1 FOR THE PEOPLE FOR EDVCATION FOR SCIENCE LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY A.M.N.H, I 1813 . AN ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE BIRDS ON THE BRITISH LIST r EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY F.z.s. m.b.o.u. ASSISTED BY Rev. F. C. R. JOURDAIN MA. M.B.O.U. AND NORMAN F. TICEHURST M.A. F.R.C S M.B.O.U. Volume VI. JUNE 1912— MAY 1913 WITHERBY & CO. 326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON //>! ^^e¥(9jef^l PREFACE. The year covered by this sixth volume of our Journal has been marked by steady progress rather than by any outstanding event of importance. Our numerous contributors have combined to make a volume full of good observations on the breeding and other habits and the distribution of quite a considerable proportion of the birds on the British List. To one and all who have supported us, we may here record our grateful thanks. The Marking Scheme, we are glad to say, has taken a further step forward, not only in the number of birds ringed but also in the results achieved by recoveries. Facts have been brought to Hght during the year by means of ringed birds, which clearly demonstrate that the history of the individual bird traced with the help of the ring, is of the greatest assistance in elucidating a number of difficult and important questions. We are very glad to note as a result of the publication of our Hand-List, that a number of observations extending our knowledge of distribution have been brought to light, observations which would have remained unrecorded had not the information conveyed in the Hand-List shown them to be of importance. The nomenclature used in that work and now adopted in this Magazine, has met IV. BRITISH BIRDS, with a wide chorus of approval and a locaUzed storm of dissent. The latter we anticipated, but that there are so very many who approve of the principles enun- ciated in our Introduction, is a pleasing confirmation of our conviction that Internationally-regulated Rules will in the end dispense with the Bogey of dis-uniformity. April 9th, 1913. The Editors. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. The Nightingale : The Tail is in constant Motion ; On her Favourite Perch. {Photographed by N. F. Ticehurst). — Plate 5 (see j). 170) Frontispiece The Lesser Black-backed Gull, sho\nng (a) Dark- page backed race ; (b) Light-backed race.- — ^Plate 1 facing 1 A Tengmalm's Owl captured in Northumberland ... 9 Chaffinch's Nest with a " tail " seven inches long {Photographed by D. G. Garnet t) ... ... ... 14 Nest of a Redbreast within that of a Song-Thrtjsh. {Photographed by D. G. Garnett) ... ... ... 15 Robert Sibbald. {After the Engraving in Sir William Jardine's '^Naturalist's Library") — ^Plate 2 facing 33 Plate 14 of the " Prodromus," depicting the Hen Capercaillie and the Great Skua 41 A portion of Plate 15 of the " Prodromus," depicting the Great Northern Diver ... ... ... 50 " TAvin " Nest of Black-headed Gulls 68 Moorhen's Nest screened with Domes of Reeds ... 69 Male Terek Sandpiper shot at Brookland, Romney Marsh, Kent, on May 23rd, 1912. {Photographed 6t/ T. Parkin).— Plate 3 facing 73 Great Crested Grebe in Summer-dress. {Drawn by A. Chapman) 107 WiGEON in the month of May. {Drawn by A. Chapman) 109 Pochard Diving. {Drawn by A. Chapman) Ill Tufted Ducks in the month of May, showing distri- bution of colours. {Drawn by A. Chapman) ... 113 Shovelers, an Impression at Grindon Lough. {Drawn % A. Chapman) 115 VI. BRITISH BIRDS. Boulders under which Storm-Petrels breed, with page Shearwaters' Holes m the foreground ... ... 119 Yellow Wagtail's Nest in a Hay -cock. (Photographed by Miss Fitzherbert-Brockholes) ... ... ... 126 Bearded Tit : The Restless Mother. {Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner).— Plate 4 facing 137 Bearded Tit : A Shy Male. [Photographed by Miss E.L.Turner) 139 Bearded Tit : Inspecting the Nursery. (Photo- graphed by Miss E. L. Turner) 140 Bearded Tit : Cleaning the Nest. (Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner) 141 Exposed Nest of Sheld-Duck. (Photographed by D. Munro Smith) 157 Nest of Ringed Plover with \\Tiite Eggs. (Photo- graphed by W. Rowan) ... ... ... ... 160 Unpigmented Eggs of Ringed Plover. (Photographed 6?/ W.Rowan) 161 Nightingale's Nest in Garhc and Nettles. (Photo- graphed by N. F. Tieehurst) ... ... ... 170 The Nightingale : Her Bill full of Caterpillars. (Photographed by 'S. F. Tieehurst) ... ... ... 172 The Nightingale : Creej)ing through the Tangle. (Photographed by 'N.F.TicehvLTst) 173 The Nightingale : After Cleaning the Nest. (Photo- graphed by N. F. Tieehurst) ... ... ... 175 Redshank trapped by a cockle... ... ... ... 225 T^^•o Young and an Addled Egg of a Whooper in the Nest. (Photographed by C. H. Wells.)— Plate 6 facing 233 The Almanns Rift : Nestmg-site of Redwing. (Photo- graphed by Jolmson Wilkinson) ... ... ... 237 Nest of Great Skua. (Photographed by Johnson Wilkinson) 244 William Bernhard Tegetmeier. (Photograph by Messrs. Parker) 247 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. vii. Stone-Curlew. {Beproduced direct from a Lumiere page Autochrome plate taken by F. G. Penrose). — Plate 7 facing 265 Scapular-feathers from Barrow's Goldeneye and the Common Goldeneye ... ... ... ... 273 Frontal bone of Common Goldeneye and Barrow's Goldeneye ... ... ... ... ... ... 275 Edward Adrian Wilson. {Photograph by Thomson.) —Plate 8 facing 289 The Willow- Warbler. (Sketch- Map, showing In- crease, Decrease, and Normal Numbers) ... ... 303 The Redstart. [Sketch-Map, showing Increase, De- crease, and Normal Numbers) ... ... ... 307 The Swallow. {Sketch-Map, showing Increase, De- crease, and Normal Numbers) ... ... ... 310 Henry John Pearson. — Plate 9 facing 325 Ejected Lining-membranes of the gizzard of Curlews 335 Abnormal feathers of Magpie-Pigeon 339 Type of Larus affiiiis Reinhardt, 1853, obtamed in Greenland in 1851 {Photogiaphed by G. Herring). 361 [British Birds, Vol. VT., PI. 1. A. B. A. DAEK-IJACKED RACE, r.ariis /"i(.«cu.s/i(,scii8. ad.?, Bodo (Norway), 7. vii.74, Coll. Brit. Mus. It. LIGHT-BACKED BACE, Larufi fvscus hviiannicuf. ad ?, Caithness (Scotland), Summer, Coll. Brit. M\is. BRirenBlflDS EDITED BY H. F. WITIIEliBV, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. assisted by Rev. F. C. R. Jotjrdain, ^i.a., m.b.o.u., and Norman F. ticehurst, m.a., f.r.c.s., m.b.o.u. Contents of Number 1, Vol. VI. June 1, 1912. The Lesser Black-backed Gull of the British Isles. By Percy R. Lowe A Tengmalm's Owl captured in Northumberland. Bv J M Charlton _ The late Walter Ibbotson Beaumont Notes : — A Marked Starling Reported from Finland (Norman H. Joy) Return of a Marked Swallow (J. R. B. Masefield) Crossbills Nesting in Suffolk (Leonard Gray) . . Remarkable Nests of Chaffinch and Robin (D. G. Garnett) Chaffinch's Nest Decorated with Paper (W. J. Clarke). . Blue-headed Wagtails in Carnarvonshire (R. W. Jones) Grey Wagtail Nesting in East Sussex (Col. H. W. Feilden) Early Laying of the Cuckoo (Rev. F. C. R. Jovu-dain) Little Owl Breeding in Middlesex and Sussex (R. B Lodee and S. V. Clark) .... . Hobby and Wryneck in Cheshire (T. A. Coward arid C. Oldham) Hen-Harrier in South-east Northimiberland (J. M. Charlton) Red-breasted Mergansers in Camarvonsliire (R. W. Jones) Great Shearwater in Kent (N. F. Ticehm-st) Snipe Breeding in Kent (R. E. Cheesman) Black-headed Gulls and a Swarm of Flies (J. M. Charlton)' ' The 1912 " Wreck " of the Little Auk Early Nesting of Moor- Hen (Herbert Massey) . . .