Birds. 



6325 



Male and female differ little in size, are from 7f to 8 inches ; the 

 closed wing 4§ to 4f inches ; bill light dull greenish yellow ; eye 

 dark hazel or brown ; feet flesh colour : claws brown. 



Male. Top of head, primaries, and first secondaries, tail-coverts, tail 

 and line at base of bill black. Front, line over eye, rump, abdomen and 

 under tail-coverts bright yellow. Throat, cheeks and neck dark olive, 

 fading gradually towards yellow on back and breast. The secondaries 

 near the body white, which, when wing is closed, forms a pure white 

 patch. Shoulder of wing tinged with yellow. 



Female. Head, cheeks and back dark ash, fading to light drab on 

 rump. Under parts light drab-ash, with throat whitish, with an indis- 

 tinct black line from base of bill on each side of throat. Base of bill 

 (as in male) margined with a thin line of black. Tail and tail-coverts 

 black, each tipped with white. Primaries and other coverts black, 

 the six interior primaries marked with white below the coverts, and 

 all now more or less tipped with same. Secondaries variegated with 

 black, white and drab-ash. Abdomen and under tail-coverts dull 

 white. Shoulder of wing tinged with, arid auxiliary plumes yellow. 

 Tinge of greenish yellow on hind neck and breast. 



It is really a very handsome bird ; and, from Brewer's short descrip- 

 tion, 1 should consider it to be C. vespertaria, but this description 

 leaves out many points. This bird, I see, is quoted to be in the 

 4 Fauna Boreali-Americana ; ' however, the habitat given by Brewer is 

 " Columbia River." 



Thomas Blakiston. 



Occurrence of an Eagle in Dorsetshire. — A sporting friend of mine has just informed 

 nie that an eagle has been shot, within the last week, at Abbotsbury, about nine miles 

 from here, along the coast. My friend tells me it stood nearly three feet in height, 

 and that its legs were nearly the size round of his arms: if this is correet, there is 

 every probability that the bird is a golden eagle. I have, however, written to several 

 parties, in order that I may examine the bird, so as to verify the species for my 

 Dorset Fauna. — William Thompson; Weymouth, December 12, 1858. 



Occurrence of the Goshawk in Norfolk. — A female goshawk, in the plumage of the 

 first year, was shot at Hempstead, in this county, about the 23rd of November. This 

 species, although only an occasional visitant at uncertain intervals, has of late years 

 become even more scarce than formerly, which renders the present instance of its ap- 

 pearance on this coast more worthy of notice. The last specimen obtained in this district 

 was an immature male taken in a trap at Catfield, in April, 1854 ; and another male, also 

 in its first year's plumage, was killed at Stratton-Strawless, in November, 1850, which 

 shows that stragglers may be met with both in spring and autumn. Adult birds of 

 this species very rarely occur in this country ; probably the only one known to have 



