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WITH WHICH WAS INCORPORATED IN JANUARY, 1917, ‘‘ THE Zoo.toaist.’’ 


AN ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE DEVOTED 
CHIEFLY ‘10 THE BIRDS ON THE BRITISH LIST 


EDITED BY 


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ASSISTED BY 
Rev. F. C. R. JOURDAIN M.A. M.B,O.U. H.F.A.O.U. 


AND 
NORMAN F. TICEHURST 0.B.E. MA. F.R.C.S. M.B.O.U. 


Volume XV. 


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LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Rook: Male cawing defiantly at passing Rooks. 
(Photographed by Stanley Crook) .. ee os 

Rook: Male feeding female. (Photographed by 
Stanley Crook) fs a: aa: cA 

Rook: Male and female feeding Young. (Photo- 
graphed by Stanley Crook) 

Rook: Female enticing Young to leave the Nest. 
(Photographed by Stanley Crook) 

RINGED PLOVER: The male scraping out a new nest. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith) 

RINGED PLOVER: The Female covering one ege. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith) 

RINGED PLovER: The male drawing the eggs into the 
new hollow. (Photographed by J. ‘N. Douglas Smith) 

RINGED PLOVER: The male brooding three eggs. 
(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith) .. ar 

RINGED PLOVER: The male digging out the eggs. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith) 

LittLE TERN: Five days’ old chick with sand-eel. 
(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith) ad 

LITTLE TERN: Six days’ old chick swallowing a sand- 
eel. (Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith.) 

A Sixteenth Century Portrait of the Pheasant .. i 

HEN SpPARROW-HaAwk crouching over young a few 
hours old and a hatching egg: thus keeping off the 
sun, but not the air. emeet ee by J. H. Owen) 

Anser magellanicus of Clusius He ze 

Mergus americanus of Clusius : 

Anser magellanicus seu Penguinis of Wormius: 

WHITETHROATS impaled on thorn by Red- backed 
Shrike =. 


MERLIN: Fig. 1. View from the nest. Hen 
approaching. (Photographed by W. Rowan.) 
MERLIN: Fig. 2. A typical “Merlin boulder.” 


(Photographed by W. Rowan.) ; 
Mert: Fig. 3. A mound of earth used as a a perch 
instead of a boulder. (Photographed by W. Rowan) 
A HAwrFincH. From Charleton’s Onomasticon Zotcon 
A CrossBiLL_. From Charleton’s Onomasticon Zorcon 
A Hoopor. From Charleton’s Onomasticon Zoicon 
WHOOPER SWAN AND NEstTin the West Highlands, Scot- 
land, May, 1921. (Photographed by Mrs. Gordon) 
Sketch-map showing breeding-range of Turnstone and 
Grey Phalarope 


PAGE 


Ter 


12 


T3 


IV. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


TURNSTONE: Male on guard. (Photographed by Seton 
Gordon) : ate a 2 
TURNSTONE: Female approaching eggs. 

graphed by Seton Gordon) .. wf 4 Ls. 
TURNSTONE : I*emale covering eggs. (Photographed by 
Seton Gordon) ae 1 sh - ‘ 
TURNSTONE: Male incubating. (Photographed by 
Seton Gordon) ‘ A am ES ig: 
MERLIN: Fig. 4. Turning the eggs with foot and 
beak. (Photographed by W. Rowan) rT 
MERLIN: Fig.5. Arranging the eggs. (Photographed 
by W. Iowan) te ee ee oe - 
MERLIN: Fig. 6. Hen alighting in middle of eggs. 


6 


(Photo- 


(Photographed by W. Rowan) Me hi & 
MERLIN: Fig. 7. Collecting a stray egg. (Photo- 

graphed hy W. Rowan) eae * Hs 5 
MERLIN: Fig. 8. Cock brooding in heat. (Photo- 

graphed by W. Rowan) a #; 


MERLIN: Fig. 9. Hen shading the eggs. (Photo- 
graphed by W. Rowan) iB se “ne 
MERLIN: Fig. ga. Two nestling Meadow-Pipits for 
lunch. (Photographed by W. Rowan)... 2a 
MERLIN: Fig. 10. Rending the prey. (Phetographed 
by W. Rowan) i oie oo a ss 
MERLIN: Fig. 11. Jostling. (Photographed by W. 
Rowan) a a - eo a 
MERLIN: Fig. 12. Watching the mother’s approach. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan) ef a are 
MERLIN: Fig. 13. Stretching. (Photographed by W. 
Rowan) x3 ze fe 43 ee oe 
MERLIN: Fig. 14. State of plumage on Ist August. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan) res on ig 
SPARROW-HAWK : Young 8~g days old. Hen spreading 
wings just sufficiently to shade young from sun. 
(Photographed by J. H. Owen) i rs 
SPARROW-HAWK: Young 20-21 days old. Hen’s body 
lifted to ease her for a short time. (Pholographed 

by J. H. Owen) a? ie w a = 
SPARROW-HAWK: The last day in the nest. Hen 


spreading her wings to the greatest extent observed. 


(Photographed by J. H. Owen) .. . ue 
MERLIN: Male feeding the young. (Photographed by 
Oliver Pike) om as aie bud 


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THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA | 


ISTE ae MATHEWS, F.R.S.E., M.R.A.0.U. 


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


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ATEBAURST, O.B.E.; MA, F-R.GS;, M:B.0.U. 


CONTENTS OF NUMBER I, VOL. XV. JUNE I, 1921. 


PAGE 
Additions and Corrections to the Hand-List a British Birds 
(Fourth List). By the Authors .. j : aus ae 2 
Homing Ability in the Nestling Willow-Warbler. By J. M. 
ewan, M.D. 4 Ps ae ae Re 4 
On Former Breeding-Places of the Oystercatcher and Black- 
headed Gull in East Sussex. By N. F. Ticehurst, M.B., 
F.R.C.S.ENG. : a ye ae oe Be 6 
Some Notes on the Rook. By Stanley Crook 10 
The late Henry Morris Upcher. By J. H. Gurney a sit 16 
Notes :— 
The Nestling of the Crested Tit (Clifford Borrer) a asd 18 
Probable Lesser Grey Shrike in Northumberland (W. Raw) 18 
Blackbird Laying in Nest of Song-Thrush (A. Steven Corbet) 18 
Large Clutch of Eggs of Tawny Owl (Joseph H. Symes) A 19 
Probable Red-footed Falcon in Northumberland (E. Leonard 
Gill) Be 56 ic 19 
Records of Snoonbills in _ Hampshire (Sir Thomas H. C. 
Troubridge) : i Bs 20 
Goosander and Smew in Suites ( lemence M. Acland) 5 20 
Ruff Feeding upon Grain (J. E. M. Se . n 21 
Early Breeding of Woodcock (E. G. B. Meade-Waldo) oe 22 
Probable Ivory-Gull in Gustoman (Geoffrey C. S. Ingram) 22 
Large Clutch of Moor-Hen’s Eggs (Major Cecil Smeed) 22 
Letters :— 
The Relation of Song to the Nesting of Birds (J. P. Burkitt) 23 


Long-tailed Tits Method of Building (Major W. R. Thompson) 23 
Weight-carrying Power of a Golden Eagle (Arthur R. Gillman) 24 
B 


( 2 ) 


ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS TO THE 
HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
(FOURTH LIST) * 


BY 
THE AUTHORS: 


AN important list of alterations to the B.O.U. List published 
in the bis (April 1921) has, we are glad to say, made that 
list as amended almost uniform, so far as nomenclatorial 
questions are concerned, with our Hand-List as amended, 
and, so far as published, with the Practical Handbook. This is 
certainly a step in advance towards the uniformity in nomen- 
clature for which we have worked. In this B.O.U. List of 
alterations the nomina conservanda are to be discarded and the 
names in Vroeg’s Catalogue are to be accepted, these decisions 
having the effect of making twenty names which formerly 
differed in the two lists the same as those in our Hand-List. 
It is also proposed to adopt Evrolia for the “ Stints ”’ and 
Tringa for the Sandpipers, etc., as used by us. The con- 
clusion, however, is reached that Calidris is the correct generic 
name for the Knot. As Calidvis was published in 1804 and 
Erolia in 1816 this would mean that Calidris would have 
to be used for the “ Stints ”’ unless the Knot were separated 
generically. In the Hand-List this was done, but in British 
Birds, Vol. X1., p. 4, we pointed out that there was no justi- 
fication for this separation. We are still of this opinion, but 
solely for the sake of uniformity we propose to be inconsistent 
and toseparate the Knot generically and thus retain the genus 
Erolia for the “ Stints.”’ 
The following are the alterations and additions :— 


For genus Hyporais, Nos. 141, 142 and 142a, of the Hand- 
List, and Vol. I., p. 351 of the Practical Handbook, substitute 
Hippolais Baldenstein, Neue Alpina, II., p.27 (1827—Mono- 
type H. italica Bald. = H. polyglotta (Vieill.) (See Lbis, 1921, 
p. 312, and Austral Av. Rec., [i per22\ 

222. Athene noctua mira Witherby. 
ATHENE NOCTUA MIRA Witherby, Brit. B., XIII., p. 283 
(1920—Holland) 


instead of Athene noctua noctua (Scop.) 


* For previous lists, see Brit. B., IX., pp. 2-10, XI., pp. 2-5, XIII, 
pp. 2-4. 


vot. xv.| ADDITIONS AND CORRECTIONS. 3 


229. Strix aluco sylvatica Shaw. 
STRIX SYLVATICA Shaw, Gen. Zool. VII., p. 253 (1809. New 
name for the English ““ Wood Owl ’’) 
instead of Strix aluco aluco L., see Brit. B., X1V., p. 183, and 
Practical Handbook, Vol. I1., p. 91. 


Add— 
243a. Buteo buteo vulpinus Gloger.—THE STEPPE- 
BUZZARD. 


BuTEO vuLpInus Gloger, Aband. Vog. Klima, p. 141 (1833— 
South Africa). 

Buteo deseyvtovum (Daudin), Yarrell, I., p. 113 (in text) ; 
Saunders, p. 322 (in text); B.O.U. List (1915), p. 337. 
Buteo buteo desertorum (Daud.) Hand-List (1912), p. 116 (in 
note). 


See Brit. B., XIV., p. 182 and Practical Handbook, Vol. I1., 
p- 145. 


371. Calidris canutus canutus (L.) 
instead of Canutus canutus (L.) of the Hand-List and Evolia 
canutus canutus (L.) as amended Brit. B., X1., p. 4. 


(4) 


HOMING ABILITY IN THE NESTLING WILLOW- 
WARBLER. 


BY 
J. M. DEWAR, m.p. 


OBSERVATIONS were begun with the object of watching the 
behaviour of the parent Willow-Warblers (Phylloscopus t. 
trochilus) when the nestlings are placed on the ground outside 
the nest. As the first experiment unexpectedly revealed 
homing ability in the nestling, the original intention was 
dropped and further trials were made to test for the average 
capacity of the nestling and for the cues used by it in returning 
to the nest. 

The surroundings of the nest were well adapted to the 
purpose in hand. The grass being very short, there was an 
open space in front of the nest instead of the more usual rank 
growth of concealing vegetation with one or more runways 
leading to the nest. The six young in the nest were not more 
than a few days old. The eyelids were still united, the quills 
did not project, while the body-tracts were just beginning to 
show distinctly. All the young looked towards the entrance 
of the nest. 

1. A chick was taken from the nest and laid down on the 
turf a foot from and with its head directed away from the 
entrance to the nest. The chick turned round and crawled 
back into the nest. 

2. A chick was placed six inches away from the nest, 
and with its head turned away from the nest. This chick 
also turned round and crawled towards the nest. But its 
orientation was not so accurate as in the first case. It came 
to rest against one side of the nest, where it remained until 
it was restored to the nest. 

In all cases vision was definitely excluded as a means 
towards orientation, owing to the eyelids being closed. That 
the direction of the rays of light acting through the thin 
eyelids, an odour trail, the odour and warmth of the nest, 
or auditory cues from the nest or from the parents, did not 
control orientation is shown by the following tests. 

3. A chick was set down a foot away from and with its 
head directed towards the entrance of the nest. Its position 
was thus reversed from that it had occupied in the nest. 
This chick turned round through an angle of about 130 degrees 
and crawled farther away from the nest. 

4. A chick was placed three inches from the entrance 


vo. xv.}| NESTLING WILLOW-WARBLER. 5 


of the nest, and with its head directed towards the nest. 
It turned through an angle of 45 degrees away from the nest, 
and went obliquely past the nest for a distance of six inches. 

5. A chick was placed directly in front of and looking 
into the nest. It turned round through an angle of rather 
less than 180 degrees and moved away from the nest. 

That distance from the nest, within the limits of the 
experiments, was not an important factor is shown by the 
next two tests. 

6. A chick was placed at a distance of two teet from the 
nest. It did not move within eight minutes. 

7. Another chick was placed at a distance of three inches 
from the entrance to the nest. It did not stir at all in five 
minutes. On being restored to the nest, this chick had to 
be held there for some time by hand, as twice it turned round 
and crawled out of the nest. 

In these tests there is one factor in common—the turning 
movement made by the chick when it finds itself outside 
the nest. 

This movement is directed in the right sense when the 
chick faces away from the nest, and is, therefore, adaptive. 
Chicks may sometimes find themselves out of the nest. In 
this event they are most likely to be oriented as they were 
oriented in the nest. Their only chance of survival is then 
to turn.round and crawl back into the nest, since there is no 
evidence that the parents give active assistance. That the 
turning movement is a fixed and inherited, though far from 
perfect, reaction, is shown by the second series of experiments 
in which the chicks placed facing the nest turned round and 
went away from it. This series also shows that the chicks 
do not have a sense of passive rotation. Only in one case 
was the turning movement perfect; in all the other cases 
it was inadequate to produce correct orientation towards or 
away from the nest. 


(6 ) 


ON FORMER BREEDING-PLACES OF THE 
OYSTERCATCHER AND BLACK-HEADED 
GULL IN EAST SUSSEX. 


BY 
ING 1Dy ADINGIDISIUAR SID, Wie Thi (ehSoie, 


THAT the Oystercatcher (H@matopus o. ostralegus) formerly 
bred at all suitable spots, i.e., where there were tracts of 
shingle of sufficient size, along the coast of Sussex, is highly 
probable. So far as I can find out, however, no proof of this 
as regards the eastern half has hitherto been forthcoming, 
the only evidence being Borrer’s (as to locality somewhat 
vague) statement (B. of Sussex, p. 212) that “ another 
favourite resort is the widely-spread mass of shingle near 
Rye, where it still breeds in considerable numbers.” His 
information with regard to this end of the county seems to 
have been often defective and largely second hand, and this 
sentence might easily be taken as referring to the small colony 
of Oystercatchers that bred at the Midrips, just within the 
Kent boundary, up to about the middle of the last century, 
being represented by a single pair down to 1890, the year 
when he wrote. That Borrer’s statement was true at that 
time of the other shingle banks at Rye and between Rye and 
Winchelsea, I should prefer to consider unproven without a 
great deal more evidence. 

Of the Black-headed Gull (Larus rv. ridibundus) having ever 
been a breeding species in east Sussex, there does not hitherto 
seem to have been a suspicion. It is agreeable, therefore, 
to be in a position to bring forward evidence of there having 
been two breeding stations of both species in the seventeenth 
century, one on the shingle banks and marshlands on the 
seaward side of Winchelsea, the other on an area of a similar 
type between Eastbourne and Pevensey. 

Taking the Winchelsea site first, the evidence for this 
rests upon a letter from the Earl of Suffolk to the Mayor of 
Rye, dated June 21st, 1638, preserved amongst the Corporation 
archives at Rye. By the courtesy of Mr. Walter Dawes, 
the Town Clerk of that town, I have béen able to transcribe 
this and reproduce it here :— 

“To my very lovinge freinde the Mayer of the Towne of Rye 
theise 


After my very harty Commendacons : whereas my Cozin St Henry 
Gilford, Knight, hath made knowne unto me a greate wronge and 
abuse that some of your Towne of Rye hath offered unto him, in 


VoL. xv.} BREEDING-PLACES IN SUSSEX. T 


commeinge over his lands at Winchelsea, and takeinge away the 

Oliues and Puetts that frequently every yeare doe breed uppon his 

Beachlands and grounds there, And that they did likewise beate a 

Tennante of his one Springett with a Servante of his Tennants 

there ; only for forbiddinge those to offer such wrongs and abuses, 

whose misdemean’s of theirs are certified to Sr Henry Gilford, by 
the person of the Towne of Winchelsea, which letter was likewise 
showed unto me with the names of diverse of those that did trespasse 
him in such manner. I therefore uppon Sir Henryes mocon and 
request thought good to pray and require you to call before you 
such persons, as shall concerve this matter, and to examyn the 
trueth thereof, and if you shall finde them faulty in any such mannor 
as is complayned of that you inflict such condigne punishment uppon 
them, as there misdemean™ shall in any wayes deserve ; And if any 
of the fowle soe taken away bee yett remayninge in the Custodye of 
any of them; I hold it very fittinge that you take course that the 
same bee restored backe ; being (as informacon is given) to the value 
of five or six pounds; And, not doubtinge but you will doe heerin, 
what shall appertayne to right and, Justice J bidd you hartely 
farewell; ffrom Suffolke house the 21th of June 1638. 
Yor very loveinge freinde 
THEO. SUFFOLKE.”’ 

Theophilus Howard, Earl of Suffolk, was Lord Warden of 
the Cinque Ports, and any request of his would doubtless 
meet with due consideration from his “ loveinge freinde,”’ 
the Mayor. 

For a poaching raid to have produced five or six pounds’ 
worth of birds, argues that one or other or both species must 
have been present in good numbers; most probably the 
majority of them would have been “ Puetts,’”’ at that time 
about half grown, and the more easily caught by being driven 
into a net. The value of the colony to its owner, in that he 
felt constrained to invoke the powerful influence of the Lord 
Warden for its protection, is also evidence that it must have 
been of considerable size. The sentence about restoring 
them back evidently has reference to the common practice 
at this period of keeping the young birds in pens, and feeding 
them until required for the table or sale. 

Contemporary maps show a considerable tract of shingle 
stretching past the seaward side of Winchelsea to Rye Harbour, 
as at the present time, the country to the landward side, 
which is now grass marsh and arable, being then of an 
estuarine character, probably rough marsh and __ slob-land, 
traversed by the streams from the Pett and Brede valleys 
flowing into Rye Harbour. There was therefore plenty of 
room for a good many pairs of “‘ Olives ”’ on the “‘ Beachlands ”’ 
and there were no doubt suitable ponds for the “ Puetts ”’ 
on the landward side of these, since one or two of quite 
insignificant area are to be found there to this day. 


8 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


The evidence with regard to the second locality, though 
fairly conclusive, is indirect. It is derived from two papers 
in the Sussex Archeological Collections, Vols. XI. and XLVIII., 
the one on the family documents of the Wilson family of 
Paxhill, near Lindfield, the other on the Household Account 
Book of Francis, Lord Dacres, at Hurstmonceaux Castle 
(August 1643 to December 1649). The first has already 
been quoted from by Mr. Harting (Zoologist, 1891, p. 194), 
in order to place on record the value of ‘“‘ Sea Gulls ”’ in the 
first half of the seventeenth century. These seem without 
much doubt to have been Herring-Gulls from Beachy Head. 
Both are also referred to by Mr. Gurney (Nos. 15 and 16) in 
his list of seventeenth century Gulleries (Early Annals of 
Ornithology, p. 188), where he somewhat doubtfully suggests 
the possibility of Gulleries having existed near Hurstmonceaux 
and Eastbourne respectively. If, however, we remember 
that these two places must have been in the seventeenth 
century almost adjoining manors, being separated as they 
are by the width of the Pevensey marshes alone, and we 
combine the facts given in the two papers we find that they 
fit into one another, and the evidence of there having gee 
a single breeding place becomes stronger and clearer. 

To take the Wilson paper first, we find that William Wilson, 
who was born in 1605, married Mary Haddon, whose step- 
father, Dr. Burton, was the owner of Eastbourne Place. 
Soon after their marriage, the Wilsons moved thither and 
subsequently acquired it by purchase. An old Account 
Book relating to this property, which is briefly quoted from, 
gives details of its rentals and other revenues of the manor, 
and amongst other things are :—‘‘ Item, there belongeth 
to the sayd manor one warren of conyes worth {£40 a yeare. 
Item, belongeth to the sayd manor the royalty of hawking, 
hunting, fishing and fowling. We take yearly within the 
sayd manor ten dozen or twelve dozen of Seagulls, worth 
30s. a dozen, £18; besides puetts and sea pyes.”’ Here 
Mr. Harting’s quotation ends, but there follows a further 
sentence, whose significance is not without value in that the 
possible breeding place of the ‘“‘ puetts’”’ is indicated. ‘“‘ The 
lord of the manor of Eastbourne hath 700 acres of ground, 
which have long since been overflowed with the sea, which 
in summer will keep 200 swyne and 300 sheepe, with two great 
ponds with carpes and good fish.” The only large piece 
of water I can find on contemporary maps, and which 
may or may not be one of these “ great ponds ”’ is marked 
“Cronble Pond” in the atlas of John Speede (1610) and 


vou. xv.| BREEDING-PLACES IN SUSSEX. 9 


occupies a position between what is now “the Crumbles ”’ and 
Pevensey. — 

In his paper on the Hurstmonceaux Account Book, Sir 
T. Barrett Lennard gives very few details with respect te 
the entries of ‘“‘ puets.”” They are, however, included in 
the list he gives of game, etc., purchased for the table, where 
they are priced at 6d. each, and from the sample page of a 
week’s accounts (August 19-26, 1643) printed and other 
entries quoted, it is evident that they were purchased in lots 
as opportunity occurred and kept in a pen for use as required. 
Here they were fed meanwhile on bullock’s liver, just as 
appears to have been customary in other places where supplies 
of young Black-headed Gulls were available. Mr. Gurney 
has shown (¢.c., p. 189) that at this period they were commonly 
caught, before they could fly, for the table, and from the 
fact that they are entered as a source of revenue to the 
manor of Eastbourne they must, considering their small value, 
have been available in considerable quantities. The con- 
clusion that one of the “‘ great ponds ”’ was a former breeding 
place of the Black-headed Gull becomes therefore almost 
irresistible and from it the young birds were no doubt sold 
to Hurstmonceaux and other neighbouring manors. Inciden- 
tally it becomes almost equally certain that it must have 
been this same William Wilson who sold them to Lord Dacres. 
Exactly the same arguments apply in the case of the Oyster- 
catcher. “Sea pyes”’ are entered as a source of revenue to 
the manor of Eastbourne, and we find “ Olives ’”’ being pur- 
chased at Hurstmonceaux at Is. a piece. The old maps show 
that even at that time there was a large accumulation of 
shingle between Eastbourne and what was then the mouth 
of Pevensey Haven, producing the type of ground that is 
still to be found there and exactly the same as that of the 
other former breeding-places of this bird already referred to. 
Although there is no direct evidence of breeding, there can 
hardly be any reasonable doubt about it if we take the cir- 
cumstances of the entries into consideration in conjunction 
with the character of the locality. 


( 10 ) 


SOME NOTES ON THE ROOK. 
BY 


STANLEY CROOK. 


PERSONALLY I think the Rook (Corvus f. frugilegus) is a 
much maligned bird, and certainly during the nesting period 
it is about the most interesting of all the birds I have yet 
photographed. 

Nesting operations begin about the end of February, a 
distinct preference being shown for building in lofty elm 
trees in the Preston district. The Rook clings with tenacity 
to its nesting-site and defies snow, frost and bitterly cold 
north-east winds. I have frequently seen a_ half-finished 
nest covered with snow, and though there may be a pause 
for a few days whilst wintry conditions prevail, at the very 
first opportunity work is resumed. 

Often when the nest has been almost completed a gale 
may blow it away, but nothing daunted, building is begun 
again at once. Both birds go on foraging expeditions for 
sticks, and on several occasions I have seen the male bird 
hand over the stick to the female for her to place in position. 

If the nest is left unprotected for a few minutes, the 
neighbouring Rooks raid the nest for sticks, and the structure 
is rapidly reduced in size. It is rarely, however, that the 
thieves succeed in stealing the foundation sticks. I have 
watched them again and again tugging with all their 
strength, but without success. The birds did not always go 
far from home to obtain their sticks and branches: they 
frequently dropped on to a dry and rotten branch, hoping 
to break it off with their weight, and occasionally it would 
fall to the ground. Sometimes they would follow and pick 
it up; at other times they would let it lie. 

When the nest is ready for lining they appear to have 
favourite trees near at hand and will come time after time 
to the same tree for short twigs, which they place in the 
lining of the nest with the wool, feathers, etc. Both birds 
take turns at “shaping ’”’ the nest. I was very interested 
in watching the male exerting all his strength in this operation, 
levering his breast against the side of the nest and gradually 
working all round. During leisure moments the _ birds 
frequently indulge in aerial displays, chasing each other to 
and fro, swooping and banking in fine style. The male 
would often give a great courting display, somewhat like 
that of a Pigeon, bowing on opening and closing his tail. 


Rook: Male cawing defiantly at passing Rooks. 
(Photographed by Stanley Crook.) 


12 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. xv. 


While the female was incubating the male spent a good 
deal of his time away, searching for food, and would return 
with a well-filled pouch and feed his sitting mate, who would 
utter deep guttural sounds, as though choked with food. 
At other times he would bring a large worm and place it 


ew. 


‘ 


° 8 5 Fd s oe : 
>, J Ss : 
2 au $6@'s ~~ 
-< we &: 2 


a Se 


Rook: Male feeding Female. 
(Photographed by Stanley Crook.) 


with his beak on a branch, then place his foot upon it, and 
readjust it in his beak, in order to give it to his consort with 
greater facility. 

The incubation period also provided many exciting 
episodes. Frequently without the slightest warning a 
neighbour (or even a passing Rook) would swoop down on a 


vot. xv.| SOME NOTES ON ‘FHE ROOK. 13 


sitting bird and attack her vigorously. This was generally 
a signal to all the Rooks in the vicinity to come and join the 
attack on the helpless victim. I am inclined to think that 
these aggressors were male birds, as although I spent very 
many hours watching and photographing the birds (through 


N 


A 
~ 


Rook: Male and Female feeding Young. 
(Photographed by Stanley Crook.) 


a period of four or five nesting seasons working at times from 
the roof of a house sixty feet high, and on occasions being so 
numbed with the cold that it was really an effort to release 
the shutter), I never remember a sitting female (there were 
five nests in the tree I was “ operating ’’ upon) leaving her 
nest to join in the attack. These attacks on the incubating 
bird (not confined to one particular fema'e) always took place 


14 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv- 


during the absence of the male. On a few occasions he 
returned just after the attack had commenced and flew with 
great fierceness at the invaders, who dispersed and retreated 
in disorder. 

I fully expected either to find the bird half dead or the 
eggs broken after some of these unprovoked attacks, but 
she did not appear to be much the worse, for after shaking 


Rook: Female enticing Young to leave the Nest. 
(Photogvaphed by Stanley Crook.) 


herself and pulling out some disarranged feathers, she re- 
settled on the eggs. 

Occasionally the female would leave her nest to chase 
away a Jackdaw, or another Rook who ventured too near 
her nest ; but such small fry as Tits, Chaffinches and Starlings 
were ignored. 

After the eggs had hatched out, I have no record of any 
attack being delivered. 


vot. xv.| SOME NOTES ON THE ROOK. 15 


When the young were a day or two old I noticed that the 
female Rook swallowed the excrement of the young, frequently 
waiting at the side of the nest for the sac. On only two 
occasions did I observe the male to do likewise. He would 
seize the excrement, hop on to one of the outer branches and 
drop it to the ground. When the young were about ten 
days old the female followed his example. 

The principal food of the young consisted of worms. 

The male proved himself a very devoted parent. He did 
practically all the foraging for food, his better half either 
brooding the young, or perching on a branch near the nest. 

The distended pouch of the male was very noticeable on 
his return with food. Sometimes he would share the meal 
with the female and both birds would feed the chicks at the 
same time; on other occasions he would ignore his mate 
and feed the young himself. 

At times the female would caw incessantly, asking him 
for food. On one such occasion I saw him deliberately 
(when his pouch was full) turn his back on her and hop on 
to another branch. 

About the time the young were due to leave the nest the 
female became very uneasy. She would hop from branch 
to branch near the nest, then on to the nest, appear to talk 
to the youngsters, then hop on to a branch just above and 
try to entice them to her side. One chick stood at the edge 
of the nest and flapped his wings, but evidently thought the 
branch above too high, so squatted on the nest side. The 
mother appeared to get very angry and, with incessant caw- 
ing and flapping of wings, she finally flew down to the nest, 
then back to the branch, again calling to the chick, which 
plucked up courage and flew on to the branch beside her. 
The other young Rooks in the nest made not the slightest 
effort to respond to her calls, but on the following day I 
arrived just in time to photograph them all leaving the nest 
with “the wide world before them.” 


( 16 ) 


THE LATE H. M. UPCHER. 


HeNRY Morris UPCHER, who died on April 6th, 1921, at 
Sheringham in Norfolk, at the age of eighty-two, was a well- 
known all-round sportsman, who as a shooter of game had 
few equals ; so quick could he be with the gun that when in 
Palestine with Canon Tristram, whose expedition he joined 
in 1864, he earned among the Arabs the nickname of “a 
father of two eyes.’ On one occasion he brought down 
an Eagle-Owl and a Woodcock by a double shot, out of a 
cave high up in a bare ravine near Gennesaret, whence they 
were startled together by Tristram’s shooting a Wall-Creeper. 
This journey, during which the party penetrated beyond 
the Jordan, was fruitful of great results, new species being 
secured, and the distribution of others extended (see dvs, 
1865, pp. 67, 241 é seq.). 

Before this Upcher had already been to Iceland with 
C. W. Shepherd and Mr. George Fowler in 1862, when they 
visited a part of the island previously unattempted, but 
brought back no news of the Great Auk, nor were they able 
to decide what species of wild goose, or whether more than 
one species, bred there. At Vigr, on the north coast, they 
had an opportunity of seeing a large Eider farm, which has 
been graphically described by C. W. Shepherd in his North- 
west Peninsula of Iceland (p. 104). 

Having joined the British Ornithologists’ Union so far 
back as 1864, Upcher had been for many years its senior 
living elected member. 

Always a supporter of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ 
Society, which he joined as far back as 1871, Upcher became 
a Vice-President, besides filling the Presidential chair in 1883-4. 
Especially was he concerned with the welfare of the birds of 
his own county, and detesting indiscriminate shooting, his 
Presidential address resolved itself into an appeal for their 
more adequate protection. In Volume IV. of the Transactions 
will be found a most interesting paper, entitled “A Day’s 
Bird-Nesting in Norfolk” (N.N.Tr., IV., p. 679), chiefly 
about the ducks on Wretham meres, always a great resort 
for the Anatid@ which there receive protection. We can, 
however, hardly accept the story of a Merlin taking a Curlew 
on Wells saltings (N.N.Ty., III., p. 576). Upcher did not 
himself see the bird, which was more probably a tiercel 
Peregrine, a not uncommon migrant on the coast. 

