114 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



shot off the island of Graemsey by Mr. S. Sutherland of that place, and 

 forwarded to Mr. Robinson. It is a remarkably fine adult female. 

 Measurements : Length, 23 in. ; culmen, measured from the anterior 

 edge of the feathered wedge running on to the ridge of the culmen to 

 the tip of the beak, 1-25 in. Head, chin, and throat buff, streaked 

 with brown ; cheeks lighter buff ; breast and sides buff, with irregular 

 markings ; greater coverts and secondaries black, two narrow white 

 bars on wing ; back rich rufous brown, with semicircular black bars ; 

 elongated scapulars very rich rufous brown ; under parts dark dusky 

 brown ; bill dark (probably became darker after death) ; legs and feet 

 ochre, webs dusky. A shot-pellet had pierced both eyes and completely 

 destroyed them, and I was unable to determine the colour of the iris. 

 Am I right in supposing it would be dark brown ? Perhaps some of 

 your readers would be able to enlighten me on this point. Mr. Harting, 

 in his 'Handbook to British Birds,' new edition, p. 465, gives eighteen 

 authentic records of this species in British waters, but I am inclined to 

 think he has omitted two, if not more, authentic occurrences, namely, 

 the specimen in the Edinburgh Museum, shot at Tents Muir in 1872 

 (I believe I am correct in the date, but I quote from memory), and 

 also the young male King-Eider which Mr. J. G. Millais saw off the 

 Churchyard Bocks, Pomona, Orkney, in the spring of 1883, and which 

 he twice set to, but failed to secure (see Mr. Millais's book, ' The Wild- 

 fowler in Scotland,' pp. 138, 139, 140). I have no reason to suppose 

 that so competent a naturalist as Mr. Millais was wrong in his identi- 

 fication of this bird, especially taking into consideration that he was 

 near enough to it to distinctly note the curious shape of the head, 

 characteristic of the male King-Eider. — Fred Smalley (Challan Hall, 

 Silverdale, Lanes). 



Ornithological Notes from Surrey. — On Feb. 17th a Gannet (Sulci 

 bassana) was seen on the River Wey between Eashing and Godalming. 

 It had evidently been wounded. A Hen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was 

 shot during the early part of February in the neighbourhood of God- 

 alming by a man who was shooting Wood-Pigeons. The Harrier 

 swooped down on one of the stuffed decoy Pigeons, and was in the act 

 of carrying it off when shot. There were a pair, the female bird only 

 being secured. I am pleased to be able to state that the Brown or 

 Wood-Owl (Syrnium aluco) is steadily on the increase, and — round 

 Godalming, at least — may be considered quite common. On Feb. 17th 

 I counted fifteen Tufted Ducks (Fuligula cristata) on the Hammer Ponds, 

 at Thursley. They remained there for several days. On the same 

 piece of water, and on the same date, a pair of Little Grebes (Podicipes 



