NOTES AND QUERIES. 483 



malmi, and was taken at Overton, Flintshire. If so, Canine noctua has not 

 occurred in Flintshire, despite the oft-repeated statement that it has. — H. 

 E. Forrest (Shrewsbury). 



Red-crested Pochard in Yorkshire.— A fine specimen of the Red- 

 crested Pochard (Fuligula rufina) was shot on a marsh near Redcar on 

 Jan. 20th, 1900, and is now in my possession. It is, I believe, the first 

 recorded example of this rare Duck for Yorkshire. — T. H. Nelson (The 

 Cliffe, Redcar). 



Stone Curlew in Cleveland in Winter.— An example of the Stone 

 Curlew (CEdicnemus scolopax) was brought to me on Dec. 16th, 1899, by a 

 man who had caught it alive during a snowstorm on the sand-hills east of 

 Redcar. The occurrence of this species in Cleveland is at any time 

 unusual, but its presence here in mid-winter is so exceptional as to be 

 worthy of record. — T. H. Nelson (The Cliffe, Redcar). 



Curlew at Sea. — It is, I think, a rare occurrence for Numenius arquata 

 to be seen any distance out at sea. On the last homeward voyage of the 

 Union Castle Liner ' Norman,' in August, about eighteen hours after leaving 

 Madeira, I observed a Curlew flying over the water, and making for the 

 ship, evidently with the intention of seeking refuge thereon. Several times 

 did this usually cunning bird fly up to within gunshot, but sheered off 

 again each time, and ultimately disappeared altogether, frightened no doubt 

 by the weird aspect of the ship — her huge white side, her red funnels from 

 which streamed black smoke, her decks alive with passengers, and forging 

 her way through the water at sixteen knots an hour. The bearings of the 

 1 Norman ' at the time were 40° N. 12° 1' W., or, approximately, fifty miles 

 from land. — Richard Crawshay (109, Jermyn Street, S.W.). 



[It is probable that the ship did not greatly frighten the bird. We have 

 already recorded capturing a Storm-Petrel (Procellaria pelagiea) on board 

 this very vessel, the ' Norman,' near the Cape Verde Islands (Zool. 1899, 

 p. 557). On another vessel of the same line, the ' Norham Castle,' we found 

 the ship to be a regular avian rendezvous (cf. ibid. 1898, p. 509). — Ed.] 



PISCES. 



Sun-fish in the Yarmouth Roads. — A short Sun-fish (Orthagoriscus 

 mola), about two feet long, was floundering about in the Roads on Sept. 5th, 

 and was secured by some fishermen, who had little difficulty in effecting the 

 capture. A friend purchased it for me, but, owing to the nou-delivery of a 

 post-card, I missed obtaining it before going wrong, and being thrown away 

 among the offal. — A. Patterson (Ibis House, Great Yarmouth). 



