A pe
= q i a
A. 4 i AS a
\ < ad
Ne
<<

ty wet gs

~~

set at sdGt¢ “@d

{ ( { iy 'y
es vr Py,

ee, Ss —, / ee ae oe) a ee bh = = J _

Tet me ee “were date 1 ee Oarte | Peery: vy rdrity

2 2ae— . ~
Wy Vly yy, Welw aVeV CS BEee es. wee wight ndve
=] vi'y! { 'y, Ah - ‘4 7] ,
RE ARS ve Ait 4 Be hat fey im | | v nie

lee ww

armen aan

| joke As : iF ' Rae feet ey Ka i yi
ieee th pecs HOOT oe tant jai

~UwV~ ~

Peo eu ON Vipin © | vee | ie ee wy 3 - ew et * © ;
Parettyi) bi co inetd (3 awe so. Rae pabeeare th:
vee" 4 citi bpeeecttt AM ween i me FUbocecotceers
aguemaveltwveeere "coat Suu WeTleny ye coutminiev cn?

bh eh | reve yo” moat sierra es

oe:

dé or) Vehyee ; ¥ { 5 ‘ } ]
3 ipsetaaie ety WW 7 wy

te Wov'tye. Were eg oars ey] 3 | v
“PPE Lfotes Wey : Panree:
come Worn iti yt... Sedeu. sya a

vwiviy fewyertt yy ey Serty AME _rtivery’ 5" i Wns l¥¥! v
Wey ve " ese os J wets eve tc ven, ianenae

cre | Oy lee uhbesnewtic. Se: 26 MU Ne
' oy oe J ey wy : .
Vuewhea ares siize a ge (4 5 he Hany, Se lees eee wegen

“Ria eepes! Vee vnyebiny

yy

‘,
ne

sinew e
Wee

s
if
i

ee ei ee

hd

nto veyy iHyyrayrwew “dibadnde ees Jo iC. SORGU EE
We vw B, pyttnte) ‘ iy te
ar. we! A(t be eey Heer ry; 7 Catia cscs Getace, Ve
ea “WW Yyude OS VAL 14 OLA Ah hh ore Way whe” me tps Ws a
v4 Fi adbedit ane a JAN wee” . wun, iyi ¥e

~~! vvie ww YW s4 ing w ae be Be ioe” oN JAZ IL! ' | ; / + : 7 jd ¢ ‘ “we
GE cm ead wi eee “ww! wv". Clee nw ef ee S so aia! elt po : ¥
ied ty ONO Ak ve A i al a * ‘ |e 2 eee

; oes vy vy Widen wh ele ; Spi ete
ease tee me
HERON se gptrmonne ee aN WW ipo my
mi Wd

ewe nly
Wty | ~ 2
as tit'y we Rives wee

- Vy
prune oel MyENIee v euitrargi yee c sy fe Pt
viyy' ane | w¥ tw
“ vote merit vebuwretgyt tT ius o” vaigevt¥e “te

a Aver ease | hy le et Pht a4 deve nnnaic>

oté Se we E Crk } 1th y/ ‘4 mae tM My ve Mt
vile Viyiys | MY ee ak euve ese” " | tty ’
L rl vivid ewe headed - een. bu jr bag age, 1 Nebreeetycnes
Plc aa sll a ONES D
yddvity Mhtaaeem ti hy (tithe. el roc
pipV ly Wp fk Beil trl “jd Wu HATH hs
AAA Ae OTE Wd wyipp ets © We" wiley
Woy’ ¥ iach ity wey vy

a Fae
pd eh Te © eed a J heft We : ¥ felt oats

_ 7} ) “sy” otis.
Ii
tay pees reer | a oe aor ee i cient! "ww

wee Soy

v4 IAA

ie i vo vy ly Win cneee ye Ty

=:

er Wi

ABE isp »
wl , »,

“ Ps naa i‘
fra A

pre :

PEL WE ty)
4, Kah ta one
i Rae a

”

Mi ee, hd
BE ot Na ¥

Oi

BRITDSABIRDS

AN ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE DEVOTED
toe THE BIRDS ON THE BRITISH LIST

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.U.

Volume VIII.
JUNE 1914—MAY 1915.

VSS Oy
/

WITHERBY & CO.
326 HIGH HOLBORN LONDON,

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. (Photographed by Miss
M. D. Haviland).—Plate 1 = .. facing

Strophe of Tawny Own
Strophe of NIGHTINGALE ...
Strophe of WREN

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: ‘‘ Swimming together in
a reed-grown creek.” (Photographed by Miss
M. D. Haviland) aie dh ae an

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE: “ In the long herbage at
the water-side.” (Photographed by Miss M. D.
Haviland) ; me es is Be ee

Male Avocet preparing to settle on eggs. Female
going off to feed. (Photographed by Miss
M. G. 8. Best).—Plate 2... se ... facing

Avocet approaching nest. (Photographed by Miss
M. G..S. Best) ; oe fe ce ie

Avocet turning her eggs before settling down on them.
(Photographed by Miss M. G. 8. Best)

Male AvocretT approaching female on nest. (Photo-
graphed by Miss M. G. 8. Best) ce
Avocet: Alarmed. “ Kluit! Kluit!” (Photographed
by Miss M. G. 8. Best) ae a -

Method of setting Snare for catching birds on the
. nest : aa

Guus killed by a Storm. (Photographed by Dr.
A. §. Robinson) ae Ate Ry es of
Nesting-hole of Wiitow-Tit in a pole in a Hop-
Garden in Kent a re het Ag
Nesting-hole of Wititow-Tir. (Photographed by
H. H, Storey) aS ei. - se

PAGE

1
5
6

~I

11

~I
bo

Iv. “BRITISH BIRDS.

Willow containing the Wititow-Tit’s nesting-hole
at Dunham Woodhouses, Cheshire. (Photo-
graphed by H. H. Storey) es nee a

BLACKBIRD’S nest in an excavation sixteen feet from
the surface.. (Photographed by C. Hennell)

LoNG-TAILED SkuA on Lough Arrow, June 11th, 1914.
About to alight. (Photographed by J. A.
Dockray) = i ae ae ane ei

Map to show the Centres from which information has
been received regarding the Status of the Land-Rail

RUpreLL’s WARBLER (Male) shot at Baldslow,
Sussex, on May 5th, 1914 ;

SpotreD FrycartcHER—Adult and Juvenile. (Photo-
graphed by J. H. Owen) oye

CoRMoRANTS nesting in Norfolk: The Island in a
Lake in Norfolk, showing the Tree in which the
Cormorant’s Nest was placed. The old _ bird
perched above the nest. (Photographed by Miss
EK. L. Turner) oe Bee 56 baal vias

CorMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: One of the old
birds flying away, and the nest. The Young.
First attempts at wing exercises, July 7th.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner) i

CoRMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: Waiting to be fed.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner) _... i

CorMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: Throwing leaves
overboard. (Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner)

CorRMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: Watching the world
in general, July 31st. (Photographed by Miss E. L.
Turner) aa re aan ees nf =

CorMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: Slightly bored,
July 31st. (Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner)

CorMoRANTS nesting in Norfolk: Exit No.3. (Photo-
graphed by Miss E. L. Turner) -

PAGE

82

94

115

131

135

136

137

138

139

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

-CoRMORANTS nesting in Norfolk: The last to
leave, es 3rd. (Photographed by Miss E. L.
Turner) t ad as = Je Sse

Nest and Eggs of Jack Snipp. (Photographed by
H. L. Popham) Ade nA As

Female SparRrow-Hawk at the nest, July 8th, 1914.
(Photographed by W. Farren) ms)

Female Sparrow-Hawk at the nest, July 19th,
1914. (Photographed by W. Farren) if

The Nesting-place of the CURLEW-SANDPIPER. Nest
and eggs of the CURLEW-SANDPIPER. (Photo-
graphed by Miss Maud D. Haviland).—Plate 3

facing

LittLe Srint feeding in melting snow. (Photo-.-

graphed by Miss Maud D. Haviland).—Plate 4
facing

“The Delta of the Golchika River and Yenesei, looking
north. (Photographed by Miss Maud _ D.
Haviland) ; ca “pi a La ack

Nest and Eggs of Lirrite Srint. Female LiItTLe
Strint malingering near Nest. (Photographed by
Miss Maud D. Haviland) he sgh es

Female LittLe StTrmnt approaching Nest. (Photo-
graphed by Miss Maud D. Haviland)

Female Lirrte Srint brooding. (Photographed by
Miss Maud D. Haviland) . He, Oe

FULMAR PETREL gliding. (Photographed by O. G.
Pike) A oe es ite ae aa

FuLMAR PETREL turning or ‘“ banking” against the
wind. (Photographed by O. G. Pike)

FutmMAar PETREL turning on its egg. (Photographed
by O..G. Pike) ee a:
FuLMAR PETREL, showing egg almost enclosed in
the feathers of the breast. (Photographed by
O. G. Pike) a Le ma .

201

203

204

205

VI. BRITISH BIRDS.

FULMAR PETREL about eight days old. (Photo-
graphed by O. G. Pike)... an ba se

NuTHATCH’s nest in a_ haystack at Wadhurst,
Sussex 4 rb wy: ty 2 =

The Head-Land, Blakeney Point

Common TERN walking on to its eggs. (Photo-
graphed by W. Rowan) —- a we A

Largest nest of Common Tern found on Blakeney
Point. (Photographed by W. Rowan)

Common TeERN’s nest of wood-shavings. (Photo-
graphed by W. Rowan) a ies was Ack

Common TERN angry. (Photographed by W. Rowan)
‘OMMON TERN attacking hand. (Photographed by
W. Rowan) ... “at ia oe a sen

Young Common TERN “hiding” between two
stones. (Photographed by W. Rowan)

RED-NECKED PHALAROPE beating surface of water
with its wings. (Photographed by O. G. Pike) ...

a
j

BRITISH
~BIRDS-

~ ANTLOSIRNATED MAGAZINE
— DEVOIEDTOTHEBIRDS ON

Vol. VIII
No. 1

”
“JUN 108

i

STEVENS’ AUCTION ROOMS,
ESTABLISHED ~- 1760 ;
38, King St., Covent Garden, London, W.C,

Mr. J. C. Stevens will offer for sale on Tuesday, June 16th, the
first portion of the Collection of British Birds’ Eggs formed
by W. A. Wilkinson, Esq., F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ~

The Collection contains many rare and interesting species, includ-
ing Scotch taken Ospreys; a fine series of Cuckoos, Richard’s.
Pipit, Spine-tailed Swift, Siberian Thrush, Wall-Creeper, Yellow- }
browed Warbler, Little Stint, Yellowshank, and many others. ;

WATKINS & DONCASTER,

Haturalists, .
And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c.. PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATURE.

All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied.

36, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Catalogue (102 pp.) post free.

THE GANNET

A Bird with a History.
By J. H. GURNEY, F.z.s.,-M.8.0.u.

Illustrated with COLOURED PLATES, MAPS and DRAWINGS,
| and Numerous Reproductions from Photographs.

Square Demy 8vo (8}x 6). Cloth, Gilt Edges. 600 pages. 27s. 6d. ay

A Beautiful Work. Now Complete. |

The Game-Birds and
Water-fowl of South Africa

By MAJOR BOYD HORSBRUGH, M.B.0.U,, F.Z.s.,

With SIXTY-SEVEN COLOURED PLATES.

| Strongly bound, half morocco; cloth sides, gold lettered; full. gilt
edges, with plates guarded—&4.14.0

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

_— Hohe SS ee SS a en eT ed

‘AdOUVIVHd GHMOAN-GaU AHL

, dae[s 03 Jlem paw * * * UMOp yes ey * > * paddoqs vey aq] aeaouay ,,

T Td “ILIA T°A ‘sparg Ysiqtug

DRIESABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, §F.Z.S.,.M.B.O.U.

ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JOURDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ConTENTS OF NuMBER 1, Vou. VIII. June 1, 1914.

The Study of Bird-Notes. By Dr. Hans Stadler and Herr
Cornel Schmitt

Notes on the Red-necked Phisluncoes in the Outer Hebenee
By Miss M. G. 8. Best and Miss M. D. Haviland

Notes :—

Sexes of Migrants (R. M. Barrington) ay

Rare Vagrants in Kent and Sussex (J. B. Nichols) ..

Mud-daubed Eggs of Jackdaw (J. H. Owen) : =:

Sparrow ejecting ene from Nest of nae, “Theat ae 1E[
Owen) i

Incursion of Weenie :

Blackeap in London (A. A. Goodall)’

Abnormal Song of Blackeap (W. E. Glegg) . ae

Early Nesting of Blackcap and Chiffchaft (D ; tune Smith)

Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat in November (A.

Smith) : 3S oh eae
Thrush Incubating in Teen in i Mation (W. H. Workman)
Little Owl in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) .. oo

coy? breeding in Nesting-boxes in abs (The
Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain)
Gannets in Staffordshire and Northamptonshire (J. R. B.
Masefield)
Breeding-actions of he Hecshiank ( Miss M. G. 8. Best)
Sabine’s Snipe in Merionethshire (F. H. L. Whish)
Woodcock eating Corn (J. H. Owen) .
Iceland Gull off the Cornish Coast (H. Ww. Hobinsoam
Remarkable Coincidence in marking Razorbills es W.
Robinson) on
Short Notes :—Scarce birds in the Isle as ie Hawfinch j in
co. Dublin. House-Sparrow in Uist. Blue-headed
Wagtail in Yorkshire. Black Redstarts in Northum-
berland. Little Owl in Radnorshire and York-
shire. Little Owl breeding in Somersetshire. Habits
of the Merlin. Scottish Heronries. Display of the
Mallard in Relation to Pairing. Grebe spreading
wings before diving. The habits and behaviour of
the Herring-Gull. Moult of the Moorhen :
Review :—Feld-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds «.

A

PAGE

bo

ee)
for)

(2) :
THE STUDY OF BIRD-NOTES.

BY
Dr. HANS STADLER ano CORNEL SCHMITT.

ALTHOUGH as early as 1866 Harting furnished phrases
of bird-notes in the Birds of Middlesex, and later
again, information concerning the songs of many kinds
of birds has been given us by Hartert in Die Vogel
der palaarktischen Fauna, the study of the notes of
birds has until now found few adherents in England.
It seems to us as though English ornithologists have
undervalued the significance of the study of voices
for practical purposes, and as though such purely
scientific work has found. but little favour in the
more practical mind of the English. In Germany, on
the contrary, it has gained an increasing number of
disciples from year to year, owing to Alwin Voigt,
and it has grown to be a special branch of science.
We never hear a doubt expressed regarding its value,
or even its practical value.

Apart from the want of a musical ear or musical
education in the non-scientist, there are three difficulties
which make even musicians among ornithologists and
naturalists hold back from a deeper study of the
notes and songs of birds. Firstly, the musical pitch,
which until now it has been impossible to fix in
consequence of its great actual height; secondly, the
non-musical sounds which, mingled with the notes,
greatly influence them as a whole, and do not allow of
any musical analysis or classification; thirdly, the
colouring of bird-notes, which often greatly differs
from that of the human voice and familiar instruments.
We wish to show in a few words that these
difficulties can be overcome.

1. The musical pitch—To fix the keynote of birds,
we have at our disposal—firstly, the human singing-
voice, which reaches from the lower G of the deep
bass voice, to the high C of the trained soprano:
it renders us excellent service for the imitation of

vou. vi.] THE STUDY OF BIRD-NO'TES. 3

deep voices of birds, such as those of the pigeons, the
Eagle-Owl, the Bittern, and of the much deeper
tones of many foreign species ; secondly, our whistling-
voice, which reaches from B flat or C natural to G
or G sharp 4: it is excellently adapted to the
imitation of the songs of many birds, such as_ those
of the Blackbird, the Thrush, the Cuckoo, and the
Tawny Owl; thirdly, organ-pipes from the stop
Salicional, which begins where our human whistling-
voice and our musical instruments cease—from G4 to
D6. To ascertain the very high notes of birds we use
a set of such organ-pipes*—G4, B4, C5, E5, G5,
B5, C6, D6—which we carry about in a case in our
pocket. As the notes of most European and _ foreign
singing-birds range between A4 to C6, one can
understand that to anybody not possessing the organ-
pipes this whole field of knowledge is closed. Further
the definition of the musical pitch is rendered very
difficult on account of the extraordinary timbre of
many bird-songs—for instance, the “‘dilm delm”
(“‘zilp zalp’’) of the Chiffchaff—but with the means
at our disposal it is to be obtained. |

But the pitch is never the most essential part of
music in general, or of bird-songs in particular. When
we compose a piece of music we render not only the
pitch but also rhythm, intervals, time (metric),
melody, pace, loudness, phraseology. The representa-
tion of strophes and calls of birds demands the con-
sideration of these same things, and, as we are capable
of writing our musical pieces by means of notes, in the
same way these international notes are not only available,
but even quite sufficient for the songs of birds. For the
completion of this, we want only three new signs—

ig eas a
for the ‘roller’ (always wrongly called “ shake ”’)

* To be obtained of G. F. Steinmeyer, Oettingen (Bavaria), price
10s. the set.

4, BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

which is so very frequent among birds: example, the
Canary.

aa

for tones with a strong mingling of non-musical sounds ;

LT"

for sound essentially non-musical: such sounds in musical
notation have always been rendered by notes, e.g. the
parts for drum and kettledrum.

Further, we place, if possible, the phonetic impression
under the notes—that is, the syllable-writing. This
form of writing has until recently been employed with
us in Germany as a method in itself, but it has proved
entirely insufficient when used alone.

As the pitch of bird-voices in the same strophe can
be very varied (for example, the sudden jumps of three
octaves of the Great Reed-Warbler) ; as, further, birds
do not always keep to the intervals well known to us—
for example, within the limits of a minor-second they
breathe three or more notes—we find it practical to
employ a system of three lines, each of which answers
to a fixed key of well-known bird-notes. The lowest
line, C3, answers to the key of the Cuckoo ; the middle,
C4, to the middle key of the Canary; the upper, C6,
equals the pitch of the delicate “ tsi-tsi” calls of the
Tits (Tit-line—‘‘ Meisenlinie’’). As by far the greater
number of all bird-tones range between C4 and C6, the
mode of registering strophes between these lines is clear
and also gives a good idea of the most likely definition
of the pitch and the intervals, which so often differ
entirely from those of human music; again, it permits
us to estimate the whole-sounds according to their
pitch and to put it into a kind of note-system. What
lies between the lines C3 and C4 we generally place in the

vou. vi.] THE STUDY OF BIRD-NOTES. 5

five lines used by the musician, and employ the higher
octaves—

ILO tis
Slope seston erren weep 76

and even NST ACE ETRE aR ese ls SGT

With regard to the timbre, it is as impossible to
indicate this, as it is impossible to indicate it in
the case of the violin or trumpet; and unfortunately
it is only possible in the rarest cases to describe
it by comparison with well-known musical instruments.
When once the phonograph, assisted by photographic
registering, can be employed scientifically in the field
of ornithology, we shall hear birds sing from the
apparatus with all the shades of timbre, tone, and
sound, as we hear at present more or less good musical
productions of our own species. Till then we must
be content with the fact that the voices of different
birds represent as many instruments, each of which
has its specific timbre—which we are unable to define,
because we are unaccustomed to it.

Three examples may show how, through our method
of representation, the characteristic signs of bird-notes—
rhythm, pitch, and intervals—can also be fixed to our
entire satisfaction :—

The strophe of the Tawny Owl (Strix a. aluco), on

STROPHE OF TAWNY OWL.

account of its deep pitch, is easy to whistle. It is divided
into three parts: the introduction is a long-drawn

Bern BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit.

steady sound in F, which generally falls a minor-third
or a minor-second in legato (sometimes it is slurred
down); this movement is followed by a pause of the
remarkable duration of nearly three seconds; after the
rest, comes a soft tone, only to be heard quite near,
generaliy at the pitch of the preceding one; after a
second quite short pause, the finale begins in F. It
repeats the first high note—generally three times, in
quavers—and then again descends in decrescendo to a
third. The composition of these strophes is remarkably
regular, apart from a few little variations in rhythm and
intervals. The timbre is exactly that of the stopped
diapason of the organ or of the okarina: especially with
the latter the whole song can be rendered in a life-like
manner.

Nightingale (Luscinia m. megarhyncha).—Three short
motives—

STROPHE OF NIGHTINGALE.

Description: The three strophes range in about the
same pitch and have the characteristic and frequently-
used finale of the Nightingale—a short high-note which
is joined to a long melodious “ roller.”” The first motive
contains the dreamy, sometimes often-repeated, cry of
longing with its entrancing “‘ great crescendo”; the
second strophe shows, after a short staccato in semi-
quavers, a descending movement in quavers, which is
the characteristic of the Wood-Lark’s song; the third
shows that the singer sometimes mingles impure tones,
even noises like the winding of a watch, with its song.

Wren (T'roglodytes t. troglodytes)—The strophe of this
bird consists of five motives (parts): four staccato

vot. vi.]} THE STUDY OF BIRD-NOTES. 7

quavers in pp form the introduction, the next motive
is composed of two quavers repeated four times, two
of which are always connected, and the first is
emphasized—this is followed by the “ roller,’ which
ends with a high tone; the second “roller” in ff (the
climax) holding the same tone, ends with four staccato

STROPHE OF WREN.

semiquavers ; the third “roller” is quite poor in tone
and ends, like the second, with a high tone. This finale
contains a rapidly descending decrescendo, whilst the
first to third part gradually ascends from pp to ff. The
highest tones in the strophe are D5 and C5, the deepest
ones B4 and A4. One seldom finds a Wren which keeps
the same song even for a short time: indeed it is
continually changing it.

In conclusion, a word concerning the significance
of the study of bird-notes. In Germany we value this
study for the following reasons: firstly, its cultivation
means a general increase and deepening of our knowledge
about the feathered world; in particular, it increases
our knowledge of the existence of possible biological
kinds or races, and permits us even to-day, if only in a
few cases, to judge whence migratory birds come, by
observing and noting their original or imitating-song
as they move—for example, Corn-Bunting (refer to
Ardea, 1914, pp. 32-45). Then it expands immeasurably
the sphere of music and the view of musicians. To the
great mass of those who devote themselves to the study of
birds, as lovers of ornithology and nature, it is indis-
pensable, because we hear birds much more than we
see them, and in cases of doubt we are more ready to

8 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. VII.

take up a book which will teach us, than to sacrifice
the life of an animal in our thirst for knowledge. Here
we have arrived at the high ethical meaning of the study
of voices upon which Voigt rightly lays greater stress
from edition to edition of his fundamental Hxkursionsbuch
zum Studium der Vogelstimmen. We hope that in our
time, which affords great protection to birds, this study
will also enable the keen collector to work along more
humane and noble lines.

(9)

NOTES ON THE RED-NECKED PHALAROPE IN
THE OUTER HEBRIDES.
BY
MARY G. 8S. BEST anp MAUD D. HAVILAND.

WE paid several visits to a long-established breeding-
station of the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus hyper-
boreus) whilst working in the Outer Hebrides last summer.

The Phalaropes nest on an extensive tract of marsh
bordering a small loch, and lying within a mile of the open

“ swimming together in a reed-grown creek.’’

sea. The breeding-ground is about two miles in circum-
ference, and on account of the wetness of the season,
many of the creeks and reed-beds were inaccessible.

On May 16th, Miss Haviland, with Miss E. L. Turner,
visited the bog. No Phalaropes were seen, but the
foggy weather prevented anything like an exhaustive
search of the place.

On May 23rd Miss Turner and Miss Haviland again
visited the bog, and explored all the accessible spots

10 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

thoroughly. At the south side of the loch, which is a
favourite haunt of the birds, a single female Phalarope
was found, and afterwards a pair, male and female,
which apparently were mated and swimming together
in a reed-grown creek. The birds were very tame, and
paid little attention to the photographers. This was the
only male bird we saw that day, and from subsequent
observations, we believe that this must have been an
exceptionally early couple. Later, Miss Haviland went
round to the north side of the marsh, and saw three
more birds, all of which were females. These birds
were rather wild, and were resting under the lee of the
reeds. From the relative numbers of the sexes in the
birds we saw, and the early date, we consider it probable
that the females arrive at this breeding-station before
the males.

On June 11th we went with Miss Turner to the bog
hoping to find nests. In this we were unsuccessful,
but many more birds of both sexes. were to be seen,
some of them in pairs. In one reed-bed, they flew
overhead, uttering their querulous, piping cry, which
led us to hope that we might find them breeding there,
especially as the owner of the bog informed us that
he had in previous years seen young birds following
their parents by the third week in June: but we found
no sign of nests. From the birds’ behaviour, it seemed
as if they were still courting, and had not begun to lay,
much less to incubate. We saw one party of four or five
females chasing one male bird up and down the loch
while he vainly tried to escape from their attentions.
On the whole, it appeared that more hens than cocks
were to be seen on this occasion also ; but it is not easy
to distinguish the sexes in flight, and a mistake might
well have been made on this point.

On the south side of the loch, just where we had seen
the pair of birds on our previous visit, we found a male
and female in the long herbage at the water-side. Perhaps
we ought to reverse the usual order and say female and

VOL. vit.) RED-NECKED PHALAROPE. 11

male, for the traditional dominance of the masculine sex
is entirely unknown in this species. Certainly this
cock bird was a most henpecked little fowl. Possibly
he had been captured immediately on his arrival from
the sea. At any rate, he was apparently tired out,
and whenever the hen stopped, as she frequently did, to
preen herself or feed, he sat down where he was, and

—
Sa ag io
. ty Ee

» # 3

5

4

“in the long herbage at the water-side.’’

tucking his bill under his feathers, went to sleep. Before
he had dozed for more than a minute, however, the
female would peck him awake, and, calling querulously,
force him to follow her while she led the way through the
marsh. Now and then she flew at him and chased him
about, asif losing patience. This little scene was repeated
three or four times, and the birds were so confiding that
we were able to photograph them in the act.

It is difficult to.say how many Phalaropes breed in
this bog. From what we saw, we should be inclined
to put the number at anything between twenty-five
and thirty-five pairs. The owner of the bog gives the

12 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

birds all the protection in his power, but unfortunately
he only exercises sporting rights over part of the place,
which actually belongs to the glebe land. The spot is
well known to collectors, and these unfortunately not only
visit it themselves, but have taught the neighbouring
crofters that the eggs have a commercial value. ~ The
Phalaropes’ best protection probably lies in the nature
of their nesting-ground itself, for, owing to the treacherous
going and the depth of the swamp, many of the reed-
beds and islets are inaccessible. even by swimming,

SEXES OF MIGRANTS.

Tue lightkeeper at the Tuskar Rock, co. Wexford,
Mr. Johnston, sent me twenty-four Whitethroats (Sylvia
communis), nine Willow-Warblers (Phylloscopus t. trochilus),
eight Sedge-Warblers (Acrocephalus schenobenus), and six
Wheatears (Hnanthe we. enanthe), killed by striking on April
30th, 1914, between 10.15 p.m. and midnight.

On dissection it was found that twenty of the Whitethroats
were males, two females, and two doubtful. All the Sedge-
Warblers were males; seven Willow-Warblers were males,
one female, and one doubtful; five Wheatears were females
and one male.

There were great numbers of Corn-Crakes (Crex crex) about
the lantern ; two specimens were sent.

The above statistics may be of interest to the student
of the sexes of migrants. R. M. Barrineton.

RARE VAGRANTS IN KENT AND SUSSEX.

I sHouxp like to put on record the following occurrences of
rare vagrants in Kent and Sussex :—

BuLWER’s PETREL (Bulweria bulwerii).—A male was shot
while fluttering about a pool on the beach at Jury’s Gap,
~Lydd, Kent, on March 16th, 1914. It was subsequently
examined in the flesh by Mr. H. W. Ford-Lindsay. This
is the sixth recorded British specimen.

Caspian PiLover (Charadrius asiaticus).—A male was shot
at Pevensey, Sussex, on March 30th, 1914, and examined
in the flesh by Mr. H. W. Ford-Lindsay. This is, I believe,
the fourth British specimen.

Sontrrary SANDPIPER (T'ringa s. solitaria).—A female was
shot at Pevensey, Sussex, on April 17th, 1914, and examined
in the flesh by me on the 18th. This is the sixth recorded
British specimen:

MEDITERRANEAN BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus melano-
cephalus).—A male which was shot at Littlestone, Kent, on
September 8th, 1913, was seen in the flesh by Mr. H. W.
Ford-Lindsay, and examined after it was stuffed by Mr. H. F.
Witherby. The primaries were in moult. This is the
fourth recorded British specimen. J. B. NicHots.

14. BRITISH BIRDS. EVO. YEE
MUD-DAUBED EGGS OF JACKDAW.

AN article and several notes regarding mud-daubed eggs
of the Jackdaw (Coleus m. spermologus) appeared in
Volume IV., pp. 176, 214, 250. I have annually, at the end
of April, visited the Craig-y-rhiw rocks, near Oswestry, for
the purpose of investigating the Jackdaws’ nests. Most
of the nests are in the rocks or rabbit-holes, and six in holes
in trees. Previous to reading the above-mentioned notes
in British Birps, I had not paid much attention to the
daubing, and considered it to be accidental. In 1910 the
eggs in one of the trees were daubed and, as far as I remember,
it was the only set thoroughly daubed. In 1911 the eggs in
this hole were again daubed, but many other nests had eggs
more or less daubed, and I came to the conclusion that it was
accidentally done, and was due to the wetness of the ploughed
land. In 1912 this nest was the only one I could find which
contained daubed eggs out of more than twenty sets examined.
It was a very dry April. In 1913, the birds had not laid in
this particular nest by the end of April, and the few eggs in
other nests were perfectly clean. This year (1914) I visited
the nests on April 26th and found nearly all of them with
five eggs each, and all the eggs were clean except those in
that one nest and they were very thickly daubed, the mud
on one egg of the clutch being still wet. All the eggs were
fresh. This I think tends to prove that in some cases the
daubing is not accidental, as the eggs found each year in
this particular nest were probably all laid by the same bird.
This nest is in a hollow trunk and the entrance is down a
rotten limb, and the eggs are invisible from the entrance.
There were two entrances near together, but in 1912 the
bird stopped the lower one with sticks, which I had to remove
before I could reach the eggs. J. H. OWEN.
[It is of interest to note that the habit of egg daubing is
not confined to British Jackdaws, but has also been observed
on the Continent. See an article by F. Menzel in the
Ornithologische Jahrbuch, 1999, p. 105.—F.C.R.J.]

SPARROW EJECTING EGGS FROM NEST OF
SONG-THRUSH.

For the last three years a Song-Thrush (7'urdus ph. clarkei)
has built a nest and laid eggs some twenty-five feet from
the ground, on the top of a ventilator just under the eaves
of a house at Oswestry. Each year the eggs have been
turned out, and I have put the mischief down to rats.

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 15

On this occasion the Thrushes built a new nest in the
same place as the old one which we had removed. One
morning, after the bird had started to sit, there was an egg
on the ground under the nest, but the Thrush was sitting
later in the day. The next morning, whilst I was looking
from a window at the nest, which the Thrush had just left,
a cock House-Sparrow approached and hopped into it. <A
few minutes later I went out and found two of the remaining
eggs on the ground, and I think the Sparrow must have
got them out somehow, as there was no egg on the ground
when it went into the nest. The Thrush deserted.

J. H. OwEn

INCURSION OF WAXWINGS.*

EssEx.—Several were seen in Dovercourt at the end of
January and the beginning of February. Four were killed
(W. B. Nichols).

SHROPSHIRE.—Besides those previously reported, two more
Waxwings have been obtained in March and others observed
on Wenlock Edge and near Bridgnorth. One of the former
is dull in colour, and is probably a young bird (H. E. Forrest).

SUFFOLK.—One picked up dead at Beyton on Jan. 2lst
(Rev. J. G. Tuck, Zool., 1914, p. 150).

SuRREY.—One at Dorking on March 27th (G. Stapylton-
Smith, Field, 4.1V.14, p. 734).

YorKsHIRE.—T'wo at Sleights and four or five near
Sleights at the end of March (J. T. Sewell, Naé., 1914, p. 160).
Two at Holgate, York, about Jan. 10th (S. H. Smith, t.c.,
p- 127).

WeEstTMoRLAND.—Mr. Hulme Wilson also informs us that
several small parties of three, four, and six birds haunted
the neighbourhood of Kirkby Lonsdale and Kendal during
the early part of 1914; and one of his friends while on the
way to a meet saw two of these little flocks.

AspRroap.—A number of records of their appearance in
France are published in the Revue Francaise d’Orn., 1914,
pp. 258-60, 276-78. A summary of occurrences in Switzer-
land is given in Ornith. Monatsberichte, 1914, pp. 58-59.

BLACKCAP IN LONDON.
On the morning of April 22nd, 1914, I picked up in St. Martin’s
Court, Ludgate Hill, the dead body of an adult male Blackcap
(Sylvia a. atricapilla) : it was lying on the pavement close to
the wall.

* For previous notes on this subject see Vol. VIL, pp. 263, 292, 319,
344.

16 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

But for a few feathers missing from the left shoulder, which
on examination disclosed a slight abrasion of the skin on
that part and the lower-neck, the bird is in excellent plumage
and condition. There are no indications of its having been
kept in captivity, and it seems therefore reasonable to
conjecture that it was struck down by some overhead obstacle
whilst passing over the City. A. A. GOODALL.

ABNORMAL SONG OF BLACKCAP.

On May 17th, 1914, I was at Hatch Grove, Chingford, and
was much astonished to hear a Blackecap (Sylvia a. atricapilla)
uttering the “cheering ” note of the Greenfinch. The bird
seemed to have abandoned its usual delightful melody, as
I spent several hours in the wood, and devoted most of the
time to listening to this unusual song, which was kept up
almost incessantly. On May 19th I again listened to this
bird with the same experience. The song may be described
as resembling that of the Greenfinch, but fuller and more
melodious. There can be no doubt as to the identity of the
bird, as I had an excellent view of it with and without
binoculars. Witu1am E. Gusee.

EARLY NESTING OF BLACKCAP AND CHIFFCHAFF.

I saw a cock Blackcap (Sylvia a. atricapilla) sitting closely
on four eggs near Bristol on April 24th. Not far from this
nest was another containing two eggs, as well as a Chiffchaff’s
nest (Phylloscopus c. collybita) with one. These dates are
very early and worthy of record. D. Munro Smita.

[The earliest date for a clutch of Blackcap’s eggs of which
I have any note, is a nest with five eggs on May Ist, 1912,
in Kent (P. F. Bunyard, Brit. Birds, VI., p. 87). Other
nests have been recorded on May 4th and 6th. The Chiffchaff
seems not infrequently to nest early in Somerset, as nests
with one egg have been recorded on April 25th, 1912, and
April 27th, 1910, from that county (Bull. B.O.C., XXXII.
p. 77, and XXVIII. p. 85).—F. C. R. Jourpary.]

WHITETHROAT AND LESSER WHITETHROAT
IN NOVEMBER.

On November 30th, 1912, I saw a Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia
c. curruca) in the vicinity of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. It was
a cold day, a keen wind was blowing, and the bird looked
anything but comfortable. Saunders mentions one in the
Manual as having occurred in Scotland on November 14th,

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 17

1880. Another is reported from Herefordshire on December
15th, 1910 (B.0.C. Migration Report, 1911, p. 224).

On November 10th, 1913, I saw a Whitethroat (Sylvia c.
communis). The bird flew into a tangled bush of hawthorn,
brier, and bramble. It proved to be a male in excellent
plumage. A. Smiru.

[Mr. W. E. Clarke gives (Studies in Bird-Migration, I.,
p. 131), August 27th to November 9th as dates for the passage
of the Whitethroat in autumn, but records for November
seem very few. We have notes of one at the Flannans on
November Ist, 1908, and one in the Shetlands on November
5th, 1908. Both the Whitethroat and the Lesser Whitethroat
have been recorded once from Essex in December by
Mr. Miller Christy (Birds of Essex, p. 82, and Vict. Hist. of
County of Essex, I., p. 238).

THRUSH INCUBATING IN TRAIN IN MOTION.

THE following interesting note appeared in the Belfast News-
letter for May 8th, 1914 :—

An interesting incident in bird-life has recently been noted at
Limavady. A Thrush was observed frequently in the vicinity of
a number of carriages lying on a siding at the railway station. It
was apparently engaged in nesting operations, and although the
carriages ran out daily (Sundays excepted) twice to Limavady
Junction and once to Londonderry, returning each evening at 4.50,
later observation elicited the fact that a nest had been built under-
neath a first-class composite carriage, immediately over the steam-
heating pipe, and contained four eggs. Notwithstanding the regular
journeys the parent bird continued to care for the eggs, and much
kindly interest was manifested in its doings by the railway officials,
both at Londonderry and Limavady. The alteration in the train
service, which came into force on the Ist May, led the mother-Thrush
to experience the annoyance of “ missing the train,”’ for on her return
to Londonderry Waterside Station on the evening of the Ist inst.,
after a foraging expedition, she found, doubtless to her intense dismay,
that the train had disappeared, having left for Limavady at 4.40
instead of 4.50 under the revised time-table. The bird’s predicament
was observed at Londonderry, and Mr. J. Candy, station-master,
telephoning to Mr. W. Conly, station-master at Limavady, reported
the mishap, and jocularly observed that the Thrush would probably
journey to Limavady on the axle of the next train, and to look out
for it. It is not known how the bird travelled, but at a later hour
the same evening it was seen at Limavady, resuming its labours on
the nest. Pending the hatching of the eggs the carriage has been
withdrawn from use by the sympathetic officials.

On reading the above extraordinary story, I wrote to the
station-master at Limavady for confirmation and for further
particulars, and I give his reply to me.

B

18 BRITISH BIRDS. ’ [von. vit.

Midland Railway Co.—Northern Counties Committee,
Limavady Station, 16.5.1914.

Dear Sir,—This is a true story. The set of carriages under one
of which the nest has been built, makes three trips daily, Sundays
excepted, here to Limavady Junction at 8.10 a.m. and right back
to here; here to Limavady Junction at 10.20 a.m. and right back to
here ; here to Derry at 11.35 a.m. and return from Derry at 4.40 p.m.

The nest was only discovered on May 5th. When the man at Derry
who examines all carriages was carrying out his duties the bird flew
off, but resumed on the nest before the return of the train in the evening.

On the 6th inst. she again left the nest on arrival in Derry to procure
food, ete., but unfortunately she missed the train that evening. The
train formerly left Derry at 4.50 p.m., and I presume the change
had something to do with her missing the train. However, she was
here again the following morning. It got into the Press, and so many
people were examining the nest and actually putting their hands into
it to prove the question of eggs, that she left it for ever. . .. To
prevent trespassers on the line I had to remove the nest to the
office here, and of course the eggs are now lost.

Now this carriage travelled regularly (Sundays excepted) about
fifty miles daily, while the nest was being built and until she forsook
it, about the 9th inst.

I have many enquiries from different parts of the country, as it
is really a rare occurrence.

I am, yours respectfully,
Witi1am Conty, Station-master.
I am sure very few, if any, of your readers had any idea
that a bird would sit on a jolting train, and it is only a pity
she was not allowed to hatch out her eggs. W.H. WoRKMAN.

[There are some discrepancies between the account in the
Belfast Newsletter and that furnished by Mr. Conly, but
we presume the latter may be taken as correct. Instances
of nests built on trucks and carriages in sidings are not
uncommon, but it is certainly extraordinary to find a bid
continuing to sit for so long under such conditions.—EDs. |

LITTLE OWL IN SHROPSHIRE.

THERE is no longer any doubt that the Little Owl (Athene n.
noctua) has definitely extended its range into Shropshire.
There have been several previous occurrences in recent
years, while in April, 1914, one was trapped near Shrewsbury,
and another a month later near Craven Arms.

H. E. Forrest.

GOLDENEYE BREEDING IN NESTING-BOXES IN
GERMANY.

For many years past it has been known that the Goldeneye
(Nyroca c. clangula) breeds freely in nesting-boxes put up

vou. vitt.] NOTES. 19

for the purpose in Finland. Herr W. Riidiger now sends
us an interesting account of the results which have attended
the erection of nine nesting-boxes during the winter of 1911-12
on the banks of the Segelen See in Neumark (Brandenburg).
Although both Goldeneyes and Goosanders (Mergus
merganser) frequented the lake, the boxes were not adopted
in the spring of 1912 by either species. On April 22nd, 1914,
Herr Riidiger returned to the neighbourhood and examined
the boxes, with the following results. One box was un-
tenanted; another had been taken possession of by a
squirrel ; two others were certainly occupied by Goldeneyes,
but were not examined; three others contained clutches of
eight, six, and eight eggs respectively, while the remaining
two boxes had both been occupied by Goldeneyes, but in
one case there was only a single deserted egg, and the other
had obviously been robbed, but still contained two eggs.
From the encouraging nature of these results, it seems
probable that the Goldeneye might be induced to breed in
some parts of Scotland where it has been observed to stay
till late into the spring. Herr Riidiger made use of an old
tree riddled with holes of the Great Black Woodpecker in
order to construct his boxes, cutting it into lengths and
widening the openings as well as the interior. These boxes .
were fastened to stout pines at various heights ranging from
twenty-five to about thirty feet from the ground. Thenest
which was robbed was, however, only about ten feet from the

ground. F. C. R. JourRDAIN.
GANNETS IN STAFFORDSHIRE AND
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.

A Gannet (Sula bassana) was found disabled on Ranger Hill
near Cheadle, Staffordshire, on May 8th, 1914. There had
been a hailstorm and rough weather the night before, but
it is unusual to meet with this bird inland at this time of
year. Dr. Garner says as to this species, ‘‘ Occasional on the
Trent and Dove.” Sir Oswald Mosley mentions one killed
at Yoxall on November 8th, 1853 (Nat. Hist. of Tutbury,
p- 57). Mr. Brown in the same work (p. 110) says the Gannet
has been twice killed within a few miles of Tutbury, but
probably one of these is the same as the Yoxall bird.
Another was shot at Grindon near Leek in 1899, and on
August 4th, 1900, the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain saw two at
Clifton flying down the Dove Valley (North Staffs. Field Club
Report, 1900-01, p. 46). Joun R. B. MASEFIELD.

[Mr. A. H. Sartoris, writing in the Field for May 16th,

20 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

1914, states that on May 8th a Gannet was picked up alive
near Weekly Hall Wood, Kettering, and brought to his
keeper. The bird was a male in full adult-plumage, but
very thin, and died during the night. It is curious that the
date of this occurrence should be exactly the same as that
of the Staffordshire occurrence noted above.—EDs. |

BREEDING-ACTIONS OF THE REDSHANK.

From a “hide” that I had made to a nest on a marsh in
Suffolk the first week in May, I was able to watch a pair
of Redshanks (T'ringa totanus) which had made their nest
near by at the side of a little mound amongst the grass and
kingcups.

The pair had alighted twice near the nest and had flown
away again, but about noon they came back. The female
ran up on one side of my “hide,” the male on the other,
and they met at the nest. The male stood on the top of
the mound uttering a soft, continuous whistle more like a
“purr”’ with no break in it. After ten minutes or so he
went off and fed near by, leaving the female on her nest.

After laying her egg—the first—she strolled off, taking no
notice of her mate. He then commenced a much shriller
purring whistle, and ran quickly after her with all his body-
feathers fluffed out, his tail-feathers spread, wings raised
high above his back and half-furled, giving him almost the
appearance of a white bird as he was running away from me.

Later in the evening the birds returned to feed close by,
when the male started his run from a longer distance on the
tips of his toes. He was a most lovely sight.

I did not return to my “hide” for two days, when I found
that the birds had been scared away from the nest, and
though I saw one of them return and look at the eggs on
Tuesday, she did not stay, and they played about at the
other end of the marsh, evidently looking for another
nesting-site. Mary G. 8. Bsr.

SABINE’S SNIPE IN MERIONETHSHIRE.

In March, 1914, I had the pleasure of seeing in the flesh a
fine specimen of ‘‘ Sabine’s Snipe,” a melanism of the Common
Snipe (Gallinago g. gallinago). Judging from this specimen,
after comparing it with the ordinary examples of the Common
Snipe, it seems almost incredible that it should be regarded
merely as a melanic form and not as a distinct species. This
bird was smaller and the bill and legs finer and shorter than

VoL. VIII.] NOTES. 21

those of the ordinary type with which I compared it; the
general colouring also tallies with that of previous examples.
The bird was shot at Rtg, Corwen, Merionethshire, and
was sent to Messrs. Peter Spicer & Sons of Leamington,
who have kindly furnished me with particulars.

HL. “Wiss:

WOODCOCK EATING CORN.

CotoneL J. A. MrerepirH informs me that when shooting
a small cover near Llanfechain, Montgomeryshire, on
January 28th, 1914, one of the guns killed a Woodcock
(Scolopax rusticola). It happened that at luncheon-time
this bird was compared with another, and on being closely
examined it was noticed that some grains of corn had
apparently come out of a wound in the throat. On cutting
open the neck the gullet was found to contain 50-60 grains
of wheat. Two or three days before, this wood had been
well fed with wheat, which explains where the bird got the
corn; but that a Woodcock should eat grain, seems to me
most remarkable. J. H. Owen.

[In the Newer Naumann, IX., p. 214, it is stated that
Forstrat Thirriot found grains of maize in the stomachs of
two birds shot in Istria.—F.C.R.J.!

ICELAND GULL OFF THE CORNISH COAST.

It may be of interest, as a late occurrence, to mention that
on April 16th, 1914, when about three miles out of Penzance,
an Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus), in the all-white stage of
plumage, followed our boat out west for over half an hour.

H. W. Rospryson.

REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE IN MARKING
RAZORBILLS.

On May 22nd, 1911, I marked two adult Razorbills (Alca
torda) on the Island of Rosevere, one of the Scilly Islands,
these being the only two I could capture in Scilly, one of the
rings bearing the number 31310. On May 19th, 1914, I
again visited the same island for the second time, and although
assisted by two boatmen, could only capture one adult
Razorbill, owing to the depth of the rock-holes. This was
under the same rock as the one I marked there three years
ago, and not only this, but the bird was also the identical
Specimen, for it bore upon its leg the ring-number 31310.
The centrai “3” was worn away and the ring was almost
off, as the bird had got the overlap undone and it came off

22 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

the leg quite easily, so easily that it is a wonder the bird
had not got it off itself. It is indeed curious that of the
hundreds if not thousands of Razorbills nesting on this
island, the only one to be captured should be one of the two
I marked there three years all but three days ago. I replaced
the ring with one numbered 32840. H. W. Rosinson.

SCARCE BIRDS AT THE ISLE oF May.—Miss E. V. Baxter
and Miss L. J. Rintoul give (Scot. Nat., 1914, pp. 106-111) an
interesting report of the most important occurrences of
birds at the Isle of May in 1913. The authors state that
the mortality amongst the migrants was in excess of anything
they had seen before, many Redwings, Thrushes, and Gold-
crests being starved to death, while many others were too
weak to fly. It is not, however, stated whether this observa-
tion refers to the spring or autumn, but presumably the
latter is intended. The following are noteworthy :—

GOLDEN ORIOLE (Oriolus o. oriolus).—One on Sept. 13th and 14th.

SCARLET GROSBEAK (Carpodacus e. erythrinus).—One on Sept. 20th
and 21st.

LirrLte Buntine (Emberiza pusilla).—One on Oct. 8th.

LAPLAND BuntineG (Calcarius 1. lapponicus).—One on Sept. 24th.

SHORE-LARK (Hremophila a. flava).—Four on Oct. 9th.

BLUE-HEADED WacerTatt (Motacilla f. flava).—One on May 13th.

CONTINENTAL GOLDEN-CRESTED WREN (Regulus r. regulus).—Many
on Sept. 30th.

RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa p. parva).—One on Oct. Ist.

SCANDINAVIAN CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus c. abietinus).—One on
Sept. 30th and others in October.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER (Ph. s. superciliosus).—One on Sept. 25th
and three on the 30th.

LEssER WHITETHROAT (Sylvia c. curruca). — Seven or eight on
May 4th, some May 13th and some in September.

Buack REpstart (Phenicurus o. gibraltarvensis).—One on May 5th
and subsequently until May 14th one or two ; one or two from Oct. 11th
to 17th. .

CoNnTINENTAL REDBREAST (Dandalus r. rubecula).—One on May 6th
and usual numbers in September.

WRYNECE (Jyna t. torquilla).—One on May 13th.

SHORT-EARED Ow. (Asio f. flammeus).—A good many visited the
island and preyed upon the smaller migrants, while even Turnstones
and Common Terns were found in their ‘‘larders’”’ in tufts of grass.
They were observed to chase migrants round the lighthouse at night,
and it is thought that most of their captures were made in this way.

HAwWFINCH IN Co. Duspiin.—The Rev. C. W. Benson
records (Irish Nat., 1914, p. 104) that a male Coccothraustes

VOL. VIII.| NOTES. 23

c. coccothraustes (a rare visitor to Ireland) was killed by
flying against some canvas at Balbriggan on February
14th, 1914.

Hovussz-Sparrow In Uist.—At the end of May, 1913,
Miss E. L. Turner observed some House-Sparrows in Uist
(Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 31)—a fact worthy of note, as Mr. N. B.
Kinnear stated (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1907, p. 19) that the
bird was at that time still confined to Castlebay (Barra),
Tarbert (Harris), and Stornoway (Lewis).

BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL IN YORKSHIRE.—Mr. W. Greaves
records (Nat., 1914, p. 160) that an adult male Blue-headed
Wagtail (presumably Motacilla flava flava) was seen amongst
Yellow Wagtails from April 17th-20th, 1914, at Mytholmroyd
in the Hebden Bridge district. He himself watched it at
close range on the 18th, and noted the distinguishing
characters.

Burack ReEpstarts IN NORTHUMBERLAND.—Mr. J. M.
Charlton records (Zool., 1914, p. 148) examples of Phanicurus
0. gibraltarrensis at Cullercoats on December 26th, 1913,
and February 10th, 1914.

LirtLE Own IN RADNORSHIRE AND YORKSHIRE. —
Mr. Heatley Noble informs us that a pair of Athene n. noctua
were seen in Radnorshire at the beginning of April, 1914.
Mr. F. Boyes writes (Field, 4.1V.14, p. 734) that one was
shot at the end of March at Leconfield near Beverley, and
that two others have been shot there. Both these notes
suggest that the birds are breeding in the localities mentioned.

LitTLE OWL BREEDING IN SOMERSETSHIRE.—Mr. S. Lewis
records (Zool., 1914, p. 112) the breeding of the Little Owl
in 1912 at Doulting near Shepton Mallet, and Mr. H. L.
Popham writes (f.c., p. 150) that it has nested for the last
four years to his certain knowledge (and possibly longer)
at Pensford, near Bristol. The bird is evidently still extending
its range rapidly, and apparently in all directions from its
centres of introduction.

Hasirs oF THE Merurin.—Mr. E. W. Taylor contributes
an interesting article (Nat., 1914, pp. 115-20), with some
nice photographic illustrations, on the nesting-habits: of the
Merlin (Falco r. regulus). He has observed that the female
appears to do most of the actual feeding of the young, though
the cock usually does the hunting, and flying towards the
hen drops the prey, which she catches with a neat swoop

24 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

before it reaches the ground. The prey is plucked before
being brought to the nest, and is broken up and distributed
to the young with much care and discrimination. Small
birds appear to form the bulk of the food, but in one case
Mr. Taylor saw the remains of a young Lapwing, while at
another nest he found the following “victims”: Blackbird,
Song-Thrush, Ring-Ouzel, Willow-Wren, Starling, Pied
Wagtail, Chaffinch, young Cuckoo, young Golden Plover,
young Lapwing, Meadow-Pipit, young Grouse, young
Partridge, young Woodcock, Hawfinch, Sandpiper, Snipe,
and Greenfinch.

Scottish Hrronrres.—Mr. H. B. Watt gives (Scot. Nat.,
1914, pp. 112-15) some further details regarding Heron-
ries in Scotland. He estimates the number of existing
Heronries containing four nests or more in Scotland at 190.
Messrs. Ussher and Warren assign some 330 to Ireland,
whilst about 200 are said to exist in England and 40 in Wales,
but these latter figures are subject to revision. Altogether
Mr. Watt thinks that there are not fewer than 760 nesting-
places in the United Kingdom at the present time.

DISPLAY OF THE MALLARD IN RELATION TO PAIRING.—
Mr. 8. E. Brock contributes an interesting article on this
subject to the WScottish Naturalist (1914, pp. 78-86). To
fr. Wormald’s account of the actions (Brit. B., IV., pp. 2-7)
he adds a sixth, as follows :—

The forepart of the body is raised rather slowly out of the
water, the head and neck being extended upwards at an abrupt
angle. A characteristic head-shake frequently precedes the action.

Mr. Brock then proceeds to inquire whether there is any
relation between these curious actions and the securing of
mates. He sums up as follows :—

Sexual selection occurs in the Mallard. Such selection is
almost certainly not “ accidental.” The influences governing
or directing the choice of the female appear to take the
form of certain stimuli provided by the display of the male,
the external attributes of the male, or the cumulative effect
of both.

(GREBE SPREADING WINGS BEFORE DIVING.—Mr. V. Burtch
publishes in the Auk (1914, pp. 211-12, Plates XXI. and
XXII.) a remarkably interesting photograph of a Holboell’s
Grebe (Colymbus holboelli) in the act of diving. It shows a
dark area representing the depression in the water where
the Grebe sat at the beginning of the exposure, the “ ghost ”
of its wings fully spread out behind as it started to lunge
forward, and the Grebe itself nearly submerged a full length

VOL. VIII. ] NOTES. 25

ahead. ‘‘It would seem to me,” writes Mr. Burtch, “ that
the wings were instantly spread and closed again as the
Grebe lunged forward.”

THE HABITS AND BEHAVIOUR OF THE HERRING-GULL.—
Under this title Mr. R. M. Strong contributes a long and
interesting article, illustrated with a number of photographic
plates, to the Auk (1914, pp. 22-29, 178-199). The article
is based on observations of both wild and captive examples
of Larus argentatus in America, and is divided into the
following sections: Social or community relationships,
feeding-habits, breeding-habits, voice, reactions to stimuli,
special activities, comparison of diurnal and _ nocturnal
activities, variability and modifiability in behaviour and
migration. Most of these sections are subdivided into
headings, and Mr. Strong concludes with an excellent
“summary.” The article is too long to analyse here, but
the excellent systematic arrangement will make reference
to any section easy for those who desire to consult it.

Movtrt or THE MoorHEeN.—Mr. C. H. B. Grant contributes
an interesting article on this subject to the Jbis (1914,
pp. 298-304), in which he shows that all the wing- and tail-
feathers of the Moorhen are dropped at the same time, as is
the case in Geese, Ducks, probably all the Rails, and some
other birds.

Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds. By John Walpole-
Bond. pp. xii.-305. (London: Witherby & Co., 1914.)
7s. 6d.‘ net.

Mr. WALPOLE-Bonn’s book is a welcome change from the
dreary succession of compilations on the subject of British
Birds which continues to issue from the press. It has at
any rate the merit of freshness, and is the result of first-hand
information, besides furnishing further proof, if any were
needed, that it is possible for a man to be a keen collector,
and at the same time a close and accurate observer. Such
work must almost necessarily be uneven, for few men are
equally conversant with the habits of all our rarer birds.
Thus the chapter on the highland haunts of Eagles is little
more than a record of a nesting foray, while that on the

Buzzard, on the other hand, gives a very full and complete

account of the economy of this fine bird.

In a brief preface Mr. Walpole-Bond utters a word of
warning against dogmatism with regard to the habits of
birds, and explains that his statements must be taken as
applying only within the limits of personal observation.
Yet, inan excellent chapter on the Peregrine, he falls into the
fault referred to. ‘‘Clutches of five and even six eggs,”
says our author, “I have read of, but in these I place no
faith whatever.”’ There is evidence that clutches of six
are occasionally met with in the British Isles, though it is
not quite conclusive. (See M. A. Mathew’s Birds of
Pembrokeshire, p. 54, and the Zoologist, 1869, p. 1670). With
regard to the five-clutch, the evidence is indisputable in
the case of one taken by Mr. W. M. Congreve in South Wales
and now in his possession; and the fact that it was found
in the same district in which Mr. Tracy’s observations were
made, tends to confirm the statement of the latter. There

is also a reference to the subject in Saxby’s Birds of Shetland, .

p- 18. It should not be forgotten also that the North
American race of the Peregrine (F'. peregrinus anatum) also
undoubtedly lays up to six eggs. Two instances will be found
recorded in the Auk, 1906, p. 99. Similarly other large
falcons have been known to exceed the limit of four: the
Iceland Falcon does so occasionally, and the writer has on
two occasions taken nests of the Saker Falcon with five eggs.

VoL. VIII. | REVIEW. . 27

We regret to notice that the now discredited record of the
breeding of the Dartford Warbler in Yorkshire is resuscitated
by Mr. Walpole-Bond on page 2. Most of the attempts
to represent birds’ songs in syllabic form are so unsuccessful.
that we need not be surprised that ‘“‘ Pit-chou”’ has been
copied from book to book so frequently as representing
the call of the Dartford Warbler. Its origin is not, however,
due to invention, but to a fanciful attempt to explain a
French provincial name of the species.

We cannot help thinking that Mr. Walpole-Bond lays
too much stress on the discrepancies between the habits
of birds as observed by him and as recorded in many works
on ornithology. All field-workers are well aware that many
of these books are written by men who have little or no
personal acquaintance with the birds of which they write,
and whose life-work has been concerned with some entirely
different branch of science, such as geology, entomology,
or anatomy. Under the circumstances, it is too much to
expect that the compilers should be able to distinguish the
chaff from the grain, and misleading and erroneous statements
are repeated with wearisome iteration. Many of the details
given by Mr. Walpole-Bond in the present work are of great
interest and help to fill up the numerous gaps in our knowledge
of the life-history of the rarer birds, especially with regard
to the incubation-period and share of the sexes in brooding,
though it is necessary to take the mean of a series of
independent observations before we can regard these points
as definitely settled.

As most of Mr. Walpole-Bond’s experience of the Raven
has been gained among the Welsh hills, it is rather surprising
to find him writing so severely on the misdeeds of this species.
There is of course no doubt that occasionally ewes in
difficulties or newly-born lambs have been killed by these
birds, but the main food of the Raven at the breeding-time
consists of the placenta of the sheep, and in removing this
he does useful service. The loss of life in these wild
hills among the untended sheep is so large that the Raven
is seldom at a loss for food, and it is very doubtful whether
he will go out of his way to kill when braxy mutton is
available. This probably also accounts for the early breeding
of British Ravens, for it is a curious fact that the Spanish
and Maroccan races are much later in their breeding-period,
in spite of the warmer climate in which they live, and do not
lay till late April and even early May.

28 - BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit.

We should be grateful to Mr. Walpole-Bond if he would
tell us on what evidence he assigns the Peak as part of the
breeding-range of the Pied Flycatcher. Though the dales
of North Derbyshire are eminently suitable for the purpose,
we have failed to find this species nesting there.

Taken as a whole, the book is full of interest to those
whose greatest pleasure it is to study wild birds in the field,
and the general truthfulness and accuracy of its word-pictures
is at once apparent to those who, like Mr. Walpole-Bond, have
spent long days among the wild moorlands and sea-cliffs of
our islands. F. C. R. JouRDAIN.

MESSRS. WITHERBY’S LATEST BOOKS.

Field-Studies of Some
Rarer British Birds

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND

Author of “‘ Bird Life in Wild Wales,” and Part-Author of ** The Book
of the Open Air.”

‘Demy 8vo. About 330 pp. 7s. 6d. net.

This book gives the result of continual and close barons observation
of the habits, and especially the nesting-habits, of the following rarer
British breeding birds, each chapter being devoted to one species :—

Dartford Warbler Wood-Lark Peregrine Falcon
Pied Flycatcher Short-eared Owl Hobby

Crossbill Hen-Harrier Merlin

Cirl Bunting Common Buzzard Gadwall

Chough Golden Eagle and

Raven Kite Black Guillemot

Camping in Crete
With Notes upon the Animal and
Plant Life of that Island. . .
By AUBYN TREVOR-BATTYE, M.a., F.L.S., F.R.G.S.; etc.

Including a Description of certain Caves and their Ancient Deposits.
By DOROTHEA M. A. BATE, m.3.0.u,

WITH THIRTY-TWO PLATES AND. A MAP.

About 300 pages. Demy 8vo. Cloth, 10s.. 6d. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves
By E. C. STUART BAKER, F.z.s., F.L.S., M.B.0.U.

With Twenty-seven Coloured Plates.

Representing all the species of Indian Pigeons and Doves,
reproduced by the most approved modern methods from
the Drawings of Messrs. G. E. Lodge and°H. Grénvold.

The ‘‘ Field” says :—‘‘To the field naturalist consequently they are very
attractive birds, and hardly less soto the shooter of small game, Mr. Stuart Baker,
therefore, in giving in this volume a full and detailed account of them, with excellent
Higures sor eae He has rendered good service both to naturalistsand sportsmen.’

Over 250 pages. . Imp. 8yo. Half-bound morocco, gilt top.
£2 10s. net.

326, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON, W.C.

Studies in Bird Migratior
By WILLIAM EAGLE CLARKE, F.R.s.£., F.LS.
Member of the British Association Committee on the Migration |
of Birds as Observed on the British and Irish Coasts, aad
Author.of its Final Reports, 1896-1903, etc.
With Numerous Illustrations, Maps, and Weather
Charts. 2 Vols. Sq. Demy 8vo. 18s. net.

“ There is no other English ornithologist better qualified to write on the migration of
birds than Mr. Eagle Clarke, whose name has long been inseparably associated with the
problems of this difficult but fascinating subject. It is certain’ that to the serious student ,
of bird migration the volumes are indispensable.’ '—The Atheneum.

“This book has been long expected, and it is certainly one worth Pantin
for."——Nature.

The Standard Authority on British Birds.

An Illustrated Manual any.
British Birds :

By HOWARD SAUNDERS, F.L.s., F.z.s.
Second Edition. Demy 8yo, with 384 fine Woodcuts and 3 Maps. 21s.

“ Excellent alike in style and matter. it ought to be inthe Hands of every lover of
birds."——Annals of Natural History.

“The whole’ book forms the most concise and at the same time trustworthy book on ~
birds of a single region that has ever been written.” Science Gossip.

33, P: Row,
GURNEY & JACKSON, 77" don, EC. ne

4

Part 9, completing the Work, will be ae » about ‘Aiapast:
The British Warblers
A History with Problems of their Lives

By H. ELIOT , HOWARD, F.z.S,, M.B.0.U.

Parts 1 to 8 now ready, with 30 Coloured Plates,
49 Photogravures and 10 Maps, Price £8 8s. net. |

Full instructions as to binding, etc., will be issued in the last. part.

ZOOLOGIST, a complete set from the commencement

“in 1843 to rg11 inclusive, 46 vols., in half calf, remainder
in cloth, nice set, £12 12s.

A large stock of ‘*IBIS” on hand, from 10s. per vol.

Books bought, sold or exchanged, send list of wants.

R. H. PORTER 4, Princes Street, oe

! Square, London, W. . wan

7..."

eee JULY :

BRITISH

ee

QoonoTE MAGAZIN
= OTHEDIRDS'ON

- vce co ie

Vol. VIII
No. 2

1914.

matt nat |

“ es See Yona! N ou

“an ears

MDON

The Birds of Australia.

GREGORY M. MATHEWS, F.R.S.E., M.A.0.U.. M.B.OU, |

With Hand-coloured Plates.
IN TWO-GUINEA QUARTERLY PARTS.
Prospectus, with specimen plate, and full particulars on application.
VOLUMES I, Il. and HI. NOW COMPLETE.

In Parts or Bound Volumes.

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Piplboen,

WATKINS & DONCASTER,

Waturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs

and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.

Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &., PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN

TRUE TO NATURE.
All Books and Publications én Natural History supplied.

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Beisidces (102 pp.) post free.

Part 9, completing the Work, will be ready about August.

The British Warblers

A History with Problems of their Lives
By H. ELIOT HOWARD, F.z.s., M.B.0.U.

Parts 1 to 8 now ready, with 30 Coloured Plates,
49 Photogravures and 10 Maps, Price £8 8s. net.

Full instructions as to binding, etc., will be issued in the last part.

JOURNAL OF THE LiINNEAN SocreTy oF LONDON:
ZOOLOGY. A complete set, from Vol. I. to date, and Index
I-20. 31 vols. bound in 26 ; cloth; nice clean copy, £12.

A large stock of ‘‘TBIS” on hand, from, 1Qs. per vol:

Books bought, sold or exchanged, send list of wants.
Bird Books are our Speciality.

R. H. PORTER. 7: Princes Street, Cavendish

: Square, London, W. . . .

oe
Pe

‘Nae
se ONS

P ra “er a
a oe ee

rep ae Ae PR ade Nai rng MAE
a = er art ue FE Vert

ee bes

FD Nee Te |

Dia agg ee Se eee

Pe ey we ee ere

if

BRITSABIRDS

SolreD, BY “H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B,.0O.U.

ConTENTS OF NuMBER 2, Vou. VIII. Jury 1, 1914.

PAGE
Ecological Relations of Bird-distribution. By 8S. E. Brock .. 30
Recovery of Marked Birds Ee 4 Ay ae Exe 45
Notes :—

The Land-Rail Inquiry .. ‘ve ar 48
Notes on Early Nesting (L. R. W. ee ae Jan Collett) Fe 48
Cock House-Sparrow assisting to Incubate (J. H. Owen) .. 49
Ineursion of Waxwings .. : 49
Lesser Whitethroat and Nuthat " in heeitsee ( R. W. J Sal 50
Short Interval between two Nests of Robin (J. H. Owen) .. 50
Alpine Swifts in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) ar a 50
Nesting-habits of Woodpeckers (J. H. Owen) .. ete ye 51
Nestling Cuckoo ejecting two Eggs at once (J. H. Owen) .. 51
Clutches of Five Eggs of Peregrine Falcon (W. M. Congreve) 52
Cormorants nesting in Norfolk (J. H. Gurney) 52
Asiatic Golden Plovers in Sussex (T. Parkin) 52
Sandwich Terns in Denbighshire (R. W. Jones) 52
aittle Gull in Staffordshire (J. R. B. Masefield) 53
Erythristic Eggs of Black-headed Gull (T. H. Nelson) 53
Teeland Gull in Kent (H. G. Alexander) 53
“ Ringed ”’ Guillemot in Anglesey (R. W. Jones) 54
Moorhen covering eggs (J. H. Owen) 54

Short Notes:—Birds in Norfolk in 1913. Black-headed

Buntings in Yorkshire and Sussex. Pied Flycatcher

in co. Cork. White’s Thrush in Sussex. Increase of

Gannets at Little Skellig. Further increase of Fulmar
Petrels in Ireland. Sandwich Tern breeding in Jersey. 54

a

( 80 )

ECOLOGICAL RELATIONS OF BIRD-
DISTRIBUTION.
BY
8. E. BROCK.

INTRODUCTORY.

Tuat side of their subject which is concerned with
distribution has throughout received a prominent degree
of attention from ornithologists. While the resulting
literature abounds in supplementary details, the methods
therein employed, with rare exceptions, have been
essentially faunistic. But the faunistic method is by
itself admittedly inadequate if the ultimate aim in the
study of local distribution is to get beyond the immediate
phenomena to their causal relations. Towards this goal
the local list is in point of fact but the preliminary step
in a survey which, in its ideal aspect, constitutes a
complete analysis of the organism in relation to its
environment. If such a conception is as old as _ field-
biology, it yet remains true that the realization of the
need for a systematic approach of the subject of animal
distribution from the environmental side is of but recent
origin—inspired in large part by the work of the plant-
ecologists.

The environmental control in distribution becomes
increasingly complex, and its incidence indirect, in
accordance with the stage of evolution reached by the
group concerned; and, in correspondingly increasing
degree, a restriction of attention to the relation between
environment and physical constitution, must lead to
barren results. The distribution of birds is insufficiently
accounted for by the localization entailed by structural
specialization.

Factors IN DISTRIBUTION.

It is sufficiently obvious that the avifauna of a given
country is distributed neither accidentally nor uniformly ;
its dispersal is on the contrary both definite and uneven.
Despite their exceptional mobility, birds are essentially
local; the ‘‘ universally distributed” species is at most
universally distributed only within the limits of a uniform
environment. In one sense, and from one aspect, the
environment may be said to determine the avifauna.
‘The localization of birds is directly related to the
localization of environmental types. Since this is so, an
accordant classification of the phenomena of distribution

VOL. vutt.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 31

seems to be necessary to a full illustration of the whole
subject. But the term environment stands for a complex
of varied and intricate factors, with differentiated reference
to the fauna, and the preliminary difficulties arise in the
search for the dominant or immediate agents in dispersal.

The local existence of a bird as a breeding species
is dependent upon the local conjunction of certain
environmental units; and distribution is uniform in
proportion as these essentials are uniformly and evenly
dispersed. A shortage in one direction is not balanced
by superfluity in another. The specific range is neces-
sarily contained within the region of efficient food supply ;
but it is of equal necessity contained within that of
suitable climatic conditions, and within that of nesting-
ground. A sufficiency of food and the necessary climatic
conditions do not permit existence if nesting-ground
is absent; an abundance of food and nesting-ground is
useless if the meteorological conditions are inimicable.
Where the requisite conditions are unequally distributed
in space, or relatively unequal in supply, there the
dispersal of a species will be correspondingly uneven,
limited by the most local, or the least adequately
supplied, of the essentials. In the case of many birds,
an increased supply of nest-sites is alone sufficient to
allow of an increase in population, which implies that
the possible maximum is normally not attained through
a relative shortage of nest-sites. In such instances,
distributional range is co-extensive, less with food-supply,
than with nest-sites. The latter is therefore so far the
limitmg factor in distribution. If a common _ limiting
factor exists, and can be recognised, then on it a
classification of the facts of distribution might be con-
veniently based. But this can hardly be looked for; a
varying supply of varying needs must be expressed by
a limiting agent differentiated according to _ species.
Nevertheless, it appears probable that this differentiation
is confined within relatively narrow limits.

The governing or limiting factors in bird-distribution,
apparent in part through direct observation and comparison,
are perhaps thrown into clearest relief in the phenomena
of range-extension—which process may be graded
separately in degree as it represents predominantly
either (1) the colonization of new areas_ ecologically
homogeneous with those of origin; or (2) extension of
range involvymg adjustment to new _ environmental
conditions.

Be arhiie BRITISH BIRDS. — [VoL. VIII.

Theoretically, extension may be due to such features
as numerical increase; or to environmental change, or
to removal of a barrier (objective or subjective) hitherto
preventing access to the new areas; but the immediate
point is less the origin, than the method and _ progress,
of range-extension. In spreading, a species seeks prefer-
ably its natural habitat; that is to say, the colonization
of new areas ecologically coincident with those of origin
tends to precede the colonization of new environments ;
and the rate of increase and spread will depend less
directly upon fecundity than upon the extension of the
necessary environmental conditions. In this country the
Tufted Duck has shown a tendency to increase more
rapidly, and to spread more widely, than the Pochard ;
but the discrepancy between the species is probably more
nearly related to an unequal supply of their respective
ecological requirements, than to unequal fecundity.
Environment guides and controls, even where it does
not originate, increase.

Into the primitive plant and faunal associations of this
country, the activities of man, as exemplified in forest
destruction and cultivation, have driven an ever-widening
wedge of “artificial”? conditions. Notwithstanding the
expulsion of the original life-forms involved in the
destruction of their environmental requisites, the succeeding
artificial areas have not remained barren of life. In
proportion as they have extended, the vanished fauna has
been succeeded (replaced, not expelled) by new groups,
whose constituents have been independently derived from
the surrounding and retreating primitive fauna. But
adjustment to the new conditions by the colonizing
species is more apparent than real, in that such areas
have been populated less immediately by the more
adaptive species than by those whose original and
natural environment chanced to be most closely simulated
by the work of man. Man-altered ground has attracted,
as nesting-species, the Partridge rather than the Grouse,
the Corn-Crake than the Water-Rail, the Lapwing than
the Golden Plover, the Swallow and House-Martin rather
than the Sand-Martin. The colonization of “ artificial”
ground in fact appears to illustrate rather simple range-
extension than adaptation, inasmuch as the ecological
conditions approximate to those of the original centres
of the colonizing species. It is this relation which has
been essentially the determining factor in extension to
man-made territory. It will not be claimed -that the

voL. vit.) RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 33

House-Martin, in using man’s buildings for its nest, has
displayed greater initiative than the Sand-Martin; and
despite the frequency with which the case is quoted as
an instance of modification of habit, it seems in point
of fact questionable wherein the suggested adaptation
lies. The organism is its own measure of environmental
divergence. The human distinction between artificial
building and natural cliff does not necessarily imply
equal discrimination on the part of the House-Martin ;
and if to the latter there is no distinction, then there
has been no true adaptation, since adaptation implies
structural or functional re-adjustment.

The species frequenting cultivation fall into two groups
—those which both feed and nest within its limits, and
those which feed in the area but do not remain to rear
their young therein. It seems clear that, broadly speaking,
the barrier to full colonization in the second group has
been essentially or primarily a lack of nesting-ground.
Ti the point is obvious, it is yet not unimportant.

Of the progress and sequence of adaptation—adjustment
to new environmental conditions, as distinguished from
simple range-extension—little is known, since it is racial
rather than individual, dependent upon the cumulative
experience of successive generations.* It will vary
according to species. Its possibility and progress may be
expected to be in direct proportion to the degree of
resemblance between old and new environments. A
species will show power of adaptation to new conditions
in inverse ratio to the perfection of its adjustment to
the old—which latter is presumably, other things equal,
a reflection of the duration of racial experience. In
other words, the comparative plasticity of the generalized
type (mental as physical) is conducive to relatively rapid
re-adjustment.

The varying fixity and stability of the constitutional
and mental characters which link a species to its
environment suggest that the process of adaptation may
be uneven. The complex named behaviour represents
or includes a series of specific and generalized “ instincts ”
and hereditary dispositions or tendencies—the former
relatively pure and inflexible, showing the extreme of
inheritance-intensity ; the latter relatively variable and
elastic, modifiable accordingly. Between the one extreme

* Or, if this be objected to as too metaphorical, it may be otherwise
put that racial environmental experience is a necessary nurse of

adaptive congenital variations; and the perfection of the adjustment
will be related to the endurance of such racial experience.

34 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VI.

of fixed and fundamental instincts, and the other of
indeterminate behaviour-tendencies readily modifiable in
the individual, stand certain hereditary dispositions which,
while not, or scarcely, accommodative in the individual,
are yet racially plastic as compared with the more rigid
forms of behaviour. If this be so, then adaptation in
the one class may precede it in the other. There will
be a sequence of adaptation. Im manner as the varied
“requirements” of a species, which are the objectives
of its mental constitution, govern distribution in pro-
portion to their specialization, so functional adjustment
will tend to be limited initially by the most specialized
or conservative character.

It is a characteristic common to all life-forms that the
activities related to reproduction display a greater stability
and conservatism than the remaining life-functions—a
conservatism extending to the physiological and mental
connexions in direct ratio to the intimacy of their
relation. The general tendency appears to be clearly
exemplified in birds—in life-history, psychology, and in
distribution. Birds are most local, whether in space, or
in relation to habitat-type, during the breeding-season.
It is no explanation—it is a re-statement of the facts,
to say that the tendency is due to the fact that while
the extra-breeding range may be co-extensive with the
food-supply, the breeding-season necessitates the co-
existence of food-supply and nesting-ground; or that the
food-requirements of the young involve localization of the
breeding-area. If the environmenta] range in the nesting-
season is restricted, and the food and other requirements
of the young specialized, does not this merely illustrate
a relative functional specialization in relation to the
central reproductive activities ? The frequency with which
the nesting-ground requirements act as checks to exten-
sion or increase, is essentially bound up with this
tendency. Within the species, that group of activities with
narrowest environmental adjustments necessarily limits spread
or increase. If the environmental limits within which
reproduction in birds is confined are narrower than those
of other functional adjustments, then the former will be
in proportionate degree the limiting factor in dispersal.
If this suggestion is well founded, then in species with
differentiated environmental range (?.e., species part of
whose extra breeding habitat differs in character from
that of the nesting-area), the nesting-ground should on
the average represent the original centre of distribution,

VOL. vi.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 35

the more primitive environment, from which other
environmental adjustments are more recent adaptations
(and possible lines of racial extension), and adaptation
will tend to proceed through food-adjustment to breeding-
habitat adjustment.

It may be assumed that the phenomenon of racial
structural history illustrated during the development of
the individual, is paralleled, within limits, by functional
characters, and so far as this parallelism holds good, it
may be expected that a recapitulation of the racial
environmental history will in some degree reach functional
expression in the individual. If the individual resumes
within its life-time the racial environmental history, then
the nesting-environment is the more primitive. The
present environmental ‘requisites’ of the young repre-
sent the ancestral environmental “requisites” of the race.
Is it permissible to go a step further and to compare
the functional character which takes the form of a
breeding habitat bias, with those structural vestiges which
are the reflection of past history rather than adjustments
to present conditions ?

