MAMMALIA.

The Field Mouse of the Outer Hebrides.—I wish to slightly amend my description of the Field Mouse of the Outer Hebrides (p. 369), and prefer to call it a sub-species of Mus sylvaticus, as it is clearly the local representative of that animal. The name will therefore be Mus sylvaticus hebridensis. I shall in so naming it stand with the trinomialists; but I see no other course, for I hold that there must be some link to group the species of the large genus Mus. Having neglected to mention the type, I now select the first specimen in the table on p. 370, which is now in the British Museum, Reg. No. 95, 10, 25, 1, collected and presented by myself.-W. E. DE WINTON.

The Field Mouse of the Outer Hebrides.-In the article by Mr. W. E. de Winton (p. 369) upon this new variety of Mus sylvaticus, he ignores the fact that it has already been described by me (Journ. Birmingham Nat. Hist. Society, April, 1895, p. 135), and again briefly in my observations on the fauna of St. Kilda (Zool. Aug. 1895, p. 281), from a specimen taken from that out-of-the-way locality in May, 1894, and forwarded upon my return to the Editor, and by him to Mr. Oldfield Thomas. I think that at present no definite conclusion should be arrived at until further specimens have been procured from various other islands along the west coast and north of Scotland, including the Inner Hebrides, Orkney, &c., as well as the adjacent mainland. Until this has been done it seems rather premature to describe it as a new species., I append a copy of my former note above referred to (Journ. Birm. Nat. Hist. Soc.), which ran as follows:-"The Common Mouse we trapped constantly; a slight difference was noticed in its coloration from those found with us. Unfortunately only one specimen of the Long-tailed Field Mouse was taken, this being by far the most interesting of all our captures; it is probably the type resident in these islands, and differs from our ordinary form by the adult having the fur on the back greyish-brown similar to the young of our Long-tailed Field Mouse, instead of reddish-brown as in our adult type, and on the belly the fur has a lovely pink shade insead of pure white. The whole of the mice taken are now in the British Museum, and I might add a supply of traps, &c., has been sent out by the authorities to secure, if possible, further specimens. I hope in the future, if I am spared for another visit, to be able to get additional specimens. The Outer Hebrides are likewise being trapped to obtain, if possible, any intermediate forms."J. STEELE ELLIOTT (Dixon's Green, Dudley).

Natterer's Bat in Yorkshire.-On August 9th Mr. Alfred Kebbell kindly gave me a living specimen of V. nattereri, which had flown into his house in this village on the previous evening.-OXLEY GRABHAM (Flaxton, York).

The Lesser Shrew and Water Shrew in Yorkshire.-In August last I had brought to me a female Lesser Shrew, Sorex minutus, and when preserving it found it to contain five fœtal Shrews in an advanced stage of development. In September I picked up dead on a footpath a beautiful melanic variety of the Water Shrew, Crossopus fodiens, with the under parts almost as dark as the upper, but unfortunately it was much too far gone for preservation.-OXLEY GRABHAM Flaxton, York).

Bank Vole in Kent. While snail-hunting round Canterbury last August I came upon a nest of young Bank Voles, among some refuse in a hedge-bank. I had one in my hands for some minutes, and am sure of its identity. I do not remember its being recorded in Kent hitherto, but I believe it to be very common from the number of runs seen in the neighbourhood. LIONEL E. ADAMS (77, St. Giles Street, Northampton).

BIRDS.

The Rate of Flight in Birds. In the October number of this Journal (p. 378) the Editor adds an interesting and valuable note to Mr. Butterfield's communication on this subject. On the authority of Herr Gätke (English edition, p. 470), he remarks that 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 their 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 fifteen hours would amount to 212 miles per hour. It is not, however, strictly accurate to state that the American Golden Plover has no point in this long journey at which it can alight for rest. A glance at an atlas will show that the same meridian of longitude passes through East Labrador and the island of Bardados, the most easterly of the Lesser Antilles, and exactly in the line of flight of the migratory hosts passing from Labrador and regions further to the north to South America. If a reference be made to a paper on the birds of Barbados, published in 'The Ibis' for 1889, it will be found that I have therein made some observations on the large number of American Golden Plover that annually alight on that island during the months of August, September and October, whilst stragglers appear as late as November. The first arrivals are invariably dark-breasted birds, showing that the old birds precede the young, and the first arrivals are nearly all males. Great as are the numbers of this species that do alight in Barbados, attracted by decoy birds purposely set out as lures, and by the call-note of the Plover, admirably imitated ord. island gunners, yet the flocks that descend are a mere fu. V. "Cob ") for that pass over. Waiting at the decoy-huts for would seem to mean