Although the late Mr. Upcher showed little taste for 


VOL. XV.] THE LATE H. M. UPCHER. 7 


handling the pen at any time, he frequently contributed 
short notes to the Field, and in a few instances to other 
journals. Very remarkable was his experience with a Great 
Bustard (vide the Field, April 3rd, 1876), a magnificent old 
male, which for several weeks frequented a field of coleseed 
on his west Norfolk estate, where the writer will not easily 
forget crawling behind a hedge to see it, and eventually 
getting within about two hundred yards; even then the 
Bustard did not resent the intrusion for some time, but at 
last flew away. On hearing of its arrival Lord Lilford 
promptly sent down a female from his aviaries at Oundle, 
and when that died another to replace it; but it was of 
no avail, for the cock Bustard showed no inclination to 
mate, and at the end of February migrated and was not 
seen again. 

J. H. GuRNEY. 


THE ONESEEING OF THE CRESTE Denil. 
As I am unable to find any adequate description of the 
nestling Crested Tit (Parus c. scoticus), the following observa- 
tions may be of some interest to ornithologists. When 
staying in Inverness-shire recently, my friend Mr. R. G. Todd 
and I examined a nest containing newly-hatched young, and 
were surprised to find that, although otherwise almost 
naked, they all had a well-developed tuft of hair-like down on 
top of the head. We then examined some unhatched eggs 
and found that even the embryo chick has this peculiar 
characteristic of a long, clearly formed crest even in the 
earliest stages. The interior of the mouth is bright lemon- 
yellow, with darker yellow tongue and centre and no tongue- 
spots. CLIFFORD BORRER. 


[I can confirm the fact that a long and well-defined crest is 
present in the embryo, from personal observation in May 1916. 
One hair-like tuft seems to spring from just above the eye, 
one from the occiput, and in one case one from the forehead. 
There are also two hair-like tufts on the back.—F. C. R. 
JOURDAIN. | 


PROBABLE LESSER GREY (SHRIKE SiN 
NORTHUMBERLAND. 
On April 9th, 1921, I saw a Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor) 
at Seaton Sluice on the coast of Northumberland, and had 
it under my direct observation for half an hour or more. 
It was sitting on the top of a thorn fence on the edge of the 
dene. As an abrupt hill rose immediately behind the bird 
I could make out its darker forehead as compared with a 
Great Grey Shrike (L. excubitor), while the whole bird was 
also darker and smaller than the latter. The single white 
wing-bar which showed became more marked when the bird 
took flight. A strong offsea wind prevailed at the time and 
the bird was obviously tired. I may add that I am familiar 
with the species, which I have shot in Egypt and also possess 
a mounted Great Grey Shrike. W. Raw. 


BLACKBIRD LAYING IN NEST OF SONG-THRUSH. 
On April 1st, 1921, my brother found a nest of a Song-Thrush 
(Turdus ph. clarket) at Theale, near Reading, containing 
three eggs. 

We visited the nest again on April 11th and a Blackbird 
(Turdus m. merula) flew off. The nest then contained four 


VOL. XV.]| NOTES. 19 


Song-Thrush’s eggs and two Blackbird’s eggs. One of the 
Blackbird’s eggs was quite typical, being marked with small 
spots, but the other had large red spots, and was heavily 
marked at the larger end. 

The nest was mud-lined and undoubtedly that of a Song- 
Thrush. 

Unfortunately I could make no further observations owing 
to being absent from the neighbourhood. 

A. STEVEN CORBET. 
EAKGE, CLUTCH OF EGGS-OF TAWNY OWL. 
A NEsT of Tawny Owl (Sivix aluco sylvatica) at Martock, 
Somerset, which I examined on March 20th, 1921, contained 
five hard-sat eggs. During twenty years’ experience of the 
species I have never found more than four eggs, and the 
usual clutch here seems to vary from two to three. 
JOSEPH H. SyMEs. 

‘Clutches of five eggs, though scarce, have been recorded 
on a good many occasions chiefly from Northamptonshire 
and Oxfordshire, but also from Kent (cf. British Birds, 
VII., p. 55), Pembrokeshire (Capt. W. M. Congreve), Argyll- 
shire (has 1379; Pp. 375), 6te= sets Of Six vare much rarer 
but have been reported from Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, 
and Yorkshire. Seven eggs in various stages of incubation 
have been twice reported (cf. British Birds, X., p. 187), 
and in the Birds of Dumfriesshire (p. 182) a statement is 
quoted by Mr. R. Armstrong that in March 1892 he found 
a nest on Burn Farm (Closeburn) containing eight eggs. 
Possibly in these latter cases the female may have been 
killed after depositing a full clutch and the male may have 
taken another mate. A second clutch would naturally be 
laid in due course. In the case recorded by Mr. Forrest from 
Shropshire, there is some evidence that seems to suggest 
that two females were occupying the same hollow, and 
the three last laid eggs disappeared mysteriously.—F. C. R. 
JOURDAIN. | 


PROBABLE RED-FOOTED FALCON IN 
NORTHUMBERLAND. 


On May Ist, 1921, I saw an adult male Red-footed Falcon 
(Falco vespertinus) about a mile south of the Tyne opposite 
Corbridge. It flew low and quite slowly over a grass field 
and glided up on to a low bough in a hedger ow oak about 
150 yards from where I was. It sat up stiffly on this bough 
for some time, and then glided down and flew off as before 
just above the grass of the next field beyond. My first 
impression was of a dull black bird, which I was surprised 


20 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. xv. 


to see was a hawk. As it sat in the oak it was nearly facing 
me; it was lit by sunshine from behind me, and through 
the glasses the reddish patch about the thighs showed plainly. 
Until I saw this patch of red I had not realized what bird 
I was looking at. E. LEONARD GILL. 


RECORDS OF SPOONBILLS IN HAMPSHIRE. 
THE following records show that the Spoonbill (Platalea 1. 
leucorodia) has appeared in Hampshire in every month of the 
year with the exception of February, for which I have as yet 
no record. They are not, I believe, the only occurrences of 
the species. 


Jan.. 1920 Lymington July 1919 Beaulieu 
Mar. 1921 Beaulieu Aug. 1876 Christchurch 
April 1885 — Fordingbridge ,, 1892  Portchester 
May 1876 Christchurch » org SBeanhew 
peeteor. Christchurch Sept. 1920 Beaulieu 
4803 Portchester Oct. 1841 New Forest 
oY PLOLON » 1864 Christchurch 
1919 ~—- Beaulieu » . £920" Beaulven 
June 1876 Christchurch Nov. 1888 Christchurch 
1919 ~—sv Beaulieu » 1906 Beaulieu 


July 1876 Christchurch Dec. 1918 Beaulieu 
Tuomas H. C. TROUBRIDGE. 
GOOSANDER AND SMEW IN .SURREY. 
On March 2oth, 1921, I visited Frensham Great Pond; 
within a few yards of the road I “‘ put up ”’ a pair of Redshank 
(1. totanus) and later, on the Little Pond, I saw five more. 
Farther round the pond a bird swam out into the open, 
swimming very fast and partially submerged. It did not 
dive, and I was able to make lengthy observation with field- 
glasses. I was struck at once by its white cheeks and throat, 
the top of the head and back of the neck being chestnut, 
with no noticeable crest and the back darkish grey ; the 
bill stoutish and turned sharply down at the tip. Owing 
to its submerged way of swimming I could not tell the colour 
of the under-parts. The legs were set very far back. In 
size it was slightly smaller than the Great Crested Grebes, 
which are numerous on the ponds, and I made no doubt that 
it was a female Smew (Mergus albellus). Later on I noticed 
a female Goosander (M. merganser), which was swimming 
about in a leisurely manner quite close to the shore, thus 
enabling me to have a lengthy inspection, and also to compare 
the Smew which swam quite close to it. Two males and one 
female Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) were feeding amongst the 
reeds. CLEMENCE M. ACLAND. 


VOL. Xv.] NOTES. 21 


RUFF FEEDING UPON GRAIN. 


Towarps the end of December 1920 Ruffs and Reeves 
(Philomachus pugnax) appeared in the country around Wad 
Medani, in the Blue Nile province of the Sudan, and were 
still present there in large numbers at the end of February 
1921, when I left to proceed on leave to England. Near Wad 
Medani the Sudan Plantations Syndicate have their irrigated 
cotton estates at Taiba and Barakat, and owing to the 
unusually heavy rains which fell last autumn the natives had 
planted a very large area of unirrigated land with durra 
(Sorghum). 

In the early mornings in February between 6.30 and 8.30 
I have seen flocks varying from some fifty to a couple of 
hundred Ruffs and Reeves on these unwatered durra lands. 
At this time of year the durra had all been cut and either lay 
in dumps, awaiting thrashing or ready to be transported to 
the owner’s village or the market at Medani, in sacks upon the 
backs of camels or donkeys. The birds found plenty of grain 
around the dumps and thrashing-floors and also on the tracks 
by which the grain was being transported. I have seen flocks 
of Ruffs behaving like Sparrows on these roads, eagerly 
devouring grain which had fallen from the backs of laden 
animals. They never allowed me to ride nearer than about 
thirty yards, even though I rode towards them sideways and 
pretending that my attentions were occupied elsewhere. 
They would fly farther down the track or return eagerly to 
the interrupted meal when I moved on. 

The contents of the crops and gizzards of birds shot is 
shown in the table below. No trace of food other than durra 
was found in any of these birds. Some of them were quite 
packed with grain right up into the bill. 


TABLE SHOWING CONTENTS OF CROPS AND GIZZARDS OF RUFFS 
AND REEVES SHOT ON THE GEZIRA RESEARCH FARM, 
Wapb MEDANI. 


Contents. Total 
No. Date. Tine. Place. Sex. sGigzard. Crop, Durra 
Grains 
39 10.1.21 6.0 p.m. Fallow Q IIt Remains 
of about 
3 =I114 
40 6.2.21 7.30 a.m. Canal 3 17 22 = 30 
Bank 
41 Ar 3 13 3 == 106 
2 3} 200 22 == 228 
43 » a i re 85 14 —= 99 
44 » oF af Q 90 Il Iot 
45 ” ” » se Il 8 —— i 119) 


22 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


Rice and other grain is mentioned by Blanford as forming 
part of the dietary of this species, and Irby also states that 
birds killed on the stubbles in India were full of rice (bis, 
1861, p. 241). J. E. M. Meier: 


EARLY BREEDING OF WOODCOCK. 


It is well known that Woodcocks (Scolopax rusticola) are 
early breeders in this country, but exact dates are worth 
recording. On March 29th, 1921, hounds, when drawing 
one of our coverts at Hever, Kent, put a Woodcock off her 
nest. The nest contained a young one just hatched and three 
eggs in various stages of “ chipping.’ Thirty hours after- 
wards I went and looked at the nest. The young had hatched 
and the egg-shells were in small pieces in the bottom. The 
mother was brooding about six yards away. As the weather 
was fine and warm I put her off to see if she would pick one 
up, but she did not do so, but flew about thirty yards with 
a peculiar flopping flight, and ran backwards and forwards 
trailing her wings. The bird must have commenced to lay 
about March Ist. E. G. B. MEADE-WALDO. 


PROBABLE IVORY-GULL IN GLAMORGAN. 


DuRING the early hours of the morning, between dawn and 
the opening of the parks, a large flock of Gulls is generally 
to be seen feeding and resting in the Recreation Grounds of 
Roath Park, Cardiff. Passing this place at 6.40 a.m. (summer 
time) on April 3rd, 1921, I noticed among some fifty to sixty 
Common and Black-headed Gulls (L. canus and ridibundus) 
one bird which appeared to be entirely white. With the aid 
of glasses the following points were visible: General plumage, 
with the exception of some dark spots on the wings, correspond- 
ing with the tips of the primaries, completely white. Bill 
light. Legs and feet dark. Its size appeared to be exactly 
that of the Common Gulls it was walking amongst, and I am 
quite satisfied that it was an immature specimen of the 
Ivory-Gull (Pagophila eburnea). | GEOFFREY C. S. INGRAM. 


LARGE CLUTCH OF MOOR-HEN’S EGGS. 


Wuitst working through a large reed-bed in the south-east 
corner of Hampshire on April 21st, 1921, I came across a nest 
of a Moor-Hen (Gallinula c. chloropus) with sixteen eggs in it. 
All the eggs were very slightly incubated (about two days). 
Within an area of fifty square yards were two more nests of 
this species, one containing ten, the other three eggs. It may 
be of interest to add that this reed-bed is very strictly 
preserved, and is therefore very little disturbed. The reed- 


VOL. XV: | LETTERS. 23 


bed is a good mile long, and seventy yards wide, so that birds 
are not in any way cramped for space to nest in, which fact 
is a reason for doubting whether this large clutch is the 
product of two hens sharing one nest. Of course, only one 
bird was sitting, which proves nothing. Unfortunately, lack 
of time prevented me from watching this nest for (possibly) 
many hours, to see whether two hens were sharing the 
incubation between them. CECIL SMEED. 

[In the case of large clutches of this species it is, as a rule, 
impossible to assert with certainty that they are all laid by 
one female, but Mr. H. Massey (British Birds, X., p. 68) has 
proved that 14 eggs in a nest at Didsbury were a clutch. 
Nests with 19 to 26 eggs are almost certainly the product of 
two or more females.—F., C. R. JOURDAIN. | 


LETTERS. 


THE RELATION OF SONG TO NESTING OF BIRDS. 
To the Editors of BRITISH BIRDs. 


Sirs,—Several comments have appeared on a study which I made 
and am continuing, on this subject, and on which I shall perhaps be 
allowed to add something further in the [vish Naturalist. 

One naturally welcomes all additional information, but may I 
enter a caveat against opinions which are not based on the almost 
daily study of individual birds throughout the period from earliest 
song. Moreover, it is not a question of song or no song, but of the 
comparative amount of song at different times. A bird may sing 
about ten minutes in a day at one period and ten hours a day in another. 
For anyone to say that the Whitethroats sing to the same extent 
after completion of the nest as before, or as unmated birds, is to me 
astonishing. For another to say that all the Chaffinches “‘ seem to 
sing all day and every day’’ only shows, I think, how easily we can 
form wrong opinions. 

Again, there is no doubt whatever that in this part of the country 
there ave numbers of males of certain species which remain long 
unmated, sometimes even for months, and whose song is incessant 
and out of all comparison in strength, continuity and period with 
the breeding ones. Great care has to be taken not to confuse the 
mated male with an adjacent one which may be unmated or at a 
different connubial stage. The general position I have reached is 
that with a number of species there is either no song or practically 
no song from completion of the nest to hatching out. That during 
the rearing of the young the song varies from nothing or practically 
nothing to something considerable. I cannot go into further details 
in a letter. jee BURKICT. 
ENNISKILLEN, IRELAND. 


LONG-TAILED TITS METHOD OF BUILDING. 


To the Editors of BRITISH BiRDs., 


Sirs,—I have only just mustered up sufficient courage to relate 
the following tale, after a lapse of some twenty odd years. It refers 


24 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


to the construction of the nest of our Long-tailed Tit (4 githalos c. 
voseus) and the observation was made about the year 1898, probably 
in the latter part of March or early in April. I was a very keen egg 
collector in those days, and was out with my brother in the neighbour- 
hood of Moreton, Dorset, when we came across this nest. It was 
situated low down in either a bramble or furze bush, as is often the 
case, but to me, the peculiarity of the circumstance consisted in the 
fact that, although completed outside in every detail, the nest had 
no entrance hole. I have always regretted that, in the excitement 
of youth, I did not preserve this nest complete, but after examining 
it all round carefully, made an artificial entrance with my finger. The 
inside was unlined. It would be interesting to know if such nests 
have been found by others. Is it perhaps the normal method of 
construction, and does the bird make the hole and line the nest, after 
first completing the shell ? 

One can quite see that there might be advantages in this method, 
in the case of a nest such as that of a Long-tailed Tit, and possibly 
it may be quite the usual way. W. R. THompson. 
SIERRA LEONE, West ArFrica, February 26th, 1921. 


WEIGHT-CARRYING POWER OF A GOLDEN EAGLE. 
To the Editors of BriTisH BirpDs. 


Sirs,—In 1915 some Seaforth Highlanders were billeted in an 
empty house opposite me at Farnham, and I made the acquaintance 
of some of the men and invited three to tea one day—a keeper, a 
forester, and a ghillie from the north of Scotland. 

I showed them Macpherson’s Life of a Golden Eagle, in which they 
were much interested—the illustrations being from lfe—and, in 
course of conversation, asked them if they had ever heard of a child 
being taken by an Eagle—which they all agreed was a very unlikely 
thing to happen; but the forester told us he once saw an Eagle swoop 
down on a young lamb, and with great difficulty fly away with it. 

Seeing the bird could not get far from the ground with its burden, 
he followed it on foot for two miles and a half, when the bird dropped 
the lamb dead, a little way in front of him. He picked it up and took 
it home, and carefully weighed it at once out of curiosity, finding it 
scaled a little over 19 lbs. 

I do not know whether this would be a very heavy weight for a 
full-grown Eagle, but the other men thought it quite possible. 

ARTHUR R, GILLMAN, 
HatcuH Enpb, BoscoMBE. 


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PAGE 
A Ringed Plover’s “ Nests.”” By T. Leslie Smith oe ie 26 
Diving Ducks : Some Notes on their Habits and ecunstee By 
Charles E, Alford, F.z.s. : 33 
Manx Ornithological Notes, 1920. By P.G. Ralfe oe os 39 
Notes :— 
Remarkable Varieties of Magpie (H. E. Forrest) a a 41 
Large Clutch of Linnet’s Eggs (Major Cecil Smeed) .. 58 41 
Shore-Lark on Worcestershire-Herefordshire Border vate 
S. Curtler) we ae 42 
Late Spring Movement of Pied Wagtails ww. H. ete) he 42 
Spotted Flycatcher Returning to Deserted Nest OO W. 
Mapleton-Bree) .. ; 42 
Pied Flycatcher Wesuaed in Worcestershire (J. S. Elliott) af 43 
Martins Repairing Damaged Nest with Eggs ines ECan Vie 
Loyd) at ae ie 43 
House - Sparrows attacking Lesser Spotted “Woodpeckers 
(Rev. B. D’O. Aplin) .. 44 
Habits of the Cuckoo (E. G. B. Meade- Waldo) is ai 44 
Little Owl in Lancashire (Thos. L. S. Dooly) .. si ae 45 
Merlin Breeding in Devonshire (W. Walmesley White) te 45 
Dive of the Goosander (H. W. Robinson) ah wis oe 45 
Early Breeding of Woodcock (Hugh §. Gladstone) .. ote 46 
Roseate Terns Breeding in Dorset (Rev. F.L. Blathwayt) .. 46 
Letters :— 
Long-tailed Tit’s Method of Building (L. E. Taylor) .. 50 47 
Status of Arctic. Tern in Lancashire and the Farnes (H. B. 
Booth) —.. i: si 3e ap re fe es 47 


D 


( 26 ) 


A RINGED PLOVER’S “NESTS.” 
BY 
T, LESLIE SMITH. 


WHILE watching Terns on Tentsmuir, Fife, during the nesting 
season of 1920, I was sure from the continual presence of a 
pair of Ringed Plovers (#gialitis hiaticula) at one particular 
part of the shore that they had a nest near by, but it was 
not until June 26th that I found the four eggs on a small 
ridge at the edge of the sand-dunes. There was no nest in 
the real sense of the word, the eggs merely lying in a slight 
hollow in the bare sand, protected from view to a certain 
extent by a dead branch which had been washed up by some 
high tide. Although I was not aware of the fact at the time, 
incubation can only just have begun, as the young did not 
hatch out until twenty-four days later. 

The old birds were very wary and were never to be seen in 
the immediate vicinity of the nest. Later, from observations 
from a hiding tent, I noticed that the sitting bird rose from 
the nest as soon as anyone came within view, and raced off 
for a considerable distance before taking to flight. 

I made no attempt to photograph the birds at the nest 
until July 3rd, but during the interval the hiding tent was 
gradually moved up until it stood within a couple of yards 
of the nest, without the Ringed Plovers resenting it. The 
weather had been comparatively calm until then, but on 
that day a very strong breeze sprang up and the fine sand 
was in constant movement. In order to prevent the eggs 
from being completely covered by the dritting sand before 
one or other of the birds returned to the nest, a small branch 
was placed a few inches upwind, which afforded some slight 
protection. 

After the camera had been put into position, my brother 
lett me in the tent at 12 noon and walked out of sight, 
accompanied for a considerable distance by the Plovers, 
which ran on ahead as though to lure the intruder from their 
nest. In a very few minutes the four eggs were more than 
half covered by the sand, but, fortunately, I had not long 
to wait before the male Ringed Plover suddenly appeared 
behind the nest. He was obviously agitated, apparently 
not on account of the tent or the staring eye of the camera, 
which he completely ignored, but at the steadily drifting 
sand. . He fidgeted about, taking two or three steps in one 
direction, then a few in another, turning this way and that 


vou. xv.| A RINGED PLOVER’S ‘NESTS.’ 27 


within a foot or two of the eggs, and finally decided on a 
change of position for the nest. About a foot from the eggs 
he gradually lowered himself into a sitting position with a 
curious little shake of the body, and proceeded to scrape out 
a new nest in the soft sand with his feet (Fig. 1). Then 
returning to the eggs he began to remove them one by one 
towards the new hollow by dragging each one in turn between 
his chin and breast. This proved no easy task, as the Plover 
had to shuffle his way backwards during the operation, and 
much time was wasted by the bird repeatedly moving from 


Fic. 1. RINGED PLovER: The male scraping out a new nest. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith ) 


one egg to the next instead of confining his attention to one 
until he had completed the whole journey with it. Long 
before he had finished, the new hollow had completely dis- 
appeared, and he was compelled to scrape it out once more 
for the reception of the eggs. 

Although only about a foot from the original nest, this new 
scrape was on the far side of the small branch which I had 
placed as a wind-screen for the eggs, and it is improbable 
that the bird would have been able to transfer the eggs from 
one side to the other. Apparently realizing this, he scraped 
out another hollow rather nearer the eggs and on the same 
side of the branch as the nest, and proceeded to move the 


28 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


eggs in that direction, returning once or twice to re-make the 
hollow as soon as it was filled with sand. The position of the 
last scrape was slightly uphill from the eggs, and a great deal 
of trouble was experienced in removing them to it. In fact, 
the bird gave up the attempt after only one of the eggs had 
been rolled the whole way, and sat down to cover it, leaving 
the three others scattered several inches away. 

During the removal of the eggs, I took several photographs, 
but found considerable difficulty in keeping the bird in proper 


Fic. 2. RINnGED PLOvER: The female covering one egg. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith.) 


focus, as he was continually altering his position. Except 
for an occasional pause to listen, he entirely ignored the 
click of the shutter and the slight noise made in changing 
the slides. 

After covering the one egg for several minutes, the bird 
while sitting suddenly uttered a call which sounded like 
“ Ko-eel, Ko-eel, Ko-eel,” rapidly repeated—a very different 
note from the alarm-call—and left the eggs. Almost im- 
mediately the female appeared behind the nest but was 
evidently more nervous than her mate, judging from her 


vot. xv.] A RINGED PLOVER’S ‘NESTS.’ 29 


hesitation and frequent upward jerks of the head. Eventually 
she summoned up sufficient courage to come forward to the 
nest, and, after looking at the scattered eggs, she sat down 
on the same one as the male had been covering, with- 
out making any attempt to gather the others together 
(Fig. 2). 

The plumage of the female was not nearly so well marked as 
that of the male, and she appeared almost dingy in comparison. 
Instead of the pure white forehead of her mate, the front 


NE OS eed 


Fic. 3. RINGED PLOvER: The male drawing the eggs into the 
new hollow. 


(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith.) 


of her head was speckled with brown, giving it rather a dirty 
appearance. Hoping to overcome her nervousness, I allowed 
her to sit for several minutes undisturbed, and then released 
the shutter. At the slight click, however, she immediately 
rose and flew straight from the eggs. 

Although during the next twenty minutes the Plovers 
were heard calling not far off, neither of them returned to the 
nest, and at the end of that time I decided to leave and give 
them a chance to regain confidence. Half an hour later my 
brother, J. N. Douglas Smith, took his turn at watching the 


30 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


birds. I give his notes on their behaviour during the following 
three-quarters of an hour. 

‘When we were about one hundred and fifty yards from 
the hiding tent we saw one of the birds leave the nest and 
walk slowly up the sandy slope behind it. This was the first 
time either of us had seen the Plover leave the nest on our 
approach. 

“ After clearing the sand of all small branches and sea-weed 
near the nest, and replacing the eggs in their original position, 
I entered the tent at 1.50 p.m. In about ten minutes the 


Fic. 4. RINGED PLOVER: The male brooding three eggs. 
(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith.) 


male Plover returned and found the eggs nearly covered 
with sand. He seemed rather shy, and walked up to the 
nest and then retreated for a few steps two or three times 
before he decided to sit on the eggs. I am not sure of the 
reason for this indecision. The front of the tent was being 
blown about a good deal, but, on the other hand, there was 
none of the upward jerking of the head which I had noticed 
before in the case of both birds when they were nervous. 
At first he sat down on two of the eggs and kicked the sand 
out vigorously behind him. In doing so, he kicked the 


vot. xv.| A RINGED PLOVER’S ‘NESTS.’ él 


other two eggs clean out of the nest. Finding that this 
effort to improve matters was not successful, he left the eggs 
and sat down on the sand about three inches away, where he 
made another nest, shuffling from side to side and kicking 
out the sand as he had done before. He then turned his back 
on the new nest and drew the nearer two eggs towards it 
pulling them backwards under his chin. He sat on these 
eggs for a few minutes, and paid no attention to the other two 


Fic. 5. RInGED PLovER: The male digging out the eggs. 
(Photographed by T. Leslie Smith.) 


which lay on the sand some distance away. Then suddenly 
he rose from the eggs and formed a new hollow just outside 
the second one, and drew all four eggs into it (Fig. 3). As he 
sat down again, he dislodged an egg by giving it a kick with 
one of his feet. For the first time he faced the wind directly, 
and proceeded to brood three eggs, occasionally glancing 
over his shoulder at the tent. The fourth egg lay under the 
tail, quite clear of his body (Fig. 4). During that time I 
made four exposures, and the bird took no notice of the noise 


32 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


of the shutter or of the changing of the slides. After he had 
sat on the three eggs for about ten minutes and showed no 
sign of dealing with the other egg, I thought it might be 
possible to rouse him to some further nest-making. I spoke 
to him gently and he turned round a little, so as to havea 
better view of the tent. After he had settled down again 
I spoke once more ; he gave two sudden upward jerks with 
his head and ran off the nest. - I heard his call-note several 
times some distance behind me, but he never came in sight 
again. I waited for ten minutes, by which time three of 
the eggs were completely covered, and then left the tent at 
225 p.m. - 

At 3 p.m., after rearranging the eggs, I took my place in 
the tent, and almost immediately the male appeared calling 
on the right of the nest, and was answered by the female close 
behind. The latter, however, had not sufficient courage to 
take her place on the eggs, and her mate came forward as 
before. The eggs by this time were almost completely covered 
by the sand, but with a sharp movement he dug his bill into 
the middle of them and jerked one out with a twist of his 
head (Fig. 5). The others were dealt with in a similar manner. 
The bird again continued his curious behaviour endeavouring 
to move the eggs to a more sheltered position, several times 
making a scrape at the same spot as before, and once within 
a few inches of the eggs. The appearance of a man in the 
distance caused him to leave before he had succeeded in 
arranging the eggs to his satisfaction. 

Before leaving we placed a larger branch upwind from the 
eggs as a further protection, and, on his return two days 
later, my brother found that all four eggs had been removed 
into a well-defined hollow close up against this branch and 
at a distance of about a foot from their original position. 

On another windy day, I noticed the male scraping out a 
new hollow and making a half-hearted attempt to move one 
egg towards it; and on another occasion, although there 
was no wind blowing, the female, while hesitating to cover 
the eggs, sat down about a foot away and made a scrape, 
following this up by giving one of the eggs a slight peck, 
but not actually moving any of them. With these exceptions, 
however, as far as our observations went, there was no serious 
repetition of the curious behaviour noted on the first occasion. 


( 33 ) 


DIVING DUCKS: SOME NOTES ON THEIR 
HABITS AND COURTSHIP. 


BY 
CHARLES E. ALFORD, F.z:s. 


Ow1nc to their great alertness, and the ease with which they 
can escape from view, the Anatide do not as a general rule 
readily lend themselves to observation. Indeed, to study 
them closely and with any degree of accuracy needs not only 
a great deal of patience—with which quality, be it said, most 
nature-lovers are well endowed—but a large amount of luck 
into the bargain. In the case of most species of duck, we 
have, indeed, only to appear at the water’s edge to send them 
scurrying off on whirring pinions ; and even should we succeed 
in drifting into their midst, we shall, in all probability, return 
but little the wiser for our trouble. For the futility—not to 
mention the discomfort—of trying to study the habits of 
ducks from the cramped interior of a boat can hardly be 
overstated. There are occasions, of course, when this is the 
only method that offers; but when possible I have always 
found it best to get on to high ground overlooking the bay 
which the ducks frequent, and there conceal myself beneath 
a tree or bush. Though the objects of our study are thus 
at a greater distance, a strong pair of glasses soon overcomes. 
this difficulty. From such a point of vantage not only do 
we command a wider field of vision and obtain a much clearer 
view of their plumage than is the case when we are on the 
same level with them, but, should there be sufficient cover, 
we can shift our position or even move from one point to 
another, and thus avoid the bodily tortures incurred by 
lying motionless in a boat. 

As stated in a previous article, I had the good luck during 
the years I spent in Western Canada to live on the very edge 
of a bay frequented during the winter months by many 
interesting species of the Anatide ; and from the shelter of 
my study window I could, by the aid of a strong pair of 
glasses, keep the movements of my feathered visitors under 
close and constant observation. That is not to say that I 
made any fresh or startling discoveries, but I was able to 
watch them in an absolutely wild and unmolested state, 
swimming and feeding, playing and courting in perfect 
security, and all unconscious of the two powerful lenses that 
were so eagerly and constantly focussed upon them. 

Generally speaking, it has been my experience that diving 


34 BRITISH BIRDS, [VoL. Xv. 


Ducks are extremely silent birds, seldom uttering a sound 
save under the influence of sexual emotion. There are, 
however, two exceptions—the Long-tailed Duck (Clangula 
hyemalis) and the Harlequin (H. histrionicus). The strange, 
long-drawn cry of the former may be heard constantly 
wherever these ducks are to be found ; whilst the Harlequins, 
both when swimming and feeding, frequently give utterance 
to a low piping whistle, the same call being used when they 
are about to take wing, doubtless as a signal of departure 
to the remainder of the flock. As I have never had the good 
fortune to watch the courtship of these species, I am unable 
to say whether they remain silent or not on such occasions. 

Though they fight a good deal amongst themselves, I have, 
.as a general rule, always found diving Ducks to be extremely 
well disposed towards their neighbours; indeed, with the 
exception of the Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), 
to be dealt with later, I cannot remember ever having 
witnessed a fight between two individuals of different species. 
This is the more remarkable, considering the days and months 
they spend during the dull winter season feeding and drifting 
on the waters in each other’s company; and though the 
abundance of food to be found in the sea may partly account 
for this absence of collisions, it cannot altogether explain the 
peace and goodwill that always seem to animate these 
‘delightful creatures. As a bird-lover, therefore, as well as a 
fairly keen observer, I prefer to give my feathered friends 
the benefit of the doubt, and to attribute it to their gentle 
-disposition. 