Outside birds, the environmental restriction ascribable
to the conservatism of the breeding-habits is illustrated
in terrestrial animals with aquatic larve; in the salmon
which procures its food from the sea, but must repair
to fresh water to breed; in the eel which passes its life
in fresh water, but must go to the sea to lay its eggs.
Is it unreasonable to assume that the Curlew which feeds
on the shore outside the breeding-season, but must go
to the hills to nest; the Goldcrest which is at home in
deciduous woods in winter, but is practically confined to
coniferous woods in summer; the Golden Plover able to
derive sustenance from cultivated land, but nesting only
on moors—may represent analogous, if less extreme,
instances ? The habitat wherein breeding is accomplished
is the most primitive environment. ‘The key to. the
present lies in the past.” The bird’s present distribution
is based on, and limited by, a breeding-habitat, the type
of which is fixed by ancestral experience, modified only
in subordinate degree by present conditions. As racial
history determines present structure, so in like manner
racial environmental relations appear in present habitat
preference. In a sense the bird inherits its environment.
Present power of adaptation and modification is inverse
to the duration and narrowness of racial experience.
Environmental stabilization leads to faunal stabilization ;

36 BRITISH BIRDS. | [voL. VIIt.

the more uniform and enduring the habitat conditions,
the more specialized and non-adaptable the dependent
fauna. Under relatively constant and undifferentiated
forest conditions evolve specialized forest-dwellers, pro-
portionately dependent upon the existence of forests.
Species with a mixed inheritance, whose racial environ-
ment has through relative fluctuation or complexity
prevented specialization, thereby retain readier power of
adjustment to an altered or new environment.

_ However indirect in control, the environmental influence
in bird-distribution is so far predominant as to suggest
the need for a systematic presentation of the facts from
this side. That classification which most _ successfully
arranges species in characteristic or mutually exclusive
groups, is based upon the most fundamental or differen-
tiating factors. It would be hopeless on this test to
attempt a grouping of British bird-distribution purely
according to climatic, or topographical, or geological
aspects—or even to food-supply. The efficient factor-
combinations. in distribution, and the related species-
groups, are broadly recognized in the popular divisions
of woodland birds, moorland birds, aquatic, and so on.
The nesting-distribution of birds is closely correlated with
that of vegetation, and in minor degree, with surface
geological features ; and with the partial exception of the
food-supply, it seems probable that the influence of the
other factors is mainly indirect, effective through its
action on the vegetation.

- It is natural to relate the localization of many birds
to the question of food-supply. Nevertheless, there are
some instances of range-restriction which can hardly be
assigned to this cause ; and there appear to be sufficiently
good reasons for believing that while the nesting-range
must necessarily be contained within environmental limits
which hold the necessary food-supply, it is in many
instances not co-extensive with the latter; that is to say,
in such cases the food-supply is not the limiting factor in
distribution. Even in cases where it could be shown that
certain species whose distribution is markedly “local,”

derive their food from sources equally local, the question

would still remain: are these species restricted to such
areas because they depend largely or mainly upon certain
food-supplies thereto confined; or do they utilize the
latter because they are characteristic productions of the
areas preferred by the birds for other reasons? It is
necessary to assume that the differentiated environmental

| aia

vou. vit.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION, 37

attachment of species is predominantly due to divergent
racial environmental history. The species is essentially
adapted, not to its present, but to the ancestral
environment—an adaptation with which is correlated an
inherited mental bias which attaches the species to the
nearest present representative of such racial environment.
And since the food-supply is but one unit of the complex
to which the species is adapted, such food-supply tends
to be sought only within the limits of that complex—
which tendency is most pronounced during the breeding-
season. To take a theoretic example. If the requisite
food-supply of the Golden Plover exists alike in moor
and arable ground, then the Golden Plover, in _ its
restriction to moors during the nesting-season, illustrates
the difficulty with which a species extends its breeding-
range beyond its hereditary environment where a suitable
food-supply exists outside such limits. Though food-
supply is the basis essential, its subjective attachment to
other environmental relations tends to prevent distri-
butional range from being co-extensive (in environmental
type) with the food-supply. Thus the comparative
restriction of the Golden Plover to moors, of the Gold-
crest to coniferous woods, of the Curlew to the uplands,
is not necessarily due to a coincident restriction of
food-supply.

Whatever the origin of the connexion, and whatever the
present links, the close relation between vegetation-type and
bird-distribution is clear; and in practice it appears that
the plant-formation and plant-association of the botanist, in
degree as they are contrasted in character, show proportionate
contrast in their associated avifauna—which parellelism is
an index to the intimacy of the connexion. Woodland
avifaunas are more distinct from those of moorland than that
of birch-wood is from that of pine-wood, or than that of
heather-moor from that of cottongrass moor. The former
are distinct in class ; the latter, generically alike.

If the subject is approached from this aspect, and the
question asked, not how birds are distributed, but what
species are supported by the specific environment, there arises
the preliminary question as to the relative faunal value of
nesting and non-breeding birds. It has been argued that the
home of a migrant is essentially that country which gave it
birth, and in. which it breeds; that a bird is only British when
it is literally native or indigenous. To non-ornithologists
this might appear a truism—yet it is not the accepted basis
of classification. If it has its objections, it has on the other

38 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

hand the advantage of clearness and simplicity, and it avoids
the admitted anomalies inevitable in the usual inclusive
method of grouping. But, accepting the customary view as
to the qualifications entitling a bird to a place in that pale-
arctic catalogue, the British bird-list, it is clear that the
breeding species in that list are in a category apart. Repro-
duction is the central fact in the life-history of the species,
and, in any classification of environmental relations, that
habitat in which reproduction occurs, takes premier position.

A classification of environmental types is necessary before
the phenomena of bird-distribution can be classified in turn.
The predominant importance of the vegetation as a factor
directly and indirectly governing bird-distribution suggests
the efficiency and convenience of an ecological classification
of the latter based preliminarily upon the plant-formations
and associations of the botanist :—in addition to the geological —
factors which, in the form of cliff, sand-dunes, etc., exert
direct influence upon distribution.

THE Brrp-ASSOCIATION.

From the objective side bird-distribution is determined in
the main by such environmental agencies as vegetation, food-
supply, ete. But in view of the. inter-relations of species
which proceed from the possession of a common habitat, the
term environment must be given a wider significance. A
bird’s local position is influenced in varying degrees by its
associates. It may be entirely dependent upon their presence ;
or its numerical position may be affected by the presence of
others ; or the prior existence of another species may be a
barrier to colonization. The intricate inter-relations and
inter-dependencies of associated species indicate the need for
regarding such groups of species as units of classification.
Similar considerations have led to the conception of the plant-
association ; and, on similar lines, a bird-association may be
defined as that group of species supported by, and associated
in, an environment of specific type.

The fundamental link between the species comprising an
association is the common attachment to a common environ-
ment. To this other inter-relations are necessarily subsequent
and secondary. The most simple and direct relations concern
competition for food, and for nesting-ground. The intensity
of competition in the latter is proportionate to the degree of
coincidence in nesting-habits. On the average, it will be
least in unrelated species, more active in congeneric, and will
reach its maximum within the single species. Population-
density will be proportionate to the food-supply, or to the

VoL. vi.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 39

supply of nesting-sites where through relative insufficiency
the latter is the limiting factor in distribution. But it is
probably also in some instances modified or checked through
constitutional disposition as expressed in intolerance or
unsociability, which mental attributes are not necessarily
perfectly attuned to present conditions of existence ; that is
to say, an intolerant disposition, which is the reflection of
keen ancestral competition, may demand present territory
the dimensions of which exceed present needs—and so far it
is a survival rather than a present adjustment.

It. is obvious that the quantitative relation between food-
supply and that of nest-sites is important in determining the
form of dispersal of the association-units ; and this relation
is probably a leading factor in the relative sociability of
breeding birds. It is open to observation that birds as a
whole show most sociability outside the breeding-season.
The rivalry and jealousy coincident with the seasonal effer-
vescence of the sexual emotions are reflected in a wide-spread.
tendency to exclusiveness during the nesting-period. Other
things equal, birds then tend to disperse themselves separ-
ately and evenly. The inclination towards sociability is in
proportion to the superabundance or wide dispersal of the
food-supply as contrasted with a comparative localization of
nest-sites. That the genesis of the colonial habit is at least
in part related to this factor is rendered the more probable
by the negative evidence as to the existence of true social
links and sub-division of labour within the colony. The
colony is in origin probably in large part rather a forced aggre-
gation than a true society : it is the result of compression from
without rather than of attraction from within. But it is
credible that a sociability so acquired may become in time
independent of the environmental peculiarities which origin-
ated it.

The alteration and impoverishment of the British avifauna
within historic times is no doubt essentially attributable to
human interference; but great as has been the effect of
direct persecution and extermination, the indirect result of
man’s destruction and modification of primitive ground has
probably been infinitely greater. Persecution has locally
exterminated individual species; environmental alteration
has locally caused the disappearance of whole groups of
species. The felling of a forest or the draining of a marsh
is more effective than much slaughter. Our avifauna has
been much modified by man—in considerable degree in its
faunistic composition; profoundly in its dispersal. A
reconstructed picture of its primitive aspect must be based

40 BRITISH BIRDS. [von. VIII. .

upon a preliminary reconstruction of the country as it
existed prior to man’s interference ; together with analysis
of the fragments of primitive ground that remain, and their
associated bird-life.

From their environmental relationships, the bird-
associations of this country from one point of view fall
into two groups—natural and “artificial” —the former
relatively clear-cut and faunistically definite, its faunal
stability due to stable environmental conditions ; the latter
relatively nebulous and fluctuating, its characteristic insta-
bility referable in part to the inconstancy of the environment,
in part to imperfect faunal adjustment. The generic
association-groups, such as the “natural” ones of alpine,
moor, forest, grassland, aquatic, coastal belt; or the
“ artificial’ ones of arable land, pasture, plantation, fall
respectively into sub-divisions or specific associations, the
faunal relationships of which run parallel to the environ-
mental. How. far the faunal correspondence between
environments of similar type is affected by dissimilarities
in other conditions : that is, how far environmental influence
in the narrow sense outweighs that of all other factors
combined, remains to be shown ; but it is clear that a birch-
wood and a cottongrass moor in southern England will show
greater avifaunal resemblance to their respective Scottish
prototypes than to each other; which implies that environ-
mental resemblance is more potent than climatic divergence ;
or, conversely, that climatic similarity is less influential
than environmental contrast. Or, to take a less extreme
comparison : given two similar environments with differing
climatic conditions, the respective avifaunas will correspond
more closely than in the comparative instance of two related
but specifically distinct environments with common climatic
conditions. A south of England birch-wood will show
greater, if incomplete, approach in avifauna to a Scottish
wood of similar type, than to a pine-wood in its own neigh-
bourhood. Here, so far as other conditions are equal, the
resemblances are due to environment, the differences to
climate. Bat it is evident that it is soon enough to look
to climatic factors for an explanation of faunal divergence
when it is shown that the environments are truly homologous.
In degree, as two environmental types are contrasted in
character, their dependent bird-associations are distinct ; in
degree as they approach each other in form, so do their
respective avifaunas ; and this remains broadly true whether
the climatic features are similar or contrasted. On the other
hand, divergent climatic features do not of themselves entail

vot, vit.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 41

parallel faunal contrasts; nor do uniform climatic con-
ditions necessarily involve faunal coincidence. Within
British limits, environment is more effective than climate.

The strength of the connexion between the vegetation
and the dependent avifauna is otherwise made clear in the
close correlation between plant-succession and_bird-succes-
sion. Whether in the slower successions characteristic of
natural conditions, such as in the silting up of a lake through
its subsequent stages of marsh and moor; or whether in
the more striking, because more rapid, examples common
under artificail conditions, such as the succession involved
in the conversion of primitive ground to arable land, or in
the growth of a plantation—a closely-liked bird-succession
is alike an accompaniment. In the case of the plantation
the parallelism is complete in detail: in both plant- and
bird-succession the pioneer species are replaced by later
immigrants, which in turn disappear, or yield the dominant
position, to the “ climax ” species adapted to full tree-growth.
By virtue of environmental bias and nesting-requirements, it
is probable that the bird-succession follows more immediately
the plant-succession than that of the food-complex.

Comparable to ecological succession, but in some ways
contrasted, is the yearly sequence known as_ seasonal
succession. It is alike in its species-succession related to
change in vegetation form, contrasted in its regular recurrence,
and in that the replacement of one species by another is less
characteristic. Seasonal succession in birds must be held
to include not only the successive immigration of migrants
and seasonal residents, but also the succession of stages in
the life-history of the species co-habiting a given locality—
the sequence of song, of pairing, of nesting—in short, all
phenomena appertaining to behaviour, since all have
environmental relationship.

It might at first sight be expected that the behaviour-
succession in the birds of a given association is, as a succession,
in complete correlation with that of the environmental
conditions ; and it is clear that some such relation must
exist. But to regard the accordance as necessarily com-
plete ; to assume the sequence in its present form as purely
an adjustment to present conditions; is to ignore the
inevitable influence of the past. Theoretically, species may
be expected to have reached their present environmental
limitations from different approaches, from varying (environ-
mental) distances, and at different periods in time ; and along
with the coincidence involved in a common adjustment to:
a common environment, it is conceivable that each species

42 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII. |

may have retained individual minor functional peculiarities,
inheritances of a racial past. For example, in this country |
there is a distinct, though trifling, difference in nesting-period

between the Song-Thrush and Blackbird within uniform |
environmental conditions. Is it necessary to assume that

this differentiation is connected with a corresponding seasonal _
difference in the respective food-supplies ?—or, in fact, with

any effective factor under present circumstances? In

absence of any evidence of present causes of present difference

we must presume that the latter is related to divergence

(climatic ?) in the respective ancestral conditions of the

species. Through selection or other moulding force an

adjustment of the present nesting-period to the present

seasonal conditions will evolve; but since adaptation is

purely relative, different species will have reached varying

adaptive stages ; and so far as this is so, it is unreasonable

to expect that all seasonal functional phenomena are adapted

in equal and absolute relativity, and run completely parallel,

to present environmental seasonal conditions.

But although present functional adjustment to present
seasonal phenomena may be to some extent, and in varying
degrees, modified or deflected by functional survivals of
adjustment to past conditions, yet no doubt an explana-
tion of seasonal succession must be sought in the main in
present conditions of existence. Alike to illustrate the
factors determining such succession, and to explain the
presumably related phenomenon of variation within the
species, statistical comparison is desirable. The biometrical
method is applicable not less to function than to structure.

SUMMARY.

While the composition of a country’s avifauna is, in one
sense, directly related to the present and former configura-
tion of land-masses, the form of its dispersal within the
area is immediately attributable to the environmental
control. Such being so, a systematic presentation of the
facts from the environmental side is essential to a full illus-
tration of the whole subject of geographical distribution.

The origin of the environmental bias, which is essentially
the immediate link attaching the species to its present
habitat, must be sought in the past environmental relations
of the race ; it is literally or metaphorically the expression
in the individual of the sum of racial experience. As such,
its present strength is related to the endurance of ancestral
experience plus the relative constancy or uniformity of

aes

roL. vit.] RELATIONS OF BIRD-DISTRIBUTION. 43

he racial environment—which latter the bird may be said
0 inherit.

The individual species depends for its existence upon the
ocal supply of certain environmental units ; and since the
conjunction of these is indispensable, dispersal and population
vill be directly controlled by that essential which is locally
least efficient in supply ; that is to say, such environmental
mit will assume the position of limiting factor in distribu-
tion. But the relative limiting influence of external factors
n distribution is ultimately in considerable degree referable
to a corresponding functional power of adjustment in the
species. There is reason to believe that the non-plasticity
and conservatism of the group of activities surrounding
reproduction, extend to the environmental adjustments
linked with the reproductive period. But whatever the
origin of the tendency, if it be in fact true that the breeding-
environment is relatively specialized ; that is to say, if the
environmental adjustments of the reproductive group of
activities are confined within relatively narrow limits—then
the breeding-ground requirements will limit distribution
proportionately. In cases where the habitat to which
breeding is confined is in type more uniform than is the
total range of the species, the former may be regarded as
the more primitive environment—a conclusion also suggested
by the probability that the recapitulation of racial structural
history appearing in the development of the individual will
be accompanied by a correlated racial environmental history
reaching functional expression in the individual life-history.
The sequence of environmental adjustment in the individual
should illustrate approximately the sequence of adjustment
in the race.

The strength of the correlation between bird-distribution
and that of vegetation-type is shown by the fact that the
breeding-avifaunas supported by different plant-associations
are related to one another in parallel degree as are the latter.
Such correspondence in distribution between birds (in the
nesting-season) and vegetation is probably more complete
than is that between bird-distribution and food-supply—
that is to say, to take an illustration : the distribution of
moorland birds at that season is not co-extensive with the
food-supply beyond moorland limits, although an available
food-supply (presumably) exists beyond such limits. Such
environmental restriction during the nesting-season is
apparently attributable to the environmental conservatism
of the reproductive and related activities.

44 | BRITISH BIRDS, [VOL. ml
2
The efficient causes of separation between bird-groups in :
this country are less geographical than ecological ; the specific —
environment is the true ‘‘faunal-area.” The group of
species attached to a specific habitat compose an association,
the units of which are primarily inter-related through the —
connecting-link of a common environment. The manner —
of dispersal within the association is affected in varying —
degrees by the inter-relations of the associates. Otherwise,
it is ruled by the quantitative relation between food-supply —
and nesting-ground. A localisation of the latter, together —
with a relatively wide-spread or abundant food-supply, is
one factor leading towards social nesting.

The aims of the bird-ecologist in this country might be in
some degree summed up as: firstly, by working backwards
from analysis of the remaining representatives of primitive
ground, to reconstruct the original aspect of the avifauna ;
to follow the faunal changes induced by the direct and
indirect influence of man ; and to trace the genetic relation
between the avifaunas of ‘‘natural” and “ artificial”
areas ; and secondly, to reach through statistical method and
comparison a valuation of present structural and functional
environmental links and factors.

In botany the ecological method has already justified itself.
If it be sound in botany it must be equally applicable to
zoology. Analysis of the environmental control is, in fact,
an indispensable aid towards a full conception of the
phenomena and causes of geographical distribution. That
in birds the problems are exceptionally intricate should only
serve to render the subject the more attractive.

( 45 )

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

Tue following have kindly sent in subscriptions towards the expenses
of the Marking Scheme since the last acknowledgment was made :
Messrs. A. W. Boyd, A. Broomfield, Miller Christy, T. A. Coward,
W. Davies, A. H. Greg, Miss M. H. Greg, Major-General V. Hatton,
Miss 8. Mounsey Heysham, Messrs. E. W. Hendy, T. C. Hobbs,
Miss M. Logan Home, Messrs. R. E. Knowles, A. Mayall, Captain
W. F. Mackenzie, Mr. W. S. Medlicott, Dr. H. J. Moon, Messrs. J. H.
Owen, and A. T. Wallis.

STARLING (Sturnus v. vulgaris).—15492, adult, marked by Mr. R. O.
Blyth at Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, on Jan. 27th, 1912. Reported
by Dr. Currie at the same place about May 21st, 1914.

43750, adult, marked by Mr. C. H. Braid at the Mull of Galloway
Lighthouse, Wigtownshire, on Feb. 26th, 1914. Reported by
Mr. M. McLean at Strathaven, Lanarkshire, at the beginning of
April, 1914.

43746, adult, marked as 43750. Reported by Miss M. Loughin
at Andreas, Isle of Man, on May 24th, 1914.

46005, adult, marked by Mr. T. C. Hobbs at Gosforth, Northum-
berland, on Oct. 26th, 1913. Reported by Mr. J. N. Fletcher
at the same place on April 28th, 1914.

46859, marked as 46005 on Dec. 29th, 1913. Reported by Mr.
F. H. Holford on June 7th, 1914, at the same place.

K902, nestling, marked by Dr. N. F. Ticehurst at Huntbourne,
Tenterden, Kent, on May 18th, 1913. Recovered while building
in barn at same place in April, 1914.

7109, adult female, marked as K902 while sittmg in nesting box
57 on May 20th, 1911. Recovered sitting on eggs in same box
on April 26th, 1914. This is the same bird that was caught
on the nest in the same box on the following dates :—April 21st
and June 6th, 1912, and May 4th, 1913 (cf. Vol. VI., p. 338,
and Vol. VII., p. 9).

40140, adult female sitting in Box K, marked as K902 on April
27th, 1913. Recovered sitting on eggs in same box on Apri!
26th, 1914.

5296, nestling, marked as K902 on May 24th, 1911. Recovered
as an adult female sitting on eggs in Box H on April 26th, 1914.

GREENFINCH (Chloris ch. chloris).—R382, nestling marked by Dr. H. J.
Moon at the Fylde, Lancashire, on July 2nd, 1913. Reported
by Mr. J. Cardwell at Little Marton, near St. Annes-on-Sea,
Lancashire, on May 10th, 1914.

Meapow-Pipir (Anthus pratensis).—0158, nestling, marked by
Dr. H. J. Moon between Lytham and St. Annes-on-Sea, Lan-
eashire, on May 22nd, 1913. Reported by Miss K. Merrall at
St. Annes-on-Sea on April 17th, 1914.

GREAT Ti? (Parus m. newtoni).—J389, nestling, marked by Mr. J. R. B.
Masefield at Rosehill, Cheadle, Staffordshire, on May 30th, 1912.
Found with a nest of ten young ones about a mile away on May
31st, 1914.

British Sone-Turusa (Turdus p. clarkei).—15483, adult, marked by
Mr. R. O. Blyth at Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, on Jan. 13th, 1912.

D

46 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

Recaptured at the same place on June 11th, 1914. Ring replaced
and bird released.

42095, nestling, marked by Dr. H. J. Moon at the Fylde, Lanca-
shire, on May 12th, 1913. Reported by Mr. J. J. Ball at St.
Annes-on-Sea in March, 1914.

45029, marked as 42095 on June 22nd, 1913. Reported by
Mr. R. Cardwell at Great Marton, Blackpool, Lancashire, on
May 9th, 1914.

BuacksirD (Turdus m. merula).—5d41, adult, marked by Dr. H. J.
Moon at the Fylde, Lancashire, on Nov. 26th, 1912. Reported
by Mr. H. Gillett at Lytham, Lancashire, on May 7th, 1914.
0337, nestling, marked by Mr. J. Bartholomew at Kinnelhead,
Dumfriesshire, on May 14th, 1913. Reported by Mr. J. C.
Wallace at Moffat, Dumfriesshire, on May 7th, 1914.
41676, nestling, marked by Mr. A. Mayall near Shrewsbury,
Shropshire, on June 10th, 1913. Reported by Archdeacon C. B.
Maude at Shrewsbury on June 6th, 1914.

HepcGE-Sparrow (Prunella m. occidentalis).—F830, nestling, marked
by Mr. A. B. Fletcher at Bradfield, Berkshire, on May 13th,
1912. Reported by Miss 8. Fisher at Bradfield on May 18th, 1914.
L823, adult, marked by Mr. A. W. Boyd at Altrincham, Cheshire,
on Feb. 23rd, 1913. Recaptured at same place on Feb. 14th,
and Mar. 8th and 17th, 1914. Ring replaced and bird released.

Swattow (Chelidon r. rustica).—R667, nestling, marked by Mr.
J. R. B. Masefield at Cheadle, Staffordshire, on June 24th, 1913.
Recaptured about one mile away on June 2nd, 1914. Ring
replaced and bird released.

Barn-Owt (Tyto a. alba).—33194, nestling, marked by Miss C. M.
Acland at Coulsdon, Surrey, on June 2nd, 1912. Reported by
Miss Acland within two miles of where ringed in December, 1913.

Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter n. nisus).—44177, nestling, marked by
Mr. W. Graham Kerr at Golspie, Sutherland, on June 18th,
1913. Reported by Mr. J. Cameron at The Mound, Sutherland-
shire, on May 27th, 1914.

MALLARD (Anas p. platyrhyncha).—33037, adult, marked by Mr.
E. de Hamel at Tamworth, Warwickshire, on April 4th, 1913.
Recovered at the same place on Dec. 13th, 1913.

CormorANT (Phalacrocorax c. carbo).—100596, nestling, marked by
Mr. R. M. Barrington at Saltee Islands, co. Wexford, on June
8th, 1913. Reported by Mr. J. Pool at Woodstown Weir, co.
Waterford, on June 9th, 1914.

SHae (Ph. g. graculus).—50757, nestling, marked as 100596 on June
19th, 1913. Reported by Mr. J. 8. Jensen at Valentia Harbour,
co. Kerry, on April 16th, 1914.

Dunury (Frolia a. alpina).—44883, nestling, marked by Mr. A. W.
Boyd near Diggle, west Yorkshire, on June 5th, 1913. Reported
by M. F. Zimmermann at Port Louis, near Lorient (Morbihan),
France, on May 10th, 1914.

Common CuRLEW (Numenius a. arquata).—28020, nestling, marked
by Mr. H. 8. Gladstone at Cleuchhead, Dumfriesshire, on July
19th, 1912. Reported by Mr. J. Currie at Moniaive, Glencairn,
Dumfriesshire, on May Ist, 1914.

'

7

4

:
“=

voL. vi}. RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS. 47

Woopcock (Scolopax rusticola).—16969, nestling, marked by Mr.
J. H. Milne-Home at Canonbie, Dumfriesshire, on May 2nd, 1913.
Recovered at Rowanburnfoot, Dumfriesshire, on Oct. 11th, 1913.
16972, nestling, marked as 16969 on May 7th, 1913. Recovered
at Burnside, Dumfriesshire, on Dec. 12th, 1913.

ComMon GULL (Larus c. canus).—21903, nestling, marked by the late
Mr. W. I. Beaumont in Kerrera Sound, Argyllshire, on June 12th,
1911. Reported by Mr. A. Stewart between Connel and Oban,
Argyllshire, on April 27th, 1914.

LEssER BLACK-BACKED GuLL (Larus f. affinis).—33885, nestling,
marked by Miss A. Pease at the Farne Islands, Northumberland,
on Aug. 2nd, 1913. Reported by Mr. M. W. Robson at the same
place (found dead) on May 12th, 1914.

THE LAND-RAIL INQUIRY.

Mr. H. G. ALEXANDER, who has very kindly undertaken to —
work out the results of this inquiry, asks us to state that —
he will be glad of any information regarding the past and —
present status of the Land-Rail, from anyone who has not
already sent in a schedule. All readers, therefore, who have ~
not already given information, are particularly requested
to apply for schedules direct to Mr. Alexander at 3, Mayfield
Road, Tunbridge Wells.—Eps.

NOTES ON EARLY NESTING.

I vENTURE to think that it may be of interest to record the ©
exceptionally early laying of some of the birds in south-east —
Devon this year. Of eight nests of the Goldfinch (Carduelis
c. britannicus) which have come under my notice, one held
a complete clutch of five eggs on April 30th: from two, the
young birds flew on May 29th, and the last of the five hatched
on May 28th. On May 22nd I found a nest of well-feathered
young Swallows (Chelidon r. rustica), and the birds flew on
May 30th ; and a House-Martin’s nest, destroyed accidentally
on May 28th, contained four eggs in an advanced stage of
incubation. A nest of the Blackcap (Sylvia a. atricapilla)
contained four eggs on May 3rd, and young Tree-Sparrows
(Passer m. montanus) were ready to fly ; while House-Sparrows
(Passer d. domesticus), on the contrary, had only just
commenced to lay by May 25th. Lewis R. W. Loyp.

[Though unusually early, the above dates for Goldfinches’
nests are by no means the earliest on record, for Mr. C. Borrer
mentions a nest in west Suffolk which contained three eggs
on April 13th, 1912 (Brit. Birds, VI., p. 254). The Swallows
were also unusually early, but in the early season of 1912
eggs were recorded even from Cumberland as early as
May 7th (Bull. B.O.C., Vol. XXXIT., p. 117). For notes
on Blackeap, see antea, p. 16. Under natural conditions the
House-Sparrow is generally rather a late breeder.—F. C. R.
JOURDAIN. |

I rounp the nest of a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus c. collybita)
apparently completed at Basildon, Berkshire, on April 19th,
1914, and a nest with one egg at Cromhall, Gloucestershire,

VOL. VII. ] NOTES. 49

on April 23rd, 1894. In Maidenhead Thicket, on May
17th, 1914, I found the nest of a Blackcap (Sylvia a. atri-
capilla) with young, which I judged from touch—the nest
was in briars above my head—to be four or five days old.
I did not discover how many there were, but laying must
have been completed by about the end of April. I found
the nest of a Land-Rail (Crex crex) with eleven eggs at
Llangadfan, Montgomeryshire, on May 10th; the first egg
would have been laid on April 30th. The fine, hot weather
in the second half of April seems to have made the migrant
birds begin nesting very soon after arrival, as was the case
to a greater extent in the famous sunny year of 1893. In
that year, at Cromhall, Gloucestershire, I found the first
Whitethroat’s egg on April 26th, and the first Nightingale’s
on April 30th ; the Chiffchaff also laid some days before the
end of the month. On April 13th, 1902, I found a Stone-
Curlew’s nest with one egg, on the Berkshire Downs.

A. COLLETT.

[The dates of nesting for Chiffchaff and Blackcap are both
remarkably early, and should be compared with previous
notes on this subject (antea, p. 16). The date for a full
clutch of Land-Rail is earlier than any of which I have
records, though Mr. W. Farren has met with a full clutch
in Cambridgeshire on May 15th. The date for the first
ego of the Stone-Curlew is also five days earlier than the
usual time for the first laid eggs in the south of England.
Whitethroats and Nightingales very rarely begin to lay
before the beginning of May.—F. C. R. Jourpatn. |

COCK SPARROW ASSISTING TO INCUBATE.

Last year I found a cock House-Sparrow (Passer d. domesticus)
assisting to incubate, as already recorded (Vol. VII., p. 52).
his year several of my nesting-boxes were taken by House-
Sparrows, and I frequently put the cock bird off during
meubation. I caught the cock sitting on one nest (May 8th)
md dissected him to make doubly certain. I think the
sock only takes part in the work during the day-time, and
then only to a limited extent. J. H. OwEn.

INCURSION OF WAXWINGS.

BEDFORDSHIRE.—One between Markyate and Dunstable on
April 15th, 1914 (W. Rowan).

LANCASHIRE.—Two in a garden at Mariebourne, Wigan, for
several days in March (J. Few).

50 BRITISH BIRDS. (Vor. wate

LESSER WHITETHROAT AND NUTHATCH
IN ANGLESEY.

On May 17th, 1914, my brother and I heard and saw a Lesser
Whitethroat (Sylvia c. curruca) in a garden on the south
shore of Red Wharf Bay on the east coast.
On the same date we both watched for some minutes
a solitary Nuthatch (S7tta e. britannica) in an oak tree, between
Beaumaris and Llanfaes. Apparently this is the second
instance of the occurrence of this species on the island.
RicHarD W. JONES.

SHORT INTERVAL BETWEEN TWO NESTS OF ROBIN.

Iy an outhouse at the Junior School, Felsted, Essex, four
disused leather horse-shoes were hanging from a nail in
the wall. In February a pair of Robins (Dandalus r. melo-
philus) took possession of one of these, and the first egg was
laid on March 10th. In due course the eggs hatched out,
but too frequent inspection at this period by the small boys
caused the birds to desert. The Robins then nested in a
ditch not many yards away, and reared a brood. After that
they came back and made use of another horse-shoe. The
young birds left this on June 10th. I watched carefully
the last day or two the young were in the nest, and could
only detect one bird feeding the young. Another bird, which
I thought to be the male of the pair, seemed not to take the
least interest in the young. He spent his time in singing in
a tree by the door and in building a nest in the third horse-
shoe. It may be mentioned that the third and fourth shoes
had been separated from the others in April and placed on
the opposite side of the room. When the young left the nest
in the second shoe, the nest in the third shoe had been lined
ready for use. There was also a small amount of nesting
material in the fourth shoe. On June 19th the nest in the
third shoe contained four eggs and incubation commenced.
For two pairs of Robins to build in the same small room
would seem very extraordinary ; on the other hand if, as I
consider, the two last nests belonged to one pair, the interval
between the fledging of the brood and the laying of the other
set of eggs was remarkably short. J. H. Owen.

ALPINE SWIFTS IN SUSSEX.

In the early part of June, 1914, a couple of Alpine Swifts
(Apus m. melba) were noticed flying in company with common
Swifts at Winchelsea, Sussex, the white under-parts being
very conspicuous as the birds were flying low at this period.

ae

79 oy .

VoL. VII.] NOTES. 51

I saw one soon after it had been shot, on June 10th, which
proved to be a female; the other was shot on June 14th,
but I did not see it as the man who obtained it thought he
would not trouble me.

Although I had been waiting to get information about the
second bird, it was not until to-day (June 22nd), upon making
inquiries, that I found it had been obtained. I understand
it was a male. H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

NESTING-HABITS OF WOODPECKERS.

In Bririsu Birps, Vol. V., p. 137, I stated that a nest of
the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates m. anglicus) and
a nest of the Green Woodpecker (Picus v. pluvius), which
I opened after the young had left in 1911, were very foul.
This was due, I think, in each case to one or more young
having died in the holes. The old birds had been unable
to eject the dead, and this had been the primary cause of
the foulness. I have since then opened holes when the
birds have been sitting, during the nestling period, and also
after the young have flown, and have always found the nests
very clean (but with a rather disagreeable smell), except
when a young one has died and not been ejected. I have
been unable, in the course of several long watches, to see
any dung carried away by the old birds. As I have always
found the cup clean, and the dung is not ejected by the
young themselves when they are old enough to climb to
the entrance, as in the case of the Starling, this would
indicate that the parents swallow it, though I am by no
means certain of this. This year I opened a Great Spotted
Woodpecker’s entrance a little when the young were about
twelve days old. A day or two later two died and were
cast out by the parents, I presume because the enlarging of
the entrance made it possible for them to do so. It is also
noticeable that one young one, at least, is usually consider-
ably behind the rest in development, which suggests that
incubation commences before the last egg has been laid.

J. H. Owen.

NESTLING CUCKOO EJECTING TWO
EGGS AT ONCE.

On June 16th, 1914, I was watching a nestling Cuckoo
(Cuculus c. canorus) turning the eggs out of a Sedge-Warbler’s
nest. At one attempt it got two eggs behind it and success-
fully hoisted them over the brim. This is the only occasion
on which I have seen two eggs ejected at once, although I
have been witness of many ejections. J. H. Owen.

52 | BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. viIT.

CLUTCHES OF FIVE EGGS OF PEREGRINE FALCON.

Wiru reference to the set of five eggs of the Peregrine Falcon
(Falco p. peregrinus), mentioned by Mr. Jourdain (supra,
p. 26) as having been taken by me in south Wales, I can
now add another record of a set of five also found in south
Wales. My friend, Commander R. E. Vaughan, R.N., took
three infertile eggs at the end of May, 1910, from a nest
which also contained two young birds. It seems curious
that so many eggs in the set should have been infertile.
W. M. ConGREVE.

CORMORANTS NESTING IN NORFOLK.
At the present time (June 18th, 1914) a pair of Cormorants
(Phalacrocorax c. carbo) are nesting in a lake of Lord Hastings’,
in Norfolk, on a large alder tree growing upon an island in
the lake. The nest, which is an old Heron’s nest, repaired
and enlarged, is too high up to see how many eggs it contains,
but the old bird sits close as if she was not far off hatching.
A small settlement of Cormorants used to breed at Fritton,
in Suffolk, but it is a great many years since this species
has nested in Norfolk. J. H. GuRney.

ASIATIC GOLDEN PLOVERS IN SUSSEX.

On April 23rd, 1914, a party of five or six birds of this species
appeared on Wartling Marsh, near Hurstmonceux, of which
three were shot (one male and two females) and sent to
Mr. George Bristow (taxidermist, of Silchester Road,
St. Leonards-on-Sea), who brought me up one of the birds
in the flesh for the purpose of identification. It had all the
appearance of being just recently killed. I could not, how-
ever, be certain whether it was a specimen of Charadrius d.
fulvus or of Ch. d. dominicus, the American Golden Plover.
I forwarded the bird to Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant of the
British Museum (Natural History Department), who kindly
identified it for me, and wrote that “the bird appears to
be without doubt the Eastern Asiatic Plover, Ch. fulvus.”

In the Hand-List of British Birds mention is made of but
two or three examples in Great Britain, none of which were
obtained in Sussex. THOMAS PARKIN.

SANDWICH TERNS IN DENBIGHSHIRE.
As there appears to be no record of the occurrence of the
Sandwich Tern (Sterna s. sandvicensis) in Denbighshire, it
may be worth noting that I watched two on May 25th, 1914,
fishing in Colwyn Bay, in company with three Roseate
Terns (S. d. dougallii). RicHARD W. JONES.

| VOL. VIII.| NOTES. 53

LITTLE GULL IN STAFFORDSHIRE.

Tr is only within the last few weeks that I heard of the first
definite occurrence of a Little Gull (Larus minutus) in Staf-
fordshire, and last week I saw the bird itself in Birmingham.
It is an adult female in winter-plumage, and was shot near
Chasetown on December 2nd, 1911. Dr. MacAldowie, in
his Birds of Staffordshire, says, “‘ has been shot on the Trent
in several places near Burton (Edwin Brown),” but it is
doubtful if these occurrences were not in Derbyshire.

Joun R. B. MASEFIELD.

ERYTHRISTIC EGGS OF BLACK-HEADED GULL.

WueEn looking over the notes on erythristic eggs of the
Black-headed Gull (antea, Vol. VIL, p. 256), I was reminded
of a specimen in my collection taken some years ago in the
neighbourhood of Golspie, though the exact date was not
ascertained.

It is similar to those in the Dunrobin Museum, which were
shown to me by the Rev. Dr. Joass. T. H. NEtson.

ICELAND GULLIN KENT.

On March 16th, 1914, whilst staying at Dungeness, Kent, I
had an excellent view of an Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus)
inadult plumage. A violent gale was blowing all the morning,
and a great deal of refuse was thrown up by the tide all along
the beach. When the tide turned soon after midday, great
numbers of Gulls came to feed, and whilst I was watching
them from the window of Mr. Austen’s bungalow, I noticed
this beautiful white-winged Gull amongst the crowd of
Herring-, Black-headed and other species, not more than a
hundred yards away. I watched it feeding for half an hour
or so, but after that, the tide being lower, it went further
down the shingle and was no longer visible from the window.
About six o’clock, when the wind fell, I went out on to the
shore, but I could not see the Iceland Gull any more. Most
of the Gulls were then out on the water. Mr. Austen, the
watcher, who saw the bird with me, said it had been about
all the winter, and added that he had seen single birds in
other winters. Presumably this bird spent most of its time
out at sea, and was driven to land for shelter from the
storm.

When Dr. N. F. Ticehurst published his History of the Birds
of Kent in 1909, he was unable to give any definite record of
this species in the county. H. G. ALEXANDER.

54 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. VII.

“RINGED ” GUILLEMOT IN ANGLESEY.

As Mr. H. E. Forrest in his Fauna of North Wales, p. 397,
states that the “ringed ” variety of the Common Guillemot
(Uria t. troiile) is rarely met with in North Wales, and as the
bird appears to be almost unknown in the Principality in
the breeding-season, it may interest your readers to know
that on May 22nd, 1914, my brother and I obtained an
exceptionally good view of one which was resting in a fissure
in the cliff-face opposite the South Stack lighthouse, near
Holyhead. So far as we could discover all the other
Guillemots (of which we saw between two and three hundred),
were of the ordinary form. RiIcHARD W. JONEs.

MOORHEN COVERING EGGS.

Ir has been stated that Moorhens (Gallinula ch. chloropus)
never cover the eggs with intent to hide them. This is not
altogether true, as I have seen cases where the covering must
have been put on the eggs with this object. For example, on
April 22nd, 1914, I found a Moorhen’s nest on an island in
Halston lake, near Whittington, Shropshire. This nest was
on the ground at the foot of a large beech some six or eight
yards from the water. The site is that of a Mallard’s nest,
and a few sticks were placed sloping against the tree by the
keepers to make the place less open. The nest contained six
eggs and was so covered with leaves that I thought a Pheasant
or Duck was using the place, and was greatly surprised to see
Moorhen’s eggs in such a place and so well covered.

J. H. Owen.

BIRDS IN NORFOLK IN 1913.—From Mr. J.- H.
Gurney’s usual annual report on the ornithology of Norfolk
for 1913 (Zool., 1914, pp. 161-182) we take the following
items of interest :—

OrTOLAN Buntine (Emberiza hortulana).—An adult male
was taken at Yarmouth on April 28th, and three or four
were seen on September 2nd, at Blakeney.

SpoonBILu (Platalea 1. leucorodia).—Between May 1st and
August 16th, Spoonbills were seen on Breydon on twenty-six
days. The longest period during which they were not seen
was from May 29th to June 11th, and the largest number
seen together was four.

[Nicut-Heron (Nycticorax n. nycticorax).—One reported
to be on Holkham Lake on May 16th. |

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 55

BitteRN (Botaurus s. stellaris).—Although it is not re-
corded that either nest or young were found, it is almost
certain that the Bittern again bred, as it was heard by Mr.
Gurney on May 8th, and seen by him on June 20th.

RepsHank (Tinga totanus)—An egg placed under a hen
by Mr. G. H. Gurney hatched in twenty-four or five days.

Common CourLEW (Numenius a. arquata).—A nest was
again found near King’s Lynn by Mr. N. Tracy and four
young were hatched.

RosEatTE TERNS (Sterna d. dougallii).—A pair were identi-
fied at Blakeney on June 24th, but there is apparently no
proof that they were nesting. The photograph reproduced
on page 175 and labelled Lesser Tern, appears to be that of
a Common Tern.

BLACK-HEADED BUNTINGS IN YORKSHIRE AND SUSSEX.—
At the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club, held on
May 13th, 1914, Mr. A. F. Griffith exhibited an adult male
Emberiza melanocephala which had been caught near Halifax
(Yorkshire) in December, 1910, and kept in an aviary by
Major Johnson, of Hove, until May, 1912, when it was killed
by a Corn-Bunting. Mr. Griffith also exhibited a second
adult male of the same species which had been shot at Battle
(Sussex) in the first week of April, 1912. Both specimens
have been presented to the Booth Museum (cf. Bull. B.O.C.,
XXXIII., pp. 133-4).

Prep FriycarcHer In Co. Corx.—Mr. R. M. Barrington
notes (Irish Nat., 1914, p. 148) that a male Muscicapa h.
hypoleuca was taken at the Ballycottin Lighthouse and
received by him in the flesh on April 19th, 1914.

Wuire’s THRUSH IN SussEx.—At the May meeting of the
British Ornithologists’ Club, Mr. A. F. Griffith exhibited
a specimen of T'urdus d. aureus, which had been picked up
dead in a garden at Hove, Sussex, on September 26th, 1898.
Mr. Griffith himself inspected the bird in the flesh at the
time. It was recently presented to the Booth Museum.

INCREASE OF GANNETS AT LaTTLE SKELLIG (KERRY).—
Mr. McGinley, lightkeeper, informs Mr. Barrington (Irish
Nat., 1914, p. 134) that the Gannets on the Little Skellig
are becoming more numerous every year, and have now
extended to the south-west side. This would appear to be
now the largest single colony of Sula bassana in the world.

56 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vin.

FURTHER INCREASE OF FULMAR PETRELS IN IRELAND.—
Mr. R. M. Barrington announces (Jrish Nat., 1914, p. 133)
that Mr. P. J. McGinley, lightkeeper on the Great Skellig
(Kerry), writing on March 16th, 1914, states that the Fulmars
(Fulmarus g. glacialis) arrived there this year on February
20th, and that the colony now amounts to more than seventy
birds. The discovery of this colony was first announced by
Mr. Barrmgton in 1913 (antea, Vol. VII., p. 56), when the
number of birds breeding was stated to be twenty-four.
The first Irish colony discovered was that at Horn Head
(Donegal) originally announced as an “ Ulster Cliff.” Mr.
Barrington states that this colony was first discovered by
Mr. G. V. Stoney in April, 1910. In May, 1911, there were
about twenty birds there, but in June, 1913, Mr. Barrington
found about seventy pairs. The second colony was also first
discovered by Mr. Stoney, who received two eggs from the
Stags of Broadhaven (Mayo) in May, 1911. In July, 1911,
the late Richard Ussher discovered near Portacloy (almost
opposite the Stags of Broadhaven), another colony, and made
the first announcement of the fact that Fulmars were breed-
ing in Ireland. The fourth colony to be discovered was the
one on the Great Skellig mentioned above, and the fifth
one on Tory Island (Donegal) as recorded by R. J. Ussher
in 1913 (cf. Vol. VII., p. 175).

SANDWICH TERN BREEDING IN JERSEY.—Mr. G. F. B. de
Gruchy records (Field, 20.VI.14, p. 1329) that on June 7th,
1914, he found two nests with eggs of Sterna s. sandvicensis
on an islet off Jersey.

Field- Sfudies of Some
| Rarer British Birds

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND

Author of ** Bird Life in Wild Wales,” and Part-Author of ‘* The Book
of the Open Air.”

Ae 8yo. About 330 pp. > 7s. 6d. net.

As a work of first-hand. observation this book must
appeal to Ornithologists, and wach to those aber estes | in
the nesting-habits of birds.

The scope of the book is indicated by the following
‘titles of chapters :—

Dartford Warblers The once-Common Buzzard
e The Pied Flycatcher | In Highland haunts of Eagles |
Sussex Crossbills Irish Golden Eagles
The once-Common Red Kite
Peregrine Falcons |
The habits of the Hobby —
The Merlin on the Moors

Ne if The haunts of the Gadwall
The “ Woodcock ’’ Owl Habits of the Black

: Hen-Harriers Guillemot

Cirl Buntings in Sussex

- Choughs :
‘Ravens
Concerning the Wood-Lark

PRESS OPINIONS.

The ‘*Field” says :—‘‘ Mr. Walpole-Bond is a good field
naturalist. .. . Those who, like himself, have paid attention to such matters
for many years will appreciate his remarks i in proportion, as they. tend to

‘confirm their own observations, while less experienced readers will discover
much that-will be new to them, and which, in several cases we have
noted, is not to be found even in well-known works on British birds ”

The ‘‘ Times” says :—‘' Mr, Walpole-Bond is a good example of
the first- hand observer, who writes simply and: clearly about what
Ber sees.’

, |

The < SSoenian” says :—‘‘ As a field-naturalist, endowed with
the keen eye and ear which, together with ample knowledge, are
indispensable requirements of his pursuits, Mr, Walpole-Bond.can have
few superiors among the ornithologists of the island.”

“London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

ty

From WITHERBY & Co.'s LIST.
Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JOHN WaLroLe-Bonp, author of ‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.”

Demy 8vo.; cloth; 320 pages. Ts. Ot: net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By JcHL Goansy, FZ.S., Mie.O.U, ; ihustated with oolourel lil; re
drawings and maps, and. reproductions from photographs; square

demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 ‘pages. 27 Ss. 6d: net. a

My Game-Book. 2 i oe On

By ALAN R. Haic-Brown.. The Author unites a passionate love of eae: 5

chase with a knowledge of Nature. wey, Eee 250 pages; = -

cloth. 5s, net.

Camping in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life. of that Island. By AuBYN-
TREVOR-BaTTYE, M;A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., ete. ; ae 32 plates and a’
map ; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and. Doves.

By E. C. Sruart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; with 27 beautiful +
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo. ; half bound morocco,
gilt'top. = £2, 10s, net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa. oo

By Mayor Boyp HORSBRUGH,, M.B.O. U., F. Z.S.3> with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.
84 14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s. net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By. Ernst HArtTert, F.C. R. Journain, N. F. TIGRE URRY and”
H. F. WITHERBY.
7s. Gd. net. PoPirs interleaved with ruled paper 4 Os. net.

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds,

By: H. KIRKE Swann.’ Their’ History, Meaning, first usage, ‘the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, ete. About a pages 5 sony 8vo.;. cloth.

The Emu. ayes

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Illustrated with | |
half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly*Parts 4s. each. Annual subscription 1 Sex
Messrs, Witherby & Co, have been appointed European Agents of The Eu,

British Birds. New volume commenced June:

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
_Edited by H. F. WitHersy, F.Z.S., M-B.O.U., assisted by Rev. F. CUR.
jJourDAIN, M.A., M-B.O.U., and N. F; TICEHURST, M.A, F.R-C.S.;
M.B.O.U.. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

Yearly, 10s. Gd, post free ; Monthly, ts. net.

LONDON: 326, Hie ‘HOLBORN.

ANILUSTRATED- MAGAZINE
DEVOIEDTOTHE-BIRDS'ON
SS. THEBRTISHUST

Vol. VIII.
No. 3

AUGUST 1,
~ §ON4.
U bis.) aN

‘pie Y. 19K

MONTHLY: ONE-SHILLING: -NET
S26HIGITOLDORNIONDON

_ WITHERBY & C2

The Birds of Australia.
GREGORY M. MATHEWS, F.R.s.£., M.A.0.U., M,B.0.U.
With Hand-colonred Plates.

IN TWO-GUINEA QUARTERLY PARTS. /
Prospectus, with specimen piate, and full particulars on sees:

VOLUMES lL, II. and III. NOW COMPLETE.

In..Parts or Bound Volumes:

London :

WATKINS & DONCASTER,

Waturalists,

WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holbora. |

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Egge —

and. Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.

Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c., PRESERVED and “try: oe by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN

TRUE TO NATURE
All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied. :

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Catalogue (102 pp:). post free.

Part 9, completing the Work, will be ready about August to Sept.

The British Warblers

A: History with Problems of their Lives |
By H. ELIOT HOWARD, F.z.s., M.B.0.U.

Parts 1 to'8 now ready, with 30 Coloured Plates, ue
49 Photogravures and 10 Maps, Price £8 8s. net.

Full instructions as to binding, etc., will be issued in the last part.

AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE, from Vol. 2, First

Series, to Vol. 2, Third. Series (1895 to 19)1) ; a nice set
newly bound in cloth, with over 250 coloured and black —
plates, £6 6s, net. :

Another copy in the Society’s cloth cases, good condition,
£6 6s. net.. Odd volumes at one-third published price. -

A large stock of “IBIS” on hand, from 10s. per vol.

Books bought, sold or exchanged, send list of wants.
Bird Books are our Speciality.

Princes Street, Cavendish :
R. H. PORTER, ¢ Square, London, We 3 he

(480g “SH “W SST My pay7wuboz0y7)

‘quad OL F140 ONION ATIVNAE ‘SODA NO ATLLGS OL ONIVVdIHUd LAOOAYV ATV

6 Id “IIIA ‘OA spug ystqag

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JourpatIn, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F,

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ContTENTs OF NuMBER 3, Vou. VIII. Avcust 1, 1914.

Notes on Breeding-habits of Avocets. By Mary G. S. Best
Ringing Birds in Hungary. By H. F. Witherby
"Notes :—

_ Destruction of Sea-birds in a storm at Teesmouth (T. H.
Nelson)

Pied Wagtail’s Nest built in Moving Railway Truck (J. R. B.
Masefield ) : oh ata

Breeding-habits of Willow-Tit in Kent (R. E. ieee}

Willow-Tit Breeding in Cheshire (A. W. Boyd)

Unusual Nesting-site of Mistle-Thrush (L. R. W. Loyd)

- Unusually large Clutch of Redbreast’s Eggs (L. R. W. Loyd) .

Curious Site for a Blackbird’s Nest (W. Cave) :

Curious Break in Nesting Activities of House-Martins (L. R. W.
Loyd) : ; .

Increase of Tufted Duck Bissaibeee in Northumberland aE een)

_ Great Shearwaters at St. Kilda (E. W. Wade)

_ Early Nesting of Turtle-Dove (H. H. Farwig)

_ Roseate Terns in Ireland (G. R. Humphreys)

Long-tailed Skuas in Cumberland, Yorkshire and Ireland
(E. U. Savage, W. Greaves and J. A. Dockray)

Moorhen Covering Eggs (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain)

Moorhen Hatching two Broods in one Nest (L. R. W. Loyd)

Short Notes :—Blackeap Singing in Winter in Oxfordshire.
Fulmar Petrels at Butt of Lewis ..

( 58 )
NOTES ON BREEDING-HABITS OF AVOCETS.

BY
MARY G. S. BEST.
(PLATE 2.)
In the middle of May, 1914, I spent a few days in a

duck-decoy situated on one of the saltmarshes in the
west of Holland. I found the nesting-season in full

AVOCET APPROACHING NEST.
(Photographed by Miss M. G. 8. Best.)

swing when I arrived. Only a few of the earlier broods
had hatched off and of these there were very few sur-
vivors, as the weather for a month previously having
been unusually dry, the mud was too hard for the soft
bills of the young birds, and they had died of starva-
tion: also, the keeper said, the water in the ditches
and decoy-pond was too salt for the little birds, as
there had been no rain for some time. In the decoy we
found several ducklings which appeared to have died

VOL. vill.]} BREEDING-HABITS OF AVOCETS. 59

from this cause, as there were no marks of violence
upon them.

Only one couple of little Avocets were running about
under the bank of a big drain, their covering of down
being of so light a buff that it might almost have
been white, their long black bills even at that early
stage showing the upward curve of those of the mature
birds.

AVOCET TURNING HER EGGS BEFORE SETTLING DOWN ON THEM.
(Photographed by Miss M. G. 8. Best.)

The nesting Avocets were easy birds to photograph,
and returned quickly to their eggs after being disturbed
—the only exception I noticed being one bird not very
far from a Tern’s nest, which fled from her eggs on the
slightest alarm and remained in the distance calling
in an agitated way.

The bird I photographed alighted at a. little distance
behind the nest, and approached warily, calling as she
came, pausing every few steps to jerk her head and
body, much in the same way that a Redshank does,

60 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VoL. VII.

and at the same time to shake each foot quickly as
she raised it from the ground.

Avocets seem to be very restless sitters—always on
the move, walking from the nest a few feet to peck
at the mud or to preen themselves, giving one the
impression that their long legs become cramped when
folded under the bird for any length of time. These

MALE AVOCET APPROACHING FEMALE ON NEST.
(Photographed by Miss M. G. 8. Best.)

observations were made as much from other nesting
pairs within easy distance of my hide as from the pair
immediately in front of me.

The absent mate returned generally within an hour
of his departure and changed places, flying down to
the ground a few yards away and calling loudly as he
advanced, which call was answered by the bird on the
nest. She waited till he was close to her before standing
up, then they both looked at the eggs, making at the

VOL. vi.] BREEDING-HABITS OF AVOCETS. 61

same time a contented crooning note; the new arrival
then settled himself down, while she moved off a little
way, feeding and stretching herself.

The bird off duty was seldom far away from its nest
on these marshes, as there were so many nests of
different birds breeding close together that the non-sitter
was generally fiercely protecting its mate and eggs.

ALARMED. “ Kluit! Kluit!”
(Photographed by Miss M. G. 8. Best.)

When the Avocets were trying to decoy one away
from their nest, they ran in a crouching attitude, rolling
somewhat from side to side, head stretched out and
tail spread, wings held on a level with the back, but bent
from the metacarpal joint so that the primaries often
brushed the ground.

I saw some of these birds one day when it was blowing
a gale of wind. They were nearly blown over, and

62 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vii.
probably owing to the wind getting underneath their
wings, when running into the wind, they held their
wings stretched to their full extent straight up over

their backs, but half furled them again directly they

altered their direction.

The Black-headed Gulls went out of the way to be
annoying to their neighbours, but when it came to a
fight they were not in it with the Avocets, which flew
at them and struck with either wings or feet, the
long bill being, perhaps, too flexible to be used as a
weapon of attack.

When they were feeding in soft mud, the Avocets
waded quickly along, using the bill with a sweeping,
sideways motion, not using the point except to pick
up things on dry ground.

( 63 )
RINGING BIRDS IN HUNGARY.

A NEw AND VALUABLE METHOD.

BI

H. F. WITHERBY.

DURING a recent visit to Hungary I had the pleasure
of inspecting, by the kindness of the Director, Herr
Otto Herman, the Royal Hungarian Central Bureau
for Ornithology.

This institution has done and is doing, as is well
known, excellent biological work. It is now housed
in a fine new building in Budapest, and has a most
efficient staff.

I was particularly interested in the section devoted
to the ringing of birds, which is under the control of
Herr J. Schenk. Ringing was started in 1908, and
from then until and including 1914 some twenty-four
thousand birds have been marked. Most of these were
ringed as nestlings, but recently a number of adults
of certain species have been marked. The best results
have been obtained from Storks, Herons, Waders, Gulls
and Starlings, the percentage of recoveries in Storks,
Herons and Gulls being from three to five, while in
other species the recoveries have been from one to two
per cent.

Herr Herman very kindly made arrangements for me
to accompany Herr Schenk on one of the marking
expeditions which he constantly makes. The first day
we visited Lake Velencze—a large, shallow, rush- and
reed-grown lake not far from Budapest. Here, nestling
Black-beaded Gulls, Black Terns and Redshanks were
ringed, as well as one or two Black-necked Grebes,
which were exceedingly common but impossible to
catch except when very young, and also two Pochard
ducklings.

This lake, which is well known to several English
ornithologists, is crowded with bird-life and is a most

64 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

fascinating spot to visit, especially in June when many
young ones are hatched. Je

On the two following days we were at Urbo where,
on a great plain of rough grass, marsh and shallow
rush-grown water, Black-tailed Godwits, Ruffs, Red-
shanks, Lapwings, Kentish Plovers, Black Terns and
other birds were nesting.

Here Herr Schenk introduced me to a method of
marking birds which was quite new to me, viz. by
snaring the birds at the nest. I had often wished that
we might be able to do this because it should lead to
results very difficult to arrive at by other means. With
our present methods we are unable to obtain a sufficient
series of facts to show whether the larger birds nest
year after year in the same place, and when and where
the young breed. The last point is no doubt the more
important as it bears directly on the question of how

birds become distributed, and if sufficient facts could .

be collected by snaring and ringing combined much
light might be thrown on such difficult questions as
range extension and the way in which birds choose

their breeding-places. Take, for instance, the case of

the Black-headed Gull, of which we have ringed many
thousands of young ones, unfortunately we have very
few records to show when and where these young ones
breed, and if we could snare the nesting-birds at a
number of colonies on a large scale we should no
doubt catch some of our ringed birds and thus obtain
some very useful facts.

Herr Schenk has used this method successfully in
Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Reeve and
Black Tern, during the last three seasons. Most of the
birds so caught do not desert their nests—the same
Redshank, for instance, has been repeatedly caught on
the same nest; some, however, desert the nest but
breed again in the same season, so that this would do
no harm in common species.

ee

VoL. vi.] RINGING BIRDS IN HUNGARY. 65

As to results, Herr Schenk has not yet gone far enough
to get many recoveries, but in the second year he caught
three birds which he had snared and ringed in the same
place the year before, and in the third year he caught
eight ringed birds.

Although he has ringed many young, he has not yet
caught one of them as a breeding-bird in a subsequent
year, but it is only since 1912 that he has been ringing

ih

| \t"
JW
|] NINN

Ga

a V7

o
A $ c
laws

B

SHOWING METHOD OF SETTING SNARE.

A.—Side-view. B.—From above.

in this locality, and it is probable that most waders
do not breed in their first year.

The snare itself consists of two pieces of stick, one
end of each being sharpened to enable its being pushed
into the ground. The length of the sticks may vary
according to the nature of the ground and the site and
height of the nest. They are connected together by
a piece of string about fifteen inches long, tied firmly
to the top of each stick. In the centre of the string
four horse-hair nooses are fastened by means of slip
knots. A noose consists of a strand of ten or twelve
horse-hairs about fifteen inches long and _ fastened
together by a knot at each end.

66 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

The sticks must be pushed firmly into the ground one
on each side of the nest, so that the middle of the string
is over the centre of the nest. When so fixed the string
must be taut. The snares are then arranged in large
loops reaching from the string to the nest, so that the
eggs are completely surrounded and the bird cannot
get to them without passing through one of the snares.
How the snare should be set is very clearly shown in
the accompanying drawings, which have been very
kindly prepared for the purpose of explaining the method
to English ornithologists by Herr Titus Csérgey, the
Secretary of the Royal Hungarian Central Bureau for
Ornithology.

Sometimes a bird will push aside the snares without
being caught, in which case they must be readjusted.
If there is a wind each snare should be fixed by stalks
of grass or small twigs to prevent its being blown out
of place. The places where the snares have been set
must be carefully marked, and they must be visited
every hour or two. If the weather is very hot the snares
should be visited more frequently, as if a bird is left
long in a snare in very hot weather it is lkely to be
suffocated. This, however, would seldom happen in
this country, and Herr Schenk informs me that of two
hundred birds snared this season only one—a Lapwing
—has been killed.

I am afraid it is now too late to practise this method
this year, but I hope that next year some of our
“ringers ” will take it up, and we may look forward to
some interesting results. In any case, I am much
indebted to Herr Herman and Herr Schenk for their
kindness in giving me the opportunity of seeing this
method worked, and of bringing it to the notice of
the readers of BririsH Birps.

—

DESTRUCTION OF SEA-BIRDS IN A STORM AT
TEESMOUTH.

NEVER within the memory of Cleveland residents has there
been such a remarkable storm, nor one so disastrous to
bird-life, as that which arose with startling suddenness,
and swept over the Teesmouth, shortly after noon on

GULLS KILLED BY THE STORM: THERE WERE FORTY OR MORE
IN THIS SPOT.

(Photographed by Dr. A. 8. Robinson.)

July 2nd, 1914. A vivid and alarming display of lightning
heralded a cyclone of terrific violence, accompanied by a
heavy fall of hail, with large lumps of clear ice, and it was
afterwards found that great havoc had been w rought
amongst the seabirds in the estuary, several hundreds being
killed and washed up to high-tide mark.

On visiting the scene next day, my wife and I saw the
bodies of culls scattered in all directions, and counted
upwards of three hundred within a distance of a quarter
of a mile, near Redcar jetty, without taking into con-
sideration those by the breakwater side. In some places

68 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

they were in groups of from six to twenty, or more, and —

others had been driven against the ietty, where they were
partly buried in the sand. A bogey load had been taken
away by workmen, and many wounded birds had sought
refuge amongst blocks of slag, or had wandered to the river
channel, where they were either caught by boys or carried
off on the tide. Two or three adult Curlews and a Duck
were picked up on the sands, and an adult Gannet was
captured amongst the bents on the breakwater. I feel sure
that if other three hundred be added to the numbers
mentioned, this would form a very low estimate of the total
casualties.

With the exception of a few Lesser Black-backed Gulls,
the birds examined by my friends and myself were Common
Gulls (Larus canus) and Black-headed Gulls (L. ridibundus),
in the proportion of about three of the former to one of the
latter. Most of the Common Gulls had a few immature
feathers on the back and wings; nearly all L. ridibundus
were in adult plumage. Almost all those I saw had broken
wings or wounds on the head, and there can be no doubt that
these injuries were caused by the large pieces of jagged ice
driven by a furious gale. Several Black-headed Gulls were
in a dazed condition, and weak on their legs, whilst the feet
and legs of some dead birds were contracted and drawn up
close to the hody. A score or more of Gulls were skinned,
and in every case there was evidence of serious injury from
blows on the back, head, or wings. An adult Curlew had
its skull fractured in two places, a broken wing, the neck
damaged, and the tail completely shorn off.

An old wildfowler, whom I have known for many years,
and on whose veracity 1 can rely, witnessed the whole
occurrence. He tells me that when the storm was approach-
ing, he saw a large assemblage of Gulls, regular frequenters
of the Tees “slems,” showing signs of uneasiness and
screaming loudly in alarm, then rise in a body and make for
the marsh; but before they got halfway across the sands
the cyclone struck them, and they were lost to view. When
the storm had passed the sands were strewn with dead Gulls,
and dozens of wounded were helplessly struggling about.
As my informant walked amongst them they showed no
fear, evidently suffering from shock and buffeting by the
wind and ice.

If I had not had ocular proof of the peculiar and
tremendous force of the storm, I would hesitate to mention
an almost incredible statement made by a resident at the

VOL. VIII.] NOTES. 69

breakwater, who declares that he found some wounded Gulls
actually held by one or both of their wings being embedded
and driven into the sands by the ice, so rendering them
powerless to escape. He released the unfortunates in such
predicaments.

Three badly-stunned Black-headed Gulls were placed in
my garden at Redcar on July 3rd. Next morning two
had flown, and later in the afternoon the third one, whilst
I was showing it to some visitors, got on the wing and
flew off.

As regards the size of the pieces of ice which fell, I have
the following reliable information. A master plumber and
his men were doing some work in the “ Look-out ” near the
fort on the breakwater, when a piece of ice shattered a
large sheet of glass (26 ozs., as it is termed). One of
the men picked up the piece of ice, and the master told me
it measured over 3 in. in leneth by about 2 in. in diameter.
The men saw many more pieces of ice falling outside.

T. H. NELSON.

PIED WAGTAIL’S NEST BUILT IN MOVING
RAILWAY TRUCK.

A RAILWAY truck was loaded with timber (larch trees) at
Knighton in Radnorshire on May Ist, 1914, and left there
the next day. The truck arrived at Birchenwood Colliery,
north Staffordshire, on May 6th following, and was unloaded
the same day. During the unloading of the timber a Pied
Wagtail’s nest containing two eggs was found on the top
of the timber. The nest is described as made of dried grass
and roots, with sheep’s wool and pieces of ragged twine
woven in—the lining was cowhair. I have seen the eggs
and they are undoubtedly those of the Pied Wagtail. The
only explanation appears to be that the birds commenced
to build the nest immediately the timber was loaded in
Radnorshire, and they must have followed the truck on its
journey and completed the nest, and laid the eggs during
transit. The nest appeared to be deserted when the truck
arrived at its destination. I have verified the facts as far
as I can, and believe them to be correct. I have heard of
similar cases before. Joun R. B. MASEFIELD.

BREEDING-HABITS OF WILLOW-TIT IN KENT.

On April 21st, 1914, a nest of a Willow-Tit was shown me
in Cranbrook, Kent, by Mr. C. A. Winch and Mr. R.
Watts. The hole was bored entirely by the birds in a

70 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. VIII.

rotten willow-post in a fence. It then contained one egg.
On May 3rd the nest contained nine eggs, and the bird was
sitting. There were chips of wood on the ground, as well
as in the nest, but the majority must have been carried
away by the bird; the post contained also two broken-down
nest-cavities of previous years. I sent one of the birds to

NESTING-HOLE OF WILLOW-TIT IN A POLE IN A HOP-GARDEN
IN KENT.

Mr. Witherby, who very kindly confirmed my identification.

The male took no part in incubation, but fed the hen
on the nest; occasionally she left the nest at his call and
was fed on a branch, returning to her duties immediately.
I have noticed this also in the case of the Marsh-Tit. The
food given proved to be small buds, which he searched for
in the higher foliage of the willow-trees. The nest, which
weighed as much as two sixpenny-pieces, contained no moss

VOL. VIII. ] NOTES. alt

and was lightly constructed of rabbit’s hair mixed with
down-feathers from a Mallard’s nest and numerous fragments
of decayed willow; the lumps of hair so characteristic of
the nests of other Tits had been combed out and pulled
to pieces by these birds.

~ On May 4th another Willow-Tit’s nest was shown me in
Cranbrook by Mr. A. A. Moore, about three miles from the
other. It contained seven eggs, and the bird was sitting.
One egg had been laid on the ground before the nest was
completed. The nest was fifteen feet from the ground in a
willow-pole supporting wirework in a hop-garden. The hole
was bored by the birds; the inside wood was decayed, but the
bark was still tough. It is remarkable that the bird should
have found a suitable willow-pole among many hundreds
of bare poles mostly of chestnut. About three feet from the
ground, in the same post, there was a nest-cavity of a
previous year of which the side had fallen away. The nest
contained chips, and there were none on the ground, but
as the hole was in an exposed position and high up they
might have been scattered by wind. The nest contained
no moss, but only narrow strips of wood and vegetable fibre
threaded among soft fibres from a sack, with a little wool
and a few small feathers, which altogether weighed as much
as a sixpenny-piece. The entrance hole was an irregular
circle, and the boring followed the line of the softest wood.
The bark was removed beside the sitting bird and I noted
the buff lines on the wing.

On May 10th I examined with Mr. J. Springett a nest of
a Marsh-Tit (Parus p. dresseri) in my garden, built in a natural
hole in a laurel stump. The nest-chamber was exceptionally
small, but no attempt had been made to enlarge it. There
were six eggs, indistinguishable from those of the Willow-Tit,
and the bird was sitting. The nest weighed less than a
sixpenny-piece and consisted of a felted layer of cat’s and
rabbit’s hair without a particle of moss and no chips. We
caught the bird on the nest and identified her.

I consider Marsh- and Willow-Tits very hard to distinguish
with any degree of certainty in the field. The notes, perhaps,
are the most satisfactory means when one has once learnt
them. The nest-construction and nest-hole I place next.
The buff edges to the secondary wing-feathers in the Willow-
Tit are easily confused with lights reflected along the edges
of the same feathers in the Marsh-Tit. The difference in
the black of the head and shape of tail is not easy to see
unless you have the two birds together.

72 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. vit.

As I have searched nearly every likely place in this and
neighbouring parishes without further success, the Willow-
Tit may be considered rare in this district.

Rogpert E. CHEESMAN.

WILLOW-TIT BREEDING IN CHESHIRE,

On April 21st, 1914, I watched at close quarters a pair of
Willow-Tits (Parus a. kleinschmidti) feeding in an oak at
Dunham Woodhouses, Cheshire. I followed them to a large

NESTING-HOLE OF THE WILLOW-TIT.
(Photographed by H. H. Storey).

willow on the bank of the River Bollin, and found them
at their nesting-hole in a rotten part of the tree. When I
visited the place again on May 27th I found the birds busy
feeding their young—almost entirely on small greenish-yellow
grubs. On both dates they uttered almost perpetually a
‘chee’ note, occasionally prefacing it with a few thin,
sharp notes. I noticed that one of the birds was rather
duller in appearance and browner on the crown than the
other, though the brown-black colour of the cap was quite
evident in both.

VOL. VIII.] NOTES. 73

After the young had flown I examined the nesting-hole
and nest: the hole opened almost immediately (in about
two inches) into a practically circular cavity, which had
evidently been hollowed out by the birds themselves, though
I did not actually see them at work ; the cavity was 6} inches
deep, and about 5} inches across. The bottom of the cavity

WILLOW CONTAINING THE WILLOW-TIT’S NESTING-HOLE
AT DUNHAM WOODHOUSES, CHESHIRE.
(Photographed by H. H. Storey).

was quite rounded and smooth, like a saucer; on this the
actual nest lay. It was of fair size and quite compact, but
was made of very light materials and weighed only half an
ounce. Very fine wool, hair and vegetable fibre (such as is
found on sallows after they have flowered), with a few small
feathers and some little pieces of dried grass, were woven
together into a thick mat with a good deal of powdered
rotten wood.

EF

74 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

Mr. T. A. Coward saw the birds on May 30th and confirmed
my identification.

The only previous nest in Cheshire was that found near
Bowdon in 1913 by Mr. T. A. Coward (Vol. VIL, p. 116).
The bird probably occurs sparingly throughout the district,
though we have only seen it rarely, and it is evidently not
at all common. The accompanying photographs showing
the nesting-hole and the surroundings were taken by
Mr. H. H. Storey. A. W. Boyp.

UNUSUAL NESTING-SITE OF MISTLE-THRUSH.

TAKING shelter under a small shed during a storm in east
Devon, I was surprised to see the nest of a Mistle-Thrush
(Turdus v. viscivorus) placed on the angle of two beams. It
was composed largely of stiing and contained four eggs.
Lewis R. W. Loyp.

[Though the site mentioned is very unusual for this species,
it is not unprecedented. Mr. S. G. Cummings found a nest
in the gable end of a ruined cottage at Rhosneigr, Anglesey.
Mr. G. A. B. Dewar also reports a nest resting on a project-
ing beam under the eaves of a house, and in the Isle of Man
several instances of nests on buildings have been recorded,
the most remarkable being behind the letters advertising
a chemist’s shop in front of a row of houses at Port Erin
(Birds of the Isle of Man, p. 3). Nests on rocks and in
quarries or stone walls have been frequently reported.—
F.C.R.J.]

[In 1901 I found and photographed a nest built on a
horizontal beam, some twelve feet from ground, against the
angle of two adjacent walls inside a large barn at Ewhurst,
Sussex. In the following year, at the same place, I photo-
graphed a nest with four eggs, built on the top of three
wooden hurdles leaning against an iron fence that separated
two grass fields.—N.F.T. ie

UNUSUALLY LARGE CLUTCH OF REDBREAST’S
EGGS.
It may be considered of sufficient interest to record a clutch
of no less than nine eggs of the Robin (Dandalus r. melophilus).
The nest was found in a bank in east Devon on April 24th,
1914, and then contained six eggs. The fact that one egg
was laid each day from then until April 27th inclusive, tends
to show that the eggs were the product of one female, unless,
of course, a second female started to lay some time after
the first. Howard Saunders, writing of the number of eggs
laid by the Robin, says “ occasionally as many as seven or

er’

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 75
even eight,” but no other authority to whom I have been
able to refer gives more than seven as the maximum.
Lewis R. W. Loyp.
[Clutches of eight eggs of the Robin have been recorded
on several occasions, from Fifeshire, N.B. (Ann. Scott. Nat.
Hist., 1906, p. 143), North Wales (C. S. Meares), etc. Mr.
EK. B. Dunlop found a nest with nine eggs near Windermere
in 1905, and noted that the eggs were not all laid on con-
secutive days. He also mentions a nest with ten eggs.—

F.C.R.J.]

CURIOUS SITE FOR A BLACKBIRD’S NEST.

Tuts spring a Blackbird (Turdus m. merula) has nested in
a very strange place. A deep sewer was being constructed

ie) oe

Bey
oa

BLACKBIRD’S NEST IN AN EXCAVATION 16 FEET FROM
THE SURFACE.

(Photographed by Mr. C. Hennell).

and excavations were made some twenty feet deep in a
sandy soil involving boards and struts; at an angle in the
boarding sixteen feet below the surface, as shown in the
photograph, a Blackbird built her nest and laid four eggs.
Notwithstanding the fact that the trench was used and
workmen constantly passed the nest, she hatched off three
eggs, and when the young had flown the trench was filled in.
This was in an open field about fifty yards from a wood.
WALTER CAVE.

76 BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit. |

CURIOUS BREAK IN NESTING ACTIVITIES OF
HOUSE-MARTINS.

A NuMBER of House-Martins (Hirundo u. urbica) made their
first appearance for the year at Branscombe, in east Devon,
on the afternoon of April 20th, 1914. From early morning
of the next day until after dusk they were busy collecting
material from the edge of a neighbouring stream and flying
off to a barn close at hand under the eaves of which a great
number of nests are built. Owing to the wild weather
experienced each winter in this locality, nothing but the

remnants of a few old nests were left, and there was not one .

that could have been rebuilt under many days. On the
morning of the 22nd, a little more work was done, but from
noon on that day until May 8th not a bird was to be seen
working, although there appeared to be nothing in the state
of the weather, or the mud at the edge of the stream, to
hinder them. Lewis R. W. Loyp.

INCREASE OF TUFTED DUCK BREEDING IN
NORTHUMBERLAND.

THERE is a considerable increase in the Tufted Duck (Nyroca
fuligula) breeding in Northumberland this season. More
are breeding at Alnwick: I noted four broods of seven,
four, seven, and three on the lake at Newton in south
Northumberland, and several broods at MHallington and
Netherwitton. If sportsmen will refrain from shooting
them there is little doubt that Tufted Ducks will become
established as breeding-birds all about the county.

M. PORTAL.

GREAT SHEARWATERS AT ST. KILDA.

On June 19th, 1914, when boating in Village Bay, St. Kilda,
off Dun, with Mr. A. G. Ferguson of Glasgow, we came up
with a Great Shearwater (Puffinus gravis) which had been
about in the bay for some days. The bird was very tame,
and was easily secured. It proved to be a mature male, but
very thin, and from the appearance on dissection, was
certainly not breeding this year. On June 26th Finlay
McQueen found another floating dead in the bay.

K. W. WADE.

[A good many Great Shearwaters have been seen and
several obtained from time to time near St. Kilda, generally

:
4

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 77

from June to August. Eggs of the Great Shearwater were
obtained by Mr. P. C. Keytel in the Tristan d’Acunha group
of islands, and there is no doubt that the bird’s breeding
quarters are in the islands of the South Atlantic, and that
it migrates northwards in our summer.—EDs. |

EARLY NESTING OF TURTLE-DOVE.

It may be of interest to record that I discovered a Turtle-
Dove (Streptopelia t. turtur) sitting on her eggs at Edenbridge,
Kent, on May 15th, 1914, which would appear to be a very
early date for this species. H. H. Farwie.

[The date is decidedly early, but we have the following
records: Nest and one egg, Essex, May Ist (J. H. Owen) ;
nest and two eggs, Sussex, May 19th (Bull. B.O.C., XXX.,
pp. 144 and 147); nest and two eggs, Warwick, May 19th ;
(t.c.. XXXII, p. 144), two nests with two eggs each,
Cambridgeshire, May 16th and 18th, 1893, and nest with
two young (two or three days old), May 22nd, 1893
(N.F.T.).—Eps.]

ROSEATE TERNS IN IRELAND.

On June 5th, 1914, when visiting the nesting site of
the Roseate Tern (Sterna d. dougallit) discovered in 1913
(cf. Vol. VIL, p. 186), I identified only two pairs and an
odd bird of this species from amongst the other Terns.
By July 6th, on which date a second visit was made to the
spot, not a single Roseate Tern was to be seen or heard. It
can be assumed, therefore, that the birds noted on June 5th
left the place during the interval of the two visits, and did
not attempt to breed there. It is well known that Terns
change their breeding-grounds from time to time for reasons
not yet explained, and possibly this habit predominates
to a greater extent in the Roseate Tern than it does in the
case of either the Common or Arctic Tern.

G. R. HUMPHREYS.

LONG-TAILED SKUAS IN CUMBERLAND,
YORKSHIRE AND IRELAND.

Waite walking along the shore at Drigg, Cumberland, on
June llth, 1914, I picked up a dead Long-tailed Skua
(Stercorarius longicaudus) which had apparently been washed
ashore. The bird was in full plumage, and the two central
tail-feathers were 94 ins. longer than the rest of the tail-
feathers. I forwarded it to Dr. Clubb, Director of the

78 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVOL. VIII.

