158 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Song-Thrush (Turdus musicus). — One seen on Feb. 20th taking 

 shelter from heavy storm under lee of turf-dyke close to road. 



Moorhen {G-allinula chloropus). — An immature male caught fin 

 Feb. 25th. 



Snowy Owl [Nyctea scandiaca). — Seen at intervals since March 6th. 

 This Owl is becoming very rare. 



Note. — Of the many specimens of Razorbills obtained, I kept four, 

 after careful dissection of many. Of these, two mature ones (a male 

 and a female) have no white line from eye to bill, one mature male 

 has the line well marked, while a young female has also a well-marked 

 line. All the other specimens, old and young of both sexes, had the 

 line. I have never till now come across specimens of the Razorbill 

 without this white line from eye to bill, though my late father, in his 

 ' Birds of Shetland,' p. 314, mentions having got one (a female) with 

 this line wanting. Another rather curious specimen came into my 

 hands on Jan. 29th, viz. a Guillemot, whose appearance puzzled me 

 very much. I here give a rough description of the bird : — General 

 colour above deep black, lower throat black, upper throat white, chin 

 black. There is no white mark extending down sides of neck from 

 behind the eye. The bill is much blacker at the base than in the 

 Common Guillemot ; it is also much heavier than in this variety, but 

 not nearly so strong as in Briinnich's Guillemot, which, by the way, I 

 have never seen alive. A faint white line extends along the lower 

 edge of the upper mandible from nostril to gape. Under wing-coverts 

 white and brown, brown at edge of wing. Bases of outer primary- 

 shafts white. Sides of body washed with sooty marks, and feathers 

 edged with black, as in Common Guillemot. Legs and feet a dark 

 " jaundice" colour, webs darker. Length, 17-J in. from tip of bill to 

 tip of tail. I thought the bird might be an immature Briinnich, but 

 never having seen one in the flesh I sent the specimen to the Rev. 

 Julian G. Tuck, who thinks it may be a hybrid between the Common 

 and Briinnich's Guillemot. In all probability he is right, as the bird 

 certainly shows characters of both varieties in the way of colour, 

 marking, &c. — T. Edmonston Saxby (Halligarth, Baltasound, Shet- 

 land, N.B.). 