Some species have a strange preference for certain feeding- 
grounds. There is a bay, barely ten miles distant from where 
I lived, where the Long-tailed Duck could always be seen in 
large numbers throughout the winter, yet during all the years 
I spent in the neighbourhood I never once saw a single 
individual of this species in my own little bay, where the 
conditions, save for the somewhat shallower water, were 
almost identical. I have, moreover, noticed a similar pre- 
ference even within the limits of my own bay, the Scaup 
(Nyroca marila), a species that was usually present in large 
flocks throughout the winter, invariably kept to the eastern 
and more exposed part of the bay and very seldom ventured 
to the other and more sheltered side where the conditions 
were otherwise quite similar. The Harlequins, too, as soon 
as they arrived would always make for the same place—off 
the end of a low rocky promontory that jutted out into the 
‘bay. Here, and here only would they dive, though there 


vot. xv.} SOME NOTES ON DIVING DUCKS. 35 


were to the human eye many other equally suitable feeding- 
grounds within a few yards of the favoured spot. 

When disturbed by man, diving Ducks always prefer to 
rely upon their wing-power as a means of escape, provided 
they receive sufficient warning, and it is only when hard- 
pressed or when taken by surprise that they seek refuge 
beneath the water. When attacked by smaller foes, how- 
ever, they promptly dive. Next to man, the worst enemy 
of diving Ducks is undoubtedly the Gull—on the North 
Pacific coast, the American Herring-Gull (L. argentatus smith- 
somianus), and the Glaucous-winged Gull (L. glaucescens). 
Ever on the look-out for some savoury trifle, the sly marauder 
marks down the duck and having watched it dive, hovers 
in the vicinity awaiting events. When, as frequently happens, 
its victim reappears from the depths with a plump fish in 
its bill, down swoops the Gull on to the duck’s back the 
moment it reaches the surface, compelling it, by the very 
suddenness of the onslaught, to yield up the dainty morsel 
and seek safety beneath the waves. 

Of all the varied phases in the life-history of a bird, perhaps 
the most fascinating and, in many cases, the most difficult to 
_observe, is its mode of courtship. In the case of many species, 
especially among the Anatide, the male bird will display 
to the female during almost any month in the year, and I 
have spent many hours during the coldest days of winter 
watching my aquatic visitors when thus engaged. Though 
a certain amount of bobbing and dipping of the head is, of 
course, characteristic in the courtship of ducks, close observa- 
tion will reveal very distinct variations of this manoeuvre 
in different species. The most acrobatic display that I have 
ever witnessed is that of the male Goldeneye (Bucephala 
clangula). With a terrific jerk—sufficient, one would suppose, 
to dislocate its neck—the head is thrust upwards to the full 
extent of the neck, with the bill closed, then bent sharply 
backwards until the tip of the upper mandible touches the 
tail. The next second, and with equal force, head and neck 
are jerked forward again to the normal position, with bill 
agape, the bird uttering at the same moment a loud squeak, 
not unlike the sound produced by the creaking of rusty hinges, 
and splashing the water behind it by the force of the con- 
vulsion. The whole performance occupies but two seconds, 
the female in the meantime merely dipping her head, a poor 
acknowledgment, one would think, of so strenuous an exhibi- 
tion. Such displays might be seen on most calm days during 
the winter. On December roth, 1919, a bitterly cold day, 


36 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


with the thermometer down to 20°, I watched one male of 
this species thus entertaining four females; and when, as 
frequently occurs, a number of individuals of both sexes 
happen to be present, the spectacle of several drakes going 
through these strange contortions, whilst the ducks solemnly 
bow their approval, is ludicrous in the extreme. 

Though the habit of lying more or less prone upon the 
water is common to most females of the Anatide when they 
desire to pair, the duck Goldeneye carries this performance 
beyond all normal bounds; her behaviour on such 
occasions being, indeed, scarcely less amazing than that of 
the drake. With neck outstretched and her body quite 
limp and apparently lifeless, she allows herself to drift upon 
the surface exactly after the manner of a dead bird. When 
first I witnessed this manceuvre I was completely deceived, 
for she remained thus drifting towards the shore, and with 
the male swimming round her for fully fifteen minutes before 
actual pairing took place. This occurred on February 2nd, 
1920, a beautiful spring-like day, the whole of that month 
being unusually mild and sunny. 

With the exception of the Harlequins, whose southward 
journey is more dependent on the weather than is the case 
with other species, the Goldeneyes were always the last of my 
winter visitors to arrive, and the first to depart—November 
2nd and April 21st, being the earliest and latest dates noted 
in my records. Of powerful, whistling flight, they would 
come into my bay in small flocks, seldom exceeding seven or 
eight in number, the adult males in the proportion of four to 
seven of the females and immature birds, the two latter being 
difficult to distinguish owing to the similarity of their plumage. 
The Goldeneye feeds close to the shore, and does not travel 
far under water, as is the case with some members of this 
family. Though well disposed towards their neighbours, 
the males fight a good deal amongst themselves, the usual 
method of attack being for the antagonist to dive and rise 
to the surface beneath its victim, thus taking the latter by 
surprise. 

Another duck, quite plentiful in the North Pacific during 
the winter months, is the Red-breasted Merganser, the adult 
male being, in my opinion, one of the most handsome birds 
on the British List. Arriving towards the end of October, 
it is the last of my winter visitors to depart, a fact due, no 
doubt, to its being a permanent resident in many parts of 
the district. In common with the Goldeneye, it also spends 
much of the winter season in love-making, though its method 


vot. xv.] SOME NOTES ON DIVING DUCKS. 37 


of courting is not quite so strenuous as that of its love-sick 
relative. First, the head is thrust upwards to the full extent 
of the neck, with the bill closed ; but instead of being bent 
across the back, as is the case with the Goldeneye, it is then 
dipped sharply downwards towards the water, the bird opening 
its beak and uttering at the same time a sort of grunt, the 
female, meanwhile, merely bowing her head. Though 
molluscs are also included in its diet, the Merganser is chiefly 
a fish-eater, rivalling even the Cormorants (Phalacrocoracid@) 
in the speed with which it can swim beneath the surface. 
Like the Cormorant, too, it also has the power of submerging 
its body, though it does so much less frequently than the 
former bird, which may, indeed, constantly be seen swimming 
-in this manner, even when undisturbed. The Merganser, 
on the other hand, only submerges when danger threatens. 

I might here mention that the common Cormorant of the 
North Pacific is P. pelagicus robustus, a bird that, both in 
habits and general appearance, differs but little from our 
own. 

Whilst most species of diving Duck, as already stated, 
live together in perfect harmony, the same can hardly be 
said of the Red-breasted Merganser. When undisturbed he 
is, indeed, by no means the quiet, unobtrusive creature of 
which we read in bird-books; and though he does not 
deliberately molest his neighbours, there are times when our 
saw-billed friend unmistakably “ gets on their nerves.” On 
one occasion a small party of these ducks came into my bay 
and commenced playing, or fighting, amongst themselves 
like a gang of noisy schoolboys, chasing each other under the 
water, scattering their neighbours and generally making 
themselves objectionable. This was too much for a sedate 
old Goldeneye who was trying to doze near by; with open 
beak he flew at one of the roysterers, and after chasing his 
victim all over the bay, compelled him finally to seek safety 
in the opensea. At this momenta Gull which had been drifting 
peacefully on a floating log, and whose slumbers had also 
been interrupted, joined in the fray. Swooping upon another 
member of the party, he rained peck after peck on the 
unfortunate Merganser before it had either the time or presence 
of mind to dive beneath the surface, and thus escape. Such 
an incident is interesting as showing how two birds of totally 
different species will combine to rid themselves of a common 
nuisance. I have also seen a Cormorant chastize one of these 
birds, and though I was unable on this occasion to determine 
the cause of the trouble, there seems to be no doubt that 


38 - BRITISH BIRDs. [VOL. XV. 


something in the behaviour of the Merganser sadly upsets 
the temper of its fellow-creatures. 

Two other species I should like to mention—the Buffel- 
headed Duck (Bucephala albeola) and the Surf-Scoter (Oidemia 
perspicillata), since they have both, on several occasions, 
favoured our shores with a visit. In the North Pacific, the 
Buffel-head is extremely common during the colder months. 
of the year, going about in flocks of from ten to fifteen 
individuals, and visiting the bays and inlets of the coast in 
large numbers. It is, however, equally partial to fresh water, 
and may be found on most of the inland lakes of Vancouver 
Island throughout the winter. A small species—about the 
same size as our Teal (Querguedula crecca)—the Buffel-head, 
is an expert diver, its food, so far as I have been able to 
determine, consisting chiefly of the soft green seaweed that 
grows in the more shallow parts of the bay, and less frequently, 
I fancy, small crustaceans. I have never seen it eat fish. 
A rapid bobbing of the head is the male’s method of display, 
the female responding in a similar manner. 

The Surf-Scoter, in his rich black plumage, relieved by a 
bright orange-red bill and patches of vivid white on nape and 
forehead, is a very handsome creature, and, like the last- 
named species, extremely abundant. It is found, as a rule, 
in huge flocks in company with the Scaup and White-winged 
Scoter (Oidemia degland1), passing the daylight hours asleep 
on the surface. At such times, owing to the turn of the head 
and neck, the white patch on the nape shows prominently at 
the front, giving the bird a very peculiar appearance ; and 
one can only wonder what useful purpose, if any, this strange 
ornament is intended to serve. When displaying, the male 
Surf-Scoter swims rapidly to and fro, keeping head and neck 
erect, and at intervals dipping its beak into the water. Should 
several males be present, the female swims from one to the 
other, bowing her head, or darting, occasionally, at some 
undesirable suitor. 

Though my observations on the ducks may cover no new 
ground, they deal, at all events, with the strange habits of 
many interesting species which few students of bird-life 
have the opportunity of studying for themselves ; and there 
is always the possibility that even a single stray note, of no 
apparent importance, may prove to be the one vital link in a 
chain of evidence concerning the life-history of a particular 
species. 


( 39) 


MANX ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES, 1920. 
BY 
P. G. RALFE. 


THE following notes are intended to continue the record: 
from the article in British Birds, XIV., p. 11. 

Information as to the presence in summer of small migrant: 
species is still very imperfect. It is to be feared that the 
extensive destruction of our plantations during the war 
period will have its influence on the occurrence of such birds. 

The question of the forms of some of the commoner British. 
species occurring in Man is also of interest. I am not 
aware that a single preserved specimen of a Manx Coal- 
Tit (Parus ater) exists, and I failed during 1920 to see any 
living birds at close quarters. (The species is quite scarce, 
apparently, in the Island.) Several of my friends, however, 
think that the cheek and neck-patches of the Manx birds. 
are unmistakably white. Manx specimens of the Dipper 
also await critical examination. 

The Greenland Wheatear (Ginanthe e. leucorrhoa) certainly 
occurs in numbers on migration, as well as the typical form. 


GuouGu (P. pyrvrhocovax).—During the year I have had opportunity 
to visit several nesting sites of former years. In May Mr. T. H. Graves 
and I saw a pair apparently occupying the nest in the mine building 
figured in British Birds (1X., p. 291), but there were no eggs laid 
in the cavity, which was lined just as in 1915. On another visit 
(June 15th) a new nest seemed to have been made on the top of a 
high ruinous wall of a much larger building in the same group. The 
situation which, strange to say, was quite open to the sky, was in- 
accessible by any means at my disposal. *° 

The nest in the mine fissure on the coast (British Birds, V., p. 301) 
contained young on May 1o9th and June 5th, easily seen, but very 
difficult of approach. 

The site illustrated in Birds of the Isle of Man, p. 84 (a-hole in a 
perpendicular cliff at the summit of brows rising from a strand) was: 
also occupied. On May 24th it contained a large young bird and ai 
addled egg. 

On September 11th I visited the locality in an inland glen (t.c., p. 90). 
Here a considerable part of the old building containing the nesting- 
hole had fallen, but the wall with the immediate site was still intact, 
and the hole had been recently used; whereas in 1905 the nest 
structure was barely visible outside the joist-hole, a mass of gorse 
sticks now projected from it, forming a very conspicuous rim. 

WuitE WactalL (Motacilla a. alba) —Great numbers of Wagtails. 
were passing at Ramsey in the late summer (probably mostly, if not all, 
of this race). 

YELLOW WacataiL (M. f. vayi)—On October 4th I saw at least 
two feeding with Rock- and Meadow-Pipits, and many young Pied 
(possibly also some White) Wagtails, amid the cast-up weed on the- 


40 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


Castletown shore. The Yellow Wagtails (I assume the above named 
form) were in buff inconspicuous juvenile dress. The species has 
very rarely come under my notice here. 

Woovp-WaARBLER (Phylloscopus s.  sibilatyvix)—The wood near 
Ramsey where each summer this species might without fail be found 
has been completely cut down during the war. Mr. T. H. Graves 
tells me, however, that during last season he several times heard the 
song in the woodlands of Lezayre. 

CHIFFCHAFF (Phylloscopus c. collybita).—This local bird is now at 
least not uncommon in wooded places in the north of the Island. 
Mr. T. H. Graves hears it all through the summer in the grounds of 
his own and neighbouring houses near Lezayre Church. I listened 
there to three individuals at very short distances from each other, 
In the south I have not yet met with a Chiffchaff. 

Brack REDsTART (Phenicurus o. gibraltariensis).—On March 25th 
Mr. T. H. Graves saw a female Redstart, probably of this species, at 
Peel Castle. 

NIGHTJAR (Caprimulgus e. euvopeus).—Mr. T. H. Graves last summer 
frequently heard its churring on the bracken-covered hillsides of 
Lezayre, where it doubtless nested. On September 6th Mr. A. D. 
Kissack shot an immature example, which must have been bred in the 
neighbourhood, on the “‘ Stony Mountain ’”’ above Foxdale. About 
four years ago he had a similar bird at Cringle, also in the southern 
highland. This species has rarely been proved to breed in Man. 

KINGFISHER (Alcedo a. ispida)—Two on the Sulby River above 
Ramsey on August 12th. From time to time the bird has occurred 
on the lower portions of all the larger streams, but no nest has been 
recorded, and the dates of the appearances seldom suggest breeding. 

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Dryobates major [? anglicus]).— 
Mr. J. Bell tells me that a specimen was undoubtedly seen and heard 
in the early summer on the farm of Ballacottier, Kirk Bride. He 
received a graphic account of the bird and its habits. Three occur- 
rences of the species have hitherto been recorded in Man. 

REDSHANK (Tyvinga totanus).—Continuing to increase. Mr. Harrison 
tells me of “ flocks’ in the Douglas district, where thirty years ago 
it was hardly to be seen. I have not, however, any further evidence 
as to its breeding. 

GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL (Larus marinus).—Mr. C. H. Wells 
found a nest with three eggs on the Calf of Man in May. Two pairs 
also nested on the west coast of the mainland at a short distance from 
each other. Both sites had been occupied in previous years, and I 
had looked upon them as alternative, which cannot have been the 
case this year at least. 

ComMon GULL (Lavus canus).—In the later summer I noticed a 
good many, though the percentage was very small in the large flocks 
of other Gulls with which they mixed on the sandy northern coasts. 
In the southern bays the species is evidently much scarcer. 

LittLe TERN (Sterna a. albifrons).—Breeding in numbers at the 
usual locality. 


REMARKABLE VARIETIES OF MAGPIE. 


Two varieties of the Magpie (Pica p. pica) were obtained in 
April 1921, one by Major Trevor Corbet, at Longnor, the other 
near Much Wenlock. Both places lie south of Shrewsbury, 
and are within six miles of one another. 

In the first, all the parts of the plumage which in a normal 
Magpie would be black, are of a pale grey colour. If this 
were the only peculiarity we should regard it as a semi- 
albino, but, strange to say, the primaries (which normally 
are black and white) are entirely of the pale grey colour— 
there is no white whatever. This negatives the idea that it 
is a case of semi-albinism, as in such a bird all white parts 
would still be white ; whereas in this example the primaries 
are not white at all. The bird must surely be unique. 

In the second, the parts of the plumage normally black 
are dull fawn colour on the neck, breast, rump and _ legs, 
but the rest of the plumage is nearly white. It has much 
more white than the first. The top of the head is grey, 
exactly like a Jackdaw’s. A peculiarity of both birds, to 
which I have not yet alluded, is that all the primaries and 
rectrices are of a hair-like texture, due to a defect in the 
structure of the web. I have only previously met with this 
phenomenon in the Moor-Hen. See note in the Zoologist, 
Igol, p. 108. H. E. FORREST. 


PARGE CLUTCH OF LINNET'S “EGGS. 


On June roth, 1921, in a field opposite my house at West- 
bourne, Sussex, I came across the nest of a Linnet (Carduelis 
c. cannabina) with seven eggs init. The eggs were all fertile, 
and slightly incubated. 

There is no doubt in my mind that this large clutch is the 
product of a single hen. I was able to watch this nest for 
several hours ; moreover, the eggs are of a level type. 

In this locality, five is normal for this species, six is a 
rarity, and I have no record for seven. 

I should be most interested to know whether the Rev. 
IF. C. R. Jourdain, or any of your readers, have notes of such 
a big clutch. CECIL SMEED. 

[Seven have been occasionally recorded; see Practical 
Handbook, 1., p. 70 —EDs.] 

E 


42 BRITISH BIRDS. ~ [voL. XV, 


SHORE-LARK ON WORCESTERSHIRE-HEREFORD- 
SHIRE BORDER. 


On January 14th, 1920, while on my way from Great Malvern, 
Worcestershire, to West Malvern, Herefordshire, at the top 
of the “Happy Valley ” (1,100 feet) I saw a bird running 
on the ground, which at first sight I thought was a Cirl Bunting 
(Emberiza cirlus). It did not then allow of a close approach, 
but I crawled after it, taking what cover I could behind the 
scanty furze, and altogether spent an hour observing it on 
various parts of the hills. I saw it very well once or twice 
within a dozen yards through my glasses, and made out the 
black and yellow markings about its throat and face, and 
noticed the black ear tufts blowing about in what little wind 
there was (it was a beautiful day and comparatively calm). 
It flew somewhat like a Wheatear (4. ewnanihe) and once 
or twice uttered a quiet inconspicuous note like a subdued 
Rock-Pipit’s (Anthus s. petrosus). I have not the least 
possible doubt that the bird was a Shore-Lark (Evemophila 
a. flava), a particularly rare visitor to the west of England. 

MARTIN 5S. CURTLER. 


LATE SPRING MOVEMENT OF PIED WAGTAILS. 


WirH reference to the notes on the spring movements of 
Pied Wagtails (Motacilla alba lugubris) (antea, Vol. XIV., 
pp. 258, 278) it may be of interest to record that while at 
Winscombe, Somerset, on May 22nd, 1921, I watched a flock 
of these birds feeding on gnats by the roadside, and counted 
twenty-six on the road at one time, while there must have 
been many more in the surrounding bushes. I naturally 
expected to see White Wagtails (M. a. alba) in flocks at 
that date rather than Pied, and consequently I watched them 
for some time with binoculars and at close range. Most of 
them were decidedly black on the mantle; all were adults and 
most of them males. W. H. THORPE. 


SPOTTED FLYCATCHER RETURNING TO DESERTED 
NEST. 


Asout the third week in May Ig21, a pair of Spotted 
Flycatchers (Muscicapa s. striata) built a nest in the fork of 
a pear tree trained against a wall in my garden at Allesley, 
co. Warwick, and commenced sitting. About the 2oth, 
they deserted the nest. A week or so after this I examined 
the nest; the lining was disarranged and the eggs, which 
were cold and damp, had mostly sunk beneath it. The pair 


von. Xv.] NOTES. 43 


of birds still continued to haunt that part of the garden, 
but I could not discover another nest. On the 14th of June, 
about two and a half weeks after deserting, I was surprised 
to see the bird again sitting on the nest, and she has continued 
to sit regularly since. There are three eggs. 

H. W. MAPLETON-BREE. 


(For a summary of the records of Spotted Flycatchers 
building upon the nests of other species, see Vol. XI., p. 87.— 
EDs. | 


PIED FILYCATCHER NESTING IN WORCESTERSHIRE. 


THE occurrence of the Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa h. hy po- 
leuca) within the county has been recorded but rarely, only a 
few instances being given by Mr. R. F. Tomes in the Victorian 
County History of Worcester (p. 151). 

On May 7th, 1921, and following day a male was in continued 
song alongside the Severn valley, but I could not then detect 
the presence of any female in company. But subsequently 
at another visit on May 22nd, my son and I found the pair 
together at the same site and satisfied ourselves that they 
were nesting. This, I believe, is the first record of this species 
breeding in the county of Worcester, and for this reason I do 
not wish to publish the precise locality, as there seems some 
probability from this and other records that this charming 
little migrant may be extending its breeding range, I would 
plead that every protection and encouragement be given 
wherever it may occur in the future. Ue Se ELLIOTT. 


MARTINS REPAIRING DAMAGED NEST WITH 
EGGS. 


On June 16th, 1921, while some new gutters were being put 
up on my house, one of the workman inadvertently knocked 
in the whole of one side of a nest of a Martin (Delichon u. 
urbica). I climbed up to investigate, and after removing 
several large pieces of nest-wall which had fallen inwards, 
discovered two eggs both of which had miraculously escaped 
injury. The birds began the work of reparation within an 
hour of the accident, and to-day (June 21st) their work is 
completed. A new roof has just been put on to the house, 
and, although all old nests were of necessity knocked down, 
four pairs of Martins had returned and commenced to build 
long before the men had finished working. 

Lewis R, W. Loyp. 


4 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


HOUSE-SPARROWS ATTACKING LESSER SPOTTED 
WOODPECKERS. 


THE occurrence of Sparrows attacking the nest of the Lesser 
Spotted Woodpecker (Dryohates minor comminutus) may be 
of interest. The nest hole is in the dead branch of an apple 
tree in a friend’s garden ; the branch curves outwardly, and 
the hole being on the outer side is protected by the curve. 
On June 4th, 1921, I watched the old birds feeding the young 
for about an hour or an hour and a quarter, during which 
time they were fed fifteen times, the male coming six times 
and the female nine times. On June oth, I heard from 
my friend, “‘ You will be sorry to hear that the Woodpecker’s 
nest has met with disaster. Yesterday a pair of Sparrows 
attacked 1t—when the cock Woodpecker came to the nest the 
Sparrows drove him off. I picked up two young Woodpeckers 
dead under the nest, badly pecked on head and back. I shot 
one of the Sparrows, but it was then too late.’”’ Now what 
could be the object of the Sparrows in making this attack ? 
—I don’t imagine the nesting hole of the Lesser Spotted 
Woodpecker would be any use for Passer domesticus to 


nest in. 
B. D’O. APLIN, 


ELABITS*OF THE CUCKOO: 


As considerable attention has been drawn to the habits of 
the Cuckoo (Cuculus c. canorus) of late, I find amongst some 
notes I have made at different times on this bird the following, 
which may be worth recording, as I believe they have been 
the subject of some controversy. 

June 5th, 1869.—‘“‘ When chasing a young Cuckoo, an old 
Cuckoo flew at me several times ; it made a cry like the young 
Cuckoo’s call for food.” I have never heard an old Cuckoo 
make the same noise since. I remember the circumstance 
perfectly well, even at this length of time, and recollect I was 
much more impressed with the curious unCuckoo-like note 
than with the fact of the old Cuckoo resenting my interference 
with a young one. 

July 1st, 1877.—“‘ A Cuckoo flew past me calling ‘ Cuckoo,’ 
as it passed it ‘bubbled.’ This is very late in the season 
to call.” 

Since then I, and doubtless many others, have heard and 
seen a Cuckoo give both calls, but I do not remember to have 


seen it recorded. 
E. G. B. MEADE-WALDO. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. Ad 


PITtTLE, OWL IN LANCASHIRE. 


On April 5th, 1921, I came across a very small Owl close to the 
sand-hills at Formby, and had a very good view of it through 
field-glasses at about ten yards’ distance, as it flitted from one 
bush to another in broad daylight. Its back was brown, a 
little darker than that of a Thrush (Turdus philomelus), its 
breast dusky, its wing-coverts barred with white and its 
eyes golden. I conclude that it must have been a Little 
Owl (Athene noctua mira) ; the only other Owls I know of in 
this district are the Barn- and Long-eared Owls. 

ios. L.7S:-Doory. 


(This appears to be the first Little Owl recorded from 
Lancashire for very many vears and the first since its successful 
introduction into England.—EpDs.] 


MERLIN BREEDING IN DEVONSHIRE. 


In view of the statement in the Practical Handbook (Vol. I1., 
p. I1q), that the Merlin (Falco c. esalon) is only “ said to have 
bred Exmoor,” I may mention that on June 18th, rg2t, I 
found a pair of these birds breeding in a remote upland valley 
on Exmoor (Devon). The site chosen was an old Carrion- 
Crow’s nest in a hawthorn about 12 ft. from the ground. 
There were two young birds a few days old, and two addled 
eggs. The hill rose sharply behind the tree, and by climbing 
a few yards one could look almost into the nest. Near at 
hand in this same little valley Buzzards, Kestrels, and two 
pairs of Carrion-Crows were nesting in similar positions in 
thorn trees. W. WALMESLEY WHITE. 


DIVE OF THE GOOSANDER. 


Tue dive-periods of a Goosander (Mergus merganser), an 
adult male, which I had under observation from May 4th to 
r1th near Lancaster, were twenty-five seconds down and ten up. 
The dives never varied more than a second either way, except 
when the bird captured a fish which it brought to the surface 
and dived with again immediately ; reappearing from three 
to six seconds with the fish still in its bill it proceeded to get 
it down its gullet, this taking various periods according to 
the size of the fish. The water was of a considerable and 
uniform depth, being just above a weir. Although the bird 
was stoned every evening by local anglers, it never made any 
attempt to escape the missiles by flying or diving, but merely 
dodged them by swimming. H. W. RosInson. 


46 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL.. XV. 


EARLY BREEDING OF WOODCOCK. 


REFERRING to Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo’s note on the above 
subject (antea, p. 22), I do not know whether it is worth 
recording that nests and eggs of the Woodcock (Scolopax 
vusticola) have been found in this county (Dumfriesshire) as 
early as the end of February. This is, of course, somewhat 
exceptional, but nests with their full complement are com- 
monly found before the middle of March. 

HuGH S$. GLADSTONE. 


ROSEATE TERNS BREEDING IN DORSET. 


On June 13th, 1921, in company with Dr. F. G. Penrose and 
Mr. Howard Lacey, I found Roseate Terns (Sterna d. dougallit) 
breeding on the coast of Dorset. After careful watching, 
we marked a bird four or five times on to two eggs. These 
were remarkably elongated, one particularly so, and appeared 
to be shghtly incubated. The nest was very scanty and not 
concealed. We saw every detail of the bird’s plumage through 
prism glasses and telescopes, and both birds were very bold, 
constantly uttering their unmistakable note, which I learnt 
to know. last year in Wales. Possibly another pair was also 
breeding. Though this species formerly bred on the Scilly 
Islands, this is, I think, the first record of the finding of 
Roseate Terns’ eggs on the south coast of England. 

F. L. BLATEWAwar 


LONG-TAILED TIT’S METHOD OF BUILDING. 


To the Editors of BRITISH BiIRDs. 


Strs,—Major W. R. Thompson may be interested to hear of a Long- 
tailed Tit’s nest in our garden here in June 1916. It appeared to be 
without any opening, but after very careful examination I discovered 
a curtain over the entrance beautifully woven of the same moss and 
lichen as the nest. It was easily lifted by the finger, and, when released 
it fell over and exactly fitted the circular hole, much as an eyelid fits 
an eye. It was certainly not an accidentally torn piece of the nest, 
as it had a finished edge like the entrance hole. The bird I think must 
have been killed as it never came to the eggs [which were cold and 
fairly fresh laid when found—there were nine of them] so I was not 
able to see it enter. EE RAwnOR: 


PyRFORD HEATH, NEAR WOKING, 


STATUS OF THE ARCTIC TERN IN LANCASHIRE AND 
THE FARNES. 


To the Editorvs of BRITISH BIRDs. 


Srrs,—I have been very much puzzled by Mr. H. W. Robinson’s 
remarks (Vol. XIV., p. 281). He holds that the Common Tern 
(S. hivundo), being much stronger than the Arctic Tern (S. paradisea), 
drives the latter away from its Lancashire resorts, even by battles 
royal in mid-air, and continues “‘ as it had already done on the Farne 
Islands.’”’ As an old member of the Farne Islands Association I am 
not aware of this, and in fact I have found the Arctic Tern increasing 
there at a much greater rate than the Common Tern. LBefore the 
war I used to make a point of visiting these islands each year during 
the nesting season, and from 1906 to 1914 (inclusive) I never missed 
making at least one visit each season. My experience then was very 
different from what Mr. Robinson asserts; and for every pair of 
Common Terns there would be several hundred pairs of Arctic Terns 
present and nesting. With the exception of four or five pairs on the 
Brownsman I have never seen Common Terns nesting on any islands 
of the group, excepting on the Knoxes and the Inner Wideopens, on 
each of which there are a fair number. But even on these two islands 
they are hopelessly outnumbered by the Arctic Terns. I have not 
had the same opportunity of so thoroughly investigating the colonies 
on the outlying Longstone as upon the other islands ; but I have not 
identified any Terns but Arctics there, and on my last visit to that 
island (in 1913) there were two separate colonies, which I estimated 
at not less than 250 pairs each. They had wonderfully increased on 
the Longstone, as they had also done on the Brownsman; and the 
increase in these outlying colonies was so far as I could make out 
entirely in Arctic Terns—with the exception of the four or five pairs 
of Common Terns previously mentioned as nesting on the Brownsman. 

Now with respect to Walney. I visited this island with several 


43 BRITISH BIRDS. ' [von. Xv. 


ornithological friends on June 8th, 1907 (see the Natuyalist, 1907, 
pp. 270-3). Although the Common Tern was more numerous there 
than the Arctic Tern, the latter was by no means uncommon. They 
were nesting in two or three separate colonies apart from the Common 
Terns. The largest nesting colony of Arctic Terns was on the shingle 
of the beach, two or three hundred yards away from the nearest nest 
of a Common Tern. This colony contained thirty or more nests with 
eggs, and I carefully examined all the birds belonging to it with my 
field-glasses from behind a washed-up spar some fifty or sixty yards 
away. They were all Arctic Terns. The following year my friends 
again visited Wainey and they reported that the proportion of each 
species was just about the same as in 1907. 

Respecting the colony in South Lancashire, it has been there 
for some years. In 1912 I spent a week in the Scilly Isles with several 
friends and these South Lancashire nesting Terns had then been known 
to two of them for at least three or four years. Rather to my surprise 
they informed me that “the bulk of them ’”’ were Arctic Terns. If 
this is the same site (and I have not the slightest doubt in my own 
mind), it would appear that there the Arctic Tern is decreasing, or, 
more probably, that the Common Tern is increasing ; as my friends 
described it as a straggling and incompact colony in 1912. 

H. B. Bootu. 
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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 3, VOL. XV., AUGUST I, 1921. 
a PAGE 
Notes on the Little Tern and Young. By J. N. Douglas Smith 50 


Notes :— 
Some Birds Rarely Breeding in Lincolnshire (W. S. Medlicott) 57 
House-Sparrows Nesting in Hole of Lesser Spotted Wood- 


pecker (Capt. W. M. Congreve) ; a sie 58 
Wood-Lark Breeding in Montgomeryshire (Capt. W. M. 

Congreve) 58 
Late Spring Migratory Movement of Common Whitethroats 

(Rev. E. U. Savage) .. a: th 58 
Great Grey Shrike in Staffordshire (Dr. R. Clayton) 7 ate 59 
Spotted Flycatcher returning to Deserted Nest (Dr. R. 