Liverpool Museum, but it was only possible to preserve —

the wings and tail: As this Skua is very uncommon on the ~

west coast of England, this occurrence may be of interest.
E. U. Savace.

An example of the Long-tailed Skua was killed at
Withens Reservoir, Cragg Vale, in the Hebden Bridge
district, south-west Yorkshire, on June 14th, 1914, by
Mr. V. Jowett. It was despatched to the Morley Museum,

{
|
:

the Curator, Mr. E. J. Gentry, kindly informing me of the :

occurrence. Answering my inquiry of a later date, Mr.
Gentry states that the bird was identified by Mr. Parkin,
taxidermist, of Wakefield, who has been entrusted with its
preservation. The two central tail-feathers were six inches
longer than the other tail-feathers. Nelson (Birds of York-
shire, II., p. 706) states that this bird’s visits, as a rule, take
place in autumn only; and that the earliest example was
taken alive at Redcar on June 20th, 1849, a most unusual
date for the occurrence of any bird of this family so far
south. He also adds that the bird has not been recorded
on the spring passage northwards, but that doubtless it
occurs at that period. WALTER GREAVES.

WHEN fishing on Lough Arrow, co. Sligo, I spent some time
on June llth, 1914, in the company of a Long-tailed Skua,
a most absurdly tame bird. It was feeding close to the boat
on May-flies, and I quite believe I could have caught it in
the landing net had I wished to do so. I first heard of the
bird from a friend fishing there about June 7th or 8th, and
from others also. Nobody knew what it was. I was
unlucky enough to expose the only three films I had with me
when I first came across the bird, and before I found out
how very tame it was. Had I but waited I could have got
a photograph of it sitting on the shore not more than five
or six feet away from me.

I have never seen a more graceful flier: it simply glided
about through the air without apparent effort. I have
been assured that birds have no power of movement in the
extremities of long tail-feathers, but the accompanying photo-
graph of the bird flying and just about to alight on the
water seems to indicate otherwise.

On May 3lst, a friend also fishing with me on Lough
Arrow, told me he had seen a bird which he thought must be
a Skua, though he only knew the bird from books. From
his description I concluded it was a Richardson’s or else
Pomatorhine. On my sending him a print of the Long-tailed
Skua, he said that his Skua was not the one I photographed,

VOL. VIII. ] NOTES. 79

as his had no white on it at all, so that.it would appear
that there were two Skuas on the lake when we were there.

LONG-TAILED SKUA ON LOUGH ARROW, JUNE 117TH, 1914.
ABOUT TO ALIGHT.
(Photographed by J. A. Dockray).

It is hardly surprising, as we had most tempestuous and
cold weather. Joun A. DockRay.

MOORHEN COVERING EGGS.

Mr. J. H. Owern’s note on page 54 reminds me of
a correspondence on this subject in the Zoologist (1898,
p- 506; 1899, pp. 30 and 81). Seebohm in his History of
British Birds (Il., p. 561) stated that “the Waterhen
generally covers her eggs when she leaves the nest with
pieces of surrounding vegetation,” and Dixon in his Game
Birds and Wild-Fowl of the British Isles (p. 85 of the 4to
Kdition) also said: ‘‘ When the sitting bird leaves the nest,
it covers the eggs with bits of vegetation.” In support of
this statement Dixon gives the names of Bewick, Waterton,
Naumann, Stevenson and Stanley and refers to an instance

80 ‘ BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL a

in Stanley’s History of Birds (p. 299). Mr. A. Bankes —
(Zool. 1899, p. 82) also describes how a Moorhen, disturbed —
from a nest with nine eggs, partly covered them with pieces
of seaweed and a fresh green leaf or two. It is evident,
however, that this is not the usual habit of this species,
though occasional instances do undoubtedly occur, for every
field worker must have seen scores of nests which were
not so covered, and the statements by Seebohm and Dixon
are examples of the fallacy of founding a general rule upon
particular exceptions. F. C. R. JOURDAIN.

MOORHEN HATCHING TWO BROODS IN ONE NEST.

On April 25th, 1914, I found.a nest of a Moorhen (Gallinula
ch. chloropus) containing nine eggs. The nest was built in
the top of a thorn bush some ten feet high and had as a
foundation an old Blackbird’s or Song-Thrush’s nest. The
entire clutch was safely hatched and the young swimming
about on May Ist. On June 4th, while fishing, I was
surprised to see a Moorhen come off the same nest, which
on examination proved again to contain nine eggs. The
whole of these, too, were successfully hatched by June 12th.
Lewis R. W. Loyp.
[Stevenson, Birds of Norfolk (IL, p. 415), says that as
many as three broods are sometimes reared in a season
from one nest.—F.C.R.J. |

BiackcaP SINGING IN WINTER IN OXFORDSHIRE.—Mr.
O. V. Aplin records (Zool. 1914, p. 237) a male Sylvia a.
atricapilla in his garden at Bloxham on February 28th, 1914.
“Tt sang a little but only got out one good high note.” On
March 13th it sang well.

FunLMAr Petrets at Burr or Lewis.—Mr. R. Clyne notes
(Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 165) that for the first time some examples
of Fulmarus g. glacialis were seen at Butt of Lewis on
April 24th, 1914, and a few remain “evidently intending
to breed.” The cliffs here are only about 100 feet high.
Last year Fulmars were reported as breeding on the east
side of Lewis (cf. B.B., Vol. VIL., p. 203).

_ | Field-Studies of Some
Ee ‘Rarer British Birds
| By JOHN WALPOLE- BOND

‘Anthoi of “ Bird Life in’ Wild Wales,” and Part-Author of ‘* The Book
of the Open Air.”, _

Demy 8vo. | About 330 pp. >! 7s. 6d. net.

“As a work of first- ana pbsetatiba ens book must
appeal to Ornithologists, and oe to those interested in
the nesting-habits of birds.

: The scope of the book is: indicated by the following
titles .of - chapters : —

: Dartford Warblers The once-Common Buzzard
Z The Pied Flycatcher In Highland haunts of Eagles
Sussex Crossbills Irish Golden Eagles.

Cirl Buntings in Siiscex The once-Common Red Kite

Choughs Peregrine Falcons —
Rar The habits of the Hobby
Ravens

é Pot ‘ The Merlin on the Moors -
ve Concerning the Waod-Latk | pre taunts of the Gadwall

3 Pies Opdeuck Oye Habits of the Black
jet Hen-Harriers Guillemot

: PRESS OPINIONS.

The ‘‘Field” says :—‘* Mr. Walpole-Bond is a good’ field

ae naturalist. .. .. Those who, like himself, have paid attention tosuch matters

ry . for many years will appreciate his remarks i in proportion, as they tend to

Ba ~ confirm their own observations, while less experience d readers will discover

‘much that will be new to them, and which, in several cases we. have
noted, is not to be found even in well-known works on British birds.”

The ‘‘ Times” ‘says :—‘‘ Mr, Walpole-Bond isa good example of
—the first-hand observer, who writes simply: .and clearly about what
he sees.”

‘The ‘‘ Scotsman” says :—‘‘ As a. field-naturalist,, endowed with
the keen) eye and ear, which; together with ample kniwledge, are
indispensable requirements’ of his pursuits, Mr. Walpole-Bond can have
few superiors among the ast Ses of the island.”

“London; WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

: From WIT HERB Y & Go. 2 LIS 7 ee ‘
-Field- Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JOHN WaLPoLe-BonpD, author of ‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.” eRe
Demy 8vo.; cloth ; 320 pages. 7s. 6 a net

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J, H. Gurney; F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. : illustrated with coloured plates, Palle

drawings and maps, and reproductions from photographs; square

demy 8yvo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. Sd. net.

My Game-Book.

By ALAN R, Hatc-Brown. The Author unites a passionate love ‘of the

chase with a knowledge of Nature. nee He aie 3.250 pages;
cloth. Ss. ad

: Conpine in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By Ausy ie

TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A;, F.LiS., FZ.Si,. etc. ; with 32. plates and a

map; 320 pages; cloth; demy Svo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.”

By E. C. SruarT Baxer, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; \with»27 beautiful

coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo.; .half bound morocco,
gilt top. ‘£2 10s, net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa. —

By Majo. Boyp HorspruGH, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S: ;: with 67 anes!

coloured plates $ half morocco, gilt top.
£4 14s, net, or unbound parts £4 4s, nets

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By ERNST. HARTERT, F., C.) Ri’ FO ROLIN: N. F. TiopHtuRst, and

H. F. WITHERBY.

7s. Gd. net. . Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s. net.

A DICTIONARY OF in.

English and Folk-Names of British Birds,

By H: Kirke Swann. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-

lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. . About 300 pages ; aay 8vo.; cloth.

The Emu.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Illustrated with

half-tone and coloured’ plates.

Quarterly Parts 4s..each. Annual subscription 1 5s. a

Messrs, Witherby & Co. have been appointed MrORSy Agents of The Encu,

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the-British Tig, s
| Edited by H.-F. WirHeERsy, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., assisted by Rev. F. CR.

JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.O.U., and N. F. TICEHURST, MA) CRORES S:;
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

‘Yearly, TOs, Gd., post free ; Monthly, 1s. net. ss

LONDON: 326, HIGH Risteaaiesiath

1 Os. net.

oe pee ee ae

BRITISH

Vol. VIII.
No. 4

SEPTEMBER 1,
1914.

Vy 4\

, \ \\\ \

% \ \
ar

MONTHLY ‘ONE'SHILLING-NET
S26HIIGIHIOLDORNICNDON
WITHERBY & Ce

‘Limited to 260 Copies. Only a few. Cop ies remain for Subscription, % Wee

The Birds of Australia.

GREGORY M. MATHEWS, F.R.s.5., M.A.0.U., M.B.0.U.
With Hand-coloured Plates. :
‘IN TWO-GUINEA QUARTERLY’ PARTS.

Prospectus, with specimen piate, and full particulars on application:
>

VOLUMES I, Il. and Ill. NOW COMPLETE.

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Maturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History:

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &., PRESERVED and nptdl hats by FIRST- CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATUR

All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied.

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Grogs.)

Citeloune (102 pp.) post free.

Part 9, completing the Work, will be ready about August to Sept.

The British Warblers

A History with Problems of their Lives
By H. ELIOT HOWARD, F.z.s., M.B.0.U.

Parts 1 to 8 now ready, with 30 Coloured Plates,
49 Photogravures and 10 Maps, Price £8 8s. net.

Fnll instructions as to binding, etc., will be issued in the last part.

AVICULTURAL MAGAZINE, from Vol. 2, First
Series, to Vol. 2, Third Series (1895 to 1911) ; a nice set
newly bound in cloth, with over 250 coloured and black
plates, £6 6s, net.

Another copy in the Society’s cloth cases, good condition,
£6 6s. net. Odd volumes at one-third published price.

A large stock of “*IBIS” on hand, from 10s. per vol.

Books bought, sold or exchanged, send list of wants:
Bird Books are our Speciality.

R. H. PORTER, & Princes Street, Cavendish

Square, London,

DRIDSABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JOURDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ConTENTS OF NuMBER 4, Vou. VIII. SrpremBer 1, 1914.

PaGE
A Report on the Land-Rail Inquiry. By H. G. Alexander 82
Riuppell’s Warbler in Sussex. A New British Bird BE 93
Notes :—
Twites in Shropshire in Summer (H. E. Forrest) .. be 97
Early Breeding of Lesser Whitethroat and Blackcap

(R. Burnier) ty He oe ae se Re 97
Wrens Laying in Year-old Nests (Lewis R. W. Loyd) .. 98
Cuckoo in House-Sparrow’s Nest (H. E. Forrest) .. 50 98
Sparrow-Hawks’ Method of Feeding Young (Dr. F. G.

Penrose) ae ar i a ae Bs ae 98
Night-Heron in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) at 56 100
Bartram’s Sandpiper in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. 101
Redshanks breeding inland in Kent (Robert E. Cheesman) 101
Common Gull breeding in Cumberland (F. W. Smalley) .. 101
Moorhen Covering Eggs (John R. B. Masefield) if 102
Destruction of Grouse in a Storm in Yorkshire

(IT. H., Nelson)... a ai 56 as a 102

Short Notes :—Early nesting in Scotland in 1914. Mealy
Redpolls in Staffordshire. Wilow-Tit nesting in
Renfrew. Garganey Breeding in Kent. Possible
Breeding of Tufted-Duck and Pochard in Northants.
Little Gull in Fifeshire in June ae os AY 103

Map to show the Centres from which information has been received regarding the
Status of the Land-Rail.

( 83 )

A REPORT ON THE LAND-RAIL INQUIRY.
BY

H. G. ALEXANDER, s.B.0.v.

OBSERVATIONS on the status of the Land-Rail (Crex
crex) aS a breeding species have been sent in from
over one hundred and seventy centres in England and
Wales and from a few in Scotland and Ireland. The
schedules received in 1913 dealt very thoroughly with
some districts in England, but a number of counties
were quite untouched; accordingly, this year I have
tried to get information from the latter districts,
and have not asked for further information from last
year’s observers. To some extent the gaps have been
filled, but, as will be seen from the map, there are
still considerable areas from which no information has
been sent, including the counties of Cornwall, Oxford,
Huntingdon, Northampton, Rutland, and Durham.
The information from Wales is still very meagre. I
have consulted the Victoria County Histories and the
recent county books, as well as various notes in the
Zoologist, chiefly in 1911, when a correspondence took
place on the subject.

The centres marked on the map are not, of course,
all of equal value; some observers have been able to
send information derived from various sources over
quite a large area—even a whole county—and for a
number of years, whilst others—unfortunately their
number is much larger—have only been able to give the
facts for one or two years over a few square miles.

I think it will be most satisfactory to give an outline
of the facts for each county.

Beginning in the south-west, the Land-Rail was
described as rather scarce in CoRNWALL in 1906 (Vict.
Hist.) though formerly abundant. The two observers
in Devon have no recent information of any breeding
in their districts, though some used to breed about

84. BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. vit. ’

Kingsbridge some twenty years ago; the Victoria
History (1906) describes it as rare in the south, but
frequently breeding in the north.

In all parts of Dorsret the Land-Rail is regarded
as a vanishing or vanished species (Phenological Report
of Dorset N.H. and Antiquarian Field Club, 1914),
and the several reports from separate districts fully
bear this out. It appears never to have been common
within recent times, but there were a few twenty years
ago, whereas now hardly one remains. It is frequently
noted (and shot) on the autumn migration, as in many
other districts where few breed.

In the south of SOMERSET very few remain, but in
the Mendips there seem to be rather more, and they
are holding their own at the present time; thirty or
forty years ago, however, they were far more abundant.
In south GLOUCESTER they are again very scarce, but
in the north, chiefly in the river flats, a few still breed
—as many as three or six to the square mile in some
parts; but here also there used to be more. It is
noted that the numbers fluctuate from year to year,
although the general tendency is a decrease; this
seems to apply in many parts of the country, but,
comparing the fluctuations in different districts, I
cannot see that any one year is shown to be specially
favourable or unfavourable to the species: the
fluctuations are merely local.

Every observer in WILTSHIRE notes a decrease in the
last ten years, but a very few Land-Rails, or at least an
occasional single pair, still remain in most parts. In
HAMPSHIRE the numbers are even smaller; in the New
Forest region a few are still found annually, without
any apparent diminution, but elsewhere both to west
and east the decrease has reached vanishing point:
it seems to have begun at least twenty years ago. A
few are still noted in the north of the county, and in
the uplands of BERKSHIRE, but in most parts of the
latter county none breed at the present day; in the

VoL. vil.] LAND-RAIL INQUIRY REPORT. 85

Thames valley the Land-Rail was common twenty
years ago.

In 1889, according to the Birds of Oxfordshire, the
species was locally abundant. In south OxrorpD it
appears to have been very common in the ’seventies,
and possibly no less abundant in the north, but in
1903 it had become quite rare, as recorded in the
Zoologist; by 1911, when correspondence on the subject
took place, no further change had been noted: a single
pair was still observed from time to time, but no
more. In BucKINGHAMSHIRE there are still a few;
ten years ago they were more common. In 1912
there appear to have been more than usual.

An exceptionally large number of Land-Rail
observers seems to inhabit HERTFORDSHIRE, and
fortunately their evidence is practically unanimous.
For twenty years at least a decrease has taken place,
but a few pairs still remain in various districts, and
most of these return year after year; however, some
fluctuations have been noticed in the last three or four
years. The evidence from BEDFORDSHIRE, though
much less, suggests that the same remarks might be
applied to that county.

In MippLESEXx occasional pairs have been noticed
in the last ten years, but apparently only for single
years. This seems to be the condition of things also
in Surrey, Sussex, and Kent. North of the Surrey
downs, about the Eden valley and locally in west Sussex,
very small numbers still occur regularly, but in every
other part the notes are of single pairs breeding for
one year and then disappearing again, or else of a
complete absence of the species, except on the autumn
migration. In some districts the Land-Rail was
formerly quite common, and in almost all it appears
to have been known as a_ regular breeding-bird
forty to twenty years ago, except, perhaps, in east
Kent (where no memory recalls it as ever common),
but most observers record its disappearance fifteen

86 BRITISH BIRDS. [Vou. vit.

to twenty years ago or earlier, even in the flat clay
country of the Weald, where it was evidently quite
common.

In Essex the decrease was first observed in the
‘seventies or even in the ‘fifties; at the present day
only occasional pairs are noted as breeding from time
to time. The recent information from SUFFOLK is
to the same effect, but it was evidently not a rare
Species many years ago. In Norrotk the decrease
seems to have taken place rather more recently, and
a few still nest in the north-east of the county, but in
other parts it has been absent for at least ten or fifteen
years, perhaps longer. The only positive information
from CAMBRIDGESHIRE is of a pair in the Cam flats in
1914; it is evidently some years since it was a regular
breeding-bird. The statement made in 1904 that it

was “common” (Handbook of Nat. Hist. of Camb.)

suggests that the decrease has been rapid.

I have been unable to discover anything about
HUNTINGDONSHIRE; in 1902 the vague statement
is made that the Land-Rail was “common” in
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE (Vict. Hist.), but this seems rather

——

unlikely. In Rurzanp, in 1907 and 1908, it was

regarded as by no means common and much decreased
(Birds of Rutland and Vict. Hist.). In LINcoLNSHIRE
the species is evidently scarce, but not extinct;
in some parts the numbers fluctuate. Quite in the
north it is fairly regular—about one to a square mile
on the Wolds and rather more in the marshes.

In south NOTTINGHAMSHIRE a few remain: formerly
it was very plentiful (Vict. Hist., 1906). Some still
occur annually in LEICESTERSHTRE. In south DERBY
the Land-Rail had decreased very much, but they were
common in 1908, increased in 1911, and have appeared
in fair numbers since; further north in the meadows
below the Pennines the number is still estimated
as six pairs to a square mile.

‘

vou. vit.}] LAND-RAIL INQUIRY REPORT. 87

Except locally, in the Malverns, and at Tamworth
and Hampton-in-Arden, a steady decrease has been
noted throughout STAFFORDSHIRE, WARWICKSHIRE, and
WORCESTERSHIRE. From a district in north Worcester-
shire the actual number of pairs observed each year
is given, showing a steady decrease from seven pairs
in 1906 to one in 1913; to the present time a few pairs
remain in all parts of these three counties. There
appear to be more in the Severn and Avon valleys
than in most districts.

In HEREFORDSHIRE no decrease has been noted in
the last few years, except near Hereford, where there
were fewer in 1908 and subsequently. In MonmoutTH
a gradual decrease is noted, but the species is still
not rare.

The few records from south Wales are as follows:
none in south-west GLaMoRGAN for ten years; none
but an occasional pair in east Brecon for twenty
years but more in the ’eighties; in east RADNOR an
increase has been noted lately, but the numbers are
subject to variation; in CARMARTHEN the Land-Rail
is evidently not rare, though somewhat diminished
in numbers recently, and the same is the case in south
CARDIGAN.

In MERIoNETH it is decreasing locally, but fairly
common in some districts; in DENBIGH and FLINT
the numbers appear to be fairly well maintained,
whilst in ANGLESEY, the Lleyn district of Carnarvon,
and on Bardsey Island, the Land-Rail is still evidently
a really abundant species.

Returning to England, we find that four observers
in SHROPSHIRE all speak of a decrease in the last twenty
years, but a few pairs still breed regularly in all parts.
In CuEsHtreE the numbers are fairly well maintained in
the Mere district, but some decrease seems to have
occurred in the last ten years in other parts of that
county. ,

88 BRITISH BIRDS. [vou. vit.

In LancasurrE the decrease is only noted locally—
possibly only in the lower districts. In some parts the
species is still abundant, as it certainly is in the YorxK-
SHIRE dales across the Pennines ; even here fluctuations
are noted. In the vale of York the species is said to
have become comparatively scarce in recent years,
but it is certainly not at all rare. In the south of the
county a decrease has evidently taken place, but in
the East Riding, Land-Rails are still fairly plentiful
on the Wolds and common about Scarborough and
Pickering (at Scarborough the evidence is conflicting).
Near Northallerton very few breed as compared with
former years.

In WESTMORLAND a decrease is noted in the last ten
years, but in most parts of CUMBERLAND, except on
the east, the bird appears to be abundant and no change
is recorded in its numbers.

In Duruam, according to the Victoria History (1905),
the numbers have much diminished lately. The six
observers in NORTHUMBERLAND all record it as a
common species, which shows no decrease: in one
locality an increase is noted.

The observations from Scottanp and IRELAND are
few, and no certain conclusion can be drawn from them.
Nevertheless it would seem that in Scotland some
decrease is taking place in parts of the lowlands, at
any rate in Midlothian and one or two other places,
but elsewhere no great change is remarked. In all
the northern and western districts, wherever any
suitable ground occurs for their nesting, Land-Rails
are apparently very abundant, possibly even increasing.
This applies to the islands even more than to the
mainland.

In Ireland one or two cases of decrease are noted in
the extreme south-east and east, but the few records
from other parts show that it is an abundant species in
many parts, whilst in the north and west Land-Rails
are said to swarm, and if possible to be increasing.

vot. vi.} LAND-RAIL INQUIRY REPORT. 89

It will be seen that in England, throughout the
south and east—at any rate from Devon to Lincolnshire
and including the south-east Midlands—the Land-Rail
can no longer be regarded as a regular breeding species,
although a very few birds still nest from year to year
in almost every county. In south Wales, the west
of England and all the Midlands, to the foot of the
Pennines and the Yorkshire moors, a fairly general
decrease, apparently of more recent origin, is still
taking place, except in a few.river-valleys and perhaps
some of the high ranges of hills. But throughout
the Pennine region and to the west of it the decrease
is scarcely appreciable ; in all these parts off the actual
moorland the species is still very abundant.

Everywhere the birds are recorded as inhabiting
grass or clover, and only occasionally corn as well.

Numerous attempted explanations are given to
account for the decrease: some recorders suggest that
shooting the birds in autumn, or the increase of
telegraph and telephone wires, against which they are
often killed, may be partly responsible. The corn-
drill, it is suggested, has made it impossible for birds
to nest in the cornfields, and in some parts the turning
of grassland into corn or the reverse, or the decrease
in the amount of clover-fields, are brought forward as
contributory causes. But by far the most popular
view is that the machines now in general use for cutting
the hay destroy many nests which were formerly
spared, and that this is responsible for the decrease.

It does not seem likely that either of the first two
suggestions can have any real effect on the numbers
of any common bird. It is well known that so long as
a species is at all common, nothing short of a sustained
and wholesale slaughter at almost all times of year
has any noticeable effect on the number breeding each
year; there always seem to be spare birds to fill up
the gaps (though what happens to them when there
are no gaps to fill is a mystery) amongst all the

90 BRITISH BIRDS. — [VoL. vii.

common species of a district. Personally, I should find
it much easier to believe that the corn-drill was partly
responsible, for its effect would be to limit the number
of possible breeding-sites; only it does not appear
from the information received that any considerable
proportion of Land-Rails now nest, or have ever nested,
in corn. If, however, it could be shown that before
the drill was used cornfields were the usual nesting-
places, I think the evidence would be strongly in
favour of this solution.. But we should still want
to know how it came about that in some districts
they managed to adapt themselves to changing cireum-
stances, and nested in the grass and clover (as they
seem now to do wherever they are common), whilst
in other districts they succumbed to the change. As
for changes in the type of cultivation, these do not
seem to be sufficiently identical over the large area
affected to provide a satisfactory explanation. The
machines used in cutting the hay certainly have more
to be said for them. If the objection made to the
autumn shooting and telegraph wire solutions were
raised again here, I think it would be fair to answer that
the effect of the machines is much greater and more
general, and still more that it affects the species in the
most vital way possible by killing off an immense
proportion of the new stock every year; it does not
kill chance individuals, some old, some young, but it
kills whole families of young. Moreover, the machine
is, I believe, used far more in the parts where the
Land-Rail has been practically exterminated than in
the north and west of our islands.

In spite of all this I am not quite satisfied. There
is evidence provided by various observers which
militates against even this last theory. One observer,
‘in fact, in the north-west of England records the Land-
Rail as increasing, adding significantly that this is
very difficult to explain, seeing that machines destroy
the families every year. Possibly the truth is that

vou. vi.] LAND-RAIL INQUIRY REPORT. 91

we are too apt to explain things as the direct result
of human instrumentality. I do not doubt that
civilization has had a vast effect on the whole of nature
in this and all other civilized countries ; but this effect
is brought about much less by actual destruction of
species than by indirect means: when man reclaims
virgin ground he changes the balance of nature far
more even than when he becomes an inveterate collector
of specimens. If it could be shown that any of the
changes in agriculture in the last fifty years had in-
directly affected either the food-supply or the supply
of nesting-sites of the Land-Rail we should soon know
the cause of its decrease; but at present I doubt if
enough is known of the bird’s requisites to permit
even of speculation on the subject.

The decrease of the Land-Rail, however, is no mere
isolated phenomenon, and it must not be treated as if it
were. Many other species show a marked tendency
either to decrease or to increase, and we know no more
why the Redpoll and Hawfinch have increased than
why the Land-Rail and Martin have decreased. I
am inclined to think that ornithologists, in common
-perhaps with other naturalists, have been too much
disposed to regard evolution as a process which
works so slowly that no natural change can be
expected to show itself in any period short of a
million years; and consequently, when they see an
evolutionary change (even of distribution) taking place
rapidly under their own eyes, they resort to the
explanation that man is upsetting nature. How-
ever this may be, it is clear that a proper com-
prehension of the problems of distribution, in particular
those of changing distribution, can only be gained by
a study of ecology; and from the ornithological point
of view ecology is still in its infancy. If this Land-
Rail inquiry should serve to stimulate a further study
of ornithological ecology it will have had some value ;
and in any case I hope it may make it easier for

92 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. vin.

someone in a few years’ time to determine the true
cause of the decrease of the Land-Rail.

In conclusion, I must thank everyone who has made
this paper possible. I have purposely refrained from
mentioning a single name, for if I had mentioned one
I should have had to mention all who have sent
information, and forty more whose writings I have
consulted. In case I have made any errors, I hope
they will be corrected by those who may have
been unintentionally misrepresented, or whose facts
and opinions have been overlooked; the explanation
for such errors is that the actual compilation of this
paper has had to be done with regrettable haste.

( 93 )
RUPPELL’S WARBLER IN SUSSEX.

A New Britisu Birep.

On May 6th, 1914, I was shown a couple of small birds
in the flesh that had been obtained the previous day
in an old stone-quarry at Baldsiow, Hastings, Sussex.
Upon examination, I came to the conclusion that
they were undoubtedly examples of the rare Riippell’s
Warbler (Sylvia ruppelli). Not having any work giving
an illustration of this species, I took one of the birds
after it had been set up to Mr. T. Parkin, who sup-
ported my theory that it was a Riippell’s Warbler.

On referring to Dresser’s Birds of Europe, we found
a very good plate given, and there could be no doubt
about the species,

It seems remarkable that these two birds should
have wandered so far west, but I consider that the
unusual heat and absence of wind at this period had
a very marked effect on migrating birds. This view
is strengthened by the fact that a large number of
rare birds were recorded about this time. Living as
I do on the south coast, and having studied the move-
ments of migrants on arrival and departure for many
years, I am convinced that we get more erratic visitors
during a period of excessive heat and no wind. Such
birds I always look upon as wanderers, and of more
interest than those that are blown ashore in ‘a gale,
and are, after all, only blown out of their ‘course and
naturally alight if lucky enough to reach land.

In the case of these two Riippell’s Warblers, the
place where they were shot was just the spot for any
wanderers to our coasts to drop in, being a very large,
open, disused stone-quarry, situated in the midst of
a very large wood, and overgrown with brambles and
thick undergrowth, the accumulation of years. In
addition to having seen the birds in the flesh, I happen
to know the man who shot them, and am quite satisfied

94 BRITISH BIRDS. [vou vim.

with the result of an interview I have had with him
on the subject.

The photograph, of which a reproduction is given
here, I took as soon as the bird was mounted. It

j
;
:
j

RUPPELL’S WARBLER (MALE) SHOT ir BALDSLOW, SUSSEX,
ON MAY 57TH, 1914

gives a very good idea of the original and may be
interesting to many, as very few even of the most
expensive works give an illustration of this species.

| ) H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

VOL. VII.] RUPPELL’S WARBLER. 95

Description.—Adult male. Winter.—Fore-head, lores and
crown black, feathers lightly tipped grey; rest of upper-
parts french-grey slightly darker on upper tail-coverts ;
chin and throat black, some feathers lightly tipped white ;
from base of bill to base of ear-coverts a conspicuous white
moustachial stripe; ear-coverts dark french-grey, some-
times almost black; breast, belly and under tail-coverts
greyish-white tinged pink, centre of belly pure white:
flanks and axillaries pale grey, slightly tinged pink; tail-
feathers black, central pair and outer webs of others tinged
grey and fringed whitish, outermost pair white with only
base black, next (penultimate) pair with the tip white
extending to about distal third of inner web, next pair with
smaller white tip; wing-feathers black, tipped and fringed
on inner and outer webs greyish-white, innermost secondaries
fringed buffish-pink ; primary-coverts as primaries ; greater
coverts tinged grey and inner ones fringed buffish-pink ;
median coverts french-grey tipped whitish; lesser coverts
french-grey. This plumage is acquired by complete moult
in autumn (Sept.-Nov.). Summer.—No moult, and
abrasion causes little difference except that fringes of
wing- and tail-feathers become mostly worn off and crown
and throat become uniform black.

Adult female.—Differs from adult male in having fore-
head and crown greyish-brown with varying amount of
brownish-black usually confined to centres of feathers,
thus giving a somewhat mottled appearance, but sometimes
middle of crown is nearly black; rest of upper-parts brown
with slight greyish tinge, especially on rump; moustachial
stripe showing distinctly whiter than chin and _ throat,
which are usually buffish-white often more or less mixed
with blackish; upper-breast pale buff; flanks browner
buff; centre of breast and belly white; axillaries tinged
buff; tail- and wing-feathers as adult male but much
browner not so black; inner secondaries and greater coverts
fringed pale buff.

Nestling.—(Not examined.)

Juvenile. Male and female-—Much like adult female but
crown and throat with no trace of black; wing-feathers
and greater coverts edged and tipped buffish-brown.

First winter and summer. Male—As adult male but
crown not so uniformly black, often marked grey or brown ;
rest of upper-parts not so pure a grey, but tinged brownish ;
feathers of throat more fringed white; wing-feathers and
primary-coverts browner and edged browner; outer greater

96 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vit.

coverts and many of the median and lesser coverts also

browner. The juvenile body-plumage and a varying number

of innermost secondaries, inner greater coverts and some
median and lesser coverts are moulted in autumn, but not
rest of wings or tail. Female.—Difficult to distinguish
from adult female, but apparently less black on crown
and none on chin and throat and edgings of wings and
wing-coverts browner.

Measurements and structure—g wing 68-73mm., tail
59-64, tarsus 20.5-22, bill from skull 13-14 (14 measured).
© wing 66-69. Primaries: Ist usually about two-thirds
as long, but occasionally as long as longest primary-coverts,
3rd and 4th longest, 2nd and 5th sometimes as long but

Se ee———EeeEeEe

usually 1-3mm. shorter, 6th 3-6 shorter; 3rd to 5th —
emarginated outer webs. Secondaries between 9th and 10th —

primaries or slightly shorter, tips rounded. Bill fine. A

few short, fine nasal and rictal bristles.
Soft parts—Bill dark horn, paler at base of lower
mandible; legs, feet, and iris bright red-brown.

CHARACTERS.—The black crown and throat and white
moustachial stripes of the male are very distinctive. The
female is much like a Lesser Whitethroat, but always has
some blackish markings on the feathers of the crown,

——_—

— ve

more white on the outer tail-feathers and a shorter Ist —

primary. H. F. WriTHERBY.

The species should be added to the Hand-List as follows :— |

148a. Sylvia ruppelli Temm.—RUPPELL’S WARBLER.

SYLVIA RUPPELI (corr. riippelli) Temminck, Pl. Col. 245, fig. 1
(1823—Kandia; though occurring in Kandia (Crete) Temminck’s

type came evidently from the Red Sea or from Egypt; ¢f. —

Cretzschmar, Atlas Reise, p. 29).

Sylvia riippelli H. W. Ford-Lindsay, Brit. B., vim., p. 93.
DisTRIBUTION.—England.—Iwo males, Baldslow, Hastings,
Sussex, May 5, 1914 (ut supra).

DistRrpuTION.—Abroad.—Breeds in Greece, Asia Minor,
Crete, and probably in Palestine and Cyprus. Winters
in north-east Africa (Nubia, Red Sea).

AUTHORS OF THE Hanp-List.

i ati Sea

TWITES IN SHROPSHIRE IN SUMMER.

On July 30th, 1914, I watched for several minutes a pair
of Twites (Carduelis f. flavirostris) at Middletown, Shropshire,
close to the Montgomeryshire border. My attention was
first attracted by the call-note of the male, many times
repeated, and presently his mate came flying up and the two
flew off together towards Wales. The place where I saw
them is a rough common with clumps of gorse, bracken, etc.,
and is quite suited to the requirements of the Twite for
nesting. The observation is worth recording because the
Twite is distinctly rare here in summer, and, although Rocke
(writing in 1865) stated that it bred on the Longmynd,
neither bird nor nest has been found there since that date,
despite repeated searches. H. EK. Forrest.

EARLY BREEDING OF LESSER WHITETHROAT
AND BLACKCAP.

On April 24th, 1914, I found a nest of the Lesser White-
throat (Sylvia c. curruca) near Hitchin, Hertfordshire. It
was lined and ready for eggs. On May 2nd, 1914, a nest of
the Lesser Whitethroat was found at Bradfield, Berkshire.
It then contained five eggs, which were all hatched out on
May 17th. On May 9th I found a nest of the Blackcap
(Sylvia a. atricapilla) at Bradfield. It then contained
five eggs, three of which were hatched out on May 16th,
the remaining two being sterile. R. BuRNIER.

[The first egg in the Lesser Whitethroat’s nest mentioned
above, at Bradfield, must have been laid by April 28th.
Mr. J. H. Owen found a nest at Felsted containing four
young at least a day old on May 14th, 1912. In this case
the first egg must also have been laid in April, probably
about the same date. In Harting’s Birds of Middlesex,
p. 51, it is said that an egg was found near Willesden on
April 28th, and Mr. P. F. Bunyard (Vol. VI., p. 87) records
a nest with five eggs from Kent, on May 4th, 1912. In
this case the first egg was probably laid on April 30th.
All these occurrences are from the south of England, but
Mr. 8. G. Cummings found a nest in Cheshire with five
eggs on May 6th, 1902, and another with four eggs is
recorded from Salop on May 5th, 1912 (Rep. Caradoc and
Severn Valley F.C., 1912, p. 17).—F. C. R. Jourpaw.]

H

98 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

WRENS LAYING IN YEAR-OLD NESTS.

Between April 20th-25th, 1911, I found a nest of a Wren
(Troglodytes t. troglodytes) amongst the roots of an overturned
tree on the banks of a river in Huntingdonshire. It was lined,
but contained no eggs, and I had no further opportunity of
visiting it that year. On May 8th, 1912, curiosity led me
again to the spot. The nest remained and contained six —
eggs. In May, 1912; I found a Wren’s nest, also amongst the —
roots of a tree, on the top of a bank in east Devon. This nest —
was not laid in and was still unlined when last visited in —
1913. Passing the spot on May 9th, 1914, I found the nest
still there and containing six eggs.

This year I have carefully marked several Wrens’ nests
which have been built but not laid in, and look forward to
seeing whether they will be used for eggs in 1915. If it is
not accepted as a fact that year-old nests are frequently
used by Wrens, might I suggest that others keep observation
on some for a twelve month. Lewis R. W. Loyp.

[It is a known fact that Wrens will sometimes renovate
old nests and use them for breeding purposes, though it is
much more usual to find new nests built. At present there
are not enough data to show whether in such cases any .
preference is shown for lined (and used) or unlined nests.—

F.G.R.J.]

CUCKOO IN HOUSE-SPARROW’S NEST.

In July, 1914, some painters at work on the premises of
Mr. Salter, chemist, Castle Street, Shrewsbury, found a young
Cuckoo (Cuculus c. canorus) in the nest of a House-Sparrow,
under the eaves. They had noticed the Sparrows constantly
carrying food to the nest, even when the painters were at
work on ladders within a yard or two, but they did not
know there was a Cuckoo in it till one of them put his hand
into the nest and brought the big nestling out. He took it
down to show Mr. Salter and other people, afterwards
returning it to the nest, where the fosterers resumed feeding
as if there had been no interruption. Mr. Salter’s house is
in the very centre of the town, so that the selection of this
nest by the Cuckoo is the more remarkable. H. E. FoRREST.

SPARROW-HAWKS’ METHOD OF FEEDING YOUNG

Tue following account of the behaviour of a pair of Sparrow-
Hawks (Accipiter n. nisus) may possibly interest some of
your readers,

VoL. VIiI.] NOTES. 99

On June 24th, 1914, whilst lunching on the Downs some
few miles south of Salisbury in the shade of a belt of fir-
trees in company with my keeper J. H. Copsey and another
companion, we heard a Hawk calling, at first far away, then
nearer. On our getting up, a cock Sparrow-Hawk rose out
of the wood about a hundred yards away and disappeared
over the wood.

Copsey found the nest quite close to us and we could see
that there were some young birds in down sitting on its edge.
Whilst examining the nest from below with glasses, the hen
soared above us over the tops of the fir-trees and then flew
away in the direction in which the male had gone.

On investigating a little further, we found a fallen tree
trunk, some eighty yards north of the nest and quite close
to the spot above which we had first seen the male bird.
This trunk was evidently used as a dressing-block on which
to pluck and trim the food, as on each side of it the ground
was thickly strewn with the feathers of small birds.

We then hid ourselves. After a very short time the
hen bird returned to the wood, and after dodging about from
one tree to another finally took up her station close to the
nest. In about twenty to thirty minutes the cock bird
returned carrying a small bird in one of his feet. He settled
on a tree not far from the dressing-block, but slightly nearer
to the nest, and called to the hen once or twice. She however
did not move nor did she answer him. After a few moments
I am afraid the cock must have seen me as he flew out of
the wood, carrying the small bird with him. We hid and
watched again but nothing of interest occurred and I had
then to leave.

Copsey wrote to me a week later as follows: “‘ Now I must
say a bit about the Hawks. I had the afternoon of the
30th June with them. They had a Lark laid at the dressing-
block, that you saw, ready dressed—all but one wing. I kept
hid for three hours. The cock came and brought a Lark
close to me. He took it to three different blocks to finish
dressing it and when he had finished he had plucked every
feather of the bird, I think, for he was most careful. The
hen bird watched all the time. The cock then took the
bird close to the hen, say on a bough about four feet from
where the hen sat all the time. She made a screeching note
to him. The cock then flew straight to the nest with the
bird in his feet, and left it on the edge of the nest. The
young took no notice of him. He then flew straight away
up the wood as [if] off for another bird for them. The hen

100 BRITISH BIRDS. von. vit.

kept her place sitting for quite ten minutes after the cock
had left. She then went to the nest and broke up the bird
and fed the young, and then went up the wood to await —
the cock’s return and I think to watch the dead Lark at the
block that I first mentioned.”

Copsey adds the following note in a letter dated July 10th :
“T shall be pleased for you to mention my name because
some gamekeepers may in time read it. Should they ask any
question I shall be very pleased to inform them that the
Hawks reared their young on small birds. Not one head
of game, nor a game feather can be seen at any of the
trimming blocks in that wood, nor on the mounds [i.e. ant
hills] out on the Down you saw used by the Hawks last
year. lLarks have been their principal diet.”

I may add that besides Larks, so far as I remember, we
recognised feathers of Goldfinch, — Mistle-Thrush,
Blackbird and Song-Thrush.

The reason I have ventured to ask you to insert the above
is that at any rate for this pair, it settles the question of
which bird dresses the food for the young. F. G. PENROSE.

[The above is an interesting confirmation of Mr. E. Selous’s ©
statement (cf. Zool., 1911, pp. 179, etc.) that the female, so
far as he observed, did not pluck the prey but that this was
presumably done by the cock. Mr. Selous states, however,
that the prey is usually delivered to the female in the near
neighbourhood of the nest and only very rarely does he
deposit it on the nest.—EDs. |

NIGHT-HERON IN SHROPSHIRE.

I REcoRDED in British Birds, VI., p. 122, a Night-Heron
(Nycticorax n. nycticorax) shot on the Severn below Shrewsbury
in May, 1912. On June Ist, 1914, Cartwright, the keeper,
who shot the bird in question, and who is a reliable observer,
well acquainted with waterfowl, saw another on the same
stretch of the river. He recognised it before it came into
view by its harsh note, and the bird passed quite close over
his head in its flight down stream, giving him an excellent
view, so that he was able to identify it beyond a doubt.
He could easily have shot it if he had wished to do so.
Besides these two birds only one prior example has been
recorded in Shropshire by Eyton in 1836, so it is somewhat
remarkable that all three occurrences were on the same
stretch of river within a mile or so. It is close to Uriconium,
the buried Roman city, now in course of excavation.

H. E. Forrest.

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 101

BARTRAM’S SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX.

On July 3rd, 1914, a specimen of Bartram’s Sandpiper
(Bartramia longicauda) was picked up at Bopeep, St.
Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, by a workman. It had flown
against the telephone-wires which run along the side of
the marsh adjoining the road. It was badly damaged
about the head and neck. Thinking it was a Snipe, the
man gave it to a publican at St. Leonards, and I saw it
in the flesh the same day. It proved to be a male.

H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

REDSHANKS BREEDING INLAND IN KENT.
SINCE reading Colonel Feilden’s article on the recent nesting
of Redshanks in the Rother Valley, Sussex (Vol. VII., p. 330),
it has occurred to me that a similar incursion of breeding
Redshanks is taking place in mid-Kent, on uplands sloping
to the valley of the river Beult, at Headcorn, a tributary
of the Medway.

On April 12th, 1913, while riding in the mid-Kent Point
to Point races at Sutton Valence, I noticed a pair of
Redshanks which by their actions were evidently breeding
in a rushy meadow at the far end of the course.

On April 18th, 1914, | unfortunately did not reach the
rushy field, but a friend who went to investigate flushed
several pairs in it, all of which showed anxiety.

About the same time Mr. A. E. Cheesman, of Sissinghurst
Castle, Cranbrook, told me that a pair of Redshanks were
visiting a rush-covered corner of a meadow there—that
he had had all the sheep removed, and his men had been
told to keep out of the meadow. These somewhat drastic
measures were successful, for on May 3rd I found the
nest with four eggs slightly incubated—these have since
hatched.

This nest is twenty miles from the sea, far from rivers of
any size, and surrounded by cultivated land.

The fact that many birds were collected by Boyd Alexander
throughout a number of years in this district, and that no
mention of the Redshanks nesting nearer than Romney
Marsh appears in his notes, is sufficient evidence that
these birds are gradually extending their breeding-range over
the interior of this county away from the marshes and
river-valleys. Ropert EK. CHEESMAN.

COMMON GULL BREEDING IN CUMBERLAND.

On May 30th, 1914, on the Cumberland side of the Solway
Firth, Messrs. T. L. Johnston and James Storey found

102 BRITISH BIRDS, [VOL. VII.

a nest containing three eggs of the Common Gull (Larus —
canus) the identity of which is, to my mind, certain, as
both the old birds were seen standing beside the nest, from
a distance of less than twenty yards, and both Mr. Johnston
and Mr. Storey are well versed in all Solway birds and know
the Common Gull well. The nest was isolated, and rather
a large structure; it was placed on the side of a creek
some miles from the nearest nesting-site of L. ridibundus.
The nest can now be seen in Carlisle Museum.

One or both of the old birds have been seen several times
since, and Mr. Johnston feels certain that they have bred
again, but has failed to locate their new nesting-site.

I have personally seen both the clutch of eggs and the
nesting-site, and feel quite confident in the matter, as the
eggs of the Common Gull cannot easily be confused with
those of any other British breeding gull. Unfortunately
I did not see the gulls themselves during the short time
at my disposal, but I am certain no mistake has been
made in the identification.

This makes the second nesting site of L. canus in
England (vide A Handlist of British Birds, p. 200).

F. W. SMALLEY.

MOORHEN COVERING EGGS.

WHEN reading Mr. J. H. Owen’s note on page 54, it struck
me that such an occurrence was scarcely worth recording,
and I am rather surprised to read that Mr. Jourdain (page 80)
considers it unusual for the Moorhen to cover her eggs.
I have always considered this quite a common habit of the
Moorhen, if she has time to cover her eggs before danger
approaches too near. Last June I came across two Moor-
hens’ nests and in each case the eggs were carefully covered
with grass and water weed. JoHN R. B. MASEFIELD.
[We think that Mr. Masefield’s experience must be
exceptional, and we should like to have the opinions of
others on the subject. The proportion of nests with covered
eggs to those with uncovered eggs should be stated.—Ebs. ]

DESTRUCTION OF GROUSE IN A STORM IN
YORKSHIRE.

AFTER numerous inquiries in search of evidence as to damage
occasioned by the fall of ice on July 2nd (antea, p. 67), I have
received some interesting information from Thomas Whitwell,
Mr. K. B. Emerson’s keeper on Swainby Moor, who states

FE

vou. vit.] NOTES. 103

that a severe storm occurred there on Saturday, July 4th;
on the 2nd (the date of the storm at the Teesmouth) there
was a very heavy thunderstorm, but no hail, only very
heavy rain. The ice storm on the 4th was quite local, and
centred on Live Moor; in fact it did not extend across the
valley of Scugdale to the big moor, which runs parallel to,
and only half a mile distant from Live Moor. The ice might
be described as in lumps of all shapes and sizes up to about
three inches in length, as though a large collection of icicles
had been broken into fragments, and the duration of the
storm was about half an hour, with continuous thunder and
lightning. In places where large covies of Grouse had been
located, they were entirely wiped out, and this season is
the worst ever known there. The big moor, on the contrary,
is much above the average; quite equal to the best years
Mr. Emerson has experienced. Swainby is distant fifteen
miles §.8.W. by 8. from the Teesmouth. T. H. Newson.

Karty NEstine In ScoTLaNp IN 1914.—Mr. W. Evans
contributes an interesting note on the season of 1914 to the
Scottish Naturalist 1914, p. 163, which tends to show that the
summer-like weather of April tempted several species to
breed earlier than usual. Among the more notable records are
the following : Greenfinch, 2 eggs on April 17th in Edinburgh
district ; Rock-Pipit with recently-hatched young on May
11th on Isle of May; Wood-Warbler, 6 eggs, three or four
days incubated on May 24th (East Lothian), and Great
Spotted Woodpecker with young on May 26th (East Lothian).
That the Golden Plover frequently lays in the latter half
of April is a well-known fact, and the statements to which
Mr. Evans presumably refers in the fourth edition of Yarrell
and Seebohm’s History of British Birds have been corrected
in later works, such as Saunders’s Manual and the British
Bird Book. A Partridge’s nest with several eggs is recorded
from near Dunbar on May 3rd; an Eider Duck’s nest with
5 eggs (incubation begun) on the Isle of May on May 8th;
while one Guillemot’s egg and five Razorbill’s were seen
im situ at the same locality on May 9th, and one Guillemot’s
egg is reported to have been laid on May 7th. Three are
said to have been taken from the Bass Rock on the 8th,
and Razorbills and Puffins had eggs on the Bass on May 11th.
Kittiwakes had begun to lay on the Isle of May on May 19th.
Mr. Evans states that the dates here recorded for the
Guillemot, Razorbill and Kittiwake are the earliest among
his records for the neighbourhood, which cover a considerable
period.—F’, C. R. Jourpan,

104 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Vin. |

Meaty REDPOLLS IN STAFFORDSHIRE.—In his report on
birds in Staffordshire for 1913 (N. Staffs. Field Club, Report
1913-14), Mr. J. R. B. Masefield states that three examples
of Carduelis |. linaria were captured near Longton, in
December, 1913. This appears to be the first really
authentic record of the occurrence of the bird in the
county.

Wittow-Tirt Nestinc iy Renrrew.—Mr. T. Thornton
MacKeith records (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 164) the finding of
a nest with young of Parus a. kleinschmidti on June 6th,
1914, in Renfrewshire. It was in a rotten stump and
“was lined with wool.” The hole had been excavated by
the birds themselves.

GARGANEY BREEDING IN Kent.—At the meeting of the
British Ornithologists’ Club held on June 10th, 1914,
Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo exhibited the down and breast-
feathers from the nest of a Garganey (Anas querquedula)
found on the banks of the Eden, near Hever, Kent, on
May 27th, 1914 (Bull. B.O.C., Vol. XX XIII, p. 142). The
nest had contained eight eggs, that had just hatched, and
the duck and her young ones were afterwards seen. From
Mr. Meade-Waldo’s remarks it would appear that the
Garganey is, and has been for some time, at any rate an
occasional (if not regular) summer resident in that district
of Kent, though the actual fact of its breeding had not
hitherto been proved. This is only the third (published)
record of the nest of this species having been found in
Kent, and the first from the interior of the county, and
thus marks a considerable extension of its known breeding-
range.

PossIBLE BREEDING oF TUuFTED-DUCK AND POCHARD IN
NortHants.—Mr. O. V. Aplin saw three pairs of Nyroca
fuligula and one pair of N. f. ferina on the lakes at Fawsley
Park on May I1th, 1914, and thinks they may have been
breeding or intending to breed there (Zool. 1914, p. 238).
It should, however, be remembered that the Tufted-Duck is
a very late breeder, so that the evidence is far from conclusive
in this case. The Pochard has also been suspected of breeding
at Byfield Reservoir, but we believe that neither species
has yet been proved to breed in Northamptonshire.

LitTLeE GULL IN FIFESHIRE IN JUNE.—Miss E. V. Baxter
had several good views of a Larus minutus in an immature
stage of plumage in Largo Bay on June 10th, 1914. The
bird is seldom seen in summer (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 164).

Field-Studies of Some
Rarer British Birds

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND

Author of ‘*Bird Life in Wild Wales,” and Part-Author of ‘*The Book
of the Open Air.”

Demy 8vo. — About 330 pp. 7s. 6d. net.

As a work of first-hand observation this book must
appeal to Ornithologists, and especially to those interested in
' the nesting-habits of birds.

The scope, of the book is indicated by the following
titles of chapters :—

Dartford Warblers The once-Common Buzzard
The Pied Flycatcher In Highland haunts of Eagles
Sussex Crossbills Irish Golden Eagles |

Cirl Buntings in Sussex The piee-Common Red Kite
Choughs Peregrine Falcons

The habits of the Hobby
The Merlin on the Moors

Ms a The haunts of the Gadwall
PS eee ce Habits of the Black

Ravens

Concerning the Wood-Lark

Hen-Harriers Guillemot

PRESS OPINIONS.

The “Field” says :—‘‘ Mr. Walpole-Bond is a good field
naturalist... . Those who, like himself, have paid attention to such matters
for many years will appreciate his remarks‘in proportion, as they tend to
confirm their own observations, while less experienced readers will discover
much that will be new to them; and which, in’ several’ cases we have
noted, is not to be found even in well-known works‘on British birds.”

The ‘* Times” says :—‘‘ Mr, Walpole-Bond isa good example. of
the first-hand observer, who writes simply and clearly about what
he sees.”

The. ‘‘ Scotsman” says :—‘‘ As a field-naturalist, endowed with
the keen eye and ear which, together with ample knowledge, are
indispensable requirements of his pursuits, Mr. Walpole-Bond can have
few superiors among the ornithologists of the island.”

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

From WIT HERBY & ‘Geis L IST |
-_Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND, author of **Bird Life in Pie Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History. oe
By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates, a

drawings and maps, and reproductions from. photographs ;» square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. Gd. net.

My Game-Book.

By ALAN R. Haic-Brown. | The Author unites a passionate love of the sa
chase with a knowledge of Nature. Many ebaeaoe’ 250 pages;
cloth. 5s. nebe) 57g

Camping in Crete. :
With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Tsland. “By ‘Keaiee ;
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A., F.L:S., F.Z.S., ete. ; with 32 plates and a
map ; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C.. Stuart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; with 27. beautiful:
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo. ; half bound morocco, i
gilt top. #2 10s. net.

-Game-Birds and Water-Fow! of South Africa.

By Major Boyp HorssprucH, M.B.O.U., F.Z-S.;. with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.
#4 14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s. net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst Hartert, F..C. R. Jourpain, N. F, TiceHuxst, and :
H. F. WITHERBY. " si
7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s. het.

A DICTIONARY OF ...

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. Kirke Swann. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages; demy 8vo.; cloth,

The Emu. ue Vek ees 10s. net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists, Union. _ Illustrated with a.

half-tone and coloured plates. aoa
Quarterly Parts 4s. soe Annual subscription 158.

Messrs, Witherby & Co. have been appointed European Agents of The Emu: \

British Bir ds. New volume ‘Goaaneed June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List. = >
Edited by H. F. WiTHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U., assisted by Rev. F.C. Ri. =
Jourpain, M.A., M.B.O.U., and N.F. TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S.,;
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates. eh,

Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, Is. net. ©

ee ee Se ee

Re reer remy ont +

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLEORN. |

_ ANTLUSTRATIED- MAGAZINE
DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS' ON
_ THEBRTISHUST

OCTOBER 1, Vol. VIII.
1914. Pei No. 5.

MONTHLY ONE: SHILLING: NET
S26HIGHTHOLDORNIENDON

WITHERBY & C?

VOLUMES I., Il. and Il. NOW COMPLETE.

The Birds of Australia.
GREGORY M. MATHEWS, F.R.S.E., M,A.0.U., M.B.0.U.
With Hand-coloured Plates. :
IN TWO-GUINEA QUARTERLY PARTS.»
Limited to 260 Copies. Only a few Copies remain for Subscription.

No new Subscriptions will be received after the
finish of the current volume (Vol. TV)... a
Prospectus, wrth specimen plate, and full particulars on application.

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Waturalists,
And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.
A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.
BIRDS, MAMMALS, &., PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST-CLASS WORKMER -

TRUE TO NATURE.
All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied.

36, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Galaicane (102 pp.) post free.

Indian Pigeons and Doves
By E. C. STUART BAKER, F.z.S., F.LS., M.B.0.U.

With Twenty-seven Coloured Plates.

Representing all the species of Indian Pigeons and Doves,
reproduced by the most approved modern methods from
the Drawings of Messrs. G. E.. Lodge and H. Groénvold.

The ‘‘ Field” SayS :—*‘To the field naturalist consequently they are very
attractive birds, and hardly less soto the shooter of small game. Mr. Stuart Baker,
therefore, in giving in this volume a full and detailed account of them, with excellent
figures: S25 0s oS has rendered good service both to naturalists and sportsmen,”

The ‘‘ Graphic” says :—« Mr. Baker has much to say from a sporting
point of view, for he is not only the leading field-ornithologist of our day but a
well-known sportsman to boot *

The ‘‘ Westminster Gazette” Says :—‘ A very interesting publication

- «The author is well known in the ornithological world as an authority
on Indian Birds, and his field notes on the habits of the various-species of pigeons
are of the utmost interest.” :

Over 250 pages. . Imp. 8vo. Half-bound morocco, gilt top.
£2 10s. net.
Oi Pei gf cM UU D7 IV ROA he LE SPENT RR NSS RO Se Ae AN RNG CEN LS

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

BREDSABIRDS

EDITED BY H.-P. WITHERBY,. F.Z.S., M.B.0.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F,
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

a

CoNTENTS OF NuMBER 5, Vou. VIII. OcrosBrr 1], 1914.

PAGE
Increase and Decrease in Summer Residents. Report on the
1913 Inquiry. By M. Vaughan, M.A., M.B.O.U. .. ae 106
Recovery of Marked Birds Se fe 5€ bee 5c 111
Notes :—
Rose-coloured Starlings in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. 114
Fecundity of the House-Sparrow (Miller Christy) .. 5 114

Notes on the Young of the Spotted Flycatcher (J. H. Owen) 114
Whitethroat using Supplementary Nest (Howard Bentham) 116
Size of Song-Thrush Broods in the poe Isles (H. W.

Robinson) aid ae ae i 117
Late Nesting of the Nightjar (Clifford nes, ue eK 117
Cuckoos’ Eggs and Nestlings in 1914 (J. H. Owen) ar 118
Development of Young Peregrine Falcons (Rev. D. A. Scott) 119
Food of Sparrow-Hawks (Heatley Noble) .. oe Sus 119
Gadwall in Cheshire (John A. Dockray) As ie ae 120
Ferruginous Duck in Carnarvonshire (C. Oldham) .. rae 120
Stone-Curlew Breeding in Buckinghamshire (Edwin Hollis) 121
Yellowshank in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay,) 30 =: 121
Spotted Crake in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) ar a 122
Moor-Hen Covering Bees (E. A. Wallis, N. H. Foster and

H. Massey) .. : : Se ee cic ie 122

Short Notes :—Notes from Scottish Islands, Spring, 1914.
Grey-headed Wagtail and Continental Redbreasts on
the Isle of May. White’s Thrush in Aberdeenshire.
The Ospreys of Loch an Eilein. Fulmar Petrels in
Kincardineshire. Decrease of Black-headed Gulls
in Dumfriesshire te a he fe oe 123

Review :—Report on Scottish Ornithology in 1913, including
Migration Ne HY hes a ke oe es 126

I

( 106 )

INCREASE AND DECREASE IN SUMMER
RESIDENTS.

REPORT ON THE 1913 INQUIRY.
BY
M. VAUGHAN, M.A., M.B.0.U.

As this report has been drawn up on the same lines
as that issued last year (Vol. VI., pp. 298-311), it seems
scarcely necessary to explain in detail the principles
that have been followed. This year only 67 observers
responded to the invitation, while last year 116 reports
were received, and it may be as well to point out that
of these 67, only 9 based their answers on the exact
number of birds seen or counted, 19 on their general
impression, while in the rest of the schedules this query
was ignored, so that it is clear that the value of the
information received varies considerably.

Besides this, it was an exception when an answer
was received to query 3, ‘‘ Were the numbers in 1913
above or below the average ?”’ Therefore in many cases
it has not been possible to decide whether the numbers
of any given species in 1913 were above or below the
average, and this naturally detracts from the value
of the report as a whole. fa

This year the returns do not cover so much ground ‘
and few counties have been worked with any degree 7
of thoroughness. Kent, Sussex, Cheshire, Lancashire,
Hampshire and Yorkshire have been well represented ;
Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Northumberland, Essex and
Surrey fairly so, but other counties have either been ~*~
omitted, or represented by only one observer, and it
goes without saying that it is impossible for a single
observer to do justice to a whole county.

In these circumstances, with such scanty material to
work on, wide generalizations are out of place; from

a

VOL. VIII. | SUMMER RESIDENTS. 107

the nature of the case it must be remembered that the
report can only cover a very limited ground, and all
that has been attempted is to decide as briefly as possible
how far the conclusions arrived at last year are con-
firmed or modified by the additional information obtained
this year. Perhaps it is not too much to say that in
the case of ten out of the twelve species which are under
observation, the results obtained in 1913 and 1912 are
practically identical, while as regards the other two
species, the Swallow and House-Martin, though in a
few localities they seem to be recovering the ground
lost in 1912, yet it would not be wise to base any very
definite conclusion on the evidence which is derived
from the returns.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE.—The answers to query 3 are so
few that it is impossible to decide whether this species
was present in average numbers in 1913 or no, but
there can be no reasonable doubt that it is decreasing.
It does not seem to be numerous anywhere, and where
an increase is reported it amounts to very little. It may
be noted that normal numbers always mean small
numbers, and attention is often drawn to the fact that
this species is slowly decreasing. The absence of this
bird is noted in three localities in Surrey, and in Kssex,
a favourite county, two observers have failed to detect
a single bird of this species, while a third reports a
decrease of fifty per cent.

Tue SpottEeD FiycatcHER.—As far as can be judged
from the answers received to query 3, the Spotted Fly-
catcher seems to have been present in average numbers
in 1913. This species has a wide distribution and
appears to be holding its own almost everywhere. The
only counties from which distinct decreases were reported
were Devon, Cornwall and Wiltshire.

THE CurtrrcHarr.—As compared with the previous
year there seems little change in the status of the

108 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

Chiffchaff. Though not so numerous nor so _ well-
distributed as the Willow-Warbler, especially m the
north of England, this species appears to be maintaining
its position without difficulty. Decreases reported appear
to be of purely local significance.

THe WitLow-WaRBLER.—What has been said about
the Willow-Warbler in 1912 will apply with equal force
to 1913. Though 1912 was a more than average year,
1913 does not seem to have suffered in comparison
with it, and there can be no reasonable doubt that
this species is holding its own in all parts of the country,
though a few local decreases have been recorded.

THe WuitreTHrRoat.—The numbers of this species
seem to have been up to a good average in 1913: The
returns of 1913 contain few additional items worthy of
notice, and it may be said that they tend to confirm
the conclusions drawn from the report of the previous
year. The distribution of the Whitethroat is somewhat
irregular, but it appears to be a common bird in most
parts.

THe Lesser WHITETHROAT.—The returns of 1913
contain little fresh information bearing on the increase
or decrease of this species. The distribution of the
Lesser Whitethroat is ‘‘ patchy,’ and it seems to be
numerous in few localities.

THe WurtncHat.—The additional evidence contained
in the returns of 1913 strengthens the conclusion already
arrived at, that the Whinchat is steadily decreasing
and seems to be almost extinct in localities in which
it was comparatively common a few years ago. In a
few localities increases are recorded.

THE ReEpstTart.—Making every allowance for the
fact that the Redstart is “ patchy ” in its distribution,
so far as can be judged from the returns it seems
probable that this species is decreasing everywhere.

VOL. VIII.] SUMMER RESIDENTS. 109

In three localities, Knighton (Radnorshire), Cambridge,
and Hampton-in-Arden (Warwickshire), a marked in-
crease is reported, but in the other cases where an
increase is noted, it is either a small one, or qualified
by the remark “‘an uncommon bird,” or, “ below the
average.” In Devonshire, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Mon-
mouthshire and Surrey, observers have failed to detect
the presence of this species, and there is no instance
where a decrease in one locality is nullified by an
increase in an adjacent area.

Tue NIGHTINGALE.—As was only to be expected in
the case of a bird with a restricted distribution like
the Nightingale, no returns were received from many
counties, and so far as can be judged from the limited
evidence forthcoming, this species seems to have some
difficulty in holding its own.

THE Swattow.—lIf{ we compare the returns of 1913
with those of 1912, which was a bad year, perhaps it is
not too much to say that on the whole this species shows
some signs of recovery, though it is not safe to generalize
too confidently on such insufficient evidence.

So far as can be gathered from the returns, the
counties in which the Swallow seems to be maintaining
its ground are Essex, Hampshire and Cheshire.

Tue Hovusse-Martin.—The returns received for 1913
would appear to indicate that in certain districts this
Species has become more numerous, but whether this
increase is general there is no evidence to determine.
As a rule the increase has been a small one and does
not amount to very much, the only exceptions being
at Lydiard Millicent (Wiltshire), Upton Heath (Cheshire),
and Fylde (Lancashire), from which places decided
increases have been reported.

Marked decreases have been recorded from Berkshire,
Northumberland, Cheadle (Staffordshire), Newport (Mon-
mouth), Lynmouth (Devonshire), Padstow (Cornwall),

110 BRITISH BIRDS, [VOL. VIII.

Billingshurst (Sussex), Tonbridge (Kent), Lancaster, and
Epping (Essex).

This species would appear to be holding its own best
in Shropshire, Wiltshire, Cheshire, Hampshire and Essex.

THE WryNECK.—As far as these reports are concerned
there is strong evidence, negative as well as positive,
to prove that this species has been and is decreasing.

‘Gout

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

Ir is particularly requested that those who have not already
sent in schedules will do so at once, in order that all the
birds ringed during the year may be included in the usual
annual report, which it is hoped will be published next
month.

The following have kindly sent in subscriptions towards
the expenses of the Marking Scheme since the last acknow-
ledgment was made: Messrs. J. Bartholomew and B. Beetham,
Miss B. A. Carter, Mr. J. R. B. Masefield, Miss E. Mellish,
Messrs. T. Robinson, F. A. Rottenburg, and A. O. Whitehead.

STARLING (Sturnus v. vulgaris).—15505, nestling, marked by Mr. R. O.
Blyth at Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, on May 25th, 1912. Reported
by Mr. W. Halford at Helensburgh, Dumbartonshire, on
August llth, 1914.

42359, adult, marked by Mr. T. C. Hobbs at Gosforth, Northumber-
land, on May 15th, 1913. Reported by Mr. C. Anderson at the
same place on August Ist, 1914.

49706, nestling, marked by Mr. R. Burnier near Stanford Dingley,
Berkshire, on May 10th, 1914. Reported by Mr. H. Freeman
near Slough, Buckinghamshire, on June 28th, 1914.

YELLOw Buntine (Emberiza c. citrinella).—E23, nestling, marked by
Mr. J. Murray (Gamekeeper to Mr. H. 8. Gladstone) at Tynron,
Dumfriesshire, on June 23rd, 1913. Recaptured at Thornhill,
Dumfriesshire, on July 15th, 1914. Ring replaced and bird
released.

Sxy-LarK (Alauda a. arvensis).—086, nestling, marked by Dr. H. J.
Moon at St. Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire, on May 15th, 1913.
Recovered at the same place on June Ist, 1914.

Great Tir (Parus major).—B750, adult, marked by the London
Natural History Society at Hale End, Essex, on January 12th,
1911. Reported by Miss M. 8S. Mowat at Highams Park,
Chingford, Essex, on August 14th, 1914.

BLACKBIRD (T'urdus m. merula).—43088, nestling, marked by Dr. H. J.
Moon at the Fylde, Lancashire, on May 25th, 1913. Reported
by Mr. 8. Serjeant near Lytham, Lancashire, on May 25th, 1914.

ReEpBREAST (Dandalus rubecula).—R243, adult, marked by Mr. D. A. J.
Buxton, at Fairhill, Tonbridge, Kent, on January 10th, 1914.
Recovered at same place on August 20th, 1914.

HEpGE-SparRrow (Prunella m. occidentalis).—42596, adult, marked by
Miss V. E. and Mr. P. A. Buxton at Fairhill, Tonbridge, Kent,
on July 19th, 1913. Recovered at the same place on December
29th, 1913, January 18th, 1914 (see Vol. VII., p. 336), and August
26th, 1914. Ring replaced and bird released.

Swattow (Chelidon r. rustica).—L58, adult, marked by Mr. J.
Bartholomew at Kinnelhead, Beattock, Dumfriesshire, on
May 28th, 1912. Recovered at Hast Earshaig, Dumfriesshire, at
the beginning of June, 1914.

P936, nestling, marked by Dr. H. J. Moon at the Fylde, Lancashire,
on June 14th, 1913. Reported by Mr. E. Kay Robinson at
Kirkham, Lancashire, on July 2nd, 1914.

112 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. VUI.

R908 and T288, nestlings, marked by Miss C. M. Acland, at
Banstead, Surrey, on July 5th and August 22nd, 1913. Recovered
at Woodmansterne, Surrey, in May, 1914.

British Great SporrepD WoopPEcKER (Dryobates m. anglicus).—
11301, nestling, marked by Mr. H. Bentham at Thursley, near
Godalming, Surrey, on June 10th, 1913. Reported by Mr. H. W.
Bissemer at Chailey, Lewes, Sussex, on July 13th, 1914.

Sparrow-Hawk (Acripiter n. nisus).—26212, nestling, marked by
Mr. T. F. Greenwood at Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, on June 27th,
1914. Reported by Mr. E. G. Horsin at Burnley, Lancashire,
on August 18th, 1914.

Common Herron (Ardea cinerea).—50332, nestling, marked by Mr. J.
R. B. Masefield near Cheadle, Staffordshire, on May 31st, 1913.
Reported by Mr. R. E. Knowles between High Moor and Chigford
Moor, Cheshire, in May, 1914.

MatiarD (Anas p. platyrhyncha).—34819, adult, marked by Mr. M.
Portal at Leswalt, Stranraer, Wigtownshire, on February 28th,
1914. Reported by Mr. C. L. Ronman at Jemtén, Norbotten,
Laen, Sweden, on August 12th, 1914.

Cormorant (Phalacrocorax c. carbo).—50394, nestling, marked by
Mr. R. M. Barrington at Saltee Islands, co. Wexford, on June 10th,
1913. Reported by Mr. 8. C. Mitchell at Drogheda, co. Louth,
on July 15th, 1914.

100586, marked as 50394 on June 8th, 1913. Reported by Mr. F.
Persse on Lough Corrib, co. Galway, on July 17th, 1914.

100584,. marked as 50394 on June 8th, 1913. Reported by
Mr. D. McCreadie at Turnberry, Ayrshire, on August 22nd, 1914.
100661, nestling, marked by Miss A. Pease at Farne Islands,
Northumberland, on August 2nd, 1913. Reported by Mr. W.
Lambert, Jr., at Morecambe Bay, Lancashire, on September 5th,
1914.

50155, nestling, marked by Mr. H. W. Robinson at the Isle of
Meledgan, Scilly Isles, on April 20th, 1914. Reported by
Dr. Ricard at Loguivy, near Ploubazlanec (Cétes du Nord),
France, on July 19th, 1914.

50139, marked as 50155. Reported by the Rev. J. R. Paramore
at Winkleigh, north Devonshire, at the beginning of August, 1914.

Woop-Picron (Columba p. palumbus).—22521, nestling, marked by
Mr. H. W. Ford-Lindsay at Pett, Sussex, on June 15th, 1913.
Reported by Mr. G. Clacy at Peasmarsh, near Rye, Sussex, first
week of July, 1914.

Lapwine (Vanellus vanellus).—49733, nestling, marked by Mr. A.
Greenwood at Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire, on May 30th, 1914.
Reported by Mr. A. H. Stanworth near Burnley, Lancashire, on
August 31st, 1914.

Common RepsHank (Tringa totanus).—0502, nestling, marked by
Mr. J. Bartholomew at Torrance, near Glasgow, Stirlingshire, on
June 22nd, 1913. Reported by Mr. H. T. Malcomson at Strangford
Lough, co. Down, on September 5th, 1914.

Common Snrre (Gallinago g. gallinago).—18208, nestling, marked by
Mr. R. E. Knowles on the east Cheshire Hills on May 16th, 1912.
Reported by Lord Newton at Disley, Cheshire, on August 27th,
1914.

Woopcock (Scolopax rusticola).—41806, nestling, marked by Mr.
Lochrie per Mr. M. Portal in Wigtownshire, on May 7th, 1913.
Reported by Mr. W. L. Clifford nine miles from Moffat, Dumfries-
shire, on August 28th, 1914.

a

eo
Ry
sy"

VoL. vit.) -RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS. 115

SANDWICH TERN (Sterna s. sandvicensis).—82977, nestling, marked by
Miss A. Pease at Farne Islands, Northumberland, on July 15th,
1914. Reported by Mr. W. Norkett at Forres, Elgin, on
August 29th, 1914.

Common TERN (Sterna hirundo).—80372, nestling, marked by Miss M. H.
Greg at Holy Island, Northumberland, on June 27th, 1914.
Reported by Mr. Lacy Rumsey at Ovar, near Villa Nova de Gaya,
Portugal, on September 8th, 1914.

48544, nestling, marked by the London Natural History Society
at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, on June 23rd, 1914. Reported by
Mr. H. Sims Reeve at Felixstowe on July 28th, 1914.

82647, marked as 48544. Reported by Mrs. F. Harbutt at
Kessingland, near Lowestoft, Suffolk, on July 29th, 1914.

LEssER BLACK-BACKED GuxLL (Larus f. affinis).—33880, nestling,
marked by Miss A. Pease at the Farne Islands, Northumberland,
on August 2nd, 1913. Reported by Mr. F. W. Taylor at
Sunderland on September 12th, 1914.

36260, nestling, marked by Mr. F. W. Smalley at Foulshaw,
Westmorland, on July Ist, 1914. Reported by Mr. E. Milnes
at Fleetwood, Lancashire, at the end of August, 1914.

33885. The bird marked with this ring (recorded on p. 47) was a
complete skeleton when found, and had probably died soon after
ringing.

Purrin (fratercula a. arctica).—64734, adult, marked by Miss A.
Pease at the Farne Islands, Northumberland, on July 2nd, 1913.
Recaptured on the same island on July 16th, 1914. Ring replaced
and bird released.

ROSE-COLOURED STARLINGS IN SUSSEX.

On August 9th, 1914, I was shown a male Rose-coloured
Starling (Pastor roseus) that had been obtained the previous
day on the Marsh at Pevensey, Sussex. It was an adult
bird in full plumage. Another has been seen on several
occasions up to the time of writing (August 24th). I have
also heard of a bird being seen “in the company of
Starlings’ on the Pett marshes, which from the description L
am satisfied belongs to this species. H. W. Forp-Lrypsay.

FECUNDITY OF THE HOUSE-SPARROW.

I HAVE, in a wood adjoining my garden near Chelmsford,
about twenty Selborne Society nesting-boxes, nearly all of
which have been occupied this year (much to my annoy-
ance) by House-Sparrows. Yet the result of my periodical
examinations of the contents of these boxes has not been
without interest, as it has afforded striking evidence
(though little was needed) as to the phenomenal fecundity
of this noxious and pestilent bird. Thus, from one box
(No. 2), I removed a nest containing either eggs or young
on 15th May, 13th June, 4th July, 25th July, and 13th
August: that is to say, on five occasions within ninety
consecutive days—an average of only eighteen days between
each brood. From another box (No. 3), I removed a nest
containing either eggs or young on four occasions within
the same period. From two other boxes (Nos. 5 and 10),
I removed nests containing either eggs or young on 15th May,
13th June, 4th July, and 25th July: that is to say, on
four occasions within seventy-two days—again an average
of only eighteen days between each brood. I cannot prove,
of course, that all the nests I removed from these four
boxes respectively were the product in each case of one pair
of birds; but there is, I think, no reasonable doubt that
they were. In view of such facts, need one wonder at the
extracrdinary abundance of the Sparrow? MILLER CHRISTY.

NOTES ON THE YOUNG OF THE SPOTTED
. FLYCATCHER.

THis summer I have spent considerable time watching
nests of the Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa s. striata) and
the following points have seemed especially interesting.

ee ee .

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 115

The parents invariably carry away the excrement after
the young are two days old; up to that time I cannot speak
with certainty. Both birds feed and brood, but the amount
of brooding is less than with most birds. The parents have
often to remove undigested matter from the gapes of the
young. This matter is swallowed. From the time when
the young are thirteen days old until they leave the nest
they can eject such matter themselves and do so over the
edge of the nest. The food consists of flies, daddy-long-legs,
bluebottles, many kinds of small moths and butterflies up
to the size of (and including) the common white butterfly,

ee ae
cites

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER—ADULT AND JUVENILE.
(Photographed by J. H. Owen).

and wasps. I could not see what kind of wasp was taken,
but I fancy it was the common wasp, as it was brought
to the young fairly frequently. I noticed that the parents
were most particular to render all large insects inert before
feeding them to the young, and particularly so with wasps.
In about a quarter of an hour one morning I saw five wasp-
pellets ejected by the young. One of them was submitted
to Mr. G. Meade-Waldo of the Natural History Museum,
who stated that it was impossible from this fragmentary
material to identify the species, which was probably Vespa
germanica or V. communis. On the same morning I saw
remains of bluebottles ejected.

All large insects seemed to be put in the gape head first.
The young had to gulp several times to swallow completely

116 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vim. —

white butterflies. A point that struck me particularly was
that the parents would not keep food in the beak long, but
swallowed it themselves and immediately began to search
for more. I saw them swallow wasps and butterflies as well
as small flies when I purposely kept them from the nest.
Very often the food, if it had been held in the beak a short
time, was covered with a kind of saliva when given to the
young.

A very interesting point is that after the young are twelve
days old they are not brooded during the night. In July
the whole brood in one nest I was watching perished during
a very wet, stormy night on this account.

Another point worth noting is that when the young more
than fill the cup of the nest, they are not fed in sequence,
that is to say, if two are in the cup and two standing above
the level of it, these two are fed continually until either
they are satisfied, or the two in the cup get very hungry,
and then these two work their way up and are fed.

When the young leave the nest a little down is still visible
along the back and back of the head. The interior of the
mouth is then yellow and the flanges are yellow inside but
nearly white outside. The base of the tongue has spurs,
and the palate at the back of the mouth has tooth-like
projections. The spotting of the young is very much more
marked than in the parents, and the spots on the breasts
of the young vary considerably, being very much darker
in some than others, even in the same brood. J. H. Owen.

WHITETHROAT USING SUPPLEMENTARY NEST.

On May Ist, 1914, my friend Mr. L. Miles found a White-
throat’s (Sylvia ¢: communis) nest which was then nearly
completed. Several subsequent visits were paid to the
place, but it was not until June 14th, when I accompanied
my friend to the nest, that it was found to contain a single
fresh egg. This would appear to be an instance of the use
of a supplementary nest for breeding purposes.

