6378 



Birds. 



species could I find ; indeed I only know one instance of its having been obtained in 

 Plymouth. — John Gatcombe ; Wyndham Place, Plymouth, January 15, 1859. 



Occurrence of Rare Birds near Carlisle. — The following birds, now in the pos- 

 session of birdstuffers in Carlisle, have been shot in the neighbourhood during the 

 months of October and November, 1858. 



Black Tern (Sterna nigra). A pair of these birds were shot on RockclirTe marsh, in 

 October, in their autumnal moult ; the back and wings are of a deep slate-colour; the 

 other parts, except around the head, are white. 



Stock Dove (Columba anas). A bird was shot on Duncan lime-kiln, near Eccle- 

 fechan, in November, which has proved to be this species. 



Whimbtel (Numenius phceopus). This bird leaves the north in autumn for the 

 southern districts, where they pass the winter ; the bird before us, which was making 

 towards our shores, was shot at Lilloth, in October. 



Bohemian Chatterer (Bombycilla garrula). An individual bird of this species was 

 shot from a large flock, in November, at Newby Cross ; no others have been observed 

 up to this time: it is only during severe weather that they approach near towns and 

 villages. 



Great Gray Shrike (Lanius excubitor). One bird of this species was shot at Rough- 

 tonhead, on the 7th, and another at Blackwall on the 10th of November: they are 

 often met with in the North in the winter season ; they are constant attendants upon 

 the fieldfare and redwing, and when want is exhibited by the enfeebled bodies of 

 the latter, the shrike, which is ever ready to attack, terminates their existence. 



Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). A small flock of this species was observed between 

 Coathill and Armthwaite, where there is abundant food at High Stand and the 

 adjoining neighbourhood of Eden Brows : large numbers of them settled here in the 

 winter of 1856 : their food is the seed of Scotch fir cones. 



Will any reader of the ' Zoologist ' kindly inform the writer to what bird the nest 

 belongs which was found by him on a spruce fir, near the top, containing four white 

 eggs; the nest was composed of twitch-grass, such as may have been ploughed up and 

 laid for some time; the eggs, which are white, resemble the wryneck's in shape and 

 colour, but are scarcely as large as the redstart's. — Thomas Armstrong ; 12, Barwise 

 Court, English Street, Carlisle. 



Occurrence of Rock Doves at Beacky Head. — On the 6th of January I purchased 

 two rock pigeons (Columba livia) of a boy, whose father had shot four out of a large 

 flock of some hundreds, at Beachy Head, a day or two before. A friend also told me 

 that he had seen and shot at a flock of about forty, at the same place, on Saturday last. 

 — John Dutton ; South Street, Eastbourne. 



Occurrence of the Pomarine Skua (Lestris pomarina) at Birting Gap. — A coast- 

 guard man brought me a good specimen of this rather rare visitant on the 5th of 

 January, which he had shot at Birting Gap, near Eastbourne, a few days before : it is 

 in exactly the same state of plumage, in fact a fac simile of YarrelPs fine plate. 

 Weight, 13£ oz. ; length, \7\ inches ; breadth, 3 feet, 7£ inches. I did not ascertain 

 the sex. It was rather lean. The stomach contained a little green matter, also a few 

 small worms. Two middle tail-feathers about half-an-incb longer than the next 

 feather on each side ; back, scapulars, tertials and upper tail-coverts umber-brown, 

 margined with wood-brown ; great wing-coverts uniform amber-brown ; wing-primaries 

 blackish brown ; tail umber-brown ; under tail-coverts broadly barred across with 

 umber-brown and wood-brown : legs pale blue; the whole of the feet black. Birting 



