6210 



Reptiles, S(c, 



ill all museums where economy of space is a desideratum. The plan is entirely ihc in- 

 venlion of the worthy Professor. — G. Norman ; Hull, August 9, 1858. 



[There are three points of importance (two of them not noticed by Mr Norman), 

 which require serious investigation before any conclusion on this interesting subject 

 can be attained. First,i\ie willow grouse turns white in winter in the same manner as 

 the ptarmigan, whereas the red grouse, although inhabiting the same districts, exhibits 

 no such tendency. Secondly, the wings of the willow grouse are always white, those 

 of the red grouse never. Thirdly, the beak of the willow grouse is much stronger than 

 that of the red grouse. These three are regarded as specific characters, whereas the 

 diflferent hue of plumage which Mr. Norman very rationally accounts for is not re- 

 garded as of specific importance. — Edward Neivman.l 



Occurrence of Baillon's Crake (Gallinula Baillouii) near the Land's End.— A mature 

 specimen of this pretty little bird, in very perfect plumage, has, for the second time, 

 turned up in this neighbourhood. It proved to be a male bird, and was captured in a 

 narrow ravine running down to the sea. The blue about the head is almost uninter- 

 rupted, the olivaceous-brown, commencing in a narrow line on the top of the head, and 

 dilating as it goes back to the occiput. Mr. Vingoe has preserved the specimen, and 

 he told me that the irides, instead of being reddish brown, were bright scarlet. The 

 beak of this bird is shorter than that of the little crake, and in fact, a far as I can 

 obseive, the bird is shorter altogether. — Edward Hearle Rodd ; Penzance, July 9, 

 1858. 



Biuutiful Variety of the Garganey Teal. — On the 30lh of July a pair of young 

 Garganey ducks were killed at one shot on a marsh at Strumpshaw. Of these one 

 exhibits the usual immature plumage of this species, whilst the other is a most deli- 

 cate cream-colour all over, without spot or streak of any kind, the beak pink, and the 

 legs very light in colour. — H. Stevenson ; Norwich. 



Newt changing its Skin. — l happened to go to my aquarium yesterday just as one 

 of the smooth newts was changing its skin. The operation was nearly completed, the 

 skin being pushed down the body in a ring, by which the hinder legs were, to use an 

 Irishism, handcuffed to the tail. The snout was principally used in shoving it down, 

 and the tail was scarcely free when the animal seized the skin with its mouth, and in 

 half-a-dozen gulps swallowed it. It is well known that the toad adopts this conve- 

 nient method of disposing of its worn-out garment, but 1 do not remember to have 

 seen the same practice recorded of the newt. The act of swallowing occupied nearly 

 a minute, during which three filmy gloves (the integument of the paws) were projecting 

 from the mouth. Although a tremendous yawn testified to the fatigue of the perform- 

 ance, the newt made no objection to concluding the meal with a small proportion of 

 roast mutton. — George Guyon ; Richmond, Surrey, August 12, 1858. 



Occurrence of the Short Sun-fish on the Sussex Coast. — The ' Sussex Express ' of 

 July 24, states that on the Monday before, July 19, a short sun-fish was taken with a 

 boat-hook while floating in Seaford Bay, off East Blatchington,by three brothers named 