HowarpD BENTHAM.

[Mr. H. Eliot Howard (Brit. Warblers, pt. 4, p. 12) records
a period of from six to eleven days as elapsing between the
arrival of the female and the laying of the first egg. Mr. J.
Whitaker (Zool., 1895, p. 310) mentions a case in which a
Whitethroat was observed to sit in a completed nest for
fifteen days before an egg was laid. Neither of these cases
approaches the period of about forty-four days recorded
above.—F.C.R.J. |

,
PC ees wee ee

: \
ea

VOL VIII] NOTES. 117

SIZE OF SONG-THRUSH BROODS IN THE SCILLY
ISLES.

Havine marked a number of Song-Thrushes (T'urdus ph.
clarkez) in the Scilly Isles during the past summer, perhaps
details of the size of thirty-seven broods may be of interest.

2.7 per cent. contained 5 young.

ae ; : ‘ Average brood = 3.46.
8.1 i = 2 »

Only one nest contained five young, but two others
contained five eggs apiece, of which, in the one case, only
three hatched out, and in the other both nest and eggs
disappeared. The average brood was 3.5, as three more
broods of four were found, when fully fledged, dead in the
nest, but in the above table I have only included those
which were actually reared and flew. The nests were all
far too small to accommodate a fully-fledged brood of five,
one nestling of the only brood of five being accommodated
in a hole in a neighbouring wall. H. W. Rosryson.

LATE NESTING OF THE NIGHTJAR.

Mr. Atrrep M. Inewis found a Nightjar (Caprimulgus e.
europeus) sitting on a single egg on the common near
Westerham, Kent, on the morning of August 12th, 1914.
The egg was accidentally broken by a dog and was then
found to be in an advanced state of incubation. The
lateness of this particular nest is probably accounted for
by the fact that local fires have been frequent on the
neighbouring common, and may have destroyed earlier
attempts. I should be glad to know if this is the latest
record for the Nightjar. CLIFFORD BORRER.

[As it is now known that the Nightjar sometimes rears a
second brood in the season, it is not unnatural that eggs
and young should be met with occasionally in August and
even in September. Amongst other recorded instances
may be mentioned a young bird about three days old in
Yorkshire on August 19th (Zool. 1883, p. 380): one egg
hatched August 19th in Yorkshire (t.c. p. 429): a pair of
eggs in Norfolk, which were hatched on August 13th (cbid.) :
two eggs in Sussex on August 17th (Field, August 21st, 1880) :
two fresh eggs in Hampshire on August 12th (Zool. 1883,
p. 495) : two fresh eggs also from Hampshire on August 15th
(Zool. 1910, p. 339): and young, twelve to fourteen days
old, on September 2nd, in Yorkshire (Nat. 1889, p. 333).
—F. C. R. Jourpa.] :

118 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. VIII.
CUCKOOS’ EGGS AND NESTLINGS IN 1914.

In previous years (cf. Vols. VL., pp. 330-3 and VIL., pp. 233-4)
I have given details of the Cuckoos’ eggs and nestlings
found by myself and other members of the Felsted School
Scientific Society. In 1914 thirty-four eggs and young
were found as follows :-—

Foster-Parents. No. of Cases. Percentage.
Hedge-S parrow ae ee 18 52.9
Pied Wagtail ae nS 5 14.7
Redbreast —_... Si =. 5 14.7
Sedge-Warbler m ipo 4 Livi
Linnet ce t oes 1 2.9
Greenfinch ... a a 1 2.9

One nest was deserted with the Cuckoo’s egg alone in
it. Of the sixteen young that I saw in the nests six died
or were destroyed in the nestling stage. This is a much
smaller percentage than I have recorded in previous years.
Three nests (one Hedge-Sparrow, two Pied Wagtails) each
had two Cuckoos’ eggs. The Pied Wagtails’ nests were both
in the same garden, and the first was taken by the boy that
found them. The second nest was left for observation,
but was unfortunately destroyed by rats when the young
were hatching. In all three cases the eggs were the produce
of different Cuckoos.

The first eggs were found on May 17th in a Redbreast’s
nest with four eggs and a Hedge-Sparrow’s with three, and
were evidently laid early on that day, as the nests were
under observation. The last Cuckoo left a Hedge-Sparrow’s
nest on August 8th. We last heard mating notes, double
notes, etc., on June 28th, and last heard the Cuckoo on
June 29th. This should mean, in my experience, that no
egg was deposited after June 30th at latest, and makes
our last Cuckoo a very interesting problem. Giving the
young one twenty-one days in the nest and thirteen days
to hatch (a good allowance), thirty-four days in all, incuba-
tion of the egg should not have started before July 5th.
The Cuckoo must therefore have deposited the egg a few
days after all calling had ceased, which is altogether contrary
to my previous experience. We had another young Cuckoo
quite close to the last-mentioned, which left the nest on
August 2nd. In this case incubation should have begun
on June 29th, and this egg was probably the last but one
from the same Cuckoo, J. H. OwEn.

VOL. VIII. ] NOTES. 119

DEVELOPMENT OF YOUNG PEREGRINE FALCONS.

As there are some vexed questions regarding the incubation
of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco p. peregrinus) which still
remain to be answered to the satisfaction of all, the following
observations may be of value.

According to my experience the Falcon begins to sit
before the full clutch is laid, and, although the young
Falcons may grow more quickly than the young Tiercels,
evidence as to the date of hatching can still be obtained
from the development of the young, development not being
the same as size.

On June 15th, 1914, I visited an eyrie containing two
young about three weeks old. The birds showed consider-
able difference in size and the smaller bird was far the most
fully feathered, while its voice was higher in pitch. The
difference in the voices of the two young was roughly the
same as in the case of the adult Falcon and Tiercel. On
June 21st I went to the eyrie with a friend. The difference
in size was even more evident, but still the smaller was
more fully developed; its feathering was practically com-
plete: the larger had a quantity of down adhering to the
feathers, while the smaller bird showed none. The difference
in voice was so striking that we could either of us say
which bird it was that was calling, without looking. From
voice and size we concluded that the smaller bird was a
young male, and from its development we concluded that
it had been hatched before the other. Douguas A. Scort.

FOOD OF SPARROW-HAWKS.

I HAveE read Dr. Penrose’s note on the Sparrow-Hawk’s
method of feeding its young (antea, p. 98) with great interest,
and his observations on the nature of the food entirely
corroborate my own. I know these birds are’ classed as
“vermin” of the worst kind by most keepers, but I am
beginning to wonder if they ever do any real damage. Not
many years ago we had a nest about half a mile from the
field on which we were rearing upwards of three thousand
Pheasants. The keepers had instructions not to molest
the Hawks unless caught red-handed. They passed over
the coops day after day, caught numerous young Sparrows,
but never once touched a young Pheasant. The eggs were
allowed to hatch, and the young flew in peace. In my
experience, a Kestrel, when she takes to the coops, will do
far more harm than any Sparrow-Hawk. The same season
as the incident recorded above, a Kestrel took over fifty

‘120 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vIIr,

young Pheasants before she was destroyed. It is well known —
that these birds, as a rule, do little or no harm to game, —
but when an individual takes to the coops it must be shot
on sight, though I would never allow one of these delightful
birds to be killed unless caught in the act.
HEATLEY NOBLE.

GADWALL IN CHESHIRE.

On August 19th, 1914, I shot a young male Gadwall (Anas
strepera) on a pond near Heswall. It was by itself, although —
there were two Mallards on another portion of the pond. —
It flew off as I walked up, but coming round again I shot —
it. I felt sure it must be a Gadwall, but to make more —
certain I sent it to Mr. T. A. Coward for confirmation. 7
This is the first specimen of this bird I have come across
during nearly thirty years of shooting in the Dee estuary
and neighbourhood, though I have had many hundreds
of ducks of all kinds through my hands.
Joun A. Docxray.

FERRUGINOUS DUCK IN CARNARVONSHIRE.

On the landward side of the railway embankment at Afonwen
are some shallow meres fringed with reeds and reed-mace
and covered in part with beds of water-lilies. These pools
are much frequented by ducks, and on August 27th when
I was at the place with Mr. F. Brownsword there was on
one of them, in addition to the Mallard, Teal, Wigeon and
Shovelers which one expects at this season, an adult male
Ferruginous Duck (Nyroca nyroca). The bird when we
first saw it was diving for food among some Coots on the
fringe of a reed-bed. Startled by the firing of a gun it rose
with the other birds, but pitched again on another of the
pools, where we found it later sleeping in a lily-bed. On
the water the bird looked rather smaller than a Tufted Duck ;
its head was a warm brown passing into bay on the neck,
upper breast and flanks; the back and tail noticeably
darker than the flanks and breast; the white eyes showed
up plainly against the brown cheeks. On either side of
the base of the tail was a pure white spot, apparent only
when the bird swam high in the water, but in the act of
diving the white of the belly was plainly visible; bill lead
colour. In flight a narrow white bar showed right across
the wings. C. OLDHAM.

|

VOL. VII. | NOTES. 121

STONE-CURLEW BREEDING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

In 1909 a farmer living on a part of the Chilterns in
Buckinghamshire told me that he felt sure that the Stone-
Curlew (Burhinus oe. edicnemus) bred regularly on his farm.
I expressed my doubts as to whether some mistake had not
been made, and spent a whole day at the farm trying to
find the birds, but was unsuccessful. On May 23rd, 1910,
he brought me two eggs which one of his men had found
that day while horse-rolling one of the fields. These eggs
are now in the Aylesbury Museum. I then asked the
farmer to do what he could to see that the birds were not
molested in future.

This year he brought me a photograph (taken by a friend
on April 19th) of another nest on his farm, and he has since
let me know that the eggs hatched off safely. The gentleman
who took the photograph writes me as follows :—‘ The eggs
were deposited on a flat place scratched out in a furrow and
were surrounded by a collection of small chalk stones. I
think the Great Plover is not so rare in Bucks. as is
commonly supposed, as I have heard of several places on
the Chilterns where it breeds regularly.”” I may say that
I have never seen one of these birds in Buckinghamshire
until this year, when [ saw one on April 28th about six miles
from where the photograph was taken. This was on a large
flinty field quite suitable for a nesting site, but closer to
houses than I have previously seen these birds.

Epwin HOo.tiis.

[Dr. Hartert in the Vict. Hist. of Buckinghamshire (1905)
speaks of this species as formerly not uncommon in several
locatities, but now not nesting anywhere in the county, and
not even recorded on trustworthy evidence as having been
heard for years past, so that the above record is of con-
siderable interest.—EDs. |

YELLOWSHANK IN SUSSEX.

Two examples of the Yellowshank (T7'ringa flavipes) were
obtained at Camber, Sussex, on August 15th, 1914. I
examined them in the flesh on the following morning, when
one proved to be an immature male, and the other an adult
female. This is, I believe, the first time that the species
has been obtained in the county. It is also curious that
these two birds were shot by a young man who was under
the impression they were Redshanks, and had he not been
successful in obtaining some of the latter he would not
K

122 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

have noticed that they were of a different species, so that
I should not have had an opportunity of examining them,
with the result that this record would never have appeared.

H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

[Only three previous occurrences are admitted in our
Hand-List, viz. : Notts. 1854 (?), Cornwall, Sept. 12th, 1871,
Fair Isle, Sept. 24th, 1910.—Eps. ]

SPOTTED CRAKE IN SUSSEX.

Own August Ist, 1914, whilst at Pett, I was shown a Spotted
Crake (Porzana porzana) by one of the “ lookers,”’ who had
just picked it up under the telegraph wires. It was quite
fresh, and I should say it had only been killed the previous
night. Unfortunately the next day was Sunday, and the
Monday Bank Holiday, so it was not until the 4th that I
gave it to Mr. Ruskin Butterfield for the Hastings Museum.
By an oversight he put it on one side until the Wednesday,
when it was too far gone to preserve.

H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

MOOR-HEN COVERING EGGS.

THE notes which have appeared in BritisH Birps (antea,
pp. 54, 79, 102) on this question are very interesting.
Mr. Masefield’s experience, which has led him to look upon
the habit of covering her eggs as quite a common one of the
Moor-Hen, is the very opposite of my own. In fact, out
of the scores of Moor-Hens’ nests which I have found, I have
never yet seen one which had the eggs properly covered,
and, as I have been interested in this question for many
years, I have invariably examined the nests very carefully
when possible, even though no eggs were visible. One does
sometimes find bits of reeds or leaves or nest-material
lightly laid over the eggs, but I have always considered
this due to accident and not to design on the part of the bird,
because in no single case which I can recall did this material
in any way tend to the concealment of the eggs. Although
I have often watched Moor-Hens both on to and off the nest,
I have never seen any attempt to cover or uncover the eggs
on the part of the bird, even when she has left without
being disturbed. K. ARNoLD WALLIS.

I have seen many Moor-Hens’ nests, but cannot recall
>

ever observing one in which the eggs had been covered by

the bird in leaving. Nevin H. Foster.

rare?

VOL. VIII. | "NOTES. 123

I HAVE watched Moor-Hens’ nests on our pond for nearly
fifty years and have never yet seen any of the eggs covered
when the birds were away, and as we have any amount of
rats, one would suppose that if it is customary for them to
cover their eggs for protection, they would do so in this
case. Further, I may say that I have never come across a
nest of Moor-Hen with the eggs covered in all my wanderings.

HERBERT Massey.

Notrs From ScortTisH Istanps, Serine, 1914.—The
Duchess of Bedford publishes (Scot. Nat. 1914, pp. 173-181)
some interesting notes of birds seen at various Scottish
islands in the spring of 1914. The article is accompanied
by. some very excellent photographs of the Stack (Orkneys)
and North Rona. The notes of chief interest are as
follows :—

OrToLAN Buntinc (Emberiza hortulana)—On May 8th there
appeared at Fair Isle a number of these birds. It was difficult to
estimate how many, but every little patch of ploughed land held
one or more. They stayed a few days.

GANNET (Sula bassana).—The number of Gannets at the Stack
of Stack and Skerry is estimated at about five thousand. Mr. Gurney
in The Gannet estimated the number from various reports at five
thousand on p. 164, but subsequently (p. 325) considered eight
thousand probable. The Duchess notes that she has frequently
seen these birds fishing in a perfectly calm sea, though it has been
stated that they cannot catch fish in such water.

GREAT SHEARWATER (Puffinus gravis).—On June 21st immediately
after leaving the Stack numbers of Great Shearwaters were seen.
Often six or eight were in sight at one moment, and for two hours
the yacht going slow was passing amongst them. They are described
as somewhat heavy looking on the water with much white showing
on their flanks. In flight they appear very dark, slightly slimmer
than Fulmars, with a dark band across the tail and the white on the
upper tail-coverts conspicuous.

Futmar Perret (Fulmarus g. glacialis)—A few Fulmars were
found breeding on Bulgach, an island between Cape Wrath and Handa,
in both of which places the bird has bred for some time. The Duchess
also remarks that all along the north coast of Sutherland, Fulmars
are seen in small numbers.

WHIMBREL (Numenius ph. phxopus).—A pair were seen on high
ground on North Rona on June 21st, but there was not time to search
for a nest.

GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL AND CONTINENTAL REDBREASTS
ON THE IsLE or May.—Miss L. J. Rintoul and Miss E. V.
Baxter paid their usual spring visit to the Isle of May from
May 8th to 25th, 1914, and record (Scot. Nat, 1914, pp.
198-201) that a Grey-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. thunbergi)

124 BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit.

was identified on May 20th, and Continental Redbreasts
(Dandalus r. rubecula) on May 16th (one), 17th (two), 22nd
and 23rd (one).

Wuite’s THRUSH IN ABERDEENSHIRE.—Mr. A. L. Thomson
records (Scot. Nat. 1914, p. 201) that an example of T'urdus
d. aureus was killed by flying against a window in the Castlehill,
Aberdeen, on October 6th, 1913.

THE OspREYS oF Locu an Emetn.—The Scottish Naturalist
for July, 1914 (pp. 149-158), contains a reprint of an interesting
article by Mr. C. G. Cash from the Cairngorm Journal of July,
1907, in which the history of the Loch an Kilein Ospreys
(Pandion h. haliaétus) is traced with considerable detail
between the years 1804 and 1902. Mr. Cash criticises the
account given by Messrs. Harvie-Brown and T. E. Buckley
in the Fauna of the Moray Basin, Vol. I1., and points out
some unimportant inaccuracies. We do not think, however,
that the statéments quoted from Dunbar’s ‘‘ Reminiscences,”
and the extract from Mr. Howe’s letter can be taken to
mean that three eggs and two young birds were found in
the same nest at one time. In the former case Dunbar
speaks only of the three eggs, and in the second two young
birds and one egg are mentioned. That this nest was
severely harried by Roualeyn_Gordon-Cumming and Lewis
Dunbar in the ’forties and early ‘fifties is of course well
known, and there is evidence that the Loch an Eilein or
Loch Gamhna nests were also robbed in 1887, 1889, 1891,
and possibly in 1885-6, 1892, and 1898. It is, however,
quite clear from Mr. Cash’s record that in every year
from 1894 to 1897 young were hatched, while in 1899
the eggs were broken during fighting between the birds
themselves. Since 1899 no breeding has taken place, and in
1901 and 1902 only a single bird appeared at the Castle
and remained mateless. Since then this historic site, sad
to say, has been untenanted. As to the cause of the final
disappearance of the birds, there are not sufficient facts to
show, and perhaps it will never be known. There are some
who have laid the blame on egg collecting, while others have
put it down to the shooting of the birds on migration.
However much we may deplore the taking of the eggs years
ago, it is evident from the facts above narrated that egg
collecting was not the cause of the birds’ disappearance.
As to the shooting of Ospreys on migration, it is unfortunately
a fact that a number were so shot during the years preceding
those which witnessed the disappearance of the Osprey
from Loch an Eilein, but it is also a fact that a number of

"yOu. VIII. ] NOTES. 125

Ospreys from the Continent annually migrate through the
British Isles, and as it is not possible to state exactly the
limits of British and Continental migration routes we cannot
say whether the Scottish Ospreys happened to be amongst
the killed or not. When a species becomes exceedingly
rare as a breeding bird in any area, any interference, whether
by human or other agency, may exterminate it altogether,
and the risk is greater in the case of a migrant such as the
Osprey, and to disturb the status of any such species must
be condemned as an unscientific act.

FuLtMar PETRELS IN KINCARDINESHIRE.—On June 18th,
1914, Miss L. J. Rintoul, Miss E. V. Baxter, and Mr. L. R.
Sutherland visited the cliffs of Fowlsheugh to discover
whether the Fulmar had yet extended so far south (Scot. Nat.
1914, p. 215). They were rewarded by seeing ten Fulmars,
and although none seemed to be actually breeding, there is
little doubt that they will do so. It was only in 1911 at
Berriedale Head that the only other colony on the east
coast of Scotland was discovered, and Fowlsheugh is a degree
south of this. Is it too much to hope that some day the
Fulmar will appear on the Yorkshire cliffs ?

DECREASE OF BLACK-HEADED GULLS IN DUMFRIESSHIRE.—
Mr. H. 8. Gladstone gives details (Scot. Nat. 1914, pp. 203-4)
showing that the nests of Black-headed Gulls in Dumfriesshire
have decreased from 5,300, when he made a census in 1908
and 1909 (cf. The Birds of Dumfriesshire), to 3,600 in 1914.
The decrease is partly accounted for by the draining of two
lochs and the destruction of some 1,000 to 1,200 nests; on
the other hand, no new “ gulleries ”’ of any importance have
been discovered in the county.

Report on. Scoitish Ornithology in 1913, including Migration.
By Evelyn V. Baxter and Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul.
Oliver & Boyd. ls. 6d. net.

Tuts is the third annual Report on Scottish Ornithology
to be issued separately. It is drawn up on the same excellent
plan as that for the previous year, the information being
given under the following headings: ‘Species and Sub-
species new to Scotland,” “Birds new to Faunal Areas
and Uncommon Visitors,” ‘‘ Extension of Breeding Range,”
“Summer and Nesting,” ‘‘ Winter,” “‘ Ringing,” “ Plumage,”
“ Habits,” “‘ Migration,” and notes arranged under species
which form the bulk of the Report. So far as we have been
able to check it, this Report has been compiled with great
care and accuracy, and is altogether a very valuable piece
of work.

The authors remark that the year 1913 was one of much
interest to students of Scottish Ornithology: five birds
new to the list were recorded, as well as many uncommon
visitors; so far as summer and winter migrants were con-
cerned the date of their arrival and departure were on the
whole normal ; rock-breeding birds were reported from several
stations on the west coast as rare or absent ; on the other
hand, some of the Ducks, the Great Crested Grebe, and
notably Fulmars, extended their breeding ranges; while at
the end of the year the arrival of Waxwings in numbers was
an event of considerable interest.

Many of the records in the Report have of course already
been published, but there are a number of very considerable
interest which appear here for the first time, and these with
a few others which have not previously been referred to
in our pages are noted below; all the dates are in 1913 :—

Meaty Reppowu (Carduelis !. linaria).—A few are recorded from
several of the northern isles and Outer Hebrides from mid-September
to mid-October, and a large immigration began on October 26th and
lasted until the end of November. They were noted at many stations,
chiefly, apparently, in the northern isles and on the east coast, but
also as far west as the Outer Hebrides.

GREENLAND REDPOLL (C. /. rostrata).—‘‘ Quite a party ’’ were seen
at Possil Marsh (Clyde) on November 8th, and again in November
and. December, when specimens were procured and submitted to
Mr. Eagle Clarke for identification.

OrtToLAN Buntine (Emberiza hortulana).—Fourteen at Fair Isle
at different dates in May and three on September 15th; two at

von. vut.] REVIEWS. 127

Pentland Skerries on May 7th, and two on September 19th ; single
birds at Auskerry on May 11th, 12th, and 14th.

Lartanp Buntina (Calcarius 1. lapponicus).—One at Auskerry
on October 3rd; one at the Flannans on November 12th. 1

Woop-Lark (Lullula a. arborea).—One at Auskerry on October 11th
and 2lst; one at the Flannans from early November to January
27th, 1914, when it was shot.

SHorE-Lark (Hremophtila f. flava).—Single birds at Fair Isle and
Pentland Skerries in October; two at Auskerry on October 30th,
one November 2nd, and two November 3rd.

BLUE-HEADED Waerat (Motacilla f. flava).—Single birds at Fair
Isle on May 12th and June 38rd.

GrREY-HEADED Waatart (M. f. thunbergi).—At Fair Isle five on
May 13th, one 15th, two 17th, and two June 28th-30th.

Yettow Wacrait (M. f. rayi).—Single birds at Fair Isle and
Auskerry at various dates in April and May ; one at Pentland Skerries
on September 19th.

Grey Wacrait (M. b. boarula).—Two at Fair Isle on May 30th,
and reported at various dates from August to early October from
North Unst, Galson (Outer Hebrides) and Flannans.

Great Grey SHRIKE (Lanius e. excubitor).—One at Fair Isle on
October 15th.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE (L. ec. collurio).—One at the Flannans on
May 20th.

Waxwine (Ampelis garrulus).—A few occurrences are noted in
November and December, but most appear to have arrived in Scotland
in January, 1914, and do not therefore come within the scope of
this report.

SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFE (Phylloscopus c. tristis)—Single birds at
Fair Isle on October 4th and 10th previously recorded as “ autumn ”
(cf. Vol. VIL, p. 49); one at Lerwick on October 31st, in addition
to those already mentioned (I.c.).

NortTHERN WILLOw-WARBLER (Ph. trochilus eversmanni).—One at
Little Ross Lighthouse (Kirkcudbrightshire) on April 30th.

Woop-WarBteER (Ph. 8. sibilatrix).—One at Lerwick on May 11th,
besides that already recorded on May 4th (cf. Vol. VII., p. 349).

BarrED WARBLER (Sylvia n. nisoria).—In addition to the remark-
able number already recorded for England and Scotland in the
autumn of 1913, the following occurrences are here given :—One at
the Flannans on September 2nd and one on the 26th ; one on Pentland
Skerries on the 19th.

Lesser WurrerHroat (S. c. curruca).—Noted in small numbers
at Fair Isle, Pentland Skerries, Auskerry and Isle of May, during
first half of May, and during September to October 6th, the last on
October 12th at Isle of May.

Rinc-Ovuzex (Turdus t. torquatus).—One was seen at close quarters
at Aberlady on February Ist. Occurred in the Flannans in autumn.

Buack Repstart (Phenicurus o. gibraltariensis).—An unusual
number occurred both in spring and autumn, viz., Mull of Galloway,
February lst; Pentland Skerries, five in March, three in April, two
in May, three in October, one in November; Isle of May, one in
March, one in April, ten in May, seven in October; Auskerry, five
in October, besides those already reported (Vol. VIT., p. 303).

128 BRITISH BIRDS. [Vou. vit.

NORWEGIAN BuiuetHROAT (Luscinia s. gaetket).—One at Pentland
Skerries on May 6th and four on September 19th, one at Auskerry
on May 8th.

HeEpGE-SparRow (Prunella m. occidentalis)—Two nests were
found in Uist (Outer Hebrides) where it has not previously been
known to breed.

Hoopor (Upupa e. epops).—One at Lerwick on September 22nd.

GREAT SpoTTED WoopPECKER (Dryobates m. anglicus).—Bred at
Thirlestane and Gask (Perthshire).

WryYNECK (Jynx t. torquilla)—One at Little Ross Lighthouse
(Kirkeudbrightshire) on August 28th.

SparRow-Hawk (Accipiter n. nisus).—One at Sule Skerry on April
15th and one on May 17th, one at Auskerry on October 8th.

SHELD-Duck (Tadorna tadorna).—One at Fair Isle on September
10th.

GADWALL (Anas strepera).—Found breeding (young seen) in Moray
and Sutherland, a first record for the former and second for the latter.
It will be remembered that it was found breeding in Caithness in
1912 (cf. Vol. VI., p. 318).

SLAVONIAN GREBE (Colymbus auritus).—Two nests with eggs were
found on June 26th.

Little Stint (Erolia m. minuta).—One at Fair Isle on June 2nd.

GREEN SANDPIPER (Tringa ocrophus).—One at an inland loch in
Ross-shire on August 15th.

BLACK-TAILED Gopwirt (Limosa limosa).—One shot in Kirkeudbright-
shire on the Solway on January 2nd, five clearly identified on the
Dornoch Firth on August 26th, one on the Beauly Firth on October
13th.

Lonc-TaILeD SxKvua (Stercorarius longicaudus).—In May one in
Harris, and one at New Deer (Aberdeenshire).

Field-Studies of Some
Rarer British Birds
By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND |

Author of ‘* Bird: Life in Wild Wales,” and Part-Authar of ‘The Book
of the Open: Air.”

Demy 8vo. About 330. pp. 7s. 6d. net.

As a work of first-hand observation this book must
appeal to Ornithologists, and especially to those. interested in
the nesting-habits of birds.

The scope of the book is indicated by the following
titles of chapters :—

Dartford Warblers The once-Common Buzzard
The Pied Flycatcher In Highland haunts of Eagles
Sussex Crossbills | Irish Golden Eagles

The once-Common Red Kite
Peregrine Falcons
The habits of the Hobby

: 4 The Merlin on the Moors
Succes wc Wend bark The haunts of the Gadwall

The “ Woodcock ’’ Owl Habits of the Black

Cirl Buntings in Sussex
Choughs
Ravens

Hen-Harriers Guillemot

PRESS OPINIONS.

The ‘‘Field” says:—‘*‘Mr. Walpole-Bond is a good field
naturalist... . Those who, like himself, have paid attention to such matters
for many years will appreciate his remarks in proportion, as they tend to’
confirm their own observations, while less experienced readers will discover
much that will be new to them, and which, in “several cases we have
noted, is not to be found even in well-known works on British birds.”

The ‘‘ Times” says :—‘* Mr, Walpole-Bond is a good example of
the first-hand observer, who writes simply and clearly about what
he sees.”

The ‘* Scotsman” says :—‘‘ As a field-naturalist, endowed with
the keen eye and ear which, together with ample knowledge, are
indispensable requirements of his pursuits, Mr. Walpole-Bond can have
few superiors among the ornithologists of the island.”

London; WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JoHN WaALPoLe-Bonp, author of ‘Bird Life in Wild / Wales.” |

Demy 8vo. ; cloth; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with colowted bakes
drawings and maps, and reproductions from sheer a 3. Square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600’ pages. . 27s. eg ‘het,

My Game-Book. — ee ae

By ALAN R. Haic-Brown. The Author unites a passionate iva of the
chase with a knowledge of Nature. Mauy, photographs; 250 pages;

cloth. 5s. net.

Camping in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By pees
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A., F.L.S.; F.Z.S., etc. ; with 34 plates and a
map; 320 pages; cloth; demy ‘vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By EB. C. SruarT Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; with 27 beautiful
coloured plates; over 250: pages; imp. 8vo.' ; half bound muvrocco,
gilt top. £2 10s. ret.

YW ay

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyp HorssrucGuH, |M.B.O.U., F.Z.S. ;) with 67° beautiful (}

coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.

&4 14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s, net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst HartTert, F. C. R. Jourpain, N. F, TICEHUKST, and

H. F.. WITHERBY.

7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s, net.

A DICTIONARY OF ..

English and Folk-Names of British Birds, |

By H. Kirke SwANn. ° Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-

lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages ; demy 8vo,; cloth.

T be Emi 10s. net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Illustrated’ with

half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly Parts 4s. each. Annual subscription 4 5s.

Messrs, Witherby Se Co, have been appointed European caress of The Eee.

British Birds. New volume éommenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.

Edited by H. F. W1ITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B,O.U., assisted by Rev. F.C R,.

JourDAIN, M.A., M:B:O0.U., and N. F. TICEHURST, M.A., F.R:C.S.,
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.
Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free ; ; Monthly, ts. net.

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

BRITISH
“BIRDS.

_ANILUSTIRATED:- MAGAZINE

DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS'ON
Sy THEBRTISH UST 2

NOVEMBER 2,
1914.

MA = Vol. ‘VIII.
Z f

—
—
—
>

MONTHLY ‘ONE:SHILLING-NET
S26TIGHHOLBORNICSDON
WITHERBY & C2»

VOLUMES I., II. and Il. NOW COMPLETE. -

The Birds of Australia.
GREGORY M. MATHEWS, #.R.s.E., M.A.0.U., M.B.O.U.
With Hand-coloured Plates, hk
IN TWO-GUINEA QUARTERLY PARTS. eee
Limited to 260 Copies. Only a few Copies remain for Subscription.
No new Subscriptions will be received after the

finish of the current volume (Vol. IV.).
Prospectus, with specimen plate, and full particulars on application. ©

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Waturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Fees
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

_ BIRDS, MAMMALS, &., PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATURE.

All Books and Publications'on Natural History supplied.
86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross, )

Cifslosue (102 -pp.) post free.

Indian Pigeons and Doves
By E..C. STUART BAKER, F,z.5,, F.L.S.,°M.B.0.U.
With Twenty-seven Coloured Plates.

Representing all the species of Indian Pigeons and Doves,
reproduced by the most approved modern methods from
the Drawings of Messrs. G. E. Lodge and H. Grénvold.

The ‘‘ Field” Says :—‘‘To the field’ naturalist consequently ae are very
attractive birds, and hardly less soto the shooter of small game. Mr. Stuart Baker,
therefore, in giving in this volume a full and detailed account of them, with excellent’ '
figures has rendered good Service both to naturalists and sportsmen.’ 2

The ‘‘ Graphic” says :—* Mr. ‘Baker has much to say from a sporting
point of view, for he is not only the leading aap antaree ne of our day buta
well-known sportsman to boot *’

The ‘‘ Westminster. Gazette ”” says :—“‘A very interesting publication

. The author-is well known in the ornithological world «+ an authority

on Indian Birds, and his field notes on the habits of the various species of pigeons
are of the utmost interest.’

Over 250 pages. Imp. 8vo. Half-bound morocco, gilt top.
. £2 10s. net.

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

BRITSHBIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND NorMAN F.
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ConTENTS OF NuMBER 6, Vout. VIII. NovemBer 2, 1914.

PAGE
Cormorants in Norfolk. By E. L. Turner, Hon. Mem. B.O.U. 130
Notes :—
Birds Migrating Northwards in October (J. H. Gurney) .. 143
Habits of Brooding Birds and Nestlings at Night (Miss
Maud D. Haviland) x an Sie NN is 144
Breeding Status of Linnet in the Scilly Isles (H. W.
Robinson) .. ae is ifs ie ag ao 144
Tree-Pipit Nesting in the Scilly Isles (H. W. Robinson) .. 145
Late Breeding of Yellow Wagtail (G. Sanderson) ts 145
Willow-Tit in North-east Norfolk (H. G. Alexander) Ee 146
Icterine Warbler in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) oe 146
Dartford Warbler in Warwickshire (Reginald Hudson) .. 146
Food of Sparrow-Hawks and Method of Feeding Young
(E. G. B. Meade-Waldo) .. ae ate 3 a 147
Pectoral Sandpiper in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) ae 148
Nest of Jack Snipe (H. L. Popham) Bc ye a 149
Slender-billed Curlew in Kent (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. 150
Pomatorhine Skua in Wiltshire (H. W. Robinson) ne 150
Status of Land-Rail in Yorkshire and Oxfordshire (E. W.
Wade and Lord Moreton) .. oe Ac Bic is 150
Moor-Hen covering Eggs (Dr. J. E. H. Kelso)... axe 151
Short Notes :—Icterine Warblers in Orkney. Long-tailed
Skua in co. Donegal ne Be Ke 5 152

( 130 )

CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK.
BY

E. L. TURNER, Hon. Mem. B.O.U.

THE nesting of a pair of Cormorants (Phalocrocorax c.
carbo) in a disused Heron’s nest in Norfolk has already
been reported by Mr. J. H. Gurney (antea, p. 52), and
shortly after the announcement I was asked to visit
the nesting-site in order to procure photographs if
possible. The results are interesting as a scientific
record ; pictorially they fail, for the technical difficulties
of the situation were insurmountable.

The nest selected by the Cormorants was placed at the
top of a large alder on a tiny island in a lake. It was
about forty feet up, and difficult of access owing to the
unsound condition of the tree. A reference to Figure 1
will give the reader a better idea of its whereabouts
than can any written words. It was in the middle of
the branches on the extreme right-hand top corner
of the walled island, not in the fork of the tree where
the sky shows through, but just over this. In Figure 2
the old bird is seen perched above the nest, while in
Figure 3 one adult is flying away, and the other may be
discerned just beneath the moving bird; the nest with
one youngster sitting upright is to be seen to the left.
Figure 3 was taken after a large branch had been removed
in order to let in some light. Two young birds were
first visible on July Ist, but I think they must have
been hatched some days earlier. By July 8th the
brood was found to consist of four. The first two birds
were fledged on July 28th, the third on August Ist,
while the fourth remained in the nest till August 6th.

Cormorants do not breed on the east coast south of
Flamborough Head. They have not been known to
nest in Norfolk for upwards of two hundred years.
William Turner wrote in 1544: “I have seen Mergi
nesting on sea-clifis about the mouth of the Tyne river,

Pe

Fig. 1. THE ISLAND IN A LAKE IN NORFOLK, SHOWING THE TREE
IN WHICH THE CORMORANT’S NEST WAS PLACED.

(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

Fig. 2. THE OLD BIRD PERCHED ABOVE THE NEST
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

Fig. 3.

Fig. 4.

ONE OF THE OLD BIRDS FLYING AWAY, AND THE NEST.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

THE YOUNG. FIRST ATTEMPTS AT WING EXERCISES,
JULY 7th.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

vou. vi.] CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK. 133

and on lofty trees in Norfolk with the Herons ” (T'urner
on Birds, edited by A. H. Evans, 1903, p. 111). Sir T.
Browne in his MS. notes and letters, written between
1605 and 1682, printed with notes by T. Southwell in
1902, states (p. 11) that Cormorants built at Reedham
“upon trees from whence King charles the first was
wont to bee supplyed.” There is no evidence to show
when they ceased to breed at Reedham, but it is stated
in Lubbock’s Fauna of Norfolk (new edition 1879, p. 174)
that Cormorants nested in Herons’ nests in the woods
of Herringfleet on the shores of Fritton Lake in Suffolk
occasionally, but not regularly ; that in 1825 there were
many nests, and in 1827 not one. Since that time there
is no record of Cormorants having bred in Norfolk or
Suffolk.

I paid my first visit to the birds depicted here on
July 7th.

After prospecting from all points of view and taking
trial photographs, it was found impossible to obtain
successful results either from the shore or from a boat,
so we landed on the island, selected what appeared to
be a reasonably strong tree, about 20 ft. away from the
Cormorants’ nest, and, at dusk, a tall ladder was securely
fixed against it. No platform or shelter of any description
could be erected, because at that height one was on a level
with the topmost branches of the surrounding trees,
most of which were too slender to bear any weight, or
else too decayed.

The next day, July 8th, when I first mounted the
ladder, one old Cormorant sat quietly on a branch
near the nest for some time. I exposed a plate, more
or less at random, before the bird flew away. This
was the only one exposed during that day, for a large
limb and several smaller twigs had to be removed from
an adjacent tree before the nest was clear. In order
to do this the ladder had to come down, men and saws
hunted up—a process which took about three hours
and entailed a lot of labour, for the ladder alone required

134 : BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

three men to lift it into position. I did not care to
risk disturbing the Cormorants any longer and so left
them for several days.

The only good light on the nest was between 11 a.m.
and 1.45 p.m., but being several feet beneath it, my
camera had to point upwards towards the underside of
the surrounding foliage, which never reflected any
light. Moreover, the ladder swayed with every gust of
wind, and the Cormorants were never still, so that no
exposure above one-twenty-fifth of a second was prac-
ticable. I used my Birdland camera throughout at double
extension. It was slung round my neck and balanced
against a pole tied at right angles to the ladder.

Cormorants somehow look ridiculously out of place
in trees; their curiously-shaped feet with the four toes
webbed do not seem adapted for perching. I tried
very hard to get a good photograph of their peculiar
method of hanging on to a branch, but the colour of
their feet harmonised with the wood so well that they
failed to show. I sometimes laughed aloud at the
terrified expression of the adventurous nestlings when
they first began to perch on some slender branches
near the nest. If a sudden puff of wind came, the birds
wrapped their feet tightly round a twig, crouched down
and craned their necks towards the haven of the nursery,
and sometimes made desperate efforts to regain it,
opening their beaks meanwhile and panting with fear.
It occurred to me that possibly I might present the
same frightened aspect to the Cormorants, when sudden
gusts compelled me to cling to my ladder with both
hands, as both it and the tree bent before the wind. The
first batch of photographs obtained between July 7th and
July 20th showed only two birds clearly. Occasionally
the head of number three appeared, but the fourth was
not of an age to sit up and take notice, except at feeding-
time ; then all four showed up plainly as soon as the
old bird approached. That fortnight was a particularly
hot one, and the two elder birds sat with open beaks

voL. vit.] CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK. 135

pointing skywards, rapidly inflating their throats. Some-
times they leaned against a branch, panting in this
peculiar manner. I do not know whether they liked
or disliked heat.

They loved sunning their queer little aldermanic,
down-covered bodies and expanding their wings, flapping
the latter solemnly to and fro. I knew when the old

Kig.5 WAITING TQ BE FED.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner. )

birds were near, because the nestlings would suddenly
stand up and, gazing skywards, follow the circling
flights of their parents with a corresponding circular
motion of their four heads, and also give vent to four
wailing cries when the old bird sheered off without
feeding them. On two occasions only did she come
within range, but the result was not satisfactory. ‘To my
intense annoyance, however, she invariably returned to
the nest directly I left the island. The nestlings were
fed by both old birds; each in turn received a due
proportion of food. There was no pushing or quarrelling,

136 BRITISH BIRDS. — [VoL. VII. ;

and their table manners—for Cormorants—were quite
good; but the noise they made during the progress
of the meal was like that produced by four unoiled
pump handles all working inharmoniously together.
Between July 21st and July 26th a continuous gale
raged, but on the 27th there came a lull, and I made
a dash for my birds, securing the one bright hour of the

ON.

Fig. 6. THROWING LEAVES OVERBOARD.
(Photographed ‘by Miss E. L. Turner.)

day for my work. This was the first time I obtained
a photograph of all four nestlings together. Just after
mounting the ladder a sudden heavy shower forced
me to shut up the camera and descend. Then occurred
one of the prettiest sights it was my luck to witness,
but I had to remain fretting and fuming on the ground.
The four young birds stood upright and flapped their
wings in unison all the time the storm lasted, twisting
their heads from side to side with quaint, sinuous move-
ments, and evincing every symptom of keen enjoyment.
They were at all times amusing, and the first and fourth

voL. vit.} CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK. 137

birds had an individuality of their own. No. 1, being
the eldest and strongest, swaggered considerably and
lorded it over the rest; No. 4, being the last in the nest
and somewhat less adventurous than the others, played
solitary games. They all loved a tug-of-war with bits
of stick: two or three, and sometimes all four, took part
in this. Their individual diversion was to pull off

; a

4

Fig.7. WATCHING THE WORLD IN GENERAL, JULY 3lst.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

leaves, drop them outside the nest and then lean out
to watch them flutter out of sight. Sometimes two
interlocked their beaks and engaged in a mild sham
fight. They never quarrelled, and their mutual con-
versation sounded quite amicable, if raucous. On
July 27th the two older birds stood on the edge of the
nest flapping their wings vigorously and rapidly for
ten minutes at a stretch, so that I was not surprised to
hear three days later that they had flown. I was told
that there were “six birds on the wing,’ but the two
younger birds were as yet quite unable to fly.

158 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

When I went again on the 31st two flew out of the nest,
while the remaining birds sat up and watched the world
in general. Later in the day I rowed after the two
fledged birds and found that they could only take short.
flights, after which they either dropped on to the water
or stood on shore. Sometimes they perched on a rope
which was stretched across one end of the lake for the

‘ < Paid
« .*
. > al 4%ei “
s

wy

Nite -

Fig.8. SLIGHTLY BORED, JULY 31st.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner )

use of bathers. The young Cormorants found some
difficulty in balancing themselves on this, and generally
ended by falling into the water. I stayed that night
at the keeper’s house, hoping to creep up the ladder at:
dawn without disturbing the sleeping birds, but it was
a wet morning and photography out of the question. I
went out at 5.30 and found one bird sitting on the bridge
and two playing in the water ; this left only the youngest
at home. I spent from 9 a.m. till noon near her, but
she slept peacefully for two hours, while I spent the
time watching the others disporting themselves with

-

vot. vil.] CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK. 139

their parents on a spit of sand by the lake-side. From
my perch I had a fine view over the lake ; so had the one
remaining bird, which every now and again complained
loudly at the solitude, or else vigorously exercised its
wings; but its chief amusement consisted in pulling
the nest to pieces and remaking it, or else in dropping
twigs overboard and looking after them as they fell.

Fig. 9. EXIT No. 3.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner.)

There was a tremendous fascination about watching
these big birds in their first efforts at flight. One almost
saw the rise and growth of the instinctive impulse to fly.
I grew quite excited about it myself, because at such
close quarters one not only observed the continuous
efforts resulting in a daily increase of strength, but
also the fearful joy of it! The spasmodic gasping,
and wild startled eye, the dread of that first plunge
into the new life and then—it was an extra puff of wind
that finally launched No. 3—the young Cormorant
has sky and sea as well as the earth for his wanderings.

140 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

On August 3rd I erected a hiding tent on the sandy
point, where I had seen the Cormorants disporting
themselves, and I stayed that night in a lodge by the
lake-side. The youngest bird was still in the nest, and
about 5 p.m. two others joined it. A great chattering
ensued and was maintained till dusk. Finally these
two young ones settled down to roost by the nest. But

Fig. 10. THE LAST TO LEAVE, AUGUST 3rd.
(Photographed by Miss H. L. Turner.)

the adult birds and their first-born roosted in a corner
of the wood at the far end of the lake, where they could,
however, keep an eye upon theirnursery. This youngster
now showed white on the breast and looked very
conspicuous against a background of fir branches. His
parents seemed very pleased with him and sat side by
side encouraging him to take short circular flights
above them, and each time he alighted they greeted
him with approving grunts. The old birds also indulged
in much quiet love-making, rubbing their beaks together
and raising and lowering their heads in unison. They

a ee

voL. vit.} CORMORANTS IN NORFOLK. 141

kept up these rhythmic movements for a considerable
time. A colony of Herons (whose breeding-place was on
the Cormorant island) also roosted in the same corner
of the wood and came in at dusk with loud discordant
cries. An owl hooted and Pheasants crowed, while scores
of Wood-Pigeons kept up a continuous undercurrent
of sound. Amid all these essentially woodland notes
the hoarse cries of the old Cormorants and creaking
notes of their offspring sounded curiously out of place.
As the shadows in the lake grew longer, a flock of Canada
Geese flew in and, with a swish and a swirl, alighted on
the water. I was in my tent about 3 a.m. the following
morning (August 4th). The Cormorants awoke at 3.30,
and the five met on the lake where they swam about
for some time. The old birds then flew straight out to
sea while the young went back to the nest and awaited
their parents’ return at 6 a.m. when they were fed.
During the whole of that morning they remained either
on the island or flew to adjacent trees, or else played
together on the lake. They were fed again at 12.30.

I paid my final visits to the Cormorants on August 20th
and 21st. The tent had been in position since August 3rd,
and therefore I hoped all the birds were used to it.
When I reached the lake at 4.30 p.m. it was surrounded
by geese and ducks, but no Cormorants, though two
were circling round the isJand. I neither saw nor heard
anything of them till 7.30, when a party of ten flew
steadily in from the sea and quietly settled down in the
trees. The four immature birds now all showed white
against a dark background. Some of them returned
to the nest as before, and others to the roosting-place
with the Herons. Again, however, both parents sat bolt
upright on a branch, while their family went through
various aerial evolutions until dusk. But what were
the four strange birds, and why did they come? Ona
previous occasion (July 28th), while two nestlings
remained unfledged, siz birds were observed “ flying
high in the sky.” Evidently the one pair of breeding

J) lal BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

Cormorants considered their unconventional choice of
a home a domestic success. It seems to me that they
always went out to sea for their food supply; at any
rate, I never saw them take fish from the lake. On
August 21st I again slipped into my tent about 2.30 a.m.
Soon after 3 a.m. eight Green Sandpipers alighted with
metry call-notes close to me, and ran about the sands.
They bathed and preened themselves, chased each other
along the water’s edge in a way wholly delightful to
look at, but terribly galling to the photographer. When
the light came, and with it the geese and Herons, these
charming little waders flew off to another part of the
lake. They were playing round us the night before,
but I think must have moved on during the morning,
for they were not in evidence after dawn. The whole
Cormorant family came down to bathe with the geese
about 8 o’clock and then went away. In all probability
they spend the greater part of the day by the sea and
retire to the lake to roost. Young birds have been
seen at Hasbro’ recently, but, of course, they are not
necessarily members of this particular family.

One of the most interesting facts in the life-history of
these Cormorants was the persistence with which they
returned to the nest for meals, and also to roost.
Unfortunately I was unable to continue observations
later than August 21st, and so far have not succeeded
in obtaining any later information with regard to their
habits and movements.

BIRDS MIGRATING NORTHWARDS IN OCTOBER.

AN unusually strong migration of Lapwings, Starlings, Gulls
(chiefly Herring-Gulls), Redwings, Sky-Larks, with finches
and other species in smaller numbers, and one Grey Shrike,
took place on the coast of north Norfolk on October 7th,
1914, being particularly remarked in the parishes of Cromer,
Northrepps, and Overstrand. The morning was quite fine,
with a gentle wind from the north, in which direction the
wind had been high on the previous day (when it registered
at Northrepps, one mile from the sea: N. force 4 at 8 a.m.,
N.N.E. force 3 at 10 a.m., N. force 3 at 2 p.m., and N.N.E.
force 1 at 10 p.m.). All the birds were flying either dead
against the wind, or slightly north-north-west, and there
can be little doubt that it was owing to the wind that they
were going in this unusual direction. One does not expect
to see migrants going north in October without a reason.

My attention was first drawn to the movement at 7 a.m.,
but it was in full progress at six o’clock, and had probably
been going on most of the night. At 11 a.m. it had distinctly
slackened, and by mid-day was practically over. In those
six hours it is a reasonable estimate to say that twelve
thousand Lapwings must have passed over the parishes of
Northrepps and Overstrand, and say ten thousand Starlings,
ten thousand Gulls, and five thousand birds of other species,
all going north, or nearly so. The Redwings and Sky-Larks
went by in threes and fours, but all the Lapwings and
Gulls were in flocks, averaging perhaps forty birds apiece,
and all were flying rather slowly, as if they had come a
long way.

On the coast of north Lincolnshire Mr. Caton Haigh writes
that a similar passage of birds was observed on the same
day, but here the direction of the flight was north-west. It
seems evident therefore that the migrants were following
the coast-line, and made no attempt to cross the North
Sea. One of the Plover netters told Mr. Caton Haigh
that it was the biggest flight of Lapwings he had ever
known, and these men have long experience at their
trade. J. H. Gurney.

144 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

HABITS OF BROODING BIRDS AND NESTLINGS
AT NIGHT.

In the October issue of British Birds, Mr. J. H. Owen,
writing of the Spotted Flycatcher, says (p. 116): “ after the
young are twelve days old they are not brooded at night.”
I have examined the nests of Blackbirds, Song-Thrushes, and
Robins at night and have found that when the young are
half-feathered the old birds do not brood them by night,
although they may continue to do so by day. Young
Blackbirds and Thrushes, examined by lantern light, behaved
just as by day. The behaviour of young Robins, however,
under similar circumstances was different. I examined two
nests, one in 1913 and one in 1914, and found that when
the nest was disturbed, the nestlings responded by a most
curious spasmodic action which appeared to be quite
unconscious, and was only evoked by the stimulus of touch.
With ruffled plumage they darted their heads over the nest-
brim with great rapidity, while their bodies were agitated
until the whole nest quivered. They accompanied these
actions by a snapping noise similar to that made by two
Thrushes when fighting. I have never heard this sound
from a Robin, either adult or young, before. It should be
mentioned that this attack, if one may call it so, was never
directed at the disturbing finger, but seemed to be quite
purposeless. I timed the demonstration, and found that
in one nest it lasted twenty to twenty-five seconds, and in
the other only half as long. I never could get any response
to disturbance during the day-time, and so far I have not
noticed the action in other broods examined by night, which
were Blackbirds and Thrushes. Mavup D. HavinanpD.

BREEDING STATUS OF LINNET IN THE
SCILLY ISLES.

In their paper on the “ Birds of Scilly’ in the Zoologist
(1906, p. 250), Messrs. Clarke and Rodd state that: “The
Linnet occurs in large and frequent flocks, often mixed with
Chaffinches, in autumn and spring, and irregularly throughout
the winter. It has not hitherto been recorded as nesting at
Scilly, but in 1903 nests were found on Garrison Hill, St.
Mary’s, and on St. Martin’s, and in 1904 on Tresco.” It
would appear that it has considerably increased as a nesting
species since then, for I found three nests round Old Town,
St. Mary’s, in 1914, quite by accident, and had I searched,
should no doubt have found many more, judging by the

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 145

number of family parties which I saw on the Garrison Hill,
St. Mary’s, during the latter part of June and the first
week in July. The only brood which I kept under observa-
tion left the nest on May 14th. On April 29th and 30th
there were enormous flocks on St. Agnes on migration.

H. W. Rosrnson.

TREE-PIPIT NESTING IN THE SCILLY ISLES.

In their paper on the “ Birds of Scilly’ in the Zoologist
(1906), Messrs. Clarke and Rodd state (p. 247) that the Tree-
Pipit (Anthus t. trivialis) has been occasionally observed
in autumn on Tresco and St. Mary’s, once on St. Martin’s,
and twice on Bryher, and an adult male was found dead on
St. Agnes early in June, 1902. They state, further, that
the bird is probably often overlooked, and may be a regular
autumn-visitor. )
On July 2nd, 1914, I found a nest of this species contain-
ing four young near Old Town, St. Mary’s, and as I later
received a leg with ring from one of the brood, it would
seem that the whole brood fell victims to one of the numerous
cats which are a perfect pest on this and other of the
inhabited islands. It is thus possible that the bird found on
St. Agnes in June, 1902, may have been breeding. I may
also mention that I procured an adult male on St. Mary’s
on April 19th, 1914. H. W. Rosinson.

LATE BREEDING OF YELLOW WAGTAIL.

On July 12th, 1914, when a meadow in Tatham, north
Lancashire, was being cut, a nest of young Yellow Wagtails
(Motacilla f. rayi) was cut through. On August Ist in a
pasture-field I saw a Yellow Wagtail leave a nest containing
four incubated eggs. I saw both bird and eggs the following
day, but on visiting the nest four days later there were only
three eggs and they were quite cold. The next day all the
eggs had gone. Most likely these were the same parent
birds, as the nests were within fifty yards of each other.

G. SANDERSON.

[| Although as a rule the Yellow Wagtail lays in the latter
half of May or early in June and rears only one brood, yet
exceptionally it breeds much earlier, and probably where
second broods are reared they are the produce of these early
nesters. F.§. Mitchell (Birds of Lancashire,.p. 46, 2nd ed.)
states that sometimes they begin to sit as early as April 26th,
though usually quite a month later. Nests with eggs were
also reported from Denbigh on April 23rd, 1906, and Somerset

M

146 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

on April 24th, 1906 (Bull. B.O.C., XX., p. 105). On the
other hand, Mr. W. Fitzherbert-Brockholes (British Birds,
VL. p. 126) records eggs on July 16th, 1909, and Mr. H. F.
Witherby found young almost fledged in Suffolk on August 3rd,
1914. As there is an interval of eleven or twelve weeks
between the earliest and latest records of eggs, it is tolerably
certain that in some cases two broods are reared.—F.C.R.J. |

WILLOW-TIT IN NORTH-EAST NORFOLK.

On September 8th, 1914, I heard and saw a Willow-Tit
(Parus atricapillus) in a plantation a few miles from the
coast of north-east Norfolk; the previous day a remarkable
number of black-capped Tits (either Marsh- or Willow-) had
been noticed in another plantation rather nearer the coast.

This suggests the possibility of a migratory movement
along the east coast in autumn, of which some evidence
has already been furnished in British Birds (Vol. IV,,
pp. 248 and 284). The birds procured by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst
in Suffolk, and Mr. G. H. Caton Haigh in Lincolnshire, im
autumn and winter, were shown to be British Willow-Tits
(P. a. kleinschmidti). I was, of course, unable to assign
the bird I saw to any particular race.

It may be worth while to add that in the second half
of September and the first week of October this year (1914)
I saw Willow-Tits with unusual frequency, and in an unusual
variety of places, near Tunbridge Wells.

H. G. ALEXANDER.

ICTERINE WARBLER IN SUSSEX.

A SPECIMEN of the Icterine Warbler (Hypolais icterina) was
obtained at Hollington Park, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex,
on August 26th, 1914. I examined it in the flesh, and found
it to be an immature male. H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

DARTFORD WARBLER IN WARWICKSHIRE.

I am not aware whether the Dartford Warbler (Sylvia uwndata
dartfordiensis) has been reported from Warwickshire ; the
species certainly does not appear in the list of birds com-
piled by the late R. F. Tomes for the Victoria History of
the County of Warwick, Vol. I., 1904, nor is the county
credited with an occurrence in the fourth edition of Yarrell’s
British Birds. Durmg the past two days (October 9th and
10th, 1914) I have been watching an individual bird of this
species on a tract of gorse-land some few miles distant
from Stratford-on-Avon. For obvious reasons I do not

VOL. VII. | NOTES. — 147

particularize the spot, more especially as it is to be hoped
that the Furze-Wrens may permanently establish themselves
there, if indeed they have not already done so. So far as
I could tell, as the result of six hours’ search, only one bird
was in evidence. REGINALD HUDSON.

FOOD OF SPARROW-HAWKS AND METHOD OF
FEEDING YOUNG.

I can confirm all that Dr. Penrose and Mr. Heatley Noble
write (antea pp. 98-100, 119) about the food of Sparrow-Hawks
and the methods in which it is delivered to the young.

For over forty years we have never disturbed any Sparrow-
Hawks’ nests on the Hever or Stonewall Estates (Kent), and
I do not think we have had to destroy more than half a dozen
old hens for depredations done in the rearing-field. The
harmless Kestrel (for I believe it is almost entirely harmless
to wild game) is often far more troublesome in the rearing-
field than the vast majority of Sparrow-Hawks. The
time of year and methods of hunting are conducive to this.
The Kestrel breeds early when food is comparatively
scarce and there is not much cover in the fields.

The coops with young Pheasants are put out early in May,
the young wander about in the short grass, the foster-mother
can only see straight before her, and cannot give warning
to her brood, which depend on her for protection. A Kestrel
hanging in the air, it may be quite a long way off. sees those
tempting morsels and comes in with a long slanting stoop
(I have often seen him do it) and picks one up. He finds it
so easy that he comes again and will continue to do so until
stopped. It is always the cock which is the culprit: the hen
is sitting or has small young. Later in the season one
rarely has any trouble. with a Kestrel—food is abundant.
_Mice are exposed by the mowing machines, etc., and there
are plenty of cockchafers and young finches, etc. The
opportunity to take the young of wild game does not occur
to the Kestrel as his method of hanging in the air “ gives
him away” to every mother with a brood, and she keeps
the young motionless until the coast is clear.

The Sparrow-Hawk, breeding late in the year, hatches
its young when food is most abundant and easily procured.
Until the young are strong enough to pull up their own food
the cock does the whole of the foraging, the hen waiting by
the nest or on it. The quality of the food brought by the
male can be easily proved by the feathers left round the
plucking places. There are generally two or three of these

148 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

within about 100 yards. Song-Thrushes, Blackbirds, Mistle-
Thrushes, almost all small birds are brought at times, but
strange to say very seldom Sparrows! Some Hawks seem
to have a fancy for certain species. I have known one that
took great numbers of Bullfinches, others often took Gold-
finches. Many are very fond of Skylarks, etc. I do not
remember ever to have found the feathers of a game-bird
brought by the cock. When the young begin to pull up their
own food the hen begins to hunt, and then she may take
to robbing the rearing-field. The young Pheasants are then
quite big, and she will take them when nearly as large as a
Partridge. Jf this happens she will have to be shot, but there
is then no reason to destroy the nest, for the cock will finish
rearing the brood or most of them, with small birds.

Every year we have at least one nest of Sparrow-Hawks
close to each of our rearing-fields. Some years the direction
taken by the old birds when hunting is directly over the field,
and not a Pheasant is touched. When we have had a trouble-
some bird it has always been a hawk that hunted from the
wood and was evidently attracted by the young Pheasants
flying up out of the grass in play. There is one other occasion
when the Sparrow-Hawk may do harm. When the coops
are first put in the rides in the wood, a young female Sparrow-
Hawk that is just beginning to kill for herself may see the
Pheasants, and finding them a simple prey will probably kill
one a day until stopped, but this is rare. The occasional
old Partridge killed by the female Sparrow-Hawk is almost
too rare an occurence to be taken into account.

I have never ventured to write on the subject of this
delightful dashing bird before, knowing what a bad name
it has got, but I know that many observant field-naturalists
are of the same opinion as myself, and I feel certain if
employers would see that their keepers never killed a Hawk
except when caught red-handed, that they would find they
had not appreciably diminished their stock of game, and
would enjoy their ‘‘ walks abroad” far more.

E.G. B. MrapE-WALpo.

PECTORAL SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX.

At Pevensey, Sussex, on August 25th, 1914, an immature
female of the American Pectoral Sandpiper (Hrolia m.
maculata) was obtained. I saw the bird in the flesh the
following morning, and it was in splendid condition, which
gave me the idea that it had not been in the locality for
long, as owing to the continued drought nearly all the feeding

——

VOL. VIu. | NOTES. 149

erounds are dried up, with the result that most of the birds
usually met with have gone farther afield.
H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

NEST OF JACK SNIPE.

THE accompanying photograph of the nest and eggs of a
Jack Snipe (Limnocryptes gallinula) is genuine, and will
probably be of interest to readers of British Birds. This

NEST AND EGGS OF JACK SNIPE.
(Photographed by H. L. Popham, in Russia.)

nest was found in an extensive marsh in Russia in a tussock
of coarse grass. The bird sat very close and did not leave
the eggs until almost trodden upon; it flew only a few
yards before alighting, and when flushed again flew right
away. ‘The eggs are so well known that it is not necessary
to describe them in any way, but I am not aware that a
photograph of the nest and eggs has been previously
published. H. L. PopHam.

150 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.
SLENDER-BILLED CURLEW IN KENT.

AN example of the Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius
tenuirostris) was obtained at Jury’s Gap, Kent, on September
10th, 1914, and I examined it in the flesh on the following
day. It proved to be an immature male. There have only
been three previous records for Great Britain, an immature
pair September 21st, 1910, and an adult male, September
23rd, 1910, all obtained in Kent (cf. Brit. B., Vol. V., p. 124).

H. W. Forp-Linpsay. -

POMATORHINE SKUA IN WILTSHIRE.

In Mr. Hony’s paper on the “ Birds of Wiltshire ” (antea,
Vol. VII., p. 283), he mentions a Skua of which I had caught
a passing glimpse in a farmhouse near Sherston. I have
since seen this bird, which is an immature Pomatorhine
Skua (Stercorarius pomarinus), and was shot there at
least thirty years ago. H. W. Roprnson.

STATUS OF LAND-RAIL.

IN YORKSHIRE.

In his Report on the Land-Rail Inquiry Mr. H. G. Alexander
states (antea, p. 88): ‘In the East Riding (of Yorkshire)
Land-Rails are still fairly plentiful on the Wolds.” I wish 1
could believe this to be true, but the evidence unfortunately
all points the other way. In 1913 I made the most careful
inquiries in the district extending roughly south of a line
drawn due east from Burdale in the centre of the highest
part of the Wolds to the sea, and westwards to the plain
of York, and all the evidence I obtained pointed to the fact
of their being almost extinct. This year the scarcity is
more pronounced than ever, and I do not believe that a
dozen pairs could be found in the above district in the East
Riding. I have been able to learn of two pairs in the
neighbourhood of Beverley, one near Hessle, one near Ellerker,
and one near Bishop Burton. In Holderness the answer
to all inquiries is that the bird has not been seen or heard.
Perhaps you could furnish me with the evidence upon which
Mr. Alexander’s statement is based. EK. W. WADE.

[Mr. Wade sent in very full particulars of the status of the
Land-Rail in the Yorkshire Wolds, the only information
received from that part of the East Riding. I find that in
my first précis of the observations sent in, I summarised
part of this information in the words, ‘‘ None since 1908,”

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. 151

which I read in my haste as ‘“ More since 1908.” I have
already said that I had to work out the Land-Rail report
with regrettable haste, and to this I must add that when the
proofs came I was away from home, and was not able to
refer to the original papers for verification of my statements.
All this is not, of course, intended as an excuse, but merely
as an explanation; such an error is not excusable. I
apologize most sincerely to Mr. Wade and to all the readers
of British Birds.—H. G. ALEXANDER. |

In OXFORDSHIRE.

On September 4th, after reading the Report on the Land-Rail
in British Birds, | asked my bailiff if he had heard or seen
any this year and he replied in the negative. Oddly enough,
in the afternoon when some oats were being cut no less
than five were flushed. I did not see them myself, but
have no doubt, from what I am told, that some at all events
were young birds. The field in which the birds were is in
the parish of Sarsden, about three miles $.8.E. from Chipping
Norton. MoreETON.

MOORHEN COVERING EGGS.

I uAve followed the correspondence on this subject with
much interest, as for several years I had ample opportunities
of observing the nesting habits of these birds in Hampshire, .
and made special notes when the eggs were covered. It was
certainly not a common occurrence in the locality to which
my observations were confined. Unfortunately having lost
many of my notes, the following deals with only thirteen
nests which were observed with special care, so as not to
startle the sitting bird before she had time to cover the eggs.
Of these thirteen, three had the eggs covered, and a fourth
was doubtful, because the nest was composed of flags so
‘loosely put together that they blew about and thus made
it difficult to judge if the bird actually pulled them over
the eggs. I am sure this proportion of covered eggs in
nests, viz., three, or at the most four, out of thirteen, does
not at all represent the correct proportion, because I seldom
made a note of nests in which the eggs were uncovered.
I feel confident therefore that only a small percentage of
the nests were left by the birds with the eggs covered over
with herbage.

Sometimes a nest was found with the eggs covered, though
later on during incubation the eggs were uncovered, but the
surrounding herbage was pulled over so as to form an arch.

152 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. VIII.

One nest provided some particularly interesting observa-
tions as follows. June 2nd, nest in a moat placed among
a thick growth of irises, one egg. June 8th, seven eggs
covered with herbage. June 24th, the surrounding irises
had been opened out some days before so as to secure a
photograph; now the eggs are uncovered but the irises have
been pulled over in the form of an arch, and the archway
extends a short distance beyond the nest, which must have
necessitated the bird leaving the nest and standing in the
water to complete the structure. Later this archway was
extended still further.

On several occasions when lying hidden to watch a nest
I have seen the old bird return, settle on the nest, and
stretching up slowly, pull the surrounding flags so as to
form a loosely constructed arch, which archway helped
materially to conceal the structure.

Incidentally the incubation period was found to be from
fifteen to seventeen days, not infrequently twenty-one,
and once as long as twenty-eight, but this latter was due,
without doubt, to the fact that the nest was placed on a
pond adjoining a cottage garden, in which a numerous
family of young children played from morning to night,
and under these circumstances it was surprising the eggs
hatched at all. With very few exceptions, we found the
Moorhen laid at the rate of one egg a day: on a very few
occasions there was a lapse of two or three days between
the first and succeeding eggs. J. KE. H. Kuuse.

[The incubation period in this species appears to be very
variable, but other observers record longer periods than Dr.
Kelso. Thus Mr. 8. E. Brock gives the duration as 19-20
days; Mr. O. A. J. Lee noted that the first chick of nine was
hatched on the 22nd day after the nest had been found with
three eggs, and Mr. W. Evans’ results show that the period
ranges from 19 to 21 days.—F. C. R. JouRDAIN. |

IcTERINE WARBLERS IN ORKNEY.—Mr. J. Bain records
(Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 237) the occurrence of a male and female
Hypolais icterina at the Pentland Skerries on June 10th and
llth, 1914.

LONG-TAILED SKUA IN Co. DoneGat.—Mr. D. C..Campbell
records (Irish Nat., 1914, p. 227) that an example of
Stercorarius longicaudus was observed at the island of
Doagh, Innishowen, on May 30th, 1914. In connexion
with this record the occurrences previously noted (antea,
pp. 77-9) should be consulted.

Field-Studies | of Some
Rarer British Birds

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND

Author of ‘*Bird Life in Wild Wales,” and Part-Author of ‘* The Book
of the Open Air.”

‘Demy 8vo, About 330 pp. _—7s. 6d. net.

As a work of. first-hand observation this book must
appeal to Ornithologists, and especially to those interested 1 in’
the nesting-habits of birds.

The scope of the book is indicated by the following
titles of chapters :—

Dartford Warblers The once-Common Buzzard
The Pied Flycatcher In Highland haunts of Eagles
Irish Golden Eagles.

The once-Common Red Kite
Peregrine Falcons

The habits of the Hobby

C E The Merlin on the Moors:
onccentng, the ood Lath >| “ra. haunts of the Gadwall

The * Woodcock ’’ Owl Habits of the Black
Hen-Harriers Guillemot

PRESS OPINIONS.

Sussex Crossbills |
Cirl Buntings in Sussex
Choughs
Ravens

The “Field” says :—‘‘Mr. Walpole-Bond is a good field
naturalist. . .. Those who, like himself, have paid attention to'such matters
for many years will appreciate his remarks in proportion, as they.tend to
confirm their own observations, while less experienced readers will discover
much that will be new to them, and which, in several cases we have
noted, is not to be found even in well-known works on British birds.”

The ‘‘ Times” says :—‘‘ Mr, Walpole-Bond is a good example of
the first- hand observer, who writes simply and. clearly about what
he sees.’

The ‘‘Scotsman” says :—‘‘ As a field-naturalist, endowed with
the keen eye and ear which, together with ample knowledge, are
indispensable requirements of his pursuits, Mr. Walpole-Bond can have
few superiors among the ornithologists of the island.”

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

Fane WITHERBY. & Co.'s s “LIST.
" Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JoHN: WALPOLE-BOND, author of “‘ Bird Life in Wild Wales.” .~

Demy 8vo.; cloth ; 320 pages. Ts. Gd. net. in,

The Gannet: A Bird with a Hisliey:

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured pares 4
drawings and maps, and reproductions from photographs 5 3 square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. bei net.

My Game-Book.

By ALAN R.. Haic-Brown, The Author unites a passionate love of the
chase with a knowledge - ot Nature, Many ne yt i, 3 250 pages;
cloth. 5s. net,

Camping in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By AUBYN —
TrRevoR-BaTTyg, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. ; with 32 plates and a
map; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C. SruartT Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; with 27 ‘beautiful
bolhuhed plates; over bag pages; imp. 8vo.; half bound morocco,
gilt top. £2 10s. net.

Game-Birds sad Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Mayor Boyp HorsBRuGH, M.B.O.U., F. Z. S.; with 67 beautiful
coloured plates; half morocco, gilt top.
£4 14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s. net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst HArTgERT, F. C. R. Jourpain, N. F. TicEHURST, and
H. F. WITHERBY.
7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper be net:

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds :

By H. Kirk& SWANN. Their History, Meaning, first us, er the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. Avowt 300 pages ; demy cloth.

The ey 108. net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’. Union. Illustrated vith
half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly Parts 4g. each. Annual apart te 158,
Messrs. Witherby & Co. have been appointed European Agents of The Emu.

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
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 N. F. Ticknurst, M.A., F.R-C.S.,.
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates. — ,
Yearly, 108. Gd., post free ; Monthly, 4s. net,

Pe RN AANA EST cok ont mee MS Be CARNB ARSEN ES PMU AEB RE POOP SS

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

fiir, Ay AES Ne

BRITISH
es

ANTLUSTRATED:MAGAZINE

_ DEVOIEDTOTHEBIRDS'ON
Ss. THER IRDS OFS

Vol. VIII.

S96HIGITOLBORN: :

FOR SALE.

LORD LILFORD.—Coloured Figures of the

First Edition. Birds of the British Isles. |
Complete in 36 Parts, as Published. : f

Perfect condition.
A choice copy (Capt. F. H. Salvin’s copy).
| What Offers ?

Address “0,” “British Birds” Office, 326, High Holborn, W.C.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Waturalists,
And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS fgr Entomology, Birds’ Eggs
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.
BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c,, PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATURE.

All Books and Publications on Natural Histery supplied.

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Catalogue (102 pp.) post free.

Indian Pigeons and Doves
By E. C. STUART BAKER, F.2.8., F.L,S., M.B.0.U,
With Twenty-seven Coloured Plates,

Representing all the species of Indian Pigeons and’ Doves,
reproduced by the most approved modern methods from
the Drawings of Messrs. G. E. Lodge and H. Gronvold.

The “‘ Field” says :—To the field naturalist consequently they are very
attractive birds, and hardly less soto the shooter of small game. r. Stuart Baker,
therefore, in giving in this volume a full and detailed account of them, with excellent
figures: o0))/ 0 Mev. has rendered good service both to naturalists and sportsmen,”

The ‘‘ Graphic” says :—* Mr. Baker has much to say from a sporting
point of view, for he is not only the leading field-ornithologist of our day buta
well-known sportsman to boot,’’

The ‘Westminster Gazette” says:—*‘A very interesting publication.
+s. . The author is well known in the ornithological world as an authority .
on Indian Birds, and his field notes on the habits of the various species of pigeons
are of the utmost interest."

Over 250 pages. Imp. 8vo. Half-bound morocco, gilt top.

£2 10s, net.

London? WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Ho

lborn.

DRUDSHBIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JoURDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.0.U.

ContTENTS OF NUMBER 7, Vou. VIII. DrcEemBER 1, 1914.

PAGE

Feeding-habits of the Sparrow-Hawk. By W. Farren ae 154
The Brirish Brrps Marking Scheme. Progress for 1914 and

Some Results. By H. F. Witherby .. sp Si nie 161

Notes :—

Birds Migrating Northwards in October (B. B. Riviere) .. 169
Spotted Flycatcher’s Method of Eating Butterflies (C. I.

Evans) ae 5 56 Bis me: as ae 171
Probable Yellow-browed Warblers in Nottinghamshire (Chas.

E. Pearson) .. fs 2 ae Ay. a Pi 171

White’s Thrush in Northumberland (Miss E. L. Turner) .. 172
Notes from the Scilly Isles (H. W. Robinson) ste ays 172
Cuckoo Laying in House-Sparrow’s Nest (F. W. Frohawk) .. 173

‘Stone-Curlew Breeding in Buckinghamshire (Heatley

Noble and Alfred H. Cocks) .. oe oe 3% AE 173
Avocet in Suffolk (H. F. Witherby) .. ae Bt 52 174
Baird’s Sandpiper in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) . . Bc 174
Black-headed Gulls and Razorbills (Dr. F. Penrose) nr 174

Beliefs Regarding the Mating of Blackgame (H. 8. Gladstone) 175

Short Notes :—Carrion-Crows in Outer Hebrides. Ferruginous
Duck and Ortolan Bunting in Suffolk. Dotterel in
Wigtownshire. London Natural History Society .. 176

FEEDING-HABITS OF THE SPARROW-HAWK.
BY

W. FARREN.

Durine July, 1914, I spent some time watching, at
close quarters, the nest of a Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter
n. nisus) in which five young were being reared. The
nest was about twenty-five feet high in the branches
of an apple-tree in an orchard north of Cambridge.
It was built entirely by the Sparrow-Hawks, there
being no foundation in the form of an old nest of Wood-
Pigeon or other bird. I saw it first on June 6th, when
it contained five eggs. While examining the nest on
June 17th, I discovered two eggs—in addition to the
five in the nest—among the sticks near the bottom of
the nest. These I removed. There was no sign of
incubation, and it is probable that they had been laid
during the early stages of building and buried by
subsequent additions to the nest. On the evening of
the 25th the nest contained four newly-hatched young
and one egg chipping. On the 28th I commenced the
building of a hut in the branches on a level with the
nest, from which I could watch and photograph the
birds. On July 5th I completed my hut, the front of
which was about eight feet from the nest.

I spent three hours in the hut on July 8th, and paid
fairly regular visits from then to July 22nd. On no
occasion did I see a game bird brought to the nest,
nor any sign of one having been brought. While this
corroborates the experience of Dr. Penrose (antea, p. 99)
and of Mr. Heatley Noble (antea, p. 119), it must be
remembered that my nest was not in a game country.
The series of orchards in which it was situated are full
of Blackbirds, Thrushes, Warblers and other small
birds, and my own experience is that both Kestrels
and Sparrow-Hawks prey chiefly on the birds most
easily procurable in their immediate neighbourhoods.

vou. vin.] HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. 155

I am afraid there is no doubt that both are liable to
be destructive of young game-birds when these are
being reared near their own nurseries, but even so,
I personally would not condemn them. This, however,
is merely a question of whether one’s preferences
are for Hawks or game. There is one point worth
mentioning from which it seems evident that it by
no means follows that Sparrow-Hawks are certain to
prey on young Pheasants in coops adjacent to their
nest. In the orchard about fifty yards from the
nesting tree were many fowls, and coops of chickens of
all ages, and so far as I could ascertain not one was
taken.

The birds brought to the nest were chiefly Song-
Thrushes, Mistle-Thrushes, Blackbirds, and less often
Sparrows and birds of similar size. In the early days
the birds brought were not only plucked but skinned,
and were only recognizable by heads or legs rescued
after my watch was ended. Later, skinning was often,
but not always, neglected; but although unplucked or
partially plucked birds were brought occasionally, this
was rare. The first date on which I saw the young
Hawks tear up food for themselves was the 16th of
July, when they were about three weeks old, but I
had not been to the nest since the 11th, and they had
grown considerably in the five days that had elapsed
and may well have helped themselves sooner.

A brief account in detail of the watches I kept and
the periods at which food was brought may be of
interest. It must be remembered, however, that my
presence in the hut may at times have had a disturbing
influence on the visits of the adult Hawks. The male
never once, while I was present, remained to break
up food for the young, although he occasionally came
and left a bird on the nest. Although I have no actual.
evidence, there seems to be no doubt that the male
caught and dressed many of the birds brought to the
nest by the female. On one occasion, at any rate, she

156 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Vii.

was absent from the nest only five minutes when she
returned with another bird ready dressed.

The following are the dates and duration of my
watches and the number of times the young Hawks
were fed :—

July 8th.—6 a.m. to 9 a.m. Female brought a bird at 8.15
and another at 8.50, which she broke up and fed to
the young.

July 9th.—6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Female brought a bird at 6.50
but left in alarm, returning at 7.40 when she broke
up the carcase.

July \1th.—6 a.m. to 10 a.m. No visit by adults, although
they called occasionally on an adjacent tree.

July 16th—6 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. Female brought a bird
at 7.30 and another at 8.15. She broke both up,
and the young Hawks tore at the carcases left. 4 p.m.
to 5 p.m. Female brought a carcase at 4.10 but left,
taking it with her. She returned and broke it up
at 4.50.

July 17th.—3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Female arrived with carcase
at 3.30. The male followed her on to the nest almost
immediately, but did not stay. Female came again
at 4.40 with a fresh carcase and remained five minutes
breaking it up. On this day I thoughtlessly caused
the loss of one of the young Hawks. When I came
down the tree I found a plucked Sparrow that had
dropped from the nest, and climbed up to return it
to the nest. Although the young Hawks were used
to seeing me go up to the hut, they screamed with
alarm when I climbed up their branch, and one of
them flew off and landed in a thicket near by, the
last I saw of it.