[ [[ Short Notes : — Persistence of the Right Ovary and its Duct in Birds. Birds in Norfolk in 1911. Hooded Crow in Herefordshire. White Wagtails in East Ross. Willow- and Marsh-Tits in Northiunberland. Hoopoe in York- shire. Tengmalm's Owl in Shetland. The Bill of the Young Heron. Storm-Petrel in Captivity. Black- tailed Godwit in the Cromarty Firth. The Syrinx of the Scolopacidse. Black Terns in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. Sandwich Tern nesting near Aberdeen. Early arrival of the Common Tern . . Letters :— " On Incubation '"' ; The Life of Sir William Jardine'; The Stomach of a Water-Rail . . Reviews -.—The British Warblers. A History with Problems of their Lives . . A Catalogue of the Vertebrate Fauna of Dumfriesshire. '. IMPORTANT NOTE. As announced in the Preface to Volume V., the nomen- clature to be used in future in British Birds will be that of our Hand-list of British Birds. The Hand-list is now available, and all changes of names are there explained— Eds. II 13 13 14 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 23 29 31 32 ( 2 ) THE LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL OF THE BRITISH ISLES. Larus fuscus hritannicus, subsp. nov. BY PERCY R, LOWE, b.a., m.b., m.b.o.u. [Plate 1.] It is, I think, safe to say that most British ornithologists would not have hesitated to assert that the Lesser Black- backed Gull of our islands was the Larus fuscus of Linnaeus. Yet the fact remains that the Lesser Black-backed Gull of the British Isles is perfectly distinct from the gull described by Linnaeus under the name of Larus fuscus ; and no ornithologist could have the least difhculty in recognizing the fact were he to compare a series of speci- mens from the type-locality with a series of our own native bird. The fact that the difference has never been noted before can only be due, I presume, to " taking things for granted," and to that frequent cause of the perpetuation of inac- curate information which may be summed up in the phrase " never looking." Linnaeus in his Systema Naturae, ed. X., 1758, p. 136, first described the Lesser Black-backed Gull from Sweden. The mantle, scapulars, and wing-coverts of breeding birds from Sweden or Norway are characterized by a coloration which varies from a dark, slaty-black in the freshly-moulted spring-feathers, to a sooty or deep brownish-black with the advance of summer and conse- quent fading. If now we examine a series of breeding birds from the British Isles in corresponding summer- plumage, we find that the same parts are of a clear, slaty- grey colour, and nothing like so dark as the above ; and this difference in both depth and character of coloration is so constant and well marked, that it can be recognized at the merest glance and without a moment's hesitation (c/. Plate 1). VOL. VI.] BRITISH LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. 3 Moreover, the difference can be as easily appreciated when individual specimens of the two races are com- pared as when the two races are examined in series. Other distinctive features are by no means so marked as the above ; but as far as the few measurements which I have been able to make would seem to indicate, males of the light-backed or British race have rather shorter wings and longer and stouter bills than the dark-backed or Scandinavian race (c/. measurements in list at end). I make this statement, however, with reserve, for a good many birds examined were not sexed, and the bills may vary considerably with age, so that a very much larger series is necessary before any very definite conclusion on this point can be arrived at. The same relative proportions seem to obtain in female specimens, whose bills are considerably smaller than in the male. Apart from these latter considerations, however, I have no hesitation in separating the British Lesser Black- backed Gull under the name of Larus fuscus britannicus.* The types, both male and female, are preserved in the British Museum collection at South Kensington : — Type . G. Gamett.) in the photograph, as it was necessary to bend back some branches so as to admit enough light for photographic purposes. D. G. Garnett. CHAFFINCH'S NEST DECORATED WITH PAPER. A PAIR of Chaffinches (Frmgilla c. ccelebs) have built a nest upon the side of a tree trunk in the St. Nicholas Gardens in the centre of Scarborough, Yorkshire, and the hen is now (May 6th, 1912) incubating her eggs within nine feet of a much frequented public pathway. In the absence of the usual lichens for decorating the nest outside, the bird has stuck over it small pieces of paper, which have the effect of rendering it very conspicuous, and the nest, looking like a snowball, is \'isible quite one hundred yards away. W. J. Clarke. [Paper is not infrequently used as a substitute for the usual lichens. One nest which I saw a few years ago was completely covered with small fragments of paper printed with Greek characters, which proved to be part of a discarded Greek dictionary. — ^F. C. R. Jourdain,] 16 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. BLUE-HEADED WAGTAILS IN CARNARVONSHIRE. In my opinion the occurrences of the Blue -headed Wagtail {Motacilla /lava /lava) in Merionethshire in 1897 and 1898, of a female biid, identified by Mr. T. A. Coward, in Carnarvon- shire in 1910, and also of a male and female or immature birds which I observed this year (1912) in the latter county, lends much colour to the assumption (and nobody can j'^et con- tradict it) that birds of this species migrate up the western seaboard probably every year, but pass unnoticed in the small parties of Yellow Wagtails {Motacilla /lava rail) with which they generally travel. This year I have paid closer attention than ever to the passage of these two species through the Creuddyn peninsula, with the result that on May 11th I watched through my Zeiss binoculars an adult male, which was accompanied by a male and female M. f. raii, on the isthmus to the south-east of the Great Orme's Head. Its bluish-grey head and cheeks and the pure white eye-stripe and chin, struck me the moment I cast eyes on it ; and my prolonged observation of the bird and its plumage, as well as the happy opportunity afforded me of comparing it with its travelling companions, gave me every satisfaction. Ten days previously, however, I saw my first example of this species (presumably an adult female) in the company of a male and female 31. f. raii, and I immediately noticed that Avhilst the female Yellow Wagtail differed in many respects from my new acquaintance, I considered the whitish colour of the stranger's eye-stripe, chin and upper-breast trustworthy evi- dence to prove that the bird was 31. f. /lava. However, not having previously seen the bird I decided to report nothing of its occurrence till I should see another, little supposing that I should do so only nine days later, namely the 9th May. I had a more favourable opportunity for watching this second individual and of making a detailed observation of its plumage, and again failed to trace the slightest tinge of yellow or buff on either chin, eye-stripe, or patch behind the ear-coverts, their whiteness again convincing me that the bird was clearly not referable to M. f. raii. On this example's l)reast, between the white and yelloM^ portions, I could dis- tinguish three or four small, pale broMH feathers, and wondered whether these Avere marks of adolescence. On May 16th, in the same j^ear, a male 31. f. raii and two of the birds which I have contended were 31. f. /lava, were feeding together in a field bordeiing on Llandudno Bay, and I watched them with the aid of my glasses for fully half an hour. I took my position behind a wide wooden post which VOL. VI.] NOTES. 