MISCELLANEOUS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
391 
XV. 
MISCELLANEOUiS NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
^[euiterranean JIlack-iieadeu Gull {Lnrus rnehniocephahm). 
f)n 90th December, 1880, a line mlult specimen of this species 
was shot on Dreydon, Great Yarmouth j a male hy dissection. 1 
was fortunate enough to pureliase this great rarity about one Iiour 
after its capture. At first I did not recognize wdiat species I liad ; 
hut consulted the 4th edition of Yarrell, and I found an excellent 
description given hy ^Ir. Howard Saunders. 1 at once found out 
what a prize I had obtained. This rare bird was ghot purely hy 
accident, with a cartridge the shooter could not extract. He was 
simply wanting any bird that might cojne, for a discharge of this 
cartridge, and luckily it was Larns melanoeephalm which came in 
the way, as I believe this is the first authentic specimen which has 
been obtained in Great Ikitain. I am also glad to be able to write 
that it was shot in my own county, Norfolk ; addiiifj to my rich 
old county's avifauna one of the greatest rarities in Great Britain. 
On the morning of its capture, as I was walking on Yarmouth 
beach, I saw, as 1 thought, a Larus minutus ; it came close to mo 
and showed its white wings, but I thought it w’as rather large for 
a Little Gull ; in about two hours after this I had in my hands 
the Larus mehinocephahis. I had the pleasure of inspecting it 
before the life-tints were altered. It was seen in flesh by 
Mr. J. H. Gurney, Juur., Mr. T. Southw’ell, and Col. I'eilden. 
The breast-bone, etc., I am cleaning for preservation. — G. Smith. 
Assumption op Male Plumage no invariable proof of 
Barrenness in a Gallinaceous Bird. At p. 184, it is stated 
that Gallinaceous Birds become barren when they assume male 
plumage, a statement which retiuires modification, for in the 