Clayton) . a0 x 6 


Wing-strokes of the Swift (W. Cave) 
Roller in Essex (W. B. Nichols) Ae 
Unusual Site for Kingfisher’s Nest (J. H. Owen) .. : 
On some Breeding-habits of Woodpeckers (J. H. Owen) ~ 61 
Breeding of the Great Spotted dee ata, in Cumberla d- 

(R. H. Brown) .. " ie 16 1921 
Little Owl in Lancashire’ (F. Ww. Holder) E a8 
Clutch of Four Eggs of the Hobby (Norman Gilroy) : 2 
Merlin Breeding in Somerset (C. J. Pring) .. Ky evs 
Kestrels Nesting on the Ground (W illiam E. Glegg) ee | SwaiVonal Musi 
Buzzards taking Food from Surface of Water (W. Cave) .. 65 
Fulmar Petrel in Summer in Yorkshire and at the Farne Isles 

(Hugh S. Gladstone, W. J. Clarke and Miss M. G. S. Best) 65 
A Sixteenth Century Portrait of the Pheasant sige tae S: 

Gladstone) KY j F : 67 


Short Notes :— 

Starling with Young in January in Yorkshire. Rose-coloured 
Starlings in Yorkshire. Short-eared Owl Breeding in 
Essex. Greenland Falcon in Pembrokeshire. Iceland 
Falcon in co. Kerry. The St. Columb Spotted Eagle. 
Sheld-Duck Nesting in Nottinghamshire. Nesting Status 


£6 vali Inst; 
ne (Ut 


of the Black-headed Gull in Yorkshire. a ae ee 69 
Letters :— 
Parasitism of Gulls on Ducks (Theed Pearse) .. 7o 
Status of the Arctic Tern in South Lancashire and the Farnes 
(F. W. Holder and Mary G. S. Best) ws OK xe 71 


Obituary: The Late Col. H. W. Feilden, c.B. (Dr. S. H. Long) 71 
F 


( 50 ) 


NOTES ON THE LITTLE TERN AND YOUNG. 
BY 
J. N. DOUGLAS SMITH. 


DuRING the nesting seasons of 1919 and 1920 I spent some 
time watching and photographing the Terns on Tentsmuir, 
Fife. I had many opportunities of studying the behaviour 
of adult Common, Arctic and Little Terns, all of which nest 
on or near the moor, but in each case I found that my observa- 
tions came to an end shortly after the eggs were hatched. 
As soon as the young were able to leave the nest they scrambled 
after their parents, which sometimes seemed to make a point 
of enticing them away from my hiding tent, until at last 
they were either entirely hidden from view or were at such 
a distance from me that it was impossible to see clearly just 
exactly what was happening. I was anxious to evolve some 
plan by which it might be possible to keep the chicks under 
observation for a considerable length of time, but it was not 
until late in the 1920 season that I managed after several 
unsuccessful experiments to set up a control in which the young 
birds could live under natural conditions and into which 
the old birds would enter without fear. 

At first I surrounded the chicks with low strips of wire 
netting, but at that time I was unable to obtain any with a 
smaller mesh than three-quarters of an inch, and the young 
of the three Terns succeeded in squeezing through during 
the first day. Then I tried making an enclosure by means 
of pieces of driftwood, and finding a nest of the Little Tern 
(Sterna a. albifrons) with two newly hatched chicks, I set up 
the boards, letting them project three inches above the level 
of the shingle and banking them up on the outer side with 
sand. One of the chicks was very weak compared with the 
other and lay close to one of the boards, where it was sheltered 
from the wind, while the other scrambled about in the 
enclosure. When the female arrived she was very nervous 
and flew off and returned several times before she showed 
much interest in the chicks. After watching the extreme 
neatness with which Little Terns run over the shingle it was 
very strange to see the clumsy way in which this particular 
Tern hopped down the three-inch drop into the control ; 
several times she only saved herself from falling by the timely 
use of her wings. When she had become accustomed to the 
enclosure she followed the more active chick and seemed to 
peck at its back. She opened her bill slightly and then 


VOL. XV. ] LITTLE TERN AND YOUNG. 51 


closed it, but her pecks never reached the chick. Then she 
sat down in the middle of the control and fluffed out her 
feathers as if wanting to brood the chicks, but the one was 
too lively and the other was too weak to respond. Once or 
twice she shuffled forward for a few inches after the active 
chick and several times she went through the “ tucking-in ”’ 
movement, although there was nothing under her to tuck in. 
It would appear that this is an instinctive action, and I am 
inclined to think that the former pecking was simply part of 
the movement. 

While the Tern was sitting she suddenly gave an angry 
chatter, finishing in a scream, and dashed off in pursuit of some 
bird, probably a Crow, which was being chased past by some 
other Terns. When she had been away for some time heavy 
rain began to fall, and very soon both chicks showed signs of 
collapse. A sudden rainstorm coming on when the parent 
birds are absent from the nest seems to be practically always 
fatal to chicks during the first day of their lives, and during 
the wet season last year immense numbers of nestlings of 
the Common Terns were destroyed in this way. I waited 
anxiously for the return of the female, and fortunately the 
shower was of short duration, but it was not until fifty-five 
minutes had elapsed from the time when she left the control 
that I heard her call over my head. Knowing that she could 
not possibly collect both chicks, and that at best only one 
would be saved, I left the tent and placed the two of them 
together in a little hollow in the sand. They were quite cold 
and almost lifeless, but when I examined them on my way 
home an hour later they were still in the hollow but had 
revived after their narrow escape. 

The next day—the second in the lives of the chicks—I 
erected a new control with a six-yard strip of wire of five- 
eighths of an inch mesh, with six inches of netting above the 
sand. I put the chicks in a fairly deep hollow to protect 
them from the wind, but when the female arrived she was very 
restless. She soon left, and on her return the chicks ran to 
her and she brooded them quietly on the level ground. I 
think it was the inability of the Tern to keep a proper watch 
that militated against the success of the wooden enclosure, 
for after she left the hollow the female never showed any 
signs of nervousness. At first the male was rather doubtful 
about entering the control, but at last he flew down into it 
and walked about for some time before he flew away. After 
he had been absent for five minutes the female suddenly 
chattered, and the male alighted in the control carrying a 


52 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


sand-eel which he gave to his mate. This she swallowed 
greedily without rising from the chicks. As soon as she had 
been fed, she flew some two yards away and began to scrape 
a hollow in the sand, giving the slow, low-pitched “‘ Yupp 
......yYyupp”’ note. She went through the same perform- 
ance on several later occasions. The chicks did their best 
to reach her, but when the parent bird found that they were 
unable to escape she walked back and for the first time 


LITTLE TERN: Five days’ old chick with sand-eel. 


(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith.) 


examined the obstruction, pushing her bill here and there 
through the wire. Then she brooded the chicks again, only 
leaving them in order to receive food from the male or to fly 
round for a few minutes at a time. At first she seemed to 
have some difficulty in realizing the presence of the wire and 
twice she struck against it. Once when she was coming down 
she suddenly saw the netting a few inches in front of her and 
swerved upwards, alighting neatly in the middle of the control 
—a very pretty piece of flying. 


al 
; 


VOL xv.] LITYLE TERN AND YOUNG. 53 


In the afternoon my brother spent two hours in the tent 
and found that the female spent most of her time with the 
chicks. On one occasion as she was brooding one of them, 
the other raised its open bill and she touched it gently with 
hers, but no food passed. About ten minutes later the male 
chattered and arrived in the control carrying a tiny sand-eel. 
One of the chicks ran to meet him and he offered it the fish, 
but the chick touched it and refused to hold it. The male 
then gave it to the female as she sat covering the other chick 
and she offered it to the first, which swallowed it at once. 


Little TERN: Six days’ old chick swallowing a sand-eel. 


(Photographed by J. N. Douglas Smith.) 


This was the first time that either of us had seen the chicks 
fed. The same chick received a larger sand-eel ten minutes 
later, and five minutes after that the male brought back 
another sand-eel. This he offered to the other chick, which 
seized it rather too near the middle. After watching the 
chick give three or four futile gulps the male held up the eel 
by the tail, and, thus adjusted, it slipped comparatively easily 
down the chick’s throat. 

I did not visit the moor on the third day, and when I 
returned on the fourth I noticed a considerable change. 
The weaker chick had always been slightly darker than the 


54 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


other, and now when the stronger and more lightly coloured 
was also the larger it was easy to identify them when they 
were being fed. Once more the male had to assist a- chick 
in its efforts to swallow food, as had been witnessed by my 
brother two days before. The male brought a large sand-eel 
about four inches long and this was seized by the dark chick, 
which managed to swallow half. The parent then caught 
the fish’s tail and pulled it out a little, and the chick succeeded 
in getting it down in the way in which it should go. Whenever 
a chick swallowed an unusually large fish, it had great difficulty 
in keeping its balance and staggered about gulping, some- 
times nearly falling backwards. During that day the light 
chick was very lively and made several little scrapes for 
itself, kicking out the sand behind it after the manner of the 
female. 

On the fifth day there was great activity on the part of 
the chicks, which anxiously awaited the arrival of food. They 
piped eagerly whenever they heard any Little Terns calling, 
unlike the female which seemed to be able to recognize the 
note of her mate. Once the male arrived chattering, just 
outside the control, carrying a sand-eel, but he made no effort 
to feed the chicks. Instead, he raised his bill and the fish, 
and chattered loudly to the female, which presently alighted 
near him. He then walked for a short distance and dropped 
the fish on the sand, I think by accident. He picked it up 
at once, held it for a minute and swallowed it deliberately, 
much to the disappointment of the chicks. The light chick 
made good use of its superior strength, and by dint of tiring 
out the dark one forced it to act as a wind-shield. In this 
way it also obtained a valuable start in the race to meet the 
returning parent, and again and again received food out of 
its turn. By the end of the afternoon the dark chick was 
ravenously hungry and once made a dash at a sand-eel which 
the light one was about to swallow. This was the only time 
that I saw a chick interfere with the other. As a rule when 
a parent brought a fish there was intense excitement on the 
part of both chicks, but as soon as one of them received the 
prize the unfortunate one calmed down. Just before I left 
the tent the male arrived with a four-inch sand-eel and the 
dark chick got there first, chiefly owing to the fact that the 
other was handicapped by a recent meal. The male left 
before the eel was swallowed, and at that moment the female 
returned and began to brood the other chick. In his haste 
to enjoy the first meal which he had received that afternoon 
the dark chick dropped the sand-eel, and tor a moment did 


von. xv.} LITTLE TERN AND YOUNG. 55 


not appear to have any idea as to what he ought to do about 
it. Then he ran up to the female, which was facing away 
from the scene of the tragedy, and in some way which I could 
not follow seemed to acquaint her with his loss. She rose, 
and, followed by both chicks, walked to the fish, which she 
picked up and gave to its rightful owner. Shortly afterwards 
she also picked up a small piece of black sea-weed, which to 
me looked very like a sand-eel. This she flung away sharply 
to one side with a gesture as near akin to impatience as I 
have ever seen in any bird. 

During the three consecutive hours which [ spent in the 
tent on that day, the chicks received six sand-eels of various 
sizes ; but of these the light chick secured five, while the dark 
chick had to be content with one. 

On the sixth day the dark chick was lying dead in the middle 
of the control. There was no sign of injury, and on examina- 
tion soon afterwards there was nothing in his stomach. It 
seems probable that his end was due to the superior pace and 
weight of the other chick, but whether he might have reached 
maturity after a weakly infancy if he had been allowed un- 
restricted liberty must remain a matter of conjecture. 

After the removal of his only competitor, the light chick 
had things all his own way. For the first time I saw a small 
flat-fish included in the menu. Once the female looked very 
intently at the black weed which she had picked up the day 
before, but did not touch it again. She spent a good deal 
of time sitting about outside the wire. Sometimes she brooded 
the chick, taking up a position, which I had noticed before, 
with her bill over her right shoulder, either pressing down the 
chick or touching the tip of his bill, I could not see which, as 
he crouched between her body and right wing. 

The seventh day was uneventful except for the fact that 
the chick once dropped a sand-eel and picked it up immediately 
by the middle. After some manceuvring, during which the 
fish did not again touch the sand, he succeeded in getting 
its head into his mouth and swallowed it. 

On the eighth day my visits to the moor came to an end, 
and, as I had only a short time to spare before collecting my 
various belongings, I thought it might be interesting to count 
the number of meals which the chick received in one hour. 
By this time both parents were playing their parts in catching 
fish, and the fun was fast and furious. The food consisted 
of sand-eels and flat-fish, all the eels being about two anda 
half inches long, while the flat-fish also were all of one size. 
One of them was passed through the netting, the mesh of 


56 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


which was slightly over five-eighths of an inch horizontally 
Before I entered the tent I decided to begin the hour’s trial 
on the first arrival of a bird with food, in case my approach 
might have disturbed one of the return journeys. I took up 
my position at 12.5 p.m. and had to wait for ten minutes 
before beginning the test. 

The following are the details of the next hour :— 

12.15, Sand-eel ;~ 12.20, Sand-eel; ~ 12.24, Hlat-fch= 
12.25, Sand-eel; 12.29, Flat-fish. After this the chick 
looked very tired and lay in the sun, head to wind sometimes 
with his bill sightly open. By 12.40 he was again active, 
running about and looking for his parents. 12.42, Sand-eel ; 
12.49, Flat-fish ; 12.52, Flat-fish ; 1.0, Flat-fish, which was 
passed through the wire. Then no more food was brought 
until after the hour had elapsed. By that time the chick 
was very hungry and at 1.19 welcomed a parent and another 
flat-fish with enthusiasm. 

Although it is of course impossible to state the average 
number of meals from a test of this duration, it is none the 
less worthy of note that in the space of one hour a Little Tern 
chick, aged less than seven and a half days, received and 
digested four sand-eels and five flat-fish. 

Then rather regretfully I removed the control and watched 
the chick run off over the shingle, evidently none the worse 
for its week’s imprisonment. 


OIES2 


SOME BIRDS RARELY BREEDING IN 
LINCOLNSHIRE. 


I wisH to put on record the nesting of the following species 
in north Lincolnshire. 

SHORT-EARED OwL (Aso f. flammeus)—Three nests of 
Short-eared Owl have been brought off—all in one locality— 
this year (1921). I have seen two nests each with seven eggs, 
from which six and four young Owls left the nest, and I found 
another young Owl, well feathered and unable to fly, not at 
the nest, being cared for by a third pair. 

According to The Rev. F. L. Blathwayt’s notes on ‘‘ The 
Birds of Lincolnshire” in the Lincolnshire Naturalists’ 
Union Transactions, 1914, the last date given for eggs seen is 
1877, but doubtless this bird has nested in the county since 
this date. I have good reason for thinking it nested in this 
same locality in 1915. 

COMMON CURLEW (Numenius a. arquata)—Successf{ully 
reared a brood last year (1920) and again this year (1921) at 
the same spot. The last definite date given by the Rev. 
F. L. Blathwayt for the nesting in the county of this species 
is Igoo. 

TuFTED Duck (Nyroca fuligula)—A brood of seven was 
hatched off last year and two broods (of seven and four) 
this year, at the same place each year. 

Of this bird the Rev. L. F. Blathwayt says: “A few 
pairs probably breed in the county, but no certain proof.” 

The following species have probably nested in the county 
both in 1920 and 1921 :—- 

BLack GROUSE (Lyrurus ¢t. britannicus)—I have seen 
several Blackcocks and Greyhens this spring—as well as 
Blackcock and Greyhen together, and frequently heard their 
“ cooing ’’ note ; the same remarks apply to 1920, but I have 
no definite proof of nesting. 

GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER (Locustella n. nevia)—This bird 
. has frequented a certain spot during the nesting season in 
1920, and another spot, about half a mile distant, again 
this spring. From its behaviour I judge it has a nest, but 
I have no proof. 

The Rev. Blathwayt is not able to give any definite 
instance of its nesting. 

Woop-Lark (Lullula a. arborea) —This bird is certainly a 


58 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


very doubtful breeder in north Lincolnshire, but there is 
slight evidence that it may do so, for I recorded one on 
March 31st, 1919, in British Birds, and I now record another 
on April 26th, 1921, at exactly the same spot to a square yard. 
They do not nest at this spot, but on these dates this bird 

should not be far from its nesting locality. 
The above notes are all from my own personal observation. 
W. S. MEDLICOTT. 


HOUSE-SPARROWS NESTING IN HOLE- OF LESSEE 
SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 
WitH reference to Mr. Aplin’s note (antea, p. 44), on House- 
Sparrows (Passer d. domesticus) attacking a pair of Lesser 
Spotted Woodpeckers (Dryobates minor comminutus) at their 
nesting hole with a possible view to appropriating the same, 
I found this summer a pair of Sparrows breeding in what 
appeared to be a typical Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’s nesting 
hole about 10 feet from the ground on the under side of a 
pearly vertical dead branch of an apple tree in an orchard. 
The hole was much too small for any species of Woodpecker 
but the Lesser Spotted, and they are not uncommon in the 
neighbourhood where the hole was observed, near Abermule, 
Montgomeryshire. W. M. CONGREVE. 


WOOD-LARK BREEDING IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 
WITH reference to my note (Vol. XIV., p. 132), in which I 
stated that I hoped actually to find a nest of the Wood-Lark 
(Lullula arborea) this year, I am sorry to say that I have 
completely failed to find a nest, but have quite satisfied 
myself that they breed sparingly in the county. I have come 
across them, the males in full song, in three different localities. 
On two occasions pairs have been watched, and one pair, only 
a few hundred yards from my house, was under observation 
for nearly a month. On April 26th this pair showed signs 
of alarm, and I found what appeared to be the commencement 
of a nest in a tuft of coarse grass and dead bracken on a sunny 
hillside. It was a deep neatly rounded hollow, and contained 
four or five black horsehairs. To my disgust, I never saw 
this pair again after this date, and can only presume that 
they resented being watched or else one of them fell a victim 
to a Kestrel (Falco t. tinnunculus), which frequented the 
neighbourhood. W. M. CONGREVE. 


LATE SPRING MIGRATORY MOVEMENT OF 
COMMON WHITETHROATS. 
ON June 20th, 1921, there was a large immigration of Common 


VOL. XVv.] NOTES. 59 


Whitethroats (Sylvia c. communis) at Raughton Head, 
Cumberland. I was out about 6 a.m. and the bushes and 
hedges were full of them; by 10 a.m. they had gone and 
only the nesting pairs, which arrived there on May 6th and 
4th, were left. E. U. SAVAGE 


GREAT GREY SHRIKE IN STAFFORDSHIRE. 


ON July roth, 1921, in early afternoon, hearing a great commo- 
tion amongst the Blackbirds, Thrushes and Chaffinches in 
my garden, and cries of alarm from the mother hens on 
my chicken-rearing ground adjoining, I went out to investigate 
and was fortunate to observe a Great Grey Shrike (L. excubitor), 
probably a male, in the act of slaying a young Greenfinch ; 
he was under a willow tree about ten yards from the house, 
and I had leisure to observe him for a gcod half minute. I 
observed the same bird on a branch of the same willow tree 
at 7.30 a.m. on the following morning, but he was being 
subjected to such a merciless mobbing that he quickly made 
off. 

I had two years’ experience of this bird in Macedonia, in 
parts of which they are quite common. 

This appears to be a very early date for the Great Grey 
Shrike in Britain, and also rather far west. 

Roy CLAyTon. 


SPOTTED FLYCATCHER RETURNING TO DESERTED 
NEST: 


Tue well-known devotion of the Spotted Flycatcher (Musc1- 
capa s. striata) to an old nesting-site is well illustrated by 
Mr. H. W. Mapleton-Bree’s note (antea, p. 42). I think 
the following instance also worthy of record. 

On May 12th, Igi1g, a pair returned to their old nesting- 
site in’a clematis growing on the north wail of my house ; 
by the 28th the female was sitting on four eggs. On June Ist 
the eggs had completely disappeared, but the nest was in no 
way disarranged. 

The birds remained about the garden, but I did not see 
them at the nest until on July rst I was surprised to observe 
the pair renovating the old nest, which had in the meantime 
become much bedraggled by heavy rains. They must have 
been in a great hurry, for on the roth the hen was incubating 
a clutch of four eggs. On the morning ct the 13th the eggs 
had again completely disappeared, but the nest was, as 
before, undamaged. The birds continued to hawk for flies 
in the vicinity until the migration. 


60 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


The nest was so situated that it was next to impossible 
for rats to have been the cause of the disappearance of the 
two clutches; it was certainly not by human agency, and 
I can only conclude it was the result of quarrels between 
the Flycatchers and House-Sparrows, House-Martins, Green- 
finches and Starlings, all of which had nests within a few 
feet. 

In 1920 the pair reared two broods in exactly the same 
spot. In the autumn of that year I subjected the clematis to 
a severe pruning, and although I took the greatest possible 
care to leave the old nesting-site im statu quo, there must 
have been something not quite to the birds’ liking, as this 
year they chose a site about two feet away; they have 
already reared one brood, and the hen is now sitting on her 
second clutch of eggs—in the same nest. Roy CLAyTON. 


WING-STROKES OF THE SWIFT. 


WITH reference to the question that has been raised as to 
the movement of the wings of the Swift (A pus a. apus), whilst 
watching the flight of these birds at Aix-les-Bains this summer 
my wife and I distinctly saw a Swift flying away from us 
towards a dark blue mountain (the Mont du Chat) in the 
sunshine, and the wings caught the sun first on one side and 
then on the other as they were raised. This seems to be 
good and positive proof that these birds do raise their wings 
alternately. WALTER CAVE. 


ROLLER IN ESSEX. 


On June 17th, 1921, a Roller (Coracias g. garrulus) was 
brought alive to my house. I was unfortunately absent 
from home and my gardener, who received the bird, was 
ignorant of its natural food, with the consequence that it 
died on the 19th. The manwho brought it has since informed 
me that it flew against a telegraph wire in the parish of 
Ramsey and that another bird, apparently of the same 
species, was seen on the preceding or following day. 

W. B. NICHOLS. 


UNUSUAL SITE FOR. KINGFISHER’S NEST. 


IN March 1921 a pair of Kingfishers (Alcedo a. ispida) started 
to tunnel in a soft vein in a gravel pit rather more than a 
mile from Felsted School, Essex. This gravel pit is situated 
about three-quarters of a mile from the Ter and a good mile 
from the Chelmer. Some of the ponds in the neighbourhood 
of the gravel pit hold fish (carp, tench, etc.), but there is no 


VOL. XvV.] NOTES. 61 


running water near it. The nearest pond is several hundred 
yards away. Untortunately, some children playing in the 
pit in April saw a bird leave the hole and promptly dug it 
out and removed the seven eggs. J. H. OwEn. 


ON SOME BREEDING-HABITS OF WOODPECKERS. 


In the Felsted district the Green Woodpecker (Picus v. 
virescens) is common; the Great Spotted Woodpecker 
(Dryobates m. anglicus) and the Lesser (D. m. comminutus) 
cannot be called rare, but the latter escapes observation 
except when it becomes noisy in the spring or when something 
upsets it when the young are in the nest. One year I saw 
as many as four pairs nesting, but all in bad places for 
observation. 

I have often found nests of the Green and Great Spotted 
Woodpeckers in places where observation was easy if time 
could be found. One thing especially called for investigation 
—why did the Great Spotted bring food every few minutes, 
and the Green somewhere about every hour. In 1g21 I 
found two nests of Great Spotted, and it was as usual: 
each nest was visited by the birds at very short intervals. 
Several times the boys with me and I myself hid ourselves 
in turns in the undergrowth to watch, while the rest went 
hunting, and each had the same story. The birds came and 
fed and were gone again in no time. Then we found a 
Green Woodpecker’s nest in an old apple tree and only four 
feet from the ground. After the young hatched we put a 
rough observation hut a few feet away, and got some very 
interesting notes. We very soon found out why the Green 
was so long away. It collected a lot of food of various kinds 
and swallowed it. When it came to feed the young this was 
regurgitated and came up like a stiff paste of a light brown 
colour. It was a very queer sight to watch the old birds, 
as they clung outside the entrance, disgorging a fresh supply. 
Each youngster, or at any rate several, got part of the supply 
at each visit and several times when a young bird tried to 
stay at the mouth of the hole for a second helping he was, 
so to speak, smacked back. At this stage the young received 
the food by putting their bill sideways along the sides of the 
old bird’s bill and the food seemed to be pushed forward 
by a throat movement of the old one and suction by the 
youngster, but I could not be very certain of this. Each old 
bird called when it arrived in the orchard and when it left 
a much lower and less harsh variety of the usual “ yaffle ”’ 
note, ‘‘kwee, kwee, kwa, kwa, kwa, kwa.”’ They had an 


62 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


alarm or warning note, too, which may have been caused by 
the hut, a note very pleasant to the ear, but which I had 
great trouble to get down to my satisfaction: sometimes 
‘‘cu-hee, cu-hee,”’ at others ‘‘ kithee, kithee.”’ 

In each case we were near enough to the nests easily to 
distinguish the cock from the hen by the markings. In 
both species the cock was far more timid than the hen. | 

From nests I have opened from time to time after the 
young have flown, it seems that generally the nest is kept 
in a very clean condition by the old birds, chiefly by the 
female. The dung must be swallowed in the hole, as we 
never saw a bird carry any away. On the other hand, many 
times a bird stopped in the nest hole some minutes after 
feeding, and we heard a regular “‘ tap-tapping ’’ inside. This 
we put down to clearing away excreta that had broken the 
sac. No chips were brought out afterwards. On the other 
hand, the bird may have been getting new sawdust for the 
bottom of the cup. Unfortunately, the Green Woodpecker’s 
nest was in a position that was too hopelessly dark for 
photography. 

The Great Spotted Woodpeckers seemed to collect 
nothing but insects, and we never saw them get any- 
thing off the ground; the number of small insects they 
collected in a short time and held in the tip of the beak 
was amazing ; very like the Pied Wagtail, but on a much 
larger scale. The Green Woodpeckers’ paste seemed to 
consist largely of worms of various kinds, and certainly they 
were often hunting on the ground during the nestling period. 
Also they had signs of digging still on their beaks when they 
came to the nest hole. 

I tried to discover whether the wind had any effect on the 
direction taken to procure food, but could not find that it 
was so. The Green Woodpeckers invariably came and left 
in the same direction: the only direction where there was 
not growing grain. The Great Spotted nests were both 
in large woods, and the birds usually both went in the same 
direction, but by no means always; perhaps with them 
there was a tendency to work the wood in different sections 
day by day, but it was not well marked. J. H. Owen. 


BREEDING OF THE GREAT SPOTTED WOOD- 
PECKER IN CUMBERLAND. 
In the Practical Handbook (Vol. I1., p. 42) it is stated that 
the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates major anglicus) 
is ‘“‘rare Westmorland and Cumberland.” The following 


7 
VoL. xv.] NOTES. 63 


notes may therefore be of interest as showing that the bird 
has bred for two, if not three, years in Cumberland. 

On June Ist, rg1q, I found a pair breeding in a wood near 
Carlisle. They had chosen a decaying beech tree for their 
purpose, and at a height of 12 ft. had started boring one 
hole but left it unfinished, boring another a few inches to 
the right of the first. The base of the tree was covered 
with chips. The nest contained one nestling and three eggs, 
and on the 8th four nestlings, naked, except that the blue quills 
of the wing-feathers were present. On the 15th they were fully 
fledged. This day, whilst waiting for the parent birds to feed 
the young, I several times heard the Woodpeckers “jarring.” 

On April 11th, 1920, I came across a pair in another wood 
near Carlisle, but quite ten miles distant from the last locality. 
Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the wood again, and 
so cannot say whether they nested there or not. 

On May 28th, 1921, I found a pair breeding near Brampton. 
The tree selected was an elm, and at a height of 20 ft. they 
had started boring a hole, but left it unfinished, boring 
another a few inches below. There were no chips at the 
base of the tree, but at a distance of 3 yards and above {rom 
it, wood chips were scattered about. On kicking the tree 
a bird flew out, and climbing up I heard the young inside. 

The nest was next visited on June 4th. I tried to enlarge 
the nesting hole in order to get down to the young, but was 
unable to do so. Whilst I was up the tree both parent birds 
kept flying anxiously from tree to tree in the near vicinity, 
calling loudly, and one of them “‘jarred”’ thrice. 

R. H. Brown. 


LITTLE OWL IN LANCASHIRE. 


Mr. T. L. S. DooLy’s note (antea, p. 45), reminds me that a 
Little Owl (Athene noctua mira) was shot at Banks, a few 
miles north of Southport in February 1920. The bird is now 
in the possession of Mr. D. D. Pennington. F. W. HoLpeERr. 


CEUICH OF “FOUR EGGS’ OF THE “HOBBY: 


It may be of interest to record that on June 27th, 1921, 
I found in Suffolk a nest of the Hobby (Falco s. subbuteo) 
with the unusual clutch of four eggs. In the course of a 
long experience of this interesting little Falcon, both in 
England and abroad (I have examined in the last six years 
in England over thirty nests with eggs and young), I have 
never seen more than three eggs and quite a considerable 
percentage of nests have contained only two. I recorded 


64 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. Xv. 


in the Field last year the finding of a nest of this species in 
a rookery. I am glad to be able to state that the birds are 
again in the same rookery this season and had three eggs 
on June 26th. NORMAN GILROY. 


MERLIN BREEDING IN SOMERSET. 


WITH reference to the note (antea, p. 45) on the “ Merlin 
Breeding in Devon,” I may state that on July 11th, 1921, 
when in company with Mr. N. G. Hadden on Exmoor, in 
Somerset, I found a Merlin (Falco c. @salon) sitting on an 
old Carrion-Crow’s nest about 25 ft. up in a beech tree in 
a lonely little combe. On ascending to the nest, I found 
that the bird had been sitting on two addled eggs. The nest 
was very tilted, and bore signs of having been occupied for 
some time past. 

After leaving the nest, the bird was quickly joined by 
its mate, and both then wheeled overhead for several minutes, 
screaming loudly. A little way further up the same combe 
we put up a young bird, which immediately joined the old 
ones overhead. 

I have heard a report, which I have not yet fully investi- 
gated, to the effect that the Merlin bred in a similar place 
in this locality in 1920. C. J. PRiInG 


KESTRELS NESTING ON THE GROUND. 


WHILE on the island of Texel in May 1921 I was informed 
that Kestrels (Falco t. tinnunculus) had taken to nesting on 
the ground, among the extensive dunes near Westermient, 
on the S.W. of the island. 

On the 25th of May, I was conducted by the local watcher 
to see these nests. After some hard walking among the deep 
heather and other growth we came to a nest of the Kestrel 
with four eggs, which rested on the loose peaty soil, no nesting 
material being used. The nest.was completely hidden in 
ling about two feet deep. I saw nothing of the Hawks. 
Leaving this nest we continued our way amid these almost 
mountainous dunes, and the watcher warning me that we 
were approaching another, I was able to get my binoculars 
on to the bird as it left the nest. This one was placed 
similarly to the first but not quite so well concealed, and round 
the eggs were a number of pellets. About a hundred yards 
from it there was a Curlew’s (Numenius a. arquata) nest with 
two eggs, and a few yards farther a Black-tailed Godwit 
(Limosa limosa) was sitting so closely that I was able to put 
up my half-plate stand camera, stop down and expose a 


> 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 65 


plate on it. I could not detect the slightest motion in the 
bird. After traversing more ground of a similar nature 
another nest of the Kestrel was seen, and as I was on the 
alert I was able to get a still better view of the Hawk as it 
left. This one also contained six eggs. 

