662 NATURAL HISTORY MISCELLANY. 
back are finely marked. There is awe much character i in his crest. The 
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white throat, soft’: leaden back and white under parts. The bill of the 
female is shorter than that of the male. 
The Sheldrake, swimming by the edge of the ice, with the cold snowy 
bank for a background, is as hardy a picture as New En ngland can furnish. 
It is a stirring sight in spring, on a bright breezy day, to see the male, a 
crimson-eyed beauty, feeling fresh in spirits and in costume, going over 
the ipren ae only of the fête in the north. — Wm. E. Barry, Kenne- 
bunk, Me 
THE DWARF THRUSH aGAIN.—I wish to rectify a mistake made 
reference to a notice of the Turdus nanus being found in me ve 
by Mr. Samuels, in the June number of the NATURALIST. By some acci- 
dent, the description given by him at that time was not correct, aa did 
not gi o the bird in question. I have, since that time, had two similar 
birds in my possession, both females; the first was shot May 25th, 1868, 
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not consider anything more than a mark of immaturity, as it is to be 
found on the wings of all young SAR Taking this and other marks 
of immaturity into consideration, as they are exhibited by the specimens 
in question, I have decided them all to be young of T. Swainsonit. 
would say that, having made a long series of careful measurements upon 
about the head and across Ta breast. By this it will be seen that large 
birds are sometimes bright in color, and small birds pale. I have also 
‘Specimens that. compare exactly, both in size and color, with the de- 


; fn is Ain: it just to say, ', however, that both Mr. Samuels and myself, at that time, thought ves 

> being D 
senian “Mr. S: ls has since i F hits donde PSR 