lures pegged out on the most attractive spots of green sward, carefully prepared by pools of water, I have watched countless numbers of Plover passing overhead on their southward migration. On some days no allurement could induce them to descend to the tempting spots prepared for their destruction, and their sharp whistle and rapid air-cleaving flight showed no symptom of fatigue; the major portion of these great flocks continued their southward flight from morn to eve without circling or gyrating over the island. One might imagine that to these migrants, compassing an ocean flight of 3200 miles, nothing would be more attractive than the island of Barbados, looking like a Garden of Eden set in that waste of waters. But it does not appear that such is the case, nor that there is any absolute necessity, born of fatigue, for the Plovers to break their journey by resting on this island, and that it is rather a matter of volition, and not weariness, when they do alight on the island of Barbados.-H. W. FEILDFN (Wells, Norfolk).

Rate of Flight of Birds on Migration.-This is a subject on which there is, and must continue to be, much divergence of opinion amongst naturalists. The very remarkable statements made by Herr Gätke, in his chapter "Schnelligkeit des Wanderflugs" (Die Vogelwarte Helgoland,' p. 65), appear to be incredible to naturalists. Yet there is much to be said in support of his estimates of speed of birds in full migratory swing. I remember some years since, when in Heligoland, Mr. Gätke mentioned the fact, now recorded in his book, that repeated observations had shown that, in the spring migration, Plovers, Curlews, and Godwits, flying across the island at a rushing speed, reach the oyster-beds, 22,000 feet to the east, within the space of one minute, or at the rate of 240 miles an hour. Professor Newton, in his excellent article on "Migration " ( Dictionary Birds,' Part II. p. 566, foot-note), commenting upon this statement, says:— 'Yet, to do Herr Gätke justice, I must admit his general contention to be sustained by a good observer, Mr. Oswald Crawfurd, who states ('Round the Calendar in Portugal,' pp. 154-156), in regard to the wonderful speed with which Turtle Doves fly on migration in autumn, that he once made a calculation to arrive at the pace of their travelling; but the result came out in such surprising figures' that he would not set them down. He convinced himself, however, that, if the flight was continuous, Turtle Doves leaving Kent or Surrey at dawn, might easily be the birds that a few hours later were skimming over the Portuguese pine-forests on their way to Central Africa.'" The flight of driven Grouse or Partridge, Teal rushing down to water, belated Starlings flying to their roosting-places-that is, birds with an impulse upon them— probably greatly exceeds the speed of our kindly press trains. Man's ordinary progression is a walk, or a maximum house in this vihour, but when trained, or put to it, he will do his mile in York). birds seen coming in from the sea in the daytime,

as Rooks, Starlings, and Larks, certainly do not seem to travel at an abnormally high rate of speed. I myself have repeatedly calculated the flight as not exceeding forty to fifty miles an hour, and often less. It is possible, however, that on nearing land and the end of their journey, final or temporary, they descend from a high altitude where, for hours together, a much greater rate of travel has been maintained,-slacking speed, or, if I may use the expression, shutting off steam, as they near the terminus. Of course these remarks apply to birds only crossing the North Sea, or making long and continuous journeys in the spring and autumn. Our small summer guests, the Chats, Warblers, and Flycatchers, to a great extent move south by a hedge-to-hedge migration, in slow stages, till they reach the south or south-east coast, crossing the English Channel, again to resume the land journey across sunny France and sunnier Spain to the land of endless summer. -JOHN CORDEAUX (Great Cotes House, R. S. O., Lincoln).