17 must have concealed me from the birds fairly Avell, for on three, if not four occasions, they passed so close that it was impossible to confuse or wrongly detect the colouring of each part of the plumage of all three. So distinctly white Avere the eye- stripes, chins, and the patches behind the ear-coverts of the Yellow Wagtail's companions, that I had no difficulty in identifying them as either female or immature Blue-headed Wagtails. Certain pale brown feathers on the breast of one of the individuals again suggested adolescence. From each shoulder, extending obliquely and converging to a point on the upper-breast, was a broad but broken arrow or V-shape formed of the brown feathers, the area above the point being white and that below it grading from a pale to a deeper shade of yellow, I feel and maintain, as other ornithologists do, that our lack of knowledge, with strict reference to the frequency or otherwise with which it makes use of this apparently its westernmost migrational route, is due not so much to the want of reliable observers in that part of the country as to the fact that the species, particularly the female bird, must often be confused with its yellow congener, to which it bears a close superficial resemblance. Richard W. Jones. GREY WAGTAIL NESTING IN EAST SUSSEX. Year after year, in spring and summer, Avhen I go a-fishing in the streams that run over the ironstone rocks of Dallington Forest, and in the parish of Burwash, I come across pairs of Grey Wagtails (Motacilla h. boarula). I think they are resident or partially migratory. I saw Grey Wagtails about the streams towards the end of February this year (1912). The streams where I meet with these birds ripple over rock-ledges and gravel, and are well suited to their habits. I have looked casually for nests year after year, but never succeeded in seeing one till this spring. My attention was draAAn to it by the woodman on Lady Margaret Cecil's property of Oak down in the parish of Burwash, who, when cutting faggot-wood on the side of a ravine bordering a rivulet, disturbed the hen bird from her nest. This was, according to the Avoodman, on April 12th, and there were four or five eggs in the nest. I visited the spot on the 19th : there were doAATi-clad nestlings. The nest was cai*efully concealed, placed on a piece of jutting rock, with the bank and tree-roots overhanging. The parent birds were very shy. Though I was hidden fifty yards from the nest, the hen kept flying round with food, on the tops of large oak trees, and I coukl only follow her movements by her notes — " Zis zi," sharply uttered but more feeble than those 18 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. of the common Pied Wagtail. At intervals she darted down from the branches to the nest, fed the young \\ith great rapidity and disappeared amongst the foliage just bursting out on the surrounding oaks and hazels. On the 22nd the young showed slaty-grey feathers, on the 27th they showed a white super- ciliary streak, and white gorgets. The female was still shy about feeding her young. During my watching I did not see the male carry any food to the nest. On April 29th the young birds left the nest, and proceeded down stream with the female bird, as observed by the woodman, who was still working near the locality of the nest. H. W. Feilden. [A nest was found in the same district by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst in 1906, and two other pairs of birds were seen. The nest was photographed by N. F. Ticehurst, who had suspected since 1896, when he saw Grey Wagtails in this district, that they might breed there {Hastings and E. Sussex Nat., Vol. I., pp. 60-2, and PI. VI. and VII. ; cf. also Brit. B., II., p. 376). Colonel Feilden's observations are an interesting confirmation, and it would appear that the Grey Wagtail breeds regularly in this district. — ^Eds.] EARLY LAYING OF THE CUCKOO. The season of 1912 bids fair to produce many records of earlj^ breeding. Mr. A. W. Johnson, of Bucklebury, Berkshire, sends the following interesting particulars of a Cuckoo's egg taken on April 29th, 1912, in Berkshire : " The Cuckoo's egg was taken at 3.30 p.m. on April 29th from a nest of Hedge-Accentor, built 4| ft. up in ivy growing over an old stump. The Hedge-Accentor was on the nest when first found that morning about 8 a.m., and the nest then contained two of her eggs. In the afternoon the nest contained the Cuckoo's egg alone ; the Hedge-Accentor's two eggs were gone ! " Another Cuckoo's egg subsequently found by Mr. Johnson was fully two-thirds advanced in incubation on May 11th, and must therefore have been laid about May 2nd or 3rd. Authentic records of the laying of the Cuckoo in England in April are so scarce, that Mr. Johnson's observations are of great interest. F. C. R. Jourdain. LITTLE OWL BREEDING IN MIDDLESEX AND SUSSEX. The Little Owl (Athene n. noctna) having in recent years spread throughout Hertfordshire, it was only to be expected that it would soon make its way into Middlesex. But, though its presence in the Enfield neighbourhood has been reported to me VOL. VI.] NOTES. 19 from several quarters during the last year or two, I have not met with it personally until quite recently. On April 25th, 1912, however, hearing that a pair had frequented an orchard near Enfield for some months, I searched for a nest and finally found one of the birds with two eggs in a hole in an apple tree, about three feet from the ground. R. B. Lodge. The Little Owl seems to be getting very common about the Worthing district, and we hear them every night. At one farm at Angmering there were several of these birds for many weeks frequenting the old elm trees. They were very noisy both by day and night. They then became very silent for some weeks, but on May 6th, 1912, the farmer (Mr. John Tompkins) threshed one of his wheat-ricks, and in a hole in the thatch the men found a Little Owl sitting on six eggs. He brought the eggs to me. Two were hard-set, two slightly incubated, and two quite new-laid, showing the bird had sat on the first two laid. The nesting-hole was half way up the roof, and appeared to have been made by the bird. These birds have a bad reputation. Are they really injurious ? S. V. Clark. [In a recent paper Mr. T. A. Coward gives some details as to the food of the Little Owl, from an examination of a small number of pellets {Mem. mid Proc. Manchester Lit. and Phil. Soc, Vol. LVI. (1912), No. 8). By far the larger proportion of remains found in these pellets belonged to small mammals, such as voles, rats, mice, and shrews. Beetle- remains were also numerous, but there was little in the way of bird-remains. In some of these pellets Mr. Coward found a considerable amount of earth and sand, and suggests that this came from digested earth-worms. Mr. Meade-Waldo has noted that the Little Owl feeds upon earth-worms, and I may remark that five specimens kindly sent to me by the Earl of Gainsborough from Rutlandshire, in December, 1910, had the stomachs crammed with the remains of beetles and earth- worms. It would be of interest to have more details of the food actually taken by this bird, which has now spread over the best part of England and is said to be very destructive to small birds and young game. — H.F.W.] HOBBY AND WRYNECK IN CHESHIRE— CORRECTIONS. Mr. F. Nicholson has shown us a letter from the late Edward Milner, of Hartford Manor, Northwich, referring to two birds which we mentioned in the Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire, and as the particulars we gave appear to be incorrect it is desirable that the errors should be corrected. 