208 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 



plumage of this common bird, which was killed in Inver- 

 ness-shire on the 20th of July. At first sight it might 

 almost be mistaken for a canary, as it is entirely of a uniform 

 yellow colour, with the exception only of the secondaries of 

 the left wing and the two middle tail feathers, which retain 

 somewhat of their original bluish colour. There is also a 

 faint belt of dusky at the back of the head. The bill, legs, 

 and claws are nearly white ; most of the secondaries and 

 tail feathers are yellowish white'; the whole of the rest of 

 the plumage being of a pale yellow colour. The eyes were 

 stated to have been of a dark or black colour. 



The yellow tint, I may remark, prevails as an original 

 colour of the bird, which is, however, developed into rich 

 green and blue in the perfect bird. Macgillivray, in his 

 " British Birds," states, that although the tints of the plu- 

 mage of this bird vary much in depth and purity, he has not 

 met with any accidental changes of colour. 



6. Thalassidroma pelagica (Selby), the Storm Petrel. 



These birds are occasionally driven inland by the storms 

 of our early winter months ; and, during the severe gales of 

 last month, small flocks were observed, and birds caught 

 at various places, as at Ormiston, Seacliff, North Berwick, 

 Portobello, Granton, and at Cramond Island, and also near 

 Motherwell, Eenfrewshire. The specimen exhibited was 

 picked up in an exhausted state, at 10 p.m. on the night of 

 the 24th October in the Cowgate here, and died before morn- 

 ing. Its capture has already been chronicled in the news- 

 papers by our assistant Secretary, Mr J. B. Davies. 



I am indebted to Mr Sanderson and Mr Small for sending 

 various specimens of the birds for exhibition to the Society. 



II. Exhibition of Heads of the Cervus elaphus, Red Deer, showing 

 curious varieties in their Antlers ; uith Remarks. By John Alex. 

 Smith, M.D. 



The heads of deer exhibited, for which I am indebted to 

 Captain W. P. Orde, younger of Kilmory, were shot in his 