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Origin of the terms "Cob" and "Pen."-In your article on this subject (pp. 372-374), the word "cob" is taken to refer solely to the "knob " at the base of the upper mandible, and in that case may have meant merely a projection. The Swan, therefore, would be so called from its most characteristic feature. It is worth noticing, however, that some of the provincial glossaries explain a "cob " as a stone-horse as contrasted with a gelding or mare; and certainly "cob," in some English dialects testiculus. I think, however, your explanation is probably the right one. With regard to the derivation and original meaning of "cob," the question is very difficult. Of course cob or cop is the word answering to knopf, and both these words have probably gone through the same development. The words mean (1) a bowl; (2) a head; (3) a prominent or projecting point: the question is, what is the order of the development of these meanings. Kluge, sub voce knopf, seems to think that there may have been for knopf a Germanic meaning of head; although haupt, the philological equivalent of caput and of our word head, is the true O. German word. A very probable theory is that the word originally meant a bowl, and then came to be employed for head (cf. testa and téte). In any case we find in M.E. copp for top; coppod (capped cristatus) of snakes. The French word coiffe, which probably came into France through the Italian cuffia, points to the existence of an old German word "kupfe," "head covering," from which word it sprang; and this fact shows that this use of the word is very old. The word cob in English seems sometimes to take the metaphorical meaning of round and projecting; sometimes of something large. In Welsh we have cop for a head; and in Lancashire cop is used for a low hill. The well-known Dutch kopje of the Boers in South Africa is, of course, the same word. "Cob" was used in Hoccleve (1420), (see Murray's Dict. s. v. "Cob ") for a leading man, as we say, a "big" man. A cob loaf would seem to mean

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a rounded loaf (in Troilus and Cressida,' ii. 1, Ajax uses the word "cob loaf" as a term of reproach to Thersites), just as "cob " is commonly used for a strong, stout, stumpy horse. On the other hand, in "cobnut" we probably have the idea of size indicated, in contrast with filberts or hazelnuts. I may notice that the term "a cob of hair" for a tuft of hair is still used in Cornwall, apparently a survival of the old Celtic word in its Celtic sense. Mr. Cross, the animal importer, of Liverpool, informs me that "Cob" and "Pen," as applied to Swans, are regular terms of the trade, used in all parts of England where Swans are bought and sold. Browning, in his Sordello,' probably following Ben Jonson in his Catiline,' uses the term "Cob-swan." The word busk, which you have used to denote the peculiar action of a Swan in arching or bushing out the wings over the back, is (like bask) interesting as containing the Scandinavian passive formation, bua, to prepare; buusk (for bua-sik), se préparer. Bush is said by Prof. Skeat to be due to a French pronunciation of the English word busk. If the male Swan be invariably the bigger bird, it might be natural to suppose that he would be called "Cob" from his size. I imagine you are right about the "Pen" Swan's name. We must not forget Milton's expresssion, "They sum their pens." The desideratum is to discover the earliest documents in which the names "cob" and "pen" occur. HERBERT A. STRONG (University College, Liverpool).

Origin of the terms "Cob" and "Pen." I am inclined to take Dr. Murray's view (New Eng. Dict.) that the notions of cob are "something big, or stout ""something forming a rounded lump," &c. He adds, "Thus cob nut can hardly be separated from the notion of big nut' on the one hand, or from that of fruit stone' on the other." These ideas of sturdiness and roundness seem quite mixed up. It does seem very likely that "cob round stone" is the primary idea; and then the notion of sturdiness, bigness, masculinity was easily superadded. I do not see how we can ever settle so intricate a tangle as this. Wedgwood mentions not only cob-nut and cob-stone, but cob-coals, i. e. "large" coals. Ray has cobby, stout, hearty, brisk. Lonsdale dialect, cobby, tyrannical, set up, proud: see Cobby in Murray. I think cob sufficiently conveys the notions of bigness, stoutness, hence "male," without any necessary reference to the cob on the bill: though of course that might be it. Pen I can make nothing of. There are two pens: (1) enclosure, sty; (2) feather. Penswan is entered under (2) in the Century Dictionary.' But they do not say why pen-swan comes under Pen (2) more than under Pen (1), and I find no evidence. It looks very much as if the origin of cob-swan is a little dubious, and that of pen-swan is unknown.-W. W. SKEAT (Cambridge).

Origin of the terms "Cob" and "Pen."-Surely your "Cob" and "Pen" are Welsh words-I write Celticè. But any Welsh dictionary gives côb, a tuft or bunch, and our English cob-nut is a round nut. This