20 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. In this letter, dated August 6th, 1900, Mr. Milner states that a Hobby nested in Vale Roj^al New Park in 1897. On page 293 Ave give the date as 1895. Mr. Milner says that Mr. Charles Hunifrey kept one of the young birds alive for over two years, and adds that he saw it himself and that it was " unmistakably a Hobby." On page 260 we say that " in July, 1901, the late Edward Milner saw ' a Wryneck ' in his garden at Hartford Manor," but this date is also incorrect, for in the letter, Avritten in 1900, Mr. Milner distinctly says : " Last September I noted a Wryneck on a dying oak tree in front of my house, and watched it for a long time on the dead branches." Our information was received from Mr. C. E. Milner, after his father's death ; no doubt he gave us the dates from memory. It is worth noting that the most recent occurrence of the Wr\Tieck in Cheshire that we know of was in September, 1906. Birds appearing in this month would probably be on passage. T. A. Coward. Charles Oldham. HEN-HARRIER IN SOUTH-EAST NORTHUMBERLAND. An immature female Hen -Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was shot on January 24th, 1912, in Holywell Dene, near Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, by a Mr. Dixon, as it rose from some marshy ground. It had the two feet of a Skylark and also those of a finch in its stomach. On January 23rd there was a heavy gale from the north- east lasting a short time and followed by much rain. The Hen-Harrier has not previously been recorded for this dis- trict, and it is, I believe, some years since it has appeared in Northumberland. J. M. Charlton. RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS IN CARNARVON- SHIRE IN APRIL AND MAY. I FIND on consulting the Fauna of North Wales that the Red- breasted Merganser {Mergus serrator) has not apparently been recorded from the north coast of Wales in spring ; it may therefore be worth while to place on record the fact that on April 30th, 1912, I saw four birds — two drakes and two ducks — and again on May 3rd in the same year eight birds, of which four were drakes, in ConAvay Bay at the extreme north-east of Carnarvonshire. The behaviour of the drakes strongly indicated symptoms of sexual anxiety, and the singular manner in which they turned round suddenly on the Avater, faced one another, instantly craned their necks forward and as erect as possible, and together gave head, neck, and breast one VOL. VI.] NOTES. 21 vigorous bob do\Miward, exhibited what appeared to be an element of hostiUty towards one another. It was during these performances that the wide chestnut band on their necks could be best seen. They dived frequently and often gave chase to one another. Richard W. Jones. GREAT SHEARWATER IN KENT. During the south-westerly gales of October (about the 24th to the 27th), 1911, a Great Shearwater {Pu/jimis gravis) was found exhausted on a farm at Stone-in-Oxney, on high ground overlooking Romney Marsh. There was some doubt as to the bird's identity at the time, and I am indebted to Mr. Catt, of Iden, Sussex, to whom it was brought for preservation, for kindly borrowing it from its OAMier a few weeks ago for me to see. It was a male. There is only one previous record of this species from Kent, and its capture is interesting in the light of Mr. H. G. Alexander's observations made in the Bay of Biscay and the western Channel during the last \\eek in September (c/. Vol. V., p. 253). N. F. TiCEHURST. SNIPE BREEDING IN KENT. A pair of Common Snipe {Gallinago g. gallinago) nested this year (1912) in Benenden, Kent. On April 21st there were four eggs, and the bird was sitting. It is remarkable that they should have chosen a rush}^ meadow adjoining a wood where the Woodcock breeds annually. R. E. Cheesman. [As I suggested in the Birds of Kent (p. 452), it is not unlikely that Snipe breed in that county more numerously than the actual records represent. One or more scattered pairs pro- bably breed in many suitable places throughout the county, but records of nests being found are still very small in number ; Mr. Cheesman's note is therefore valuable, and all the more so as the locality is a new one. On April 30th, 1910, I was able to verify for myseK the breeding of the Snipe in the Wittersham Levels referred to on page 453 of my book ; some six pairs were " drumming " there, and I found one nest. The only other record I have since received is one from Colonel J. M. Rogers, who found a nest of four eggs in process of hatching in the Darenth valley on May 11th, 1908.— N. F. Ticehurst.] BLACK-HEADED GULLS FOLLOWING A SWARM OF FLIES. At about 9.30 in the morning of December 31st, 1911, a large movement of the common two -winged shore-fly took place along the coast near the mouth of the river TjTie. Dense 22 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. masses of these insects were blo\vn past the shore by the south-west wind, and the rocks, banks and houses in the vicinity were covered with thousands upon thousands of the half-dazed creatures. This apparent migration continued all day up to 5 p.m. Early in the following morning I noticed a large quantity of gulls off shore, and their numbers increased throughout the day until it is no exaggeration to say that between Tyne- mouth and Cullercoats, a distance of perhaps a mile and a quarter, the sea was white with them. All were Black-headed Gulls {Larus ridibundus). By edging close into the rocks when the tide was full, they were enabled to pick off the fiies clinging to them or snap up those floating on the surface. They gradually departed throughout the next day. The Black -headed Gull at that time of year is in this district perhaps the commonest of the family ; but I have never seen one-tenth of the birds together before as on this occasion. So extraordinary were their numbers as to call forth remarks from the casual observer, and a notice appeared in the New- castle Daily Journal commenting on their presence. J. M. Charlton. THE 1912 " WRECK " OF THE LITTLE AUK. Yorkshire. — In the account under Scotland, signed H. F. W. (Vol. v., pp. 337-8) it is said that the Little Auks "were first noticed in Yorkshire . . . on January 20th."' On that part of the coast between Scarborough and Filey, considerable numbers were passing during the Avhole of January, 1912, and the latter part of December, 1911. Many hundreds passed at this period, and scores were washed ashore in a dead or dying condition. Stragglers penetrated inland for several miles. I saw the first Little Auks at Filey on December 26th, 1911, when there was a number swimming and diving along the Brig side. I have a note that the wind was westerly, the sea smooth, and the temperature mild at the time, and I was surprised to see the birds under these conditions. I heard of one or two stragglers previous to this date, but did not see one myself before December 26th. (W. J. Clarke.) Essex. — A Little Auk was found dead on a marsh at Rett en- don on January 21st, and another in a very exhausted state was found in a creek of the River Crouch in the same parish on February 4th. (L. Gray.) EARLY NESTING OF MOOR-HEN. On March 29th, 1912, I found on an island in a pond at Burnage, Didsbury, a Moor-Hen {Gallinula c. chloropus) sitting on six eggs. This is the earliest date for which I have a record. VOL. VI.] NOTES. 23 Nesting operations in the garden here are early this year, a Song-Thrush having four eggs on March 12th, and another young on March 29th ; a Blackbird one egg on March 16th, while on April 5th I found twenty-four nests, viz. two Hedge- Sparrow, twelve Thrush, six Blackbird, tAvo Starling, one Mistle-Thrush, and one Robin, all with eggs or young. Herbert Masse y. [This is a remarkably early date for the Moor-Hen, but curiously enough Mr. J. H. Owen informs me that on March 28th, 1912, he found a nest with one egg at Felsted, Essex. Exceptionally young, two or three days old, were found at Hoveton, Norfolk, on April 2nd (c/. Birds of Norfolk, II., p. 416) and Mr. O. A. J. Lee found highly incubated eggs on April 6th near Callander, N.B. — F. C. R. Jourdain.] Persistence of the Right Ovary and its duct in Birds. Mr. T. E. Gunn contributes a paper to the Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1912, pp. 63-79, Plates II.