Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 2 (1878).djvu/78

56 fatal nature of the bite inflicted by the Skunk, Mephitis mephitica, when affected with what he terms Rabies mephitica; also that it appears in every instance there recorded the Skunk had either exhausted his "mephitic battery," or else had lost the projectile force by which it is discharged; and that when its natural means of defence is unimpaired it rarely has recourse to biting or assumes the aggressive.— (Norwich).

—On the 9th November an adult specimen of the Bottle-nosed Dolphin, Delphinus tursio, measuring twelve feet in length, was washed up on the rocks beneath the Plymouth Hoe. The number of teeth on each side of either jaw are twenty-five, not acute, but truncated, proving the animal to be old, or at least quite mature. Having apparently been dead for some time, it was not in a fit state for preservation; but I am glad to state that Mr. Hearder, of Plymouth, who cut the animal up, carefully saved every bone, with the intention of making a skeleton. I know of but one other specimen of this Dolphin having been obtained in this locality, and that is now preserved in the Museum of the Plymouth Institution. The snout or beak of Delphinus tursio is much shorter than that of the Common Dolphin, D. delphinus, and the number of teeth about one half.— (Durnford Street, Stonehouse).

—As I believe this bird has not been hitherto ascertained to breed in England, 1 think it is worth while mentioning the following circumstances, which have recently come to my knowledge. Mr. Norwood, of Salisbury, who is a keen and intelligent observer of birds, told me he knew a man who some years ago had taken a nest of the Great Grey Shrike close to Salisbury, and who had very accurately described the birds and nest to him. I asked him if he would kindly write to his friend and get me an account of it, when Mr. W. King, of Devonport, the person referred to, replied as follows:—" The Grey Shrike's nest was taken by me about the end of May or beginning of June, 1839, about midway between the Gas-house wall and the river, called 'Picked Point," on the left-hand side of the lane. The nest was built in the upright forks of a very strong thorn-hedge, interwoven with brambles. It was a large, compact nest, composed of dry grass, moss, and small fibrous roots on the outside, and lined with soft downy feathers, intermixed with a little hair. It contained four eggs, of a pale ash-colour,—I think about the colour of wood-ash,— thickly marked at the larger end with spots and stripes, or blotches of a yellowish red colour. My cousin, since dead, was with me at the time, and at first I tried to lift him up to the nest; but the old birds came flying round our heads, and screaming at such a rate that we were