserver a few days ago, a fine adult male, killed in 

 Lincolnshire in the winter of 1841. It perfectly corresponded to Mr. 

 Yarrell's description, except that the head and neck were streaked 

 with pale brown, the bird being in its winter plumage. — Fredk. Bond; 

 Kingsbury^ March 28, 1843. 



Note on the occurrence of the Avocet near Yarmouth. As the avo- 

 cet, with some other birds of the same genus, is becoming every day 

 more rare, a notice of its occurrence will not, perhaps, be unaccepta- 

 ble. A specimen in very good plumage, which by dissection I ascer- 

 tained to be a female, was shot on Breydon, near Yarmouth, yesterday 

 morning. It was wounded in the wing, and the man who brought it 

 to me said that it ran very swiftly. The gizzard contained some of 

 the small black beetles which abound in the mud-banks of the river, 

 and what appeared to be the remains of shrimps, mixed with a good 

 deal of gravel. — Wm. R. Fisher; Great Yarmouth, March 29, 1843. 



Enquiry respecting the Water -rail. Yesterday, March 30, a water- 

 rail (Ralhis aquatic us) was caught on our Brighton chain-pier : it was 