-V.) on this subject, in which he tabulates a number of observations made by himself as well as those published in our pages (c/. Vols. IV., pp. 188-9, 216-8, V., pp. 45-9). Mr. Gunn shows in the early part of the paper that authors have made few and slight references to the presence of a second ovary. The majority indeed do not admit the presence of a right ovary at all in the adult female. He comes to the con- clusion that neither death nor disaster is " the necessary or even common result of paired ovaries," and goes so far as to suggest that the suppression of the second ovary is a " retrograde step." Mr. Gunn has made observations on this point since 1892, and has come across forty-five instances of double ovaries. Of these thirty-three have been in the Falconidse. The proportional figures are very interesting, and well worth reproducing here : — Compiled from Mr. Gunn's notes, enumerating the species examined and the proportion of double ovaries occurring. Specimens obtained in Great Britain. / Sparrow -Hawk (Ac- cipiter n. nisus) [Kestrel (Falco t. tin- Falco I nunculus) . . \'i \ Hobby {F. s. subbuteo) = 55.55 [Peregrine (F. p. pere- \ griniis) (Hen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus) I Montagu's Harrier (C. pygargus) I Marsh-Harrier (C. mru- ginosus) 14 out of 20 females examined 12 =750/. 24 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. VI. 2 out of 4 females examined 3 1 'Great Crested Grebe (Colymhus c criatatus ) B Red Grouse (Lagopvs Families other I. scoticua) .. 3 ,,17 than Falconidac Black Grouse (Lyrurua (7 species) 12 t. tetrix) out of 101 Bewick's Swan (Cyg- females \ niia b. bewickii) examined Water-Rail (Rallua a. =;11.88% aquaticiia) . . Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) . . . . 1 ,,50 Little Gull (Larua I minutus) . . . . 2 ,, 14 ,, ,, Compiled from Signora Cecilia Picchi's notes published in British Birds, Vol. V., pp. 45-9. Specimens obtained in Italy, M'ith the exception of two from Sardinia. A. Fal- conidae species) 23 out , of 48 females exa- mined =48% (47.91). Falco ^50°' Sparrow-Hawk {Ac- cipiter niaiia) /Kestrel {Falco t. tin- nunculua) . . Lesser Kestrel* (F. n. namnanni) i Merlin [F. r. r equina) Red - footed Falcon (F. V. veapertinua) Hobby* {F. a. aiib- biiteo) 3 out of 7 females examined. 1 1 /Hen-Harrier {Circua Circiia | cyaneus) f^ ) Marsh - Harrier (C. =50°'' I ofruginoaua) '° \Pallid Harrier (C. macrurua) Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) Serpent-Eagle [Cir- caetus galliciia) j Short-eared Owl {Asio i f. fiammeiia) (2 species) 2 out 1 Rook (Gorvua f. fru- of 11 = 18% ^ gilegua) .. .. 1 „ ( * Not included in the figures, as the number of is not stated. B. Families other than Falconidse 1 1 females examined Birds in Norfolk in 1911. — Mr. J. H. Gurney's yearly- report on Norfolk ornithology for 1911 {Zool., 1912, pp. 121-39) does not contain much of importance which has not already appeared in these pages, but the following inter- esting facts may be mentioned : — Serin (Serintis c. serinus). — A male was caught in a net on the North Denes, Yarmouth, on January 28th. VOL. VI.] NOTES. 25 Red-footed Falcon [Falco v. vespertinus). — One was brought into Yarmouth on June 1st. Spoonbill {Platalea I. leucorodia). — One or two were seen on May 23rd and from 25th to 31st ; one on June 6th ; two from June 22nd to 27th — at various places in the county. Stone-Curlew {Burhinus ce. oedicnemus). — One seen by the Rev. M. C. Bird on January 2nd near the coast, and the same bird again seen on January 20th. Red-necked Phalarope {Phalaropus lobatus). — One at Yarmouth on September 15th. AvocET {Recurvirostra avosetta). — One at Breydon on July I5th and 16th. Common Curlew [Numenius a. arquata). — Mr. N. Tracy was shown a nest with three broken eggs near LjTin on May 31st (c/. nesting-record for 1910, Vol. IV., p. 88). Common Snipe {Gallinago g. gallinago). — A nest with three eggs was reported by the Rev. M. C. Bird on March 3rd, a remarkably early date (c/. Vol. V., p. 336). Hooded Crow in Herefordshire. — A Hooded Crow (Corvus c. cornix) was caught on the Titley estate on April 17th, 1912. Only six previous occurrences of the bird in the county appear to be recorded (E. Cambridge Phillips, Field, 11 V.12, p. 941). White Wagtails in East Ross. — Two specimens of Motacilla a. alba were obtained by Miss A. C. Jackson, on September 16th, 1911, on the coast at Tarbatness {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 90). The White Wagtail has seldom been recorded from north-east Scotland. Willow- and Marsh-Tits in Northumberland. — Mr. George Bolani has kindly sent me for publication the following extract from the appendix to his forthcoming work on Birds of Northumberland and the Borders. Urged by Mr. H. F. Witherby, whose interest in tracing out the distribution of these birds is so well known, and who has most kindly examined the specimens in order to confirm my identification, I am able to state that a bird from my collection, now in the Museum at Newcastle (and for the loan of which I am indebted to Mr. E. Leonard Gill), which I shot near Allerdean Mill on 8th January, 1888, is a typical brown- headed example of the Willow-Tit. Its sex was not noted at the time, but my journal shows that it was one of a pair of birds which were frequenting the tall hedge running down the march between Scremerston and Unthank, where I used for many years to be accustomed to see a nest or two of these birds in the stumps of the ancient whitethorns. Scattered pairs breed in several places in that locality, as at Allerdean, Straker Strad, and Ancroft, as well as a little further afield in Berrington, and Haiden Denes, and elsewhere, and I have little doubt that some a least of these will turn out to be Willow-Tits. I have preserved several of them at different times in years gone by, but no more of these are 26 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. at present available for examination. On the other hand, there is as little doubt that the true Marsh-Tit is likewise common, in Northum- berland at any rate but here again the only available specimens for precise determination, at the moment of writing, are a bird kindly sent me by Mr. Abel Chapman, which his man had killed at Houxty-on-Tyne, on 22nd February of the present year, and another obligingly sent to me by another good friend from Alnwick, near which it was obtained on 29th November, 1911. Both of the.se have been pas.sed by Mr. Witherby as undoubted specimens of P. palustris. They are sufficient to establish the fact that both birds are widely distributed with us, and no doubt local residents will now pay greater attention to the matter and perhaps supply more definite records. I may add that Mr. W. Portal has kindly sent me a specimen of a Marsh-Tit {P. p. dresseri) which was taken at Hexham on April 10th, 1912. H.F.W. Hoopoe in Yorkshire. — A Hoopoe {Upupa e. epops) is recorded by Mr. W. A. Durnford (Field, 11. v. 12, p. 941) as having visited his garden at Elsecar near Bamsley for some six hours on May 4th, 1912. Mr. Durnford remarks that this is the second appearance of a Hoopoe at the same spot in the last three years. Tengmalm's Owl in Shetland. — A specimen of .Egolius t. tengmalmi was captured alive in a bam on January 23rd, 1912, at the north end of Unst (T. E. Saxby, Scot. Nal, 1912, p. 90). The Bill of the young Heron. — Professor P. P. Sushkin contributes