32 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



Hist, of Tutbury,' p. 92). Garner only says, " frequent " (♦ Nat. Hist, 

 of Staffordshire,' p. 272), and Dr. McAldowie gives a few instances 

 only (' Birds of Staffordshire,' p. 88) ; so that a recent occurrence of 

 this bird in the county is worth recording. On Dec. 19th last, when 

 cover-shooting at Whiston Eaves, near Cheadle, a bird of this species 

 was flushed from off the ground by one of the beaters, and identified 

 by Mr. E. W. H. Blagg and myself as a Short-eared Owl (Asio accijri- 

 trinns, Pallas). The bird was, I am happy to say, not shot at. — John 

 R. B. Masefield (Rosehill, Cheadle, Staffordshire). 



Pernis apivorus in Montgomeryshire. — An immature female Honey- 

 Buzzard was inadvertently shot by a keeper at Kerry, near Mont- 

 gomery, on June 21st, 1906. This is the only example recorded in the 

 county, and in the whole of North Wales the species has been known 

 to occur only seven or eight times. — H. E. Foebest. 



Gadwall (Anas strepera) in Shropshire. — On Dec. 9th last there 

 was a drake Gadwall on the lake in Hawkstone Park. It was swim- 

 ming with a small party of Mallards about fifty yards from where I 

 stood. At that distance the close wavy markings on the neck, mantle, 

 and sides of the body suggested a general dark cinereous coloration, 

 with which the intense black of the upper and lower tail-coverts con- 

 trasted strongly. Whilst the bird was on the water the white specu- 

 lum was not noticeable, concealed as it probably was by the cinereous 

 feathers of the flanks, but as it got on the wing the white spot showed 

 very clearly, and the black rump and tail-coverts, being then more 

 exposed, made a still stronger contrast with the general plumage than 

 they had done before. — Chas. Oldham (Knutsford). 



Hybrid Pheasant. — That the Common Pheasant. often interbreeds 

 with other or closely allied species is well known, but the following 

 note may be of interest. During a shooting on an estate near here a 

 peculiar looking bird was killed, which was, I suspect, a hybrid between 

 Pheasant and ordinary fowl, although the gentleman who shot it had 

 an idea that Pheasant and Black Grouse were indicated in the bird, 

 but I could see no traces of Grouse, and the feet and legs were decidedly 

 Pheasant or fowl. The bird in question was a very small immature 

 male, and the plumage was too tattered for setting up. The front of 

 the neck, breast, and under parts were black, many of the feathers 

 having buff edges and shafts, whilst a few were barred alternately with 

 buff and black ; back, wings, and back of neck were of varied shades of 

 brown, some feathers having the dark central brown mark so observ- 

 able in the hen Pheasant, but the cheeks were conspicuously red. The 