July 18th.—6 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. Female arrived at 8 a.m.
but left in alarm, returned in five minutes, commenced
to break up carcase and again left. The young Hawks
tore at the carcase for some time. Female returned
at 9 a.m. with a bird of the size of a Mistle-Thrush
and stayed fifteen minutes breaking it up.

July 19th.—3.30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sixteen birds brought
during day. No sign of any food having been brought
previous to my arrival. Female arrived with Thrush (?)
at 5 a.m., stayed till 5.10. Male flew through tree
at 5.5. Female came at 5.15 evidently with male’s

(‘ueqeg “AA Aq paydnubojoy 7)
“FI6T “8 ATOL “LSAN HHL LV MMVH MOUUVdS HIVN AA

(‘uore “MM hq paydvabozoyq)
‘FI6T “IGT ATOL “LSAN CHE LY MMVHMOUUVS ATV NOL

you. vi.) HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. 159

catch. She broke it up and at 5.20 reached down into
middle of nest and carried off a cleanly picked
skeleton. Female at 5.40 with small bird, left at
5.45. Female at 6.30 but left at once carrying bird
with her. Female returned at 7 and spent a few
minutes breaking up bird. Female with small bird
at 7.20, did not stay but left bird in nest which was
monopolised by one young female. Female at 8.5
brought small bird which she broke up. Then fished
out of the nest the partly eaten carcase brought at
7.20, cleared this up also, eating a little herself, and
left at 8.15. At 9 a.m. I was relieved by my son
who reported that at 10.5 the female came with
small bird, but left at once taking it with her. Re-
turned at 10.15 and remained five minutes breaking
up the bird. At 12.30 the male brought an unplucked
Spotted Flycatcher which it dropped into the nest
and left at once. At 1.15 p.m. I again took charge.
1.45 male came but left immediately without leaving
any food. 1.50 female came and left small plucked
bird. 2.0 female after flyimg around and calling,
brought a Starling partly skinned, but with some
wing-feathers intact. She stayed until 2.15 breaking
up the Starling, clearing it up completely. 2.25
female brought a bird size of Thrush, broke it up
and left at 2.35. 2.55 female brought small bird,
broke it up, and as the young Hawks were not very
keen, she eat a good part of it herself. 3.35 male
flew on to the nest, dropped a small bird and left.
A thunderstorm worked up at this time; the young
Hawks were very quiet, and with the exception of
a little calling at 5.15 there was no sign of the adults,
until 5.40, when the male again flew on, dropped his
catch—a small bird—and departed. At 6.5 p.m. I
was again relieved by my son who recorded a visit
by the female at 6.40 with a small bird (unplucked)
and one by the male at 7.20, which dropped a small
bird in the nest but did not stay.

July 22nd.—5.30 a.m. to 10.30 am. Young Hawks now
fully feathered, with a slight amount of down still
adhering to their heads and the ventral region. They
had been fed when I arrived, as there was a newly
picked carease of a bird of the size of a Thrush on
the nest. 6.15 female brought a small bird but only
stayed three minutes. 8.50 female again brought
a small bird, partly broke it up as before and left.

160 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VoL. VII.

On July 23rd the young Hawks were still on the
nest, but on the 25th one had disappeared. On the
26th, when I approached the tree at 10.30 a.m., the-
remaining three flew off. They rose high above the
trees and flew strongly. I examined the nest and found
six cleanly picked skeletons of Thrushes and one plucked
but almost intact Mistle-Thrush.

Having suspicions that the young Hawks would
probably return to the nest to feed, I made another
examination on August 2nd. There was a pile of picked
bones, some quite fresh, as though the birds had fed
there within the last few hours. There were pairs of
wing-bones attached to sterna, and legs joined by the
pelvic bones. I counted twenty complete pairs of
leg-bones besides odd ones. They were all of the size
of those of a Song-Thrush. Some undoubtedly had
belonged to Blackbirds, and some, I believe, to Mistle-
Thrushes.

Judging from my notes made on the whole day vigil
on July 19th, feeding appeared to be most vigorous
from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., from
9 am. to 2 p.m. being a very slack period. This is
partly confirmed by the fact that on the six days
that I watched from 6 a.m. for three or four hours,
one occasion only was a blank, while on five occasions
at least two birds were brought, and on both occasions
when I spent an hour or two in the afternoon, food
was brought. The fact that the male came seldom, and
never once stayed to break up the food he brought, was,
I am convinced, due only to his suspicious nature and
nervousness. The female, although showing alarm occa-
sionally, was as a rule quite unsuspicious, and continued
to break up food while I took photographs and changed —
plates, although I sometimes made my exposures with a
noisy focal-plane shutter.

( 161 )

THE “BRITISH BIRDS” MARKING SCHEME.*

PROGRESS FOR 1914 AND SOME RESULTS,
BY
H. F. WITHERBY.

THE progress made during the sixth year of the British
Birds Marking Scheme is in every way satisfactory.
The number of birds ringed is not quite so large as that
in 1913, but this is easily accounted for by the fact
that we stopped ringing Black-headed Gulls, which
accounted for nearly four thousand in our last year’s
totals. That we have made up half this number by the
ringing of other species this year is very satisfactory,
because there is perhaps no other British species which
can be ringed in such large numbers as the Black-headed
Gull. There was also a falling off in the number of
Starlings ringed, chiefly because Dr. Joy was unable to
find time to work his winter cage-trap. On the other
hand, we have large increases in Song-Thrushes, Black-
birds, Swallows, Martins, Shags, Lapwings, Lesser
Black-backed Gulls and Puffins. The following are the
grand totals :—

NuMBER OF Brrps RINGED.

In 1909 "ee tp ee Za lak
LOG a ne eo 7,910
Pal OE £% ot Pe 10,416
a LOE A RL of 2 11,483
» 1913 Bre ae ae 14,8438
» 1914 Ane Ba Bis 13,024

Total sie 59,847

Dr. H. J. Moon, who was an excellent second last year,
has this year beaten all our previous records by ringing
two thousand five hundred and twenty-one birds—a
truly remarkable total, as Dr. Moon has not done any

* For previous Reports see Vol. III., pp. 179-182, for 1909;

Vol. IV., pp. 204-207, for 1910; Vol. V., pp. 158-162, for 1911;
Vol. VI., pp. 177-183, for 1912; Vol. VIL, pp. 190-195, for 1913.

162 BRITISH BIRDS. [vor. vim. 1

ringing in large nesting colonies. Miss A. Pease has the
splendid total of seventeen hundred and eighty-eight,
Mr. A. Mayall seven hundred and thirty-one, Messrs.
J. R. B. Masefield and H. W. Robinson over six hundred
each, Miss Blyth and Mr. R. O. Blyth over five hundred,
Messrs. J. Bartholomew, A. W. Boyd and Miss C. M.
Acland over three hundred each, and twenty others
over one hundred each. There is no falling off either
in the number of ringers or their keenness.

I have recently drawn attention (antea, p. 63) to a
plan of snaring adult birds at the nest, from which most
valuable results should be obtained. I sincerely hope
that next year some of our ringers will take up this idea
and I am certain that the result will amply repay the
trouble involved.

As in previous reports, I may here draw attention to
some of the many recoveries which have been reported
during the year.

Among summer migrants ringed as nestlings the
following may be picked out as of special interest.

Ringed. Recovered.

Whinchat .. Yorks, 15/6/’14 .. .. Portugal, 4/10/14.
Turtle-Dove.. Hants, 9/8/13 .. .. Portugal, Sept., 713.
Sandwich Tern Farne Is., 9/7/’13.. .. Ivory Coast, 9/2/14.

sy * 15/7/?14 .. Elgin, 29/8/714.

oD Cumberland, 25/6/710 .. Gironde, 28/3/714.
Common Tern . 14/7/10 .. Huelva, Spain, 28/10/713.

A Northumberland, 27/6/714 Portugal, 8/9/714.

Of these the Sandwich Tern recovered on the Ivory
Coast is particularly interesting, as it was presumably
in its winter quarters, while the bird which reached
Elgin a month after it was ringed at the Farnes had
surely mistaken its direction.

Among those species which are partial migrants, the
following recorded movements are interesting, especially
when considered in conjunction with many other records
showing that other individuals of the same species are
sedentary. All the following were ringed as nestlings
or juveniles.

vou. vi.| BRITISH BIRDS MARKING SCHEME. 1638

Ringed. Recovered.
Starling Lines., Aug. Lanes., Nov.
” 2° ” Dee.
a ie ee rr Tuilkenny, Dec.
Meadow-Pipit lLanes., July Landes, Oct.
a # x Portugal, Feb.
Blackbird Lines., Aug. Finistére, Oct.

= Y
Song-Thrush. .

Derby., April
Lanes., May

Waterford, Dec.
Vendée, Nov.

53 June Dublin, Jan.

5 Dumfries, April Cork, Jan.
Mistle-Thrush es May Manche, Nov.
Redbreast Staffs., June Gers, Oct.
Oystercatcher Inverness, July Cornwall, Sept.
Lapwing Renfrew, June Limerick, Nov.

a Cheshire, June Wexford, Jan.

:; Dumfries, May _ . Sligo, Feb.
+ aa Cheshire, 12/6/713 Manche, 25/1/714.
ay x Dumfries, 12/6/°13 Morbihan, 25/1/714.

- Wilts., 13/6/712 Finistére, 10/1/’14.

s Stirling, 31/5/’11 . Asturias, 4/1/714.

Ss Warwick, 22/6/’ ll Morocco, 7/1/714.
Dunlin Yorks., 5/6/°13 Morbihan, 10/5/?14.
Woodcock Dumfries, May Cork, Dec.

3°

99

”

.. 1/5/?12
Nairn, 22/5/’11
Yorks., April

Galway, 30/1/14.
Londonderry, 21/2/?14
Landes, Nov.

Of adult birds ringed i in this country in winter we have

the following noteworthy records :—-

Ringed. Recovered.

Starling Berks., 16/1/71] Friesland, 9/2/°14

= »» 29/1/12 .. . Pomerania, 8/3/714.
Mallard Wigtown., 28/2/13 Swedish Haplands: Nov., 713.

eS oe 7 Wigtown., 4/12/12

a bit Bs 28/2)'14. . Norbotten, Sw eden: 12/8/'14.

4 28/2/?14.. Kaské, Finland, 17/8/714.
Teal Staffs., 30/12/12 .. Schevenigen, Holland, Dec., ’13.

The ringing of Lesser Black-backed Gulls in large
numbers is providing us with a most valuable series of
records. Since the form of this Gull breeding in the
British Isles was separated by Dr. Lowe from that
breeding in Scandinavia, many observers have paid
particular attention to its status, and opinions are much
divided as to whether our birds leave us entirely in winter
or not. <A brief summary, therefore, of the records so
far obtained from ringing these birds may be of interest ;
unfortunately, however, we have not yet any records
referring to adults. It need scarcely be insisted upon

* T cannot refrain from drawing
eoincidence of these two records.

attention to the remarkable

164 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VoL. VIII.

that we must ring many hundreds more (the larger the
number the better) and must wait several years before
we are likely to get a sufficient number of recoveries
on which to base conclusions of value. Of these Gulls
ringed as nestlings in early August at the Farnes,
individuals have been reported :—
1. In England in the same year chiefly in September,
but also on Oct. Ist, 4th, 8th, 9th, and about 20th.
la. In England in the year following on Sept. 12th
and Oct. 1st in Durham.

2. In France in the same year on Sept. 18th and —

Oct. 2nd.

3. In Portugal in the same year on Sept. 28th
(earliest), in Oct. and Nov. and the following
Feb. to March 17th (latest).

4. On West African coast off Cape Juby (furthest
south) on Nov. 13th in the same year, and at
Lanzarote (Canary Islands) on Jan. 5th following.

Of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls ringed as nestlings at
Foulshaw, Westmorland, in June and July, we have the
following records :—

1. In England in the same year, most in August but
one Sept. llth, and one Oct. Ist.

2. In France in the same year on Aug. 23rd, end of
Aug., Sept. 23rd and Oct. 2nd.

2a. In France when nearly three years old on
April 26th.

3. In Portugal and Spain in the same year on Sept.
22nd and end of Sept., Dec., and the following
Jan., Feb., and Mar. 19th.

3A. In Portugal and Spain when 23 years old on March
8th and 20th.

It may also be mentioned that we are gradually
obtaining a valuable series of observations on the move-
ments of Cormorants.

With reference to the percentage of recoveries, the total
ringed from 1909-13 was 46,823, and the total reported

vou. vi.] BRITISH BIRDS MARKING SCHEME. 165

up to date of these birds is 1,554, or a percentage of 3.3.
It is remarkable that this is precisely the same percentage
as last year, notwithstanding the large increase in total.
The percentages of individual species, however, change
somewhat, as might be expected. In the following list
J have added some species not included in the list given
last year.

SoME PERCENTAGES OF RECOVERIES.

Number ae I Percentages
aa ees Hecovered RES e ik
Starling... ar ey 4160 275 6.6
Greenfinch ... ve A 1,156 14 2
Linnet nfs = ve. 360 6 LG
Chaffinch ... ed etd 1,071 ral 1.9
Meadow-Pipit oe ae 572 13 2.2
Pied Wagtail wes Me 297 8 ZAG
Spotted Flycatcher ie 290 1 3
Willow-Warbler .... oes 813 is io
Whitethroat ss “act M2 2, eel
Mistle-Thrush ole se 255 9 2.0
Song-Thrush e: .. 3,325 50 1.5
Blackbird ... ae fe: 2,083 75 3.6
Redbreast. ... nO om Day 39 ee
Swallow _... Bs oh 2,244 22, 9
Martin BA ie: ye 478 7 NA
Cuckoo é Jon ae 67 5 eet
Sparrow- ‘Hawk. a 40 6 15.0
Heron Be ve Vs. 103 13 12.6
Mallard es ie et 429 89 21.0
Cormorant ... ae a) 348 57 163
Gannet bil ste oa 134 5 Sten
Lapwing... ee es 1,824 40 2.1
Redshank ... ms = 132 8 6.0
Curlew Fs Ne in 128 8 6.2
Snipe ap sie on 101 11 10.8
Woodcock ... - —<— 224 27 12.0
Sandwich Tern eee ay. eae 4 1.0
Common Tern = ie mat ps 68 D4.
Black-headed Gull eee Ul oe 421 ono
Common Gull bs La 470 ils: ea
Herring-Gull ae re 430 15 3.4
Lesser Black-backed Gull ... 787 38 4.8
Puffin ee ae 346 it 22

166 BRITISH BIRDS. [vor. a
NUMBER OF BIRDS “ RINGED.”’ :

Dr. H.:' J. Moon (2521), Miss A. Pease (1788), Messrs. A. Mayall ~
(731), J. R. B. Masefield (652), H. W. Robinson (604), Miss A. and ~
Mr. R. O. Blyth (505), Messrs. J. Bartholomew (430), A. W. Boyd —
(334), Miss C. M. Acland (319), Messrs. M. Portal (266), R. Burnier
(261), T. C. Hobbs (260), D. A. J. and P. A., and Miss V. E. Buxton
(253), Mr. R. E. Knowles (200), Dr. P. Gosse (170), Messrs. F. W.
Smalley (160), E. W. Hendy (155), Mrs. Patteson (146), Mr. H.
Bentham (142), Miss N. Taylor (140), Mr. J. 8. Elliott (139), Dr.
N. F. Ticehurst (134), London Natural History Society (Mr. W. E.
Glegg, Hon. Sec.) (131), Mr. T. A. Coward (129), Miss 8. M. Heysham
(129), Messrs. A. T. Wallis (123), A. Bankes (113), T. F. Greenwood
(103), A. E. Aldous (100), H. W. Ford-Lindsay (98), T. L. Johnston
(97), Miss M. H. Greg (88), Messrs. W. T. Blackwood (82), E. de Hamel
(77), A. G. Leigh (75), C. F. and M. F. D. Archibald (74), W. J. Ashford
(71), C. H. Braid (65), H. H. Storey (64), N. Noble (61), A. B. Fletcher
(60), S. K. Barnes (58), J. M. Campbell (56), T. Robinson (55),
A. Greg (50), Captain W. Mackenzie (50), Messrs. B. Pickard (50),
C. IK. Parker (46), Miss J. Crookes (41), Messrs. Smith Whiting (40),
F. E. Blagg (38), J. H. Milne-Home (36), A. O. Whitehead (35),
Miller Christy (34), B. H. Fell (33), J. G. Gordon (31), N. H. Foster
(30), H. T. Malecomson (28), G. Sanderson (25), B. Beetham (24),
H. L. Popham (24), J. 8. Allison (20), G. B. Hony (20), F. A. Rottenburs
(20), and many others who have ringed under twenty each.

709 «-°10 «711 «6712s * 18) aa

Rook ae eo 1 64 sabe” 38 5 - 128
Jackdaw Se Snel BS ab 6 15-338 85
Starling ae .. 21 428 1109 1469 1133 646 4806
Greenfinch ... .. 28 100 208 4389 381 344 1500
Twite . — — — — 24 18 42
Redpoll, Lesser ~— 8 19 45 22 94
Linnet - 20 65 63 64 148 #151 (3m
Bullfinch — 8 16418: (23a 84
Chaffinch 6 103 271 360 331 397 1468
Sparrow, House 8 109 85 60 ib) Vie
Sparrow, Tree 17 49 24 33. 27 125i
Bunting, Yellow 4° 13* 31° 127 41> eae
Bunting, Reed 2 8 40 17. 39 49)iiba
Lark, Sky 1° 20 39 138 390 253 841
Pipit, Cree)... 14 26 19 38 ‘27 «425 0gmiae
Pipit, Meadow 27 32 75 120 318 169) 7aa
Wagtail, Yellow 1 —- — 22 28 51
Wagtail, Grey Sasehe | 6 ls 23. ieeeae 86
Wagtail, Pied os 12 29 °42 100 (4 ite
Tit, Great... «. .16 127: 164 73 221) 6yiaee
Tit, Blue —... .. 12 54 144 124 228 7 632
TityGoal’ — ... vee ol a Se 9 24 7 78
Tit, Marsh ... — = 25 3 aay 1 49
Tit, Long-tailed .... — 3. — 5 28 1 37

vou. vi.| BRITISH BIRDS MARKING SCHEME. 167
OO UO. CAs 1s ae 14 Total
Wren, Golden-crested — 16 15 — 1 — 32

Shrike, Red-backed... 2 15 3) 9 8 14 61
Flycatcher, Spotted... 23 65 64 54 84 84 374

Chifichaff ... fee BO 5 5. "te 9 Bl
Warbler, Willow ... 50 107 139 266 251 271 1084
Warbler, Wood ee es 21 T 32 9 75
Warbler, Reed — A 10 14 (60 Rea 126
Warbler, Sedge 1 4 $12 21 4 — 81
Warbler, Garden ‘3 Opel (4 ie eee 9 ae
Blackecap _— 2 AO 4 t. 28 53
Whitethroat weeowres oon 21 43. 25 197
Whitethroat, Lesser a tS Be Loa 8 68
Fieldfare — 48 30 7 —- — 85
Thrush, Mistle 2 YAS, 40: 83. 82) -°Sbr4 340
Thrush, Song 71 625 693 739 1197 1818 5143
Redwing — i *20 4 5 4 40
Ouzel, Ring ... —_ — S. 22 2080522 73
Blackbird 83 505 421 448 626 975 3058
Wheatear | Pies Leaf TSS ait
Whinchat base. 25° 2) | 4 KGS eee
Stonechat == JO. ~19 8 -_ 5d. ).30)- 7 ia
Redstart tb (35 ~26. 31 e442 raed
Redbreast 4) 217 322 282 355 471 1688
Sparrow, Hedge 18 117 198 226 268 269 1096
Wren ae a -38 62 ‘76 10). 141% 437
Dipper : eerpee ae Qe 2 os. le. ea 96
Swallow : .. 118 463 594 421 653 734 2978
Martin ox Subdoe toe. \ 7s. 104" 160 "275" yes
Martin, Sand . — 25 66 L.. TiSs Wee 392
Nightjar a we So pie ET 4 9 30
Mvryheck ... ee Ae: Sm AS LS 2 ot 85
Cuckoo ws men ee ee Nl ie eel pe 6 wa
Owl, Barn _.... . — 10 — 19 14 9 52
Owl, Tawny — 13 o. 18 7 as 57
Hawk, Sparrow... — oP Ad AT Bah 51
faeron, Common ... 14 13 *22 30 424 2 NOS
Sheld-Duck ... af I 24 yee A) 1 2 40
Mallard te peal, (220-159. © 82)" 200; wea 2498
Teal ... Rn eA 3 I 22. Sao 58
Duck, Tufted — is ee 2 — 2 165 40)
Cormorant oo 3. 26 (64-266) 7122, 4

Shag a eo 4 — 23 15 114 156
Gannet i Si — 134 56 190

Shearwater, Manx ..— — — _ 60 9 — 69

168 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII. .

09 710 711 712 7138 aie

Oystercatcher 16 8 6 MOS cam 78
Plover, Ringed 35 - 12 20 28 20000
Plover, Golden eo 2 2. 15 7 6 30

Wood-Pigeon va te 20. 220 Ss 26

Dove, Stock oe 4 6 A 9 9 36

Dove, Turtle ba ee 4 37
é

836 669 380 51 195 2917
— 1 1 B ea oF re
ol 1S" 285. ae 9-53

1828 2949 2660 3915 164 11933
184 248 27 11 =i jeaee

Lapwing sy . 56 254 280 676 558 1078 2902
Sandpiper, Common 5 10 29 36 24 23 127
Redshank 5 19 12 68 28° “GR
Curlew, Common ... 14 10 °:34. 55 ‘15: “S05
Snipe,Common ... 1 23 21 .34 22 44° aa
Woodcock . 6 10 68 , 57. -838 > [Sores
Tern, Sandwich . OF 79 .24 22. 203° 270k

6

5

Tern, Common LS
Tern, Arctic 2
Tern, Little vs
Gull, Black-headed 4
Gull, Common

—
~I

Gull, Herring 5 117° 48 178 82 sOleee
Gull, Lesser Blk. Weel 12 137 62 122 454 137
Gull, Great Blk.-bkd. 1 8 13 1 2. 2 gna 78
Kittiwake A (Se 2 iG 33
Razorbill SS all 3 — 2) (2a 60
Puffin 4 -15 22 108 207 “5550aae
Moor-Hen — 34 23 24 39 “Sie

Norr.—Forty-seven species, of which less than thirty
individuals each have been ringed, are omitted from this
list, as also are game-birds and those of which the identifi-
cation was not certain.

BIRDS MIGRATING NORTHWARDS IN OCTOBER.

Unper the above heading Mr. J. H. Gurney in the November
number of British Birds (p. 143), records a large migration
of birds taking place over the parishes of Northrepps,
Overstrand, and Cromer in Norfolk, on the morning of
October 7th. Mr. Gurney states that the birds taking part
in this movement were Lapwings, Gulls, Starlings, Redwings,
Sky-Larks, and Finches, and that the direction of their
flight was N. or N.N.W.

Now Cromer and Overstrand are villages upon the coast
facing as nearly as possible N.E., so that if these birds were
flying due north, they would have been going out to sea.
Mr. Gurney, however, does not mention that they were
doing this, and as lower down, in referring to a similar move-
ment seen by Mr. Caton Haigh upon the coast of Lincolnshire,
he says, “it seems evident therefore that the migrants were
following the coast-line and made no attempt to cross the
North Sea,” I conclude that these birds were following the
coast of Norfolk in a north-westerly direction.

Mr. Gurney attributes what he describes as this unusual
direction to a light northerly wind, and adds, ‘“‘ one does
not expect to see migrants going north in October without
a reason.” With very great respect to Mr. Gurney, whose
opinion upon any ornithological matter must always be
one of very great value, I should like to say that, according
to my observations, this is a normal and much used line
of flight for certain birds (and amongst them those mentioned
by Mr. Gurney) during the late autumn migration upon
the Norfolk coast, and that the direction of the wind has
little, if any, bearing upon it. A northerly coasting move-
ment of Sky-Larks takes place regularly upon the coast
during the early mornings of October, and seems to be un-
affected by the direction of the wind. I have numerous
entries in my diary of Starlings coasting in the same direction
during the early mornings, usually flying high. To take
another species, and referring to my diary for the last
fortnight, I find that Rooks were following the coast-line
N.W. past Mundesley during the mornings of October 31st,
November Ist, November 6th, November 7th, and November
8th, the direction of the wind on these days being E.S.E.,
S.E.. S.W., S.W., and W.

°

170 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. VII.

At Hunstanton, which is situated at the point where
the coast of Norfolk turns suddenly 8.8.W. to form the
south-east shore of the Wash, I have been fortunate enough,
during the last few years, to witness three big autumnal
migratory rushes—viz., on November 7th, 1912, and October
21st and October 22nd, 1913. The movement of November
7th, 1912, lasted from dawn till mid-day, and had been in
progress during the previous night. The wind was 8.W.
and very light, and the migrating birds were :—Hooded
Crows, Rooks, Jackdaws, Starlings, Lapwings, Fieldfares,
Redwings, Blackbirds, Sky-Larks, Chaffinches, Greenfinches,
and probably other finches which could not be identified.

THE

WASH ¥ / Hunstanton = CROMER

On October 21st, 1913, I was not out till 9 a.m. when the
migration was in full swing, and it lasted till mid-day. The
wind was S.W., and the birds, Lapwings, Sky-Larks, and
Starlings, with a few Rooks, and it is interesting to note
that during the early hours of the same morning, birds of
the same species, and probably the same birds, were
observed by Mr. Pinchen passing Cley from east to west. On
October 22nd, 1913, the movement again lasted from dawn
till mid-day, the wind being 8.W., but almost imperceptible,
and the birds passing were Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Linnets,
Sky-Larks, Starlings, Rooks, some Meadow-Pipits, and a
few Mistle-Thrushes.

Now the point I wish to draw attention to is this :—
On all these three occasions the migrating birds were coming
along the coast-line of Norfolk from the east, and on passing
Hunstanton, still following the coast-line, turned 8.8.W.,
and disappeared from sight down the south-east shore of

:

VOL. VIII. | NOTES. L711

the Wash (see Map). I consider therefore that the true
explanation of this regular and at first sight somewhat
puzzling north-westerly autumnal migration along the coast
of Norfolk is that it is a route used by certain birds after
crossing the North Sea from east to west, and that instead
of passing straight inland, these birds continue their flight
round the coast of Norfolk as far as Hunstanton, then turn
down the shore of the Wash and proceed inland probably
along the course either of the river Ouse or Nene. Not
only so, but I also think it likely that some migrants which
pass straight inland after reaching the coast by a flight
from N.E. to 8.W., and which, in the case of the Sky-Lark
and the Rook, usually come to ground from a quarter to
half a mile from the sea, may later on continue their flight
by this same coast route. B. B. Riviere.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER’S METHOD OF
EATING BUTTERFLIES.

In Mr. J. H. Owen’s note on Spotted Flycatchers (antea,
p. 115), mention is made of both young and old birds feeding
on white butterflies, the young having “to gulp several
times to swallow completely.”” Some years ago in Hampshire
I watched Spotted Flycatchers, both young and old, feeding
on Small Whites, ahd noticed that whereas the young
gulped the insect down wings and all, the old bird nipped
the wings off before swallowing the body: I heard the
click of the beak as it cut and I picked up the severed wing.
As Mr. Owen mentions old birds swallowing butterflies,
but says nothing about cutting off wings, I take it that the
wings were swallowed. What is the evidence with regard
to Flycatchers severing wings before feeding on the bodies
of insects? Is it frequent with either butterflies or moths,
and does it happen in the case of some species more than
in others ? C. I. Evans.

PROBABLE YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS IN
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.

On the morning of October 18th, 1914, my garden at
Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, was visited by a pair of
Warblers which were in my opinion Yellow-browed Warblers
(Phylloscopus s. swperciliosus). They were seen by my wife
and son as well as by myself. The double alar bar was
very well marked, and as we could none of us distinguish
any median stripe on the crown, or the bright yellow bar
on the rump, it is clear that they could not have been

172 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

Ph. proregulus. The only other species on the British list
which possesses a double wing bar is Eversmann’s Warbler,
Ph. borealis, and a comparison with Dresser’s plates and
descriptions has convinced me that the birds seen were not
of this species. They flitted about like Willow-Warblers,
but at times circled a bough almost like the Tree-Creeper.
My companions heard from time to time a pretty little song.
This is the first time that any of the rarer Phylloscopi have
been recorded from Nottinghamshire. Cuas. E. PEARSON.

WHITE’S THRUSH IN NORTHUMBERLAND.

On November 2nd, 1914, when walking round Holy Island,
I saw a curious looking bird feeding on a rock near some
Starlings. There was a gale blowing and the rain made
it impossible to use binoculars, but the bird was so tired
that it allowed me to approach and stand within six feet
of it and note down its appearance, so that glasses were
fortunately unnecessary. It was without any doubt a
White’s Thrush (T'urdus d. aureus); the back speckled
with black, the buff edgings to the wing-coverts, and the
black crescent-shaped spots on the flanks were its most
conspicuous features. There had been a north-east gale
blowing for two days and nights. There appears to be no
previous record of White’s Thrush for Northumberland.

EK. L. TURNER.

NOTES FROM THE SCILLY ISLES.

WHEATEAR (Hnanthe aw. enanthe).—In the paper on the
Birds of Scilly, by Messrs. Clark and Rodd (Zool., 1906,
p. 243) it is stated that this bird “breeds sparingly,
but is common during autumn migration.” It also occurs
in numbers on the spring migration, and was a fairly common
breeding species on St. Mary’s during 1914.

GREENLAND WHEATEAR (Hnanthe a. leucorrhoa).—Messts.
Clark and Rodd make no mention at all of this bird, yet
it occurs in large numbers on the spring migration, the
passage lasting over a month, indeed towards the end of
April they predominated over the British race. Dr. C. B.
Ticehurst, in his paper on the Greenland Wheatear (Brit. B.,
Vol. IL., p. 271) mentions that he has seen specimens from
this locality.

Litrte Aux (Alle alle).—Mr. C. J. King writes me that
he and others saw one diving in the Pool, St. Mary’s, on
October 14th, 1914. In the above-mentioned article on
the Birds of Scilly only one occurrence is given, viz., found
dead on St. Agnes, mid-winter 1900. H. W. Rosryson.

;
:

\

VOL. VII. ] NOTES. 173
CUCKOO LAYING IN HOUSE-SPARROW’S NEST.

Wiru reference to Mr. H. E. Forrest’s note (antea, p. 98),
I may add that while staying at a house near Hollingbourne,
Kent, in 1896, I noticed on two or three consecutive
mornings, at about seven o’clock, a Cuckoo frequented the
garden. On May 21st I saw it leaving a small yew-tree
growing a few feet from my window, in which I found a
Sparrow had built in and upon an old Blackbird’s nest.
The Sparrow’s nest contained three eggs of Passer domesticus
of a dull greyish ground-colour, uniformly and densely
speckled with pale brown, and one Cuckoo’s egg with the
eround-colour pure white, blotched and spotted with different
shades of brown and grey. F. W. FRoHAWK.

STONE-CURLEW BREEDING IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

Wiru reference to the editorial note on this subject on
page 121, Dr. Hartert, when he wrote the article on birds
for the Victoria History of Buckinghamshire (1905), was
mistaken in supposing that the Stone-Curlew had not
been heard in the county for years. At that time, one or
two pairs bred annually on a portion of the Fawley Court
estate just within the county boundary, and may do so
still for all I know. A few years ago I saw a single bird
when shooting the warren at Stonor, which is close to the
Bucks march. In Berkshire the Thicknee breeds regularly,
and seems to be slightly on the increase. HratLEy NoBLe.

WHEN I came to Poynetts, Skirmett, fourteen and a half
years ago, Stone-Curlews were numerous here. Each summer
evening, after sunset, beginning late in May, they used to
spend some hours flying backwards and forwards past the
house, screaming all the time. Whether each bird’s “ beat ”’
was more than two or three hundred yards I do not know,
but they did just the same past Turville village, which is
three-quarters of a mile further north-west. The birds also
extended up the Chilterns to Turville Heath and into
Oxfordshire, and in fact for a good many miles south-west,
west and north; Saunderton, the parish in which the eggs
mentioned by your correspondent in October were “ pro-
cured,” is some seven miles north, and a point or two east of
the Hambleden valley which formed hereabouts roughly, to
the best of my knowledge. their eastern boundary. For
the last four or five summers, however, the birds have
apparently quite deserted this valley, for what reason I do
not know. ALFRED H. Cocks.

174 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

AVOCET IN SUFFOLK.

AurHouGcH the Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) is reported
with fair regularity as a visitor to the Norfolk coast, it
is not often recorded for Suffolk though some of those
which visit Breydon could probably be claimed for Suffolk
as well as Norfolk. It may therefore be of interest to
note that I had the pleasure of watching one for some
time in a marsh by the sea near Walberswick, Suffolk, on
August 23rd, 1914. I was able to get within one hundred
yards of the bird and to watch it from behind a bank with
binoculars. It was a bird of the year, and considering this
was very wild. It kept apart from other waders feeding
in the same little marsh, and was most conspicuous both
when on the ground and in the air. H. F. WITHERBY.

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX.
I Ave to record the occurrence of an example of Baird’s
Sandpiper (Hrolia bairdii), obtained at Rye Harbour, Sussex,
on September 23rd, 1914. I examined it in the flesh, and
it proved to be an adult male in very fine condition. It was
in company with a very large number of waders, including
Turnstones, Knots, Dunlin, Sanderling, Redshank, etc., that
frequent the mud flats at this season. This is the fourth
British example. H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

BLACK-HEADED GULLS AND RAZORBILLS.

I HAVE recently noticed at Swanage that Black-headed Gulls
frequently collect round a group of Razorbills or Guillemots
fishing, and whenever one of the latter comes up to the
surface with a fish in its mouth, the Gulls immediately hustle
it. In order to see where the diving bird is coming to the
surface, one of the Gulls hovers, Kestrel-wise, above.
Apparently if the diving bird has got a fish it dives again
immediately it reaches the surface to avoid the Gull’s
approach. Then all the Gulls get on the wing and keep a
look-out for its next appearance. If the diving bird has
not been successful it does not dive again instantaneously,
but stays awhile on the surface; thus one can see Gulls
and divers on the water, apparently resting quite happily
together. I think it is only when the diver has been
successful in catching a fish that the Gulls hustle it.

I have seen the same performance on three or four different
days. The diving birds on one occasion were certainly
Razorbills ; on other occasions they were too far out for me
to be quite certain. FRANK PENROSE.

VOL. VIII]. NOTES. 175

BELIEFS REGARDING THE MATING OF
BLACKGAME.

I RECENTLY purchased a curious old book which, from the
facts that it was unknown to the bibliographer Lowndes,
and that no copy of it is to be found in the British Museum,
I take to be of considerable rarity. The title of the book
to which I refer is :—An / History / of the | Wonderful Things
of Nature: |... . Written by Johannes Jonstonus. | And now
Rendred into | English; / By | A Person of Quality./ [John
Rowland.|] ... . 1657.

Johannes Jonstonus, otherwise John Johnstone, “ of
Scottish descent but by birth a Pole,’ ! was the author of
the Historia Naturalis which has been described by Professor
Alfred Newton as “ little more than an epitome of the work
of Aldrovandus.”’? It is not my object to discuss the
originality of Johnstone’s labours, but to draw attention
to the curious statement which he makes when dealing with
the Urogallus,* quoting as his authority Christopher Encelius.

The following is the quotation from Encelius (or Entzelt) :—
“ Gallus hujus speciei sperma ex ore, tempore coitus in uere, excreat
et euomit, et uoce magna aduocat gallinas ipsas (sicut domesticus
gallus aduocat gallinas, inuento aliquo grano) que cum aduenirent,
sperma ejectum, et excreatum a gallo in terram, ore legunt, et
reglutiunt, et tali modo concipiunt. . . . Nam super quas gallinas
non ascendit, ipse oua hypneumia pariunt, ut domestice galline.”’
(De re Metallica, Hoc est, de origine, uarietate, et Natura Corporum . .
Franc [ofurti 1551], pp. 245/6).

It is only fair on Ulysses Aldrovandus, who has been desig-
nated as Johnstone’s prototype, to state that he could not
swallow’? the statement, put forward by Encelius, which
applied not only to the Urogallus but to Bonosas ... . et
omnes fere Gallinas sylvestres.. When writing my Birds of
Dumfriesshire I delicately hinted at the “impossible yet
deep-rooted Ideal ideas as to the mating of Blackgame,”’ and
it was not till 1900, when Blackgame bred in captivity at
Capenoch, Dumfriesshire, that certain old inhabitants were
convinced that Johnstone’s allegation was erroneous. I do
not wish to imply that these Dumfriesshire sages were

(1) Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. XXX., pp. 80/1.

(2) A Dictionary of Birds, 1893/6, p. 6.

(3) Historie Naturalis de Avibus, 1650, p. 61; Johnstone’s Latin
has been “‘ rendred’’ (none too accurately) by John Rowland in his
An History of the Wonderful Things of Nature, 1657, p. 192.

(4) Ulysses Aldrovandus’ Orvithologie, lib., XIII., 1634, p. 66.

(5) tc. lib., XII., 1599, p. 699.

(6) The Birds of Dumfriesshire, 1910, p. 322.

a BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

conversant with the writings of the Scoto-Pole, but, as regards
Blackgame, they certainly shared the same belief which he
expressed in reference to Urogallus nearly three hundred
years before their time.

The science of Ornithology has not been free from
extravagant notions concerning the pro-creation of birds, |
and I venture to think that it is interesting to note that this
ridiculous idea as to the mating of Blackgame should have
continued, and for all I know may still continue among
the uneducated, in this the twentieth century.

Hucu S. GLADSTONE.

CARRION-CROWS IN OUTER HEBRIDES.—Mr. F. 8. Beveridge
records (Scot. Nat.. 1914 p. 238) that a flock of eight Corvus
corone, two of which were shot, were present in North Uist
during August and September, 1914. We believe that the
only previous record of this species in the Outer Hebrides
is that of three on the Flannans in November, 1912.

Ferrucinous Duck AND ORTOLAN’ BUNTING IN
SurroLtK.—In an _ ornithological diary from Lowestoft,
Mr. F. C. Cook records (Zool., 1914, p. 323) that a female
Nyroca nyroca was shot at Hopton on September Ist, 1913,
and that on September 3rd, Dr. C. B. Ticehurst received
an example of Hmberiza hortulanus amongst other birds
captured on a fishing-smack. The Rev. J. G. Tuck (Vict.
Hist. Suffolk, I., p. 188) only includes one specimen of this
species from Suffolk, though it has frequently been taken
in Norfolk.

DoTTERELS IN WIG@TOWNSHIRE.—Mr. C. H. Braid reports
(Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 239) that on the night of August 29th-
30th, he saw a flock of Charadrius morinellus flying round the
lantern of the Mull of Galloway Lighthouse. Four of the
birds struck the lantern and there were at least eleven other
birds in the flock. On the same night and on the following
night there were large numbers (“hundreds”) round the
Isle of May Lighthouse as recorded by Mr. 8. Baigrie (/.c.).
The Dotterel is rarely recorded from western Scotland.

THE Council of the London Natural History Society invites
Belgian or French refugees interested in Natural History
to attend the Society’s meetings, and offers them the use of
the Society’s library and collections. The meetings of the
Central Society are held at Hall 20, Salisbury House, London
Wall, E.C., at 7 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays of the
month. Further particulars can be obtained from J. Ross,
18, Queen’s Grove Road, Chingford, N.E.

From WITHERBY & Co.’s LIST.
Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JoHN WatproLe-Bonp, author of ‘‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History. :

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates,
drawings and maps, and’ reproductions from photographs; square
demy 8vo, ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. Gd, net.

My Game-Book.

By ALtan R, Hatc-Brown. The Author unites a passionate love of the
chase with a knowledge of Nature. Many photographs; 250 pages;
cloth. 5s, net.

Camping in C

amping in Crete.
With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island.. By AuBYN
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A,, F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. ; with 32 plates and a
map ; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C. Sruart Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U.; with 27 beautiful
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo,;. half bound morocco,
gilt top, #2 10s. net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyp HorsprucH, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S.; with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.
£4 14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s. net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst Hartert, F. C. R, Jourparn, N. F. TickHuRST, and
H.-F. WITHERBY.
7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s, net.

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. Kirke SwAnn.. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages; demy 8vo.; cloth.

The Emu. ate

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Illustrated with
half-tone and coloured plates.

-. Quarterly Parts 4g. each. Annual subscription 15s.

Messrs. Witherby & Co, have been appointed European Agents of The Zmu,

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
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 N. F, TickHursT, M.A., F.R.C.S.,
M.B.O.U.._ Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s. net.

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

Beguntul ‘Books ‘of Bird-Photographs it

The Bird-Lovers Home-Life Series

Each volume is Crown 4to in size and contains 32. ~
Beautiful Plates, artistically mounted from photographs ~
direct from nature, with full descriptive letterpress.

Cloth Bound - - 6s. net each.
Special Edition, bound helio 10s. 6d. net each.

[DEAL XMAS GIFT- BOOKS
FOR NATURE-LOVERS -

as LIST OF THE SERIES :
The Home-Life of a Golden Eagle. ©

By H. B. MACPHERSON.
No. 2—

The Home-Life of the Spoonbill, the

Stork and some Herons.
aes By BENTLEY BEETHAM, F.ZS.
oO. 3.

The Home-Life of the Osprey.

‘i By CLINTON G. ABBOTT, A.A.0.U.
0. '4.—

The Home-Life of the Terns or

Sea- Swallows.
By W. BICKERTON, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U.

Sakis aie at The Publishers’ name is a sufficient. guarantee that
the general “‘get-up” of the little book leaves nothing to be desired, ‘
and like any other of the series, it would make a most acceptable gift.”

WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn, LONDON, W.C.

BRITISH
PINRDS

_ ANTLUSTRATED:- MAGAZINE

DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS ON
“Se THE BRISIT rhe eet

JANUARY 1,
i9ts.

Vol. VIII.
No. 8.

cc

MONTHLY ONE'SHILUNG NET
OLDORNICNDON
°AVITHERBY &C

FOR SALE.

LORD LILFORD.—Coloured Figures of the
First Edition. Birds of the British Isles.

Complete in 36 Parts, as Published.

Perfect condition.
A choice copy (Capt. F. H. Salvin’s copy).
. What Offers P

Address “0,” “ British Birds” Office, 326, High Holborn, W.C.

WATKINS & DONGASTER.

Waturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c., brsconi rfc and ateenr by FIRST- CLASS WORKMEN
RUE TO NATUR

All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied.
86, STRAND, LONDON, W.G. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Catalogue (102 pp.) post free.

Important Notice. Notice. New Series. Series.

ROYAL N IAVY LIST

(WHO’S WHO IN THE NAVY

Contains a Unique Record of the

SERVICES, HONOURS AND SPECIAL

QUALIFICATIONS OF OFFICERS
(ACTIVE. AND. RETIRED).

Special Supplement containing Present War Services —

of Officers and Ships.

Amongst other Special Features are
THE YEAR’S HISTORY OF THE ROYAL NAVY AND OF
FOREIGN NAVIES. COMMISSIONS anp SERVICES or SHIPS.

Founded in 1878 as a Quarterly.

First Annual bei ready December 15, 1914... Cloth bound, 7s. Gd. net.
London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

i.”

| British Birds, Vol. VITI., Pl. 3.

THE NESTING-PLACE OF THE CURLEW-SANDPIPER.

EST AND EGGS OF THE CURLEW-SANDPIPER.

'A

Copyright. Maud D. Haviland.

BRIDSABIRDS

EOITED BY HH. ¥.. WITHERBY, F-Z.S.,. M.B.0.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

s

ContTENTS OF NuMBER 8, Vou. VIII. January 1, 1915.

PAGE
Notes on the Breeding-Habits of the Curlew-Sandpiper. By
Maud D. Haviland me fi te "8 a be 178
A Practical Study of Bird Gicology. By H. G. Alexander .. 184
Notes on the Food and Habits of the Sparrow-Hawk. By
J. H. Owen a: ae Ae af ae ye a 193
Notes :—
Carrion-Crows in the Outer Hebrides (G. Bathurst Hony) .. 196
Unusual Site for Nest of Linnet (S. G. Cummings) .. air 196
Folk-Lore of the Yellow Bunting (Chas. Oldham) ... x 196
Chiffchaff in Dorsetshire in December (Dr. F. G. Penrose) .. 197
Little Owls in Essex (Walter B. Nichols and William E.

Glegg) .. rs Ae ae ae A: ae sn Rally
Honey-Buzzard in Ireland (Herbert T. Malcomson) .. so lly
Fork-tailed Petrel in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) ae Or 198
Roseate Tern in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) .. ie ee lO8
Gulls Worrying Diving Birds (F. W. Smalley).. ay 5 A ue Se
Little Gull in Lancashire (F. W. Smalley) oe te so) li)
Rare Birds in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. at ba, Lao

Short Notes :—Tree-Pipit in Ireland. Grey Wagtails Nesting
in Sussex. Swallow Breeding in Shetland. ‘The
‘Blue Fulmar’: Its Plumage and_ Distribution.”
Vertebrate Fauna of North Wales its te =e) LOS

A>

( 178 )

NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE
CURLEW-SANDPIPER.
BY
MAUD D. HAVILAND.
(PLATE 3.)

In July, 1914, I visited Golchika, at the mouth of the
Yenesei River. I first noticed the Curlew-Sandpiper
(Hrolia ferruginea) on July 6th, when I was returning
late in the evening from a nest-hunting expedition
over the higher tundras that lie in the northern angle
formed by the Golchika River and the Yenesei. On a
rough grassy slope overlooking a little lake, a single
bird was standing perfectly silently, observing me.
Mr. H. L. Popham took his nest at the Krestovskiy
Islands, which lie about two hundred versts further
down the estuary ; and as neither he in his expeditions
of 1895 and 1897, nor Seebohm in 1877, mentioned that
the Curlew-Sandpiper occurred as far south as Golchika,
I was rather surprised to see it there. I lay down and
watched it for a while ; but as it made no demonstration
at my approach, and did not appear to have a mate,
I began to wonder whether after all it might not be a
non-breeding bird. Nevertheless, I marked the place
and determined to search the neighbourhood exhaustively
on the following day.

I left the settlement early next morning, and covered
the eight miles between Golchika and the tundra lake
before noon. The way lay partly over swamps, and
partly over grassy tundra. Possibly a list of the birds
seen on that morning’s walk may be of some interest :
Snow-Bunting, Lapland-Bunting, Red-throated Pipit,
Shore-Lark, Little Stint, Temminck’s Stimt, Grey
Phalarope, Red-necked Phalarope, Asiatic Golden Plover,
Ringed Plover, Dotterel, Dunlin, Siberian Gull, Long-
tailed Skua, Arctic Tern, Long-tailed Duck, Reeve,
Red-throated Diver, Snowy Owl.

voL. vi.] NOTES ON CURLEW-SANDPIPER. = 179 |

I found the bird in the same neighbourhood, and
still by herself, but this time she sprang up at my
approach and whirled away down the slope, with a
shrill three-fold call: ‘ wiek-a-wiek, wiek-a-wiek.” I lay
down among some broken ground about eighty yards
from the place where the Sandpiper had appeared, and
waited for about half-an-hour. At the end of this time,
as there was no sign of the bird, I became suspicious,
and reconnoitred behind me. There was the Sandpiper
on a tussock about twenty yards away. She had been
watching me all the time! I therefore moved to another
spot about fifty yards further up the hill, and lay down
again. The bird immediately flew over to the place
where I had first seen her, but owing to her small size
and the broken nature of the ground it was difficult
to keep her under continual observation. I flushed
her twice, but she never rose from the same place, and
search failed to reveal the nest. I therefore marked the
two planes of the area where I roughly estimated that
the eggs might lie with white goose-feathers, pegged
down of course with the ever useful hairpin! When
working alone on the tundra, it was nearly always
necessary to do this, for owing to the nature of the
ground and the entire absence of land-marks, it was
possible to flush a bird several times and then not
arrive within yards of the nest.

By dint of putting up the Curlew-Sandpiper once
or twice, and locating her position by the white
feathers which were visible to the naked eye, I
marked her down into a hollow behind a little ridge.
I gave her a few minutes to settle herself while a
sleet shower came driving over the tundra. All at
once a Buffon’s Skua flew overhead. I raised my
gun and shot him, and as I did so I saw the Curlew-
Sandpiper spring up from the very place that I had
marked. As I approached she ran away, drooping a
wing, and in half a minute the nest was at my feet.
I must have walked right over the place on the

180 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Vii.

preceding day. The nest was just like that described by
Mr. Popham: a small and rather deep hollow in the
moss (see Plate 3). The four eggs were slightly incubated.
Compared with the clutch in Mr. Popham’s collection,
the blotching, although similar, is less distinct and more
confluent. The eggs average 35.1 X 25.1 mm. in size.
Howard Saunders, on the authority of Mr. Popham,
says of the Curlew-Sandpiper at the river's mouth:
‘Even there the species was very scarce.” As far as
the Golchika district is concerned, from what I saw in
1914 it would be quite justifiable to describe it as frequent.
It was certainly local, but wherever suitable habitat
existed there it was to be found, I saw two more birds
about half a mile from the first nest. They seemed to
be breeding, but owing to their wildness, and the entire
absence of covert on the flat tundra, I failed to mark
down the nests. Later on, I picked up egg-shells and
saw several of the birds on the tundra on the south side
of the Golchika River. I found young in down on
July 20th, out on the tundra about twenty miles east
of Golchika. It was a very wet foggy day. I was
driving on a reindeer-sledge with some natives, when
the old bird jumped up almost under the hoofs of the
deer, and I saw the chicks scuttling away through the
grass. Without taking my eye from the spot, I jumped
from the sledge, to the surprise of the Dolgan driver,
and caught two young birds before they could hide.
These specimens, which are apparently two or three
days old, much resemble the young of the Dunlin, except
that the down of the throat and breast is more suffused
with rufous.* Compared with a young Dunlin in my
collection (which however is a good deal older) the pale
mottling on the top of the head is also more buff in
tint, but this may be an individual variation, for one
of the skins is decidedly deeper in tone than the other.
* Since the above was written, I have compared more skins, and
find that this distinction does not always hold good. But even at

an early age the bill of the Curlew-Sandpiper differs from that of the
Dunlin,

ee a rs

vou. vil.| NOTES ON CURLEW-SANDPIPER. 181

Except in size, they resemble the chicks of the Little
Stint, both in the colouring of the down and of the
legs and bill.

In 1897, Mr. H. L. Popham shot the female at the nest,
and it may be perhaps worth mentioning that the skins
I obtained are all those of female birds.

As soon as the young are hatched, the Curlew-
Sandpipers leave the dry hilly slopes and go down to
the flat sphagnum bogs that lie between the ridges
of the tundra. This early migration into the swamps
is also very characteristic of the Asiatic Golden Plover
(Charadrius fulvus) which nests abundantly in similar
situations, and as soon as both birds reach the marshes
they begin to congregate into flocks. On August Ist I
visited such a marsh about twelve miles from Golchika.
It was only about a quarter of a mile square and con-
tained as many as six pairs of Curlew-Sandpipers, and
the same number of Asiatic Golden Plover. I shot
a young Curlew-Sandpiper in first plumage there. There
was a certain amount of association between the old
birds of both species. A couple of each would wheel
round me and then perch on a tussock just out of gun-
shot. Then, just as I was coming within range, they
would spring up and dash, calling, overhead and again
pitch side by side in another place. Sometimes a single
Sandpiper would join a party of Golden Plover and
skim hither and thither over the tundra, but neither
Plover nor Sandpipers ever flocked in this manner with
the Little Stints, which were also common on this sort
of ground. There is no doubt that the young birds
are not hatched in these wet places, but are brought
to them afterwards. On July 15th, for instance, I
carefully quartered one small bog while looking for
Little Stints’ nests and there was not a Curlew-Sandpiper
to be seen. A week later, two birds appeared in the
bog, and judging by their behaviour, they evidently
had young ones close by. I do not know why both
Curlew-Sandpipers and Asiatic Golden Plover move

182 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVOL. VIII.

their young so early, unless it may be that they need
water which they cannot obtain on the hills. This habit
made it rather difficult to take an exact census of the
birds in the district. Until after the middle of July, I
should have said that the birds were scarce. This was
partly owing to their scattered arrangement—each pair
breeding like Plover, a little apart from their fellows—
and partly to their quiet behaviour at the nest, for it was
possible to walk over the breeding-ground and not observe
the birds at all, owing to their smallness and silence.
This was changed when several broods met in the
marshes, and the old birds then became very wild and
demonstrative. Then the species seemed to be twice
as abundant as before.

Mr. Popham (Ibis, 1898, p. 516) says of the bird’s
call: “‘ At one time I thought I heard it make a sound
like a Dunlin, but as I afterwards saw Dunlins close by
I was probably mistaken.” The alarm cry which I
constantly heard was a shrill triple note, ‘‘ wiek-wiek-
wiek,’ or it might sometimes be syllabled, ‘‘ wiek-a-
wiek,” two or three times repeated, both when the bird
was at the nest and on the wing.

The Curlew-Sandpipers seem to leave the district
about the middle of August. J cannot remember seeing
one on the tundra after the 14th of the month, and
neither did I see any on migration at the Breokofisky
Islands where I spent the first part of September.

With regard to the unexpected appearance of this
bird, as far to the south-west as Golchika, I should say
that this does not necessarily imply a regular extension
of its breeding range in this direction, but rather is to
be referred to the weather. The conditions of climate
in those regions are different to those experienced further
south. Up there it is quite possible that at one spot
summer may prevail, and the tundra swarm with birds,
while a hundred miles further on the snow may not melt
until August. The limits of the arctic ice cap vary from
year to year, and therefore birds such as the present

vou. vi.] NOTES ON CURLEW-SANDPIPER. 188

species, which breed furthest north, are bound to be
more or less a shifting population. In the spring of
1914 exceptionally cold weather prevailed over the
Taimyr. In August a number of Samoyedes who visited
- Golchika reported that east of Dickson Island the snow
was still lying on the tundra and the lakes never thawed.
In this connection it may be remarked that the Grey
Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)—another northerly
ranging species which has only once been recorded at
Golchika (by Mr. Popham in 1895)—was frequent there
in 1914, and I took five nests. Is it permissible to
deduce that the wintry conditions prevailing at the
end of June, 1914, at the mouth of the Yenesei and on
the Taimyr had, as it were, dammed up the stream of
migratory birds and compelled them to breed to the
south of their usual haunts ?

( 184 )
A PRACTICAL STUDY OF BIRD C2COLOGY.

BY
H. G. ALEXANDER.

(EcoLoey, or ecology, is defined by Dr. H. F. Gadow
as the relation of organisms to their environment. The
relation of this science to the study of geographical
distribution, from the ornithologist’s pomt of view,
was expounded by Mr. 8. E. Brock in a recent number
of British Birds. It is evident that a study of cecology,
properly conducted, would reveal much that is still
hidden with regard to the lives of birds. Perhaps,
even, it may be said that the modern desire to learn
something of the psychology of animals can only be
satisfied by a thorough study of cecology.

Botanists have already done a good deal of research
into the cecology of plant-life; for them the science
is less difficult than it is for ornithologists. It is com-
paratively easy for a botanist to choose a certain piece
of ground (perhaps only an acre or two), note all the
plants growing there at each season of the year, observe
which are the most abundant, whether they grow in
patches or scattered here and there, what aspect they
choose—exposed or sheltered from wind or rain,—the
exact nature of the soil, the rainfall, and any other
circumstance capable of modifying the plant-association.
A similar study of birds is obviously much more difficult. ©
Birds do not remain always in the same environment ;
this is the great difficulty. Moreover, the number of
circumstances to be taken into account is far greater.
Plants, it is true, occasionally depend on the presence.
of insects or birds or animals: everyone knows that
nettles are common on a rabbit-warren; but birds
habitually depend for food, nesting-sites, shelter, and
other necessities of their life on the presence or absence
of plants, and they frequently depend also on the
abundance of insects. If, therefore, we wish to learn
the cecology of any bird we must take into consideration

vou. vi.| A STUDY OF BIRD CECOLOGY. 185

a vast number of circumstances ; we must inquire into
its food and nesting requirements, into its comparative
abundance in different types of country, different
climates, and different latitudes: into the extent of its
daily movements as well as the extent and even the
causes of its migration. Indeed, in a sense, cecology
includes the whole life of a bird; for to understand the
relation of a bird to its environment we must know
not only everything about the environment but also
everything about the bird. The only essential differ-
ence between the cecological study and any other study
of birds is in the aim of the student.

The whole science, therefore, will not be compassed,
even for any one species of bird (indeed, no species can
be isolated from its fellows), in a short time. But it is
on this account all the more worth while to consider
by what methods of study we may expect to arrive
at the most satisfactory results. So many ornithologists
have provided exact information on the nesting-habits
of birds, including the position and structure of the
nest, the number of eggs and the proportion hatched
and reared in different parts of the range of each bird,
the amount and kind of food brought by the parents,
and all the circumstances of family life, that I do not
propose to refer to this side of cecology at all. In some
ways it is the easiest part of the study; certainly it
has been more adequately treated than any other part.

Very little, however, is known of what I might
call the minutiz of bird-distribution and migration.
We know, roughly—less roughly than a generation ago—
the geographical limits of each species and the routes
by which it travels from and to its breeding-quarters.
A vast amount of exact information must still be dis-
covered, however, before we can hope to understand
‘the meaning of these things. In this country, for
instance, we may set to work to discover whether each
of our species is increasing or decreasing—such as the
Land-Rail—hoping, as we pursue our investigations,

186 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

that in time we may arrive at the causes of such
increase or decrease; we may study the comparative
numbers of different birds in various localities—how
many Warblers of each kind there are nesting in a

wood, or in a larger, more arbitrarily chosen piece of

country, including woods, fields, moors, lanes, and
ponds ; or, again, from the point of view of the environ-:
ment rather than from that of the bird, we may take

a census of some region, either of a particular wood or
moor, or of some varied region, showing the numbers of

every species nesting in it. The most useful results.
will probably be obtained from observations restricted to
a piece of country of one type, in fact to a geological
or topographical unit ; and if a wider stretch of country
is taken it is most desirable to note the extent and
character of the woods, hedges, fields and meadows, and
any other country included. It is not enough to know
that a wood of ten acres contains a certain number of,
say, Chiffchaffs, Willow-Wrens, and Wood-Wrens; for
the proportion of these birds in woods of high forest
trees, beech or larch or pine, in woods of oak and hazel,
in woods of birch with open heathery glades, will be
completely different; the birds to be found along the
course of an open weed-covered stream flowing between
flat green meadows will be very different from those found
by a stream flowing between banks and overhung by
dense bushes or by alders. Even such a small point
as the cutting of hedges—are they closely clipped or
do they grow unattended and loosely wander into the
lanes and fields ?—ought to be noticed.

It is not necessary to restrict such inquiry to the
breeding-season; when birds are nesting it is, of
course, much easier to compute their numbers, but in
open country, and to some extent in woods, one may
make very exact notes at any season; we may, for
example, note the comparative number of each species
of Finch in the flocks on the stubble or in other places
during the winter; we may observe how many days

ee atingdrels Ms

vot. vin.] A STUDY OF BIRD CECOLOGY. 187

or weeks they remain, how much the flock varies from
day to day, at what hour of the day they appear,
whether they make a round of the fields each day or
remain in one place all the time ; what food they seem
to prefer, and how far this varies during the season
or even during the day ; how far such changes of food
are due to shortage of one sort or ripening of another ;
we may endeavour to watch the flocks flying to or
from their roosting-places, and see whether they fly
straight from all points or travel by well-defined routes—
or ill-defined routes. Similar observations may be made
with regard to Waders on the shore, and to the roving
bands of Tits and other little birds in the woods.

How can such observations be made? To obtain
exact information of the status of each species of bird
nesting in any district, and of its comparative
number from year to year, I think the mapping system
explained by my brother and myself in an early number
of British Birds (Vol. II., pp. 322-6) is probably as
satisfactory as any. This may easily be done by obtain-
ing an ordnance survey map of the district required,
six inches to a mile scale, and placing a symbolical
number or mark at any spot where a species is observed
(seen or heard) daily during the breeding-season ;_ this
method is admirable for all birds that have a well-
defined breeding-range, such as the Chats, Warblers,
Wagtails, Pipits, Flycatchers, Buntings, Woodpeckers
and other species. But some of the very common
birds, such as Blue-Tits, Robins, Thrushes, Blackbirds,
and Hedge-Sparrows (I am thinking of the south-east
of England), are too numerous for any map short of
the twenty-five inch to a mile scale. As regards species
which nest in colonies, the most satisfactory method
of discovering their number exactly is obtained by
counting the nests; in his Birds of Dumfriesshire,
Mr. H. S. Gladstone gives important results of such
observations on Rooks, Herons, and Black-headed
Gulls. There remain a number of species which are

188 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. VIu.

neither strictly anti-social nor truly social in their
breeding-habits ; these include many of the Finches,
Pigeons, Plovers, and other Limicoline birds, and
other species. In localities where only a few occur
they may be marked on a map; for instance, I have
had no difficulty in mapping Redpolls, Goldfinches,
Hawfinches, Lapwings, and Snipe in various parts
of the south-eastern counties. But I should not care
to map Chaffinches, Linnets, Wood-Pigeons, or (in
some places) Lapwings, for they frequently fly long
distances during the nesting-season, whilst on the
other hand, several nests are sometimes very close
together. A census of these birds cannot, perhaps,
be very accurate, but a fair estimate may be obtained

by means of careful observations. This census, how-
ever, will have no real cecological value unless the
geology, as well as the topography, of the district is
taken into account, and it is still more desirable to
note the effect of the geology on the botany, and of the .
botany on the entomology of the district ; moreover,
if the comparison of one year with another is to have
any value, the variation of climate from year to year
and the effect of such variation on insect and plant-life
must be taken into account.

As soon as the young begin to fly about, however, the
difficulty of obtaining an exact idea of the birds inhabiting __
a district, to say nothing of those passing over or through,
increases immensely. In fact, when the breeding-
season is over and the birds begin to leave their nesting-
places, a totally different method of study is necessary.
Among the most important things to observe at this
time are the movements of birds and the numbers
involved in each movement. I carefully refrain from
using the word migration, because I believe great
confusion of thought exists among ornithologists as to
what is and what is not migration. I believe it is quite
impossible to draw any line, except an artificial one,
between what is commonly called migration and all

— eS

4 -
A ANE lr

ie eee ee

vot. vi.}. A STUDY OF BIRD CECOLOGY. 189

other sorts of flighting; the flocking and other flights
of birds in the early morning or late afternoon are not
usually regarded as a part of migration, but it seems
to me probable that their causes or motives are similar
and in part the same. At any rate, no practical study
of the movements of birds is likely to be satisfactory
where such a distinction is permitted; as a rule one
cannot possibly tell whether a bird seen flying over is
or is not “ migrating’’ in the stricter sense. Recent
investigations, notably the ‘“‘ marking” schemes, have
proved the great intricacy of bird movement ; they also
tend to show that a proper study of bird-movement
must be restricted neither to the appearance and dis-
appearance of certain particular species, nor .to the
passage of birds fortuitously known to be migrants,
nor to flights tending north in spring and south in
autumn. Every fact must be taken into account;
many apparent changes in the number of species may
be due only to inaccuracy of observation, but they
must not be omitted on this account; many of the
birds to be seen flying over in the morning and evening
may appear to be going in an impossible direction for
true ‘‘ migration,’ and it may be that they are only
flying to or from roosts. But we cannot judge of these
things at the moment. No arbitrarily limited obser-
vations can have any real value. On the other hand,
if everything in the nature of a movement is noted and
the effect of the environment on such movements
studied, we may in the course of time understand the
phenomena of migration and at the same time the
cognate phenomena of flocking.

For instance, very early in the summer, sometimes
even during May, or at any rate June, family parties
of Tits begin to appear all about the country, and even
in our gardens. Many ornithologists indulge in nesting-
boxes, which are perhaps inhabited by Blue-Tits as
often as by any birds. No doubt the old birds are
often watched feeding their young, but how many

190 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. VIII.

“observers notice exactly where the old birds collect
their food, or what food they bring ? How many see
exactly how many young finally leave the box? And
even if the young are counted, who tries to follow up
the family when it has left the nest? Blue-Tits do
not travel a great distance, and it should not be very
difficult to keep them under observation. Which trees
do they most frequent after leaving the nest, and what
food do they get ? How long do the old continue to
feed the young ? How long is there between the time
when the first of the young is seen to find food for itself
and the time when one of the parents is seen feeding
the last of the young for the last time ? In what way
do the birds find the food ? Is the food of such a nature
that there is an advantage in the flock moving about
together ; for example, do the insects (or whatever it
may be) occur in large numbers locally, so that when
one bird finds one insect all the others can be sure of
finding a number in the same tree or on the same
branch ? How soon does the family unite with other
families of the same species, or with other kinds of
Tits, or with Goldcrests or Willow-Wrens ? Does such
a union take place by chance, and do the families unite
and divide up again during the course of the day ?
Do the old birds remain with their family for a long
time, even till the next spring, or do the young of several
families go about together, and do the old birds form
separate parties? Is it possible to see whether the
pairs remain together all the time till the next spring ?
Do many family-parties roost in one place, and what
places do they choose for the roost ? Supposing that
the parties remain together for a number of months,
when do they begin to split up into pairs? Do the
old birds begin pairing and nesting earlier in the spring
than the young ?

These questions are easy to ask but not to answer.
Yet the answer depends, not on a deep scientific know-
ledge of the structure and classification of birds, nor

wou. vuL|.. A STUDY OF BIRD CGCOLOGY.. 191

on wide reading of bird-books and journeys to Heligoland
and South America. It depends on careful, accurate
and persistent watching in one place.

Observations on similar lines with regard to less
sedentary species than Tits may be conducted through-
out the year, and at all times of day and night, for at
every time of year and at every time of day some birds
are moving, even though there may be brief seasons
when no great migratory flights are in progress. It is
not sufficient, however, to note the species seen on the
move or to note increase or decrease of species. The
exact number involved should be noted as far as possible,
also the direction of flight in the case of all birds flying
a considerable distance, as well as weather conditions,
type of country and any other circumstances, especially
botanical and entomological, likely to be of value.
What I would emphasize particularly is that every
flock of birds seen must be, as far as possible, accurately
counted. If it is a large flock a portion should be
counted and the total number estimated from this ;
or if occasional parties of one species continue to pass
for a long period, the obvious method is to count for
five minutes and later to count for another five, and
perhaps later repeat the process a third time. The
tendency to exaggerate can only be checked in this
way. My own experience is that a thousand birds are
very rarely to be seen together. One may see many
thousands of Guillemots and other sea-birds at their
breeding-haunts, and of Starlings at a large roost;
otherwise I have never to my knowledge seen a thousand
birds at a glance.

The lines of investigation which I have suggested
are of an ideal nature. No one could make such
thorough investigations without being able to devote
every moment of time to the matter. What is wanted
is, of course, that those who have any time which they
are anxious to devote to such study should direct their
exertions in such a way as to obtain the best results

192 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

which limited opportunities or capacity or patience
permit. Those who are prepared to forego the excite-
ment of meeting with new birds and observing thrilling
phenomena may, by constantly going the same walks,
perhaps over rather uninteresting country, gain an
insight into the lives of birds which will never be
obtained by those who are perpetually travelling from
one end of the earth to the other.

“Every kingdom, every province,’ wrote Gilbert
White, “should have its own monographer”; at the
present time it might be held that most kingdoms and
some provinces have many monographers; but in his
“advertisement”? he also wrote: “If stationary men
would pay some attention to the districts on which
they reside, and would publish their thoughts respecting
the objects that surround them, from such materials
might be drawn the most complete county-histories.”
I expect every author of a county avifauna would
admit that most of this work is still undone. The
Natural History of Selborne is unique not only because
Gilbert White was Gilbert White, but because so few
ornithologists have been content to work at the birds
of their own parish or district. Yet with the knowledge
we have gained since Gilbert White lived, we ought at
least to be able to do what he did, and finally to
excel him.

ren i
« 4 °

( 193 )

NOTES ON THE FOOD AND HABITS OF THE
SPARROW-HAWK.
BY

pace ©) WARING

THe following notes made from time to time on the
habits of the Sparrow-Hawk may be of interest as
supplementing or corroborating the observations recently
published in these pages. |In connexion with some of
the observations, I have to acknowledge assistance from
A. P. Adams, one of the boys at Felsted School.

Curiously enough I have never seen a nest of a Sparrow-
Hawk which had as its foundation the old nest of another
bird, though my brother, O. R. Owen, says that he
often finds Sparrow-Hawks’ nests built upon old nests
of Wood-Pigeons. In 1914, however, I knew of two
cases of Sparrow-Hawks laying in nests from which
the hen birds had been shot in 1913. One of these
was a second laying after the eggs had been robbed
from a new nest; the other was a first laying,
and suggests that the cock has some choice in the
nesting-site.

It is hard to say when incubation commences; in
some nests I have watched, the eggs have hatched at
intervals, but in one case all four eggs hatched during
the course of one day. The incubation-period is practic-
ally thirty-five days. During incubation the nest gets
well flecked with down from the female, and is often
a very pretty sight. When the young are hatched
this disappears at once, being, I believe, removed by
the female after feeding the young the first time. Later
on the nest gets flecked with down from the young as
they get their feathers.

When the young are newly hatched the eyes are
open and the iris is very dark brown, the pupil being
deep indigo. The iris then becomes greenish-grey, with
a black outer line. Later this line disappears and the

Q

.

194 BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vm.

iris gets much more yellow. At birth the head is
entirely covered with short, thick, white down. Then
a space becomes clear of down between the eye and
nostril. This bare skin is at first nearly green and has
a few hair-like down-filaments on it. As the skin
becomes bare it becomes lighter (yellower), and after-
wards gradually darkens. It is very noticeable that
birds in the same nest, when fully feathered, vary very
much in colour. The breast-markings in particular
vary from quite a light brown to a very dark reddish-
brown. It is possible to tell females from males before
they lose the down at all by the greater length of limb,
and especially of the tarsus.

Often the nest is built up as the nestling period pro-
ceeds, and is much flatter and some inches higher when
the young leave than when they were hatched. The
cup of the nest is lined with leaves or bark at the time
these additions are made. | think the object is for
sanitary purposes, to cover any small bit of food, or
dung, or pellets not taken away by the female.

It is interesting to note a marked difference in the
actual feeding of these and many other nestlings:
whereas it is usual for a nestling not to swallow until
the food touches the back of the throat, these Hawks
make a grab for the food and jerk it into position in
the throat before swallowing. I do not think the young
begin to peck for themselves until seventeen days old,
but after that they can do a little self-feeding.

In a nest a boy and I watched last summer young
Starlings were brought most often; Blue Tits were
also brought more often than might be expected. The
birds were always plucked before being brought to the
nest, and I think this was often done on big limbs of
the neighbouring trees, as we climbed several and found
traces in most of the trees. Except for legs and feet,
all bones were cleared away until the young had left
the nest. After they leave the nest the young come
back to feed, and then bones are allowed to accumulate.

vou. vul,| NOTES ON THE SPARROW-HAWK. .195

They probably use the nest as a feeding-place, partly
for reasons of safety.

I have personally never seen Partridge, Pheasant,
or chick brought to the nest, or seen remains of either
at any nest I have watched, or at a dining-table. On
the other hand, I have known young hens take very
large Pheasants along rides and eat them where they
killed them. Last April on an island in a large pool,
{ found the remains of three Teal that had evidently
been eaten by Sparrow-Hawks. The same day I saw
a cock Sparrow-Hawk dash at a Teal that was coming
to the pool. The Teal went headlong into the nearest
rushes, and when it reached them the Hawk was barely
a yard behind it. This is especially interesting as the
Sparrow-Hawk usually leaves a bird passing over water.
At the same time, I have known one pick up a young
Moorhen as it swam across an open pool. I have
only once seen a Sparrow-Hawk with a Wood-Pigeon ;
it was trying to carry the Pigeon (a young one about
three months old) away, but could not get far at each
attempt. The Pigeon was not dead, and I went to
examine it, and found it horribly mutilated on the back
and neck, and with one eye out. In most of the woods
round Felsted I find skeletons of Wood-Pigeons clean-
picked by Sparrow-Hawks, sometimes right under the
nests, as if the Hawk had been unable to lift the bird
to the nest. I think these must be wounded Pigeons,
finished off by the Hawks. I have also known Sparrow-
Hawks take Turtle-Doves, Partridges, Great and Lesser
Spotted Woodpeckers, and Cuckoos, besides many
common smaller birds.

CARRION-CROWS IN THE OUTER HEBRIDES.

Wir reference to the note on this subject (antea, p. 176),
it is perhaps worth recording that I saw some of these birds
at Barvas (Island of Lewis) in early July, 1914. Unfortu-
nately I did not realise that this record was of any special
interest, and therefore did not make a detailed note as to
how many were seen, but merely added ‘ Carrion-Crow ”
to my list of the birds of the district.

G. Batuurst Hony.

UNUSUAL SITE FOR NEST OF LINNET.

Own August 7th, 1914, I found the nest of a Linnet (Carduelis ¢.
cannabina) in a small plantation in a garden on Carnarvon
Bay. It was built at the top of a dwarf alder tree at least
eleven feet from the ground, and contained four unfledged
young. The Linnet—unlike the Redpoll—generally selects
a low position for its nest, sometimes placing it on or very
close to the ground when gorse or other bushes are not
available. The nest was composed entirely of dried grass-
stems and roots, and lined only with sheep’s wool and a
few horse-hairs. S. G. CUMMINGS.

FOLK-LORE OF THE YELLOW BUNTING.

THE Yellowhammer (Hmberiza c. citrinella) is known in
western Carnarvonshire indifferently as Penfelen (i.e. Yellow-
head) or Gwas y neidr (i.e. Servant of the Adder). The
latter name is also applied to the Adder-bolt or Dragonfly.
A common Welsh name for the Meadow-Pipit is Gwas y gog
(i.e. Servant of the Cuckoo) and it is alleged that the Yellow-
hammer cherishes and feeds an adder just as the Meadow-
Pipit cherishes and feeds a Cuckoo. Opinions differ as to
whether an adder is actually hatched from an egg in the
Yellowhammer’s nest or whether it is merely fed in the
open as a young Cuckoo is, as a matter of common observa-
tion, known to be; but the significance of the writhing
serpents depicted on the eggs cannot be disregarded. The
Yellowhammer is persecuted and its nest destroyed when-
ever occasion offers, not only because of its supposed
association with adders but because, as some aver, it has
poisonous properties itself. So bad indeed is its character
that boys who catch birds with line and riddle in the winter

e-

VOL. VIII] NOTES. 197

staek-yards kill the Yellowhammer with sticks, and I was
told by one man, who took some interest in’ birds, that
although he did not think that the Penfelen was as black
as it was painted, his ingrained repugnance for the bird
was such that he would not care to touch one with his naked
hands. I heard this strange tale from a Nevin resident
when I was in North Wales a short time ago. It was con-
firmed in its essentials by fishermen and peasants at Aberdaron
and Abersoch, and evidently has wide credence in the Lleyn
Peninsula. It would be interesting to know whether the
belief obtains in other parts of Wales, or elsewhere. In
many parts of Scotland the Yellow Yite or Yellow Yeorling
is persecuted, for, so it is said, it drinks a drop of the deil’s
blood every May morning, but the connection—if there
be one—between this libel and the one current in’ Lleyn
is obscure. . CHas. OLDHAM.

CHIFFCHAFF IN DORSETSHIRE IN DECEMBER.

THERE was a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) in the garden
of the Royal Victoria Hotel at Swanage for about an hour
during the middle of the day on Thursday, December 10th,
1914. The previous night had been a very wild one with
an easterly gale. I noticed a distinct increase also in the
number of Song-Thrushes on the coast that morning.

F. G. PENROSE.

LITTLE OWLS IN ESSEX.

In November, 1914, a neighbour of mine at Bradfield,
north-east Essex, told me he had watched a small Owl in
an ivy-covered pollard about seven feet above ground level.
The bird allowed him to approach within a few feet, and
from his careful description it must have been a Little Owl
(Athene n. noctua). WaLtTER B. NICHOLS.
Mr. W. W. Hartwell informs me that he observed two
young Little Owls at Chingford on August Ist, 1914.
Wittiam E. GieEce.
[The above records, taken in conjunction with those
published in Vol. VL., p. 63, Vol. VII., p. 85, and previous
volumes, show that the Little Owl has now spread over most
of the county.—Ebs. |

HONEY-BUZZARD IN IRELAND.
On November 15th, 1914, I shot a Honey-Buzzard (Pernis a.
apivorus) at Knock, Belfast. The strong north-easterly
winds which were then prevalent may have accounted for

198 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

its presence here. It is now in the hands of Messrs. Sheals,
taxidermists, Belfast, who identified it and who inform
me that it is a young male. In its stomach were found
the remains of bees and other insects, and it was in excellent
condition. HERBERT T. MALCOMSON.

FORK-TAILED PETREL IN SHROPSHIRE.

On September 18th, 1914, a Leach’s Fork-tailed Petrel
(Oceanodroma leucorhoa) was picked up in a_ helpless
condition on the high road at Montford Bridge (on the
Severn) four miles west of Shrewsbury. The local post-
master, Mr. Thomas, brought it in for me to see, but I was
out of town at the time. He then showed it to a Mr. Lewis,
who recognised it as a Petrel. This gentleman afterwards
put it down on his lawn, and presently the bird took wing
and flew off down the river. I showed Mr. Thomas the
different species of Petrel in the local museum, and he
readily identified his bird as a Fork-tailed. It was much
larger than the Storm-Petrel. As a matter of fact, the
former is much more often met with in Shropshire than the
latter. H. E. Forrest.