a paper to the Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1912, pp. 125-6 and Plate XII.,) on the " Ontogenetical Transformations of the Bill in the Heron {Ardea cinerea)." In this paper he shows that in an embryo the bill is at first straight and rather slender, with the tip of the upper mandible conspicuously swollen and the culmen concave. The gape measures 12 mm. About a day before hatching the embryo's bill is thicker, its swollen tip not so prominent, and is slightly hooked and the culmen not so concave. The gape measures 22 mm. One day after hatching, the bill is larger and con- spicuously thicker, and the swelling of the tip has almost disappeared. The gape now measures 25 mm. About three days after hatching, the bill has nearly assumed its conical shape, but is still relatively short and thick, and the tip is conspicuously hooked. The gape has increased to 32 mm. Storm-Petrel in Captivity. — Dr. C. B. Ticehurst con- tributes to the Avicultural Magazine (Vol. III., pp. 111-113) an interesting little paper of observations on a Storm-Petrel (Hydrohates pelagicus) which he kept alive for ten days by " cramming " it with fish-liver, though this is presumably nothing like its natural food. Dr. Ticehurst remarks : — VOL. VI.] • NOTES. 27 The Storm-Petrel never stands at rest on the webs, but on the whole length of its tarsus, in which position also it frequently walks, or rather shuffles, the head and neck being kept low ; as it gets up speed it gradually raises up on to its webs, but in this position its balance is not good and the wings are frequently raised, no doubt to maintain the balance preparatory for flight. I clearly made out that there are two methods of starting flight, the one by shuffling along on the tarsi and then gradually getting up on to the webs and running along with the wings beating rapidly, the other by rapidly beating the wings vertically and sliding backwards on the ground or progressing backwards in the water ; in the latter method, I believe an opposing wind to be necessary to help the bird, and I frequently saw it try to fly by this method when close to the door, under which a considerable draught was blowing. Dr. Ticehurst believed that the bird found its food entirely by the sense of smell. Black-tailed Godwit in the Cromarty Firth. — Two examples of Limosa limosa were seen by Miss A. C. Jackson on the Cromarty Firth on September 13th, 1911, and another on September SOth {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 92). The Syrinx of the Scolopacid.^. — Mr. W. P. Pycraft describes and figures in the Ibis (1912, pp. 334-41) the syrinx of the Common Snipe (Gallinago g. gallinago), the Jack Snipe {Limnocryptes gallinula) and the Woodcock {Scolopax rus- ticola). They are markedly different, and a comparison shows that the Woodcock is the least specialized ; but too much stress should not be laid upon the bird's " restricted vocal powers," for its curious spring-note beginning with a high- pitched " Twhit " followed by the deep " Burr-burr-burr " must be accounted for. Mr. Pycraft remarks that " the differences which obtain between the sjTinx of the Jack Snipe and of the Common Snipe are at first rather surprising, but it must be remembered that they are correlated with a difference in the form of the posterior border of the sternum, which is double-notched, while in all the other Snipes so far examined this margin has but a single pair of notches. But the differ- ences revealed by a comparison of the pterylography, of the convolutions of the intestines, and of the myology are negligible. " From the evidence so far available, we must regard the Jack Snipe as entitled to the generic rank accorded it long since." Black Terns in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. — W. Todd writes that he saw a Black Tern (Hydrochelidon n. nigra) flying over the lakes in Woburn Park on May 3rd, 1912, and T. Lewis Avrites that he saw two among many Common Terns at Tring Reservoir, on May 4th. With 28 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. reference to the latter Mr. C. Oldham also writes : " Terns were present in some numbers on the large reservoir at Wil- stone, near Tring, on the morning of May 4th, a day of light easterly A\'inds. About thirty Common Terns were hawking over the water, and scattered among them were several Black Terns. It was not easy to ascertain their precise number, but there were five at any rate, for I had in view at one time four that were resting upon a rail in the water, and another was on the wing in their immediate vicinity. A Cormorant, a White Wagtail, unusual numbers of Common Sandpipers and of Swifts in flocks, showed that the migratory movement A\as not restricted to the Terns, as did a party of fourteen adult Lesser Black -backed Gulls which put in an appearance about mid-day. The Gulls dropped down to the water, but stayed only for a few seconds — indeed some of them did not actually alight — and then rose and drifted away to the north-east." Sandwich Tern Nesting near Aberdeen. — The Sand- wich Tern {Sterna s. sandvicensis) appears to breed only sporadically on the east side of Scotland. ]\Ir. A. L. Thomson records {Scot. Nat., 1912, pp. 84-5) the finding of a nest with one egg on June 11th, 1910, in the midst of a large colony of Black-headed Gulls and Common Terns near Aberdeen. The egg subsequently disappeared, so that the identification rests upon the knowledge of the distinctive character of the egg possessed by Mr. Thomson and Mr. A. G. Davidson, who also saw the nest. Single birds or small parties have been noted on this coast in the spring and summer on several occasions each year since 1908, as well as in the autumns of 1907, 1908, and 1910. Early Arrival of the Common Tern. — Mr. G. Stout states {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 92) that he saw three examples of Sterna hirundo on February 24th, 1912, at Cardross, on the Clyde. On Mr. Eagle Clarke's authority this is the earliest recorded date for the bird's arrival in the British Isles. In the next number of the same journal (p. 117) however, Mr. J. R. Lawrence asserts that he saw three " Terns " near Davaar Point on February 1st, and a flock on February 4th, and remarks that he is well acquainted with the bird at Pentland Skerries. LmER5 " ON INCUBATION." To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs, — Mr. Dunlop's interesting article on " Incubation" in your last number (Vol. V., pp. 322-7) tends to throw a new light on an old subject, but it seems to me that the writer does not distinguish suffi- ciently between " standing over the eggs " and incubation proper. For instance, it is the common and normal practice among domestic pigeons for one parent or the other to be in constant attendance on the nest after the laying of the first egg, but incubation does not begin until the laying of the second egg forty-six hours later, and the young in- variably hatch out practically simultaneously. Again, Moor-Hens- (Gallinula chloropvs) always hatch the whole of their brood at the same time, and until the whole clutch is laid the eggs are never warm. With, regard to the Grebes, the writer seems rather confused. The covering of the eggs by vegetation is surely a more effective mode of concealment than the bird herself, and as the bird has no special means to drive off' would-be enen\ies, her presence before incubation commences would be a source of danger rather than of safety. The presence cf the parent bird standing over the eggs and thereby concealing them is undoubtedly true for some species, but the cases in which inciihation begins with the- laying of the first egg are much scarcer and must not be confused with th? former habit. J. Lewis Bonhote. Sirs, — ^In Mr. Eric B. Dunlop's article on "Incubation," in the- May number of British Birds (Vol. V., p. 324), he refers to the Moor- Hen {G. c. chloropus) as " ovitegous." This is entirely contrary to my experience. Of many nests examined, mainly in the Epping Forest district of Essex, I have not come across an instance of the bird commencing to sit before the completion of the clutch. In the case of two nests which I had under close obser- vation during 1911 and 1912 respectively, on a small pond at Woodford, the bird was rarely to be seen in the vicinity of the nest before the- full clutch was laid, but spent the day on a larger sheet of water some 300 or 400 yards distant Moreover, in the case of the 1911 nest, the eight young were all hatched dxiring the course of one day, five during the morning and three- during the afternoon, and not on successive days, as would have been> the case had some eggs been incubated longer than others. 