Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/555

Rh contained four or five Thrush's eggs originally; so that, as is generally the case, one or two eggs had evidently been turned out by the Cuckoo when depositing its own. This is the only egg of Cuculus canorus I have ever met with in a Song-Thrush's nest, and is at the same time the largest and heaviest. The weight was 62·5 grains; average weight of Song-Thrush's eggs, 104 grains. The smallest Cuckoo's egg I have ever found was in a Sedge-Warbler's nest, and weighed 37 grains; average weight of Sedge-Warbler's eggs, 22 grains. The usual weight of a Cuckoo's egg is about 48 grains.— (Bedford Park, Chiswick, W.).

Partridges in Nottinghamshire.—Partridges vary very much in numbers in Notts; this season on the sands they only represent a fair year, but on the heavy lands they are better, and in large coveys. Notts is becoming one of the very best counties for Perdix cinerea, and very big bags are in good seasons made, and though in years gone by shooting over dogs and walking in line we considered forty to sixty brace a good day, now with driving and turning out Hungarian birds we get 150 to 250 brace, and do not think very much of anything under one hundred brace.— (Rainworth, Notts).

Pectoral Sandpiper at Aldeburgh.—I bagged a Pectoral Sandpiper (Tringa maculata) at Aldeburgh on Sept. 13th. I flushed it from a tussock in the Thorpe mere. It looked darker and a bit larger than a Dunlin, uttered a somewhat harsh double note, and flew more like a Snipe. The wind was north-east at the time.— (The Close, Winchester).

Great Skua (Megalestris catarrhactes) in Kent.—A female Great Skua was shot on Oct. 4th near the post-office at Dungeness by Mr. G. Bates, and forwarded to me in the flesh. It has been carefully mounted by Mr. Bristow, and may now be seen in the bird collection at the Hastings Museum.— (4, Stanhope Place, St. Leonards-on-Sea).

Levantine Shearwaters at Scarborough.—On Sept. 13th I had brought to be preserved an immature specimen of Puffinus yelkouanus, which had been shot in the South Bay here upon that date. It is a bird of the year (a female), and its identity has been confirmed by Mr. Howard Saunders, who has examined the specimen. This is not the first occurrence of this species at Scarborough, an adult male, which was identified by Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe, being killed here on Feb. 4th, 1899, although its occurrences upon our coasts are, I believe, of extreme rarity.— (44, Huntriss Row, Scarborough). Zool. 4th ser. vol. IV., November, 1900.