ROSEATE TERN IN SHROPSHIRE.

I RECENTLY identified (at a Shrewsbury taxidermist’s) an
immature example of the Roseate Tern (Sterna d. dougallit)
obtained about September 21st, 1914, near Llanymynech,
on the Montgomeryshire border of Shropshire. This species
has only once before been recorded in the county—by
Eyton, about 1830. The specimen had been taken for an
Arctic Tern, but I recognised it as a Roseate by the lighter
colour, and by the white borders of the inner webs of the
primaries extending to the tips of the feathers. At this
age—it is a bird of the year—the tail is so much shorter
than in the adult that it does not reach to the end of the
wings when closed.

I may add that a Lesser Tern was obtained on the Shrop-
shire side of the Teme at Knighton on September 14th,
1914, whilst a larger Tern (species ?) was seen flying about
over the Severn at Shrewsbury on September 20th. Doubt-
less all three were migrating. H. E. Forrest.

GULLS WORRYING DIVING BIRDS.

Dr. F. PENROSE’s observations (antea, p. 174) are interesting,
and it may be worth putting on record that the Great. Black-
backed Gull (Larus marinus) is a constant and unpleasant
source of annoyance to Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks when

F

.

VOL. vit.[ NOTES. 199

feeding ; in fact you can often, when sailing, locate a flock
of ducks by watching the behaviour of this Gull.
F. W. SMALLEY.

LITTLE GULL IN LANCASHIRE.

On November 12th, 1914, a Little Gull (Larus minutus) was
shot off Gibraltar Point, Silverdale, by Mr. Murray junior,
son of Mr. H. Murray, taxidermist, Carnforth. I saw the
bird, which was an adult female in winter plumage, just
after being set up, also the body and contents of the crop,
which appeared to consist entirely of some species of fly,
producing a deep purple stain on paper. This makes, I
believe, the eighth record of this species for Lancashire.
F. W. SMALLEY.
| Besides the five records mentioned in Mitchell and
Saunders’ Birds of Lancashire, three other records have
been published, so that the present instance ts the ninth.—
F.C.R.J-]
RARE BIRDS IN SUSSEX.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER (Phylloscopus s. swperciliosus),.
—On October 24th, 1914, I examined in the flesh an example
of the Yellow-browed Warbler that had been shot at
Hollington the previous day. It was a female, and is the
first to be recorded for the county.

Wuire’s Turuss (T'urdus d. aureus)—On November 10th,
1914, I was shown a specimen of White’s Thrush that had
been shot the previous day at Brede. Although a good
many have been obtained previously in the British Isles,
this is only the second record for the county (ef. supra,
p. 55).

Witson’s PETREL (Oceanites oceanicus).—During the severe
gales that have been raging along the south coast during
the end of November and beginning of December, many
birds have been washed ashore, various Gulls, Puffins,
Guillemot, etc. Amongst others washed ashore at Bopeep,
St. Leonards, on December 2nd, 1914, was a specimen of
Wilson’s Petrel. I noticed at once the length of the legs,
and also that the webs between the toes were of a deep
orange colour. The specimen was a male, and quite fresh.

H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

TREE-Pipit IN IRELAND.—Mr. W. J. Williams (Jrish Nat.,
1914, p. 239) reports that on May 21st, 1914, he listened
for some time to a Pipit singing in a tree near Portumna
Bridge (co. Galway) on the Shannon, and was satisfied that

200 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. vm. .

the bird was a Tree-Pipit (Anthus trivialis)—a very rare
visitor to Ireland.

Grey WacrTaits Nestinc iy Sussex.—Mr. R. Morris
records (Zool., 1914, p. 432) that in June, 1914, he saw two
broods of Motacilla b. boarula in the neighbourhood of
Uckfield. For previous notes on the nesting of this species
in Sussex see Vol. VI., pp. 17 and 101.

SwaALLow BREEDING IN SHETLAND.—In Bird Notes and
News (Vol. VI., No. 3, p. 43) it is announced that a pair of
Swallows (Chelidon r. rustica) nested and reared a brood in
the summer of 1914 under a bridge at Sellafirth, near Gutcher.
By the kindness of the Secretary of the Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds we have been permitted to see a
letter, in which the correspondent who made the observation
so accurately describes the bird and nest that there can
be no doubt as to the correctness of the identification. The
Swallow has very rarely been recorded as breeding in Shetland.

“ Tre ‘ BLuE FutMaR’ : Irs PLUMAGE AND DISTRIBUTION.”
—In a paper under this title (Scot. Nat., 1914, pp. 221-5),
Mr. W. E. Clarke gives a detailed description of a specimen
of Fulmarus g. glacialis in the dark phase of plumage, procured
by the Duchess of Bedford in May on St. Kilda. The dark
form, which is no doubt a dimorphism, is very rare in British
seas, and seems to be confined to St. Kilda, where a few
are found each year. This dark variety has been discussed
at some length by Dr. O. le Roi in Professor Koenig’s Avifauna
Spitzbergensis and his conclusions are quoted by Mr. Clarke.
In Spitsbergen and Bear Island Dr. le Roi found not only
both phases, but many intermediate in colour, and he made
the very interesting observation that the young in down
also varied in colour. Mr. Eagle Clarke also refers to
Herr A. L. V. Manniche’s observations which, put briefly,
showed that the light form predominated from the Shetlands
northwards to about 74’ 30” N., and that north of that on
the Greenland coast the dark form predominated (cf. antea,
Vol. IV., p. 345). The fact that the proportions of the two
forms should be so exactly opposite in the north and south
extremes of the range of the species is of great interest.

VERTEBRATE Fauna oF Norra Wates.—Mr. H. HE.
Forrest writes that he hopes shortly to issue a supplement
to his Vertebrate Fauna of North Wales, and will be glad to
receive additional records or observations from any naturalists
who are able to assist in this way. Communications should
be addressed to Mr. Forrest at Bayston Hill, Shrewsbury.

| : From _WITHERBY é Co.'s LIST. ?
: - Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

. By Joun WALPOLE-Bonp, author of ‘Bird Life in’ Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth ; 320 pages, ‘Ts. Gd.. net.

. e The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured Natess
drawings and maps, and. reproductions from a dae Pg ; square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges; 600 pages. 27s. Gd. net.

- My Game-Book.

By ALAN R. Haic-Brown. The Author unites a passionate love’ of the
chase with a knowledge of Nature.| Many photographs; 250 pages;
cloth, 5s, net.

e ;
Camping in Crete.
With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By AuBYN
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A., F.L.S,, F.Z.S., etc. ; with 32 plates and a
map} 320 pages; cloth; ’demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C. Stuart Baker, F.Z. S., M.B.0.U.; with 27 beautiful
_ coloured plates; over 250. pages; imp. 8vo. ; half bound morocco,
gilt top. &2 10s, net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyp HorssrucH, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S. 3 with 67 beautiful
colonies plates; half ed gilt top.
14s. net, or unbound parts £4 4s, net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By ERNST HARTERT, F; ‘C. R. Jourpain, N. F. TICEHURST, and
H. F. WITHERBY,
7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s. net.

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. KirkE SWANN. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages; demy 8vo.; cloth.

: The Pe 10s, net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. Illustrated with
half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly Parts 4s. each. Annual subscription 158.
Messrs, Witherby & Co. haye been appointed European Agents of The Emu.

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Hlustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds:on the British List.
Edited by H. F. W1THERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O. U., assisted by Rev. F.iC, R.
Jourpain, M.A., M.B.O.U., and N. F: TickuuRsT, M.A., FR. é Dis
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

Yearly, 10s.. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s, net. -

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

Third Revised Edition,

HOW TO

ATTRACT

AND

PROTECT
WILD BIRDS

ptr oF
ve ~e

iS get ges, = ch ie
Sern Met

> X at

r = Ss oa ~
> = Ae
> Ss >=
-2 SNE Hh -— |
be a -

e= Soe Se —

RQ «

Rea:

\u

aateath i toe

t

5 eAtle’

cas

A FULL DESCRIPTION OF

“5
S58
=“ 6
ee
no
z §
as
J
; on
op
7)
n 4
aos
5 =
> >
ee
a4

rte = th "Ul (\( ACY

no PINK

ples stl ‘ a =
wes aN

KW WS tN

SoS

6p. NET.

Is.
extra.)

STIFF BOARDS

ish to attra

(Postage, 3d.

It is a practical guide for all hin =
the birds to their doors and

nest in their gardens,

4
ad

nduce them

a5)
a

whether large or sma

WITHERBY & CO.,

AND OF ALL BOOKSELLERS

“LONDON

BRITISH |
BIRDS ©

ANTLUSIRATED:- MAGAZINE
~ DEVOTEDTOTHEDIRDS'ON
=. THEBRTISHUST <=

FEBRUARY 1, Vol. VIII.
ira oi No. 9.

ys ied
pee Thy
7 et

MONTHLY ‘ONE-SHILLING:NET
O26HIGH HOLBORNINDON
WITHERBY & C

f
}

t}
i

F OR SALE.

LORD LILFORD.—Coloured Figures of the

First Edition. Birds of the British Isles.
Complete in 36 Parts, as Published.

Perfect condition.
A choice copy (Capt. F. H. Salvin’s copy).
What Offers ?

Address “‘0,” “ British Birds” Office, 326, High Holborn, W.C.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Waturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs

and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.

Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c., acme *S-- and Ltt by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN

RUE TO NATURE
Alll Books, and Publications on Natural History supplied.

36, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Caralonke (102 pp.) post free.

Important Notice. New Series. Series.

ROYAL NAVY LIST

(WHO'S WHO _IN THE NAVY

Contains a Unique Record of the

SERVICES, HONOURS AND SPECIAL

QUALIFICATIONS OF OFFICERS
(ACTIVE AND RETIRED).

Special Supplement containing Present War’ Services
of Officers and Ships.

Amongst other Special Features are
THE YEAR’S HISTORY OF THE ROYAL NAVY AND OF
FOREIGN NAVIES. COMMISSIONS ann SERVICES or SHIPS.

Founded in 1878 as a Quarterly.

First Angual Issue ready December 15, 1914. .°. Cloth bound, 7s. Gi, net.

London: WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn.

sbcsiksaee?

H

“purlAavy ‘qd prey yybrshdoy
“MONS ONILTHW NI ONICHA LNILS WILLIT

Id “TITA ‘1OA ‘Sprtg USING

DRITDSABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JOURDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F.

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

Contents OF NumBER 9, Vor. VIII. Fresruary 1, 1915.

PAGE

Notes on the Breeding-Habits of the Little Stint. By Maud
D. Haviland ak oe me ee Ae a i 202

Report on the Results of Ringing Black-headed Gulls. By
H. W. Robinson. . Bt x: Ee ef ae a: 209

Notes :—

Remarkable Tameness in a Redwing (H. E. Forrest) + 219

Rough-legged Buzzard and Gadwalls in Berkshire (Heatley
Noble) ae £: a £3 ‘if avd gs 219
Food of Sparrow-Hawk (W. H. St. Quintin) .. a oe 220

Colouring of Soft Parts of Slavonian Grebe (D. G. Garnett) 220

Short Notes :—EHider Nesting in Woods in Scotland. Moult of
the Scoters. Occasional High Mortality in Young
Common Terns. Little Tern Breeding in East

Lothian .. “2 op a ra fee a. 221

Reviews :—The Food of Birds. Some Observations on the Food
of Nestling Sparrows. Some further Observations on
the Dispersal of Weed Seeds by Wild Birds .. as 223

( 202 )

NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE
LITTLE STINT.
BY
MAUD D. HAVILAND.
(PLATE 4.)

At Golchika, at the mouth of the Yenesei river, where
I had the opportunity of observing it in the summer of
1914, the Little Stint (Hrolia m. minuta) is not only
common, but is also one of the most widely distributed
of the waders. The Golden Plover nest on the tundras,
the Phalaropes breed in the marshes, and the Tem-
minck’s Stints breed by the water side; but the Little
Stint is ubiquitous, and the bird may be found every-
where in the district, except only in such places as are
either very wet or very dry—though there are few
enough of the latter at Golchika in July when the snow
is melting.

At the end of June, the birds which had not yet begun
to breed, and had probably arrived only recently from
the south, were common on the snow-drifts round the
houses, where they fed in company with many Temminck’s
Stints. The latter were rather shy and quarrelsome,
and each one drove any other bird from his own
particular puddle, but the Little Stints were very quiet,
and so tame that they scarcely troubled to trip out of
the way of the sledge dogs which wandered about the
settlement.

On July ist and 2nd, I noticed solitary birds in such
patches of marshland as were already free from snow,
and I spent a good deal of time in looking for eggs ;
but it was not until July 3rd that I flushed a bird from a
nest in a little marsh on the left bank of the Golchika
river. The bird drooped his wing as he ran away, so I
sat down to watch him, and in half a minute he returned
to the eggs.

After that, between July 8rd and July 17th, I found
a good many nests. The birds were very partial to the

vou. vii.| HABITS OF THE LITTLE STINT. 2038

little knee-high willow scrub that grew at the edge of
the marshes; and unlike those of the Temminck’s
Stints, their nests were frequently lined with the dead
leaves, as is seen in the accompanying photograph.
This nest, together with the parent bird, was photo-
graphed on Golchika Island itself. No hiding shelter
was required, of course. The tameness of the Little Stint
during the nesting-season is quite extraordinary and

THE DELTA OF THE COLORES Eu ee AND YENESEI, LOOKING
Copyright. i Maud D. Haviland.

even uncanny. I sat down within three feet of ‘the
nest, and within half an hour exposed two dozen plates
upon the bird as she ran round her eggs. The chief
difficulty was to remain far enough away to focus her
accurately. Once or twice when I touched the nest,
She fluttered up as if she would have flown at me, and
then ran distractedly round my feet, feigning a broken
wing, but otherwise she made no demonstration whatever
at my presence. This passion to brood which is found
exceptionally in the individuals of many species, but
which is the rule with the Little Stint, becomes so

FEMALE LITTLE STINT MALINGERING NEAR NEST.
Copyright.

Maud D. Haviland.

ahem

FEMALE LITTLE STINT APPROACHING NEST.
Copyright. Maud D. Haviland.

anes Nill

FEMALE LITTLE STINT BROODING.

Maud D. Haviland.

Copyright.

vou. vis.] HABITS OF THE LITTLE STINT. 207

intense as the hatching time approaches that the sitting
bird may be caught in the hand. On July 16th, I
watched a cock Little Stint flying to and fro between
a certain piece of marsh and the bank of a little stream
about fifty yards away. Each time he carried in his bill
something which I presently made out to be an egg-shell.
His nest, which was on a little ridge among the willows,
contained three moist chicks. The light was too poor
for photography, so I sat down by the nest to watch
the bird. When I laid my cap over the chicks, he crept
underneath it and brooded quite contentedly. Presently
I put out my hand gently, and caught him where he sat.
He fluttered a little, but when I released him he returned
at once to the young.

I procured both male and female Little Stints at the
nest, but out of eight nests of which I have records,
six of the birds were cocks. I do not know whether
the work of incubation is shared between the sexes, or
whether one parent undertakes the whole task. I saw
only one bird near the nest, but later on, when the
young were hatched, both parents appeared. When the
breeding-ground was approached the old birds became
rather wild and demonstrative, flymg round and round
the intruder while they uttered their sharp “drrrt drrrt”’
note.

Before the young were able to fly, the family
joined with other broods, until by the first week in
August flocks were formed. It was difficult to say when
the return migration took place. The bulk of the birds
had gone by August 25th when a severe south-easterly
gale swept over the river, but on September Ist I
saw two or three Little Stints in almost complete winter
plumage feeding on the sand-flats in company with some
Dunlins. The two species looked rather comic, paddling
side by side—like quarto and pocket editions of the
same work. As Seebohm says, the Little Stint is much
more like a Dunlin than a Stint. The young in down
resemble Dunlin chicks and not those of the Temminck’s

208 BRITISH BIRDS. [Vou. van.

Stint, which are much greyer in colour, and the eggs
are miniature Dunlin’s eggs. I have, however, one
clutch of eggs of Hrolia m. minuta which approximates
to the type of H. temminckii. It is rather remarkable
that Seebohm makes so little mention of the Little
Stint in his account of his visit to Golchika in 1877.
He says merely: “I shot a couple of female Little
Stints, the first I had seen in the valley of the Yenesei,”
and again: “On the hills I shot a male Little Stint.”
We are left to infer that these were the only birds he
saw, and yet he spent six days in the place and made
two or three excursions over the tundra. Owing to a
series of accidents, he did not reach Golchika until
July 17th, by which time all the eggs would be hatched ;
but the birds must have been feeding their young, and
ought to have been in evidence for some time after that
date. It seems incredible that such a great ornithologist
could have overlooked this species, and yet, judging
from its occurrence at Golchika in 1914, it would be
impossible to go ashore, either on the island or on the
mainland, and not see half a dozen birds.

a
|

( 209 )

REPORT ON THE RESULTS OF RINGING
- BLACK-HEADED GULLS.

BY

H. W. ROBINSON, .B.0.U., F.z.S.S.

DurinG the five years 1909-1913, 11,769 Black-headed
Gulls (Larus ridibundus) were marked as nestlings
under the auspices of the British Birds Ringing Scheme,
and of these 414, or 3.51 per cent., have come to
hand. By far the largest number—8,096 (68.79 per
cent.)—were marked at Ravenglass on the Cumberland
coast, so it is not surprising that 345 (83.3 per cent.)
out of the total of 414 returns, were Ravenglass-bred.
birds. The movement of these young birds from
their birthplace is best described as a scattering—a
scattering with a decided southward tendency along
both the west and east coastlines, independent of the
situation of the gulleries whether on the west or east
side. Recoveries were reported of nestlings marked
at fifteen different gulleries, of which three were in
Scotland, one in Ireland, one in Wales, and the rest in
England.

1. RAVENGLASS, CUMBERLAND.
8,096 ringed. 345 Recovered. (4.26 per cent.)

As by far the largest numbers have been marked at
this gullery, and a reliable percentage of these has been
recovered, the results from this centre of ringing must
form the basis of this report. It may be said at once
that the recoveries do not reveal any one definite line
of movement. In the case of a bird such as the Black-
headed Gull, which probably has to move over a con-
siderable area to obtain its food in autumn and winter,
it seems fair to assume that movements within a fairly
large area are of little real importance. With this in
view I have arbitrarily taken the area between the

210 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

Solway and the Dee as ‘“ home-quarters” and have
grouped the recoveries as follows :—

Percentage dent. to Percentage
July and _ of total re- heb of total re-
Aug. covered in (in clusive) covered
July-Aug. ; Sept.-Feb.
Solway to Dee a 94 73.4 84 42.6
South of Dee : 9 7.03 35 vind
North of Solway 5 3.9 e 3.5
Berwick to Humber 15 11.6 44 22.3
South of Humber 1 | 24 1230
North of Berwick 4 Sie 3 Tab
128 197

In this table the returns for July and August are
separated because in these months there is no doubt
a large proportion of birds not old enough to travel
any considerable distance, and though we have records
of forward individuals having reached even as far as
Dorset and France as early as July, over 73 per cent. are
reported from ‘‘ home-quarters”’ in July and August.
On the other hand, although the returns clearly show
that many birds stay in their ““ home-quarters ” through-
out the winter, it will be seen by a glance at the second
set of figures in the table that many (and judging by
the actual figures the larger proportion) move away.

A few go northward on the west coast, but their
number is small and with two exceptions they are birds
of the year. Most of these have appeared in south-west
Scotland and northern Ireland, but two have reached
as far north as Dumbarton and one Argyllshire. The
majority which move away on the western side go
southward.

It will be noticed that even in July and August as
many as 15 per cent. have reached the eastern side of
Great Britain, while from September to February some
36 per cent. have travelled eastwards.. It will also be
noticed that of those recovered on the eastern side
about the same proportion travel south as those found
southwards on the western side. As regards those
which go northward, their number is small, and they are
with few exceptions birds of the year.

te tt ecient Pe a

voL. vim.] RINGING BLACK-HEADED GULLS. 211

The following details of the returns of the Ravenglass
ringed birds will perhaps prove of interest.

WESTERN SIDE.

Of those going due north on the west coast only three
birds reached north of the Clyde, viz., six months later
to Argyllshire, and two to Dumbarton three months
later. Others occurred in Lanark, Renfrew and Ayr,
and in the neighbouring counties of Dumfries and
Kirkcudbright within from one to seven months; another,
one year three months later m Dumfries, and another,
eleven months later in the same county: the latter
being found close to two gulleries during the breeding-
season was possibly nesting there.

Three birds at least were nesting at the Ravenglass
Gullery where they were hatched, for they were found
dead there in the nesting-season, two of them two years
and the third three years later. Four other birds were
probably nesting in their parent gullery, for they were
found dead in the breeding-season only a few miles
away, three years, two years and two months, one year
and one month, and one year respectively after marking.
I might also say that I have seen, feeding their young,
several nesting birds at Ravenglass which bore rings,
but as I could not examine the numbers of these it is
impossible to say whether the birds were bred there or
not. Another bird was found dead in the _ nesting-
season two years later close to a gullery near Carlisle.
Eleven others were obtained within the parent-county
at periods varying from one year three months to three
years and four months after being marked there as
nestlings.

In the neighbouring county of Westmorland one was
obtained one year five months later, and three others
within three months.

The largest percentage of returns, 28.9, came from
Lancashire, and of these 27 per cent. were from the
Furness district of north Lancashire, 46 per cent. from

212 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. VIII.

the rest of north Lancashire, and 27 per cent. from south
Lancashire. Of the Furness recoveries one occurred
over two years, and three over one year, after marking.
Of the rest of north Lancashire recoveries, five had
carried their rings over one year, five over two years,
and one for three years and seven months, and one south
Lancashire recovery just over a year; 83 per cent. of
these Lancashire recoveries occurred within seven months
of marking.

Cheshire furnished eleven returns, the most interesting
of which was a bird found dead a year later in the
nesting-season on the Delamere Forest Gullery and
was evidently breeding there. All the others occurred
within five months, except one at nine months, one
at two years and five months, and one at one year and
six months.

North Wales shows six returns, an interesting one
being that of a bird found dead in the nesting season,
thirteen months later, on the Llanfairpwll Gullery,
Anglesey, and in all probability breeding there. One
was found in Flint one year and seven months later,
and two at Pwllheli, Carnarvon, picked up on the beach
on the same day one year and eight months later, were
marked within two days of one another. Anglesey (six
months) and Carnarvon (five months) account for the
remaining couple.

From South Wales came nine returns: one one year
and four months later from Pembroke, and the other
eight from one to nine months later from Cardigan,
Carmarthen, Glamorgan (two 1913 birds), and four from
Monmouth, all four being, curiously enough, birds of
different years, viz., 1910, 1911, 1912, and 1913.

Gloucester shows two returns: one four months later,
and the other, thirteen months later in the nesting-season,
was possibly nesting in the vicinity.

From northern Ireland came six returns, viz.. four
from co. Down, fourteen, four, three, and three months

oe

eT

vot. vit.] RINGING BLACK-HEADED GULLS. 213

later, one from co. Londonderry (five months), and
one from co. Mayo (three months).

Southern, Ireland shows ten returns, viz., one from
co. Dublin, four months later, three from co. Wicklow
seven, six, and one month later (all 1913 bred birds),
two from co. Waterford, three and a quarter years, and
eight months later, one from co. Cork (four months),
two from co. Limerick three and a half years and eight
months later, and one from co. Galway two months later.

From Devon two returns came, one year and eight
months, and one year and five months later, but Dorset
shows five returns, nine, eight, three and two months
and three weeks after being marked, the last having
made great headway for so young a bird. Hampshire
returned two rings one year and eight months, and six
and a half months after marking.

The ten birds recovered in France probably journeyed
by the west coast route, as none was recovered further
north than Cherbourg. It seems probable that they
travelled via the Channel Islands, since five returns
came from Brittany and one from Normandy. The
earliest return of the ten French recoveries was from
Cherbourg in Normandy only a month after being
marked as a nestling. Of those recovered in Brittany
three were six months after ringing, one six and a half
months, and the fifth one year and seven months. Three
recoveries were made in the centre of the Bay of Biscay
coast, two in Charente Inférieure, two years and ten
months and one year and seven months later, and the
third in Vendée five months later, and one in the south
of the Bay, in Gironde, seven months later. Six of
these French recoveries were 1912 birds, and five of
them were made within seven months of marking.

One was recovered in Spain six months later in Vigo
Bay (also a 1912 bird), and two in Portugal near Oporto
eight months later, and near Lisbon two years and five
months later, the latter also being a 1912 bird.

{

214 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vi. —@ |
)
EASTERN SIDE. :

Of those travelling north on the east coast, one was
obtained as far as north Aberdeenshire at Fraserburgh
(eight months) and another in Perthshire (three months).
In the south-east of Scotland one was found dead in the
breeding-season on the Harferrig Reservoir Gullery, in
Midlothian, one year and eleven months later, and was
undoubtedly nesting there. Five others were reported
from the counties of Midlothian, Stirling, Kinross, and
Selkirk, from one to three months after being marked.

Sixteen were recovered in Northumberland, all within
six months of marking, except one which carried the
ring for two years and seven months, and another for
fifteen months. From Durham came thirteen returns,
all within six months except two, one of one year eight
months, and the other fifteen months. North Yorkshire
showed nine returns, all within five and a half months. ;
From the West Riding and centre of Yorkshire eleven
returns were obtained, the most interesting being a
bird found dead in the breeding-season four years and
one month later on the Stanedge Moor Gullery in the
West Riding, which was without doubt nesting there.
Hight of the others were obtained within three months,
and of the remaining two one carried the ring for one
year and five months, and the other for ten months.
From the south of Yorkshire ten returns were made,
one two years and two months later, one one and a half
years later, and the others within eight months. Four
of these were recovered on the same day at the same
place in south Yorkshire, and a fifth two days later.

Eleven turned up in Lincolnshire, one one year and
three months after being marked, and the other ten
from four to nine months later. A single return comes
from Northamptonshire (seven months).

Six were recovered in Norfolk, all within five and |
a half months of marking. It may be of interest to :
state that three of these, all 1912 birds, were obtained

.

vou. vi.| RINGING BLACK-HEADED GULLS. 215

at the same place on the same day. Two journeyed
inland into Cambridgeshire, five and five and a half
months after marking, these also being 1912 birds.
Suffolk furnishes one return, one and a half years after
marking, and Essex also one, three months after being
marked. Kent shows two returns at seven and five
months later, and Sussex one, a three months’ old bird.

From the Island of Heligoland comes a return in the
breeding-season thirteen months later. From Ulrum,
in the Province of Gr6éningen, Holland, a bird was
captured two years and eight months after being marked
on the Cumberland coast.

The returns of Black-headed Gulls marked at other
colonies are in no case sufficiently large to warrant our
basing any conclusion upon them. It may be said, how-
ever, that so far as they go these returns appear to bear
out the facts proved by the returns from Ravenglass.
The few recoveries of birds ringed on the east side of
Great Britain would also seem to show that a certain
proportion of these birds travel to our west coasts just
as some of those bred on the west side travel to the east
coast.

The details of the recoveries of birds ringed at other
gulleries are as below.

(2) Loch DurispEER, DumrrizssHire, N.B.—Three
recoveries. One went south-east to Darlington (eight
months), one north-east to Perth (one month), and one
north to Paisley (one month).

(3) Penpont, DUMFRIESSHIRE, N.B.—Six recoveries.
All these occurred in the parent county or the neighbour-
ing counties of Northumberland, Cumberland, Lanark
and Kirkcudbright within eight months, four of them
within six weeks of marking.

(4) Denton Fett, CumBERLAND.—Seventeen re-
coveries. Three occurred in Annan, Dumfriesshire, two
years ten months, two years seven months, and _ thirteen
months afterwards. Two on the Humber, Yorks.-Lincs.

216 BRITISH BIRDS. - [VOL. VII.

border, two years two months and two and a half months
later, and one in Lincolnshire one year eight months
later. The north coast of Yorkshire (one year and
nine months) and Grandcamps les Bains, Calvados,
France (one year and four months) furnish the only
other occurrences of interest, unless we include one in
Northumberland, one year and three months, and one
in south Lancashire (six months). The rest were
recovered in their parent-county and in the adjoining
counties of Durham, Westmorland, and Dumfriesshire
within three months. Three found dead in the nest are
ignored altogether.

(5) GREYSTOKE Park, Mip-CuMBERLAND.—One out
of 14==7.1 per cent. The only recovery from this
gullery is a most interesting one, as the bird was picked
up dead’ two years and eleven months later, in the
breeding-season, on a gullery at Tentsmuir in Fife, N.B.,
and was evidently breeding there.

(6) WatNEy Istanp, NortH LANcAsHIRE.-—Eight out
of 4741.68 per cent. One occurred in Cornwall (two
months) and one in co. Wexford, Ireland (eight months),
and one in Norfolk (one year and seven months). The
remaining five were reported from Lancashire, one one
year four months later, and the others within three
months, one of the latter in the south, and the other
four in the north of the county.

(7) WINMARLEIGH Moss, Nortu LANCASHIRE.—One out
of 167 = .59 per cent. One return from north Lancashire
two years and seven months later. This gullery is now
practically extinct.

(8) DELAMERE FoREST, CHESHIRE.—Seven recovered.
Two of these were obtained in Glamorganshire, south
Wales, two years one month and ten months later, one
in Monmouthshire, south Wales (three months), one
each in Flint, Yorks. and south Lancashire, within from
two to seven months, and one in co. Cork, Ireland, one
year and four months later.

vou. var.| RINGING BLACK-HEADED GULLS. 217

(9) Luyn MynypDp1Lop, NzAR LAKE Bata, MERIONETH-
SHIRE.—Six out of 150=4 per cent. One of these was
found dead in the breeding-season on the Hebden
Bridge Gullery, Yorks., three years afterwards, and was
evidently nesting there. Another was reported from south
Lancashire three years three months later. The remain-
ing four occurred from one to seven months later in south
Lancashire, Denbighshire, and Gloucestershire.

(10) CornFE CasTLE AND SWANAGE, Dorset.—Four
recoveries. Three of these went due south on the
Continent, two being found in Brittany, France, the one
date unknown and the other three years and five months
later, the third being reported from near Loures in
Portugal eight months later. The fourth was found
in its parent-county within a month.

(11) Locu Spynig, NEAR Exain, N.B.—Four recoveries.
One of these birds went due north, being recovered in
Orkney five months later. Two were found in the
parent county four years and two months and one month
later. The fourth occurred in Aberdeenshire two months
later.

(12) Hatitinetron ReEsErRvorrn, NorTHUMBERLAND.—
Five recoveries. One in Norfolk (seven months) and

the other four in Durham (two and three months).

(13) Hesprn Bripae anp Eaton, YORKSHIRE.—I'wo
recoveries. The most wonderful of all the returns is
that of a bird marked at Egton, which seven months
later was found on the Island of Flores, in the Azores.
The other record was from south Lancashire (two
months).

(14) ScawBy, Lincotnsuire.—One recovery, Denbigh-
shire, one year and seven months later.

(15) Lowrer LovueH Erne, co. FERMANAGH, IRELAND.
—Three recoveries. One in co. Roscommon (seven
months), the others in their parent county (five and
two months).

8

218

BRITISH BIRDS.

[VOL. VIIi.

RECOVERIES IN THE BREEDING-SEASON.

The return of birds which wer ecertainly or possibly
breeding in the place where they were recovered have
already been mentioned, but as they are of considerable
importance it seems advisable to group them in a separate

table as below.

Where bred and marked.

Greystoke, Mid-Cumberland
Llyn Mynyddlod, Merioneth
Ravenglass, Cumberland . .

Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do. do.
Do do

Denton Fell, Cumberland

Hlapse of time.

2 yrs. 11 mos.

3 years

1 yr. 11 mos.
1 year

1 yr. 1 mo.
4 yrs. 1 mo.
2 years

2 years

3 years

2 years

2 yrs. 2 mos.
1 yr. 1 mo.

1 year

2 years

11 months

13 months ..
13 months ..

Where breeding.

Tentsmuir, Fife.
Hebden Bridge, Yorks.
Kirknewton, Midlothian.
Delamere Forest, Cheshire.
Llanfairpwll, Anglesey.
Stanedge Moor,S. W. Yorks
Ravenglass.

Do.

Do.

Where found (possibly
breeding).

. A few miles from Raven-

glass.
Do.
Do.
Do.

. Near Carlisle, close to a

ullery.
Dumfriesshire, close to

two gulleries.
Gloucestershire.
Dumfriesshire.

REMARKABLE TAMENESS IN A REDWING.
I am indebted to Mr. E. W. Bawcock, schoolmaster, of Wem,
Shropshire, for the following interesting note. He writes:
“On New Year’s Day, 1914, a friend asked me to identify
a bird which had surprised him by its tameness. The bird
was a Redwing, and was in close attendance on a man who
was opening out heaps of sods in a recently flayed field near
Tilley, Wem. For a fortnight the bird had met the man
on coming to work at dawn, and had left him before dark
quite regularly. It apparently knew no fear, and worked
its way daily through a banquet of creeping things revealed
on opening up the sod heaps. Often enough it was within a
foot of the man working, and the approach of two strangers
(my friend and myself) made no difference in this respect—
indeed on leaving the field the bird followed me up to the
main road, quite 150 yards. The weather was somewhat
severe, but this would not altogether account for the extra-
ordinary tameness of a bird usually somewhat shy. It
showed none of the fluttering uncertainty which usually
characterizes birds even in hard weather. I can only liken
its tameness to that of a barn-door fowl, and this tameness
was so surprising that one can only suppose that, as a young
bird, it had been petted by some human of the Norwegian
forests.”’ H. E. Forrest.

ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD AND GADWALLS
IN BERKSHIRE.
I am indebted to Mr. Topp, Taxidermist of Reading, for the
following notes :—

A young female Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo 1. lagopus)
was caught in a rabbit-trap at Moulsford on November 22nd
or 23rd, 1914. The only other records I have for the county
are two killed and one seen.

A pair of Gadwall (Anas strepera) were shot at Maiden
Erleigh on January 6th, 1915, another bird being seen at
the same time. As far as I am aware this is the first recorded
occurrence of Gadwall in Berkshire. Heattey NOoBLe.

[In addition to the records of the Rough-legged Buzzard
referred to by Mr. Noble, Mr. N. H. Joy has also recorded
this species as seen at Bradfield on October 19th, 1908,
probably on July 27th, 1908, and at Beenham, near Reading,
August Ist, 1900 (Br. B., IV., p, 123).—F.C.R.J.]

220 -_- BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit.

FOOD OF SPARROW-HAWK.
I am glad to see that several good field-ornithologists are

speaking up for the Sparrow-Hawk. My own experience |

quite agrees with what Dr. Penrose, and Messrs. Heatley
Noble and Meade-Waldo say, in recent numbers of British
Birds, about this dashing little raptorial.

I believe that, as far as Partridges and wild Pheasants
go, the Sparrow-Hawk need not be taken into account by
the sportsman or the gamekeeper.

Tradition and prejudice die hard, but if those who have
the opportunity will watch a breeding pair of Sparrow-
Hawks, and will note what is brought to the young brood,
they will find that the charge of destroying game is rarely
supported by evidence. Some ten years ago, before I gave
up hawking, a young friend learning land agency work in
the neighbourhood, wanted some young Sparrow-Hawks
to train and my falconer was instructed to help him. Three
nests were located and kept under observation, my man
constantly visiting each nest to see how the young progressed,
and in order that he might by degrees single out the most
promising female of each brood, so that by getting all the
food she might become specially vigorous and well developed.

During the three weeks or thereabouts that the young were
being watched, not a single game-bird’s remains were found
about any of these three nests, though there was a rearing-
field within less than a mile of each of them, and the district
is preserved and it is good Partridge land. The food brought
to the three broods consisted mainly of young Blackbirds
and Thrushes, the former largely predominating, with a
few Finches.

Of course, as your correspondents remark, if an individual
Sparrow-Hawk (or Kestrel) finds the artificial conditions
of a rearing-field too tempting, that particular bird show
be “removed,” and the sooner the better!

W. H.. Sr. Gurmene

COLOURING OF SOFT PARTS OF
SLAVONIAN GREBE.

A SLAVONIAN Grebe (Colymbus auritus) was shot on Lake
Windermere on December 19th, 1914. I received the bird
later the same day. It was a male in winter plumage.

It may be of interest to note that the beak, while
corresponding in other respects with the Duchess of Bedford’s
description (British Birds, T1I., p. 268), had the base

—————

ia

VOL. VIII. | ' NOTES. 221

distinctly suffused with pink, a dark patch at the angle of
the lower mandible, and was black at the base of the upper
mandible. The iris was reddish-orange, a narrow white
line encircling the pupil; the eyelid and the naked patch
of skin extending from the eye to the mouth were pink.
The outside of the leg and the under-surface of the toes
were black; the inside of the leg and the two inside toes
(upper-surface) pale bluish-grey, the outside toe and the
hind toe very dark bluish-grey.

It was very fat and weighed just one pound. (Mr. Abel
Chapman, in his Bird-Life of the Borders, gives the weights
of a series of Slavonian Grebes as ranging from 11% ozs.
to 131 ozs.). The stomach contained a mass of shredded
water-weed and a few feathers. D. G. GARNETT.

[Mr. Garnett has kindly sent this bird for examination,
and it. appears to me to be a young one which has nearly
completed the moult into first winter-plumage. In a female
example (apparently an adult) sent to me by the Duchess
of Bedford in November, 1913, the bill is described as
“ flesh-coloured at base, centre slaty-blue, tip colourless.”
The colouring of the soft parts of Grebes no doubt varies
according to age and season (and perhaps also individually),
and it is important in recording the colouring to make sure
if possible of the age and sex of the individual in question.
It is possible that the presence or absence of a pink suffusion
at the base of the bill is dependent upon the mode of death
and the position in which the bird lies or is carried immedi-
ately after death.—H.F.W. |

Emer Nestrne iy Woops In Scoritanp.—Miss A. Balfour
remarks (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 263) that at Tyninghame, East
Lothian, many of the Eiders (Somateria m. mollissima)
which formerly bred on the links, having been much harried
by Rooks, are now nesting in the adjacent woods.

Movtr oF THE ScorERS.—In the Auk (1914, pp. 293-308)
Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jun., discusses the moults and sequences
of plumage of the American species of Scoter, Oidemia nigra
americana, O. perspicillata, and O. deglandi, and he thinks it
probable that the moults of our Common and Velvet-Scoters
follow on the same lines. Dr. Dwight brings forward two
points of considerable interest, one being that Scoters have
a spring moult (March-May) confined to the body-feathers.
the other, that in the Common Scoter the first (outermost)
primary of the young bird has its inner web straight while
in the old bird the inner web of this primary is very distinctly

222 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. vIIt.

emarginated. As the young bird does not moult its primaries
until rather more than a year after it is hatched. the shape
of this primary is an infallible distinction during its first
winter and summer. A difference in the shape and size of
the first primary in young and old birds will no doubt be
found to occur in a number of species. It is now well known
that such a difference exists in some of the game-birds,
e.g. the Partridge. Dr. Hartert has pointed out (Vog. pal.
Fauna, I., p. 403) that the first primary in the juvenile
Bearded Tit is much longer than that in the adult, and I
have recently noticed that a similar difference is well marked
in the larks. Unlike the ducks and game-birds, however,
the Bearded Tit and the Larks moult all the juvenile wing-
feathers in the first autumn, and the new first primaries. are
like those of the adults.—H.F.W.

OccastonaL HicH Morratiry In YounG ComMMoN TERNS.
—Messrs. A. R. Galloway and A. L. Thomson give an interest-
ing report (Scot. Nat., 1914, pp. 271-8) on excessive mortality
in the young of Sterna hirundo in a large colony at Forvie,
Aberdeenshire, in the seasons 1910 and 1912. The writers
come to the conclusion that the cause of this periodic high
mortality is starvation and that “it seems certain that the
food of the young is very restricted in kind, and that the
supply is liable to be cut off.” The adults do not seem to
be affected. It is remarked, however, that in 1910 observa-
tions showed that the death-rate varied noticeably with the
nature of the ground at different parts of the colony, and
this fact remains unexplained.

In the “Report of the Blakeney Point Committee ”
(Trans. Norf. and Norwich Nat. Soc., Vol. IX., part V.,
p. 707) it is stated that in 1913 there was great mortality
in the young of the Common Terns in this colony, and it
is said also in this case that the young died of starvation
‘“as a consequence of the late arrival of whitebait.” No
proof, however, of this is afforded in the Report, and we
think that such occurrences of abnormal mortality in birds
are sufficiently important to warrant still further investiga-
tions of a searching nature.

LittLE TERN BREEDING IN East LotTH1an.—Miss A.
Balfour records (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 263) that a pair of Sterna
minuta were constantly flying about one spot on the
shore at Tyninghame, and the editors remark that they had
seen an egg taken from this locality in June, 1908,

alae ea

il

Ce TT
y erie) woe

eae

The Food of Birds. Report for the years 1911-12. By Laura
Florence, M.A., B.Sc. (Transactions of the Highland
and Agric. Soc. of Scotland, 1914.)

WE have already noticed (Vol. VI., p. 262) a first paper
on this subject by Miss Florence, and this second paper is
drawn up on the same lines as the first. It contains details
of the examination of the stomach-contents of no less than
1,390 birds of 81 different species. Of a number of these
species, as might be expected, only a few individuals have
been examined, but the results from the following should
be of value to economists, viz., Blackbird (67 examples),
Greenfinch (78), House-Sparrow (81), Chaffinch (64), Starling
(107), Rook (288), Black-headed Gull (137), Common Gull (78),
Herring-Gull (53). With regard to the Starling and the
Rook, Miss Florence comes to the same conclusion as other
investigators, namely, that when either of these birds grows
too numerous in a district its normal diet changes and it
becomes harmful to agriculturists. With regard to the Gulls,
Miss Florence concludes that while the Black-headed Gull is
undoubtedly beneficial, the Common Gull, and more especially
the Herring-Gull are harmful, at all events in Aberdeenshire
at the present time, and probably this is due to their having
become too numerous. On page 73 we may point to a slip
where ichneumon flies are referred to as diptera. Apart
from their economic value, the details of the stomach-contents
are of very considerable interest to ornithologists on account
of the information given regarding many species the nature
of whose food is seldom properly investigated.—H.F.W.

Some Observations on the Food of Nestling Sparrows. By
Walter E. Collinge, M.Sc. Reprinted from the Journal
of the Board of Agriculture, Vol. XXI., No. 7, October,
1914.

Some further Observations on the Dispersal of Weed Seeds
by Wild Birds. By Walter E. Collinge. Reprinted
from the Journal of Economic Biology, Vol. IX., No. 2,
June, 1914.

Mr. CoLLInee adds to his reputation as a careful student
of the economic status of birds by these two papers. We
have had such convincing proof from time to time of the

224 BRITISH BIRDS. (vou. vit.

destructiveness of the House-Sparrow that no one has had
a good word to say for the bird. Mr. Collinge has, however,
attacked the problem from a new standpoint, and in making
an investigation into the food of the nestling, has found
that, except for a few spiders and earthworms, it consists
entirely of injurious insects. According to Mr. Collinge, the
adults are also feeding upon the same food when they have
young in the nest, so that during this period the House-
Sparrow is of considerable economic importance. Mr.
Collinge writes specially of fruit-growing districts, and he
concludes as a result of his examination of 404 adults and
329 nestlings, that if the House-Sparrow were considerably
reduced in numbers, it would probably do more good than
harm in such districts. Mr. Collinge has certainly shed a
surprising new light upon an old problem.

The second paper deals with a subject which the author
has already touched upon, and he now shows as the result
of preliminary experiments that, at all events in the case of
the Rook, Starling, and House-Sparrow, a number of weed-
seeds eaten are passed through the intestinal canal uninjured,
and thus the bird, which from the mere examination of its
stomach-contents may be shown to be beneficial, is in reality
a disperser of weeds! This is especially so in dry years,
when a much smaller quantity of grit and soil appears to be
swallowed than in wet years, and as a consequence more
of the seeds in the stomach pass through uninjured and
capable of germinating and growing into healthy and normal
plants.

Mr. Collinge’s investigations show how extremely difficult
it is to come to a right conclusion as to the economic status
of a bird, and how dangerous it may be from an economic
point of view to attempt any drastic interference with nature.

H.F.W.

| -Field- Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JoHN WatroLk-BonD, author of ‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth ; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S:, M.8.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates,
drawings and» maps, and. reproductions from PPTs: ; ‘square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

~My Game-Book.

By ALAN R. Haic-Brown, The Author unites.a passionate love of the
chase with a knowledge of Naiure. Many photographs; 250 pages ;
cloth. 5s, net.

eat e :
Camping in Crete.
With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life’ of that Island. By AURYN
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc; with 32 plates and a
niap ; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E..C. Stuarr Baker, F.Z.S.,~M.B.O.U.; with 27 beautiful
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo. ; half bound murocco,
gilt top. £2 10s, net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyp: Horsprucu, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S.; >with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top. ites
&4 14s, net, or unbound parts £4 4s, net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst HArTErT, F. C: R. Jourpain, N. F, TiceHukst, and
H. F.) WITHERBY.
7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s, net.

_A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. Kirke Swann. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages; demy 8vo.; cloth.

The Eh. 10s. net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union, Illustrated with
half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly Parts 4s. each. Annual subscription 15s.
Messrs, Witherby & Co, have been appointed European Agents of The Emu.

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List:
Edited. by H. F. WiTHERBY, F.Z.S.,M.B.O.U., assisted by Rey. F.C, R.
Jourparn, M.A., M,B.O.U., and N. F. TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S.,
M.B.O.U, Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s, net. —

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

Third Revised Edition,

HOW TO

ATTRACT |

PROTECT |

WILD BIRDS.

¥
*

N

=a

= A
i
=
S|
=
a
—
_—
=
—

a ig

a wy)?

A FULL DESCRIPTION OF —
“SUCCESSFUL METHODS. —

WU

WS
NN)

{le b ®
yyy), my

Sus “a

WN
\
SAV
Ss
ENN}
4
ay

is

SSS

WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS.

hs

SS

W i yyy

ow
}

SS

)

\

OOS hE i aie

nN
SN
SS

SSN
AIK

STIFF BOARDS, Is. 60. Net.
(Postage, 3d. extra.)

\\
SS

VANS ayaey ctv Doe
D>)

4
’
t

RENN
Wy sy) pr

A

It is practical guide for all who wish to attract
the birds to their doors and induce them- to
nest in their gardens, whether large or small.

Whi \

LONDON: WITHERBY & CO., —

AND OF ALL BOOKSELLERS. °

IRDS

AN ILUSTEATED* MAGAZINE.

MONTHLY ‘ONE‘SHILLING-NET
S26TTGHHOLBORNICNDON
WITHFRBY & C2

JUST PUBLISHED. cas

dm Catalogue of SECONDHAND BOOKS, including a age ; mm a

Collection of: Works on

ORNITHOLOGY >

and other departments of NATURAL HISTORY. A ‘valuable P
list offered at specially low prices by” ~ %

HENRY SOTHERAN & Co., 140, Strand, London, W.C. :

who will send a copy post free on application.

Libraries Valued for Probate or purchased for Gash.

STEVENS’ AUCTION ROOMS. Estd. 1760. a

SALE OF BIRDS’ EGGS,

THURSDAY, MARCH 11th, 1915.

Mr. J. C. Stevens will offer for Sale by Auction several collections —
of Birds’ Eggs, including those formed by P. W. Munn, Esq., F.Z.S., ete., —

and the late Mr. William H. Smith, of Palewell Park.

Special attention is called to the wonderful series of Plovers’ Eggs,

Scotch taken Eagles and Ospreys, and many beautiful ‘varieties, Several »
Cabinets will be offered.

Catalogues on application, -38, King Street, Covent Garden: ;

att vat
FOR SALE.

LORD LILFORD.—Coloured Figures of hee

First Edition. Birds of the British ae ‘

Complete in 36 Parts, as Published.
Perfect condition.

A choice copy (Capt. F. H. Salvin’s copy)
What Offers? |

Address “0,” “ British Birds” Office, 326, High Holborn, WC.

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

WMaturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for EntomolNey, Birds’ Fags
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History. — a

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and oKina.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &., PRESERVED and WOUNTR by FIRST-CLASS WORKMEN -
TRUE TO NATUR

All Bast and Publications on Natural History supplied.

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing cis.)

_Catalosue (102 pp.) post rien

LAs OS eis

DRITDBABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

ASSISTED BY
Rev. F. C. R. Jourparn, M.a., M.B.O.U., AND Norman F.
TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ConTENTs OF NumBER 10, Vow. VIII. Marce 1, 1915.

AL
Notes on Migration at Dungeness, Kent, Autumn 1914. By rat
H. G. Alexander bie sa ee 226
Notes on the Habits of the schalniee Potrel. ue Oliver G.
Pike se ‘ie 4 ae a BE tie oe 230
Notes :—
Nuthatch’s Nest in a Haystack (R. Oswald Blyth) “i 239
Great Grey Shrikes in Surrey and Kent (G. K. ae and
S. Kendall Barnes) 240
Breeding-Habits of the Mistle- Thrush (G. Bathurst, Hom) 240
Surf Scoter in Kent (H. G. Alexander) oc a “s 241
Adult Smew in Surrey (M. V. Wenner) ae a 241
On the Method of Progression on Land of a young Red-
throated Diver (Maud D. Haviland) at : 241
Feeding Habit of Red-necked ao (Maud D.
Haviland) .. As ee 243
Glaucous Gulls inland in AP eahits (. ee Paton) ak 243
Damage to Tail-feathers of Pomatorhine Skua (R. M.
Barrington) .. se at ae 5c on au 244
Short Notes :—Black-headed Bunting in Yorkshire—
Correction. Notes on some Passerine Birds found
Migrating in Moult. Great Tits in Shetland.
Blackbird and Song-Thrush Feeding on Daisies.
Black Redstart in Shetland. Spotted Crake in
Shetland Ae BIC ate dic Ae aie 244
Review :—The British Warblers: A History with Problems
of their Lives os 4 re ae ee at 246

4u

( 226 )

NOTES ON MIGRATION AT DUNGENESS, KENT,
AUTUMN 1914.
BY
H. G. ALEXANDER.

I was at Dungeness from October 15th to November Sth,
1914. Apart from a few observations on birds whose
occurrence was sufficiently unusual to deserve special
record, it may be interesting to give a short account
of the chief migratory movements seen during the
three weeks. I was usually observing for an hour
or less before 8 a.m., from about 10.0 to 12.0, and
again from 3.0 to 4.0, or for a short time before sunset.
I was not often more than a mile from Dungeness Point.
It is important to bear in mind that the coast runs a
trifle north of west from Dungeness towards Rye, and
a trifle west of north towards Littlestone.

In general, the immigration of birds took place soon
after dawn and in the late afternoon; but a few
immigrants were liable to appear at any time of day.
Skylarks and Starlings came across the sea in numbers,
and I saw a good many Chaffinches in the first week
and a few Swallows, Greenfinches, Linnets, Meadow-
Pipits and Pied Wagtails from time to time. All were
flying east or north of east, some almost due north.
They arrived on various parts of the coast, but I think
mostly quite near the point. The large flocks seen in
the early morning and less frequently in the late
afternoon showed no signs of fatigue, but I saw
single Finches at various times of day that dropped
on to the shingle the moment they arrived.

The emigration, chiefly of Finches, was far more
striking. Day after day flocks of small birds—Linnets,
Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Redpolls, Wagtails, Pupits,
Swallows and less frequently Skylarks, House- and T'ree-
Sparrows, Bramblings, Siskins and Martins—came flying
over the shingle in the first few hours of daylight. The
strength of the wind seemed to affect their numbers, but
although the wind was often disagreeably strong, I only
once or twice observed no early morning departure. ;

VOL. VIII. | NOTES ON MIGRATION. 227

The direction of the wind affected the direction of
the flight to a remarkable extent. For several days
after my arrival there was a moderate north-east wind
blowing, and every day migrants came over the shingle
from the west or north-west, the majority flying parallel
to the coast and within one or two hundred yards of
it until they reached the point. Then a few, even
when it was windy (chiefly Greenfinches), continued
across the sea, to east and to south-east, whilst many
Linnets and others flew round and round in the air,
finally departing from a fair altitude; others rested
in the bushes, and quite a large proportion turned the
point and continued to fly parallel to the coast, north-
wards. In some cases these flocks, that had been flying
east, merged with flocks that had arrived from the
sea flying west, and the two flew north together !

Later, when the wind changed and for several days
blew from points between south and west, the majority
of departing birds came from the north along the coast
from Littlestone, and a smaller number from between
north and north-west, over the shingle. On windy
days some of these, similarly, turned the poimt and
continued their flight along the coast westward, so
that the flight of the previous few days was exactly
reversed, although the same species were involved.
Those that departed from the point, however, flew
nearly south-east, but more to the south of south-east
than to the east of it.

Apart from the day movements it was evident that
some migration occurred at night. The numbers of the
various Thrushes seen among the bushes fluctuated
daily, and I frequently heard them at night. On
October 17th there were at least twenty-five Ring-
Ouzels, which seems to be a rather remarkable number
for that species.

Small numbers of Great Tits, Robins, Hedge-Sparrows,
Firecrests and Black Redstarts occurred, and _ larger
numbers of Wrens, Goldcrests and Stonechats. It was
not easy to tell where these birds came from: twice

228 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VII.

I saw Goldcrests arrive as if from the east in the early
morning; once I saw a Great Tit fly about half-a-mile
due west at a single flight, and I noticed that the
bushes nearest the east coast most often contained
Wrens and Goldcrests, particularly in the morning. The
Black Redstarts and Firecrests must have come from
the east; so I think all or most of these small bush-
haunting birds may have come from that direction.
Every day there were some Wrens, but the number
was getting smaller by early November; hardly any
Goldcrests or Stonechats were passing after the end of
October; early in the month I have seen both species
in abundance at Dungeness.

It may be worth while to give exact particulars of
the occurrence of Firecrests. On October 15th I saw
one near Lydd, in the company of a Chiffchaff; the
rest were near Dungeness Point:—October 18th, one ;
23rd, one; 25th, one (possibly the same, but I think
not); 28th, one; 29th, one (possibly the same, but
at a different part); November Ist, four (two together,
one with a Goldcrest and one with four Goldcrests) ;
3rd, one (probably one of the two); 4th, one (the same).
Only the two mentioned were with Goldcrests, and
several were on days when I saw no Goldcrest.

On October 28th the wind dropped completely, and
late the same day a period of strong easterly winds,
chiefly south-east, set in. In the few hours of absolute
calm I had the good fortune to hear a Dartford Warbler’s
harsh note from some distance; on any other day I
should have missed it. For some time I could not
get near the bird, but eventually I had excellent views
of it; apparently it wasa female. It moved west at each
flight while I watched it; this was not necessary, as it
was some way from the sea, and it might have moved
various other ways to avoid me. This is the only
evidence with regard to its point of arrival. No Dartford
Warbler has been recorded from Kent since 1891,
according to Dr. N. F. Ticehurst.

VOL. VIII. | NOTES ON MIGRATION. 229

The south-east winds were coincident with the
appearance of several birds which I suspected had come
from the east, in addition to the Firecrests of
November Ist. On October 29th a Great Grey Shrike
appeared, and stayed till the 3lst. On the 30th I saw
a Chiffchaff, the first since the 15th, and on November
Ist another (or the same); if it was the same it had
moved a mile west-north-west. Neither of these was
Ph. c. tristis. November 2nd was a fearfully stormy day,
huge seas being hurled on to the point by the south-east
gale, and in the afternoon a crowd of Gannets was sitting
just off the point, occasionally plunging for fish. In a
very bad light I put a small Warbler out of a bush,
and after wearily following it backwards and forwards
and several times almost losing it I saw it really well.
To all appearances it was a Reed-Warbler, but of course
there is a chance that it was Blyth’s Reed-Warbler.

I have said nothing of the sea-birds, whose movements
off Dungeness are always interesting to watch, but
rather puzzling. In watching them one realises the
absurdity of trying to make a hard and fast division
between migration and other bird-movements. I doubt
if most sea-birds know when they are migrating and
when they are not doing so, although they cover such
a vast area from season to season. Velvet-Scoters were
far more plentiful than I have known them near
Dungeness in other winters. On October 18th and 19th
I saw a Great Northern Diver among the Red-throats
(some of which were still in summer dress) ; on the 29th
a Little Gull flew past the point early in the morning ;
on November Ist and 3rd I saw what must, I think,
have been an immature Hider. On the Ist it flew past
the point with some Scoters, and looked a good deal
larger than they. On the 3rd it came over me, flying
along the coast, and just at the last moment I noticed
the shape of its beak. On October 24th a bird that I
took to be a Lapland Bunting flew past, going due
south, during the early morning departure of migrants.

( 280 )

NOTES ON THE HABITS OF THE FULMAR
PETREL.

BY

OLIVER G. PIKE, F.R.P.s, F.z.s.

THE first time that I became acquainted with the Fulmar
Petrel (Fulmarus g. glacialis) in a wild state was on
a steep cliff on one of the Orkney Islands. ‘There were
less than half-a-dozen pairs there, but on a second visit
three years later they had largely increased, and with

FULMAR PETREL GLIDING.
(Photographed by O. G. Pike.)

a vast flock of other sea-birds flying around it was
not easy to estimate the number. However, the chief
breeding-place of the Fulmar Petrel in the British Islands
is the wild and lonely island of St. Kilda, and the two
fortnights I have spent there have given me fairly good
opportunities of studying this interesting bird. .
On my first visit, there was only one day, during the
fortnight, that I was able to get a boat to take me across

vou. vil.| HABITS OF FULMAR PETREL. 231

the bay to the great cliff on which the Petrels nested,
and I made the most of that day by spending the whole
time amongst the birds. To see this cliff at its best one
should be on the sea. It was one of the steepest cliffs
I had ever seen. It towered high above our small boat
—a great frowning precipice, the lower part for three
hundred feet composed of vast black rocks, washed bare
and polished by the great waves of the winter storms.
The higher portion for about one thousand feet was
covered with grass and flowers. As we sailed slowly
towards this gigantic cliff we noticed that high up on
its grass-covered sides there were thousands of tiny
white dots, like little specks of snow, while floating
in a slow dreamy movement, thousands of the same
white dots were passing and repassing before the face
of the cliff. Hardly a sound was there—just the lap,
lap of the water as our boat pushed its way through,
or the cry of a startled sea-bird as it hurriedly left its
nest. This vast precipice that towered above us was
the home of the Fulmar Petrel that I had for so long
wanted to visit; but now that I had at last reached it,
I began to wonder how it was possible for an ordinary
human being to scale those great slopes with a camera.
But my guide, one of the best of the St. Kildan climbers,
assured me that it was quite easy! However, I had
many doubts, for the landing was a risky job, as we
had to jump from a boat that was rising and falling
with a heavy swell, and endeavour to land on the
slippery rocks. This was safely accomplished, and
the cameras were passed up from the boat on a line
with a running noose, and we began the ascent. About
two hours later we were right amongst the birds, and
the view from above, although not so grand as that
from below, was nevertheless very wonderful. Thousands
of the graceful birds were flying about before me, and
going to or from their nests. The flight is distinct,
and unlike that of any other sea-bird I have seen. The
bird gives three, four, and sometimes five rapid flaps

232 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VII.

of the wings, then floats on for about ten or twenty
yards, then flaps again. Its flight is as noiseless as that
of the Owl, and exceedingly graceful.

It was the second week of July that I visited the
Fulmars, and most of the eggs had hatched, which was

FULMAR PETREL TURNING OR “ BANKING ” AGAINST THE WIND.
(Photographed by O. G. Pike.)

unfortunate so far as photographing the birds was
concerned, for while the Fulmar has an egg in the nest
she is easy to approach—that is if you can traverse the
slippery and difficult cliffs—but as soon as the young
leaves the shell, the motber-bird will fly off long before
you are near enough to expose a plate. This seemed

voL. vi.] HABITS OF FULMAR PETREL. 233

rather strange, for one would have thought that the
bird would have protected her young and left her egg,
but I found it very difficult to get near enough to a bird
to photograph it if it had a young one in the nest: in
fact, I was only able to photograph one such, and that
was on my second visit. The native who accompanied
me told me that the birds are always difficult to snare
while they have young, while if they have eggs it is a
comparatively easy matter. They are captured with
a small horsehair noose at the end of a long bamboo
rod, the noose is slipped over their head, a jerk of the
wrist is given, and the bird is pulled up by the climber
above.

The nest is not a large one; if on the rocks, a few
grasses suffice, while on the grassy parts, just a scratching
in the ground with grasses added as incubation proceeds
forms the home. I made many attempts to photograph
the birds, and climbed about for several hours with no
success. It was heavy work with a camera and bioscope,
a large supply of plates, and many hundred feet of
film. I spotted one bird on a sloping piece of rock
and made great efforts to reach her; each time that she
showed the slightest signs of moving I kept perfectly
still, waited until she settled down, and then again
went forward. By doing this I was able to get to within
twelve feet of her and fixed up my cameras and pro-
ceeded to expose all the film and plates that I desired.
I found it almost impossible to dislodge her, and dis-
covered that she had an egg. Other birds much farther
away, with young, left long before I got into range. There
were a few other birds here with eggs, and two left their
nests in a great hurry owing to the sudden approach
of my companion, and I noticed on both visits to this
cliff that if a bird left its nest suddenly, it carried its
ege with it for several feet. When the bird settles at
her nest she seems to be a long time in settling upon her
egg. She shuffles about the nest until she has one leg
each side of the egg, and then with her beak she will

oD?

FULMAR PETREL TURNING ON ITS EGG.
(Photographed by O. G. Pike.)

FULMAR PETREL SHOWING EGG ALMOST ENCLOSED IN THE
FEATHERS OF THE BREAST,
(Photographed by O. G. Pike.)

s &

FULMAR PETREL ABOUT EIGHT DAYS OLD.
(Photographed by O. G. Pike.)

vot. vil.}] HABITS OF FULMAR PETREL. 237

push it under her feathers, arranging and rearranging
these until the egg is firmly amongst them; she also
turns round and round in the nest until in a perfectly
comfortable position, and not until all this is accom-
plished will she settle down. After she has been sitting
for some time, the egg is so firmly embedded in the thick
feathers, that if she leaves hurriedly she is not able
to dislodge the egg before leaving. On one occasion I
found this out to my cost. I was climbing round a
difficult corner, with my camera on my back, when a
bird above me became startled, left her nest in a great
hurry, and when she had proceeded about a yard the
egg dropped from her feathers and came tumbling down
towards me. As fortune would have it, this happened
to be an addled egg, and it struck a piece of rock a few
inches from my face! I could not move quickly, as
I might have followed the rest of the egg down the cliff
if I had attempted to do so; all I could do was to hold
tight, close my eyes and wait for the result! It was
the very worst egg I ever had anything to do with,
and it will be a long time before I forget the smell
and the contents that were scattered over my face
and clothes !

Only one egg is laid, and the majority of the young
leave their shells about the last week of June. As soon
as they are hatched they have a remarkable method
of defending themselves. When a supposed enemy
approaches them, they open their beaks and shoot at
the intruder a quantity of evil-smelling green oil; the
first charge will carry about a yard, but the second
and third charges fall short of this. One youngster
made a very successful shot at my camera, and succeeded
in placing the best part of one charge right in the centre
of my lens! The old birds are able to shoot a greater
distance than the young, and during the several hours
that I spent with the birds I had a good quantity of
this oil on my clothes, and it was many weeks before
the smell finally left them.

238 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VoL. VIII.

The young Fulmars form the chief food supply of the |

natives of St. Kilda, and it is about the 12th of August
that they commence to collect them. Each family has
a certain piece of cliff allotted to it, and the harvest
of birds from each plot varies rather considerably in
each season. I should like to have stayed on the island
to see the collecting of the birds, but so late in the season
it is rather a risky proceeding to remain, for the weather
might happen to be stormy when the last boat was due
and in that case it would not call, and you would be
stranded until the following May—not a pleasant out-
look with a busy lecture season just approaching! So
I did not risk it. When my boat was due it was so late
that we did not think it would call, especially as a strong
wind was blowing, and I had made arrangements to
leave by a trawler that had put into the bay, but happily
the steamer arrived.

NUTHATCH’S NEST IN A HAYSTACK.

Mr. HowarpD SAUNDERS, in his Manual, records a nest of
the Nuthatch which was placed in the side of a haystack.
The nest measured 13 inches by 8, the weight of clay being
11 pounds. This nest was presented to the British Museum
by the late Mr. F. Bond. I am indebted to Miss Luck, of
Wadhurst, for the following particulars of a nest built in a
similar position at The Olives, Wadhurst, Sussex, in 1914.
This nest had a length of 13 inches; the breadth was

NUTHATCH’S NEST IN A HAYSTACK AT WADHURST, SUSSEX.

7 inches, but this was subsequently increased to 94 inches.
The nest weighed 64} pounds. All the walls of the nest
might be said to be made of clay, but in places the clay
was not very solid. The cavity was lined in the usual way
with scales of bark, and four eggs were laid. Two of these
were taken, but the remaining two hatched out and the
young birds flew in due course.

During and after the construction of the nest, Starlings were
most troublesome in their efforts to obtain possession. They
succeeded in making an excavation behind the thick layer
of plaster. To prevent the Starlings from using this cavity,

240 BRITISH BIRDS. | VOL. VIII.

one of the men on the estate placed a thick stick across
the opening, and this the Nuthatches quickly plastered
firmly in, quite closing the opening made by the Starlings.
The birds were seen carrying the mud from a duck pond
some distance away and also from a cow-yard and rubbish
heap close by. The nest has been preserved.
R. OswaLtp BuiyTu.
[Mr. Bond’s nest was found at East Grinstead (cf., Zool.,
1871, p. 2850), and it is curious that this second record
should be from the same county.—EDs. |

GREAT GREY SHRIKES IN SURREY AND KENT.

Own January 30th, 1915, I shot an adult female Great Grey
Shrike (Lanius e. excubitor) in Surrey, on a bit of moorland
dotted about with trees. It is of the form known as
Pallas’s Grey Shrike with one white bar on the wing.

G. K. Baynss.
On January 26th, while walking within two miles of
Tunbridge Wells, I saw and watched for half-an-hour a
Great Grey Shrike. S. KENDALL BaRNEs.

BREEDING-HABITS OF THE MISTLE-THRUSH.

I HAVE recently come across a most excellent paper on “‘ The
Nesting of a Pair of Mistle-Thrushes,” by N. M. Richardson
(Proc. Dorset Nat. Hist. and Ant. Field Club, X XIII., pp. 67-
86). As this is somewhat inaccessible to many ornithologists
I give a résumé of it. The nest was started on March 8th,
1901, and finished on March 11th; the eggs were laid on
March 17th, 18th, and 19th, and the hen commenced to
sit on March 20th. The young hatched on April 3rd (fourteen
days), and the old birds swallowed the pieces of eggshell.
The cock did practically all the feeding and the hen all the
sitting ; they both cleaned the nest (but usually the cock),
swallowing the feces until the last day or two, when they
carried them away. The first two young flew on April 18th,
and the third the next day. The hen regularly left the nest
at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for 15 or 20 minutes.

There are detailed lists of the times of feeding and the
food brought ; these show that the average intervals between
the feedings decreased irregularly from 18? and 19 minutes
on the first two days to 73 and 54 minutes on the last two.
The longest interval was 33 minutes, and the shortest one
minute. G. BatHurst Hony.

[Careful observations such as those given above are
always valuable even where facts may be regarded as

-

VOL. vitt.| NOTES. 241

established. In the incubation-period there is nearly always
some variation. Thus Mr. 8. E. Brock gives the incubation
period as 13-14 days and the fledging-period as 13-14 days
(Zool., 1910, p. 117). An egg hatched out in an incubator
on the 15th day (W. Evans). Naumann’s statement that
incubation lasts 16-17 days is evidently too high an estimate.
He states that the male relieves the female on the nest
during the mid-day hours, and further observations in this
particular are desirable.—F.C.R.J.]

SURF-SCOTER IN KENT.

On January 12th, 1914, I obtained an excellent view of a
Surf-Scoter (Oidemia perspicillata) on a pool near the sea
not far from Lydd, in Romney Marsh. During the previous
days a number of Scoters of both the commoner species
(O. nigra and O. fusca) had come ashore, hardly able to fly,
with their feathers full of oil and tar. On every pool near
the sea, and in various parts of the sand and shingle, stranded
Scoters were at the mercy of the local gunners, and I saw
numbers that had been shot. The Surf-Scoter was beyond
the region of the shooting, and was in company with Common
and Velvet. I first saw it sitting on a bank with its head
tucked away under its scapulars, the white patch on the back
of the neck showing at some distance. It did not move till
several birds on the water shuffled away, and I got within
fifty yards before it walked down into the pool and scuttled
across the water. Consequently I could see all the markings
near the beak very distinctly, and its red legs were remark-
ably conspicuous as it splashed along the water. The oval
patch of white on the back of the neck gave the bird a very
absurd appearance, or so it seemed to me.

H. G.: ALEXANDER.

ADULT SMEW IN SURREY.

Amongst a lot of Pochard and Tufted Ducks on Frensham
Great Pond, on January 10th, 1915, I noted a beautiful
male Smew (Mergus albellus) in adult plumage, diving
incessantly. M. V. WENNER.

ON THE METHOD OF PROGRESSION ON LAND OF
A YOUNG RED-THROATED DIVER.

In August, 1914, when at Golchika on the River Yenesei,

Siberia, I was given a young Red-throated Diver (Gavia

stellata) in down. Requiring a photograph of the bird in

U

242 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

the water, I took it down to a marsh near the river bank,
and put it into a small shallow pool. Instead of diving, as
my experience of the adult bird had led me to expect that
it would do, it promptly turned ashore, landed, and set off
across the mud at a pace that gave me some trouble to catch
it, encumbered as I was with a camera and wading-boots.
The bird did not move in an upright position as a dabchick
does on shore, but propelled itself along on its breast by rapid
jerks with its legs, assisted in a lesser degree by the wings.
Each time that it was placed in the water it crawled ashore
at once, and when, to test its powers of movement, I followed
without touching it, it crossed a strip of mud thirty feet
wide without difficulty. Mr. A. Trevor-Battye, writing of the
young of this species, says: “‘A bird in down was brought
me by a Samoyede, who declared that it ran out on to the
ground when pressed. If it had not been told me by a man
whose word I had the strongest reason to trust, I should not
have quoted the statement.” (Jcebound on Kolguev, p. 440.)
That the young of a species should possess activities not
known in the adult is not surprising, as, for instance, the
fledglings of Stints if pressed can take to the water and swim
like Phalaropes; but I spent some time in watching the
Red-throated Diver, which was common in the district, and
was quite at a loss to see how the young, before they were
able to fly, reached the river, which in some cases was a
considerable distance from the pools where they were hatched.
I wondered whether the activity of the chicks out of water
was not due merely to accident, but was of positive use
to them. Towards the end of August, a flapper only half-
feathered appeared in theriver. It certainly was not hatched
on the bank, for I had patrolled every inch of it for two or
three versts round, but I am pretty sure that it was the
nest-fellow of the bird mentioned above. Both were hatched
out on a marshy pool about half-a-mile from the river bank,
and I visited the remaining youngster several times, until
about ten days later it disappeared. The pool was com-
pletely isolated, and although the ground was marshy all
the way and intersected with pools, it would have been
necessary, in order to reach the river, to cross considerable
stretches of sphagnum. The alternative is to suppose that
the old bird carried the young—a feat of which I do not
think this Diver would be capable, having regard to its
structural peculiarities. Maup D. Havimanp.

[Many adult birds will depart from their normal habits
when pressed ; thus adult Waders have frequently been seen

a I.

te

VOL. VIII] NOTES. 243

to swim, and we have heard of an adult Great Northern
Diver progressing in much the same way as that described
above. One of us has seen adult Guillemots progressing
in much the same way when left by a falling tide in narrow
creeks in a saltmarsh.—EDs. |

FEEDING HABIT OF RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.
Some photographs of mine of the Red-necked Phalarope
(Phalaropus lobatus) appeared in the June issue of Britis
Birps (Vol. VIII., pp. 9-12). As an appendix to the notes
that accompanied them, I venture to record the following :—

Last summer I spent some time in watching some of this
Species, which were feeding in small parties in the shallow
pools in a large marsh by the River Yenesei, Siberia. My
attention was called to a curious custom of two of the birds,
which, remaining stationary, would suddenly begin to pivot
rapidly round and round on their own axis. After half-a-
dozen turns they stopped, and snapped up floating particles
from the surface of the water. Twice subsequently I saw
single birds behave in the same way. It occurred to me
that a possible explanation might be that the bottom was
just beyond the reach of the birds, and that by creating
a circular eddy with their bodies, the mud might be swirled
to the top of the water, in the same way that tea-leaves can
be drawn to the surface of a cup by stirring it with a spoon.
Of course, Ducks can often be seen turning round and round
when feeding with the head submerged, but this is incidental
only to their position, and is not analogous to the action
of the Phalaropes, which was performed when the birds
were resting on the water. Mavup D. HAVILAND.

[The above is an interesting confirmation of a habit noted
by Dr. P. H. Bahr in Scotland some years ago, and recorded
in our first volume, pages 204-5.—Eps. |

GLAUCOUS GULLS INLAND IN AYRSHIRE.
ALTHOUGH the appearances of Glaucous Gulls (Larus glaucus)
are fairly regular on our coasts, it may be of interest to
note that on January 4th, 1915, I saw a white Gull together
with four Herring-Gulls at the Kilmarnock waterworks.
This bird, which proved to be a Glaucous Gull reaching the
mature stage, was not obtained until February 4th, having
remained about for a month. On February 5th another
was noticed near on the ploughed land, and still remains
as I write. The lochs are situated about fourteen miles
from the sea. The weather during January was not
unusually stormy. K. RicHMoND PATON.

244 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIL.
DAMAGE TO TAIL-FEATHERS OF POMATORHINE
SKUA.

On October 22nd, 1912, an adult male Pomatorhine Skua
(Stercorarius pomarinus) was shot by the Light-keeper and
forwarded to me in the flesh from Mutton Island, Galway.

The ends of the two long tail-feathers were broken off
about an inch shorter than the others. This defect I
attributed to the Light-keeper’s anxiety to make the bird
“look tidy ’’—for the quills had not the appearance of
being shot away.

In reply to a letter the Light-keeper wrote that he had
not broken them off. Mentioning the subject to a well-known
taxidermist, he said that in two or three instances he had
received Skuas injured in the same way, and that he had
heard this injury attributed to the Great Skua, which, while
chasing the Pomatorhine, nipped off the long ends of the
tail-feathers.

This explanation is a remarkable one, which without
corroboration I hesitate to accept.

Since writing the above I remembered another adult Poma-
torhine Skua shot November Ist, 1908, on Tory Island, co.
Donegal, whose two central tail-feathers were similarly broken.
Can the vertical twisting weaken the shafts so much that
winter gales break the ends off? Both specimens are in
my collection. RicHaRD M. BARRINGTON.

[There is evidence that the Pomatorhine Skua will snip
off the ends of the tail-feathers of its companions and also
the tips of the tail-feathers of Buffon’s Skua. Mr. A. Roberts
observed several at Scarborough in October, 1879, pursuing
the Buffon’s Skuas and snipping off their elongated tail-
feathers, as well as acting in a similar way to their own
species (B. of Yorks., II., p. 701). Mr. T. H. Nelson also
notes that this defect was noticeable in several specimens
examined by him (loc. cit.).—F.C.R.J.]

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING IN YoORKSHIRE—Correction.—
In our July issue (antea, p. 55) we referred to a Black-
headed Bunting (Emberiza melanocephala) which was exhibited
at a meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club by Mr. A. F.
Griffith, who stated that the bird had been presented to the
Booth Museum at Brighton and that it was said to have
been caught near Halifax, Yorkshire, in December, 1910,
and subsequently kept in an aviary at Hove by Major
Johnson until its death in 1912. Since the publication
of the record in the Club’s Bulletin, the editors of the
Naturalist have been inquiring into its authenticity and

{

VOL, vitr.] ~~ NOTES. ai =a 245

have drawn the admission from the Halifax dealer who
supplied the bird that his information regarding “ localities ”
is, at all events sometimes, made for business purposes (cf.,
Naturalist, 1915, pp. 3-5 and 60). The record must therefore
be cancelled, and ornithologists will be duly thankful to
the editors of the Naturalist for disposing of a bad record.
The editors’ conclusion (p. 60) that having proved this one
record wrong therefore other recent “‘ new records”? from
other sources should be deleted can scarcely be deemed
judicial, to say the least.

NoTES ON SOME PASSERINE BIRDS FOUND MIGRATING IN
Movuur.—Under this title Miss L. J. Rintoul and Miss E. V.
Baxter contribute an article of considerable interest to the
Scottish Naturalist (1914, pp. 245-252). The authors have
examined a large number of specimens taken at lighthouses
and isolated islands on migration, and have found that a
good many examples of various species show signs of moult
in the body-plumage, while in rare cases some tail- or wing-
feathers were partly in quill. From the details given it
would seem that at all events the majority of these birds
were not commencing a moult, but had not quite completed
it, before they migrated.

GREAT Tits IN SHETLAND.—Mr. J. 8. Tulloch notes (Scot.
Nat., 1914, p. 287) that two Great Tits were procured in
Lerwick at the end of October, 1914. The Great Tit is only
an occasional visitor to the Shetlands, and it is possible
that these were of the Continental form.

BLACKBIRD AND SonG-TuHRusH FEEDING on DalIsIEs.—
Mr. W. Evans writes (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 289) that he has
watched a Blackbird on several days greedily devouring
daisies, and Mr. J. K. Nash states in the same number (p. 290)
that he has seen a Song-Thrush in two different seasons
(1913 and 1914) feeding a fully-fledged young one with
daisies. In both cases only the flower-heads were eaten,
the full length of stalk being left standing in the ground.

