NOTES AND QUERIES. MAMMALIA. Hybrid Manx Cats: Gradual restoration of Tail.- A friend has sent me some curious statistics in reference to the progeny of a female Manx Cat and an ordinary Tom Cat in his possession. The successive litters consisted of three on each occasion. Thus : The gradual elimination of the tailless condition characteristic of the famous insular grimalkins is somewhat singular, and points out the strength of the ancestral reversion which is always striving to assert itself in all breeds of domestic animals. - ROBERT SERVICE (Maxwelltown, Dumfries). Distribution of the Alpine Hare in S.W. Scotland. In several of the local reports from the southern moors notice has been taken of the shooting of Blue Hares. This alpine species may now be considered thoroughly established in all suitable localities throughout the south and south-west of Scotland. It was introduced at Glenbuck in 1861. Within the next four years it had spread to the Lowthers and contiguous heights, to Queensberry, and to many of the hills at the head of Annandale. Then it began to progress westwards to the Southern Highlands, and soon populated all the picturesque mountains from whence flow the Galloway rivers on the one side, and the Ayrshire streams on the other. A great extension of the species took place during the hard winters of 1878, 1879, and 1880, and specimens were got on such isolated spots as Criffel and Screel, and even on the Kirkgunzeon moors; and I was shown a young one that had been mistaken for a rabbit and shot on Dalscairth-a low and unexpected situation in which to find this height-loving species.-ROBERT SERVICE (Maxwelltown, Dumfries). [For further particulars on this subject see Zool. 1893, p. 265.-ED.] A White Hare in Essex.-On Manning Farm, about two and a half miles from Laindon, during the last week of September, a pure white Hare was shot, but with eyes of the ordinary colour.-SAMUEL HUNT (Southend). [For other notices of white Hares, see Zool. 1889, p. 143; 1890, p. 70: and Field,' 29th Aug. 1891, p. 332.—ED.] BIRDS. American Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Dorsetshire. Through the courtesy of Mr. Rowland Ward, on Oct. 7th I had placed in my hands for examination a specimen, still unskinned, of Cuculus americanus, which had been picked up dead on Oct. 5th in a garden near Bridport. Never having had an opportunity of examining a bird of this species in the flesh before, I naturally regarded it with some curiosity, and immediately took a note of its measurements, general appearance, and colours of the soft parts. Comparing it first of all with the life-size coloured figure given by Gould, in his Birds of Europe,' I remarked a general agreement with the bird in hand, except in the following particulars. In Gould's figure the eye is bright red (as in C. erythrophthalmus), whereas in the bird before me it was hazel, with the eyelids lemon-yellow. Gould has shown the legs and feet of a greenish brown, no doubt in consequence of having drawn his figure from a dried skin in which the colour had faded: these parts in a freshlykilled specimen are lead-colour. In one other respect Gould's figure might be improved. The inner webs of the flight-feathers are extensively tinged with cinnamon, and the outer webs also to a less extent a noticeable feature when the wings are extended, though less apparent when closed. In Gould's figure the closed wings are too much the colour of the back, which is olive-grey. It is observable that in the letter-press which accompanies his plate he has described the irides as hazel, and the legs and toes blue, but unfortunately, as so often happens, the plate does not accord with the text. Turning to the very usefulKey to North-American Birds,' by Dr. Elliott Coues, the accuracy of his diagnosis of this species (p. 476) became apparent:-" Bill [long and decurved] black, extensively yellow below and on the sides of upper mandible. Feet [short, zygodactyle] dark plumbeous. Above satiny olive-gray. Below pure white. Wings [with ten primaries] extensively cinnamon-rufous on inner webs of the quills [less conspicuously so on the outer webs]. [Tail-feathers 10, graduated.] [Two] Central tail-feathers like the back; the rest black, with large white tips, the outermost usually also edged with white. Very constant in colour, the chief variation being in extent and intensity of the cinnamon on the wings, which sometimes shows through when the wings are closed, and even tinges the coverts. Young birds differ chiefly in having the white ends of the tail-feathers less trenchant and extensive, the black not so pure; this state approaches the condition of C. erythrophthalmus, but does not match it In the above extract I have