30 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. It may be of interest to record that shortly after leaving the egg each young bird joined the other parent, which kept up a continual calling-note in some rushes on the other side of the pond. This, how- ever, was probably due to the fact that I examined the nest several times during the day, and consequently alarmed them. C. L. COLLENETTE. THE LIFE OF SIR WILLIAM JARDINE. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs, — For some time past I have been engaged in writing the " Life " of Sir William Jardine, the naturalist. Would you be so good as to insert this letter in your Magazine, in the hope that, if it catches the eye of anyone who may be able to assist me, either by letters from Sir William Jardine or from personal acquaintance, they will communicate with me. Hugh S. Gladstone. THE STOMACH OF A WATER-RAIL. To the Editors of British Birds. Sirs, — On opening the stomach of a Water-Rail (Rallus aquaticKa) I found a small stomach inside the ordinary one. This small stoniach was 1^ cm. across and open at one end, but unfortunately it had been cut into so that I was unable to see how it was attached. In colour it was slightly paler' than the ordinary stomach, but otherwise exactly resembled it except in size. When found it contained food. The stomach has been sent to Sir John McFadyean, who says that it is lined by mucous membrane with tubular glands, and is undoubtedly a true digestive stomach. A microphotograph of a section of the small stomach is enclosed. The bird was a female and in good* condition. M.\RJORY Garnett. EVirW5 The British Warblers. A History with ProUems of their Lives. By H. Eliot Howard, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. Part VI. Coloured and Photogravure Plates. R. H. Porter. 21s. net per Part. In this Part* of his interesting work Mr. Howard discusses the breeding habits of the Willow-Warbler and Savi's Warbler, and gives a short description of the Rufous Warbler, while the photogravures and coloured plates (issued subsequently) are by Mr. Gronvold at his best. We may here remark that it might be stated on the coloured plates, as to whether the specimen depicted is in summer or winter plumage. In his account of the Willow- Warbler the author discusses at some length whether migrants such as the Warblers return to the same nesting-place, and whether the female seeks her former mate. Mr. Howard has already given us plenty of evidence to prove that, in the Warblers at all events, the male chooses and defends the " territory " in which breeding takes place, and that he arrives in advance of the female. He here brings forward some strong arguments to show that the male cannot wait deliberately for the return of his previous year's partner, as in certain contingencies (such as the death of the female) he would lose the chance of reproduction. " An individual," writes Mr. Howard (pp. 8-9), "that did not seize the first opportunity offered to it of pairing would not repro- duce so frequently as one that did, and its descendants, if they inherited a similar tendency to hesitation, would gradually be eliminated. It would doubtless be untrue to say that the same male and female never meet, since according to the law of chance a reunion must in some instances take place, but to lay it dowTi as a rule that the same individuals meet again and again in consecutive seasons and are consequently paired for life is a different matter, for there can be no rule of that kind unless some useful purpose were thereby served." In our review of Part III. (see Vol. III., pp. 62-4) we ven- tured on some suggestions Avith regard to this matter, and we may take Mr. Howard's discussion in the Part now before us as an answer to those suggestions. We admit the strength of his arguments, but we cannot believe that he has got to the bottom of the matter, and since we brought forward in pp. 67-8 ; Vol. III., * For notices of previous Parts, see Vol. II., pp. 62-4 ; Vol. IV., pp. 62-4 and p. 320. 82 HUITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. the review above mentioned the case of the Wryneck nesting for many years in the same tree, actual proof by •• ringing " has been forthcoming in two instances that the same pair of migrants (Swifts) has bred in the same spot for at least two years in succession (cf. Vol. V., p. 165). We have also several records of one of a pair of Swallows returning to the same place but the sex of these is doubtful, and one case of a male House-Martin (cf. Vol. III., pp. 299, 399 ; V., p. 102, and supra, p. 13). Then we have the record of the Wood- Warbler caught on a nest in 1910 and caught again on a nest Avithin eighty yards of the same place in 1911 (Vol. V., p. 57). Here again however, the sex of the bird is not certain, but it was in all probability the female. We have little doubt that "ringing" will produce further "hard" facts in connexion with this subject, and meanwhile the records already to hand must be considered before Mr. Howard's theories can be accepted. In habits the Willow- Warbler is very similar to the Chiff- chaff, but it is interesting to note that the two species express their emotions by different actions, and the " wing-flapping " of the Willow- Warbler seems a distinctive feature of its sexual activity. It is noted, too, that the two species have a mutual antipathy which results in frequent battles, and this is the more likely since their habits, food, and habitats are so similar. An interesting case of polygamy in the Willow-Warbler is recounted, and there are many other observations due to the author's extremely careful watching which Ave have not space to mention. The account of the life-history of Savi's Warbler is rather meagre, but this is a bird Avhich we have, unfortunately, long lost as a breeding species. H.F.W. A Catalogue of the Vertebrate Fauna of Dumfriesshire. By Hugh S. Gladstone. Dumfries : Maxwell. 5s. net. This is a neat little work, giving a list of the species and a very brief account of their status in the county. The bird portion is taken from the author's Birds of Dumfriesshire, brought up to date by the Addenda, which we have already noticed. (Vol. v., pp. 256-7). The new matter referring to the other classes of vertebrates is beyond our province. The book is provided Avith a map and an index. [Britisli Birds, Vol. VT., PI. 2. SHIR 1R@1BISB.'U- ^iiii:)i^^]LiD S/Sd^T Mo©. 1761 yCfatis 80 KOBKRT SIBBALD, AFTER THK ENGRAVING IN SIR WILLIAM JAUDINE'S •• NATURALISTS LIBRARY." BRITISI1DIW)5 EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. assisted by Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, m.a., m.b.o.u., and Norman F. ticehurst, m.a., f.r.c.s., m.b.o.tj. Contents of Number 2, Vol. VI. July 1, 1912. PAGE. Robert Sibbald and his " Prodromus." By W. H. Mullens . . 