108 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
dark race described by some authors, and whether native bred or not 
it is impossible to say. ‘The whole plumage is of a very dark reddish — 
brown with black bars, head and neck almost entirely black, and — 
large conspicuous black blotches on the back; upper tail-coverts — 
uniform dark red-brown, inclining to black towards the end, but the | 
usual silvery white tips are visible; breast and under parts more — 
black than brown. It was a male, weighed just under 10 oz., and 
had evidently been living well, as it was exceedingly fat and plump. — 
The varied weight of individual Woodcocks is so extraordinary— 
ranging, I believe, from 7 oz. to 28 oz—that the weight of the 
present example is in no way remarkable. —G. B. Corsin (Ring- — 
wood, Hants). | 
Shags (Phalacrocorax graculus) inland in Cheshire.—Six of these 
birds were seen on Jan. 24th and 25th respectively in the village of 
Ashton Hayes, and during the days named (country covered with 
snow) they were seen on the church-steeple, dwelling-houses, and 
even on the branches of an auraucaria tree. Two were shot, and the 
remaining four disappeared from the village and were not seen again 
there. On Jan. 26th, however, a third specimen was shot, flying 
round the Waverton Parish Church-steeple. Two of the specimens 
have been presented to the Chester Museum. The stomachs of both 
birds contained a number of small (?) marine worms ; being immature 
birds the sexes were undeterminable. — A. NewstEApD (Grosvenor 
Museum, Chester). 

Wood-Sandpiper (Totanus glareola).— The mere fact of Mr. 
Greaves recording a party of five Wood-Sandpipers (ante, p. 36) is 
pretty conclusive evidence that he was right in his identification. 
We used, in the “seventies,” often to meet with this species in the 
Aldeburgh marshes, and noticed their habit of moving about in small 
flocks, whereas the Green Sandpiper was usually found alone. The 
last record I have of the Wood-Sandpiper was in June, 1889 (Zool. 
1889, p. 313), and then there were five together. I was then in the 
“North Field” at Aldeburgh, and the birds got up in the marshes 
near the dyke which forms the north boundary of the field.—Jun1an 
G. Tuck (Tostock Rectory, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk). 
Common Sandpiper in Winter—About the 10th of January last a 
specimen of Totanus hypoleucus was shot by Mr. Hyde Maberly at 
Crosshaven, Cork Harbour—a belated summer visitor. — RopEeRrt 
WarREN (Ardnaree, Monkstown, Co. Cork). 
