September, however, I saw a specimen which had been killed as it was flying over the river, but it was terribly battered with large shot, its head being smashed and almost severed from the body. Its general colour was a pale yellowish white, the body tinged with gray, and the feathers of the wing-coverts were each bordered with bright rust-colour, so that it would have been a peculiar variety if it had been worth preservation. This was probably the bird I had watched during the summer, for although the man who shot it said he saw another at the same time similarly coloured, no such specimen was seen afterwards.—G.B. Corbin.
Gray Shrike and Goosander in County Antrim.—A female specimen of the Great Gray Shrike was shot at Carnmoney, County Antrim, on January 13th; the stomach contained fragments of the bones of some small bird, but of what species I could not determine. On the 9th of the same month a young male Goosander was killed on the six-mile water near Randalstown, and came into my possession the following day.—Thomas Darragh (Belfast Museum).
[In Thompson's 'Birds of Ireland' the Goosander is characterised as "probably an annual winter visitant to Ireland, but in very limited numbers; and chiefly to fresh water."—Ed.]
Owls Washing.—I have a pet Barn Owl flying at large in the yard, and on several occasions I have seen him wash in a tub of water. I have also a Long-eared Owl, but never knew him to wash, although he sits outside in rain and wind both night and day, and seldom seeks shelter or even a dark corner; it is quite the contrary with the Barn Owl, as he does not seem to like the light, and seeks the cellar in the day-time. It would be of interest to me to know if others have observed Owls washing, and if so, of what species?—Thomas Darragh (Belfast Museum).
[That Owls have no antipathy to water is evidenced by the fact that they have been observed to catch fish, and in their love of bathing, when opportunity serves, they probably do not differ from other birds of prey.—Ed.]
Remarkable Variety of the Wild Duck.—On the 11th January a strange specimen of the Mallard was submitted to my inspection. The head was yellowish green, the white collar absent from the neck, very slight traces of the rufous band on the breast, speculum ashy black instead of brilliant green. It was shot below Topsham, on the Exe, a day or two before I saw it.—W.S.M. D'Urban (Curator, Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter).
[Our first impression on reading this note was that the bird must have been a drake in the plumage of a duck, still undergoing that remarkable seasonal change of plumage to which we know the Mallard is liable at the close of the nesting season. But looking to the date at which it was obtained, this could scarcely have been the case. The Mallards begin to assume the duck's plumage about the third week in May, and retain it