34 The late Jolin Gerrard Keulemans. By G. M. Mathews . . 58 Notes : — The Odd Egg in a Clutch (C. W. Colthrup) 59 Crossbills Nesting in England : In Buckinghamshire (R. Bulstrode) . . . . . . 60 In Hampshire (Sir Thomas H. C. Troub ridge, Bart.) . . 61 Cirl Bunting in Merioneth (S. G. Cummings) . . . . . . 61 Albinistic Reed-Buntings (M. Harris) . . . . . . . . 61 Pied Flycatcher in liCicestershire (Stephen H. Pilgrim) . . 62 Lesser Whitethroat in Merioneth (S. G. Cummings) . . . . 62 Hoopoe m Derbyshire (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdainj . . . . 62 Breeding-habits of the Cuckoo (Lewis R. W. Loyd) . . . . 62 Little Owls Breeding in Essex (J. H. Owen ) . . . . . . 63 The Food of the Little Owl (E. G. B. Meade-Waldo, Lewis R. W. Loyd, Miss C. M. Acland and G. T. Atchison) . . 64 Long-eared Owl laying in a tenanted nest of Magpie (Bernard Starley) ' •• •• 66 Spoonbills in Suffolk (Rev. Julian G. Tuck) 67 Black-throated Diver in Carnarvonshire (R. W. Jones) . . 67 Early Breeding of Dotterel (Clifford Borrer) . . . . 67 "Twin" nest of Black-headed Gulls (C. L. Collenette) .. 67 Arctic Skua in Carnarvonshire (R. W. Jones) . . . . 68 The 1912" Wreck " of the Little Auk (G. B. Hony, R.N.) .. 69 Moor-Hens' Nests screened with " domes " of Reeds (J. H. Owen) 69 Early nesting of the Moor-Hen and Common Snipe (A. Geoffrey Leigh) , 70 Letters : — '' On Incubation " : The Stomach of a Water-Rail ; The British Lesser Black-backed Gull .. .. .. .. 71 ( 34 ) ROBERT SIBBALi:) AND HIS PR()i:)R()MUS. BY W. H. MULLENS, m.a., ll.m., f .l.s. [Plate 2.] The first attempt to treat of the Fauna of Scotland on a comprehensive scale* was that made by Robert Sibbald in his Scotia Illustrata sive Prodromus Historioe Naturalis, pub- lished in Edinburgh in 1684. This " Prodromus," or " Fore- runner," which Sibbald produced after a labour of twenty years, t was the result of an attempt on his part to compile a geographical and historical account of Scotland, including a description of the natural history of that kingdom. Under- taken at the instance of his patron the Earl of Perth, the actual l^roduction of the " Prodromus " seems to have been due to the command of Charles II., whose physician and geographer Sibbald was, and although it entailed on him, as he tells us, " great pains and very much expense in buying all the books and manuscripts I could gather . . . and procuring information from all parts of the country, even the remote isles,"" his only reward Avas, according to his own account, a fee of a hundred guineas, bestowed on him by James VII. | in March, 1685. The full title and collation of the " Prodromus " is as follows : — Scotia Illustrata / sive / Prodromus / Historiae Xaturalis/ in quo / Regionis natura, Incolarum Ingenia & Mores, Morbi iisque medendi Methodus, & / Medicina Indigena accurate explicantur : / ET / Multiplices Naturae Partus in triplice ejus Regno, Vegetabili scilicet, Animal i & Mineral! / per hancee Borealem Magnae Britaniae Partem, quae Antiquissimum Scotiae / Regnum constituit ; undi- quaque diffusi nunc primum in Lucem eruuntur, & varii eorum Usus, Medici praesertim & Mechanici, quos ad Vitae / cum necessitatem, tum commoditatem praestant * Some ornithological matter is contained in the writings of Hector Koethius or Boece (14(55-L').S6), and of George Buchanan (1506-82). They both wrote Histories of Scotland. t c/. title-page of " Prodromus." X James II. of England. VOL. VI.] SIBBALD'S PRODROMUS. 35 cunctis / perspicue exponuntur. / Cum Figuris Aeneis / Opus viginti Annoruni / Serenissimi Domini Regis Caroli II, Magnae Britanniae &c. / Monarche Jussu cditum. / Auctore Roberto Sibbaldo M.D. Equite Auiatro, Medico & Geographo / Regio, & Regii Medicoium Collegii apud Edinburgum Socio / Edinburgi,/ Ex Ofificina Tvpo- graphica Jacobi Kniblo, Josuae Solingensis / & Johamiis Colmarii, Sumptibus Auctoris / Anno Domini M. D. C. LXXXIV, 1 Vol. Folio. Collation pp. 4 un.4- pp. 18 + pp. 18un.+ pp. 102 + pp. Gun. (Pars Prima) + pp. 6 un.+ pp. 114 + pp. 6 un. (Pars secunda, liber primus & secundus) + pj). 6 un. + pp. 56 (Pars secunda, liber tertius) + pp. 2 un, & 22 plates. Birds are dealt A^ith in the Third Book of the second part, pp. 11-22, and again on p. 36 of the same book, where under the heading "' A discourse of the geese of Scotland," the well- known fable of the generation of the Barnacle-Goose from " seeds and rotting timber," is discussed and confuted. Although the ornithological matter in the " Prodromus " is far inferior to that contained in Willughby's Oryiithology (1676), much of Sibbald's information being derived from " the communications of ignorant and credulous correspondents,"* it nevertheless contains much that is of interest and importance. It is perhaps best, however, to let Sibbald's remarks speak for themselves, and as the original work is printed in obscure and somewhat involved Latin, we have appended a free translation of Sibbald's account of the birds of his native country, omitting only those parts which are of a medical nature, and adding some few brief anotations where necessary, f * The " Prodromus " was severely attacked by Dr. Archibald Pitcairne (1652-1713), a contemporary of Sibbald's, and eminent as a Physician, Mathematician, and Poet, in a work entitled Disertatio de legibus Historicae Naturalis. Edinbiirgh 1696. f It is almost impossible at times to translate Sibbald's Latin literally, but an attempt has been made to preserve the correct sense as far as possible. My best thanks are due to Mr. Hugh S. Gladstone of Capenoch, for placing at my disposal a translation and notes of the '" Prodromus." m BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. [Translation of Sibbald] CONCERNING BIRDS. Chapter i. of birds in general. . . . Certain of them migrate, others do not depart or hide themselves far away from the places they usually frequent. Chapter ii. OF the carnivorous land birds. . . . The Eagle places its nest in steep and inaccessible places, such as the highest rocks or trees, so that it maj^ not be dis- turbed by hunters or hostile beasts, and that its young may be the more securely guarded from any harm. When hunting for its prey it despises the smaller and attacks the larger animals such as kids* and fawns. The learned Matthew Mackaile, a chemist of Aberdeen, informs me that there are very many Eagles in the western parts of the main island of Orkney, which is called Pomona, as is also the case in the Island of Hoy, and that one of them seized an infant of a year old, wrapped up in a shawl, which his mother had laid doA\'n for a moment at a spot called Houton-head, while she was collecting peats for the fire, and carried him to Hoy, a distance of some four miles, which event being made kno\\'n by the shrieks of the mother, four men set off in a small boat, and knowing where the nest was, they recovered the infant, untouched and unhurt. The Eagles which are found among us are, as I am informed ; Chrysaetos [the Golden Eagle], which derives its name from the yellow colour of its plumage. Haliseetus, the Sea Eagle or Ospray. Melanseetos, in one of the Orkney Islands. Pygargus Hinnularius (so called because according to Turnerf it preys on fawns), an Erne [the White-tailed Eagle]. The smaller diurnal birds of prey are called Accipitres : these are either of the more noble kind which are wont to be tamed and trained for Hawking, or of the baser and more cowardly sort, which eithei- because they cannot be taught, or are but of little use for Hawking are neglected by man. * Literally " wild she-goats." t William Turner (1500-68) author of Avium Prcecipuarum brevis