On May 30th I was shown another Kestrel’s nest with 
five eggs, similarly placed, near Hoorn. Not far from it 
were two of Montagu’s Harrier (Circus pygargus), each with 
five eggs. These nests were quite open. 

There can be no doubt that the absence of more elevated 
nesting sites has compelled the Kestrel to lay its eggs on the 
ground, for there are very few suitable trees. 

At Westermient there are extensive plantations of conifers, 
the work of the Dutch Staatsboschbeheer, which have 
influenced already the avifauna of the island. In these 
plantations I found Whitethroats (Sylvia c. communis), 
Lesser Whitethroats (S.c. curruca), Garden-Warblers (S. borin), 
Icterine Warblers (Hippolais icterina), Willow-Warblers 
(Phylloscopus t. trochilus), Redstarts (Ph.. ph. phaenicurus), 
Turtle Doves (S. ¢. turtur), etc., some of which, I am told, at 
one time were unknown on the island. Although not in 
these plantations, I had the good fortune to hear the song 
of the Nightingale (Luscinia m. megarhyncha) on May 14th. 
It is stated that this is the first year that it has occurred on 
Texel. It will be of interest to note how these plantations, 
when the conifers have grown higher, will affect the newly 


acquired habit of the Kestrel. WILLIAM E. GLEGG. 
BUZZARDS TAKING FOOD FROM SURFACE OF 
WATER. 


WHILE at Aix-les-Bains this summer I watched Buzzards 
(which I believe were B. buteo) on Lac Bourget, swooping 
down on the water and lifting what I think were small fish 
in their talons, and eating them afterwards in the air. 
WALTER CAVE. 


FULMAR PETREL IN SUMMER IN YORKSHIRE AND 
AT THE FARNE ISLANDS. 
REFERRING to Mr. George W. Temperley’s note under the 
above heading (antea, Vol. XIII., p. 59), it may be worth 
while recording that when on the cliffs at Bempton, on 
June 22nd, 1921, I saw two or more Fulmars (fulmarus 
glacialis). The climbers told me that they reckoned they 
had seen six different birds but had not found any nests 
or eggs, although they had seen the Fulmars throughout 
the season. HuGH S. GLADSTONE. 


G 


66 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


On the afternoon of June 23rd, 1921, while on the Marine 
Drive, at the base of the Castle Cliff, Scarborough, I saw a 
Fulmar Petrel fly in from the sea, and alight in the cliffs. 
During the evening I saw several others, three being in the 
cliffs at one time. Single birds were coming and going most 
of the time. They alighted occasionally, but usually flew 
along the cliff as though closely examining it for suitable 
nesting sites on the grassy patches. On the following after- 
noon the same thing was taking place, and I saw five birds 
in the cliff at one time. The resident Jackdaws took no 
notice of the flying birds, but mobbed them when they 
alighted on the ledges. The Petrels seemed very clumsy 
at alighting and made many ineffectual attempts to gain a 
footing before succeeding. I am told similar birds have been 
seen in the bay all the spring by the fishermen, but on two 
subsequent visits to the Castle Cliff no Fulmars were visible. 

W. J. CLARKE. 


In the Report of the Farne Islands Association for the season 
Ig1g9 the secretary states: “A boatman told me that two 
pairs of Fulmar Petrels (“ Mallymack ’ he called them) nested, 
one on the Outer and one on the Inner Islands. ... This, 
so far as I know, is the first recorded instance of these birds 
having nested on the Farnes.’’ For the season 1920 he writes : 
“Tam glad to say the Fulmar Petrels again visited the 
Islands, but I could not make out that they bred there, and 
I fancy they did not do so.” 

The birds return about April and are seen by the fishermen 
at sea, between Holy Island and the Farnes. Two blue and 
white birds, and two much browner, were observed this year 
(1921). I saw the brown and white ones haunting the west 
cliff of the Inner Ifarne when I was there on June 15th, so 
went again the following day. I sat under the lighthouse 
wall from 2 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. At first the brown and white 
birds returned regularly every half hour, then at longer 
intervals. With one exception they came from the south, 
gliding slowly past the cliffs. One with a good deal of blue 
and white amongst the brown, was apparently trying to 
land high up on the cliff, but was disturbed by visitors on 
the Island. The birds were sometimes together, but generally 
alone. At 5.30 p.m. they both came back. The brown 
one circled in and out of the cliff just below me, and as it 
was longer out of sight than flying round, I assumed that it 
was landing. It continued doing this for about eight minutes. 
The other came to the cliff a little way farther along, and 
glided along the face nearly at the top several times, but did 


VOL. XV. ] NOTES. 67 


not land. At 8 o'clock both birds came past, but did not 
stay, and at 8.30 one blue and white bird flew out from the 
cliff just below me. We tried to find the bird and nest from 
a boat, but could see nothing. It is a very steep cliff, over- 
hanging at the top in one place and loose shale in the other. 

Although in the Report for 1919 above quoted it is stated 
that the birds nested this has not, so far as I know, been 
actually proved. Mary G. S. BEsT. 


A SIXTEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT, OF THE 
PHEASAN SE. 


AT the Franco-British Exhibition of Textiles, held in the 
early spring of 1921, in the Victoria and Albert Museum 
(London), there were exhibited three of the series of tapestries 
(Nos. 217-219), of the Life of the Virgin, belonging to Rheims 
Cathedral. Records of their place of origin cannot be traced, 
but they may be ascribed with confidence to the Flemish 
district bordering the territories of North France and it is 
certain that, although begun some ten years after the opening 
of the sixteenth century, they were not finished for more 
than twenty years after that date. In the foreground to 
right of one of these tapestries (No. 217, “‘ The Virgin in the 
Temple: her perfections’’) a cock Pheasant is portrayed 
and, at first glance, this piece of work is of unusual interest 
to students of birds, since it appears to represent the Ring- 
necked variety Phasianus torquatus. 

The history of the introduction of the Pheasant to 
western Europe has often provided a theme for the writings 
of ornithologists. It is generally agreed that the original 
bird was the Black-necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) 
and it seems probable that this species was introduced to 
England during the occupation of the Romans, 52 B.c. to 
A.D. 410. The Ring-necked Pheasant (P. torquatus) is, 
however, not believed to have been brought, from south 
China, to this country until the end of the eighteenth century. 
That the Black-necked Pheasant (or “old English Pheasant ”’ 
as it used to be called) was subsequently displaced by his 
eastern cousin (P. torquatus) has often been a cause of 
complaint and is common knowledge. 

It is therefore of much interest to find the picture of 
what is apparently intended to be P. torquatus in a Flemish 
tapestry which dates back to ciyca 1520. It is, of course, 
possible that this portrait of a Pheasant may have been 
copied from some oriental miniature, or picture, in which 
case it would lose all its ornithological interest as indicating 


68 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


that P. torquatus was met with in France at that date. In 
any case a close inspection of the tapestry, which is known 
to have been repaired, gives the impression that the white 
on the neck of the Pheasant may have been part of this 
repair and therefore a comparatively modern addition, but 
of what actual date it is impossible to say since the tapestry 
has been lined. I must here thank the authorities at the 
Victoria and Albert Museum for their kindly assistance and 


ae ee 
Pes : 


A SIXTEENTH CENTURY PORTRAIT OF THE PHEASANT. 


for their permission to reproduce a photograph of that 
portion of the tapestry which shows the Pheasant in question. 

Amongst the tapestries in the permanent collection in 
the Victoria and Albert Museum is one of Flemish weaving 
of the early sixteenth century (No. 56668-1859 “‘ Bergeries ”’ 
in East Central Court) in the foreground to right of which 
is a cock Pheasant with a good deal of white on its neck and 
head. The white markings here, however, would appear 
to have been used only for the purpose of making these 


se 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 69 


portions of the bird stand out from the dark background, 
and the Pheasant intended is apparently P. colchicus. Pierre 
Belon in his L’histoire de la Nature des Oyseaux (1555) gives 
a cut of the Pheasant (p.254), which is clearly that of the 
' Black-necked species, and it is perhaps worth noting that, 
in the Franco-British Exhibition already alluded to, a screen 
(No. 124) of the period 1715-1774 comprises the picture of 
a Pheasant of the period which, as might be expected, is 
obviously the old-fashioned Black-necked variety P. colchicus. 

HuGuH S. GLADSTONE. 


STARLING WITH YOUNG IN JANUARY IN YORKSHIRE.— 
Mr. R. Fortune states (Nai/., 1921, p. 95) that he watched a 
pair of Starlings (Sturvnus v. vulgaris) carrying food to young 
in the nest at Harrogate on January 23rd, 1921. 


ROSE-COLOURED STARLINGS IN YORKSHIRE.——Mr. E. W. 
Wade records (Nat., 1921, p. 134) the occurrence of two 
Pastor voseus in Holderness on January 20th, 1921. 


SHORT-EARED OWL BREEDING IN ESSEX.—Mr. H. Beecher 
records (Iield, June 25th, 1921, p. 815) that a pair of Short- 
eared Owls (Asio f. flammeus) nested this year close to the 
river near Burnham-on-Crouch. The nest was found in 
coarse grass on a marsh-farm in the first week of May, when it 
contained three well-grown young. 


GREENLAND FALCON IN PEMBROKESHIRE.—Col. Spence- 
Colby has presented to the Zoological Gardens a Greenland 
Falcon (Falco r. candicans), which was trapped on a rabbit 
which it had killed at Boncath, on March 26th, 1921. It 
had been observed for a fortnight previously and had twice 
been seen to kill Pheasants (Field, April 30th, 1921, p. 539, 
and June 25th, p. 815). 

ICELAND FALCON IN co. KERRY.—Mr. W. Ruttledge 
records (Ivish Nat., 1921, p. 63) that an Iceland Falcon (J’alco 
v. tslandus) was observed at Inishtearaght. It was first seen 
in January 1920 by Mr. Kennedy, one of the lightkeepers, 
and left the rock on the 13th to reappear in April, when it 
stayed three days and was observed to kill a Guillemot. 


THE St. COLUMB SPOTTED EAGLE.—With reference to the 
Spotted Eagle procured near St. Columb, Cornwall, in Novem- 
ber 1861 (see Vol. XIV., pp. 181 and 209), the Rev. Canon 
H. Holroyd Mills has very kindly given me an excellent 
photograph of this bird, from which it is gute clear that it 
is an exainple of A. clanga —H.F.W. 


70 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. XV. 


SHELD-DucK NESTING IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE.—Lt.-Col. 
W. Coape Oates records (Field, July 2nd, 1921, p. 33) that a 
pair of Sheld-Ducks (Tadorna tadorna) this spring frequented 
his meadows adjoining a large sheet of water called Besthorpe 
Fleet. They eventually nested in a large rabbit warren, 
and on June r2th the duck was observed conducting ten 
young ones towards the water. Col. Oates states that the 
place is thirty-seven miles from the sea and that the birds 
were wary and undoubtedly wild ones. 


NESTING STATUS OF THE BLACK-HEADED GULL IN 
YORKSHIRE.—Mr. H. B. Booth gives details (Nat., 1921, 
pp. 159-166) of the Yorkshire nesting colonies of Larus 
vidibundus. 


LETTERS. 
PARASITISM OF GULLS ON DUCKS. 
To the Editovs of BRiTIsH BIRDs. 


Strs,—In Vol. XIV., p. 260, instances were given of parasitism of 
Black-headed Gulls on Tufted Ducks. I have seen similar cases with 
the Glaucous-winged Gull (L. glaucescens) and the American Golden- 
eye (B. clangula americana) on the river here (Courtenay, Vancouver | 
Island, B.C.). 

There is a big run of salmon up this river in the autumn which, 
dying after spawning, sink or are washed up on the banks and provide 
food for hundreds of Gulls (chiefly Glaucous-winged), Goldeneye, 
Mergansers and other duck. The Goldeneye feed on the dead fish 
lying on the bottom of the river, diving down, tearing a piece of the 
rotten flesh off and coming up to the surface to eat it. I have on 
several occasions seen a Glaucous-winged Gull swimming by a feeding 
Goldeneye, watching its every move and as it returned to the surface 
make a dart at the duck, and so causing it to drop the piece of fish, 
which was at once picked up by the Gull. 

There is just a question in my mind whether this was really a case 
of parasitism; the Gulls I saw doing this were invariably either 
birds of the year or a year old, and particularly in the birds of the year 
there was a suggestion that they looked on the Goldeneye in loco 
parentis to provide food. The time when my attention was particu- 
larly drawn to the habit was in the late winter of 1919-20, when the 
only fish left were those at the bottom of the river and when food was 
getting scarce. 

Here one might almost call the Bonaparte’s Gull (L. philadelphia) 
(the counterpart of L. vidibundus) parasitic on the dog salmon, as 
they hover over the spawning fish, watching for eggs to escape as 
deposited, to get which they plunge right under the surface of the water. 
There were hundreds (even thousands) of these Gulls picking up the 
stray salmon eggs on this river last autumn when the run of the dog 
salmon was exceptionally heavy. THEED PEARSE. 
CouRTENAY, B.C. 


alt he 


VOL. Xvi] LETTERS. 71 


STATUS OF THE ARCTIC TERN IN SOUTH LANCASHIRE 
AND THE FARNES. 


To the Editors of BRITISH BIRDS. 


Strs,—Mr. H. B. Booth’s remarks (anfea, p. 48) on the status of the 
Arctic Tern (Steyna paradis@a) in south Lancashire, I feel sure, do not 
represent the facts. Having practically lived on these coastal dunes 
for many years, I am confident that the Common Tern (S. hirundo) 
has always outnumbered the Arctic during the last twenty years. 
The overwhelming superiority in the numbers of the Common Tern 
has been manifest both on the examination of the living and of dead 
birds. I therefore share Mr. Booth’s surprise at the statement that 
the ‘“‘bulk of the birds were Arctics.”’ 

On the south Lancashire dunes the Arctic Tern—even isolated 
pairs—nests amongst the Common species, though distinct, small 
isolated colonies are also formed. The Arctic Tern has certainly 
increased and has not decreased within recent years. Of the two 
species, the variation in seasonal numbers has been most marked in 
the Arctic. The protection now given to the Terns in south Lancashire 
will doubtless influence this matter, but systematic observation does 
not lead me to believe that the Arctic will supplant the Common 
species; rather, I think, for reasons too lengthy to enter into here, 
the former will show a tendency to decrease under protection. 

F. W. HOLpDeEr. 


SOUTHPORT, LANCS. 


To the Editors of BRITISH BIRDs. 


Strs,—I visited the Farne Islands on three occasions in June 1921, 
and can corroborate Mr. H. B. Booth’s letter (antea, p. 47). The 
Arctic Terns outnumber Common by thousands. The former nesting- 
ground of the Terns was on the Knoxes in the Inner Farne group. 
But owing to the depredations of the Lesser Black-backed Gulls 
(L. f. affinis) they have almost entirely moved to the Brownsman. 
Here Sandwich (S. s. sandvicensis), Arctic and Common are nesting 
in a big colony; the Sandwich very numerous, but far outnumbered 
by the Arctic. I also visited the Farne Island, where there is an 
increasing colony of Arctic with a few Common Terns. I was told 
that there were two colonies of the latter Terns on the Longstone, 
but was not there myself. MAR Gis BEST: 
CHELSEA, S.W. 


OBITUARY. 
tHE LATE COL. H.W. FEIEDEN, C3, 


By the death of Colonel Henry Wemyss Feilden, which took 
place at the end of June 1g21 at his home at Burwash, Sussex, 
in his eighty-third year, there has passed away another 
Mutiny veteran and a scientific explorer of world-wide 
reputation. 

The second son of Sir William Henry Feilden, Bart., of 
Feniscowles, Lancashire, he began his military career in 


72 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL.. XV. 


early life, serving through the Mutiny and various other 
campaigns, including the American Civil War between 1862 
and 1865. In 1875, at the age of thirty-six, he was selected 
to serve as naturalist to Sir George Nares’s Polar Expedition 
in H.M.S. Alert, when, as is now well known, he discovered 
and brought home the young of the Knot from Grinnell Land 
in 82° 33’ N. latitude. In this connection may be recalled 
the amusing and exciting description of his finding, two 
years previously, a nest and eggs of the Dotterel in Scotland 
with his lifelong friend Harvie-Brown, and recorded by the 
_latter in the second of his Moray volumes (p. 173). 

It was in 1880, when he settled at Wells, Norfolk, where 
he continued to reside until he inherited his Burwash property 
in 1902, that the writer of this notice, then a boy, first made 
his acquaintance. He had just returned from the West Indies 
and was a spare, wiry man, full of energy, and a most fascina- 
ting companion to a boy eager to learn all he could about 
birds. For although Feilden was an exceptionally well- 
informed, all-round naturalist, yet there is no doubt but that 
the study of birds was his favourite hobby. No sooner had 
he arrived in Norfolk than he joined the Norfolk and Norwich 
Naturalists’ Society, and later contributed many communica- 
tions to its Transactions, the most interesting of which, from 
the ornithological point of view, is his account of his finding, 
in 1888, a stuffed Great Bustard, in a cottage at Peterstone, 
near Holkham, which had been “ used as a plaything by the 
children both indoors and in the garden.’ This bird had 
been shot in Norfolk, andin the opinion of Feilden was almost 
certainly one of the aboriginal race. It is now in the Earl 
of Leicester’s collection at Holkham. In 1885 he was elected 
President of the Society, and took as the subject of his 
Address the Polar origin of Life on the Pack. He was a keen 
sportsman and was shooting throughout the season up to 
the last year or so of his life. He was elected into the B.O.U. 
in 1873, and was a corresponding member of the Zoological 
Society. ; 

Mrs. Feilden died last year ; there were no children of 
the marriage. ig) _ - SH emcee 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 4, VOL. XV., SEPTEMBER I, 1921. 


——— PAGE 
Some Breeding-Habits of the Sparrow-Hawk. (8) Laying 
and Incubation.—Part III. By J. H. Owen - oe 74 
Field-Notes on the Blackcap. By Geoffrey C. S. Ingram oe 78 
Varieties of the Common Gannet. By Henry Balfour, M.a., 
RiZiSe EeRsGsS. | = ” x aie ai ae Se 82 
Notes :— 
Notes on Breeding-Habits of eae Wagtail (Mrs. H. 
Rait Kerr) sm 5e 85 
Grasshopper- “Warbler Nesting i in Lincolnshire (REN Je, IE 
Blathwayt) ; A s 4 a8 85 
Food of the Robin (Stanley Lewis) ts oe ou 86 
Abnormal Laying by the Swallow (R. H. Brown) £3 fn 86 
Wing-strokes of the Swift (Capt. H. F. Stoneham) .. 86 
Breeding of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in Cumberland 
(F. H. Day and Rev. F. L. Blathwayt) a eo 87 
Honey-Buzzard in Hampshire (A. W. Boyd) i = 87 
Heron Soaring and ‘‘ Looping the Loop ’”’ (W. B. Nichols) .. 88 
Bittern in Anglesey (A. W. Boyd) Ae ee &) oe 88 
Notes on the Bean-Goose in Ayrshire (E. Richmond Paton) 88 
Goosanders, Black-necked Grebe and Sheld-Ducks in Surrey 
(Howard Bentham) .. ale 89 
Movements of Great Crested Grebes in Middlesex (WwW. BE. 
Glegg) go 
A Note on the Nesting of the Red-necked Piclarobe (Ms. 
Audrey Gordon) d. : : 90 
Short Note :— 
Albino Starling in Merionethshire. “ Buzzards onus Food 
from Surface of Water.’’—A correction. dt: 92 
Letters :— 
Status of Arctic Terns in Lancashire and the Farnes (H. W. 
Robinson and F. C. R. Jourdain) ae Me “6 92 
Review :— 
Life of Alfred Newton. (Hugh S. Gladstone) oh ni 93 


H 


(oii) 


SOME BREEDING-HABITS OF 'THE SPARROW- 
HAWK. 


(8) LayinG AND INCUBATION.—ParT III. 
BY 
J. H. OWEN, 


SOME of my notes on this subject were published in British 
Birds, Vol. XII., pages 61, 74. These were not fully 
satisfactory, and I had hoped to supplement them by further 
observations when time and opportunity would allow. 
Since they appeared I have examined quite a large number 
of nests and most of the notes I have taken merely corroborate 
what has already been published. Many birds commence 
building operations in February as has already been stated. 
Some of the records for this year may be of interest on this 
point. I had very little time to go round the woods in 
February but visited several of them in March. I then 
found seven nests in process of construction. Six of them 
had eggs in them in May, but the birds left the seventh, 
which was being built on an old nest, and constructed an 
entirely new one on the top of a hawthorn bush overgrown 
with honeysuckle. Another pair of birds, in a wood I 
could not visit then, made up one old nest but deserted it 
in May and then built up, and used, the nest we ‘‘hutted”’ 
and photographed in July 1915. 

Out of twenty-six nests, found this year, as careful an 
examination of the material as could be made without 
destroying the nests shows that seventeen were entirely new, 
one was on a nest constructed in 1920 but not used then, 
four were on substantial old nests, one on a flimsy old one, 
one of the others was founded on a squirrel’s drey, one on 
a Pigeon’s nest and one on the bed of an old Magpie’s. 

One nest was built in a hazel bush in a wood full of good 
sound oaks. It was in such a situation that the boy who 
tried to see into it shook down the nest and egg it contained. 
It was entirely newly built. The Hawks then built a nest 
in an oak immediately overlooking the previous situation. 

Of the nests of this year only three contained sets of six 
eggs, five contained four, one three, and the rest five. 

The first complete set of eggs was found on May 3rd and 
had been incubated the best part of a fortnight. Other 
birds did not finish laying until May 17th, but the majority 
had finished before May toth. Very few sets had the very 


vot. xv.] HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. 75 


dark markings this year, most being blotched with light 
brown ; in several, one egg, and very rarely more than one, 
showed that the egg had rotated considerably while the 
pigment was being laid on. One egg is very striking: the 
ground-colour, where visible, has a very decided light green 


Hen Sparrow-Hawk crouching over young a few hours old and a 
hatching egg : thus keeping off the sun, but not the air. 


(Photographed by J. H. Owen.) 


tinge, but the whole egg is uniformly coloured with pale 
brown so that very little ground-colour shows; the brown 
marks show the rotation movement. In one set the last egg 
laid has not a vestige of a mark on it. 

In all the nests we have watched for any period it has been 
quite the general thing for material to be added throughout 


76 BRIVISH BIRDS. [VOL. xv. 


the incubation, and tor the greater part of the nestling periods. 
I personally saw the cock bring a twig to a nest while the 
hen was away, during incubation. Dr. Lewis saw a cock 
bring twigs during the nestling period. In 1919 T. Collyer 
helped me to photograph a nest. Unfortunately, the bird 
only had two eggs. One of these was infertile, and the chick 
from the other died when very young. The hen sat on the 
other egg for two or three days more before deserting it, and 
even after that brought fresh material to the nest. 

Two nests have been visited daily, or oftener when 
necessary, to try to make more certain of the incubation 
period. The results seem likely to make the confusion on 
this point greater than ever. 


No. 1. Nest in an apple tree in a large orchard 1919. 
Laid. Chipped. Hatched. 


xr May13 June 18 June a1 None out 10 p.m. 
2 nS ae ko eee | June 20; all out 
3 Cw. oO we eo j IL, am: June ga 
4 19 yee) eee 
5 21 A 2a 3B) pee 


This bird was immature and absurdly timid. It required 
the greatest caution to get a glimpse of her on the nest unless 
it was pelting with rain. All the observations had to be made 
at a distance and from the ground. Judging from the eggs, 
I estimated that she began to sit after No. 3 was laid, as they 
were always warmish after then. This would give a period 
of 35 days for the first three, 33 for No. 4, and 31 for No. 5, 
whiclt sounds too great a variation to be correct. On the 
other hand, the first four eggs took each three days full to 
hatch after chipping, whereas two is more normal and the 
chipping period for No. 5 is short. A shower in the night 
June 21/22 may have contributed towards that, as the 
moisture would certainly make the birth of the chick easier. 

The other nest is one at which we are still busy, and which 
is giving a certain amount of new and interesting information. 
Several boys are helping me to keep as large a watch on it 
as possible, but particularly J. Nott. This bird first of all 
prepared, and lined, and even brooded in, an old nest used 
last year and some years previous to that. This, to my 
disgust, she left, and I thought she had been shot, until 
May 14th, when, after finding signs of a Hawk in the wood, 
I found that the 1915 nest had been built up, and contained 
one egg and that the platform of the hut we used then was 
nearly safe and could easily be made absolutely sound, and 


vot. xv.} HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. Cd 


that all the sides were good enough. We therefore deter- 
mined to give up all the time we could to this nest. At first J 
the bird was very shy and remained so until some four days A\gorlan 
after the hut was covered, and then she was wonderfully easy /_« 
to deal with. She, too, is a young bird, but in excellen a 


condition. Eggs very white with very good black blotchesyy SFP 1 
Laid. Chipped. Hatched. 
1 May 13? June 22 June 25 No 4: 
2 BS Found broken outside nest June 5. “onal 
3 17 June 24 June 25 B 
4 LO Ee 22 20 


No. 3 was not chipped when I entered the hut 4 p.m. 
June 24th, and was most decidedly chipped when I emerged 
an hour later. None of the eggs looked at all like hatching 
that night. This bird did not begin to sit until she had laid 
her last egg. When I visited the nest on May 18th the eggs 
were stone cold and never afterwards. The incubation period 
is amazingly long. According to the above observations it 
is 37 days for two eggs and 38 for the other. The chipping 
period too is very variable, one egg being chipped for less than 
twenty-four hours and one for approximately four days. 

I expected the eggs to begin chipping on June 19th, and we 
got very nervous that we had kept the bird off too long and 
ruined the eggs. We were very glad to be able to feel and 
hear the chicks inside the shells each day, but got very anxious 
as the days went by and no sign of chipping appeared. 
Even then we were afraid that with the great heat and drought 
they would be unable to get free. The old bird seemed very 
anxious too, and I saw her nibbling at the eggs more than 
once on June 24th. On June 25th the unhatched egg had 
got quite a hole broken away in the shell. The chicks, how- 
ever, were all fine and strong when they came out, and fed 
well enough when I saw them receive a meal on June 26th. 


( 78 ) 
FIELD-NO'TES ON THE BLACKCAP. 


BY 
GEOFFREY C. S. INGRAM. 


For the purpose of this article, I have confined myself 
entirely to observations made upon one, or in some seasons, 
two pairs of Blackcaps (Sylvia a. atricapilla) which annually 
return to a certain small thicket, situated within an enclosure 
roughly 250 yards in length and 230 yards wide. Unfortun- 
ately this locality-is within one mile of the boundary of the 
City of Cardiff, and although a certain measure of protection 
is given to the birds that breed there, it is very rarely that 
any nest survives sufficiently long for continuous observations 
to be made. 

The table that follows summarizes all the information I 
have been able to obtain regarding dates of arrival, nest 
building, incubation-period, etc. 


Male {Female} Nest First 59 Date Incu- | Young } Fledg- 
first first being CPE ea online fcneny bation | leave ing Remarks. 
seen. | seen, | built. | laid. {79} 74°2€C | period.| nest. | period. 
Ig10 | 
April 20) — j|April30,May 5] 2 | “al Deserted. 
—_ — — May 18] 4 - — —- - 2nd attempt 
| of above 
| robbed. 
IQII | 
April 25 -- — |May 5) 4 | May 2o |r1 days|June 2/13 days|This is the 
nest at which 
observations 
were made. 
— = — |May 18] 5 — — — —_ Second pair 
of birds not 
visited after 
May 26th. 
Igi2 
April 17/April23'May rj/May 5] 5 | May ax rr days} — — Not visited 
after May 
1913 21st. 
April 15/April 22/April 22|April 26} 3 | — — — = Robbed. 
1920 
March 31|April 24] — {April 28} 5 | May 14 j11 days)May 27\13 days|1 egg only 
| hatched, 
‘remainder 
|infertile. 
— — — |May 13] 5 | May 28 10 days, — — Second pair 
of birds, 
Young dis- 
appeared 


June 2nd, 


It is interesting to note the consistently early nests which 
appear in the above table, and it would seem that one pair 
of birds begin building within a few days of their arrival. 
Such was the case in 1911 when the nest was constructed 
and the first egg laid all within ten days of the arrival of the 


vou. xv.} FIELD-NOTES ON THE BLACKCAP. 79 


male, and again in 1913, eleven days were sufficient for the 
same operations, and although the female in this case may 
have been overlooked for a day or so before she was first 
noticed, nest building seems to have started practically upon 
her arrival, an incident which appears to point to the possibility 
of at least some individuals of this species mating before 
they reach their breeding grounds. 

The record of 1920 is somewhat similar, one male arriving 
on the exceptionally early date of March 31st, but no female 
being seen until April 24th although the place was visited 
every other day between those dates. 

The years Ig10, Igtt and 1912 each have their early nest, 
and are curiously consistent as to the date upon which the 
first egg was laid, May 5th being the day in every case. 

Both birds do their share at building, and on April 22nd, 
1913, I watched a male very busily flying backwards and 
forwards from a partially constructed nest, to a clump of 
long dead grass stems which was the nesting material he was 
using. He was exceedingly energetic, paying no attention 
to me, and every now and then uttering snatches of his song 
in an undertone from the bush in which the nest was hidden. 
On the other hand, his mate resented my presence, and spent 
all her time in scolding and trying to make up her mind to 
return and go on with the work. 

Both sexes also share in the incubation of the eggs and the 
feeding and brooding of the young. 

In rg11 I was able to keep a nest under observation from 
a hiding tent, for about two hours at a time, on four separate 
days. The birds when building this particular nest had 
made quite a departure from the usual run of nesting material. 
Earlier in the year, about the middle of March, a friend had, 
as an experiment, scattered a handful of clean cotton waste 
of mixed colours, upon some brambles near the nesting site 
afterwards chosen by these birds, and this strange material 
had been liberally used by them. The only other birds we 
could trace as making use of it were one pair of Chaffinches 
(Fringilla celebs). 

The following are notes made while watching from the 
“hide,” on May 2gth, the young being at that date just nine 
days old. ‘5.30 a.m. Entered the hide, and the female 
returned almost immediately, and fed the young with green 
caterpillars. After she left the male arrived, but brought 
no food. He, however, brooded the young, and it was 
amusing to see the size he made himself, puffing out breast 
and flank feathers, and raising those on his head. He was 


80 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


very clumsy and not at all comfortable, neither were the 
young, which were seething under him, constantly poking their 
heads out, and compelling him to get up and see what was 
wrong. On one of these occasions, while fussing around on 
the edge of the nest, he lost his balance and nearly went head 
over heels into it. When the female returned she took a turn 
at brooding, and the different figure she cut on the nest was 
remarkable. She sat low with feathers laid flat to her body. 
The young appeared to be quite comfortable and snug, and 
did not heave under her, or try and poke their heads out as 
they did when the male was brooding.” 

On the following day, May 30th, I kept a timed record 
of all the happenings at the nest during the 1 hour and 40 
minutes I was in hiding. 

The young were fed 38 times, the food being, with the ex- 
ception of one brown grub brought by the female at 7.18 a.m., 
small green caterpillars. Only one youngster was fed at 
each visit. The male seemed the least shy of the “hide,” 
and did more than his share of the work, feeding the young 
1g times, cleaning the nest four times, and brooding on six 
occasions. The female fed the young Ig times, cleaned the 
nest four times, but did not brood at all. Each time the nest 
was cleaned the bird performing this duty would carry the 
droppings away out of sight. 

