Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 4 (1900).djvu/591

Rh The Mode of Progression of the Phalacrocoracidæ under Water.—In the Cambridge Natural History volume on Birds, I happened the other day to come across the following statment, à propos of the method employed by the Phalacrocoracidæ in swimming under water: "Both wings and feet lending their aid to the performance." As far as the Shag (Phalacrocorax graculus) is concerned—and it may, I think, be considered typical of the genus—this statement is at variance with my own experience in the Orkneys, where I had the good fortune to see the bird in the act of swimming below the surface. On the occasion to which I refer, we had rowed to a small cave, in and near which the Shags were breeding in considerable numbers. On the appearance of the boat at the cave-mouth, all the Shags (between thirty and forty) with one accord tumbled off the ledges, dived into the water, and made their way under the boat to the open sea beyond. The floor of the cave was composed of smooth white sand, and covered with about six feet of water, which made any mistake on our part practically impossible. Every Shag that passed under us swam with its wings close to its sides, and head and neck stretched well forward; the feet alone were used in propelling the bird forward. Under certain conditions—as, for instance, in swimming in a confined area where collision with some object is possible, or in doubling after an active fish—I do not doubt that the wings are occasionally employed; but in a straight "run" ahead I feel certain that, as in the Colymbidæ, the feet alone are used.— (Highworth, Ashford, Kent).

Gannet in Somersetshire.—I have lately discovered, in a friend's house, a fine adult specimen of a Gannet (Sula bassana), concerning which the following particulars may prove of interest:—As long ago as 1890 a labourer found the bird asleep about a mile from this village, and, thinking it was a strayed Goose, attempted to pick it up. The bird resented being handled, and the man therefore killed it. Subsequently my friend obtained the bird, and had it preserved.— (Martock, Somerset).

Early Jack-Snipe.—When Grouse-shooting with Mr. Assheton Smith at Vaynol, North Wales, we twice flushed one of these birds (Gallinago gallinula) on Aug. 28th. This is the earliest date I have ever seen this bird in Britain.— (Rainworth Lodge, Notts).

Pectoral Sandpiper in Suffolk.—Mr. Arnold may be interested to know that his Pectoral Sandpiper (ante, p. 521) is the fourth specimen of Tringa maculata obtained in the county, all of which have occurred in the same locality. The first, shot by the late Mr. N.F. Hele in Thorpe Mere, on Oct. 5th, 1870, is now in the Hele Collection in the Ipswich Museum; the second was shot by myself not far from Thorpe Haven, Sept. 14th,