inserted in square brackets such additional remarks as were suggested by a comparison with the fresh specimen. The measurements I found to be as follows:-Total length 11.75 in.; extent of wing, 16 in.; bill from gape, 1.25 in.; wing from carpus, 5.50 in.; tail, 6 in.; tarsus, 1 in. The plumage was in perfect condition, and there was no abrasion of the extremities of the wings or tail-feathers such as there certainly would have been had the bird made its escape from captivity. As above stated, it was picked up dead in a garden near Bridport, where it had been previously observed flying about. It is possible, of course, that its advent to this country may have been aided by a temporary rest in the rigging of some homeward-bound vessel, but of this there is no evidence. The last specimen of this bird recorded to have been met with on this side of the Atlantic was also picked up dead, in a wood near Aberystwyth in October, 1870 (Handbook of British Birds,' p. 124), and in April, 1871, was exhibited at a meeting of the Zoological Society (P.Z.S. 1871, p. 299), by Mr. Dresser, who remarked that it showed no signs of having been in captivity, and was apparently a young bird. The specimen now under notice was evidently adult, as appeared not only by the measurements and the general absence of light edges to the feathers of the dorsal plumage, but also by the fully-developed bill and feet. This makes the sixth instance in which the American Yellow-billed Cuckoo has been met with in the British Islands.-J. E. HARTING. The Rate of Flight in Birds.-Mr. Warde Fowler makes incidental mention (supra, p. 309) of a subject concerning which there seems to exist much difference of opinion among naturalists, viz. the rate of flight in birds. Since Mr. Fowler only "roughly calculated" the speed (150 miles per hour) at which the birds were travelling, it were unfair to take it as altogether expressive of his opinion; and I need only say that from repeated observations (made to satisfy myself as to the accuracy or otherwise of the estimates of Michelet and the Duke of Argyll) I conclude that Swallows very rarely exceed 100 miles per hour. Indeed, so far as I can judge, the ordinary flight of these birds during their migrations is from fifty to sixty miles per hour. Those who have noticed these migrations will to a greater or less extent agree with me in regarding the flight on such occasions as peculiar thereto-less brilliant and evolutionary, but more steadily maintained than the usual flight, being, in short, that of birds on a serious errand. Calculations made after the manner of Mr. Fowler's (" by noting the progress from point to point ") are apt to be faulty, owing to the great difficulty of knowing for certain when birds are passing a distant point. It would be of interest and value if readers of The Zoologist' would give the benefit of their experience in this matter, with a view of arriving at some unanimity of opinion.-W. C. J. RUSKIN BUTTERFIELD (Stanhope Place, St. Leonardson-Sea). [The latest contributions to knowledge on this subject which have reached us are to be found in the recently-published English translation of Herr Gätke's 'Birds of Heligoland,' noticed in the first article of the present number. In the chapter on "Velocity of the Migration Flight" (p. 63) ZOOLOGIST, THIRD SERIES, VOL. XIX.-oct. 1895. 2 G some very remarkable statements are made with regard to the speed of certain species, so remarkable indeed that to most persons they must appear incredible. But they are made so positively that we must, at all events, assume that Herr Gätke has very good reasons for believing them to be true. Briefly put, what he says amounts to this, that in the case of the Hooded Crow "a speed of migration flight of no less than 108 geographical miles per hour has been established" (p. 64); and again, a comparison of his own observations on Heligoland with those made by Mr. Cordeaux on the east coast of England shows that these sluggish flyers pass over the 320 miles of German Ocean in three hours, which gives a velocity of nearly 108 geographical miles per hour (p. 68). The northern Bluethroat, he says, on its spring migration from its winter quarters in Africa, extends its flight in the course of one single spring night up to 54° N. latitude, accomplishing a distance of at least 1600 geographical miles within the space of nine hours (p. 65), "giving the almost miraculous velocity of 180 geographical miles per hour" (p. 66). In the case of the American Golden Plover, Charadrius virginicus, flocks have been met with at a distance of 400 geographical miles east of Bermuda flying in a southerly direction on the way from their breeding places in Labrador to Northern