150 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



was in difficulties, he ran forward to rescue it, if possible ; but 

 when he got to the place he saw that there were two birds in the act 

 of treading, the hen being scarcely visible till both rose from the water 

 and flew off. Hitherto I bave been under the impression that King- 

 fishers only entered the water after their prey, leaving it again as soon 

 as they had secured it. I may mention that the river-watcher, who is 

 well versed in the habits of birds, and has been about rivers all his life, 

 has never met with a similar instance. — E. H. Ramsbotham (The Hall, 

 Meole Brace, Shrewsbury). 



Golden Eagle in Co. Donegal. — On the 17th or 18th of March I had 

 the pleasure of seeing a fine Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysa'etus) at 

 the establishment of Messrs. Sheals, the taxidermists here, where it 

 had been sent for preservation ; it had been caught in a vermin-trap 

 by one of the keepers on Sir James Musgrave's estate in Co. Donegal. 

 Sir James tells me that they protect them as much as possible, 

 although they destroy many Grouse, Hares, and young Lambs. Some 

 time ago he sent a fine specimen to the gardens of the Royal Zoo- 

 logical Society, Dublin, where it was much appreciated, and where, I 

 understand, there were either none or a very poor representative of 

 this species at the time. He also tells me that they breed every 

 year in the mountains round his shooting ; he does not grudge them 

 their share of the game, and I sincerely wish every game-preserver 

 throughout the British Isles would look on the few birds of prey left to 

 us in this light. — W. H. Workman (Lismore, Windsor, Belfast). 



I have also examined the Golden Eagle referred to above. It 

 is a male in splendid plumage, weighing 8f lb., and measures 6£ ft. 

 from tip of wings. — W. C. Wright (Charlevoix, Marlborough Park, 

 Belfast). 



Allen's Gallinule near Yarmouth. — I learn from the Duchess of 

 Bedford that a pair of Porphyriola alleni were certainly turned out 

 with other birds at Woburn Abbey, but this took place in 1889, and it 

 seems quite impossible that either of this pair can be the example 

 captured on a boat off Yarmouth on Jan. 1st, 1902 (cf. ante, p. 98). 

 Even if they had survived so long, they would by that time have been 

 in the adult plumage, which is purple, whereas the Yarmouth specimen 

 is immature. — J. H. Gurney (Keswick, Norwich). 



PISCES. 



A Question of Coloration. — On Feb. 8th last, Mr. Alma Nichols, the 

 noted Stalham angler, kindly invited me to go and look at some fish— 