Once the female, while feeding the young, dropped one 
of the caterpillars, which fell to the ground. This she 
immediately retrieved and gave to one of the chicks. 

The most interesting happening noted, was the singing 
of the male while he was brooding. This happened on four 
separate occasions, viz., at 6.38, when he saw the female 
returning he uttered a few notes; at 6.50 he suddenly burst 
into full song; at 7.8 after feeding the young he stood on 
the edge of the nest and sang, afterwards brooding and singing 
again; and at 7.30 during a spell of seven minutes’ brooding 
he sang three times. 

On May 3ist, from 6.24 a.m. to 8.2 a.m. (1 hour 38 minutes) 
the young were only fed 25 times. All the food was green 
caterpillars, and the male did no brooding nor singing. 

My next visit was on June 2nd. The young were ready 
to leave the nest, in fact one did so and hopped off into the 
bush as I entered the hide. The male was the first to appear 
and fed the young in the nest, and afterwards located the 
one that had wandered. The female then returned but 
instead of coming to the nest, stayed in the bush just behind 
it and called to the young. Two more struggled out of the 


vot xv.] FIELD-NOTES ON ‘THE BLACKCAP. — 81 


nest and went to her. The remaining youngster stayed where 
it was, and was fed in the nest by both parents who could 
not persuade it to leave. 

From my observations the male birds of this species appear 
ready and able to sing while engaged in doing all manner of 
things. Several instances of this are mentioned already, 
so it may be of interest here to note one or two other cases. 
On May 30th, 1920, I watched a male, who was shy at my 
nearness to his nest, trying to summon up sufficient courage 
to return and feed the young with a very large green cater- 
pillar he was carrying. Every now and then he gave vent to 
his feelings by uttering snatches of song, which sounded very 
subdued and muted owing to his beak being so very full. 
Again, on the 8th of July, 1920, a male was seen escorting 
and feeding a fully-fledged youngster, enlivening the proceed- 
ings by bursting into song at intervals as he searched for 
food. 

The song period in this locality appears to last from the 
time of arrival to the middle of July. 

By the middle of August the southward movement has 
begun, and although a male and one young bird were observed 
on August 22nd, 1920, no others were noted after that date. 


( 82 ) 
VARIETIES OF THE COMMON GANNETL. 
BY 
HENRY BALFOUR, M.a., F.z.S., F.R.G.S. 


THE Gannet (Sula bassana) in the adult state appears to be 
but little subject to variation, and one very rarely sees note- 
worthy instances of a departure from the normal. Hence, 
plumage or other variations, when they occur, are worth 
placing upon record. The adult bird with dark buff head 
and neck and with the back mottled all over with the same 
colour, which was reported by Mr. J. Atkinson and Mr. Riley 
Iortune as having been seen by them on the Bass Rock in 
July Igto, excited a good deal of interest, but, at the same 
time, provoked controversy, as doubts were expressed as 
to this being a natural ‘‘sport.” Not having seen this bird, 
I can offer no comments upon it, and can merely say that, 
while recognizing the high value of an opinion expressed by 
these two distinguished ornithologists, one cannot but admit 
the force of Mr. Gurney’s argument against their view (The 
Gannet, p. 488). If the variety can be proved to have been 
valid, it would be a most interesting, if, physiologically, 
disconcerting sport. 

Two interesting abnormal Gannets have recently come 
under my personal notice, and about the validity of these 
there can be no question. In July of the present year my 
son and I spent three weeks on the Bass Rock, living in 
the lighthouse. On the first day, July 5th, while standing 
on the top of the north cliff watching the Gannets flying 
past in hundreds, one of them caught my eye while it was 
still a good way off. As it circled round and, meeting the 
wind, sailed slowly past the cliff edge, very close to where 
I was standing, I saw that it was a pure white example, 
fully adult, the white extending to the tips of the primaries, 
which normally are black, or, rather, very dark brown. 
Not a single dark feather was to be seen, though the buff 
coloration of the head and nape was normal, though very 
pale. I pointed this bird out to my son and Mr. Muir (the 
principal lighthouse-keeper), who were with me at the time. 
We saw this bird again on subsequent occasions, but, unluckily, 
my son was not able to secure a photograph of it. Un- 
doubtedly a case of albinism, and, therefore, merely exhibiting 
a variation from the normal which is by no means uncommon 
in many species of birds. At the same time, it is the first 
instance of the kind among Gannets of which I have seen 
any record, and I have seen many thousands of these birds. 


voL.xv.] VARIETIES OF COMMON GANNET. 83 


Mr. Gurney (The Gannel, p. 487) says that no instances of 
complete alb nism in Gannets are recorded, though a few 
cases of partial albinism in young birds have been noted. 
Hence, the example which I am quoting may be worth calling 
attention to, as a possibly unique occurrence. I could not 
ascertain whether this bird was nesting or not, as it was 
only seen upon the wing and was not identified on any of 
the nesting-sites. 

The other sport to which I wish to refer is a Gannet which 
has been known since 1914, when my son, Mr. Lewis Balfour, 
and some of the lighthouse-keepers first noted the bird. 
Mr. Andrew White, lighthouse-keeper, sent a brief note 
about it to the Scottish Naturalist (1920, p. 197), under the 
heading ‘“‘Gannet with black eyes.” ‘‘ Black-eyed Susan,” 
as ‘‘she’’ is now familiarly dubbed (though it is impossible 
to determine “‘ her ’’ sex with certainty), is now well known 
to many as a peculiar and annually welcome visitor to the 
Rock, and has been photographed many times (by my son 
in 1914, and by Mr. White and Mr. Alexander Scott in 1920 
and 1921). The nickname is appropriate, since black eyes 
are ‘‘her’’ speciality. That is to say, they appear to be 


uniformly black even at a very short distance, say, a yard 
or two away. 

This year I determined to examine the eyes closely, and 
I was able to do so under a strong magnifier, the bird having 
been caught for the purpose. With the bird in my hand 
I could see that the eyes, with the exception, of course, of 
the pupils, are not black but very dark, slightly greyish-brown 
(somewhat the colour of strong coffee with a very slight 
dash of milk). The irides are deeply’ pigmented all over, 
instead of being of the very pale vitreous hue, recalling 
mother-o’-pearl, which characterizes the irides of the normal 
adult Gannet. Both eyes are pigmented alike. The effect 
is very striking and renders this unique bird conspicuous 
among “‘ her ’’ neighbours on the nesting-cliffs. As compared 
with the cold, hard, staring eye of the ordinary Gannet, 
the dark eye gives a mild, almost, benevolent appearance 


84. BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. xv. 


to “ Black-eyed Susan.’’ The difference, rendered semi- 
diagrammatically, is as represented in the two sketches. 
Fig. 1 shows the darkly-pigmented iris, and Fig. 2 the 
hyaline, practically unpigmented iris of the normal bird. 
In both the shaded outer ring represents the ring of bright 
blue naked skin which surrounds the eye, and which is quite 
normal in the dark-eyed bird. 

What the physiological significance of the deep-brown 
pigmentation may be I am unable to say. Possibly it may 
indicate a persistence of the iris-pigmentation of the newly- 
hatched nestling, which is described by E. T. Booth (Rough 
Notes, III., “‘ Gannet,”’ p. 10) as dark hazel. At later stages 
the iris of immature birds is described (Gurney, p. 491) as 
ranging from pale grey at twelve weeks old, to purplish- 
grey at seven months, so that, if it is a case of persistence 
of an early condition, it must be from a very early, almost 
embryonic, stage. 

The clever drawing of a Gannet’s head by Mrs. Hugh 
Blackburn (Birds Drawn from Nature, 1862) suggests a dark- 
eyed bird similar to the one I am referring to. But this is 
evidently accidental, as the drawing was made from a 
specimen picked up dead, and the appearance of the eye 
seems to have been guessed at by the artist when filling in 
the details. 

A point of considerable interest in regard to the dark-eyed 
Gannet is the fact that ‘‘she’’ has returned to nest on the 
identical spot in the gannetry which “ she ’”’ occupied in 1914. 
Mr. White, it is true, says that the bird was not occupying 
this particular nesting-site from 1915 to 1919, so that there 
appears to have been a break in the sequence ; but both in 
1920 and 1g21 “‘she”’ nested within a foot or two of the 
Ig14 site, and was again photographed there with “her ”’ 
young. This seems to suggest very strongly that individual 
Gannets select, if possible, the old spots on the ledges, when 
they renew nidification, and that there is a more or less 
permanent claim upon a given “ pitch.”” The evidence of a 
readily distinguishable bird is of importance in this connection. 

I am much indebted to Mr. White for having caught the 
bird for me for close examination. After ‘‘ her’ detention 
in the cause of science, against which ‘‘she’”’ protested 
vigorously and aggressively, ‘‘ Susan’ was carefully placed 
upon the wall of the lighthouse terrace and, with a parting 
arvah, sailed away in the direction of ‘‘ her ”’ nest. Very 
shortly afterwards she was seen by my son on the nest, 
apparently none the worse for “‘ her ’’ adventure. 


NOTES ON BREEDING-HABITS OF GREY WAGTAIL. 


DuRING May tg2t I had a pair of Grey Wagtails (Motacilla 
c. cinerea) under observation during the nesting period. 
The nest was built upon a branch of virginian creeper, directly 
beneath a window opening off a staircase, and was in con- 
sequence easily observed. 

The first egg was laid on May oth; on the roth there were 
two eggs; on the 11th three eggs, one of which had what 
appeared to be a small hole in the side. On that evening 
there were only two eggs, both intact, the damaged egg 
having apparently been removed by the birds. On May 12th 
the female was disturbed off the nest at 8.30 a.m., both 
birds were about the nest all day, but she did not return 
to it to sit, and there were still only two eggs at nightfall. 
On the 13th she was seen to leave the nest at 8.30 a.m., 
and it then contained three eggs. Incubation started on 
May 14th, and was shared by both birds, the male doing the 
larger share during the daylight hours : it was remarked that 
the female seemed to take very little interest in or trouble 
about the eggs, spending a considerable amount of time 
daily in sitting on a window-ledge close by, and whenever 
she was on the nest, she called to the male after sitting for 
five minutes or so; she was also far more timid than he; 
ner attitude in incubation was different, she sat stretching 
herself out over the eggs and nest, whilst he sat erect. 

On May 23rd there was great fluttering of both birds in 
and round the nest, and subsequent observation showed that 
it again contained only two eggs. On this date the birds 
removed these, forsook the nest and on May 27th com- 
menced a new one in some ivy on the front wall of the 
house and about four feet from the ground, this was also 
forsaken and left unfinished some three or four days later. 

H. Ratt KERR. 


GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER NESTING IN LINCOLN- 
SHIRE. 

In my list of the Birds of Lincolnshire referred to (antea, p. 57) 

I did not attempt to give any definite instance of the nesting 

of the Grasshopper-Warbler in the county, but without doubt 

it must frequently breed there. I have often heard its song 

in May. June and July in various parts of the county, but 


86 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


the only Lincolnshire eggs I can remember having seen were 
taken from Ropsley Wood near Grantham in 1906. 
F. L. BLATHWAYT. 


FOOD OF THE ROBIN. 

DurinG July 1921 I watched a juvenile Robin (Evithacus r. 
melophilus) many times eating the fruit of the Berberis and 
loganberry. As the bird was very tame it was easy to see it 
cast up the dark looking pellets which on examination showed, 
the seeds of the above-named plants very plainly amongst 
the insect remains. STANLEY LEwIs. 

(Raspberries, currants, rowan and whortleberries have 
already been recorded.—EDs. | 


ABNORMAL LAYING BY THE SWALLOW. 

IN 1921 a pair of Swallows (Hirundo r. rustica) built in a 
barn in Cumberland, and reared three young, of which two 
left the nest on the morning of June 13th. At 8.30 pm. I 
visited the nest and found, besides the nestling one egg. 
Unfortunately this was dropped and broken. At 8.30 a.m. 
on June 14th the nest contained, besides the nestling Swallow 
three eggs. Three eggs had therefore been laid within twelve 
hours, and four eggs within twenty-four hours. 

The young Swallow left the nest on the 15th, and no more 
eggs were laid until the 19th, when the nest contained four. 
The Swallow started to sit on the 20th, but on the 23rd 
another egg was laid, and then one each day up to and including 
the 26th, when the nest held eight eggs. From 23rd-25th 
she did not sit except to cover the eggs at night, but on the 
26th commenced sitting again. 

On July 8th three nestlings were out, and on the gth two more 
hatched, making a total of five. Of the three eggs that did 
not hatch two were found to be infertile and one addled. 
The barn where the nest is, stands well back from the road, 
is not used for any purpose, and is only a few yards from our 
house. I do not think that any person had interfered with 
the nest, and it would seem to be a case of more than one 
Swallow using the same nest. It is interesting to note that 
at least one of the eggs must have been incubated from 
June 20th to 23rd, and then again from the 26th to July 8th, 
in all fifteen or sixteen days with a gap of three days. 

R. H. Brown. 


WING-STROKES OF THE SWIFT. 
WITH reference to the note (antea, p. 60) as to whether 
Swifts (Apus a. apus) raise their wings alternately in flight, 


ee a ~ 


VOL. XV.] NOTES, 87 


I remarked this fact as long ago as 1911, and both my brother, 
Brian Stoneham, and I often refer to it. At first I thought 
it was an optical illusion. but whilst in Mesopotainia in 1918 
and 1919, I had wonderful opportunities of observing many 
thousands of these birds, among others, on migration often 
flying about 6 feet from the ground, and was able to settle, 
without a matter of doubt that on occasion the Swift does 
fly “alternately.” Again this year, when Swifts are so 
numerous everywhere, I have seen it happen on several 
occasions with certainty, and many other times on which it 
was difficult to decide definitely. Mr. Cave is the first person 
to my knowledge who has published this observation, but I 
have many notes and private records of the same. 
H. F. STONEHAM. 


BREEDING OF THE GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER 
IN CUMBERLAND. 


WirtH reference to the breeding of the Great Spotted 
Woodpecker (Dryobates major anglicus) in Cumberland 
(antea, p. 62), it should be pointed out that, although not 
common in this county, it is by no means a recent addition 
to the list of our breeding species. Writing nearly 30 years 
ago in the Vertebrate Fauna of Lakeland, Macpherson reported 
it as breeding at Edenhall, Brampton, Woodside, Corby and 
Warwick Bridge. There are several breeding haunts near 
Carlisle known to me at the present time, one of which has 
harboured it for ten years at least, and in another it has bred 
for the last six seasons. It is a species which seems to be 
extending its range in Cumberland. There is a note in the 
Naturalist for August 1921, p. 252, on a brood of four young 
being reared this season in the parish of Melmerby, under 
Cross Fell. Foo. DAS. 


WitH reference to the note (antea, p. 62) on this subject, it 
may be of interest to record that an immature Great Spotted 
Woodpecker taken from a nest on June 17th, 1921, at Mel- 
merby, about eight miles north-east of Penrith, was sent to 
me by the Rector of the parish for identification. 

F. L. BLatHwayt. 


HONEY-BUZZARD IN HAMPSHIRE. 


I was crossing the downs some miles to the east of Winchester 
on July 11th, 1921, when I saw a Honey-Buzzard (Pernis a. 
apivorus) resting on the ground near a large beech on the top 
of the downs. It flew into the tree near by after allowing us 
to walk up to within a few yards—so close that it was possible 


88 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


to see all the details of its plumage with the nakedeye. It had 
a definitely blue-grey head, and its breast appeared to be 
clearly barred, and as it sat there its yellow feet were possibly 
its most noticeable feature. A little later it flew off to a group 
of large beeches not far away, and I failed to see it again ; 
in flight its tail looked particularly long. Very possibly it was 
nesting in the neighbourhood, which is well wooded—within 
a score of miles of its old New Forest haunts. 

A. W. Boyp. 


HERON SOARING AND “ LOOPING THE LOOP T 


On May 22nd, a hot, fine day with a moderate N.E. wind, 
I watched a Heron (Ardea c. cinerea) rise from a marsh in 
the parish of Lawford, Essex. He rose in a spiral, flapping 
his wings on the down-wind side and without movement of 
them on the up-wind side till he had attained a considerable 
height, possibly 1,000 feet. Then, without any other per- 
ceptible movement of his wings, he went up and up till he 
was a mere speck. He twice deliberately looped the loop, 
forwards, in this last part of his ascent, and finally went off 
straight up-wind without any flapping and without any 
apparent descent till out of sight. W. B. NICHOLS. 


BITTERN IN ANGLESEY. 


On March 26th, 1921, by a west Anglesey llyn, I saw a 
Bittern (Botaurus s. stellaris) flying over a reed-bed; it 
dropped down to some flattened reeds, where I watched it 
walking about for a time ; it was then startled, and, standing 
with its neck and bill pointing upwards in a straight line, it 
faded from sight among the reeds. . 

I intended to visit the locality again, as this was a fairly late 
date for its occurrence there, but was prevented from doing so, 
and consequently am unable to give the length of its stay. 

A. W. Boyp. 


NOTES ON THE BEAN-GOOSE IN AYRSHIRE. 


As one so often hears of geese recorded in a general way as 
simply “‘ Grey Geese ”’ or “‘ Black Geese,”’ it will be of interest, 
perhaps, to record the regular winter visitation of the Bean- 
Goose (A. fabalis) to my own vicinity, Fenwick. There 
are usually two distinct packs—one of between thirty and 
forty, and one small one of a dozen or so. The largest flock I 
ever saw here was eighty and that was on 14th October, 1919. 
The date of arrival is earlier than supposed, usually it is 
about the middle of September ; in 1915 it was on the 18th 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 89 


of this month, when thirty or so were seen, and in Ig19, on 
the 22nd, when between twenty and thirty returned to the 
“ flow.” 

In 1920, on the 18th of August, whilst grouse-driving 
fifteen to sixteen geese were reported as being on the lochs, 
as the beaters came through the “drive.’’ This is an extra- 
ordinary date, yet keepers who had shot the birds many 
times and foresters, hillmen who have seen them year by year, 
were certain of ‘“‘ the’ Geese, as they call them. 

My own experience of the Bean-Goose is that the call is 
more “‘clarion’’ than the “‘Grey-Lag,”’ and as compared with 
the Pink-footed Goose, which bird I am familiar with on the 
wolds of Yorkshire, the bird is more “stumpy ”’ and not so 
“thoroughbred.”” The Bean favours the “line” rather 
than the “‘V” in flight. 

The date of departure from here is some time in April— 
usually late. On the 22nd in 1916 I saw eighteen flying 
north. This year the date of departure was unusually late. 
It was the 1st of May—a very warm Sunday. Migrants were 
passing north in great hasteandnumbers. Fieldfares crowded 
noisily on the tops of the fir plantations all day and then flew 
off in the evening in chattering streams. Golden Plovers were 
speeding by in troops of 60—8o at a terrific pace and at regular 
intervals. At midday, with the sun at its brightest, I heard 
a gaggle of geese approaching, and had just time to fetch the 
field-glasses, when sixty Bean-Geese passed over the paddock 
at only forty feet up. They were making due north, and the 
flesh colours were plainly discernible. 

The Bean-Geese feed by day upon rough grazing land, often 
where it is thickly covered with ‘‘thrashes.’’ At dusk they 
repair to the edges of the loch and rest upon the highest banks. 
If frozen over, they rest on the centre, their droppings showing 
the exact resting place, while their tracks on the powdered ice 
indicate their route to the open watering places. 

I believe they are entirely herbivorous during their sojourn 
here, and they have never been observed upon “ stubble.” 
They are exceedingly wary—few being obtained each season. 
The weights of two immatures I happened to keep were only 
6 lb, 2 oz. and 7 lb. 1 oz., the former exceptionally light. 

E. RICHMOND PATON. 


GOOSANDERS, BLACK-NECKED GREBE AND 
SHELD-DUCKS IN SURREY. 


On March 13th, 1920, Mr. H. H. Farwig and I observed a 
party of thirteen Goosanders (Mergus merganser) on Frensham 


I 


90 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoOL. Xv. 


Great Pond, all of which were either immature birds or adult. 
females. The following day a Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps 
nigricollis) was noticed in the same locality. The bird was 
in winter plumage, but we were able to get close enough to_ 
see the upward curve of the bill. The white patch on the 
primaries was very conspicuous as the bird sat up and flapped 
its wings. 

On December Igth, 1920, immediately after the break up 
of a short but very severe period of frost, I arrived at one of 
the Godstone ponds just in time to see two Sheld-Ducks 
(Tadorna tadorna). The birds were flying wildly round over 
the water and left about five minutes after my arrival, but 
not before I had ascertained that they were male and female, 
the knob at the base of the bill distinguishing the drake. 

HoOwARD BENTHAM. 


MOVEMENTS OF GREAT CRESTED GREBES IN 
MIDDLESEX. 


On August Ist, 1921, I observed an unusually large number 
of Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps c. cristatus) on the Metro- 
politan Water Board reservoir at Staines. I was able to 
count one hundred individuals with certainty, but the number 
was greater than this and the flock may have contained as 
many as one hundred and fifty. This species may be seen on 
the reservoir during most months of the year, excepting the 
nesting period, but the numbers in which they appear seem 
to berapidly increasing. Previous to this the greatest number 
I had seen here was over fifty on October 13th, 1919. The 


reservoir is not suitable for nesting. WILLIAM E. GLEGG. 
A NOTE ON THE NESTING OF THE RED-NECKED 
PHALAROPE. 


THE following notes were made during six visits to a fresh- 
water loch in the Hebrides. The loch is only some 400 yards 
from the Atlantic, and is a breeding haunt of the Red- 
necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). On the east side 
the banks are stony and the water deep, but on the west, 
marshy and shallow, and many rushes grow. Here is the 
summer home of a few pairs of this uncommon wader. The 
shore of the loch on this side is quite flat ‘“‘machar’”’ land for 
a width of 200 yards where it ends in sand dunes. On this 
strip of good pasture land—unfortunately for the Phalaropes 
and Dunlins—a large herd of cattle graze. 

On June 13th I counted six pairs of Phalarope. Three of 
the hens were alone; probably the cocks were already 
sitting, or else they were unmated hens in search of a cock. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. oF 


Three pairs were apparently in process of courting and their 
behaviour was most interesting. Both cocks and hens were 
swimming in the water near the shore or in pools among the 
rushes. Suddenly a hen would raise herself in the water and 
flutter her wings at a great pace with her head held down and 
neck outstretched, all the while uttering a curious harsh call. 
She would then pursue the cock rapidly through the water 
for a few yards as though trying to attract bis attention. 
At times the cock rose from the water and flew round about 
the pool where the hen was, with a low erratic flight and 
very slow wing-beats, calling as he flew. This display only 
lasted a minute, when he would again alight on the water. 
Once after this flight the hen followed him closely and he 
turned and seemed to be about to mate her, but she would 
not let him. Isawno more on this occasion, but on June 18th 
I watched two hens and one cock in a pool. One of the hens 
kept close to the cock and whenever the other hen came nearer 
she would chase her away. Both the cock and the hen were 
seen to stand up in the water and flutter their wings as 
described above. The cock seemed to pay little attention 
to the hens and was busy pursuing, and picking up off the 
water, large black flies. Then, without any warning or 
unusual excitement on the part of either cock or hen, the 
nearest one to the cock suddenly put her head low down in 
the water with neck outstretched and made a curious single 
note. The cock at once swam to her and mating took place, 
the hen being submerged in the water except for her beautiful 
red neck. The cock fluttered his wings all the time; he 
then went ashore into the grasses. The second hen still kept 
in the neighbourhood, though I imagine she must have 
realized she had lost her chance of a mate. 

On June 13th I found one nest. It was half way between 
the loch and the sand dunes in short dry grass. When found 
the cock bird flew straight off the nest and alighted on the 
loch. I constructed a hide and watched from it on the 16th 
and 18th. I never saw the hen anywhere near the nest. 
The cock always came on to the nest by creeping through the 
grass for a considerable distance. Once I saw him turn the 
eggs. He was continually pulling the grass over him when 
sitting. I did not hear him call once. This bird was 
exceedingly confiding and did not mind how much noise I 
made inside the hide, although it was only three feet from him. 

On June 22nd he was still safe, although the cattle had 
been all round the nest. This was my last visit to the loch, 
so I do not know when the eggs hatched. AUDREY GORDON, 


92 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. xv. 


ALBINO STARLING IN MERIONETHSHIRE.—Mr. J.B. Watson 
writes that he saw an albino Starling (Sturnus v. vulgaris) 
amongst a flock at Harlech on July 29th, 1921. The bird 
was apparently uniformly white. 

‘““BUZZARDS TAKING FOOD FROM SURFACE OF WATER.”’— 
A correction.—We much regret that the note under the above 
heading in the last issue (antea, p. 65) was founded upon an 
error in identification. Mr. Cave wrote subsequently (but 
too late for the note to be omitted) that he had found that the 
birds observed were not Buzzards at all but Black Kites 
(Milvus migrans). The habit described is a usual one in the 
Black Kite. Sir Alfred Pease also writes suggesting the birds 
were Kites.—EDs. 


LETTERS. 
STATUS OF ARCTIC TERNS IN LANCASHIRE AND 
THE FARNES. 
To the Editors of BRiTIsH BIRDs. 

Sir,—In reply to Mr. H. B. Booth’s letter, my authority for the 
reason of the supposed decrease of Arctic Terns on the Farnes is Mr. 
Howard Saunders’s statement in The Bivds of Lancashire, 2nd edition, 
p- 242, where it is written :—‘‘ There is no doubt that proportions 
change, and Mr. Saunders says that in the Farne Islands, for instance, 
the Common Tern is distinctly pressing back the Arctic, and in Brittany 
also is driving away the Roseate’”’ (Yarrell, British Birds, 4th edition, 
III., p. 545). We are all aware that the nidification of all Terns 
moves in cycles, some places being deserted, for no apparent reason, 
for a varying term of years by one or more species. With regard to 
some Arctics nesting on Walney in 1907-8, I cannot dispute your 
correspondent’s statement, as my visits there covered the period 
1909-1913, during which years there certainly were no Arctics nesting 
either there or at Ravenglass. With regard to south Lancashire, 
Mr. F. W. Holder has already supported my statement, and I see no 
reason to further enlarge upon it, except to say that Mr. Booth’s 
friends must have been seeing visions to find Arctics predominating 
there in 1912. I cannot see what bearing your correspondent’s visit 
to the Scilly Isles in 1912 has on south Lancashire Terns. I still 
maintain that the Common Tern is the stronger and tries to drive 
away the Arctic, having observed it not in one colony, but in several. 

I must remind Mr. Booth that my visits to many of these colonies 
were not of the flying nature of one day or even part of a day as his 
seem to have been, but extended over days and even weeks together, 
during which time I was especially looking out for Arctic and Roseate 
Terns. H. W. ROBINSON. 


That the proportion of Arctic and Common Terns varies from year 
to year must be tolerably obvious to anyone who has visited a breeding 
locality of both species regularly. In June 1918 in the Farne Islands, 
the Common Tern were breeding in considerable numbers together 
with Arctic on the Knoxes, but the latter predominated. There was 
also a colony on the Brownsman. not nearly so large, and these appeared 
to be all Arctic. F, C. R, JoURDAIN, 


Life of Alfred Newton. By A. F.R. Wollaston. 1 Vol., 8vo, 
pp. 332 and 5 illustrations. John Murray, London. 
1921: 18s. net. 


ALFRED NEWTON died on June 7th, 1907, and two years 
later Mr. A. F. R. Wollaston, one of his old pupils, was 
invited to write a “Life” of the Professor. The task of 
searching through Newton’s voluminous correspondence 
proved to be a work of several months, and after that Mr. 
Wollaston was unavoidably occupied in New Guinea for a 
term of years. During his absence from England—and 
later during the war when he gave his services to the Navy— 
he made attempts to induce others to complete the “ Life,”’ 
but without success. It so happens that I was one of those 
who was thus approached in Mr. Wollaston’s absence, and the 
whole of his manuscript was unreservedly handed over to 
mein May 191g. A glance was enough to show me that this 
was no rough sketch which I was called upon to work up but 
that it was an unfinished picture to which only the original 
artist could put the finishing touches. On Mr. Wollaston’s 
release from his Naval duties in January 1920 I promptly 
approached him on the subject, and, whether my persuasion 
was, or was not, the final factor which induced him to resume 
his labours, he agreed to complete the work which he had so 
diligently undertaken. I mention these facts not only because 
I congratulate myself for being in any way responsible for 
Mr. Wollaston’s completion of the “ Life,’ but also because 
they show in what a peculiar position I now find myself 
when called upon to review his work. 

The Life of Alfred Newton has been advertised as treating 
“* of such diverse matters as travels in Iceland and Spitsbergen, 
Bird protection and migration, Anglo-Saxon derivation of 
names, Gilbert White, the Great Auk, and Greek plays at 
Cambridge,’ and this gives an idea of the varied nature of 
the subjects dealt with. Sir Archibald Geikie, in the Preface 
to the book, says that Mr. Wollaston “has been fortunate in 
having had access to so large a number of the Professor’s 
letters and journals as to give the chapters not a little of the 
character of an autobiography,” and this may be taken as 
an indication of the style of the composition. A happier 
arrangement of the material at Mr. Wollaston’s disposal 
could hardly be imagined and this makes it the more 


94 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


regrettable that the present-day cost of printing and publish- 
ing should have necessitated the reduction of the volume 
by nearly a half of its bulk. Probably the best and most 
characteristic letters of the Professor have been preserved, 
but there are many more which would have been welcome ; 
moreover, had it been possible, it would have greatly added 
to the interest of the book if short biographies, and even some 
portraits, of his correspondents could have been given. 
The lack of illustrations is certainly disappointing ; a picture 
of the beloved Elveden (Elden) was to have been expected, 
some of the Professor’s sketches of birds might justly have 
been reproduced, a facsimile of one of his letters, or at least 
his signature, would have been of interest, and portraits of 
Newton at different ages might have been included. The 
character sketch of the Professor drawn by his nephew, 
C. M. Newton, gives a capital impression of his later day 
appearance but I prefer the full-faced portrait, as reproduced 
in British Birds Magazine (Vol. I., p. 33), to that given as a 
frontispiece to the book. 

It would have been useful, if not instructive, to have had 
at least a list of the obituary notices which appeared at the 
time of the Professor’s death, and in spite of Sir Archibald’s 
Geikie’s preface, Sir A. E. Shipley’s reminiscences, Professor 
Skeat’s appreciation and Dr. F. H. H. Guillemard’s 
recollections, which are published in the book, I feel that it 
is, perhaps, left too much to the reader to discover what a 
truly remarkable man Newton was. Mr. Wollaston knew 
the Professor well, and it would have been valuable for the 
general reader had he given a short summary of his personal 
views of the greatest ornithologist of his day. His Dictionary 
of Birds, with its thousands of references and quotations, is a 
piece of work which it is doubtful if any other man could 
have compiled, and, though it may be possible to keep the 
work up to date in future editions, the original foundations 
will always be found to have been well and truly laid, and 
it must be remembered that it is to Newton that the world 
is indebted for this standard work. That he was slow in 
the publication of his books is undeniable, but this delay 
was solely due to his passion for accuracy. At the time of 
his death he left a vast stock of material for writing “‘ The 
Story of the Gare-fowl’’ and ‘“‘ The Bustard in Britain ” ; 
anyone who has seen this collection of manuscripts and 
pamphlets has probably gazed at it in reverence mingled 
with awe since it comprises as heterogeneous a mass of 
scribblings and notes as it is possible to conceive. The 
Professor had hoped to have written books on both these 


VOL. XV.| REVIEW. 95 


subjects and he was anxious, when he realized that he would 
not live to do so, that this should be undertaken by someone 
else. Personally I think it extremely doubtful if anyone 
will ever be found sufficiently venturesome to tackle the task, 
and I am sure that, even so, no one will ever be able to utilize 
his material as the Professor would have done: the world 
is therefore deprived of standard works on our two most 
interesting British birds solely, it may be argued, on account 
of Newton’s dread of inaccuracy. As characteristic of the 
Professor it may be pointed out that because the article on 
“Gilbert White of Selborne,’’ which he wrote for the 
Dictionary of National Biography, did not appear therein as 
originally written and corrected in proof by him, he had it 
reprinted at his own expense for circulation in pamphlet 
form. Newton was possessed of a highly ideal sense of the 
beautiful, though this attribute would seem to have been 
denied him by his biographer, and, although his life was of 
necessity mostly spent indoors, all his real pleasures were of 
the open air. Outdoor life and observation were his special 
enjoyment—as a boy at Elveden, later as a traveller and 
even in his old age when, crippled with infirmities, he had to 
be content with but a simple drive in the country. 

