454 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



MAMMALIA. 



Hairless Specimens of the Common Rat. — At the scientific meeting 

 of the Zoological Society of London at Hanover Square, on Dec. 1st, 

 Mr. F. E. Beddard exhibited, on my behalf, a hairless specimen of the 

 Common Rat (Mus decumanus), which had been captured at Leyton, 

 Essex. Two other exactly similar individuals had been caught, and 

 others, in the same condition of nakedness, had been observed at the 

 same place. The skin was of a slate-colour, and wrinkled into folds 

 all over the body. No cause was assigned for the peculiar condition of 

 the animal, some of the members present being of opinion that it was 

 congenital, and others that it was pathological. — GL A. Doubleday. 



AVES. 



Ring-Ouzel near London.— On Oct. 10th last, Mr. R. M. Presland, 

 Sen., of Hackney, shot a male Turdas torquatus and three Grey Wag- 

 tails at the Sewage Farm, Walthamstow. The lateness of the stay of 

 the Ring-Ouzel and the close proximity to London are worthy of 

 notice. The same gentleman a few weeks previously, at the same 

 place, obtained what is believed to be a specimen of the Buff-breasted 

 Sandpiper. — W. Peecival Westell (5, Glenferrie Road, St. Albans, 

 Herts). 



[On Oct. 22nd, 1850, a Ring-Ouzel was shot so close to London as 

 Peckham (' Naturalist,' vol. ii. p. 35). — Ed.] 



Ruticilla titys, Scop. — Although the Black Redstart may be no 

 great rarity in some parts of our south-western counties, it certainly is 

 a rarity in this district. It seems therefore worth while recording an 

 occurrence of a pair here in October last. I had an opportunity of 

 watching this pair for the best part of half an hour ; they were in the 

 churchyard, flitting round and perching on the tombstones and church 

 roof. The editor of Yarrell's ' British Birds ' (fourth edition), 1871-74, 

 vol. i. p. 334, in a footnote, observes that " Dorset is the chief excep- 

 tion " to its being a regular winter visitant to most of the south- 

 western counties, " only one example being recorded thence." This, 