Brazil. The distance between these points is 3200 miles, and since there is no point between on which they could alight for rest, they are obliged to perform the entire journey in one uninterrupted flight. The velocity in 15 hours would amount to 212 miles per hour. These examples suffice to show that the estimates of speed put forward by Herr Gätke are considerably in excess of what other observers believe to be possible. We should hesitate to accept his figures in the case of the Bluethroat and the Golden Plover for two reasons. First, it appears impossible to prove that the Bluethroats which arrive in Heligoland from Egypt have not rested en route, and travelled by stages. He says himself (p. 10):-" It is, however, absolutely impossible to ascertain the manner and method of arrival of most of the visitors, even by the most careful observation; this is especially the case with the small song-birds and similar species, whose number increases with each minute, without our being able to see a single bird descending from on high, or shaping its course in any one particular direction." Secondly, in the case of the Plover, Herr Gätke makes no allowance for the fact that many birds which are not web-footed can and do temporarily alight upon the sea, or upon passing ships, and after a rest resume their journey. This has been observed not only in the case of different species of Sandpipers and Plovers, but also in the case of small passerine birds (e. g. Pipits and Crossbills, cf. Newton's Yarrell,' ii. p. 220), and even in the case of such soft-feathered birds as Pigeons (The Field,' June 26th, and July 3rd, 1875), Mr. Butterfield is convinced "from repeated observations that Swallows very rarely exceed 100 miles per hour." An experiment made between Pavia and Milan (Zool. 1886, p. 299) gave the rate of speed at 87 miles per hour. Another experiment, made in Sligo (Zool. 1888, p. 308) with a House Martin, taken from a nest containing young, and liberated at a distance of 10 miles, resulted in the bird reaching the nest in 12 minutes, a rate of speed equivalent to 50 miles per hour. A similar experiment was made with a Swallow, which was taken from the nest near Roubaix and liberated in Paris (Zool. 1889, p. 399). It returned home in an hour and a half, at the rate of two miles a minute, or 120 miles per hour. If these cases are to be relied on, Mr. Butterfield's estimate of 100 miles per hour as the average speed of Swallows is doubtless very near the mark; for we may assume that a bird having young in the nest, as an incentive to return quickly, would travel at greater speed than on ordinary occasions. Nine persons out of ten accustomed to observe the flight of birds would probably consider the speed of a Swallow to be infinitely greater than that of a Bluethroated Warbler, or-to take an allied species with which they would be more likely to be better acquainted-a Redstart. What then are we to think of Herr Gätke's estimate above quoted, which places the sustained speed of the Bluethroat when travelling from Egypt to Heligoland at 180 miles per hour? It seems to us incredible, and at all events cannot, we think, be regarded as a definitely ascertained fact.-ED.] The Autumnal Movements of Swallows.-Almost any fine forenoon in September astonishingly large numbers of Swallows may be seen thronging the Sussex coast during their passage eastward. The flights commence generally shortly after sunrise, and continue up to, or even beyond, noon. At first detached parties, more or fewer in number, appear and pass onward; these being succeeded—but not always immediately-by the more regular stream, which proceeds with an uncertain continuity to the usually somewhat abrupt termination-reminding me indeed, throughout, of a snow-storm. In confirmation of the opening sentence, I may be allowed to transcribe from my note-book some particulars of a migratory flight which took place on the morning of September of last year. A friend and I took up our quarters on the coast a little to the west of St. Leonards, where a projecting bluff enabled us to remark every bird that passed its outermost point, and during four hours (from 8 to 12) I counted the passing birds for one minute each time the minute-hand of my friend's watch reached the successive numbers -i.e. I made twelve counts per hour at intervals of four minutes. The average proved to be 53 per minute, or, roughly, 3000 per hour. This means that 12,000 individuals passed us during the four hours of our stay. It should be borne in mind that this number does not represent the actual passage of birds. Likely enough many thousands passed before our arrival. I think this may be taken as a fair example of what happens more or less |