The inaccuracies which I have found in the book are but 
few. It may be of interest to point out that the letter, in 
which Newton said he did his best work between the hours 
of 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., quoted (p. 238) as written to Thomas 
Southwell on January 21st, 1888, was in reality addressed 
to Mr. W. Eagle Clarke on January 31st ; unless, indeed, the 
Professor had written to Southwell ten days earlier in exactly 
the same words. A misstatement, probably caused by the 
Professor’s handwriting, occurs (p. 275) where he is made 
to say, when writing from Bloxworth in Dorsetshire in 
September 1870, “I oscillate between a gun and a proof 
sheet.’’ Newton never shot after leaving Elveden in 1863 
and the word which he wrote was probably “game ”’ : -re- 
ferring to an after-tea game of croquet or to a game of 
backgammon or picquet at night. It is, I think, regrettable 
that the references given to Mr. Arthur C. Benson’s article 
on the Professor should refer the reader to the Cornhill 
Magazine of “‘ June’’ 1911, and it may be noted, as a matter 
of fact, that the article appeared in the issue of March, on 
Pp. 334-349. This particular article aroused considerable 
difference of opinion and Mr. Benson was at no little pains 
to reconsider it and to add a preface when reprinting it 
in 1911 in The Leaves of the Tree: it is therefore to this 
book that the reader might more generously have been 


96 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


referred. The list of Newton’s publications, given as an 
appendix (pp. 316-324), is by no means complete, and this 
incompleteness is not excused by the footnote (p. 324). 
Certain “‘ reviews ’’ by Newton have been included in the list 
and it is incomprehensible, from a bibliographer’s point of 
view, why Yarrell’s History of British Birds, Vols. I. and IL., 
The Dictionary of Birds and Ootheca Wolleyana should not . 
have been tabulated in their proper place; using the date of 
the publication of the first volume, or part, as the indication 
for their insertion in the chronological sequence adopted in 
the list. It is, moreover, provoking to find several items 
included with no indication as to where they were published 
and in some cases the references given are not correct: e.g. 
Newton’s review of A. H. Evans’s Turner on Birds appeared 
in the Ibis of 1904, not 1903 ; his paper on “ The edible frog 
in Norfolk ’”’ will be found in the Zoologist (1877, p. 61), and 
a glance at this periodical will show that the Professor con- 
tributed far more notes to its pages than have been enumerated. 
As a whole the book is very free from misprints and errors, 
which is only the more fitting when it is remembered that 
Newton’s guiding rule was “ verify your references,’ but a 
careless blunder is to be found on p. vi. where the late John 
Alexander Harvie-Brown (John Always Hunting Birds) is 
called Mr. James E. Harvie-Brown. 

I have already expressed my regret that the book could not 
have been made longer, and it is perhaps a pity that Mr. 
Wollaston could not have hastened its publication ; it is, 
however, a matter of congratulation that, at long last, the 
book should have been completed by him. There can be no 
doubt that Newton’s “‘ Life ’’ was a very difficult one to which 
to render full justice, and I have suggested that the reader is 
left too much to discover what a truly remarkable man he 
was; it may therefore be permissible to say that he has 
been defined as ‘“‘a man, who even in his age, when his 
peculiarities were more marked, sincerely desired truth, 
practised kindness, feared no opponent nor adversary, and 
lived a full and gallant life to the very end, enjoying existence 
and making the most of it in his own vigorous fashion, and 
not pretending or wishing to enjoy it in anyone else’s way.” 
The above, I think, may be taken as a well considered estimate 
of the character of the Professor, who has been summed up 
by one of his friends, as: ‘‘ The only man I have ever known 
who had all the characteristics of John Bull”: could any 
true Englishman desire a more honourable epitaph ? 

HuGH S. GLADSTONE.» 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 5, VOL. XV., OCTOBER I, I921. 


Notes on the Great Auk. By W. H. Mullens, M.a., LL.M. 
A Note on the Red-backed Shrike. By J. H. Owen 
Recovery of Marked Birds 


Notes :— 

Open Nests of Jackdaws in Trees (Dr. R. C. C. Clay) .. 

Notes on Some Breeding-Habits of the Wheatear (J. F. 
Thomas) 3 ; 

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Breeding in Sweaace Rev. B. ID} O. 
Aplin) oe 

Cuckoo Laying in Blackbird’ S newt (H. W. Merpletor. Beep 

Short-eared Owl Breeding in Sussex (R. Ware) 


Peregrine Falcon Breeding Imland in Somerset pee | 
Lewis) 


Tufted Duck Breeding in : Berushiive (Dr. Norman H. Joy). 
Incubation-Period of Common Sandpiper (E. Richmond Eaton) 
Wood-Sandpiper and Ruff in Cheshire in June (R. M. Garnett) 


Short Notes :— 

Hawfinch’s Nest in Aberdeenshire. Blue-headed Wagtail 
in Ayrshire. Reported Nesting of White Wagtail in 
Kincardineshire. Tree-Creepers on the Isle of May. 
Marsh-Tit in Berwickshire. Crested Tit in Forfarshire. 
Buff-coloured Blackbird in Somerset. Nightingale Nesting 
in Somerset. Lapland Bluethroat at Fair Isle. Spread of 
Little Owl to the Sussex Coast. Glossy Ibises in Shetland 
and Aberdeenshire. Common Scoter Breeding in Perth- 
shire. Fulmar Petrel Breeding in Aberdeenshire and 
Forfarshire 


Review :— 
Our Resident Birds and How to Know Them 
K 


PAGE 
98 
10G 
IIL 


114 
114 
II5 
116 


I16 


T16 
117 
Way, 
Hi 15'7/ 


118 


I20 


( 98 ) 


NOTES ON THE GREAT AUK. 
BY 
We ES VIUIEIE ENS Seieane reent. 


WE have been recently re-reading Mr. Gurney’s Early Annals 
of Ormthology,* and while fully conscious of the valuable 
work which that author has accomplished in compiling such 
an important and interesting book of reference to the “ ancient 
passages about birds,’’ we have also been astonished ‘to 
find in the case of many of the species dealt with how much ~ 
more remains to be added, and have been at some small 
pains to note certain references which Mr. Gurney has omitted 
either through want of space or because they have escaped 
his notice. We may return to this subject again, but for 
the purpose of the present article we will confine ourselves 
to references to the Great Auk, Alca impennis. This most 
interesting bird is but very briefly dealt with by Mr. Gurney, 
being but incidentally mentioned in quoting Cartier’s account 
of the Solan Goose as given in Hakluyt’s voyages (ed. 1904), 
and again in the mention of John Evelyn’s visit to St. James’s 
Park in February 1665, when the Diarist records that among 
the birds he saw there was “a small waterfowl not bigger 
than a moorhen that went almost erect like the Penguin of 
America,” this Mr. Gurney concludes to have been the Great 
Auk, though as the northern continent is not specified, this 
is uncertain. The only direct reference to Alca impennis 
appears on page 193 of the Annals where, in mentioning the 
Exoticorum Libri Decem of Carolus Clusius (1526-1609), 
published in 1605, attention is drawn to the fact that the 
Great Auk is included in the figures “of about fourteen 
other birds [besides the Solan Goose] in this volume including 
the Dodo ... but they are somewhat rudely done. The 
Great Auk is wrongly represented in the attitude of a Goose. 
but the Penguin from Magellan is correctly given an upright 
attitude.” Although Symington Grieve has in his mono- 
graph on the Great Auk (The Great Auk or Garefowl,. etc., by 


* t vol. 8vo London, 1921 (Witherby). 


vot. xv.| NOTES ON THE GREAT AUK. 99 


Symington Grieve, I vol., 4to, London, 1885) referred to 
the above and other passages from Clusius dealing with the 
bird in question and has duly noted references from various 
ancient authors, he has made no attempt at translation, 
and as the Latin used by Clusius and others is of an obscure 
and difficult nature we have here ventured to give translations 
of these passages and briefly refer to others not quoted in 
the published literature dealing with the Garefowl. Space, 
however, prevents us from including the various mentions 
or descriptions of the Great Auk contained in the “ Diaries ”’ 
or voyages of those early travellers who encountered this 
bird—many of these are mentioned by Symington Grieve, 
and others are duly set out in Relics of the Great Auk, by 
John Milne, reprinted from the Field, 1875. 

In order to avoid repetition we will here give in full the 
titles of the works to which we shall have occasion to refer :— 


I. Clusius, 1605. 
Caroli Clusii Atrebatis {of Arras] Exoticorum Libri Decem : 
Quibus Animalium, Plantarum, Aromatum aliorumque 
peregrinorum Fructuum historia describuntur ....... 
1 vol. folio (Leyden). 
2. Eusebius, 1635. 
Joannis Eusebii Nierembergil.... . Historia Nature 
Maxime Peregrine Libris XVI. Distincta .......... 
Antverpize (Antwerp) MDCXXXV. 
I vol. folio, Antwerp. 
3. Wormius, 1655. 
Museum Wormianum .. .seu Historia Rerum Rariorum ... 
Adoraata. ap Olao Worm, Med: Dect:- ...5 .. 
Amstelodami (Amsterdam). (1655) 
I vol. folio, Amsterdam, 
4. Tradescant, 1656. 
Museum Tradescantianum: or a Collection of Rarities 
preserved at South Lambeth neer London by John 
iiadescant; London); (65., MDCLV1I: 
I vol. r2mo, London, 
5. Forges, 1665. 
“A Catalogue of many natural rarities with great industry, 
cost, and thirty years’ travel in foreign Countries collected 
by Robert Hubert alias Forges, Gent. and sworn servant 
to his Majesty, and daily to be seen at the place formerly 


100 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv 


called the Music House near the west end of St. Paul’s 
Church, London. Printed by Thomas Ratcliff, for the 
Author, A.D. 1665.” 
I vol. r2mo, London. 

(This was the second edition of the work, the first with a 
similar title having no date.) 

6. Willughby, 1678. 
“The Ornithology of Francis Willughby of Middleton in 
the-County of Warwick: -Esq7at..7 9s. By John Ray, 
Fellow of the Royal Society .... London . ; ... 16767" 

I vol. folio, London. 

7. Holme, 1688. 
“The Academy of Armoury or Store-house of Armoury 
and Blazon, containing the general variety of created 
beings and how borne in Coats of Arms both Foreign and 
Domestic by Randle Holme of the City of Chester 
Gentleman, Sewer in Extra-ordinary to his late Majesty 
King Charles the Second, Chester 1688.” 

I vol. folio, Chester. 

S. eoellers: 
“The English Pilot for the Northern and Southern Naviga- 
tion London 1728.” Seventeenth Edition. 

I vol. folio, London. 

(NoTE.—We have not seen this work and give the title 
from Lowndes and the quotation produced below on the 
authority of Miller Christy cf. Zoologist 1894.) 

g. Edwards, 1750. 
‘A Natural History of Birds . . . . By George Edwards, 
Library-Keeper to the Royal College of Physicians, 
Londenes.% — -MDCCE 

Vol. I.-Vol. lV. 4to, London. 

The first so-called “‘ scientific ’’ reference to the Great Auk 
as distinguished from those contained in early yoyages and 
travels is that made by Clusius. On page r1o1 of his above- 
mentioned work, under the heading ‘‘ Anser Magellanicus,” 
Clusius gives the figure (here reproduced) and description 
of the South American Penguin. The translation of the 
passage is as follows :— 

‘“‘This is a sea fowl of the Goose kind, though unlike it in 
its bill. It lives in the sea, is very fat, and of the bigness of a 
large goose, for the old ones of this kind are found to weigh 


thirteen, fourteen, yea and sometimes sixteen pounds, the 
younger eight, ten and twelve. The upper side of the body 


i 


\j 


] 
ih, 


ANSER MAGELLANICUS OF CLUSIUS. 


102 BRITISH BIRDS. [| VOL. XV. 


is covered with black feathers, the underside and belly with 
white. The neck, which is short and thick, hath in some 
as it were a ring or collar of white feathers. The skin is thick 
like a swine’s. They want wings but instead thereof they 
have two small skinlike fins hanging down by their sides like 
two little arms, covered on the upper side with short narrow 
stiff little feathers, thick set—on the underside with lesser 
and stiffer and these white, wherewith in some places there 
are black ones intermixed, which although unfit for flight 
are such as by their help the birds swim swiftly. I under- 
stood that they abode mostly on the water, and go to land 
only in breeding time, and for the most part lie three or four 
in one hole. They have a bill bigger than a Raven’s but not 
so high (elated) and a very short tail ; black flat feet, of the 
form of a goose’s foot but not so broad. They walk erect 
with their heads on high, their finlike wings hanging down 
by their sides like arms, so that to them who see them afar 
off they appear like so many diminutive men or Pigmies. © 
I find in the Diaries [or journals of these voyages] that they 
feed only upon fish, yet is not their flesh of any ungrateful 
relish, nor doth it taste of fish. They dig deep holes in the 
shore like Conyburroughs, making all the ground sometimes 
so hollow, that the seamen walking over it often sink up to 
the knees in these vaults.” 

So much for the South American Penguin; it has been 
necessary to give the passage at length since as we shall see 
other authors following Clusius have described the Great Auk 
under this title, 7.e., Anser magellanicus. 

The Great Auk, Clusius deals with on page 103 under the 
heading “‘ Mergus Americanus,” and gives the figure (here 
reproduced) which, as Symington Grieve correctly observes, 
is not a good one, and appears to be a rudely executed drawing 
of some kind of Diver and moreover, strangely enough, in 
no way corresponds with Clusius’s written description which 
he tells us he derived from a picture. The translation of 
the passage is as follows :— 

MERGUS AMERICANUS. 


‘There is also a foreign bird of which we here give an illus- 
tration. Jacobus Plateau, that most distinguished scholar, 
writes that it was brought from America. He has sent me 
a picture of the bird done in colour and expresses the opinion 
that it ought to be classed among the Divers, as far as he could 


voL. xv.] NOTES ON THE GREAT AUK. —— 103 


gather from the description of it by the sailors from whom 
he received it. And asin none of the former writers on Birds, 
at least in none of those whose works I have had access to, 
is a similar bird to be observed, I have thought that it would 
in no way be displeasing to those who study the birds of 
foreign lands if in reproducing it in a picture I should place 
it under this heading. But any further account of the bird 
I cannot give beyond that which I have been able to gather 
from the mere picture just as it is with not a few of these 
birds that follow of which I have only seen the picture, and 


AER B 
ET CTT Lee : 
mo Abd BS RG Hi AAT a a \ VSS aes 
peti maby Pet a ONS 
iba BE oy oase Er . AKER 
Feo Ue SS 


MERGUS AMERICANUS OF CLUSIUS. 


I therefore trust that the kindly reader will take in good part 
that which I have to offer. I gather then that this bird is 
somewhat smaller than a goose or equal in size to a wild 
goose, having a long body but small and short wings out of 
all proportion to the size of its body, and on that account | 
opine not very well suited for flying. Its head, neck and back 
are as I gathered from the picture covered with black feathers, 
there are black feathers also in its tail and wings. On its 
breast, however, and the whole of its stomach they are white. 
It has a sharp beak (or a beak which is eagle-like) fairly large 
and not flat in which no traces of teeth are shown. The beak 


104° BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


curves downward and has certain grooves running obliquely 
across. It is shown by the picture also that the front part of 
the head a little above the beak is marked with a white spot, 
if the painter has made a faithful representation. Clearly 
also its legs are short and black, its feet are also black and flat 
in shape as is the manner of web-footed animals, it has three 
claws and a short spur such as ducks have.” 

On page 367 Clusius gives a further reference to a bird 
which may or may not have been the Great Auk, but as it is" 
described as a Goirfugel, 7.e., Garefowl, the translation of 
the passage is here included. 

‘“ Another bird is the Goirfugel, in the colour of its body not 
dissimilar to the Alka though much bigger in the body. Its 
beak is very broad and curved ; its head inclined to be long 
and black, its eyes at the edges are tinged with a white vein. 
Its feet are black and of no use for walking on, nor indeed 
are its wings of any help to the bird, they are so very slender. 
As a matter of fact it has never been seen either to walk or 
fly. But indeed the bird is very rarely seen at all—never 
in fact but in particular years. As to where it breeds no one 
has discovered. This species I should also be inclined to 
classify among the Divers.” 

The next author to mention the Great Auk is Johannes 
Eusebius of Neiremberg, who reproduces the figure of Mergus 
Americanus from Clusius but omits that author’s account, 
and gives no distinctive description of the bird in his own text. 

In 1665 Olaus Wormius, the Hellenist, produced his cele- 
brated work, on page 300 of which he gives the best of all 
the early descriptions of the Great Auk, and on page 301 he 
figures the well-known picture of the bird (here reproduced), 
one of the most remarkable features about this excellent 
representation being the white ring shown round its neck, 
which was no doubt intended to represent an artificial 
attachment, either as Professor Steenstrup suggests (cf. 
Symington Grieve, p. 74) for the purpose of bearing a name 
or description, or probably, as Wormius kept the bird alive 
in captivity, for the purpose of tethering it. 

Wormius curiously enough gives his own description of 
the Great Auk under the title of “‘ Anser Magellanicus seu 
Penguinis,”” and after quoting the account of the South 


ANSER MAGELLANICUS seu PENGUINIS OF WORMIUS. 


106 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. Xv. 


American Penguin as given by Clusius under that heading, 
goes on to say that he himself had in his possession three 
specimens of the Garefowl, one of which he kept alive ; 
his words are :— 

“This bird was brought to me from the Feroe Islands, I 
kept it alive for some months at my house. It was a young 
one, for it had not arrived at such bigness as to exceed a 
common goose. It would swallow an entire herring at once 
and sometimes three successively before it was satisfied. 
The feathers on its back were so soft and even that they 
resembled black velvet. Its belly was of pure white, above 
the eyes it had a round white spot of the bigness of a Dollar 
that you would have sworn it were a pair of spectacles (which 
Clusius observed not)* neither were its wings of that figure 
he expresses, but a little broader with a border of white.” 

It will be noted that Wormius makes no mention of the 
white ring round the bird’s neck, this may be from the fact 
that it was artificial, as above suggested, or that he added it 
to the picture out of deference to Clusius’s description of the 
South American Penguin: ‘‘ Albis pennis, tamquam torque 
cinctum ”’ (a collar of white feathers). 

The mention of the Great Auk in John Tradescant’s account 
of his famous museum is but of the briefest ; it runs as follows : 
p. 3. ‘ Penguin which never flies for want of wings.” 

Both the Great Auk and the Penguin may have been in 
the collection and, as we shall see later, Francis Willughby 
was of the opinion that he had seen the former among 
Tradescant’s treasures. The reference in Forges’s Catalogue 
is, however, far more explicit. Who Robert Hubert alias 
Forges may have been we are unable to discover, but he 
appears to have been an able showman, and he certainly 
leaves us in no doubt as to the identity of the bird which he 
describes as :— 

“A strange sea fowl as big as a goose. It is called the 
Sea Penguin, it cannot fly for its wings are like pinnes and it 
is so thick of feathers that one cannot shoot him unless behind 
because of the growth of his thick down or feathers. He is 
found three score leagues from the Coast of Canada.” 


* Clusius however did, but described the Garefowl under 
““Mergus Americanus.”’ 


vot. xv.} NOTES ON THE GREAT AUK. 107 


Next in order comes the reference to the Great Auk 
contained in the Ornithology ot Francis Willughby. This 
work which was edited by Willughby’s friend and companion, 
John Ray, gives on Plate XLII. a figure entitled “ Mergus 
Americanus,”’ closely resembling that given by Clusius, but 
has no text referring to the bird, while on Plate LXV. he 
figures ‘“‘ Penguin Worm,” after that author, and atter 
quoting Worm’s description says—page 323—‘‘ Whether 
it hath or wants the back toe neither Clusius* nor Wormius 
in their description make any mention. In Wormius’s figure 
there are no back toes drawn.”’ On page 322 of the Ornithology 
Willughby refers to ‘‘ The Bird called Penguin by our seamen, 
which seems to be Hoiers Goifugel’”’ and goes on to say :— 


“In bigness it comes near to a tame goose. The colour 
of the upper side is black, of the underside white. Its wings 
are very small and seem to be altogether unfit for flight... . 
From the bill to the eyes on each side is extended a line or 
spot of white, it wants the back toe and hath a very short 
tail. I saw and described it dried in the Repository of the 
Royal Society I saw it also in Tradescant’s Cabinet at 
Lambeth near London.” 

The next account of the Garefowl we have to mention is that 
contained in the work of Randle Holme, 1688. This remarkable 
book deemed by Moule (571b/. Heraldica) to be a most “ extra- 
ordinary composition ”’ and one “ of the most scarce of heraldic 
books,”’ contains on page 293 the following information :— 

“ He beareth argent a Penguin proper borne by the name 
of Whitehead. I have before given you the form and descrip- 
tion of it as I then understood the bird but since being better 
instructed take this further true draft of the fowl which comes 
near the bigness of a goose, the upper side all black, the 
underside all white, the wings are small and seem to be unfit 
for flight. The bill is dark and dusky, having furrows graven 
on both the mandibles. From the bill to the eye is a white 
spot and a white ring about its neck. It hath no back toe, 
they walk erect with their heads on high and their tails down.”’ 

From this description it would appear that Holme had 
seen both the bird itself and Worm ’s picture of it. 


* Clusius, however, under “ Mergus Americanus,” says (wrongly) 
“it has a spur or back toe like a duck.” 


108 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


For the following passage we are indebted to Mr. Miller 
Christy’s researches. In the Zoologist, 1894, p. 142, he 
draws attention to John Seller’s English Pilot, in the 
seventeenth edition of which, and the fourth book, page 17, 
appears together with two figures of Alca impennis, the 
following passage :— 


“ There is also another thing to be taken notice of by which 
you may know when you are upon the Bank [of Newfoundland] 
. . . . you may know this by the great quantity of fowls upon 
the Bank, viz. Sheerwaters, Willocks, Noddles, Gulls, and 
Pengwins, etc., without making any exceptions: which is 
a mistake, for I have seen all these fowls 100 leagues off this 
Bank, the Pengwins excepted ...The Pengwins. . 
are always on the Bank, several of them together . . . never 
less than two ... They are fowls about the bigness of a 
goose, a coal-black head and back, with a white belly, and 
a milk white spot under one of their eyes, which Nature 
has ordered to be under the right eye . . . for my part I 
never saw any with such a spot under the left eye, the figure 
of which I have here set down to facilitate the knowledge of 
them.” 

We must conclude these extracts with the following remarks 
of George Edwards who, on page 147 of his third volume 
under heading “‘ The Northern Penguin,” after an excellent 
description of the bird, says :-— 

“This bird I procured from the Master of a Newfoundland 
fishing-vessel, who told me it was taken with their fish-baits 
on the fishing-bank of Newfoundland .... This bird 
hath already been figured and described: but the figure has 
a ring round the neck in Willoughby which is not found in 
the natural bird, and the descriptions are not clear, it is also 
confounded with the Southern Penguins, and Mr. Willoughby 
seems to think them and the Northern the same birds, but 
I who have seen several both from the North and the South 

. should rather make them two distinct tribes of birds.” 

In conclusion, we would refer those of our readers who 
desire more information on this fascinating subject to the 
MS. “ Garefowl Book’ of the late Professor Newton, now 
in the Newton Library at Cambridge, a work which we hope 
may some day be duly edited and published. 


( 109 ) 


A NOTE ON THE RED-BACKED SHRIKE. 
BY 
J. H. OWEN, 


Ly British Birds, Vol. X., p. 175, I had some notes on the 
Red-backed Shrike (Lanius c. collurio). There I stated that 
usually the birds did not have a collected larder but hung 
their game on convenient thorns as it was caught. My 
observations since then bear this statement out. This 
summer two pairs of Shrikes nested close to the school at 
Felsted. Both were robbed once and, I fancy, one of them 
twice, but in the end each pair reared a brood of young : 
one five; the other, two. The nestling period of the five was 
under fourteen days. On July 1st at 9 p.m. three eggs had 
hatched quite recently ; on July 14th at 9 p.m. all the young 
were in the nest. On the 15th at 4 p.m. all the young had 
left the nest, but two of them were still in the isolated bush 
in which this was built. I hid myself to watch the old 
ones feed and saw the cock go off to hunt. A few minutes 
later he returned carrying a young Common Whitethroat 
(S. c. communis) in his foot ; his flight was very similar to 
that of the cock Sparrow-Hawk (A. n. misus) in a similar 
case, except that the Shrike found his carrying powers severely 
taxed. I rushed out after him, and he flew into a tree but 
dropped the bird, and thus I was able to identify it. I then 
hung it on the nest bush and turned away. Before I had gone 
fifty yards the hen swooped down on it, whipped it off the 
thorn and had got away into a huge blackthorn thicket with 
it. This thicket had been partly burnt the previous winter 
and so it was possible to see through it. I hunted round to 
find the Whitethroat but without effect. I then hid again 
and in some twenty minutes the cock went off, in the opposite 
direction to his previous hunt. In a few minutes I heard 
a great commotion among the small birds and shortly he 
appeared, as before, carrying a Common Whitethroat. This 
time I waited until I was sure he had put it in the larder. 
I saw him leave a small blackthorn bush and found, in the 
middle of it, the wretched Whitethroat with a huge thorn 
through its throat. The Shrikes were both excited while 
I examined their prey, the only game about the bush or near 
it, and then I left to get a camera to photograph it. When 
I returned the Whitethroat had been moved to another bush ; 
its head had gone and it was almost entirely plucked. It 
was hung by the skin of the neck. I photographed it and 


110 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


then had a hunt for the first Whitethroat which, this time, 
I found easily enough. It was whole, with but few feathers ~ 
missing, and was hung by a thorn through the neck in a 
fairly thick place in the blackthorn thicket. However, I 
photographed it and a young Shrike I saw sitting on the 
bush and left. There was nothing else there and the 
Whitethroats were twenty yards apart. Both had been 


Whitethroat impaled on thorn by Red-backed Shrike, the right 
hand one beheaded and mostly stripped of feathers. 
(Photographed by J. H. Owen.) 


killed by dashing their heads against a branch or stone; 
the brains in one case were oozing; each had the scalp 
largely removed. 

On July 20th I again visited the nest, and where the Shrikes 
had put the second Whitethroat I found three large bumble 
bees impaled on separate bushes about a yard apart ; two 
were fresh, the other stale. I could find no other prey. 
I have had no further chance of making observations. 


¢. til) 
RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS, 


Tue following have kindly sent in subscriptions towards the expenses 

of the Marking Scheme since the last acknowledgment was made: 

Miss C. M. Acland, Messrs. J. Appleby, C. F. Archibald, J. Bartholomew, 

Capt. A. W. Boyd, Mr. G. Brown, Miss B. A. Carter, Messrs. W. A. 

Elliston, H. S. Gladstone, R. M. Garnett, Miss M. Garnett, Major A. H. 

Greg. Captain H. S. Greg, Messrs. F. W. Holder, N. H. Joy, The 

London Natural History Society, Miss E. Mellish, Messrs. A. Mayall. 

J. F. Madden, Major W. F. Mackenzie, Dr. H. J. Moon, Messrs. E 

Page, M. Portal, F. W. Preston, Mrs. Patteson, Messrs C. H. Stobart, 

J. F. Thomas and The Waukegan Bird Club. 

Jay (Garrulus g. rufiterygum).—63,897, ringed at Marbury Park, Great 
Budworth, Cheshire, as a nestling, by Capt. A. W. Boyd, on 
May 30th, 1920. Reported 1} miles from where ringed, in May 
1921, by Mr. Harrison. 

STARLING (Sturnus v. vulgaris).—94,023, 96,360, 98,996, one young 

and two adult birds ringed at Eton, Bucks., by Mr. A. Mayall, on 
May 2oth, 1919, March 14th and October 28th, 1920. Reported at 
Windsor on March roth, February 25th and January 14th, 1921, 
by Messrs. G. Mitchell, R. H. Howe and C. J. V. Hussey. 
99,864, ringed at Broughty Ferry, Forfarshire, as a young bird, 
by Messrs. J. M. D.and T. L. Smith, on June 5th, 1921. Reported 
at Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, on August 14th, 1921, by Mr. 
James Young. 

MeEavbow-Pipit (Anthus pratensis).—MV. 5, ringed at Seaford, Sussex, 
as anestling, by Mr. J. F. Thomas, on June 21st, 1920. Reported 
near the same place on May 22nd, 1921, by Mr. F. W. Laughlin. 

MIstLEe-THRUSH (Turdus v. viscivorus).—81,901, ringed at Harewood 
Park, Cheadle, Staffs., as a nestling, by Mr. J. R. B. Masefield, on 
May 29th, 1915. Reported near the same place in November 
1920, by Mr. Wm. Gibson. 

Sonc-TurusH (Turdus ph. clarket).—98,615, ringed at Thurnby, near 
Leicester, as a nestling, by Mr. F. W. Preston, on June 8th, 1920. 
Reported near the same place on June 2oth, 1921, by Mr. E. Waite. 
95,057, ringed at Stanmore, Middlesex, as a nestling, by Mr. and 
Mrs. R. O. Blyth, on May 2oth, 1920. Reported at Vendes, 
Calvados, France, on December, 12th, 1920, by Professor Mercier. 

BLACKBIRD (Turdus m. merula).—88,792, ringed at Westmark, Peters- 
field, Hants., as a nestling, by Mr. F. E. Blagg, on April 2oth 
1918. Reported at the same place on March 11th, 1921, by 
Mr. K. Ruffle. 

97,745, ringed at Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, as a young bird, 
by Mr. J. F. Thomas, on August 19th, 1920. Reported near the 
same place in December 1920, by the ringer. 

94,277, tinged at Eastling, Faversham, Kent, as a nestling, by 
Mr. G. Brown, on June 18th, 1919. Reported at Ingatestone, 
Essex, on June 14th, 1921, by Mr. J. Holland. 

89,319, ringed at Gt. Crosby, Lancs., as a nestling, by Mr. J. 
Appleby, on April 29th, 1919. Reported at Little Crosby, Lancs., 
on June 15th, 1921, by Mr. H. E. Bristow. 

REDSTART (Phenicurus ph. phenicurus).—NW. 34, ringed at Cheadle, 
Staffs., as a nestling, by Mr. J. R. B. Masefield, on July 9th, 1920. 
Reported at Ossés, Basse-Pyrénées, France, on November 2nd, 
1920, by Mlle. A. Beyrines. 


112 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. xv. 