Buack REDSTART IN SHETLAND.—Mr. J. S. Tulloch records
(Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 287) that an immature male Phenicurus
0. gibraltariensis obtained in Bressay was given to him on
October 30th, 1914.

SPoTTeED CRAKE IN SuHeETLAND.—Mr. A. J. Nicholson
reports (Scot. Nat., 1914, p. 288) that an example of Porzana
porzana (which the Editors state has only occurred on three
previous occasions in Shetland) was shot at Fetlar on
October 19th, 1914.

ePIVIEWSE

The British Warblers: A History with Problems of their
Lives. By E. Eliot Howard, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. Parts
VII., VIII., IX. Coloured and Photogravure Plates.
(R. H. Porter.) 21s. net per Part.*

Mr. Howarp’s work, commenced eight years ago, is now
completed with the publication of the ninth part, except
for two coloured plates which are to be sent separately to
subscribers as soon as they are ready. The great value
of the work as a whole lies in the fact that it represents
the results of a wonderful series of persistent and close
observations recorded with great care and detail. These
observations are concerned with the breeding habits (or
habits intimately connected with breeding) of the eleven
species of Warblers which are regular summer immigrants
to this country. Of the Dartford Warbler (Part IX.), owing
to lack of opportunity, the author has not much to say.

Mr. H. Grénvold’s beautiful plates, drawn, we believe,
from the author’s careful sketches from life, are an important
feature of the work, in that they represent special attitudes
and actions of the birds assumed chiefly during sexual
emotion. Mr. Howard’s theories and explanations connected
with the habits he has so carefully noted, although extremely
interesting, must be reckoned, we think, of secondary
importance as compared with the observations themselves.
Had the author stopped here and not loaded the work with
descriptions and plates of fourteen other species which have
visited this country at irregular intervals he would have
been well advised. The details given of these species are so
scanty that the work fails entirely as a monograph of the
British Warblers, if that was the intention, and it seems
rather hard that the student of avian biology, to whom
the work must be of extreme value, should have to pay
for so much that is of little use to him.

*For previous notices of this work see Vol. II., pp. 67-8; Vol, III.
pp. 62-4; Vol. IV., pp. 62-4, 320; Vol. VI., pp. 31-2.

P

f

VOL. VIL] REVIEW. 247

Of the parts under review, the first contains an account
of the Marsh-Warbler, in the course of which interesting
comparisons are made between the habits of this bird and
that of its near ally the Reed-Warbler. Although the two
birds are so much alike in form and colour, Mr. Howard
finds that their habits, and especially their emotional

behaviour, are easily differentiated though they have

rudiments in common. He also gives an interesting account
of the vocal powers of the Marsh-Warbler and its extraordinary
imitative faculty, in which it probably surpasses all other
British species. The construction of the nest and _ its
variability is discussed at length, and finally reasons are
given for suggesting that the evolutionary development
of the Marsh-Warbler is of more recent occurrence than that
of the Reed-Warbler, and that it has not yet completely
adapted itself to its environment.

Part VIII. treats of the Garden- Warbler, whose behaviour
is very similar to that of the Blackcap, but here again there
are points of difference, though these are not so marked as
in the cases of the Reed- and Marsh-Warblers or Willow-
Warbler and Chiffchaff. It is curious to note that the male
betrays more antagonism when a male Blackcap enters
his territory than when a male of any other species does
so: indeed this antagonism is nearly equal to that exhibited
when a male of his own species intrudes. The two species
no doubt require similar conditions of existence, and when
they come into touch with each other there is the inevitable
struggle for existence.

The Dartford and Icterine Warblers are briefly described
in Part [X., but the bulk of the part is devoted to a summary
of the chief observations made in the course of the whole
work. Here we find that in the species dealt with, the males
arrive before the females, that they take up a breeding
“ territory,” an idea which leads to a discussion as to
whether the struggles which ensue have as a primary cause
the possession of a female or the possession of a “‘ territory.”
With the advent of a female in the “ territory,” a period of
sexual activity producing striking emotional behaviour
commences, and the variations and meaning of these are
discussed at some length. The construction of the nest

248 BRITISH BIRDS. ~ [von. vin.

and its trueness to type, the share of the sexes in the care
of the young, the methods adopted for the feeding of the
young and the sanitation of the nest are other subjects
reviewed. Finally we have an interesting discussion on
vocal powers—whether song is a matter of tradition or
congenital endowment, and the meaning of imitative powers
and variations in different districts.

It should be mentioned that an excellent index to the
whole work also appears in this final part. It only remains
for us to congratulate Mr. Howard on bringing to a
successful conclusion a work which will always bear
testimony to the great powers of observation, persistent
effort and originality of its author. H.F.W.

ie The Emu.

: Field Studies of Sane: Rae British Birds.

By Joun Watrors-Bonp, author of ‘Bird Life in. Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

: : The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurwry, F.Z,S., M.b,O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates,
drawings, and maps, and’. reproductions © from een ee 3 square
demy 8vo, ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages, 7s. Gd. net.

: My -Game-Book.

By ALAN R, Haic-Brown. The Author unites a passionate love of the
chase with a knowledge of Naturé. Many photographs ; 3 250 pages ;
cloth. ae net.

Camping in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By AUBYN
.TREVOR-BaTrys, M.A, F.L.S,, F.Z.S,, ete. ; with 32 plates anda
‘map ;. 320 pages ; cloth; demy 8v0.. | 10s. Gd. net.»

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. °C, Stuart Baker, F.Z:S.,.M.B:O.U:;> with 27 beautiful
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo.; half. bound morocco,
gilt top. ; £2 10s. net,

Game-Birds and Water-Fow! of South Africa.

By Major Bop HorsBRuUGH, M.B.0O.U., F.Z.S.; with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.
&4 14s. net, or unbound parts 64 4s, net:

A Haad- List. of British Birds.

By ERNst HArTERT, F.C. R. Jourpain, N. F, TicEHuURST, and
H. F. WITHERBY.
7s. Gd. net. Copies. interleaved with ruled paper 10s. net.

A DICTIONARY OP hv

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. Kirke SwANN. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather: Lore; Legends, etc. About 300 pages ; demy! 8vo.': cloth.
1 Qs. net,

Journal of the Royal: Australasian Oinitholouises Union, Illustrated with
half-tone and coloured plates,

Quarterly Parts 4s, each.” Annual ailbeeription 15s.
Messrs, Witherby & Co. have been appointed European Agents of The Emu,

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
Edited by H, F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.Q.U:, assisted by Rey. F.C. R.
JourDaINn, M.A., M.B,O.U., and N. F; TICEHURST, M.A:, F.R.C.S.,
M.B.0O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s. net,

—

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN,

. To Naturalists ‘Miscciisa and. Collaciors:

The Coburn Collection of British Birds ye

EDWARD STONE, HOOPER & PICKARD ON
have received instructions from the Heenueiis ‘of the late Mr. F. - ue
Coburn to Sell by Auction, without Reserve, at the

GRAND HOTEL, Colmore Row, BIRMINGHAM, Poe
| on April 14th, 15th and 16th,
at ELEVEN o’clock each day, the very

VALUABLE COLLECTION

of upwards of 5,500.

STUFFED BRITISH BIRDS -

Mounted in cases and on stands, including Buffle-headed Duck,
Scaup and Nestlings, Cassin’s Snow Geese, Canvas-back Ducks with
Young, American. Wigeon and Young, American Goshawks, Spotted
Sandpiper, Prairie Grouse, Iceland Falcon, Barrow’s Golden-eye Duck,
Harlequin Duck, Black-throated Diver, Bearded ‘Tit, Greater and
Lesser Yellow Shanks, Black and Velvet-Scoters, Red-neck Phalarope,
Emperor and King Penguins,. Iceland Wren and Redwing, Glossy Ibis,
Great Snipe, Heron, Common Gull, Great Northern. Diver, Reed-
Warbler, Sedge- Warbler, Tawny Owls, Barn - Owls, Ring-Plover,
Piffin, Guillemots, Razorbill, Black-headed Gull, Bartram Sandpiper,
Black-throated Pipit, Long- eared Owl and Yellow Bunting ; also Cases
of Specimen Fish, together ees a Valuable Collection of Natural
History Books.

NoTrre.—The ‘Auctioneers have plezstne in calling affention 40508
this unique-Sale, as the Collection has» been formed regardless of
cost by Mr. Coburn, whose reputation as a Naturalist and Connoisseur
is so widely known.

The Cases of Birds are elaborately mounted, and large sums “have ‘
been paid for many of the Groups.

On View-Tuesday, April 13th, from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.

Catalogues may be obtained from Messrs. THomas GuEst &
' Prarson, Solicitors, 29, Temple Row; or the AUCTIONEERS, 35,
Temple Street, both of Birmingham. Telephone: Central 1054.

BIRDS |

ANTLUSTRAIED’ MAGAZINE

DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS ON.
S,. THEBRTSHUST

Vol. VIII.
No. 11.

1915.

Oe Psi! ay
ray se a i.
we aeons he FAY 124 b} Patty
\ ‘6. eke

.
Pa
fe8

MONTHLY ‘ONE-SHILLING-NET
S26HIGIHOLDORNIONDON
WITHERBY & C?

In Four Volumes. 4to. (124in. by 10in.) with Gilt Top, £6 6s. Od. net. |

Vol. 1 NOW READY, with 20 Plates showing 143 Figures, —
Vol. LI will be issued in the Autumn, and it is hoped that Vols. 1
and IV will be published next year.

Orders will only be accepted for the set of Four
Volumes, but they may be paid for as delivered.

BRITISH BIRDS

Written AND ILLUSTRATED BY
ARCHIBALD THORBURN, F.Z.S.
With 80 Plates in Colour, showing over 400 Species.

“Tt will be a thing of beauty and a joy for ever to its fortunate.

possessors.. —MORNING POST.
PROSPECTUS. SENT ON APPLICATION.

This work will contain Pictures in Colour of every British Species (over
400 in number), and in some cases both male and female are figured.
These pictures are in every case reproduced from Water-colour Drawings
by Mr, Archibald Thorburn, who has for many years been recognised
as the greatest living painter of mammals and birds. The work is
wholly produced in Great Britain.

LONGMANS, Green al C0., 39, Paternoster Row, LONDON, E.C.

JUST PUBLISHED.

A Catalogue of SECONDHAND BOOKS, including a large
Collection of Works on

ORNITHOLOGY,

BOTANY, and_ other departments of ‘NATURAL HISTORY,

offered at specially low prices by

HENRY SOTHERAN & Co., 140, Strand, London, W.C.

who will send a copy post free on application.

Libraries Valued for Probate or Purchased for Cash.

WATKINS & DONGASTER.

WMaturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs

and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.
Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, pila rey &c., PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST- CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATURE.

All Books and Publications on Natural History ean

86, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Gepuloeue (102 pp-) post free.

noes se ‘ -
SE ag = Pe aT

Salk rig = a

Be i tas or

Se ae

RBs CRS Sole Se eae i
Site. RPE a a ae

DBRUTDABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.

ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JoOURDAIN, M.A., M.B.O.U., AND Norman F.

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

CoNTENTS OF NUMBER 11, Von. VIII. Aprit 1, 1915.

PAGE
The Blakeney Point Ternery. By Wm. Rowan.. be 6 1"
Notes :—
Aquatic Warblers in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. So PAU
Dusky Thrushes in Sussex (H. W. Ford-Lindsay) .. en ZO
Black Redstart in Hampshire (Miss E. M. Imrie) .. Sone Lo7/
Black-throated Diver in Monmouthshire (R. C. Banks) Sts 268:
Feeding-Habit of Red-necked Phalarope (J. Wiglesworth) .. 268
“ Woodcock eating Corn.’”? Correction. (J. H. Owen) “2 & e268
Little Gull caught and ringed in Lincolnshire (J. 8. Allison) .. 269
Glaucous Gull in London (Clifford Borrer) .. Ae aa 269
Damage to Tail-feathers of Pomatorhine Skuas (R. M.
Barrington) af a5 ae ae ae ee 269
Moorhen using Nest of Sparrow-Hawk (W. J. Andrews) of 270
Short Notes :—Introduction of Bearded Tits in Yorkshire.
Chiffchaffs and Land-Rails in Winter in the British
Isles. Siberian Chiffchaff in Shetland. Aquatic
Warbler at Fair Isle. Icterine Warbler in co. Wexford.
Breeding-habits of Merlin. Green Sandpiper in
Stirlingshire. Unusual number of Little Auks in
Scotland .. ve a4 aed Be ae 55) AU

Reviews :—Report on the Immigration of Summer-residents in
the Spring of 1913. A Summer on the Yenesei (1914) 273

Letter :—Migrants flying north in Autumn at Dungeness (F. W.
Headley) .. ate ae Pye ns a Boake

VW

( 250 )

THE BLAKENEY POINT 'TERNERY. *

BY
WM. ROWAN.

BLAKENEY Pornt, Norfolk, a shingle-spit now owned by
the National Trust, is familiar in name, at all events,
to the readers of British Brirps, for it has of recent
years been the scene of much botanical and zoological
activity and has figured prominently in many of our
daily papers. Not only is it famous as a resting-place
for rare migratory birds and holds many unique records,
but in the summer it is the home of a fine colony
of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo). This colony has
now been under my observation for several years and it
forms one of the most interesting features of the Point.

Of the history of the colony I can find out little. It
is generally believed to be very old. Till 1901, when
Mr. R. Pinchin was engaged as bird-watcher, the colony
was unprotected and the eggs were systematically
taken. The birds were also freely shot, mostly for
sport or for mounting, though Mr. H. N. Pashley, of
Cley, tells me that he remembers an old wild-fowler,
who died some twenty years ago at the age of ninety,
recalling how he used to shoot the “ Dip-ears”’ when
a boy and eat them on the “smack.”

In 1901 the estimate of the colony was 140 nests.
Since then the numbers have increased more or less
regularly. During the last season (1914) there were
about 600, probably the largest number on record. But
this was an exceptionally good year for all birds. The
Oyster-Catchers which have nested there since 1906
also did better than in any previous season.

A short description of the Point is necessary here to
give an idea of the area in which the colony is situated.

* Blakeney Point Publication No. 13. The first of the series to
appear in British Birds.

For a more detailed description see the first part of the seventh
of the Blakeney Point series of publications—‘‘ Topography and

Vegetation of Blakeney Point, Norfolk,’ by Prof. F. W. Oliver
and Dr. E. J. Salisbury.

voL. vi.] BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 251

The shingle-spit leaves the shore near Weybourne, on
the north coast of Norfolk. From here it continues for
nearly eight miles, diverging very gradually from the
shore-line to end in a complicated hook bent landwards.
This is one and a half miles from the opposite shore.
On the accompanying cut (Fig. 1) the shingle is marked
in solid black. The dunes are marked with perpendicular

: ry Fant

(sx

SSS

BLAKENEY CHANNEL

Fig.1. THE HEAD-LAND, BLAKENEY POINT.
Area occupied by Common Tern . Great Sandy Low.
Settlement in July, 1914. Gia dieeaen
. Isolated Clutch of Eggs. : Se
. Long Hills.

Tern Dunes.
. Dunes. (Beacon Hillis.) Dunes. (Long Hills.)

Yan p>
POR Be

lines and the marshes with slanting lines. The area
enclosed in dots indicates the ground occupied by the
Common Tern in the summer of 1914.

From Cley onwards the shingle-bank is practically
straight. At the termination it bends landwards and
faces nearly due N.W. for a distance of over half-a-mile.
Then it bends right back and is parallel with its original
direction, finally ending in two small hooks again bent

252 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. vIn.

inwards. Just before these are reached a narrow shingle
bank branches off N.E. to join the main bank. A con-
siderable area (over 100 acres) is thus enclosed by shingle.
This is occupied by dunes in various stages of develop-
ment, collectively known as the Beacon Hills. Adjoining
the dunes, and only separated from them by the shingle
bank before mentioned, is a large Pelvetia* marsh, on the
other side of which is another range of dunes called the
Long Hills. These are considerably lower and older
than the Beacon Hills, but are also enclosed by shingle.
Beyond them lie two extensive mud-flats, divided by
a shingle bank, and beyond these again,- very nearly
surrounded by shingle, and abutting on the main bank,
are the Hood Dunes, the oldest of all the dunes and of
the least interest as regards bird-life.

The Blakeney Point Ternery, as Mr. J. H. Gurney
suggests,f is more correctly termed a settlement than a
colony, for it has been there probably since the formation
of the shingle-spit. But the ground on which the nests
occur is never quite the same in any two successive
years. At one time the birds used to nest in numbers
on the south-east side of the Long Hills (Fig. 1, K),
but since the advent of telephone poles and wires right
along that strip not a Tern has laid there, with a single
exception in 1914 (Fig. 1, B). This, incidentally, is the
only Tern’s nest I have ever seen at Blakeney or elsewhere
that was completely isolated from others of its kind. It
was fully an eighth of a mile from its nearest neighbours,
and was separated from them by a high range of dunes.

In 1911 the Common Tern settlement was fairly
scattered over the headland. In 1912 the area occupied
was almost identical with that of 1914 (Fig. 1, A), except
that it did not stretch so far to the east and west of the
Tern Dunes. The embryo dunes designated by this

* This marsh derives its name from the abundance of the brown alga _
P. canaliculata belonging to the Fucacee. It is an unattached form,
peculiar to Blakeney Point.

+ Ornithological Report for Norfolk (1912); Zoologist, 1913, p. 172.

vou. vin.} BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 253

term derive their name from the fact that they are
usually the headquarters of the Terns. During that
summer (1912) the nests were very crowded here. The
birds also laid in the dunes to the east and west of
Great Sandy Low (Fig. 1, E). In 1913 the clutches were
evenly scattered along the shingle front. Except on the
little island of embryo dunes, constituting the western
half of the Tern Dunes, no eggs at all were found in the
sand-hills. There was also a small colony in a “low” in
the Long Hills. In 1914 this spot was again deserted and.
the settlement was as indicated on the map (Fig. 1, A).
There was also the single clutch, B. Once more the birds
had taken freely to the dunes. It seems that the only
area which this bird invariably patronizes is the Tern
Dunes, with the surrounding shingle. .

Two seasons prior to these are of interest. In 1898
the birds were so molested by Rooks and rats that they
left the Point in a body and went to the Stiffkey side of
the channel and nested on the turf. Mr. Pashley has a
nest still in his possession, taken with the sod that year.

In 1911 rats again harassed the Terns, but they stayed
on the ground, though the rats also remained throughout
the season.*

It is unnecessary to describe all the habits and behaviour
of the birds during the nesting-season. They behave in
a perfectly normal manner. There are, however, several
traits of the Common Tern which I have seen particularly
well illustrated at Blakeney. There is more often than
not a wind in some direction or another on the exposed
front, and if one hides for a few minutes on the crest
of a commanding sand-hill, whence one can see perhaps
a hundred or more nests, and watches the return of the
birds, it is remarkable to see how they all drop to their
eggs facing the wind, and instinctively settle down in
that direction. Amongst them may be a Ringed Plover
also incubating. If so, she is usually out of line with
the Terns, for she is not so fastidious. The accompanying

* See British Birds, Vol. VI., p. 162.

254 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

photographs (Figs. 2—7) demonstrate rather well the
inclination always to face windward. All six photographs
were taken on the same morning, with a steady south-
west breeze blowing. For each exposure the bird was
scared off the nest, and snapped on her return. The
direction is practically constant. The camera was on
the same spot throughout.

Though I have never seen the Common Terns at
Blakeney actually hurt a human intruder, they invariably
intimate their feelings by diving at his head uttering
their characteristic angry pirre. Half the colony usually
rallies round and assists in the uproar. They do not
hesitate to inflict injuries on smaller visitors. I have
seen a rabbit set on by a cloud of birds and followed
for a couple of hundred yards, and I have no doubt that
had its burrow been at a greater distance it would never
have survived. I have also watched a Heron being
chivied right over to the mainland, though it merely
met the Terns over their fishing waters. And yet I
have seen the Ringed Plover nesting in perfect peace
in the very centre of the colony.

Last July I slept one night on the top of a tall sand-hill
overlooking the Tern Dunes. My object was to keep a
watch on a small colony of mice (Mus sylvaticus) 1 had
chanced to locate there the day before. It was a peace- —
ful night, and when I rolled myself up in my blankets
at about 12.30 the birds were very quiet. About an
hour later I heard the death-cry of a young Tern on the
edge of the settlement, probably killed by one of our
few remaining stoats. In an instant the whole Tern
settlement was in the air and concentrating on the spot.
In the fitful light of a clouded moon one could see them,
a dense surging mass, hovering in a great cloud over
the place. Bird after bird darted to the ground and
then rejoined the shrieking throng. Now to the right,
now to the left it swayed, rising, falling, but all the
time sending its lightning bolts to earth. Then it began
to decrease in size as the birds returned whence they

Figs. 2—7. COMMON TERN WALKING ON TO ITS EGGS. CAMERA UNMOVED,
FACING NORTH, SIX FEET FROM BIRD. WIND, S.W.

256 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. VI. —

had come. The hubbub slowly subsided, and in twenty
minutes one could hear nothing but the breakers pounding
on the distant shingle. Never have I witnessed a more
impressive scene.

This incident made me determine to keep a systematic
watch on the colony for a couple of nights. Accordingly
I arranged with two friends who were helping me with
egg-measurements to take spells together. The birds
were usually quiet soon after dark, and as I had frequently
been within earshot up to midnight, I decided to com-
mence the vigil at that hour. We took up the position
I had occupied on the previous night. I reproduce
the notes as made at the time. The first night was
sultry with distant thunder.

A’s watch, 12 to 2a.m.:—Birds uneasy. Calling to each
other. Alarm in centre of colony. Still uneasy. Alarm in
centre of colony again. Screaming, much calling again.

My own watch :—2 a.m. Continual undercurrent of
noise in the colony. All cries are discernible. A few
birds are flying. 2.15. First signs of dawn. No effect
on birds. 2.30. Can see plainly to write. 2.50. Red-
shank called in Gt. Sy. Low. No effect. 3 a.m. Ringed
Plover calling in Low. 3.5. Dead silence for a few
moments. 3.8. Flying becoming general. 3.20. The
colony waking up in earnest. The first Tern attacks us.

B’s watch, 4 to 6 a.m. :—4 a.m. Terns are flying and
making a respectable noise. 4.5. A few Terns go fishing
and fly overhead with fish in their beaks. 4.30. Getting
more noisy. Many flying. 4.45. Comparatively few
Terns flying about. 5.5. Terns persistently attacking.
5.10. Large number of Terns fishing just beyond outer-
most sand-bank. 5.15. Many more birds flying seawards.
5.30. Terns more quiet.

On the second occasion we picked a quiet night. This
time there was practically no sound till dawn, when the
birds got noisy simultaneously and never quieted down
again. It was curious to see the persistent way in which
the birds attacked us as soon as it was light enough to

VOL. VIII. } BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 257

see. Though we were practically without movement of
any kind, they found us without fail on each occasion.
The Common Tern usually arrives at Blakeney in the
beginning of May. Last year they were exceptionally
early. I was waked up on the morning of April 25th by
the repeated cries of the Common Tern, and leaving my
tent, instantly crossed the dunes, to see over a dozen of
these birds flying aimlessly over the shore line. Later

Fig. 8. LARGEST NEST OF COMMON TERN FOUND ON BLAKENEY
POINT, JULY, 1914.

in the day they disappeared again and the Little Terns
with them. The first of the latter arrived on the 22nd.
Nesting begins in June and second clutches are usually
laid in July. The latest of these are seldom hatched out.

In the size of nests and their materials there is endless
variety. ‘The largest I have come across at Blakeney is
shown in Fig. 8. It was on the drift-line and made of
materials picked up on the spot. Except for the size,
it is typical of the made nests. Some of the exceptions
are interesting. I have seen them almost entirely

258 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VIII.

made of the following materials on the Poimt—shells,
sea-weeds, sticks, wood-chips, crab-legs, pebbles and
wood-shavings. A nice example of the last is depicted
in Fig. 9. Only once have I seen one made entirely of
pebbles. Finding it without the eggs one would have
taken it to be a Little Tern’s.

With the assistance of various friends we took a census
of the eggs and nests of the Common Tern in the first

Fig.9. COMMON TERN’S NEST OF WOOD-SHAVINGS.

fortnight of July in 1913 and 1914. We investigated
the sizes, mottling, and ground-colour of the eggs, and
the types of nest. Of the last we chose three—Type A:
No materials, no depression. Type B: A depression
without materials. Type C: Materials.

In 1913 the results were: A, 15. B, 38. C, 120.
Abandoned 30.

We called a clutch abandoned when there were no
materials and the eggs were scattered and half-buried.
If material had been employed, we added it to type C,

vou. vi.| BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 259

abandoned or not: so that the total of A & B, if these
be considered as a single type, must be increased by 30.

In 1914 the results were: <A, 0. B, 70. C, 450.
There were a good many more nests that we did not
touch, as time was limited.

In regard to the making of a nest. I was entertained
whilst photographing a Common Tern last year by
another bird of the same species making a nest within a
few feet of the tent. I could watch all her movements
through a convenient peep-hole. On the first day that
I noticed her, she had deposited an egg in a slight
excavation. Soon afterwards she began to fetch pieces
of Psamma off my hiding tent and to place them all round
the excavation. With the second day there came a
second egg, and more maram”* bents were rifled from my
tent. In the morning they were all radiating unbroken
from the centre. Later on in the day she began breaking
them with her beak and tucking them in all round. On
the following morning there was a third egg. More
Psamma was added, and the nest was then in its most
ragged stage. It was not till two more days had passed
that she had all the bents tucked in. The final result
was large but perfectly tidy.

The bird in this instance got her materials from my
tent. There was a supply at hand and she used it—a
supply that had been suddenly brought there after the
bird that I was photographing had started incubating—
and she had used no materials (Fig. 10). This illus-
trates an interesting characteristic of the bird which I
have noticed to be very constant on the Point. If stuff
is handy the Common Tern makes a nest. If it is not
she refrains. There are, of course, exceptions. But if
one wants to find a well-made nest, one goes at once to
the drift-line or else to the Dunes. On the drift, out of
some hundreds of clutches that I have seen there during
several years, only two were found without any material.

* Maram grass is the popular name of the Psamma arenaria, the
most effective of British dune-forming plants.

.

260 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. val.

This habit is useful, in that eggs on the open beach are
far less conspicuous when laid on the bare ground than
on a mat of maram grass or drift.

The bird is most faithful to its eggs. By way of an
experiment we chose a clutch of three eggs last year
laid on the bare sand outside Glaux Lagoon, and moved
them, a yard at a time, every three or four hours towards
the Lagoon. Later we increased the distances and

Fig. 10. COMMON TERN ANGRY.

shortened the time intervals. The bird followed her
eggs to the mouth of the Lagoon and then deserted. We
repeated the experiment on a clutch at the far end of
Great Sandy Low. We moved them towards the mouth
of the Low and then across the Tern Dunes. They were
half-way over these, and nearly 200 yards from the spot
on which they were laid, when they hatched out.

I referred above to a “census” taken in 1913 and
again in 1914. The object was partially to determine
the total number of clutches and the average number

VOL. vil.}] BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 261

of eggs, but chiefly to try and correlate mottling, ground-
colour and size. The results of last year’s work have
not been got out yet, though they should prove more
valuable than those of the previous season. It would
be waste of time and space to repeat here what has
already been published with regard to 1913 results.*

Still, one or two conclusions are worthy of repetition.
Quoting from Biometrika (Rowan, Parker and Bell): “ A
point seemed worth consideration: assuming the pig-
ments to be deposited on the egg in its passage through
the oviduct, it was conceivable that greater pressure
might indicate greater intensity of pigmentation. We
accordingly selected the broader egg in each clutch
and investigated from every pair of eggs in the same
clutch whether the broader or narrower egg had the
larger mass of mottling and greater density of ground-
colour. We reached the following results :—

‘The broader egg in every possible clutch pair has—
Greater mottling in 26 cases. | More dense ground-colour in 25 cases.
The same PP aHeDy Ae The same 3 oe oe Scents Ohne
Less Es AD... Less dense nL So as OU ase
Perhaps not very much stress is to be laid on these
results, but they suggest that the total amount of
pigment deposited is Jess the broader the egg, i.e. for
the same bird a relatively smaller egg will be more
pigmented. A solution of this rather unexpected result
may, perhaps, be found in the suggestion that the total
amount of pigment is the same in both eggs, but the
mottling and ground-colour will appear denser on the
smaller egg. The point deserves consideration on the
basis of larger numbers and possibly better defined
measures of pigmentation.”

Variation in the ground-colour and mottling is infinite.
It has often been maintained by some authorities that

* See Biometrika, Vol. X., No. 1, pp. 144-168, “‘ On Homotyposis
and allied characters in the eggs of the Common Tern.” Also
‘“ Some observations on a Tern Colony,” Knowledge, Vol. XXXVIIL.,
No. 547, pp. 52-54, reprinted in the Journal of Ecology, Vol. I1., No. 1,
pp. 18-20.

262 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VII.

if two eggs are found in one clutch with the ground-
colour completely different, the eggs could not have been
laid by one and the same bird. To prove this theory
definitely, it seems to me one must induce birds to lay in
captivity, or else keep watch on a laying bird. This is
possible only if the bird has some distinctive identification
mark, e.g. one bird we watched had a white spot on the
upper mandible on the left side. But how often can one
put either of these two methods into practice ? Practi-
cally never. Personally I am convinced that one bird
can produce eggs of different colour. Supposing that a
clutch of eggs of various colours has been laid by more
than one bird, the inference is that the bird lays its
eggs anywhere. Then why are clutches of four so
exceedingly rare ? Surely under the circumstances they
should be frequent enough. Yet the only clutch of
four we have found on Blakeney Point (July 1914) was
without doubt laid by one bird. The measurements
were: Length 4.45, 4.45, 4.55, 4.56 cms. Breadth 3.00,
3.05, 3.05, 3.09 cms. The ground-colour of all four was
identical. The mottling came under one type (C) of
our scale of mottling. This is convincing enough to
anyone acquainted with the extraordinary variability
of the eggs of this bird. The most conclusive proof of
this theory I have had was a clutch of three eggs, found
near the Tern Dunes in the same month as the above.
The measurements are these : Length 3.31, 2.56, 3.66 cms.
Breadth 2.86, 2.89, 2.90 cms. All three were quite
different, both in ground-colour and mottling. Now
the average length of egg at Blakeney is between 4.30
and 4.50 cms. Is it possible that three different birds
laid the three smallest eggs, out of a total of 1,117 that
we found and measured, in one nest? It might be a
coincidence, but it would be a miracle at the same time.
Extremes in size for the last two years are :

19138. 1914.
Largest a oP 4.70 4.86 cms.
Smallest... oa. 3.60 ES: Sa

|

ee ee eae

ee a ne:

ee re

VOL. VIII. | BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 263

The average number of a clutch is three.

The first young begin to fly usually during the second
week of July, but a few are always earlier.

Reference was made in the February issue of the
current volume (antea, p. 222) to the high mortality of
the young Terns on Blakeney Point in 1913. Doubt was
thrown on the statement that its cause was the absence
of whitebait. I was on the grounds that season during
the first fortnight of July and could find no support,
in the face of local opinion, for the starvation theory,
ie. starvation through the lack of whitebait. What
the situation was before July I am not competent
to state. But all the young birds alive then were either
a couple of days old or younger, or else nearly able to
fly. Intermediate stages were almost entirely absent,
so that earlier in the season there was food. Now shoals
of fry, which were evidently there at the beginning
of the season, having once come up to the shelter of
Blakeney Point would not desert it again. But sup-
posing they had, the first hatched birds would have died
of starvation with the younger. Yet they were alive
in July. Something happened then in the middle
of June which killed off the newly-hatched but not the
older birds. Throughout the first half of July, dead
chicks and deserted eggs were met with at every turn.
At one point we roughly made a circle of about forty
yards diameter and collected the dead birds therein.
We found over 40! All had died soon after hatching,
though they were in various stages of decomposition.
But what struck one as curious, after hearing local
rumours, was that those birds which came in with food
were not only numerous but were not attacked by the
other birds, as they ‘would have been had supplies been
scarce. Moreover, on walking across the ground one
found sand-eels and whitebait lying about among the
dead nestlings.

The weather was rather fine that summer, but even
then it was a surprise to me to see several parties of

264." BRITISH BIRDS. [vou. vit.

visitors coming over in a single day, for Blakeney Point
is troublesome to get at. My surprise was greater
still to see them coming over daily. Pinchin told me
that during the latter part of June they were even more
numerous. Though there are notices up requesting
visitors to treat the birds with consideration, that July
I saw people on the nesting area for five or six hours
on end. With no regulations to safeguard the birds the
watcher is helpless. During the visitors’ presence on
the grounds, the old birds remain above and only leave
for the fishing waters when the place is again in peace.
When they eventually come back, though they bring
food with them, they are too late. The absence of
whitebait wherewith to feed the young does not explain
wholesale desertion of eggs either, and it takes a con-
siderable amount of worrying to make a Tern desert.

My view, therefore, is that the high rate of mortality
that year was due to visitors. It is the only theory
I can find to explain the survival of the early hatched —
young. Before the rush of sightseers came they had
attained an age when they could stand some privation.
It is significant that Mr. Pashley, who has been intimate
with the settlement since 1855, is also opposed to the
absence of whitebait theory.

In conclusion, a few remarks in regard to the accom-
panying photographs would not be out of place. Three
years ago, when I made my first efforts at taking the
bird itself, I used only one combination of the lens,
in order to get a larger image at a greater distance.
Amongst those I then got are Figs. 2—7. I was working
at about six feet off the bird. Unfortunately my lens
is a short focus one. The hiding tent consisted of a
collapsible wooden frame, six feet long, three feet broad
and two feet high. This was covered with a sheet of
tough, tightly-stretched canvas, on the top of which
were placed maram grass and sand in imitation of a
Psamma hummock. Inside, the ground was dug out in
the form of an armchair, with the camera on its tripod

VoL. vill.| BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY. 265

in front. From the front one could see nothing but the
lens peeping out from the maram grass. The advantage
of this type of tent is that the camera can be moved
right in so that the light is not reflected off the lens.

The bird proved to be very tame and took but scant
notice of the little dune that had suddenly sprung up
beside it. I did some water-colour sketches of her,
passing the time whistling and singing and _ talking

Fig. 11. COMMON TERN ATTACKING HAND.
(Photographed by E. P. Farrow.)

to her. I feel sure she appreciated my efforts at
entertainment.

Last year | thought it would be interesting to see if
I could fill a quarter plate with the image of the Tern,
using my full lens. I picked my bird and erected the
tent at about ten feet away. Then 1 moved it up till
it was eighteen inches distant, dug out the inside and
inserted the camera. I then walked away to a neigh-
bouring dune to time the return of the bird. The dune
probably took me 45 seconds to reach. When I turned
round there was the bird already on. As the light was
good I went in at once and started work. My only

x

- '

266 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

trouble was to get her off the nest. When I waved my
hand at her she merely attacked it (Fig. 11). Fig. 10
shows the bird just recovering her sweet temper after
one of these assaults.

Fig. 12. YOUNG COMMON TERN ‘‘HIDING”’ BETWEEN TWO STONES.

AQUATIC WARBLERS IN SUSSEX.

On September 10th, 1914, a pair of Aquatic Warblers
(Acrocephalus aquaticus) were obtained at Little Common,
Sussex. I saw them in the flesh on the following day. Both
appeared to be immature birds. H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

DUSKY THRUSHES IN SUSSEX.

Towarps the end of January, 1915, I heard that some curious
Thrushes were visiting certain clumps of hawthorn for the
purpose of feeding on the berries.

They were described as being a cross between a Redwing
and a Fieldfare. It was not long before I had the oppor-
tunity of examining one in the flesh, when I found it to be
the Dusky Thrush (T'urdus fuscatus).

Altogether I have examined six of these birds in the flesh,
five of which were shot at the same spot. The dates and
sex are as follows :—

January 25th. Female, Hollington.
February 7th. “ Bs
a 20th. Male, ;
" 22nd. Female, a
March 3rd. Male, 2
& 3rd. Female, Crowhurst.
H. W. Forp-Linpsay.

[The Dusky Thrush breeds in Siberia and winters in China
and north-west India, only occasionally appears in Europe,
and has only once before been recorded in the British Isles.—
Eps. |

BLACK REDSTART IN HAMPSHIRE.

Irv may be worth recording that on February 26th, 1915, at
Thorn’s Beach, Beaulieu, I saw a Black Redstart (Phenicurus
0. gibraltariensis). E. M. Imrtz.

[Although there do not appear to be many recorded occur-
rences of the Black Redstart in Hampshire (ef., Kelsall and
Munn, Birds of Hampshire) the bird is not a very uncommon
winter visitor to some parts of the south coast of England.—
Eps. |

Y

268 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. VII.
BLACK-THROATED DIVER IN MONMOUTHSHIRE.

A BLAcK-THROATED Diver (Gavia arctica) was found dead in
a garden in Newport on February 5th, 1915. I could not
find any mark of injury, but the bird was very thin.

R. C. Banks.

FEEDING HABIT OF RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

THE interesting note by Miss Haviland in the March number
of BririsH Brrps (antea, p. 243) on the feeding habit of the
above birds, recalls the observations of Frank M. Chapman,
published in Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist, 1908,
pp. 269-271. Mr. Chapman watched a number of Northern
and Red Phalaropes on a large pond in the city of Monterey
(California), and observed that about one-half of the birds were
spinning round and round in the most remarkable manner,
and he came to the same conclusion as Miss Haviland that
the revolving birds were feeding. ‘‘ A rotary movement of
the shallow water was thus created, bringing to the surface
small forms of aquatic life which the Phalaropes eagerly
devoured, their slender bills darting rapidly two or three
times during each revolution”? (/.c., p. 271). Dr. P. H. Bahr’s
observations to the same effect were published the year
before those of Mr. Chapman. J. WIGLESWORTH.

[As the Red-necked Phalarope goes through the spinning
movement in deep and rapidly-flowing water as well as in
shallow pools, it seems more probable that the movement
attracts the insect life from the surface into the eddy rather
than from the depths below.—F.C.R.J.]

“WOODCOCK EATING CORN.” CORRECTION.

In the June 1914 issue of British Birds (antea, p.21) I recorded,
on evidence which seemed at the time after careful inquiry,
prolonged at the instance of the Editor, to be entirely reliable,
that a Woodcock shot in January 1914 had its gullet full of
grains of wheat. This much was a fact, but I very much
regret to say that I have now discovered that my informant
was the victim of a practical joke and that the grain was
put down the Woodcock’s throat after the bird was shot.
I can only apologise sincerely to the Editors and to the
readers of British Birds for being responsible for the
publication of this entirely misleading and _ erroneous
statement. J. H. Owen.

ee ela

—

VOL. VIII. ] NOTES. 269

LITTLE GULL CAUGHT AND RINGED IN
LINCOLNSHIRE.

On February 24th, 1915, a plover-catcher brought me a
Little Gull (Larus minutus) which he had caught the morning
before in his plover-net at Alvingham, near Louth, Lincoln-
shire. I take it to be an adult from its markings, and the
tail was pure white with no bar. It enjoyed a bath and
some worms; this afternoon I ringed it and set it at
liberty.
Looking through the records in British Birps, I think
this is the first Little Gull to be ringed under the scheme.
JOHN 8. ALLISON.

GLAUCOUS GULL IN LONDON.

SHORTLY before nine o’clock on the morning of March 20th,
I saw an adult Glaucous Gull (Larus glaucus) resting on the
ice in St. James’s Park.

Its great size and milky-white plumage were very noticeable
in contrast to a number of Herring-Gulls which were
surrounding it. When I returned in the afternoon I failed
to see it again.

This is the first specimen of the rarer gulls which I have
ever noticed in London, though I have kept a sharp look-out
for many years, especially during such rough weather as
was locally prevalent about the above date.

CLIFFORD BoRRER.

DAMAGE TO TAIL-FEATHERS OF POMATORHINE
SKUAS.

THE footnote to my letter (antea, p. 244) relative to the
damaged tail-feathers of the Pomatorhine Skua is interesting,
but by no means convincing: If Mr. A. Roberts saw the
Pomatorhine Skua snipping off the tail-feathers, he must
have been near enough to see the nip, and therefore near
enough to see the Pomatorhine either drop the feather or
carry it away in its mouth. Did either of these things
happen ?

Then why is it that the central tail-feathers of the
Pomatorhine Skua are more frequently broken off than
those of any other British Skua? I believe it is because
of the vertical twist, which places the feathers broadside
on to the wind; this feature, combined with the blunt and
truncated, non-tapering terminal webs, greatly increases
the effect of a lateral gust of wind, and at the same time

270 BRITISH BIRDS [VoL. vIIt.

weakens the power of resistance, especially in the case
of feathers in which the twist is just at the point where
they extend beyond the “shelter”—so to speak—of the
other rectrices, and, moreover, it is here they are usually
broken off. .

Is it not the case that Pomatorhine Skuas with damaged
tail-feathers are usually obtained after stormy weather ?
If this be so, is it merely a coincidence ?

The two tapering central tail-feathers in Richardson’s
Skua project about three inches, those in the Pomatorhine
about four inches, and those in Buffon’s about seven or eight
inches, but in Richardson’s we find them rarely, if ever, broken,
seldom in Buffon’s, and I have since heard of so many in-
stances in the case of the Pomatorhine, that it may be said
they are frequently broken in this species, and until someone
actually sees the tail-feather either falling after it has been
snipped off, or being carried away by the chasing Skua, I
shall not consider the evidence conclusive.

RicHARD M. BaRRINGTON.

[Mr. Roberts has been dead for many years, so that it is
impossible for us to obtain the details asked for by Mr.
Barrington.—Ebs. |

MOORHEN USING NEST OF SPARROW-HAWK.

:
Durine the early part of May, 1913, I found a Sparrow- ~
Hawk’s nest in a fir plantation a few miles from Maryport,
Cumberland. The nest was built about fifteen feet from
the ground, and contained three eggs. On visiting the nest
a few weeks later I found the Hawk’s eggs taken, and the
nest occupied by a pair of Moorhens (Gallinula ch. chloropus).
The nest, which had been made deeper and lined with the
dried leaves of the yellow iris, contained seven eggs, from
which I flushed the sitting bird. WitiiaM J. ANDREWS.

|

[Instances of Moorhens nesting in trees have frequently
been recorded. I do not remember any case of a Sparrow-
Hawk’s nest having been utilized, but have notes of Moorhens
breeding in nests of Rook, Magpie, and Wood-Pigeon.—
F.C.R.J.]

INTRODUCTION OF BEARDED Tits IN YORKSHIRE.—In
1911 some Bearded Tits, imported from Holland, were
liberated at Hornsea Mere, and at the time we strongly
deprecated this interference with Nature (cf. Vol. V., p. 108).
The experiment was at first apparently successful, but we

‘VOL. VIII. ] NO'LES. 271

are glad to learn from the latest report (Naturalist, 1915,
p. 82) that it is now deemed a failure, and presumably the
birds have disappeared.

CHIFFCHAFFS AND LAND-RalILs IN WINTER IN THE BRITISH
Istes.—An example of Phylloscopus collybita was seen in
December, 1914 (no date mentioned) by Mr. H. B. Rathborne
(Irish Nat., 1915, p. 15) on the shores of Lough Erne, co.
Fermanagh. Another was heard on several occasions during
the last week of January at Wadhurst, Sussex (C. Castellain,
Field, 6.11.’15, p. 222).

A Land-Rail (Crea crex) was reported as seen in north
Kildare on December 26th, 1914 (t.c., 2.1.°15, p. 41) and
another at Glasbury Church on January 22nd, 1915 (t.c.,
30.1.715, p. 210).

SIBERIAN CHIFFCHAFF IN SHETLAND.—Mr. C. Kirk states
(Scot. Nat., 1915, p. 22) that Mr. T. Kay of Lerwick sent him
-on October 28th, 1914, two Chiffchaffs, one of which was a
Phylloscopus c. tristis. .

Aquatic WARBLER AT Fair IsLteE.—Mr. W. E. Clarke
records (Scot. Nat., 1915, p. 5) that a male Acrocephalus
aquaticus was shot at Fair Isle, Shetlands, on October 23rd,
1914. This is the first occurrence of the bird in Scotland.

IcTERINE WARBLER IN Co. WExFoRD.—Prof. C. J. Patten
records (Irish Nat., 1915, p. 42) that a specimen of Hypolais
icterina was picked up on the Tuskar Rock by the Light-
keeper, Mr. Glanville, on September 2nd, 1914. This is only
‘the second recorded occurrence of the species in Ireland.

BREEDING-HABITS OF Meriin.—Mr. F. H. Edmondson
contributes to the Naturalist (1915, p. 61) some interesting
notes on the habits of the Merlin (Falco r. regulus), in the
course of which he states: “The birds were on the moor
by the end of March; were pairing by April 21st; there
were four eggs on May 22nd; the eggs were chipped on
June 17th; young flew 200 yards on July 22nd; there were
two large eggs and two small; two females were hatched,
‘one male, and there was one small addled egg. Therefore
the large eggs would seem to contain females, and the small
‘ones males. Both the male and female sit on the eggs;
both kill, though the male mostly; the female only once.
‘The female only was at the nest after the eggs were hatched ;
the male hovered over once or twice but never alighted.
Among the birds eaten were: Tit-lark, many Sky-larks,

272 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

young Thrush, Pied Wagtail, Sandpiper, and old Sky-lark,

which was very tough.”

GREEN SANDPIPER IN STIRLINGSHIRE.—Mr. D. Macdonald
records (Glasgow Nat., VI., p. 100) the presence of a T'ringa
ocrophus on the Allander from March 27th to April 3rd, 1914.

UnusvuaL NumMBer oF Lirrte AvuKs In Scorttanp.—A

considerable number of Alle alle appeared on the Scottish east.

coast and inland from December 12th to 17th, 1914 (Scot.
Nat., 1915, pp. 22-23).

i

i (
ote

Report on the Immigration of Summer-residents in the Spring
of 1913; also Notes on the Migratory Movements and
Records received from Lighthouses and Light-vessels
during the Autumn of 1912. By the Committee
appointed by the British Ornithologists’ Club (forming
Vol. XXXIV., Bull. B.O.C.). 19 Maps. Witherby & Co.
6s. net.

Tus is the ninth and last but one of the annual Reports
of the Migration Committee of the British Ornithologists’
Club. The number of records again shows an increase,
and this year the Committee has been fortunate in obtaining
much information from the Caskets Lighthouse (Channel
Islands)—an important point. The winter of 1912-13 was
remarkable for the number of summer birds which appear
to have passed the winter with us. In addition to those
already recorded in our pages (cf. Vol. VI.), the following
are mentioned in this Report :—Chiffchaff (Ph. collybita),
Scilly Isles, one or two heard January; Willow-Warbler
(Ph. trochilus), Hampshire, one end of January; Ring-Ouzel
(T’. torquatus), one Carmarthen, middle of February; Whinchat
(S. rubetra), Yorkshire, one January 3rd; Turtle-Dove
(S. t. turtur), Scilly Isles, one February 28th. Swifts (A. a. apus)
stayed late in several districts in the autumn of 1912. Summer
immigrants seem also to have arrived early in the spring of
1913, so that it is difficult to say in some cases whether an
occurrence at an exceptionally early date refers to a bird
which had wintered here or to one which had immigrated
here perhaps from no great distance. Some of the following
may come under either denomination :—

Pied Flycatcher (M. h. hypoleuca), Lancashire, April
3rd; Chiffchaff, Hampshire, February 25th, Cornwall
and Cumberland, February 28th; Willow-Warbler, Scilly
Isles, March 9th; Garden-Warbler (8. borin), Kent, March
25th; Wheatear (H@. w. wnanthe), Suffolk, March 6th;
Greenland Wheatear (@. w. leucorrhoa), Channel Isles and
Isle of Wight, April 13th; Whinchat, Wiltshire, March
13th; Swallow (Ch. r. rustica), Scilly Isles, March 6th ;
Nightjar (C. e. ewropeus), Yorkshire, April 6th ; Turtle-Dove,
Berkshire, April 7th, Channel Isles and Suffolk, April 8th ;
Common Sandpiper (7. hypoleuca), Lancashire, March 5th ;
Common Tern (8. h. hirundo), Argyll, March 22nd. A
Fieldfare (7. pilaris) in Kent on September 16th, 1912, and

274 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. VIL

another in Yorkshire on the 18th, were decidedly early

arrivals, and Greenland Wheatears on the Pentland Skerries:
on August 7th and in Ross-shire on the 15th were exception-
ally early, while two Waxwings (A.g. garrulus), in Westmorland
on April 23rd and 24th, 1913, were staying late in winter
quarters.

Among the uncommon visitors recorded most have been

mentioned in our pages, but the following deserve notice :— —
Blue-headed Wagtail (M. f. flava), Thanet (Kent), one April -

14th and 15th, 1913, Llandudno (Carnarvon), one April 25th.
a pair 27th; Northern Willow-Warbler (Ph. t. eversmanna),
Bardsey, April 10th, Channel Isles, May 6th and 9th ; Blyth’s
Reed-Warbler (A. dwmetorum), one at the Dudgeon Light-
vessel (Norfolk) on the night of October 20th-21st, 1912,
is an interesting addition to those already recorded in the
same autumn (cf. Vol. VI.) ; a Nightingale (L. m. megarhyncha)
at the Bishop Rock Light (Scilly Isles) on September 17th,
1912, and a Black Redstart (Ph. 0. gibraltariensis) at the
Skerries Light (Anglesey) on October 13th, 1912, are interest-
ing occurrences owing to the localities; a Greenland Falcom
(F. r. candicans), Scilly Isles, March 15th, 1913; a Temminck’s
Stint (EZ. temminckii), Aldringham (Suffolk), August 28th,
1912, is also an interesting occurrence.

Altogether the Report is well up to the standard of previous
issues and deserves the hearty support of all those interested
in the subject.—H.F.W.

A Summer on the Yenesei (1914). By Maud D. Haviland.
Illustrated. Arnold. 10s. 6d. net.

Miss Havinanb, who is well known to our readers as a most
enthusiastic ornithologist and clever bird-photographer, and
has already contributed to our pages very interesting articles
on the nesting of Curlew-Sandpipers and Little Stints on the
Yenesei, has now written a most entertaining volume, of
considerable literary merit, on her adventurous journey.

Miss Haviland joined a_ party of anthropologists —

consisting of Miss M. A. Czaplicka, Miss D. Curtis and
Mr. H. U. Hall, and proceeded at the end of May, 1914, to
Krasnoyarsk, where they took steamer for Yeneseisk. Here
they embarked on June 12th on the first steamer to make
the trip that year down the great river Yenesei. This river
journey of fifteen hundred miles occupied more than a
fortnight, and though unfortunately there was little oppor-
tunity for going ashore, Miss Haviland made the most of her

a A lt ag

ee

a ae me i rt la Ie me

aban .
A eR Sem am SO

VOL VIII.] REVIEWS. 275

chances, and a number of interesting observations on the
bird-life of the great forest region are interspersed in this
portion of the narrative. For instance, Wood-Sandpipers
were found breeding in the old nests of Fieldfares in con-
firmation of Mr. H. L. Popham’s observation, and it was
noted that in at least one case the sitting bird was the male.
A number of other interesting birds seen during the short
stoppages made on the river journey are commented upon,
and Miss Haviland was able to see enough to make any
ornithologist long to explore those vast regions of marsh
and forest. At length the forest gave way to the open
tundras, and on June 28th the mouth of the Golchika River
—a tributary of the Yenesei—was reached. Here the party
landed (not without adventure) and at this little fishing
centre, composed of only three permanent houses, the author
and her friends stayed until September 3rd.

The best part of the book is taken up with a description
of the party’s life and adventures at this isolated spot.
Much is said of the people of the settlement, of their manner
of living, of their good points and their bad points, of scandal
and of gossip, for the latter are not absent even at this remote
spot, and of the human migrants—Samoyedes, Dolgans and
Yuraks. It is evident that Miss Haviland is as acute an
observer of human nature as she is of birds. It must not
be thought, however, that the latter have been neglected.
Although the author followed in the footsteps of Seebohm and
Mr. H. L. Popham, she was so fortunate as to strike a late
season, and as a consequence some of the most interesting
waders, such as the Curlew-Sandpiper and Grey Phalarope,
were breeding on the tundras surrounding Golchika, apparently
a good way to the south of their normal habitats. Of these
and many other waders, such as Temminck’s and Little Stints,
Dotterels, Red-necked Phalaropes, Asiatic Golden Plovers
and Grey Plovers, Miss Haviland has fascinating tales to
tell, which we heartily commend to all British ornithologists.

After leaving Golchika, while the other two of the party
went south to brave the severities of a Siberian winter in a
native choom in order to study the Tungus tribes, Miss Curtis
and Miss Haviland—no less adventurous—voyaged home
through the dread Kara Sea, thus putting a fitting finish
to a very plucky undertaking.

In conclusion, we must heartily congratulate the author
upon her journey and the results achieved, and we are grateful
for a book telling us more about the birds of a region which.
since the publication of Siberia in Asia, has always had a
great fascination for the ornithologist.—H.F.W.

MIGRANTS FLYING NORTH IN AUTUMN AT
DUNGENESS.

To the Editors of British Brrps.

Strs,—Mr. Alexander’s paper on migration (antea, p. 226)
is very interesting. I should be very glad if he or any of
your readers could explain what the birds that in late October
are flying northwards are about? Are they making for
Dover, intending to cross to the Continent where the straits
are narrowest ? F. W. HEADLEY.

HAILEYBURY COLLEGE, March 4th, 1915.

[Regarding Mr. Headley’s question, any answer is bound
to be merely speculative. I do not for a moment believe
that birds flying north along the Kentish coast from Dungeness
could be doing so with the purposeful object of crossing by
the shortest sea-passage, particularly seeing that some of
these birds had just arrived from across the Channel—from
Cape Grisnez or thereabouts ; these birds, if they re-crossed
from Dover, would have migrated round a circle.

I should like to suggest that birds on migration in autumn
have no intention except to arrive at some customary
winter-quarters, or even, perhaps, only to move more or
less towards such quarters without an overpowering impulse
to go the whole way if circumstances happened to favour
their winter residence in some nearer (or further) locality.
Even the end of the journey is, I should say, partly deter-
mined by circumstance; the means of approaching that
end are probably determined almost entirely by the circum-
stance of the moment—direction and force of wind, food-
supply and other matters: thus the route followed in any
instance may easily become very circuitous and complicated.
At the same time, I am aware that there is a lot of evidence
to suggest that birds follow the same migratory routes year
after year with great precision. So that (without wishing
to dogmatize) I would suggest that migration is carried out
from generation to generation under a strong compulsion
of conservative custom (without which it would be mere
chaos); but whereas this might at any moment lead to
great disaster, the migrating birds have, perhaps in varying
degree, the power to modify this custom in such a way as to
meet the circumstances of the moment.—H. G. ALEXANDER. |

From WITHERBY & Co.'s LIST.
) Field- Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JoHN WaLPoLe-Bonp, author of ‘‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth ; 320 pages. 7s. Gd. net.

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates,
drawings and maps, and reproductions from photographs; square
demy 8vo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. Gd. net.

My Game-Book.

By ALAN R. HAic-Brown. The Author unites a peselonale love of the
chase, with a knowledge of Nature. Many photographs; 250 pages ;
cloth. 5s, net.

: Canning in Crete.

With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By AuBYN
TREVOR-BATTYE, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z:S., etc. ; with 32 plates and a
map ; 320 pages; cloth; demy 8vo. 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C. Stuar?, Baker, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; with 27 beautiful
coloured plates; over 250 pages; imp. 8vo. ; half bound murocco,
gilt top. £&2 10s, net.

Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyp HorspruGH, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S.; with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.
£4 14s. nét, or unbound parts £4 4s, net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernst HARTERT, F.C. R.. JourpaAin, N. F. TICEHURST, and .
H. F. WiTrHersy.

Zs. Gd, net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s. net.

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English and Folk-Names of British Birds.

By H. Kirke Swann. Their History, Meaning, first usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc. About 300 pages; demy 8vo.; cloth.

The Po 10s. net.

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union. ‘Illustrated. with
half-tone and coloured plates.
Quarterly Parts 4s. each. Annual subscription 158.
Messrs, Witherby & Co. have been appointed European Agents of The Emu.

British Birds. New volume commenced | Pes

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
Edited by H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S.,M.B.O.U., assisted by Rev. F.C. R.
Jourpain, M.A., M.B.O.U., and N. F. TICcEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S.,
M.B.O.U. Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates.

) Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s, net.

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

To Naturalists Museums and Collectors.

The: Cobera Collecsion of: Bana. Birds. a
EDWARD STONE, HOOPER & PICKARD a

have received instructions from the Executrix of the late Mr. E we

Coburn to Sell by Auction, without Reserve, at the -

GRAND HOTEL, Colmore Row, BIRMINGHAM,

on April 14th, 15th and 16th,
at ELEVEN o’clock each day, the very

VALUABLE COLLECTION

of upwards of 5,500

STUFFED BRITISH AND

FOREIGN BIRDS

Mounted in cases and on stands, including Buffie-headed Duck,

Scaup and Nestlings, Cassin’s Snow Geese, Canvas-back Ducks with

Young, American Wigeon and Young, American Goshawks, Spotted
Sandpiper, Prairie Grouse, Iceland Falcon, Barrow’s Golden-eye Duck,

Harlequin Duck, Black-throated Diver,. Bearded Tit, Greater and
‘Lesser Yellow Shanks, Black and Velvet- ‘Scoters, Red-neck Phalarope, —
Emperor and. King Penguins, Iceland Wren and Redwing, Glossy Ibis, ©

Great Snipe, Heron, Common Gull, Great Northern Diver, Reed-
Warbler, Sedge-Warbler, Tawny Owls, Barn Owls, Ring-Plover,
Puffin, Guillemots, Razorbill, Black-headed Gull, Bartram Sandpiper,

Black-throated Pipit, Long- eared Owl and Yellow Bunting; also Cases ~
of Specimen Fish, together with a Valuable Cale of Natural

History Books.

Notr.—The Auctioneers have pleasure i in calling attention to
this unique Sale, as the Collection has been formed regardless of

cost by the late Mr. Coburn, whose reputation as a Naturalist and ~ a

Connoisseur is so widely known.

N.B.—The whole collection will be first offered in one lot, and if
not disposed of, will then be sold according to Catalogue.

On View—Tuesday, April 13th, from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m.

Catalogues may be obtained from Messrs. THomas, Guest &

PEARSON, Solicitors, 29, Temple Row; or the AUCTIONEERS, 35, oa

Aan is Street, both of Birmingham. Telephone : Central 1054,

‘BRITISH
BIRDS ©

AN MLUSTRATED MAGAZINE.

DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS ON
. THEDRTISHUST

MAY 1,
1915.

Vol. VIII,
No. 12.

MONTHLY -ONESHILUING:NET
S26THGHHOLDORNENDON

WITHERBY & Ce

In Four Volumes. 4to. (124in. by 10in.) with Gilt Top, £6 Ga Od. net. Go:
Vol. I NOW READY, with 20 Plates showing 143 Figures : as

Vol. II will be issued in the Autumn, and it is hoped that Vols. Il
and IV will be published next year,

Orders will only be accepted for the set of Four Volumes, but
they may be paid for as delivered at £1 11s. 6d, net each,

BRITISH BIRDS|

WRITTEN AND ILLUSTRATED BY

ARCHIBALD THORBURN, F.Z.S._
* With 80 Plates in Colour, showing over 400 Species.

Be will be a thing of beauty and a joy for ever to its fortunate

possessors,’—-MORNING POST.
PROSPECTUS SENT ON APPLICATION.

These pictures are in every case reproduced from Water-colour Drawings |

by Mr. Archibald Thorburn, who has for many years been recognised

as the greatest living painter of mammals and birds. The work is —

wholly produced in Great Britain.

LONGMANS, GREEN & CO., st paternexter Row, LONDON, E. G.

2A A 8

JUST PUBLISH ED.

A Catalogue of SECONDHAND BOOKS, including a age

Collection of Works. on

BOTANY,

ORNITHOLOGY, and other departments of. NATURAL Dis

HISTORY, offered at specially low prices by
HENRY SOTHERAN & Co., 140, Strand, London, W.C.

who will send a copy post free on application.

Libration Valued for Probate or Purchased for ~Cash,

WATKINS & DONCASTER.

Waturalists,

And Manufacturers of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Fees
and Skins, and all Branches of Natural History.

A LARGE STOCK OF INSECTS, and BIRDS’ EGGS and SKINS.

Speciality :—Objects for Nature Study, Drawing Classes, &c.

BIRDS, MAMMALS, &c., PRESERVED and MOUNTED by FIRST- CLASS WORKMEN
TRUE TO NATURE.

‘All Books and Publications on Natural History supplied.
36, STRAND, LONDON, W.C. (Five Doors from Charing Cross.)

Catalogae (102 pp.) post free.

renee

baa

en
€

ee +

eS se as een ee
pate RAH >

oats

rT

ee a:

er

SR Sein

a = f aa x

ih a.

BRIESABIRDS

HOVE -BY H.: ¥.. WITHERBY, F.Z.S.,.. M:BOW.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F. C. R. JourpaIn, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F,

TICEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

Es
” MAY RY BORG

ayo”

CoNTENTs OF NUMBER 12, Vou. VIII. May 1, ls

The B.0.U. List of British Birds... a3: <2 ate eo 2S
The Late Lieut. Francis A. Monckton on fe Si Ol
Notes :—
Arrival of Summer Migrants. Early Appearancesin 1915 .. 289
Crossbills breeding in Norfolk (N. Tracy) a Ae e200
Tree-Creeper in London (Miss D. Eardley-Beecham) .. eo
Breeding-habits of the Mistle-Thrush (8. G. Cummings) onde
Mistle-Thrush singing on the wing (N. H. Foster) Be sae Oe
Dipper in Surrey (M. V. Wenner) ap as oe “Oe PRY
Early Nesting of Great Crested Grebe G. K. Baynes) pee oe
Feeding-habit of the Red-necked Phalarope (O. G. Pike) Be ee:
Occasional High Mortality in young Common Terns
(E. W. Hendy) .. 5¢ Ae $e Ed a -. 294
Short Note :—Chiffchaff in winter .. S, . Be Sey 204

Letters :—The Blakeney Point Ternery (J. H. Gurney, J. Few,
C. Borrer) ? e me ae ie .. 295-6

( 278 )
THE B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS.*

INTEREST in this List centres in its nomenclature, and before
we proceed to discuss it in detail we must congratulate the
Committee on having overcome many of the prejudices which
have been responsible for delaying the advent of uniformity
in nomenclature. That the B.0.U. List of 1915 has brought
us one step nearer to this desired end there can be no doubt.
In the preface we find the following admirable statement :—

“The first aim of our system of nomenclature should undoubtedly
be uniformity and fixity, and most zoologists are now agreed that
this can only be attained by keeping to the strict law of priority.”
Now if the Committee had acted up to this precept and
had kept to the strict law of priority throughout and had
decided difficult questions by reference to the International
Rules and Opinions, there would have been little need of
criticism here, but unfortunately prejudice obtrudes its
unwelcome presence here and there and the result is
inconsistency.

Our sole interest in nomenclature is centred in the desire
for uniformity and fixity. To discover and fix the correct
names has become highly necessary to the unchecked progress
of our science, but the labour involved is often great and
almost always thankless and the time so occupied is naturally
grudged by those who would far sooner be spending it over
the birds themselves. .

It is necessary, therefore, to discuss the differences in the
names used in the B.O.U. List and our Hand-List, as it is
only by such discussion that agreement can be reached
and the two lists are not so far apart as to make this much
desired end at all impossible of realization. In this con-
nexion we may here quote from a review of the 6.0.U. List
in the last issue of the Auk the following :—

“ Comparing the present work with the original 1883 edition, we
find 92 changes in specific and 51 in generic names; and yet the
“ Hand-List ’’? of Hartert et al., which seemed to some so impossible,
contained only 111 specific changes and 72 generic!”

It must be noted that the manuscript of our Hand-List
was more than half-finished before the new edition of the
B.O.U. List was thought of, and since the publication of
the Hand-List much has been written on the subject of
nomenclature, and some of the new facts brought to light
have caused some of the names used by us to be no longer
tenable. This, of course, was only to be expected, as since

* 4 List of British Birds compiled by a Committee of the British
Ornithologists’ Union. 2nd and Revised Edition, 1915. Wesley. 7s. 6d.

——

vou. vil.] B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 279

it has been the united aim of zoologists during the last few
years to attain uniformity by méans of rigid priority, much
attention and study has been bestowed upon the subject in
many quarters.

It will be convenient to divide the differences in the names
used in the two lists into various groups, which may be dealt
with separately. First let us take the names, whether
specific or generic, which we are agreed to accept and alter in
our Hand-List. All these alterations are in accordance
with the Rules and Opinions of the International Commission.
These are as follow, the name which we accept being in
small capitals, and the name rejected in italics, while the
numbers refer to the Hand-List. In the next issue of BriTisH
Birps, which commences a new volume, we shall give a list
of all alterations in the Hand-List with brief reasons, and the
names of the Hand-List so altered will be used in BritisH
Birps from that date.

Alauda arvensis CINERASCENS Ehmcke in place of No. 63,
A. a. cinerea Ehmcke.

Anthus spinoletta pETRosUs Montagu, in place of No. 72,
A. s. obscurus.

Motacilla flava FELDEGG (not feldeggi) in place of No. 78,
M. f. melanocephala.

ErirHacus r. rubecula and Eriruacus r. melophilus in
place of Nos. 184 and 185, Dandalus r. rubecula and Dandalus
r. melophilus.

golius f. FUNEREUS in place of No. 221, A. t. tengmalmi.

Falco 2. SALON Tunstall, in place of No. 236, F. r. regulus.

Aquila cLANGA Pall., in place of No. 241 A. maculata.
A. fusca(adopted in the B.O.U. List) cannot be used, because
it was anticipated by Dumont, as has been pointed out by
Mr. T. Iredale (Ibis, 1915, p. 388). A. clanga is the next
oldest available name.

Milvus migrans MIGRANS Boddaert, in place of No. 251,
M. k. korschun.

PuieGcapis f. falcinellus in place of No. 259, Egatheus f.
falcinellus.

Pheenicopterus ANTIQUORUM Temminck in place of No. 270,
Ph. roseus.

Anser ERYTHROPUS Linn. in place of No. 276, A.
finmarchicus.

Limicola f. FALCINELLUS Pontoppidan in place of No. 385,
L. p. platyrhyncha.

CHLAMYDOTIS u. macqueenii in place of No. 452, Houbara
u. macqueenil.

280 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. VIII.

The next group of differences to be considered is that
under the heading nomina conservanda. The principle of
suspending the Rules in certain cases was agreed upon at the
Ninth International Congress in 1913, and certain definite rules
for such cases were drawn up and passed (see BririsH Birps,
Vol. VII., pp. 7 and 8). The question having thus been
very fully discussed at a congress of zoologists from all over
the world and a definite resolution having been passed, no
single society has any right to ignore that resolution and
to adopt a list of nomina conservanda of its own without
the sanction of the Congress. The names in this list make
the unlucky total of thirteen, and we need hardly add that
we shall accept no nomina conservanda other than those
ordained by the International Commission, for it must be
quite clear that if any one person or society suspends the
law each will choose a different set of cases and chaos will
again be the result. The names to be maintained are
quite arbitrarily chosen; it is difficult to understand why,
for example, the time honoured Juscinia has been shifted
from the Nightingale to the Sprosser and graculus from the
Chough to the Alpine Chough if, for example, fuscus is to be
retained at all costs for the Dusky Redshank.

A few names used by us are rejected on account of the
status of the works in which they occur. These are :—

Pallas’s names in Vroeg’s Catalogue, namely, Muscicapa s.
striata, M. h. hypoleuca, Sylvia c. cantillans, Calidris leucophaa,
Colymbus r. ruficollis, and Sterna tschegrava and C&nanthe
pleschanka of Lepechin, but the objections seem to us ground-
less, and there is no International Rule or Opinion under
which the names proposed in that part of Vroeg’s Catalogue
which is known to have been written by Pallas or the names
in Lepechin’s article can be rejected.

The remaining differences depending upon questions of
nomenclature alone are really very few. The following
generic names used by us are rejected : Agolius, Athene, Tyto,
Polysticta, Hydrobates, Eremophila, Apus, because of the
prior use of names which differ only in the termination,
e.g., Athena, Tyta, Apos, etc. This point, however, has been
provided for in the International Rules, the ‘‘ Recommenda-
tion” attached to Article 36 being as follows :—

“It is well to avoid the introduction of new generic names which
differ from generic names already in use only in termination or in
a slight variation in spelling which might lead to confusion. But
when once introduced, such names are not to be rejected on this

account. Examples: Picus, Pica; Polyodus, Polyodon, Polydonta,
Polyodontas, Polyodontus ; Macrodon, Microdon.”’

ee ee

Ae ee te “in

vou. vii.] B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 281

We may add that this recommendation is supported by
several *‘ opinions ” rendered by the Commission.

Hirundo is used in the B.O.U. List for the Swallows instead
of Chelidon as used by us, and Delichon for the House-Martin
instead of Hirundo. This is a vexed question and should
be submitted to and settled by the International Commission.
Hartert submits the following argument.

“Forster (1817) divided the British species of Linné’s genus
Hirundo, as far as they were Swallows, into three genera: Hirundo,
Riparia, Chelidon, each monotypic. It is true that, rigidly construed,
his name Hir. urbica as the only species of Hirundo is not ‘ fixing the
type’ but, on the other hand, Riparia has been generally accepted,
and Chelidon must in my opinion be accepted; it has been rejected
because Gray in 1840 designated its genotype as the type of Hirundo ;
I cannot follow this at all! Gray was wrong in the case of the
Swallows. He was evidently unaware of Forster’s action; he did
not accept Riparia, but the much later Cotyle, he designated as the
type of Htrundo the species rustica, which had already been made
the monotype of Chelidon by Forster: he further designated as the.
type of Chelidon Boie a species which was not in Boie’s genus at all,
and which he therefore had no right to designate as the genotype !
Gray’s action must therefore be dismissed, as he disregarded Forster,
and we must begin with Forster. His genera Chelidon and Riparia
being accepted, we have no choice but to allow Hirundo to remain
for the Martins, accepting urbica as its genotype.”

Colymbus is used in the B.0.U. List for the Divers instead
of for the Grebes. This again is a vexed question, but it has
already been decided by a special committee appointed by
the International Commission that Colymbus must be used
for the Grebes (cf. IX. Congr. Intern. Zool., p. 862). The
use of Tringa for Erolia is contrary to the Rules and Opinions.
The name borin for the Garden-Warbler is considered by
the B.O.U. Committee to be uncertain, and consequently
simplex is used. The decision of the Committee in this
ease is arbitrary. It is stated (p. 363) that the name
borin is ‘‘ founded on Daubenton’s pl. 579, and the Com-
mittee, after a careful examination of this plate, have failed
to identify it with the Garden-Warbler.” As there are
three species figured on the Plate, and borin is founded on
Fig. 2, it would seem that the Committee’s investigation
was not very careful. It cannot be doubted that Daubenton’s
plate—at least a properly coloured copy—together with the
careful description referred to the Garden-Warbler; in
fact, this has generally been admitted, though the name
borin had been overlooked or disregarded.

Sterna anglica is used instead of nilotica for the Gull-billed
Tern, because the description of the latter is considered
inadequate and misleading and the feet are described as

282 : BRITISH BIRDS. [ VoL. VIII.

‘““incarnati.’’ We, however, consider that the description of
nilotica by Hasselquist, from which Gmelin took his diagnosis,
is fully recognizable ; the only objection is that he describes
the feet as ‘“‘ incarnati”’; this is certainly an error, but we
cannot reject a name because of an error in the description,
if we can make out from the latter that it refers to the species
in question. If this practice were followed hundreds of
well-known names would have to be rejected. We also
hold that the diagnosis of Falco rusticolus to which is added
‘* Habitat in Svecia’’ must be accepted for the Gyr-Falcon.

Finally there is the question of the correct name for the
Little Dusky Shearwater, No. 324, of our Hand-List. This
bird has had many names, and Mr. G. M. Mathews has argued
(Birds of Australia, II. (1912), p. 54) that it should be called
baroli, and this name has been adopted in the B.0.U. List,
but with this we do not agree. On this point Hartert
argues as follows :-—

“Mr. Mathews (B. Austr., II., p. 54) accepted the name baroli
for the ‘“ Little Dusky Shearwater”’ (No. 324 of the Hand-List of
British Birds), from the North Atlantic Islands, i.e. the Madeira
group and Canary Islands. This was apparently done without full
consideration of the diagnosis and quotations of Bonaparte, because
the supposed type, No. 3202 (not 3203!) in the Turin Museum is a
form of the “‘ Puffinus obscurus,” or more correctly assimilis group.
But Bonaparte did not base his new name only on that one specimen
in the Turin Museum ; he gave a number of quotations and synonyms,
and a diagnosis. He first (Consp. Gen. Av., II., p. 204, 1856) refers
to the birds called P. anglorwm from the Mediterranean—which are
of course what we now call P. puffinus yelkouan ; secondly he quotes
P. obscurus Temminck 1840, which appears to be “ obscurus’’ (or
assimilis) ; thirdly, he cites Gerini’s plate 537, which is a caricature
of P. p. yelkouan, then he gives some doubtful or nondescript names,
he then mentions the unfortunate No. 3202 of Turin—and last,
specimens in the collection of Baillon from the Desertas near Madeira,
and others in the Paris Museum, brought by Berthelot from the
Canary Islands, which were apparently P. assimilis subsp., though
the large species occurs there as well. The chief point, however, is
the diagnosis. If the latter agreed with the North Atlantic Little
Shearwater, then the name baroli might be accepted, though the
quotations were partly erroneous, but I cannot agree that the de-
scription is a clear one at all. The tarsus is said to be “‘ sesquipollicaris,”
which means an inch and a half long, French measure, while that of
the tropical “ Puffinus obscurus’’ is said to have the tarsus much
shorter than 14 French inches; the length of the tarsus, however,
is, if anything, greater than smaller in the tropical form; then
Bonaparte says of the Paris specimens from the Canaries that they
have a slenderer bill of 1? inches! Now the bill of the North Atlantic
Little Dusky Shearwater can never be measured 1? French inches,
which is 1.85 English inches or 48mm. It must also not be over-
looked that the supposed type of P. baroli has no locality, as the
supposed locality “‘ Mediterranean ’’ is incorrect; this has all been
pointed out in full by Salvadori in Uccelli Fauna It., p. 299 (1872),

vou. vil.] B.O.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 283

and again Mem. Accad. Torino, Ser. 2, LXV., No. 5, p. 6, 1915. The
only logical conclusion is, therefore, that P. baroli is a “‘ mixtum
compositum ”’ and cannot be made to antedate the undeniable name
godmant. I agree, however, with Mr. Mathews, that the name obscurus
is not acceptable for the North Atlantic Shearwater, and therefore it
should be called Puffinus assimilis godmani.”

A curious ‘“idiosyncrasy”” to which we must refer is
that the typical subspecies of each species is given only
two names. In the Preface (p. xiii.) the committee seem to
be rather proud of having thus avoided the ‘‘ cumbrous ”
repetition of the name. Yet all other subspecies are given
three names, so that a distinction is made between the typical
subspecies and other subspecies when there is no distinction,
and no distinction is made between a species and a typical
subspecies when, of course, there is a distinction. Is it
more cumbrous to refer to the typical form of the Great Tit
simply as “ Parus major major ”’ or in some such formula as
“ Parus major (meaning the typical form, not the species
as a whole) ” ?

Another point to which attention must be drawn is that
the original spelling of names is often altered where no
alteration is justified. Article 19 of the Rules reads: ‘‘ The
original orthography of a name is to be preserved unless
an error of transcription, a lapsus calami, or a typographical
error is evident.”’ Moreover the name in the quotation
has sometimes been altered and sometimes not, e.g. p. 95,
megarhynchos has been altered to megarhyncha, but on p. 27
leucocephalos is correctly printed as originally spelt; p. 87
clarkei is printed as originally written by Hartert, but on
p. 44 we find feldegg altered to feldeggi. There are numerous
similar instances, and initial capitals when used in the
original have been disregarded, so that the quotations are
sometimes unreliable.

We may draw special attention to Appendix III., in which
are given the reasons for the change of each name and also
the method of fixation of the types of the various genera
used in the List. This is a valuable feature of the work.

With regard to those cases in which we differ owing to a
different interpretation of the Rules or owing to an acceptance
or rejection of a work or a diagnosis, we should be perfectly
willing to submit to a ruling by the International Commission,
and we think that if the B.O.U. List Committee would agree
to do likewise the Commission would undoubtedly give
its opinion on the points at issue.

The remaining points of difference in the two lists are
taxonomic rather than nomenclatorial. Unfortunately our

284. BRITISH BIRDS. [von. vit.

knowledge of birds is not yet sufficiently advanced for
definite rules to be laid down with regard to such questions
as the limitation of genera or the grouping of subspecies.
Some few months ago a most interesting paper was read by
Dr. P. R. Lowe at the British Ornithologists’ Club on
“Coloration as a Factor in Family and Generic Differentia-
tion ” (see Ibis, 1915, pp. 320-346). In the discussion which
followed, most diverse opinions were expressed as to what
constituted generic characters. Genera are to a large extent
artificial and a matter of convenience, and it must follow
that their limitations are subject to personal opinion. The
following differences in the two lists are due to this cause,
the genera in the Hand-List being in capitals and those in
the B.0.U. List in italics :—CoLa@us—Corvus ; Spinus and
Acanthis—CaRDUELIS ; HERBIvVocULA—Lusciniola ; Cyano-
sylvia—Luscinta ; Hierofalco—Fatco ; Astur—ACCIPITER ;
Chen—ANSER ; Casanca—T'adorna ; Querquedula and Mareca
—Awnas; Netta and Glaucion—Nyroca; Mergellus and
Lophodytes—MeErGuUs ; (dicnemus—BuRHINUS ; Hudromias
and Afgialitis—CHARADRIUS ; CaNnutus—T'ringa ; Tringytes
—Ero.ia ; Catharacta—Stercorarius. We see no necessity
for the smaller divisions adopted in the B.0.U. List, except
in the cases of Netta and “ Glaucion,” which we think are
justified.

