6780 



Birds. 



Occurrence of the Rednecked Phalarope (Pbalaropus hyperboreus), Redthroaled 

 Diver (Colymbus septentrionalis) and Merlin (Falco aesolon) in Norfolk and Suffolk. — 

 A specimen of the rednecked phalarope, in winter plumage, was shot at Hickling on 

 the 22nd of September, and on the 10th of October a very perfect adult male merlin 

 was killed at Malton, in this county : these birds, in their adult stage, have become, of 

 late years, very scarce. A male redthroaled diver, assuming the winter plumage, but 

 still retaining a broad patch of red on the throat, was killed off Lowestoft, about the 

 14th of this month. — Id. 



Occurrence of the Snow Bunting (Emberiza nivalis) in the Isle of Wight. — On the 

 28th of October I saw several snow buntings on our downs : they were very active, 

 running on the ground much like the meadow pipit; they were exceedingly tame, 

 and I approached within twenty yards of them: when disturbed they flew but a very 

 short distance, always pitching on the ground again, and though there were several 

 low bushes and fences close by they did not attempt to alight upon them. I returned 

 home for my gun, but only got one specimen. Another was shot by a visitor staying 

 here, which I preserved. I have searched several times since for them, but they have 

 quite disappeared. — H. Rogers ; Freshwater, Isle of Wight. 



Occurrence of Pallas's Sand Grouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus) in Jutland. — It will, I 

 am sure, interest the readers of the ' Zoologist ' to learn that a third specimen of that 

 rare and curious bird, Pallas's sand grouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus), was obtained during 

 the past summer in Western Europe. By the kind permission of Professor Reinhardt 

 1 am enabled to inform British ornithologists that an adult male of this species was 

 shot, on the 23rd of July last, near Hobro, in Jutland (Jylland), and it is stated that 

 another example was observed, but not killed, about the same time, some few miles 

 from the same locality. I had the opportunity, through the Professor's favour, of 

 examining the specimen obtained, which is now in the Museum of the University of 

 Copenhagen, and is a remarkably fine one. I am glad to say that the sternum of this 

 example was carefully preserved by the bird-stuffer, as was done in the case of a speci- 

 men killed in Wales (Zool. 6728), though, unfortunately, not in that of the Norfolk 

 bird (Zool. 6764).— Alfred Neivton ; November 10, 1859. 



Occurrence of the Little Bustard (Otis tetrax) near Oxford. — I half expected that 

 some one would have recorded in the 'Zoologist' the interesting occurrence of the 

 little bustard in the neighbourhood of Oxford, at the beginning of this last October ; 

 but, as I have seen no notice of the fact in the last number of this periodical, I venture 

 to give information respecting this by no means common visitant. The bird in ques- 

 tion was shot (by a gentleman of St. John's College) not far from Oxford, and is a very 

 fine specimen of a young male, which has very nearly completed its autumn moult. 

 I saw it at the bird-stuffer's just after it had been mounted. — Murray A. Mathews ; 

 Merlon College, Oxford, November 11, 1859. 



Rare Birds driven Inland by the recent Great Storms. — After the great storms 

 which have recently been prevalent all over the country, one expected to hear of some 

 rare birds having been driven inland by stress of weather. I was therefore not 

 surprised to see a specimen of Leach's petrel, which had been killed in Blenheim 

 Park. I have also heard from home that many petrels, both Leach's species and the 

 common stormy petrel, have been picked up exhausted in the neighbourhood of 

 Barnstaple; and also that a very fine adult specimen of the great northern diver (still 

 in summer plumage) had been brought to the bird-stuffer by a man who found it dead 

 by the river-side. — Id. 



