NOTES AND QUERIES. 29 



on wing, and about forty yards high, when he sent a ball right through 

 one, which fell with a great splash in the lake, and, with loud cries, 

 the remainder winged their flight away. On getting them, we found 

 they were Bewick's Swans — a fine male, weighing 12 lb. and a cygnet. 

 We were very pleased with ourselves, and soon a big case will be 

 added to this collection. On Tuesday, Dec. 23rd, when Pike-fishing 

 on lake at Welbeck Abbey, six Swans flew over the boat, but as there 

 are any quantity of Mute Swans on this lake, I did not take much 

 notice, till I heard a loud "whoop"; they settled near about thirty 

 tame ones, and began to feed, now and again giving the loud cry 

 "whoop whoop." They did not mix with other Swans, but kept a 

 short way from them. When I left off fishing I walked up lake-side, 

 and they only swam about three hundred yards away from bank. They 

 were Whoopers, five mature and one cygnet. I noticed they looked 

 much bigger than Bewick, which they are, and sat higher on water. 

 The lake was let down to perhaps fifty acres, and on this were hundreds 

 of Duck — quite five hundred Tufted Duck, besides many Pochards and 

 several hundred Common Duck. I also saw a pair of Pintail. It was 

 great luck to see both species of Wild Swans on the water, and in an 

 inland county, within a month, and a treat I most thoroughly enjoyed. 

 I have never seen Wild Swans on the water before, and only twice on 

 wing in this county. — J. Whitaker (Kainworth Lodge, Notts). 



Fork-tailed Petrel in Somerset. — A specimen of the Fork-tailed 

 Petrel (Cymocliorea leucorrhoa) was forwarded in the flesh a few days 

 ago by my brother from Cadbury, in Somersetshire. It was picked up 

 on Nov. 30th by his shepherd in one of the fields in an exhausted con- 

 dition, and died soon after being brought into the house. As Cadbury 

 is some twenty-five miles from the nearest point on the coast, the bird 

 had doubtless been blown inland by the recent heavy gales, but whether 

 from the Bristol or English Channel is uncertain, most probably, 

 however, the former. — Eobert H. Bead (7, South Parade, Bedford 

 Park, W.). 



Notes from Lincolnshire. — I have lately seen the following birds 

 which have been sent for preservation to Mr. Nash, the local bird- 

 stuffer : — A buff variety of the Redwing (Turdus iliacus), shot on Dec. 

 11th near Brauston. The bird, which is a male, is chiefly of a pale 

 buff-colonr, shading off almost to white on the tail-feathers, and the 

 freckles on the breast are of the same pale colour. The flanks are of 

 the usual rich chestnut-red, which contrasts strongly with the rest of 

 the plumage. An adnlt male Bittern (Botaurus stellaris was shot on 