As to the grouping of subspecies, we have not space to
discuss this, but we may point out that the List presents
a number of extraordinary anomalies, for instance, the
Pied Wagtail is considered a species, whereas all the other:
forms of the White Wagtail are considered as subspecies,
the Rock-Pipit and Water-Pipits are considered to be distinct
species, the British Willow-Tit and Northern Willow-Tit
are subspecies, and yet apparently the American Parus
atricapillus belongs to a different species, the Indian, African
and European Stonechats, though so much alike, are con-
sidered to be distinct species.

There remain to be discussed species. and subspecies
admitted by us and not to the B.0.U. List. The Committee
state that the Parrot-Crossbill only differs from the typical
form ‘‘in the enlarged size of its bill,” and therefore they
consider it merely a variation or dimorphism. As a matter
of fact, the bird is larger in all its measurements and lays
larger eggs, and is only found in part of the range of the
Common Crossbill. The Committee are clearly in error on
this point and we fancy that few will agree with them.
Parus cristatus mitratus is omitted altogether, and the’

VOL. vu. ] B.0.U. LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 285

specimens of Agrobates g. syriacus are referred to familiaris,
both of which cases seem to be due to carelessness. The
name of the Red-necked Nightjar obtained at Killingworth
is given as ruficollis, apparently because in his Végel pal. Fauna
Hartert referred it to the typical form, but in the Hand-List
to desertorum. Yet the footnote in the Hand-List (p. 97)
could surely not be clearer as the result of a careful examina-
tion of the bird and this was published in May. 1912, but
the page referring to the bird in the Vég. pal. Fauna was
closed for press in October, 1911 as is indicated on p. 849.

There is also the case of the Black-throated and Black-eared
Wheatears; these we unite as dimorphisms of the same
species, while the B.O.U. Committee separate them as distinct
species. There can, perhaps, be no absolute proof of the
correctness of our view until young reared from the same
nest are proved to be dimorphic, but the birds have the
same breeding range, migrate together, have the same
actions, habits and notes, and the eastern representatives
differ in the same way from the western.

With regard to the Committee’s inability to recognise
some of the British subspecies, we are hopeful that as they
have been able to appreciate the differences in. such closely-
allied forms as the Dartford Warblers, the Willow-Warblers
and Chiffchaffs, the Continental and British forms of the
Willow-Tit, Jay and others, they will with further study
and with perhaps better material be able to see the differences
in most of the forms they reject.

The List is provided with notes on British and General
Distribution, the former being much less detailed than in
our Hand-List, and the latter slightly more so. No acknow-
ledgment whatever is given of help received from the Hand-
List, although it is clear that much assistance was derived
from the information there collected. We are only too
glad, of course, to see our work made use of, but it is customary
to acknowledge such assistance, especially in a case of this
kind where great labour was involved. In a good many
instances the accounts in the Hand-List have not been brought
up-to-date, e.g. Little Bunting occurrences in 1912 and 1913
at the Isle of May have not been added, a third occurrence of
the Barred Warbler and seventh of the Wryneck in Ireland are
omitted, a reported occurrence of the Alpine Swift in Scotland
(see Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1897, p. 152) overlooked by us
is not referred to, a third occurrence of Tengmalm’s Owl
in Scotland is omitted, the recent breeding of the Gadwall
in Caithness is not referred to, etc. Mistakes made by us

286 BRITISH BIRDS. [vot. VIII.

have been copied, an occurrence of a Great Reed-Warbler
in Norfolk being given as in May, whereas the correct month
was August (see Zool., 1907, p. 132), the breeding colony of
Lesser Black-backed Gulls at Foulshaw is large and well-
known but, by a slip, we omitted Westmorland from the
list of counties in which the bird breeds, and it is also omitted
in the B.O.U. List. It is stated that the Walney Island
breeding colony of the Sandwich Tern is at present deserted
and this was so as far as we knew when we wrote the Hand-
List, but Mr. H. W. Robinson has since pointed out (Brit. B.,
VI., p. 95) that the birds were breeding there in 1911] and 1912.
The Pratincole is stated to have occurred in Fife, whereas
it should have been Forfar, no one else but ourselves being
responsible for making Montrose in Fifeshire !

We have shown where we can at once come into agreement
with the B.O.U. List, and where we must still differ from
it, and we may conclude by again expressing our gratifica-
tion that the number of cases in the latter category are
comparatively few, and, we feel sure, capable of future
adjustment.

THE AUTHORS OF THE “ Hanp-LisT.”

( 287 )
THE LATE LIEUT. FRANCIS A. MONCKTON.

THE study of Ornithology and especially of the birds of
Staffordshire has recently sustained a great loss by the
death of Lieut. Francis Algernon Monckton, Ist Battalion
Scots Guards, who was killed in action on November 8th.
1914. He was the eldest son of Mr. Francis Monckton, of
Stretton Hall, Stafford, and was born on the 6th of May,
1890, and educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford.
He obtained his commission as 2nd Lieutenant in the Scots
Guards in February, 1912, becoming Lieutenant in the fol-
lowing year. Around his home at Stretton, which is situated
in a beautiful rural district, he had a great opportunity
of studying the local birds and especially the wildfowl which
frequent the lake in Stretton Park, the River Penk which
runs through the estate, and a large sheet of water known as
Bellfield’s Reservoir. This part of the county of Stafford
lies almost in a direct line with one of the great flight lines
of our winter migrants coming in from the east coast to the
south-west, and thus Staffordshire has obtained records. a
great number of them being supplied by Monckton, of most
of the rarer wild Geese, Ducks, Waders, etc. Here from
his boyhood Monckton made a study of local birds, and
especially of their various stages of plumage. The writer had
the pleasure on April 8th, 1911, of staying with him at Stretton
and of visiting Bellfield’s Reservoir, on which occasion
we observed many interesting birds. Since the year 1905
Monckton annually contributed valuable notes on the birds
of Staffordshire, which appear in The Transactions of the
North Staffs. Field Club, and amongst them are to be found
records of some of the rarest Staffordshire species. He was
always ready to impart his knowledge of wild bird-life to
others, and spared neither time nor trouble in watching
any rare species for days together so as to make sure of its
identity and learn more of its habits. The writer has lost
in Monckton a valued and sincere friend and correspondent,
and the study of Staffordshire Ornithology will suffer much
by his having given his life so nobly for his country.
J.R.B.M.

That Monckton was an extremely keen and enthusiastic
ornithologist is shown by a letter dated October 22nd, 1914,
from St. Nazaire, at the mouth of the Loire, where he was
quartered before going to the front. . In this-letter to me he
states that this place appeared to be an excellent one for

288 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Vitl.

observing migration, and he proceeds to give some interesting
‘details, some of which are quoted below.—H.F.W.

“ Both the Pied and White Wagtails are common here now; the
Pied if anything rather the more numerous. Grey Wagtails are
scattered about in small numbers. Rooks, Jackdaws, and Starlings
are rare here, but have been coming over in small flocks during the
last few days. Stonechats seem to be sparsely distributed.

“ Chiffchaffs are swarming everywhere, and often sing in the early
morning. I have been much struck by the absence of other small
Warblers. When I was here in August I saw a few Whitethroats,
but this month I have not seen a Whitethroat, Blackcap, or any
bird of that sort. Robins, Hedge-Sparrows, and Wrens are common,
but the Robins seem to have increased in numbers recently. Thrushes
are mostly conspicuous by their absence. Blackbirds were uncommon
until October 17th, after which date they have become more and
more numerous in the gardens along the cliffs. Several nights I
have heard them passing over. Chaffinches struck me as being very
uncommon up till the 17th, since when they have come in in great
numbers.

“On the 17th there was a great rush of birds. I was out about
7.15 a.m. and the migration seemed to reach its height about 8.0 a.m.
and had practically stopped by 10.30 a.m. It was a cold, overcast,
hazy morning, with a fresh N.E. wind. The birds were flying up
the river along the shore. They mostly passed straight on, but some
dropped out here and there. The vast majority seemed to be
Chaffinches, Linnets, Sky-Larks, and Goldfinches, with a certain
number of Meadow-Pipits. There were also a few Rooks, Jackdaws,
Swallows, Martins and Wagtails. As the birds were mostly passing
overhead and in a dull light, it was very difficult to distinguish between
species.

“ On the 18th I had not much opportunity of watching, but I think
there was a slight migration, as I saw parties of Blue-Tits, Starlings
and Swallows. Sky-Larks and Thrushes of some sort were passing
over during the night 17th-18th. On the 19th the east wind still
continued, and there was a remarkable rush of birds in the morning,
dying away about 9.0 a.m., though birds were still coming in at
10.30 a.m. The vast majority of birds seemed to be Chaffinches,
Linnets, Sky-Larks, and Meadow-Pipits. Many flocks of Blue-Tits
were coming in; I saw only one Great Tit actually coming in, though
both these species seem common about here. Many Goldfinches,
Wagtails and Starlings were coming in; three flocks of Rooks, twelve
Jackdaws, five Stock-Doves, and a very few Swallows and Martins.

“On the 20th there was another strong migration, though hardly
so many birds as on the day before. Mostly Chaffinches, Linnets,
Sky-Larks and Goldfinches, but not so many Meadow-Pipits. A few
Rooks, Starlings, Swallows, Martins, and Mistle-Thrushes, one
Redwing (or possibly a Song-Thrush), a Wheatear, a Merlin, and a
good many Blue-Tits.

“Wednesday, 21st. I saw a Wheatear, and I think there was a
slight migration ; but it was difficult to tell owing to the fog. To-day
22nd), all migration seems to have stopped.”

‘

/
:
4
'
:

:

ARRIVAL OF SUMMER MIGRANTS. EARLY
APPEARANCES IN 1915.

THE Migration Committee of the British Ornithologists’ Club
completed that part of its work which entailed the systematic
collection of records at the end of the Spring migration of
1914, having conducted its operations over a period of ten
years. Every year recently a certain number of our readers
have sent us notes on the early arrival or first appearance
of our summer residents and these it has always been our
practice to hand over for the use of the Migration Committee.
We propose in the future to publish a brief summary of
such notes on this subject as our readers send us, which
relate to unusually early appearances. Up to the present
we have received the following :—

SwaLiow (Chelidon r. rustica).—One, Llandeloy, Pembroke,
March 24th and 25th (Rev. J. Lloyd) ; four, Tring Reservoirs,
Herts, March 26th to 3lst (Dr. E. Hartert); two, Sherborne
Park, Dorset, March 30th (W. J. N. Ryan).

SAND-MaRTIN (hiparia r. riparia).—Five or six, Tring
Reservoirs, Herts, March 26th to 31st (Dr. E. Hartert).

Although a few early Swallows are reported from the
west of England and Wales every year in the latter half of
March, their appearance in Hertfordshire at so early a date
is quite exceptional and is remarked on by Dr. Hartert
who states that local residents whom he has consulted have
never before seen one in March. The record of the Sand-
Martins is, of course, hardly so exceptional.

CROSSBILLS BREEDING IN NORFOLK.

THE first notice I had of Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) being
in the neighbourhood was given to me by my friend Mr.
L. Robinson, of Middleton, to whom I am greatly indebted
for all the assistance he has given me. He first noticed
Crossbills in the summer of 1912, when he saw two old birds
feeding their young in his garden; a few birds remained
during the winter, and during the next summer he again
saw old birds feeding their young. These birds were still
about in the spring and summer of 1914. In August large
flocks began to appear and many remained during the winter.

Early in the morning of February 27th we saw a hen
Crossbill cutting twigs off a larch and carrying them to a

290 BRITISH BIRDS [VoL. vit.

branch about thirty feet up a Scotch fir on the opposite
side of the road. Later on in the morning we saw another
hen Crossbill building in a larch in the garden. While
the hen was building, the cock was singing in the same tree ;
soon another cock appeared, and settled about a foot off
the first one. They both started calling, using the ‘‘ chiking ”
note. They kept this up for about two minutes, the noise
getting louder and louder, then they both flew into the
air and tumbled over each other, and then settled on the
branch again. They went through this performance several
times until the intruder was put to flight. We also saw
another hen bird stripping the bark off a silver birch and
carrying it away, but this one we failed to track. The next
morning the first two hens were busy building, and in another
part of the garden we saw another hen bird building in a
Scotch fir. This nest was on a lateral branch about twelve
feet from the ground and four feet from the main trunk.
The same day I visited a part of the wood about half a
mile away, where I expected to find Crossbills, and saw a
flock of eight, four cocks and four hens, feeding in a larch.
I watched them for about an hour, when they flew off in
pairs. I followed one hen bird and saw it pick up some
small pieces of grass, and fly off with them, but I failed
to find the nest. The next day broke very rough, with wind
and snow, and the birds seemed to leave off building. I
visited Middleton on the following Saturday, and found
that the two nests in the Scotch firs had progressed con-
siderably, but the one in the larch had blown down and the
birds had gone elsewhere. On visiting the part of the wood
mentioned above, I found a nest which I thought was a
Crossbill’s, and on climbing up to it the next morning found
that it contained one egg, but this nest was afterwards
deserted. On the same morning I visited the nest in the
Scotch fir in the garden, but although the nest seemed
quite finished it contained no eggs. This nest had larch
twigs for a foundation, then a little moss, quantities of
coarse grasses, and was lined with very fine grasses and a
good many feathers, but as far as I could see, contained
no horsehair. This was a very pretty nest, and the founda-
tion of twigs was continued right up the sides and formed
a platform right round the top of the nest. On March 10th
I climbed up to both the nests in the Scotch firs, first of
all visiting the one on the opposite side of the road, and
found it contained three eggs. This nest, which was near
a stable, was built on a platform of larch twigs and was
made of moss, grass, quantities of horsehair, one or two

VOL. VIII.] NOTES. 291

pieces of string and knitting wool and sheep’s wool, and was
lined with fine grass and one feather. On climbing up to
the nest in the garden I found it contained four eggs, and
the bird had begun to sit. While I was examining the nest
the birds became very excited, and came quite close to me:
at one time the hen settled within a foot of me. The cock
birds seemed to take no part in the nest-building, as far as
we could see, but in one case the cock accompanied the hen
each time she came to the ground for nesting material and
followed her back to the nest. At the time of writing,
another nest is being built at the top of a larch tree in the
garden, but is not finished yet.

The Crossbills are still in the Castle Rising district, but
so far I have not found a nest there. On March 6th, in
a little Scotch fir plantation there, I heard a cock bird
singing, which seemed to indicate the presence of a nest,
and this morning (March 21st) I saw a cock and hen Crossbill
feeding on Scotch fir cones in the same plantation.

N. Tracy.

TREE-CREEPER IN LONDON.

ON March 25th, 1914, I saw a Tree-Creeper (Certhia f.
brittanica) in Kensington Gardens. D. EaRDLEY-BEECHAM.

[With reference to this observation Mr. A. H. Macpherson
writes us as follows :—

“T have seen the Tree-Creeper in Kensington Gardens
about ten times during the last twenty-five years. I had
never met with the bird in the heart of London except in
Kensington Gardens until February 7th of this year, when
one paid a short visit to the trunk of an old acacia tree in
my little garden in Campden Hill Square.’’]

BREEDING-HABITS OF THE MISTLE-THRUSH.

THE interesting notes on the breeding-habits of the Mistle-
Thrush (Turdus v. viscivorus) supplied by Mr. G. Bathurst
Hony in the March issue (antea, p. 240) induce me to record
my own observations. In 1913, a pair built in a willow and
reared three young in a garden adjoining mine at Upton
Heath, Chester. The young left the nest on April 22nd ;
on April 2lst the same pair started a second nest (using
my best rockery plants for a foundation !) this time in my
garden, also in a willow and in close proximity to the house.
It was practically finished on April 23rd and the first egg
laid on April 27th; five eggs were laid and three young

292 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. vm.

eventually flew on May 30th. I frequently saw the young
of the first brood (sometimes two together) sitting on the
second nest while the hen was incubating and the male fed
them there, sometimes with holly berries as a change of diet.
To get two broods off by the end of May seems to me to be
very quick work. A point I should like to raise is: to what
extent is the Mistle-Thrush double-brooded ? Apart from
the above instance I have no sure proof—at any rate in
this immediate district—that the bird is otherwise than
single brooded, though very occasionally young birds, not
long flown, are seen in July in North Wales. Howard
Saunders (Manual, 2nd Edition), gives two broods in the

south, ‘‘ but in the north the fine weather is too short for |

more than one; ” but I doubt if weather has much to do
with it considering how early the Mistle-Thrush as a rule
breeds. S. G. CumMMINGs.

|Many instances of two birds in a season came under my
notice in Derbyshire : one within a few yards of my house.—
Ltn Ol sted 4

MISTLE-THRUSH SINGING ON THE WING.

THE Rey. W. F. Johnson writes to the Northern Whig :
‘The other day I heard a Mistle-Thrush’s note and looked
up at the trees, but my eye was caught by one on the wing,
and as I watched I heard it give utterance to its song, or
part of it, for it only gave a few notes, and as it flew on gave
a few more. Three times as I followed its flight I heard
its notes. I have never noticed this before, and should like
to know if this is a habit of the Mistle-Thrush or only a
vagary of this particular bird.”” Never having heard the
Mistle-Thrush utter its song whilst flying, I think this
observation must be exceptional, and consider it worth the
greater publicity afforded by British Birds.

Nevin H. Foster.

DIPPER IN SURREY.

Durine the very cold weather on March 28th, 1915, I saw
a Dipper (Cinclus cinclus ? subsp.) on the River Mole, between
Leatherhead and Cobham. M. V. WENNER.

_EARLY NESTING OF GREAT CRESTED GREBE.
On March 27th, 1915, I found the nest of the Great Crested
Grebe (Colymbus c. cristatus) on a small lake in Surrey.
There were four eggs in the nest and these were very dark
in colour, but they did not float when put into water and

— pe ecient i ALE ALE AE NE Pei

fe et .

VOL. VIII.] NOTES. 293

were therefore comparatively newly laid. It is an interesting
fact that last year on the same lake (not large enough to hold
more than one pair of these birds) I found a nest of this
species (presumably the same pair) on April Ist, also containing
four much stained eggs. It is an early date and helps to
bear out the theory that individual birds of a species con-
sistently breed early, while others are probably equally
consistent in breeding late. In both the above cases, the nests
were in identically the same place. G. K. Baynes.

[An instance of very early nesting has been recorded for
Renfrew, where a nest with five eggs was reported on March
13th, 1906 (Ann. Scot. N. H., 1907, p. 206).—Eps. |

FEEDING HABIT OF THE RED-NECKED PHALAROPE.

Wirt reference to the notes on this subject (antea, pp. 243
and 268) the accompanying photograph of a Red-necked
Phalarope is of interest as it shows the bird turning round

in the water and beating the surface with its wings, no doubt
to disturb the mud at the bottom and bring up insects hiding
there. In my book Through Birdland Byways, published
six years ago, I gave a description of this exercise and
mentioned that I thought it was a method of raising food
from the bottom of the shallow water. Mr. Richmond Paton
and I watched the birds doing this many times on our

AA

294. BRITISH BIRDS. _ [VOL. Vii.

first visit to the Orkney Islands, and I was able to obtain ©
several photographs of the performance. The bird would —
revolve rapidly, beat the water with its wings, and often
duck its head, and as soon as the water had been disturbed,
would pick up minute objects from the surface. The bird
also pays great attention to cleaning its feathers, by ducking
its head and allowing the water to trickle down its back
in the same way as a Duck, but the two performances are
quite distinct. OLIVER G. PIKE.

COMMON TERNS.

I was interested to read the notes on this subject in your

issues of February and April, 1915. On 12th July, 1914,

I visited a colony of Common Terns near Formby, Lancs. _
I found plenty of eggs, but only four young birds, which I~
ringed. On 3rd August, 1914, I again visited the colony,
intending to ring some more young, but to my surprise —
found it deserted. I discovered the dead bodies of several
adults and one nestling, but apart from these saw no old ~
birds and found no trace of either young or eggs, except a
few egg shells. On enquiry I ascertained that there had been
a severe gale since my last visit. It is probable that the eggs
and newly-hatched young were overwhelmed by the sand,
which among these dunes, clothed only with sparse vegetation,
is always shifting. It is, of course, impossible that the whole
of the eggs could have been hatched out and the young flown
in the interval between 12th July and 3rd August. I may
say that I visited the same place on July 27th, 1913, and at
that date there were many birds, both adult and partly
fledged young, at the colony. E. W. Hewpy.

OCCASIONAL HIGH MORTALITY IN YOUNG .
}
;

us that he heard a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) at
Cambridge on January 10th, 1915, and that it remained

:
CHIFFCHAFF IN WINTER.—Mr. P. E. B. Jourdain informs |
;
in the neighbourhood for about a week after that date. :

en

LETTERS

THE BLAKENEY POINT TERNERY.
To the Editors of BririsH Birps.

Srrs,—How long the Common Tern has nested at Blakeney there
is probably no means of ascertaining now, but my father could speak
to the settlement being in existence in 1830, or thereabouts, but
probably it is much older than that. At that time there is reason
to believe the chief breeding-place was not at Blakeney, but on the
shingle beach at Cley, a mile to the east. It is, as Mr. Rowan says
in his very interesting article (antea, p. 250), all a continuation of
the same shingle spit, which begins at Weybourne and broadens
as it goes westwards. My father, who was born in 1819, could also
remember when Avocets still bred at Salthouse and Cley, but it is
probable that there were never many of them and they soon became
rare. I have seen a note written in 1838 which states that they were
then very scarce at Salthouse, and mentions that two had been
recently killed. J. H. GuRNEY.

Keswick, Norroik, April 16th, 1915.

To the Editors of British Brrps.

Strs,—In Mr. Rowan’s very interesting article it is stated that
the Common Terns invariably intimate their feelings by uttering
their characteristic angry “ pirre’’ when diving at the head of a
human intruder. This I submit is not quite correct. The notes
and “kip, kip’ (given in the late Howard Saunders’s

“ pee-er ””
Manual as “ pirre”’ and “ kik-kik ?’) are often heard when the birds
are fishing as well as at the Ternery. Their anger is expressed by
a long-drawn “ pee-er’’ and at times they hover over an intruder,
but when stooping at his head the note is always “ kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk,”’
the bird sheering off when a foot or two above him and never actually
striking. It is very curious that the note “ kuk-uk-uk-uk-uk’”’ is
also uttered by the female when receiving dainty morsels from her
partner. There being no noticeable sex-difference, I determined
the gender of the birds by their behaviour. Lastly, the note
‘‘ ker-er-er-er-er,’ not uncommonly heard, is invariably uttered

when one bird is chasing another on the wing. J. Frew.

SouTHPORT AND WIGAN, April 12th, 1915.

296 - ~ BRITISH BIRDS. [vou vit.

To the Editors of British Brrps.

Strs,—Mr. Rowan in his article on the Blakeney Point ternery,
referring to the Little Tern on p. 257, says ‘‘ nesting begins in June.”
My own experience, however, is that they nest considerably earlier
than the Common Tern, and on referring to my notes I find my
earliest record is a clutch of three eggs which I found in the sand at
Blakeney Point on May 14th, 1911. :

The “ dip-ear,”’ to which allusion is made on page 250, is a common
local name for the Little Tern in this neighbourhood, but is generally
used to distinguish this species from “ the’”’ Tern.

I think Mr. Rowan misunderstood Pashley’s statement about the
old wild-fowler eating the Terns. Pashley was referring to their eggs.

April, 1915. CLIFFORD BoORRER.

[May 14th is a remarkably early date for a full clutch of the Little
Tern, which seldom has eggs earlier than May 17th. It is, as
Mr. Borrer states, rather an earlier breeder as a rule than the Common
Tern, but there is not a great deal of difference between the dates
of the two species, as the Common Tern has been known to lay as
early as May 16th on the Kentish coast.—F.C.R.J.]

Corrections.—Mr. Rowan states that on p. 251 the reference
to K under the chart should be ‘“ Long IT ow”’ not “ Long Hills.” On
page 262, 12 lines from bottom, the length of one egg is given as “ 2.56”
instead of “ 3.56.”

lly idlihuiatillaS die apa Ae

a ie le sae

( 297 )

INDEX.

Notr.—The nomenclature followed in this volume is in accordance with
A Hand-List of British Birds (1912).

abietinus, Phylloscopus c., see Chiff-
chaff, Scandinavian.

Afgolius, Correct Generic name for
Tengmalm’s Owl, 280.

cesalon, Falco w., see Merlin.

affinis, Larus f., see Gull, Black-
backed, Lesser British.

alba, Tyto a., see Owl, Barn-.

albellus, Mergus, see Smew.

ALEXANDER, H. G., A Report on
the Land-Rail Inquiry, 82;
A Practical Study of Bird
(Ecology, 184; Notes on Ice-
land Gull in Kent, 53 ; Willow-
Tit in North-east Norfolk,
146; Migration at Dungeness,
Kent, Autumn 1914, 226;

' Surf-Scoter in Kent, 241.

alle, Alle, see Auk, Little.

Autison, J. S., Note on Little
Gull caught and ringed in
Lincolnshire, 269.

alpina, Erolia a., see Dunlin.

aluco, Strix a., see Owl, Tawny.

ANDREWS, W. J., Note on Moorhen
using Nest of Sparrow-Hawk,
270.

anglicus, Dryobates m., see Wood-
pecker, Spotted, Great, British.

antiquorum, Phonicopterus, see
Flamingo.

apivorus, Pernis a., see Buzzard,
Honey-.

Apus, Correct Generic name for the
Alpine Swift and the Swift,
280.

aquaticus, Acrocephalus, see
Warbler, Aquatic.

arborea, Lullula a., see
Wood-.

arctica, Fratercula a., see Puffin.

Lark,

, Gavia, see Diver, Black-
throated.

argentatus, Larus a., see Gull,
Herring-.

arquata, Numenius a., see Curlew,
Common.

arvensis, Alauda a., see Lark,
Sky-.

astaticus, Charadrius, see Plover,
Caspian.

Athene, Correct Generic name for
Little Owl, 280.

atricapilla, Sylvia a., see Blackeap.

Auk, Little, at the Scilly Isles,

172; Unusual Number of, in
Scotland, 272.

aureus, Turdus d., see Thrush,
White’s.

auritus, Colymbus, see Grebe

Slavonian.
Avocet, Notes on Breeding-habits
of, 58; in Suffolk, 174.
avosetta, Recurvirostra, see Avocet.

bairdti, Frolia, see
Baird’s.

Banks, R. C., Note on Black-
throated Diver in Monmouth-
shire, 268.

Barnes, 8S. K., Note on Great
Grey Shrike in Kent, 240.
Barrineton, R. M., Notes on
Sexes of Migrants, 13 ; Damage
to Tail-feathers of Pomatorhine

Skuas, 244, 269.

bassana, Sula, see Gannet.

Baynes, G. K., Notes on Great
Grey Shrike in Surrey, 240;
Early Nesting of the Great
Crested Grebe, 292.

Brntuam, H., Note on Whitethroat
using Supplementary Nest, 116.

Brest, Miss M. G. S., Notes on
Breeding-habits of Avocets,
58; Note on Breeding-actions
of the Redshank, 20.

, and HAvILAND, Miss M. D.,

Notes on the MRed-necked

Sandpiper,

Phalarope in the Outer
Hebrides, 9.

biarmicus, Panurus 6., see Tit,
Bearded.

Bird-Notes, The Study of, 2.

298 :

Bittern, Probably Breeding in
Norfolk, 55.

Blackbird, Curious Site for a
Nest, 75; Feeding on Daisies,
245; Recovery of Marked,
46, 111.

Blackcap, Abnormal Song of, 16;
Early Breeding of, 16, 48,
49, 97; in London, 15; Sing-
ing in Winter in Oxfordshire,
80.

Blackgame, see Grouse, Black.

Blakeney Point Ternery, 250, 295,
296.

Bluethroat, Norwegian, in Scotland,
128.

Buiytu, R. O., Note on Nuthatch’s.
Nest in a Haystack, 239.

boarula, Motacilla b., see Wagtail,
Grey.

borin, Sylvia, see Warbler, Garden-

Borrer, C., Notes on Late Nesting
of the Nightjar, 117 ; Glaucous
Gull in London, 269; Letter
on the Blakeney Point Ternery,
296.

Boyp, A. W., Note on Willow-Tit
Breeding in Cheshire, 72.
britannica, Carduelis c., see Gold-

’ finch, British.

——, Certhia f., see Creeper, Tree-.

, Sitta e., see Nuthatch.

britannicus, Cinclus c., see Dipper.

British Birds, The B.O.U. List of,
Reviewed, 278.

——, Field-Studies of Some Rarer,
Reviewed, 26.
British Birds, New,
Warbler, 93.
Brock, 8. E., Ecological Relations

of Bird-distribution, 30.

Brooding Birds and Nestlings,

Habits at Night, 144.

Riuppell’s

bulwerti, Bulweria, see Petrel,
Bulwer’s.

Bunting, Black-headed, in York-
shire and Sussex, ye SiN

Yorkshire, Correction, 244.
——, Lapland, in Isle of May,
22; in Scotland, 127.
——.,, Little, in Isle of May, 22.
——, Ortolan, at Fair Island, 123;
in Norfolk, 54; in Scotland,
126; in Suffolk, 176.
, Yellow, Folk-Lore of the,
196; Recovery of Marked,
Tas

ee

BRITISH BIRDS. -

Burnier, R., Note on Early
Breeding of Lesser White-
throat and Blackcap, 97.

Bustard, Macqueen’s, Scientific —
name of, 279.

Buzzard, Honey-, in Ireland, 197.

: Rough- legged, in Berkshire,

219.

cannabina, Carduelis c., see Linnet.

canorus, Cuculus c., see Cuckoo. .

canus, Larus c., see Gull, Common.

carbo, Phalacrocorax C.5 see
Cormorant. :

Cave, W., Note on Curious Site
for a Blackbird’s Nest, 75.

CHEESMAN, R. E., Notes on Breed-
ing-habits of Willow-Tit in
Kent, 69; Redshanks Breed-
ing inland in Kent, 101.

Chelidon, Correct Generic name
for Swallows, 281.

Chiffchaff, Increase or Decrease of,
107; Early Nesting of, “Gs
48 ; in Dorsetshire in
December, 197; in Winter in
British Isles, 271; in Winter
at Cambridge, 294.

—, Scandinavian,
May, 22.

, Siberian, in Scotland, 127;

in Shetland, 271.

Chlamydotis, Correct Generic name
for Macqueen’s Bustard, 279.

chloris, Chloris ch., see Greenfinch.

in Isle of

chloropus, Gallinula ch., see Moor-
hen,
Curisty, Mituer, Fecundity of

the House- Sparrow, 114.
cinerascens, Alauda a., see Lark,
Sky-, Eastern.

cimerea, Alauda a.,

Eastern.

, Ardea, see Heron, Common.

citrinella, Emberiza c., see Bunting,
Yellow.

clanga, Aquila, see Eagle, Spotted.

clangula, Nyroca c., see Goldeneye.

clarkei, Turdus ph. » see Thrush,
Song-, British.

coccothraustes, Coccothraustes Cc., See
Hawfinch.

Cocks, A. H., Note on Stone-
Curlew Breeding in Bucking-
hamshire, 173.

CouttettT, A., Notes on Early Nest-
ing 48.

see Lark, Sky-,

INDEX.

collurio, Lanius c., see Shrike,
Red-backed. __

collybita, Phylloscopus c., see Chiff-
chaff.

Colymbus, Correct Generic name
for Grebes, 281.

communis, Sylvia c., see White-
throat.

CoNnGREVE, W. M., Note on Clutches
of Five Eggs of Peregrine
Faleon, 52.

Cormorant Nesting in Norfolk,
52, 130 ; Recovery of Marked,
46, 112.

corone, Corvus c.
Carrion-.

Crake, Spotted, in Shetland, 245 ;
in Sussex, 122.

Creeper, Tree-, in London, 291.

crex, Crex, see Rail, Land-.

cristatus, Colymbus c., see Grebe,
Great Crested.

Crossbills Breeding in Norfolk, 289.

Crow, Carrion-, in Outer Hebrides,
176, 196.

Cuckoo ejecting two Eggs at once,
51; in House-Sparrow’s Nest,
98, 173; Eggs and Nestlings
in 1914, 118.

Cummines, 8. G., Notes on Unusual
Site for Nest of Linnet, 196;

» see Crow,

Breeding-habits of the Mistle- |

Thrush, 291.

Curlew, Common, Breeding in
Norfolk, 55; Recovery of |
Marked, 46.

——. Slender-billed, in Kent, 150.

——, Stone-, Breeding in Bucking-
hamshire, 121, 173; Early
Nesting of, 49.

curruca, Sylvia c., see Whitethroat,
Lesser.

curvirostra, Loxia c., see Crossbill.

dartfordiensis, Sylvia. see
Warbler, Dartford.

Dipper in Surrey, 292.

Distribution, Ecological Relations
of Bird-, 30.

Diver, Black-throated,
mouthshire, 268.

——, Red-throated, Method of
Progression on Land of a
Young, 241.

Diving, Method of, by Grebe, 24.

Us,

in Mon-

299

Docxray, J. A., Notes on Long-
tailed Skua in Ireland, 78;
Gadwall in Cheshire, 120.

domesticus, Passer d., see Sparrow,
House-.

Dotterel in Wigtownshire, 176.

dougallii, Sterna d., see Tern,
Roseate.

Dove, Turtle-, Early Nesting of, 77.

Duck, Ferruginous, in Carnarvon-

shire, 120; in Suffolk, 176.

, Sheld-, at Fair Isle, 128.

——, Tufted, Possible Breeding of,
in Northants, 104; Increase
of, Breeding in Northumber-

land, 76.

Ducks, see Eider, Gadwall, Gar-
ganey, Goldeneye, Mallard,
Pochard.

Dungeness, Kent, Notes on Migra-
tion at, Autumn 1914, 226, 276.
Dunlin, Recovery of Marked, 46.

Eagle, Spotted, Scientific name of,
279.

EARDLEY-BEECHAM, Miss D., Note
on ‘Tree-creeper in London,

291.
| Early Nests, 16, 48, 49, 77, 97, 103,
| 292.
| Ecological Relations of Bird-dis-
tribution, 30.
Eggs, Unusual Clutches of, 26,
52, 74; Mud-daubed, of Jack-
daw, 14.
Eider Nesting in Woods in Scotland,
221).
——,, Steller’s, Scientific name of,
280.

epops, Upupa e., see Hoopoe.

Eremophila, Correct Generic name
for Shore-Lark, 280.

Erithacus, Correct Generic name for
the Redbreasts, 279.

erythrinus, Carpodacus e.,
beak, Scarlet.

erythropus, Anser, see Goose, White-
fronted, Lesser.

see Gros-

europeus, Caprimulgus e., see
Nightjar.
| Evans, C. I., Note on Spotted

Flycatcher’s Method of Eating
Butterflies, 171.
| eversmanni, Phylloscopus t., see
| Warbler, Willow-, Northern.
| excubitor, Lanius e., see Shrike,
Grey, Great.

300

falcinellus, Limicola f., see Sand-
piper, Broad-billed.

Falcon, Gyr-, Scientific name of, 282.

, Peregrine, Clutches of Five

Eggs of, 26, 52; Development
of Young, 119.

Farren, W., Feeding-habits of
the Sparrow-Hawk, 154.
Farwic, H. H., Note on Early
Nesting of Turtle-Dove, 77.
feldegg, Motacilla f., see Wagtail,

Black-headed.

ferina, Nyroca f., see Pochard.

ferruginea, Hrolia, see Sandpiper,
Curlew-.

Frew, J., Letter on the notes of the
Common Tern, 295.

finmarchicus, Anser, see Goose,
White-fronted Lesser. .

Flamingo, Scientific name of, 279.

flammeus, Astio f., see Owl, Short-
eared.

flava, Eremophila a.,
Shore-.

——, Motaciilla f.,
Blue-headed.

flavipes, Tringa, see Yellowshank.

flavirostris, Carduelis f., see Twite.

Flycatcher, Pied, in co. Cork, 55 ;
Scientific name of, 280.

——, Red-breasted, in Isle of

May, 22.

, Spotted, Increase or Decrease
of, 107; Method of Eating
Butterflies, 171; Notes on
the Young of the, 114; Scien-
tific name of, 280.

Food of Birds, Report for the Years
1911-12, Reviewed, 223.
Forp-Linpsay, H. W., Riippell’s
Warbler in Sussex, A new
British Bird, 93; Notes on
Alpine Swifts in Sussex, 50 ;
Bartram’s Sandpiper in Sussex,
101; Rose-coloured Starlings
in Sussex, 114; Yellowshank
in Sussex, 121; Spotted Crake
Im “Sussex; 1/22); Icterine
Warbler in Sussex, 146;
Pectoral Sandpiper in Sussex,

see Lark,

see Wagtail,

148; Slender-billed Curlew in
Kent, 150: Baird’s Sandpiper
in Sussex, 174; Rare Birds
in Sussex, 199; Aquatic
Warblers in Sussex, 267;
Dusky Thrushes in Sussex,
267.

BRITISH BIRDS.

Forrest, H. E., Notes on Little

fuligula, Nyroca, see Duck, Tufted.
Fulmar, Blue, see Petrel, Fulmar.
fulvus, Charadrius d., see Plover,

funereus,

Owl in Shropshire, 18; Twites ©
in Shropshire in Summer, 97 ;
Cuckoos in House-Sparrow’s
Nest, 98; Night-Heron in
Shropshire, 100; Fork-tailed
Petrel in Shropshire, 198 ;
Roseate Tern in Shropshire,
198 ; Remarkable Tameness in
a Redwing, 219. 4

Foster, N. H., Notes on Moorhen

Covering Eggs, 122; Mistle-
Thrush singing in Winter, 292. _

Frowawk, F. W., Note on Cuckoo :

Laying in
Nest, 1'73.

House-Sparrow’s ;

Golden, Asiatic.
Agolius
Tengmalm’s.

f., see Owl,

fusca, Aquila, see Eagle, Spotted. t
fuscatus, Turdus, see Thrush, Dusky.

| fuseus, Larus f., see Gull, Black-

Gadwall in

Gannets,

glaucus, Larus, see Gull, Glaucous.
GuLece, W. E., Notes on Abnormal

backed, Lesser.

Berkshire, 219; in
Cheshire, 120; Breeding in
Moray and Sutherland, 128.

gaetkei, Luscinia s., see Bluethroat,

Norwegian.

gallinago, Gallinago -g., see Snipe,

Common.

gallinula, Limnocryptes, see Snipe, —

Jack.

Increase of, at Little
Skellig (Kerry) 55; at Stack

of Stack and Skerry, 123; “9
in Staffordshire and North-
amptonshire, 19.

Garganey Breeding in Kent, 104.
GARNETT, D. G., Note on Colouring

of Soft Parts of Slavonian
Grebe, 220.

garrulus, Ampelis, see Waxwing.
gibraltariensis, Phanicurus 0., see

Redstart, Black.

glacialis, Fulmarus g., see Petrel,

Fulmar.

GLADSTONE, H. S., Note on Beliefs

regarding the Mating of Black-
game, 175.

Song of Blackeap, 16; Little
Owls in Essex, 197. 3

INDEX.

godmani, Puffinus o., see Shear-
water, Little Dusky.

Godwit, Black-tailed, in Scotland,
128.

Goldeneye Breeding in Nesting-
boxes in Germany, 18.

Goldfinch, British, Early Nesting
of, 48.

Goopatt, A. A., Note on Blackeap
in London, 15.

Goose, White-fronted, Lesser, Scien-
tifie name of, 279.

graculus, Phalacrocorax g., see Shag.

gravis, Puffinus, see Shearwater,
Great.

Greaves, W., Note on Long-tailed
Skua in Yorkshire, 78.

Grebe, Great Crested, Early nesting
of the, 292.

——., Holboell’s, Spreading Wings
before Diving, 24.

——.,, Little, Scientific name of, 280.

——., Slavonian, Colouring of Soft
Parts of, 220; Breeding in
Scotland, 128.

Grebes, Scientific name of, 281.

Greenfinch, Recovery of Marked,
45.

Grosbeak, Searlet, at Isle of May,
PAIN,

Grouse, Black, Beliefs regarding the
Mating of, 175.

——, Red, Destruction of, in a
Storm in Yorkshire, 102.

Guillemot, ““ Ringed,” in Anglesey,
54.

Gull, Black-backed, Great, Worry-
ing Diving Birds, 198.
—., , Lesser, British, Re-
_ covery of Marked, 47, 113.
——., Black-headed, Decrease of,
in Dumfriesshire, 125 ;
Erythristic Eggs of, 53; Hust-
ling Razorbills while Fishing,
174; Report on the Results
of Ringing, 209.

, Mediterranean, in Kent,

IS}
——, Common, Breeding in |
Cumberland, 101; Recovery |

of Marked, 47.
——, Glaucous, Inland in Ayrshire,
243; in London, 269.
Herring-, Habits and Be-
haviour of, 25.
——. Iceland, off Cornish Coast in
April, 21; in Kent, 53.

———

301

Gull, Little, in Fifeshire in June,
104; in’ Lancashire, 199;
Caught and ringed in Lincoln-
shire, 269; in Staffordshire,
53.

Gulls Worrying Diving Birds, 174,
198.

GURNEY, J. H., Notes on Cormor-
ants Nesting in Norfolk, 52;
Birds Migrating Northwards
in October, 143; Letter on
the Blakeney Point Ternery,
295.

haliaétus, Pandion h., see Osprey.

HaAviILANnD, Miss Maud D., Notes on
the Breeding-Habits of the
Curlew-Sandpiper, 178 ; Notes
on the Breeding-Habits of
the Little Stint, 202: Notes
on Habits of Brooding Birds
and Nestlings at Night, 144;
On the Method of Progression
on Land of a young Red-
throated Diver, 241; Feeding-
habit of Red-necked Phalarope,

243.

, see Brest, Miss M. G. S.

Hawfinch in co. Dublin, 22.

Hawk, Sparrow-, Food of, and
Method of Feeding Young, 98,
119, 147; Food and Feeding-
habits of the, 154, 193, 220;
in Scotland, 128; Recovery
of Marked, 46, 112.

HEADLEY, F. °W., Letter on
Migrants Flying North in
Autumn at Dungeness, 276.

Henpy, E. W., Note on Occasional
High Mortality in young
Common Terns, 294.

Heron, Common, Recovery of
Marked, 112.

——., Night-, Reported in Norfolk,
54; in Shropshire, 100.

Heronries, Scottish, 24.

Hirundo, Correct Generic name for
House-Martin, 281.

hirundo, Sterna, see Tern, Common.

holboelli, Colymbus, see Grebe,
Holboell’s.

Hottts, E., Note on Stone-Curlew
Breeding in Buckinghamshire,
120.

Hony, G. B., Note on Carrion-
Crows in the Outer Hebrides,

5302

196; Breeding-habits of the
Mistle-Thrush, 240.
Hoopoe at Lerwick, 128.
hortulana, Emberiza, see Bunting,
Ortolan.
Hupson, R., Note on Dartford
Warbler in Warwickshire, 146.
HumpHreys, G. R., Note on
Roseate Terns in Ireland, 77.

Hydrobates, Correct Generic name
for Storm-Petrel, 280.

hypoleuca, Muscicapa .h., see
Flycatcher, Pied.

Ibis, Glossy, Scientific name of, 279.

icterina, Hypolais, see Warbler,
Icterine.

Imrie, Miss E. M., Note on Black
Redstart in Hampshire, 267.

Isle of May, Scarce Birds in the, 22.

Jackdaw, Mud-daubed Eggs of, 14.
JONES, R. W.,

Anglesey, 50; Sandwich Terns
in Denbighshire, 52 ; “‘Ringed”’
Guillemot in Anglesey, 54.
JOURDAIN, Rev.
Goldeneye Breeding in Nest-
ing-boxes in Germany, 18;
Moorhen Covering Eggs, 79.

Ketso, Dr. J. E. H., Note on
Moorhen covering Eggs, 151.

Kent and Sussex, Rare Vagrants
in, 13.

Kite, Black, Scientific name of, 279.

kleinschmidti, Parus a., see Tit,
Willow-, British.

korschun, Milvus k., see Kite,
Black.

agopus, Buteo l., see Buzzard,

Rough-legged.
lapponicus, Calcarius T.,
ing, Lapland.
Lapwing, Recovery of Marked, 112.
Lark, Shore-, in Isle of May, 22;
in Scotland, 127; Scientific
name of, 280.
——., Sky-, Recovery of Marked,
Late
——, ——, Eastern, Scientific name
of, 279,
, Wood-, in Scotland, 127.
Late Nests, 117, 145.
leucopterus, Larus, see Gull, Iceland.

see Bunt-

Notes on Lesser |
Whitethroat and Nuthatch in

F. C. R., Notes on |
| lugubris, Motacilla a.,

BRITISH BIRDS.

leucorhoa, Oceanodroma, see Petrel,
Fork-tailed, Leach’s.

leucorodia, Platalea l., see Spoonbill.

leucorrhoa, @nanthe «., see Wheat-
ear, Greenland.

limosa, Timosa: see Godwit, Black- |

tailed.
linaria, Carduelis 1., see Redpoll,
Mealy.
Linnet, Breeding Status of, in

Scilly Isles, 144 ; Unusual Site
for Nest of, 196.

lobatus, Phalaropus, see Phalarope,
Red-necked.

longicauda, Bartramia, see Sand-
piper, Bartram’s.

longicaudus, Stercorarius, see Skua,
Long-tailed.

Loyp, L. R. W., Notes on Early
Nesting, 48 ; Unusual Nesting-
site of Mistle-Thrush, 74;
Unusually large Clutch of
Redbreast’s Eggs, 74 ; Curious
Break in Nesting Activities of
House-Martins, 76; Moorhen
Hatching two Broods in one
Nest, 80; Wrens Laying in
Year-old Nests, 98.

see Wagtail,

Pied.

maculata, Aquila, see Eagle,
Spotted.

——, Erolia m., see Sandpiper,
Pectoral.

major, Parus m., see Tit, Great,
Continental.

Matcomson, H. T., Note on Honey-
Buzzard in Ireland, 197.

Mallard, Display of the, in Relation
to Pairing, 24; Recovery of
Marked, 46, 112.

marinus, Larus, see Gull,

’ backed, Great.

Marked Birds, Recovery of, 45, 111,
209.

Marking Birds, 269; The “ British
Birds’? Marking Scheme : Pro-
gress for 1914. and Some
Results, 161.

Martin, House-, Early Nesting of,
48 ; Curious Break in Nesting
Activities of, 76; Increase and

Black-

Decrease of, 109; Scientific
name of, 281.

——., Sand-, Early appearance of,
289.

INDEX.

MasEFIELD, J. R. B., Notes on
Gannets in Staffordshire and
Northamptonshire, 19; Little
Gull in Staffordshire, 53; Pied
Wagtail’s Nest built in Moving
Railway Truck, 69; Moorhen
Covering Eggs, 102.

Massrty, H., Note on
Covering Eggs, 123.

May, Isle of, Scarce Birds in the, 22.

MrapE-Watpo, E. G. B., Note on
Food of Sparrow-Hawks and
Method of Feeding Young, 147.

megarhyncha, Luscinia m., see
Nightingale.

Melanistic varieties, 20.

_melanocephala, Emberiza, see Bunt-
ing, Black-headed.

, Motacilla f., see Wagtail,
Black-headed.

melanocephalus, Larus, see Gull,
Black-headed, Mediterranean.

melba, Apus m., see Swift, Alpine.

melophilus, Dandalus r., see Red-
breast, British.

Merlin, Breeding-habits of, 271;
Habits of the, 23; Scientific
name of, 279.

merula, Turdus m., see Blackbird.

migrans, Milous m., see Kite,

_ Black.

Migrants, Sexes of, 13.

Migration, 126, 143, 169, 226, 245,
272, 276; Report on the Im-
migration of Summer-residents
in the Spring of 1913, ete.,
Reviewed, 273.

minuta, Erolia m., see Stint, Little.

minutus, Larus, see Gull, Little.

Monckton, Lieut. Francis A.,
Obituary Notice of, 287.

montanus, Passer m., see Sparrow,
Tree-.

Moorhen Covering Eggs, 54, 79, 102,
122, 123, 151; Hatching two
Broods in One Nest, 80;
Moult of the, 25; Using Nest
of Sparrow-Hawk, 270.

Moreton, Lorp, Note on Status of
Land-Rail in Oxfordshire, 151.

morinellus, Charadrius, see Dotterel.

Moult, Some Passerine Birds found
Migrating in, 245.

musicus, Turdus, see Redwing.

Moorhen

Netson, T. H., Notes on Erythris-
tic Eggs of Black-headed Gull,

303

53; Destruction of Sea-birds
in a Storm at Teesmouth, 67 ;
Destruction of Grouse in a
Storm in Yorkshire, 102.

Nestlings and Brooding Birds,
Habits at Night, 144.

Nests and Nesting-sites, Unusual,
17. 69, 74, 75; 98, 116, elree
196, 221, 239, 270.

newtoni, Parus m., see Tit, Great,
British.

Nicnuots, J. B., Notes on Rare
Vagrants in Kent and Sussex,
13.

Nicuots, W. B., Note on Little
Owls in Essex, 197.

Nightingale, Early Nesting of, 49;
Increase or Decrease of, 109
Voice of, 6.

Nightjar, Late Nesting of the, 117.

nilotica, Sterna n., see Tern, Gull-

billed.

nisoria, Sylvia n., see Warbler,
Barred.

nisus, Accipiter n., see Hawk,
Sparrow-.

Noste, H., Notes on Food of

Sparrow-Hawks, 119; Stone-
Curlew Breeding in Bucking-
hamshire, 173; Rough-legged
Buzzard and Gadwalls in
Berkshire, 219.

noctua, Athene n., see Owl, Little.

Norfolk, Birds in, in 1913, 54.

Nuthatch in Anglesey, 50; Nest in
a Haystack, 239.

nycticorax, Nycticorax n., see Heron,
Night-.

nyroca, Nyroca, see Duck, Ferru-
ginous.

Obituary Notice of Lieut. Francis
A. Monckton, 287.

obscurus, Anthus s., see Pipit,
Rock-.

occidentalis, Prunella m., see Spar-
row, Hedge-.

oceanicus, Oceanites, see Petrel,
Wilson’s.

ocrophus, Tringa, see Sandpiper,
Green.

(Ecology, A Practical Study of
Bird, 184.

edicnemus, Burhinus e@., see Cur-
lew, Stone-.
enanthe, Enanthe e., see Wheatear.

304

OxtpHAmM, C., Notes on Ferruginous
Duck in Carnarvonshire, 120 ;
Folk-Lore of the Yellow Bunt-
ing, 196.

Oriole, Golden, at Isle of May, 22.

ortolus, Ortolus o., see Oriole,
Golden.

Ospreys of Loch an Hilein, 124.

Ouzel, Ring-, in Scotland, 127.

Owen, J. H., Notes on Mud-daubed
Eggs of Jackdaw, 14; Sparrow
ejecting Eggs from Nest of
Song-Thrush, 14; Woodcock
eating Corn, 21; Correction,
268 ; Cock House-Sparrow as-
sisting to Incubate, 49; Short
Interval between two Nests of
Robin, 50; Nesting-habits of
Woodpeckers, 51; Nestling
Cuckoo ejecting two Eggs at
once, 51; Moorhen Covering
Eggs, 54; the Young of
the Spotted Flycatcher, 114;
Cuckoos’ Eggs and Nestlings
in 1914, 118; the Food and
Habits of the Sparrow-Hawk,
193.

Owl, Barn-, Recovery of Marked,
46; Scientific name of, 280.

——., Little, in Essex, 197 ; Possible
Breeding in Radnorshire and
Yorkshire, 28; in Shropshire,
18; Breeding in Somerset-
shire, 23; Scientific name of,
280.

——.,, Short-eared, in Isle of May, 22.

——, Tawny, Voice of, 5.

Tengmalm’s, Scientific name

of, 279.

palumbus, Columba p.,
Wood-.

ParkIN, T., Note on Asiatic Golden
Plovers in Sussex, 52.

parva, Muscicapa p., see Flycatcher,
Red-breasted.

Paton, R. E., Note on Glaucous
Gulls inland in Ayrshire, 243.

Pearson, C. E., Note on Probable
Yellow-browed Warblers in
Nottinghamshire, 171.

PenrostE, Dr. F. G., Note on
Sparrow-Hawks’ Method of
Feeding Young, 98; Black-
headed Gulls and Razorbills,
174; Chiffchaff in Dorsetshire
in December, 197.

see Pigeon,

BRITISH BIRDS.

| ——, Rock,

9

peregrinus, Falco p., see Falcon,
Peregrine.

perspicillata, Oidemia, see Scoter,
Surf-. 7

Petrel, Bulwer’s, in Kent, 13.
, Fork-tailed, Leach’s, in Shrop-
shire, 198.
, Fulmar, Habits of the, 230;
Plumage and Distribution, 200;
Further Increase of, in Ireland,
56; Breeding on Bulgach,
123; at Butt of Lewis, 80;
in Kineardineshire, 125.
——, Storm-, Scientific name of,
280.

, Wilson’s, in Sussex, 199.

petrosus, Anthus s., see Pipit,
Rock-.

pheopus, Numenius ph., see
Whimbrel.

Phalarope, Red-necked, Feeding-

habit of, 243, 268, 293 ; Breed-
ing in the Outer Hebrides, 9. ¥

phenicurus, Phenicurus ph., see
Redstart. j
Pigeon, Wood-, Recovery of :

Marked, 112.

Pixs, O. G., Notes on the Habits
of the Fulmar Petrel, 230;
Feeding-habit of the Red-
necked Phalarope, 293.

Pipit, Meadow-, Recovery of
Marked, 45.

Scientific name of,
279.

a ROCs, in Ireland, 199; Nest-
ing in Scilly Isles, 145.

platyrhyncha, Anas p., see Mallard.

, Iimicola p., see Sandpiper,

Broad-billed.

Plegadis, Correct Generic name
for Glossy Ibis, 279. ;

Plover, Caspian, in Sussex, 13.

, Golden, Asiatic, in Sussex, 52.

pluvius, Picus v., see Woodpecker,
Green.

Pochard, Possible Breeding of, in
Northants, 104.

Polysticta, Correct Generic
for Steller’s Hider, 280.

pomarinus, Stercorarius, see Skua,
Pomatorhine.

Pornam, H. L., Note on Nest of
Jack Snipe, 149. =

Porta, M., Note on Increase at
Tufted Duek Breeding in
Northumberland, 76.

name

INDEX.

porzana,

Porzana, see Crake,
Spotted.
pratensis, _ Anthus, see Pipit,
Meadow-.

Puffin, Recovery of Marked, 113.
pusilla, Emberiza, see Bunting,
Little.

querquedula, Anas, see Garganey.

Rail; Land-, Inquiry, 48; Report
on the, 82; Early Nesting of,
49; in Winter in British Isles,
271; Status of in Oxfordshire,
151; in Yorkshire, 150.
Motacilla f., see Wagtail,

Yellow.

Razorbill, Remarkable Coincidence
in Marking, 21; Hustled by
Black-headed Gulls while Fish-
ing, 174.

Redbreast, British, Unusually large

Clutch of Eggs of, 74; Short

Interval between Two Nests

of, 50; Scientific name of, 279.

, Recovery of Marked, 111.

——, Continental, in Isle of May,
22, 124; Scientific name of,
274.

Redpoll, Greenland, at Possil Marsh
(Clyde), 126.

—, Mealy, in Scotland, 126;
in Staffordshire, 104.

Redshank, Common,
actions of the, 20;
inland in Kent,
Norfolk, 55;
Marked, 112.

Redstart, Increase or Decrease of,
108.

——, Black, in Hampshire, 267 ;
in Isle of May, 22; in North-
umberland, 23; in Scotland,

rayt,

Breeding-
Breeding
100; im
Recovery of

127; in Shetland, 245.
Redwing, Remarkable Tameness
of, 219.

regulus, Falco r., see Merlin.
, Regulus r., see Wren, Golden-
erested, Continental.
REVIEWS.
Field-Studies of Some
British Birds, 26.
Scottish Ornithology, Report on,
in 1913, including Migration,
126.
The Food of Birds, Report for
the years 1911-12, 223.

Rarer

305

Some Observations on the Food
of Nestling Sparrows, 223.

Some further Observations on
the Dispersal of Weed Seeds
by Wild Birds, 223.

The British Warblers: A History
with Problems of their Lives,
246.

Report on the Immigration of
Summer-residents in the Spring
of 1913, ete., 273.

A Summer on the Yenesei (1914),
274.

The B.O.U. List of British Birds,
278.

ridibundus, Larus, see Gull, Black-
headed. .

Ringing Birds in Hungary, A New
and Valuable Method, 63.

, see also Marking.

Black-headed Gulls, Report
on the Results of, 209.

riparia, Riparia r., see Martin,
Sand-.

RiviERE, B. B., Note on Birds
Migrating Northwards in
October, 169.

Robin, see Redbreast.

Rosinson, H. W., Report on the
Results of Ringing Black-
headed Gulls, 209; Notes on
Iceland Gull off the Cornish
Coast, 21; Remarkable Co-
incidence in Marking Razor-
bills, 21; Size of Song-Thrush
Broods in Scilly Isles, 117;
Breeding Status of Linnet in
the Scilly Isles, 144; Tree-
Pipit Nesting in the Scilly
Isles, 145; Pomatorhine Skua
in Wiltshire, 150; Notes from
the Scilly Isles, 172.

roseus, Pastor, see Starling, Rose-

coloured.

, Phenicopterus, see Flamingo.

rostrata, Carduelis 1., see Redpoll,
Greenland.

Rowan, W., The Blakeney Point
Ternery, 250.
rubecula, Dandalus r.,

breast, Continental.
rubetra, Saxicola r., see Whinchat.
riippelli, Sylvia, see Warbler,
Riippell’s.

rustica, Chelidon r., see Swallow.

rusticola, Scolopax, see Woodcock.

rusticolus, Falco r., see Falcon, Gyr.

see Red-

306

St. Quintin, W. H., Note on Food
of Sparrow-Hawk, 220.

Sanderling, Scientific name of, 280.

SANDERSON, G., Note on Late
Breeding of Yellow Wagtail,
145.

Sandpiper, Baird’s, in Sussex, 174.

, Bartram’s, in Sussex, 101.

. Broad-billed, Scientific name
of, 279.

——, Curlew-, Breeding-habits _ of
the, 178.

—., Green, in Ross shire,
in Stirlingshire, 272.
—. Pectoral, in Sussex, 148.
, Solitary, in Sussex, 13.
sandvicensis, Sterna s., see Tern,

Sandwich.
Savace, E. U., Note on Long-

128;

tailed Skua in Cumberland,
77.

Scumirr, Herr C., see STADLER,
IDiydek

Scilly Isles, Notes from, 172.
Scoter, Surf-, in Kent, 241.
Scoters, Moult of the, 221.

scoticus, Lagopus l., see Grouse,
Red.

Scotland, Early Nesting in, in
1914, 103.

Scott, The Rev. D. A., Note on
Development of Young Pere-
grine Falcons, 119.

Scottish Islands, Notes from, Spring |

1914, 123.
Scottish Ornithology, Report on,
Reviewed, 126.

Sea-birds,
storm at Teesmouth, 67.
Seeds, Some Further Observations

on the Dispersal of Weed, by

Wild Birds, Reviewed, 223.
Shag, Recovery of Marked, 46.
Shearwater, Great, at St.
76; at the Stack, 123.
, Little Dusky, Scientific name
oleZe2:
Shrike, Grey, Great, at Fair Isle,

127; in Kent, 240; im Surrey, |

240.

3

107; at the Flannans, 127.
sibilatrix, Phylloscopus s., see
Warbler, Wood-.
Skua, Long-tailed, in Aberdeen-
shire, 128; in Cumberland,

BRITISH BIRDS.

in 1913, including Migration, |

Destruction of, in a |

Kilda, |

Red-backed, Decrease of, |

77; in co. Donegal, 152; in’
Ireland, 78; in Yorkshire, 78.

Skua, Pomatorhine, Damage to
Tail-feathers of, 244, 269;
in Wiltshire, 150.

SMALLEY, F. W., Notes on Common ~
Gull Breeding in Cumberland,
101; Gulls Worrying Diving
Birds, 198; Little Gull in
Lancashire, 199.

Smew, Adult, in Surrey, 241.

SmitH, A., Note on Whitethroat
and Lesser Whitethroat in
November, 16.

Smith, D. M., Note on Early
Nesting of Blackcap and Chiff-
chaff, 16.

Snipe, Common, Melanistic, in

Merionethshire, 20; Recovery

of Marked, 112.

, Jack, Nest of, 149.

—, Sabine’s, in Merionethshire,
20.

solitaria, Tringa s., see Sandpiper,
Solitary.

Song, The Study of Bird-, 2; Ab-
normal, of Blackeap, 16.
Sparrow, Hedge-, Breeding in Uist
(Outer Hebrides), 128; Re-

covery of Marked, 46, 111.

—, House-, Cock assisting to

Incubate, 49; Ejecting Eggs

from Nest of Song-Thrush,

14; Fecundity of the, 114;

in: Uist, 23:

, Tree-, Early Nesting of, 48.

Sparrows, Some Observations on
the Food of Nestling, Reviewed,
223.

spermologus, Coleus m., see Jack-
daw.

Spoonbill in Norfolk, 54.

StapLeR, Dr. H., and Scumirt,
Herr C., The Study of Bird-

Notes, 2.

Starling, Recovery of Marked, 45,
La:

—, Rose-coloured, in Sussex,
114.

stellaris, Botaurus s., see Bittern.

stellata, Gavia, see Diver, Red-
throated.

Stint,. Little, Breeding-habits of
the, 202; at Fair Isle, 128.

strepera, Anas, see Gadwall.

striata, Muscicapa s., see Fly-
catcher, Spotted.

a ae ae © a

ie.

INDEX.

Summer Migrants, Early appear-
ances in 1915, 289.

Residents, Increase and
Decrease in. Report on the
1913 Inquiry, 106.
superciliosus, Phylloscopus s., see

Warbler, Yellow-browed.

Sussex, Rare Birds in, 199.

and Kent, Rare Vagrants in,

13.

Swallow, Early appearance of, 289 ;
Early Nesting of, 48 ; Increase
or Decrease of, 109; Recovery
of Marked, 46, 111; Breeding
in Shetland, 200.

Swallows, Scientific name of, 281.

Swift, Alpine, in Sussex, 50;
Scientific name of, 280.

——, The, Scientific name of, 280.

tadorna, Tadorna, see Duck, Sheld-.

Teesmouth, Destruction of Sea-
birds in a Storm at, 67.

tengmalmi, Afgolius t., see Owl,
Tengmalm’s.

tenuirostris, Numenius, see Curlew,
Slender-billed.

Tern, Caspian, Scientific name of,
280.

—, Common, Occasional High

Mortality in Young of, 222,

294; Notes of the, 295; at

Blakeney Point, 250, 295;

Recovery of Marked, 113.

, Gull-billed, Scientific name

of, 281.
, Little, Breeding in East
Lothian, 222.

——, Roseate, in Ireland, 77;

in Norfolk, 55; in Shropshire,
198.

——, Sandwich, in Denbighshire,
52; Breeding in Jersey, 56;
Recovery of Marked, 113.

tetrix, Lyrurus t., see Grouse, Black.

Thrush, Dusky, in Sussex, 267.

the, 240, 291; Unusual Nest-
ing-site of, 74; Singing on
the. Wing, 292.

——, Song-, British, Feeding on
Daisies, 245; House-Sparrow
Ejecting Eggs from Nest of,
14; Size of Broods in Scilly
Isles, 117; Incubating
Train in Motion, 17; Recovery
of Marked, 45.

Mistle-, Breeding-habits of |

in |

307

Thrush, White’s, in Aberdeenshire,
124; in Northumberland, 172 ;
in Sussex, 55, 199,

thunbergi, Motacilla f., see Wagtail,
Grey-headed.

Tit, Bearded, Introduction of, in
Yorkshire, 270.

——, Great, British, Recovery of
Marked, 45, 111.

me , Continental, in Shet-
land, 245.

——, Willow-, British, Breeding in
Cheshire, 72; Breeding-habits
of, in Kent, 69; in North-east
Norfolk, 146; Nesting in
Renfrew, 104.

torda, Alca, see Razorbill.

torquatus, Turdus t., see Ouzel,
Ring-.

torquilla, Jynx t., see Wryneck.

totanus, Tringa, see Redshank,
Common.
Tracy, N., Note on _ Crossbills

Breeding in Norfolk, 289.
tristis, Phylloscopus c., see Chiff-
chaff, Siberian.

trivialis, Anthus, t., see Pipit,
Tree-.
trochilus, Phylloscopus t., see

Warbler, Willow-.
troglodytes, Troglodytes t., see Wren.
troille, Uria t., see Guillemot.
TuRNER, Miss E. L., Comorants in
Norfolk, 130; Note on White’s

Thrush in Northumberland,
172.

turtur, Streptopelia t., see Dove,
Turtle-.

Twite, in Shropshire in Summer,
97.
Tyto, Correct Generic name for

Barn-Owls, 280.

urbica, Hirundo u.,
House-.

see Martin

vanellus, Vanellus, see Lapwing.

VAUGHAN, M., Increase and De-
crease in Summer Residents.
Report on the 1913 Inquiry,
106.

viscivorus, Turdus v., see Thrush,
Mistle-.

Voices, The Study of Bird-, 2.

vulgaris, Sturnus v., see Starling.

308

WapveE, E. W., Notes on Great
Shearwaters at St. Kilda, 76;
Status of Land-Rail in York-
shire, 150.

Wagtail, Black-headed, Scientific
name of, 279.

—, Blue-headed, at nae Isle,
127; in Isle of May, 22; -in
Yorkshire, 23.

——, Grey, ce Scottish Isles, 127 ;
Nesting in Sussex, 200.

——, Grey-headed, at Fair Isle,
127; on Isle of May, 123.
——, Pied, Nest built in Moving

Railway Truck, 69.

——, Yellow, Late Breeding of,
145; in Scotland, 127.

Wales, North, Vertebrate Fauna of,
Proposed Supplement to, 200.

Watuis, E. A., Note on Moorhen
Covering Eggs, 122.

Warbler, Aquatic, at Fair Isle, 271 ;

in Sussex, 267.

, Barred, in Scotland, 127.
—, Dartford, in Warwickshire,
146.

——, Garden-,
281.

——., Icterine, in Orkney, 152; in
Sussex, 146; in co. Wexford,
271.

——, Riippell’s, in Sussex, A new
British Bird, 93.

——, Subalpine, Scientific name of,

280.
—, Willow, Increase or Decrease
of, 108.

Scientific name of,

Northern, in Kirkeud-
_ brightshire, 127.

, Wood-, at Lerwick, 127.

—, cs Yellow browed, in Isle of
May, 22; Probable in Notting-
hamshire, 171 ; in Sussex, 199.

Warblers, The British, A History

with Problems of their Lives.
Reviewed, 246.
Waxwing, Incursion of,
in Scotland, 127.
WENNER, M. V., Notes on
Smew in Surrey, 241;
in Surrey, 292.

Wheatear, Status of, in the Scilly
Isles, 172.

—, Greenland, in
Isles, 172.

15, 49;
Adult
Dipper

the Scilly

BRITISH BIRDS.

Wheatear, Pied, Scientific name of,
280.

Whimbrel on North Rona, 123:

Whinchat, Increase or Decrease of,
108.

Wursu, F. H. L., Note on Sabine’s
Snipe in Merionethshire, 20.

Whitethroat, Early Nesting of, 49;
Increase or Decrease of, 108;
Using Supplementary Nest,
116; in Essex in November,
17.

——., Lesser, Early Breeding of
the, 97; Increase or Decrease
of, 108; in Anglesey, 50; in
Essex in November, 16; in
Isle of May, 22; in Scotland,
127

WIGLESWORTH, Jie Note on
Feeding-Habit of Red-necked
Phalarope, 268.

Wintering of Summer-migrants,
Driers.

WirHerBy, H. F., Ringing Birds
in Hungary, a New and Valu-
able Method, 63: The BritisH
Brirps Marking Scheme. Pro-
gress for 1914 and some Re-
sults, 161; Note on Avocet in
Suffolk, 174; Description of
Ruppell’s Warbler, 95.

Woodcock eating Corn, 21; Cor-
rection, 268; Recovery of
Marked, 47, 112.

Woodpecker, Green, Nesting-habits
Ofeoll.

——, Spotted, Great, British, Nest-
ing-habits of, 51; Recovery of
Marked, 112; Breeding in
Perthshire, 128.

Workman, W. H., Note on Thrush
Incubating in Train in Motion,
ie

Wren Laying in Year-old Nests, 98 ;
Voice of, 6.

——, Golden-crested, Continental,
in Isle of May, 22.

Wryneck, Degree of, 110; in Isle
of May, 22; in Kirkeudbright-
shire, 128.

Yellowshank in Sussex, 121.
Yenesei, A Summer (1914) on the,
Reviewed, 274.

From WITHERBY & Co.'s LIST.
Field-Studies of Some Rarer British Birds.

By JOHN WALPOLE-BOND, author of ‘‘Bird Life in Wild Wales.”
Demy 8vo. ; cloth ; 320 pages. Ts. Gd, net, .

The Gannet: A Bird with a History.

By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S., M.B.O.U. ; illustrated with coloured plates,
drawings and maps, and: reproductions from photographs; square
demy 8yo. ; cloth, gilt edges ; 600 pages. 27s. Gd. net.

~My Game-Book.

By AtaNn R. HaiG-Brown. ‘The Author unites a passionate love of the
chase with a knowledge of Nature. 285 photographs ; 250 pages;
cloth. s 5s, net.

Canipiny in Crete.
With Notes upon the Animal and Plant Life of that Island. By AuBYN
TREVOR-BATrYE, M.A., F.L.S., F.Z.S., etc. ; with 32 plates and a
Map ;. 320 pages ; cloth; demy 8vo, 10s. Gd. net.

Indian Pigeons and Doves.

By E. C, Stuart. Baker,. F.Z.S., M.B.O.U.; with 27 beautiful
coloured. plates ; over 250 pages; imp, 8vo.; half bound. morocco,
gilt. top. £2 10s. net.

’Game-Birds and Water-Fowl of South Africa.

By Major Boyd HorspruGH, M.B.O.U., F.Z.S.3 with 67 beautiful
coloured plates ; half morocco, gilt top.

4 14s, net, or unbound parts B4 4s, net.

A Hand-List of British Birds.

By Ernsr Hartert, F, C. R. Jourpatn, N. F, TickHuRST, and
H. F. WITHERBY.

7s. Gd. net. Copies interleaved with ruled paper 10s. net.

A DICTIONARY OF . .

English: atid: Fol Name of Batab: Bind,

By H. Kirke Swann, Their History, Meaning, first. usage, the Folk-
lore, Weather-Lore, Legends, etc... About 300 pages ; demy 8vo.; cloth.

The Emu. Lae

Journal of the Royal Australasian Ornithologists’ Union, Illustrated with
half-tone and coloured plates.

Quarterly Parts 4g, each. Annual subscription 16s,
Messrs, Witherby & Co. have been appointed European Agents of The Eran.

British Birds. New volume commenced June.

An Illustrated Monthly Magazine devoted to the Birds on the British List.
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. -y and N. F, TICKHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S.,
M.B.O.U.” Illustrated with photographs and coloured plates,

Yearly, 10s. Gd., post free; Monthly, 1s. net.

LONDON: 326, HIGH HOLBORN.

im portant Notice. | i ¢ “Tosa
SUBSCRIPTION. LIST CLOSES JUNE.

BIRDS
AUSTRALIA

By GREGORY M. MATHEWS, FRSE, M.A.0.U, M.B.0.U.

A complete work, compiled from all published sources and from the author's own
observations, together with those of a large number of field-naturalists in all parts
of Australia.

WITH HAND-COLOURED PLATES

Drawn by H. GRONVOLD, J. G. KEULEMANS, G. E. LODGE, and ether -
well-known Artists.

Issued in TWO GUINEA PARTS
AT LEAST FOUR OF WHICH APPEAR EACH YEAR.
The work is strictly Imited to
260 NUMBERED COPIES,
over 200 of which have been already taken up. |
The subscription list will absolutely close
with the completion of the current Volume |
IV, , the last part of f which will be published

in June next.

Te a ak OE ie a) | i eg ee ee ee ee ear eee ee Sr TT eee.

Those who desire to ibseribe and have
not already done so should therefore place
their orders at once.

LONDON: : | :
. WITHERBY & CO., 326, HIGH HOLBORN,

from whom Prospectuses Obs Specimen Plates can be obtained.

_ Lae ~ an [yy * = Pe ar = a sae = = oY
=" a. A @eea”™ le

of Ss te a ee ry aA ARAARAAe al Lae

(64h ggngtAny oo rp TINT ohaa"’saaalé AY iy
a nineltl t owrotaamee raps apy ann “nana apeetl AMAR tat
a eS Maana EEN AAS Qnty Sooo occa

r TV lay, tal AT
aniqotoe” perberlirts

af gs A RAan!
“enuAsathat amas sagas ereagia! and as A8Aby, , seta taadne™”!

Aan ys? Ana A
ve libthtancg oon nanan AEN AO oi
——, Hrd itioahe pied anew ° ‘Ai ial a as nate Ag Ay ”
ey: Nap ", MARANA ass. Ws, eye wy ie ait) a. ‘a aay 3 AR” SG iol it
; ; x Mag onl” ; aA fi Away MWA adsscasancacaieee -

| | a Ram Tees Sia SNL T : Py
“AAALA J “Aaaaaty “ae mah NY? AAA Aerts A sal ai r g4a
(uy pap sma ciAApERA ssa ‘ - Aha” win ctiqungs aa AAAI lel
TY anaash! MN 4*¥ 4 ngs SY NY ai
pe Aaeeer els cece apna Anal sibs mangas
Ss 4 a yy yA MY ~ ‘ ‘i af, “NAA AAA } ; Aayat ae Pa =
: 3 ? f Fr anr tn)

sek AVA sad an mf. sagt MAAR ALG,

ny ‘ eaaai Wa sie, er Call a

yi

| ) 2 MAAS, :
ih pA Atay at oul Aa Hh pat’ wit rb en
sen My a fipe = Ar. it ‘kK 1} ‘at arr guneaunte” ayn nen

4a +

2 Be a “ pert Petty tina UN | Ma 04, ya AS® a Aa
saa ae ann ath tcl
& ah 7 IVY. t
ake WANA as. my ae Vre, Stl caparnctass a" saat Pail

> aa apt >

-

soiAem ana a ny a 5 WANNA AAA, Cry Vy vant ’
a aA on! ro ee eel Z fh a Aa J ’ . |
apaaha”s. sapehsi etn abs ait ashi Oe rnd)

1a AAAuA® MARAAAM ALA,

ap ARana, iWwy ry’.

AnAAs penyasnat ti arnt, ,Aastibinunnna aa aiuiats, AAA am

ea aPAna naa
ine Renae nt aa’

ACT | jae
vata Rt eg WNAaA aaboniWa Marsan ARS
ran Qa
aoe AfRT : Maya! aie anant PTT TT arenes

an Ari \

RNC phere a yn SARA Rapa tlc.’

a bot Ba) ai e 2 P on le - atyantinhae a fe wast rf ae f Vs. - an®* aye at Ain

2, AAR aAAARAUO aa Ya r nA, naan u ir ~ 4 aay a5 hia! Aa AY. sy mn a ars amAnaents iu
Ra oe Cre wr Oy om b fas Ve
Cera oi nasty AN att ae
a"! { pei | Aud oe i vate ae 4.- Ani Apgaarnar err”. es Mag uP Pag
aT 4 oe a We wae iA a 4) 2 WY : , Sa AARe Ly y
Pee tearesnen LT ry Seat ual NE:

- Py. aA eay ¥ Oe te ig - ar Aaa, AAP SOA

etal mer param, :
(sila rt a ” a sinh ne ny
“we dl f Higul® 9 AAasanages ida

aN

oT

x

Aa AN a’ Aq cnet

a An’. 4

~ Pon

Aaa “Mute

”) AAs MARANA Oaaal

A ey a

Mae, CMAMARA AD ee Lf 2 *. “ is
A }

‘
- . £& 2S 4 = _ i

l

S

Ww

RARI

B

|

00849 6176

da! «glo tks TEREEY MERE ERECT

(44 Primi?
PP eat eae a Vo Saye nage ‘ : {
eR a8 AAA _ | 2 2 ee tro Anne

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LI

a | EYAL ;
: ei A MANAN An Ria: N |
a , fae an : ie . ‘ Aa Orne Pi *
whine icea Slt PE RY: | Pee } 92 a ies Any ae ry

An.

p+ 22m

Penis sea Oi as ah Ractad Avr
anne Rape tnnnnnninar es ee hei
atas A aes we PARAS Rann a= ie,

| NY
ut Set aa,
oS “oni ARAAAARAC CLARA ra rene 1A ay Sana ahead. aan,

a j re > Vana) a ~ » as Deel
PRD QUEERS 2 : “SA
| mA ~ SAR oS Mercere re one sam nae: RAAAA. + > a we AV ant ¥
‘ ad. XN SAN A Te . Tes * iy A a,
4 Poa pe Ba era ie gee ANAS Ppp. APA ws = Soe mei: P