Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/208

182 seems somewhat strange to find Macgillivray remarking that only one individual—unmutilated—had come into his possession; and even Mr. Morris, in 1870, refers to the Gray Phalarope as a rare visitant, saying that one had been procured here and another there. A Fork-tailed Petrel was found on the 25th December at Alverston, near Sandown, lying dead in the mill-dam, uninjured, and in good condition. The tarsus of this specimen measures but one inch, and the bill three-quarters of an inch; the closed wing exceeds the tail by a quarter of an inch; rump white, exterior tail-feathers margined with the same, and the quill-coverts have a dusky gray tinge.— (Ventnor, Isle of Wight).

—During the first week of March a specimen of this Skua, approaching to maturity, as indicated by the lower part of the breast and belly being white, was obtained in Mount's Bay. This bird at times is not uncommon with us, but it generally appears in its dark sooty plumage, with ferruginous edgings to the scapularies and dorsal feathers, indicating immaturity. There is nothing remarkable in the rest of the plumage of the present specimen, except that the whole of the upper parts are unusually dark, and there is no sign of the filamental yellow feathers on the sides of the neck, which I believe are found always in the mature-plumaged birds.— (Penzance).

—In our western seas there has been an unusual number of Gannets this winter, and they have extended in many instances inland, apparently in a state of destitution. This is probably owing to the disturbed state of the sea, arising from a succession of westerly winds, which has rippled the surface and prevented fish from being seen except on the very surface. Gannets not being submarine hunters have fallen short of food, as they had nothing to pounce upon. If I were inclined to collect a series of birds in different stages of plumage, from the immature to the adult state, I should have a good opportunity of doing so now, for I observed lots of specimens at Mr. Vingoe's laboratory just now in all stages of parti-coloured plumage.—

—Early in March I had occasion to examine a stuffed specimen of what I have no doubt is the Iceland Gull, which had been recently killed somewhere in the Land's End waters; but at first sight on looking at the bird I was never more puzzled in determining whether it was the Glaucous or Iceland Gull. It is an unusually large specimen, and I suppose it is in fact a very fine male bird, but its general appearance gives one the idea of its being an under-sized Glaucous Gull. To give a notion of its size from dimensions I may state that I made the length from the carpal joint to the end of the wing (which exceeds the tail by two inches) eighteen inches, but perhaps Mr. Vingoe may be more correct in putting it at seventeen inches and a