REDBREAST (Evithacus vy. melophilus).—MU. 76, ringed at Laugharne,. 

Carmarthenshire, as an adult, by Mr. J. F. Thomas, on August 24th, 
1920. Reported at the same place on December 2Ist, 1920, by 
the ringer. Ring replaced and bird released. 
FY. 65, ringed at Cheadle, Staffs., as an adult, by Mr. J. R. B. 
Masefield, on February 12th, 1919. Reported at the same place 
on April 3rd, 1921, by the ringer. Ring replaced and bird 
released. 

HEDGE-SPARROW (Pyvunella m. occidentalis)—DR. 12, ringed at West 
Park, Leeds, as a young bird, by Mr. C. F. Archibald, on November 
16th, 1919. Reported at the same place on December 12th, 1920, 
by the ringer. Ring replaced and bird released. 

SWALLOW (Hivundo r. yustica).—PP. 60, ringed at Portinscale, Cumber- 
land, as a nestling, by Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Blyth, on July ist, 1920, 
Reported at Cockermouth, Cumberland, in June 1921, by Mrs. 
Slater. 

WRYNECK (Jynx t. torquilla).—95,792, ringed at Limpsfield, Surrey, 
as an adult, by Mrs. Patteson, on June toth, 1920. Reported at 
the same place on June 9th, 1921, by the ringer. Ring removed 
and replaced by 67,785. 

KESTREL (Falco t. tinnunculus).—67,491, ringed at Torrance, near 
Glasgow, as a young bird, by Mr. J. Bartholomew, on June 24th, 
1917. Reported on Ben Venue, Perthshire, on February 25th, 
1921, by Mr. Wm. Shankland. 

SHELD-Duck (Tadorna tadorna).—37,551, 37,605, ringed at Ainsdale, 
S. Lancs., as young birds, by Mr. H. W. Robinson, on June 28th, 
1920. Reported on Hesketh Marshes, Preston, Lancs., in August 
1920, by the ringer. 

PocHARD (Nyroca f. ferina).—68,922, ringed at Middleton, Tamworth, 
Warwickshire, by Mr. E. de Hamel, on November Ist, 1919. 
Reported at Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, on January 16th, 
1921, by Mr. Levett-Prinsep. 

CoRMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo).—103,074, ringed at Summer Isles, 
Ross, as a young bird, by Mr. D. A. J. Buxton, on July 25th, 191g. 
Reported at Lochindorbh, Morayshire, early in June 1921, by 
Mr. W. G. Donaldson. 

LAPwING (Vanellus vanellus).—18,031, ringed at Hampton-in-Arden, 
Warwickshire, as a nestling, by the late A. Geoffrey Leigh on 
May 11th, 1914. Reported at Campoul, Finistére, France, on 
December 16th, 1920, by M. Jean Moulin. 

66,324, ringed at Ingleton, Yorks., as a nestling, by Dr. H. J 
Moon, on June 28th, 1914. Reported at Bentham, Lancaster, 
in September 1919, by Mr. T. Townson. 

REDSHANK (Tvinga totanus).—89,290, ringed on Romney Marsh, near 
Rye, Sussex, as a young bird, by Mr. B. H. Fell, on May 16th, 1920. 
Reported at Lepe, near mouth of Beaulieu River, Hants., in 
November 1920, by Mr. E. W. Mudge. 

BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus r. ridibundus).—30,042, ringed at Raven- 
glass, Cumberland, as a young bird, by Messrs. H. W. Robinson 
and F. W. Smalley, on Juneroth, r910. Reported near St. Bees 
Head, Cumberland, on September 12th, 1920, by Mr. J. H. Stellany. 
29,824, ringed at Walney Island, Lancs., as a young bird, by Mr. 
T. A. Coward, on May toth, 1914. Reported at Barrow-in- 
Furness, Lancs., on June 21st, 1921, by Mr. Wm. Glanfield. 

LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL (Larus f. affinis).—37,879, ringed at 
Foulshaw, Westmorland, as a young bird, by Mr. H. W. Robinson, 


voL. xv.] RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS. 118 


on July 19th, 1920. Reported at San Lucar de Barrameda, Cadiz, 
Spain, on March 4th, 1921, by Senor M. I. Hidalgo. 

37,580, ringed as 37,879, on July 30th, 1920. Reported near 
Oporto, Portugal, on December 11th, 1920, by Mr. W. C. Tait. 
Published in Oprimeiro de Janeiro, shot by Mr. José d’ Almeida. 
37,871, ringed as 37,879, on July 19th, 1920. Reported near 
Olhao, south Portugal, on October 9th, 1920, by the Editor of 
Gazeta de Olhao. 

37,306, ringed as 37,879, on July 11th, 1919. Reported near 
Charente, France. on July 25th, 1921, by M. Clemenceau, per 
Prof. Poncy. 

37,622, ringed as 37,879, on July 12th, 1920. Reported near 
Lorient (Morbihan), France, on August 7th, 1921, by M. P. 
Lepage. 

39,300, ringed as 37,879, on July 30th, 1920. Reported at 
Longton Marsh, near Southport, Lancs., on September 25th, 1920, 
by Mr. C. H. Pratt. 

3G,318, ringed as 37,879, on July 30th, 1920. Reported at Levens, 
Westmorland, on September 25th, 1920, by the Rev. E. U. Savage. 
34,309, ringed as 37,879, on July 6th, 1915. Reported on North 
Barnacre Reservoir, near Garstang, Lancs., on May 18th, 1921, 
by Mr. H. Cottam. 

34,471, ringed as 37,879, on July 16th, 1915. Reported at Haydon 
Bridge, Northumberland, on June Ist, 1921, by Mr. J. Bell. 


MARKED ABROAD AND RECOVERED IN THE BRITISH ISLES. 


STARLING (Stuynus vulgaris).—Riksmuseum Stockholm, 2,067, young 
bird, ringed at Borgsjo, Vesternorrland, Sweden, on June 8th, 
1915. Reported at Middlesbrough, Yorks., on February ist, 
1918, per Cage Birds. 

Rossitten, 4,699, nestling, ringed at Sarzen, Courland, Russia, 
on June 5th, 1916. Reported at Cashel, Tipperary, early in 
March 1919, by the Editor of the Farmer's Gazette. 

BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus ridibundus).—Rossitten, 21,476E., 
nestling, ringed at Fronberg (Oberpfalz) Upper Palatinate, on 
June 4th, 1914. Reported at Mount Edgcumbe, Plymouth, on 
October 17th, 1919, by Mr. T. V. Hodgson. 

Rossitten, 11,351, adult, ringed on the Werder Island, near Zingst, 
Baltic, in July 1913. Reported near King’s Lynn, Norfolk, on 
December 29th, 1919, by Dr. P. R. Lowe. 

Viborg, Danmark, N. 379, ringed at Limfjorden, Denmark, in 
June 1918. Reported at Millington, near Rostherne Mere, Cheshire, 
on January 23rd, 1920, by Captain A. W. Boyd. 


OPEN NESTS OF JACKDAWS.-IN TREES. 

On April 15th, 1921, I found a large nest about forty feet 
from the ground in a clump of fir trees on Buxbury Hill, Wilts. 
The nest was composed of twigs and uncompleted. Returning 
on April 25th, I found it lined with fur and feathers and 
containing five typical Jackdaw’s eggs. The old birds circled 
overhead in alarm and returned to the nest when we left 
the tree. This nest was apparently a new structure and 
not a renovated Crow’s nest. Later we found another 
Jackdaw’s nest in the same clump of trees. Both were 
open nests, not domed. There was a rookery on the side 
of the Downs about 600 yards away, but no hollow tree or 
church tower within a mile. R.C. CcGivane 

[For previous records of open nests of this species in trees 
see Zool., 1843, p. 185; 1845, p. 823; 1901, pp. 70 and 154; 
Rep. North Staffs Field Club, 1g0c-01, p.52,etc.; Zool., 1902, 
p. 232; cf. also Birds of Yorks., p. 233. —F. C. K) JouRpAmNy 


NOTES ON SOME BREEDING-HABITS OF THE 
WHEATEAR. 


DuRING the nesting seasons of 1920 and 1g21 I spent much 
time watching Wheatears (dinanthe @. enanthe) on the South 
Downs near Seaford, Sussex, to find nests in order to ring the 
nestlings. The nests in these parts are in rabbit-holes and 
short scrapes. Each pair of birds appears to have at least 
one warren in its territory; the nest, however, is never 
actually in the warren, but is generally twenty to thirty yards 
away, though I have found one or two distant only five 
yards. On the average the nest is about a foot down, though 
in one case it was over two feet. 

I believe that, as a rule, the male gives the alarm as soon 
as anybody comes in sight, and the female then flies off the 
eggs ; so my usual practice was to walk about the ground 
until I saw the female, then retire to a convenient distance 
and watch her through glasses. After five to twenty minutes 
she would go back, invariably flying the last twenty or 
thirty yards and alighting zmszde the hole In time one 
got to know this particular flight. The next thing was to 
wait a few minutes and then walk quietly to the nest ; on 
three occasions the bird was still there when I put my hand 
in. It is interesting to note that two of these birds, though 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 5 


handled and ringed, continued to incubate their eggs and 
hatched out their broods, so that in one family seven out 
of eight were ringed; in the other, six out of seven. 

Of course it is much easier to find the nests when there 
are young, for then there is a constant traffic to and fro. 
The fi*ght now is the same as before, but, at any rate after 
the birds are about a week old, the parents settle on the 
edge of the hole and entice the young to them. 

It would seem a simple matter to ring the nestlings once 
the nest has been found, but one must not leave it till too 
late; at six days old they are too small; after nine they 
all bolt down the hole, if possible, as soon as one bird is 
taken out, sometimes before. 

Towards the end of May and at the beginning of June I 
saw several times both male and female Wheatears hovering 
about ten feet above the ground; I could find no nest nor 
signs of young ones and am curious to know what it signifies, 
for I never saw it done at any spot where I knew there was 
a nest. Is it some kind of nuptial display which I missed 


with the earlier nesters ? J. F. THomas. 
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER BREEDING IN 
AUGUST. 


AN instance of the late nesting of the Lesser Spotted Wocd- 
pecker (Drvobates m. comminutus) which is considered to be 
a single-brooded species, may be of interest. I have reason 
to think that the pair of birds in question brought off a brood 
in June, either in my garden or close at hand. At the end 
of July, on passing the remains of an old dead pear tree, I 
noticed on the underside of a hough the commencement of 
a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker’s hole. The hole did not go 
far in, and for several days it was left alone, but on August 4th 
much more work had been done and the hole had just begun 
to go downwards, and then again it was left alone until 
August 11th, when much work was done. On the 17th the 
nest appeared to be ready for eggs, if eggs had not already 
been laid, while on the 27th the bird was sitting. 

In an interesting note on the Woodpeckers (antea, ». 61), 
Mr. J. H. Owen remarks, with reference to the old birds 
keeping the nest-hole clean, “The dung must be swallowed 
in the hole, as we never saw a bird carry any away.” This 
does not appear to be always the case, as when I was watching 
Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers feeding young, I twice saw the 
male bird disappear into the hole and emerge carrving a fair- 
sized white lump which I took to be the excreta of the young, 
and he flew right away with it. Bw DiO. APLIN: 


116 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


CUCKOO LAYING IN BLACKBIRD’S NEST. 
I am informed by a friend, Mr. Wall, whose evidence can 
be trusted, that in June this year (1921) in the parish of 
Allesley, Warwickshire, a Cuckoo (Cuculus c. canorus) 
deposited her egg in the nest of a Blackbird (Turdus m. 
merula), which was built on the “ wall plate ’’—1.e., a flat 
beam—in the roof of an open shed. This nest was not 
discovered till my friend noticed the young Blackbirds 
lying dead upon the ground. These had apparently been 
ejected at different times, the last of the four young being 
in a more advanced state than the others as the rectrices 
and remiges were showing. Mr Wall subsequently saw 
the young Cuckoo in the nest when it was feathered and 
big enough to fill the cup of the nest. Later he noticed 
the cock Blackbird feeding the young Cuckoo at no great 
distance from the nest. The evidence in this case seems to 
show that, in spite of the depth of the nest, the young Cuckoo 
managed to eject its rightful occupants. The site of this 
nest was inaccessible except by steps or a ladder, and it is 
practically certain that the Cuckoo’s egg was not placed in 
it by human agency. H. W. MAPLETON-BREE. 


SHORT-EARED OWL BREEDING IN SUSSEX. 

Ir may perhaps be worth recording that several pairs of 
Short-eared Owls (Asio f. flammeus) nested in the neighbour- 
hood of Pevensey, Sussex, in 1921. Nine eggs were taken 
from one nest, as late as June 30th, but several pairs success- 
fully reared their young, and it was no uncommon thing 
to see during the summer eight or ten of the birds, old and 
young, on the wing at once. . 

The short-tailed vole was unusually plentiful there this 
year, which probably accounts for the birds remaining to 


breed. R. WARE. 
PEREGRINE FALCON BREEDING INLAND IN 
SOMERSET. 


I HAVE pleasure in recording that through careful protection 
a pair of Peregrines (alco p. peregrinus) nested and hatched 
out their young in the Cheddar cliffs in the spring of Ig2t. 
This is the first recorded instance for fifty years, and consti- 
tutes, I believe, the only known inland station in southern 
England. One of the birds escaped all danger from its first 
appearance in 1920, and on February 25th, 1921, I saw for the 
first time a second bird; after this date many observations 
were taken of them. STANLEY LEwIS. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. ivy 


TUFTED DUCK BREEDING IN BERKSHIRE. 
Two pairs of Tufted Ducks (Nvyroca fuligula) have nested 
at Englefield Park, Berkshire, this year (1921). I think 
this is the first definite record of the species having bred in 
Berkshire. Each nest had a clutch of 10 eggs, which, of 
course, were left alone. The first opportunity I had of 
seeing the young was on July 14th, when there were six 
one-third grown, and five very small ones. The next 
opportunity I had was on August 17th, when there were 
seven fully grown birds, perhaps including the two old 
females. The rest had almost certainly been eaten by 
pike. On July 14th I tried to catch a young Tufted Duck 
to ring it, but quite failed. Once one had just dived when 
there was a big swirl of water close by, and I have no doubt 
a pike had captured it. Norman H. Joy. 


INCUBATION-PERIOD OF COMMON SANDPIPER. 


THE following notes on the Common Sandpiper (Tringa 
hypoleuca) were made during the summer of Ig21. On 
the morning of May 23rd I found three “scrapes” within 
a few yards of each other ; at 4 p.m. on the 24th one of them 
contained two eggs. At Ir a.m. on the 26th the bird was 
sitting on three eggs ; twenty-four hours later there were still 
only three, but at 6 p.m. the bird was sitting on four. At 
II a.m. on June 17th the eggs were chipped and the young 
could be heard “‘ peeping ”’ inside. At 8 p.m. on the 18th 
they had hatched and were barely dry. Thus the incubation- 
period was exactly twenty-two days. E. RICHMOND PATON. 

[This confirms previous observations by Messrs. Gladstone, 
Turney and Patterson.—EDs. | 


WOOD-SANDPIPER AND RUFF IN CHESHIRE 
IN JUNE. 


On June 5th, 1921, I watched a bird, which I am sure was a 
Wood-Sandpiper (Tvinga glareola), feeding on a filter-bed at 
Prestbury Sewage Works. What struck me was its length 
of leg above the “ knee.”’ I hada close view of it both feeding 
and flying low and noticed its lighter colour as compared with 
a Green Sandpiper (7. ochropus), especially about the tail. 
On June 7thit had gone. On the 16th I saw a bird which at 
first sight I thought was a Redshank (T. totanus), but when 
flushed it showed no white on the secondaries or rump. On 
the 26th I saw it again and noticed that the neck and throat 
were lighter than the rest of the bird, and I also saw the dark 
line down the centre of the tail, caused by the overlapping 


118 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. XV. 


of the sides by the white upper tail-coverts. There seems to 
be no doubt that this bird must have been a Ruff (Philomachus 
pugnax). R. M. GARNETT. 


HAWFINCH’S NEST IN ABERDEENSHIRE.—Mr. D. G. Hunter 
states (Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 183), that a deserted nest which 
he found at Methlick on July 16th, 1920, has been identified 
by Dr. W. E. Clarke and Mr. W. Evans as that of Coccothraustes 
coccothraustes. The Hawfinch has not hitherto been recorded 
as breeding north of East Fife. 


BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL IN AYRSHIRE.—Mr. N. Hopkins 
states (Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 182) that he saw a Blue-headed 
Wagtail (Motacilla f. flava), of which he gives a good descrip- 
tion, on June 15th, 1920, and four following days, at Darvel. 


REPORTED NESTING OF WHITE WAGTAIL IN KINCARDINE- 
SHIRE.—Mr. A. Macdonald reports (Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 184) 
that a pair of Motacilla a. alba built a nest and laid five eggs 
in his garden at Durris in June 1920. He states that White 
Wagtails were seen in the neighbourhood during the three 
previous springs. He describes both birds, which were under 
constant close observation, as being light grey on the back. 


TREE-CREEPERS ON THE ISLE OF MAy.—Miss L. J. Rintoul 
and Miss E. V. Baxter state (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 75) that two 
Tree-Creepers obtained on the Isle of May on September 26th 
and October 21st, 1920, proved to be of the British race 
Certhia familiaris brittanica. This has interest as very little 
has been observed of the movements of Tree-Creepers. 


MarsH-TIT IN BERWICKSHIRE.—The Marsh-Tit (Parus p. 
dressert) has never been definitely recorded from north of the 
Border, all those which have been critically examined having 
proved to be Willow-Tits. Mr. T. G. Laidlaw now states 
(Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 86) that:he had a very clear andecloce 
view at Duns Castle on January 25th, 1920, of a Tit whose 
head was glossy black and not dull as in the Willow-Tit. He 
does not, however, mention the characteristic double note of 
the Marsh-Tit but refers to the note of the bird as “ tay tay.” 


CRESTED TIT IN FORFARSHIRE.—Mr. D. G. Hunter records 
(Scot. Nat., 1920, p. 178) that he saw a Crested Tit (Parus 
cristatus 2 subsp.) on September 22nd, 1920, near Arbroath. 


BUFF-COLOURED RLACKBIRD IN SOMERSET.—Mr. Joseph H. 
Symes reports that he saw a Blackbird (Tardus m. merula) of. 
a uniform light buff colour at Martock, Somerset, early in 
August 192t 


VOL. XVv.] NOTES. 119 


NIGHTINGALE NESTING IN SOMERSET.—Mr. Joseph H. 
Symes informs us that in May 1g2t he found a nest of Luscinia 
m. megarhyncha\ near Martock, Somerset, the first he had 
seen in that district since 1900. 


LAPLAND BLUETHROAT AT Farr ISLE.—Only one example 
of this race—Luscinia s. svecica—has hitherto been identified 
{rom the British Isles, viz., one on the Isle of May on 
September 14th. 1909. Surgeon-Admiral J. H. Stenhouse, 
who has lately examined the series of Bluethroats at the Royal 
Scottish Museum finds, however, that a male taken on Fair 
Isle on May 25th, 1910, is clearly referable to this form (Scot. 
Nat., 1921, p. 76). 


SPREAD OF LITTLE OWL TO THE SUSSEX CoaAsT.—Mr. H. 
Vigor writes to record the finding of a nest of Athene n. mira 
at West Meston some ten miles inland from Brighton in 1920, 
and two others within the same radius in 1921. Considering 
its rapid spread elsewhere and the closeness of its southern 
centre of introduction, the species has been curiously slow in 
establishing itself on the south coast of Sussex. Although 
numerous a few miles inland for some years previously it did 
not reach the coast between Rye and Eastbourne until 1918. 


GLossy IBISES IN SHETLAND AND ABERDEENSHIRE.—In 
addition to the numerous occurrences already noted (cf. Vol. 
XIV.) of Plegadis falcinellus in the autumn of 1920 one was 
obtained at Unst, Shetland, on November 4th, and two were 
seen near Kintore, Aberdeenshire, during the last fortnight 
of October (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 10). 


COMMON SCOTER BREEDING IN PERTHSHIRE.—-Mr. H. Boase 
announces (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 104) that in June 1921 he 
saw two male and a female Ordena n. nigra on a loch near 
Loch Tummel in Perthshire. Returning in July he saw 
one male and at least three females, one of which was accom- 
panied by one duckling, while other eight young were seen. 


FULMAR PETREL BREEDING IN ABERDEENSHIRE AND 
FORFARSHIRE.—With reference to the note on the probable 
breeding of Fulmarus glacialis at Troup Head (cf. Vol. XIV., 
p. 238), Mr. H. Trail states (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 4) that for 
some years previous to 1921 he saw Fulmars in the neighbour- 
hood, but apparently they did not nest. In 1916 they began 
to nest, he states, in the cliffs about Pennan in Aberdeenshire, 
just across the border from Troup Head, and they have 
nested every year in increasing numbers. Mr. Trail also 


120 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


states that they are present about the cliffs of Cove Bay in 
Kincardineshire, just south of Aberdeen. Mr. D. G. Hunter 
observed about twenty along the cliffs between Arbroath 
and Red Head (Forfarshire) in June 1921 and made out one 
bird sitting (op. c., p. 125). Mr. W. Evans reports (op. c., 
p. 126) that in June 1921 there were not less than twenty 
birds in the colony at St. Abb’s Head. 


REVIEW. 


Our Resident Birds and How to Know Them. By E. F. M. 
Elms.. (Thornton Butterworth.) 6s. 


IN this little book Mr. Elms groups his birds under “ habitat ”’ 
headings such as gardens, woods, commons, streams and 
seashore. He then subdivides them under colour and size. 
The disadvantage of this method is that the same bird might 
very well be seen in a garden, a wood or a common, and we 
do not think the plan adopted will greatly assist the beginner, 
for whom the book is designed. A more serious disadvantage, 
however, is that the beginner who sees, for instance, a Garden- 
Warbler in the garden, a Brambling in the woods, a Wheatear 
on a common, or a Sandpiper by the stream and tries to 
identify it with the help of this book will look in vain, as only 
‘‘resident ”’ species are included ; and how is anyone to know 
whether the bird is a resident or not until he has identified it ? 
Under each species included by the author very brief details 
are given of distribution, habitat, plumage, habits, nests, eggs 
and food. The illustrations are mostly from photographs of 
wild birds, but some appear to be from captive or stuffed 
examples. Miss Turner’s photograph of a Black-tailed God- 
wit facing p. 120 is labelled Redshank ! 


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ASSISTED BY 


“su iian Inet; 

RNNoRMAN F. Wee 
(s 

LB0.U ¢ 


we NOV 141921 ® 


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


#: at 
ConTENTS OF NUMBER 6, VoL. XV., Novempe tse {1648} Mise 4 


a PAGE 
Observations on the Breeding-Habits of the Merlin. 1I.—General 
Environment. By W. Rowan, M.SC., M.B.O.U. F.Z.S. Be 122 
A Short Description of the Sequence of Plumages in some 
Palearctic Surface-feeding Ducks. By E. Lehn Schioler .. 130 


Notes :— 
Wood-Lark Breeding in Montgomeryshire (W. Miall Jones) 139 


Blackcap Singing while Brooding (E. P. Butterfield) a 139 
Rapid Re-nesting of the Common Whitethroat (D. W. 
Musselwhite) ae ae ae me ae a7 =e 140 
The Breeding-Habits of the Wheatear (A. H. Machell Cox) .. 140 
Little Owl Breeding in Cheshire (E. W. Hendy) .. i? 141 


Bean-Goose in Cheshire and N. Wales in Summer (J. M. 
McTear) .. ae Be a or a6 a are 141 


Late Nesting of Stock-Dove (Capt. W. M. Congreve and 
Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain) ff ze ie oP i 142 


Short Notes :— 
Possible Red-breasted Flycatchers in Devon. Ruff in 


Gloucestershire .. 3 ics be - a is 142 
Obituary :— 
W. Warde-Fowler. By Julian S. Huxley .. & o 143 


M 


( 122 ) 


OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING-HABITS 
OF THE MERLIN. 


I.—GENERAL ENVIRONMENT. 
BY : ; 
W. ROWAN, M.Sc., M.B.0O.U., F.Z.S. 


In the following notes, which embody the results of several 
seasons’ work on the Merlin (Falco c. esalon), [should like to lay 
emphasis on the fact that the few generalities indulged in apply 
to a specified area—Barden and Embsay Moors near Skipton, 
Yorks. Even so I have preferred to give detailed account 
of two particular nests kept under constant and close observa- 
tion, rather than to generalize freely. Individual eccentricities 
are very well developed amongst birds, and although the 
behaviour of the two families dealt with appears to be typical 
of the species in general within our area, it may not be typical 
of the bird for other districts. My own experience with 
the Merlin in Wales and Scotland has been too slight usefully 
to judge the question from this aspect, but since several 
other species exhibit unexpected local traits in widely sepa- 
rated districts, it is possible that the Merlin is also subject 
to variation in habits. 

I should like to express my thanks to Mr. Stephen Birch, 
the Duke of Devonshire’s head keeper on his Yorkshire 
estates, for the continual trouble he has taken to give me 
every possible facility in my work, for his personal help 
on innumerable occasions, and for the valuable information 
that his keen interest in bird-life has enabled him to give me. 
My thanks are also due to other keepers on the estate for 
{requent assistance, particularly Messrs. Binns, Isherwood 
and Tattersal. 

The two moors concerned in these notes, known respec- 
tively as Embsay and Barden Moors, in reality form a single 
stretch of moorland nearly twenty square miles in area, 
fringed, except along their contiguous borders (demarcated 
by a stone wall), with pastures and occasional plantations. 
The whole is encircled by a road joining the villages of 
Burnsall, Barden, Embsay and Grassington. 

The vegetation is typical, the predominating plant of 
the association being ling (Calluna) relieved in the damper 
parts by patches of bog-moss (Sphagnum) and various coarse 
grasses, e.g., Molimia. Bell-heather (Evica tetralix) occurs 
in very limited quantities, while extensive stretches of 
bracken (Péeris) and less frequent ones of bilberry (Vaccinium 


VoL. XV.] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 125 


myrtillus) are also found. One important factor in the 
spread of bracken appears to be the method employed in 
heather burning. If this is left until the ling has passed 
its prime (eight to ten years’ growth) the chances of bracken 
encroaching on the cleared ground appear to be very great. 
The extent to which this affects the distribution of the 
Merlin, which prefers very old heather to any other nesting - 
site, will be seen below. 

The area comprises a number of well-marked elevations, 
Burnsall, Thorpe and Cracoe Fell being the three highest 
points along the southern and western borders. High ground 
continues along the eastern edge in the heights known as 
Crookrise, Embsay and Eastby Crags. The northern edge 
sinks down into Wharfedale. The majority of streams, 
therefore, have a north to south flow. 

An examination of a large number of Merlin eyries cannot 
fail to impress on the observer certain striking similarities 
which seem never to be wanting. The most characteristic 
of all is probably the view obtained from the nest. There 
is the almost invariable valley, to one side, on looking down 
which one gets an expansive view of rolling moorland and 
distant fells. (Fig. 1.) On looking upstream one generally 
finds one is near the head of the valley, with the view limited 
by a hilltop close at hand. More detailed study reveals 
with regular monotony the proximity of a path, or more 
occasionally a fence or stone wall. Above the nest there 
will be as a rule a well ‘‘ chalked ”’ boulder or two (sometimes 
a very large number) (Fig. 2), while on the opposite side 
of the valley, frequently below the level of the eyrie, will 
be some more boulders evidently in use. The eggs them- 
selves will in most cases be found in very old heather and 
there is no doubt that the bird prefers this to anything else. 
But there is an exception, for the nest may be placed in 
bracken. This plant is an annual of late appearance and 
in an average season the only signs of it at the time of nidifica- 
tion are the desiccated remains of the previous year’s growth. 
As far as I could ascertain the histories of the few bracken 
areas patronized, they are growths replacing old ling which 
has been burnt and which had itself harboured an eyrie. 
During the years intervening between the destruction of the 
heather and the coming of the bracken, Merlins were absent. 

These conditions together constitute a typical eyrie and 
render the finding of the nest in these circumstances merely 
a matter of a little patience. Atypical eyries seem to differ 
only in certain respects. The rule that the nest should be 


124. BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


within a few feet of the edge of the heather or bracken patch 
holding it, I have never known to be broken. The long 
view I have never known to be wanting. The proximity 
of a path or fence has proved invariable. On the other 
hand, there may be but a single boulder or even none. A 
valley is not always there, the sloping side of a fell occasionally 
affording a suitable site. 

A nest found by Isherwood some years back, the site of 
which was shown me, was placed in the centre of a small 
heather tuft growing on the top of a boulder on a steep 
hillside in a bed of bracken. The usual view was obtained 
from this spot and a path was close at hand. 

As far as the Embsay and Barden Moors are concerned, 
the streams, as noted, run to northward, and the long view 
is obtained in that direction. On adjoining moors, 
however, e.g., Barden Fell Moor, the. valleys run in the 
opposite direction and the long view is then seen to the 
south. The direction thus appears to be immaterial. The 
bank that provides the best view is invariably chosen, no 
matter what its relation to the sun may be, a gently sloping 
portion of it always providing the ultimate site. But it 
appears that a valley devoid of a path, stone wall or fence, 
however desirable in other respects, is not used. 

The simplest way of locating a nest is by means of the 
perching boulders, invariably streaked with lime, or to use 
the local expression, “‘ chalked.’ If the ground is frequented 
only by Merlins, as is most often the case, it is quite possible 
to find the nest merely by a careful inventory of the 
“ chalkings.’’ A shooting butt, if correctly situated, makes 
a favourite substitute for a boulder. A small mound of 
earth will be similarly used and often is (Fig. 3), though 
such all too frequently escape observation. It is the relative 
positions of the perches, no matter what constitutes them, 
that is so constant that the finding of the nest by them alone 
is rendered possible. Since both birds are tight sitters it 
is more often than not necessary to pass within a few feet 
of them to put either off, a habit that does not facilitate the 
finding of the eggs very greatly. The fact that no Merlins 
are to be seen or heard on visiting what is supposed to be 
an eyrie, is of no significance. If the hen is incubating the 
cock is mostly out of sight and sound, and since the hen 
generally refuses to stir till one is almost on her, a casual 
visit to the eyrie may reveal nothing. Should the cock be 
sitting, however, the hen is usually dozing on a neighbouring 
perch, and will get up in the air and show great excitement, 


MERLIN: Fig. 1. View from the nest. Hen approaching. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


126 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


which may or may not fetch her mate off, according to the 
stage of incubation. If no Merlins are seen, a two-hour 
wait in hiding is mostly enough to determine the presence of 
the birds as the male is but seldom absent for a longer period. 
As he almost invariably feeds the hen upon his return and 
relieves her at the nest, such a watch is frequently rewarded 
by the finding of the exact site. 

The locating of the nest by means of the “chalked ” 
boulders may be rendered more complex and even impossible 
by the use of the same area by a pair of Kestrels, Tawny or 
Short-eared Owls, and occasionally Sparrow-Hawk, if the 
site chance to be near a suitable wood. 

The finding of an eyrie may sound, from the above remarks, 
far simpler than it actually is. On the twenty square miles 
dealt with in these notes, there are almost countless sites 
that appear to fulfil all requirements, and yet not more than 
four pairs of Merlins have ever been recorded thereon in a 
single season. This is, no doubt, explained by the Law of 
Territory, and the demands of the Merlin in this respect are 
extraordinarily great. It is a common thing to find the 
Tiercel hunting two miles from his eyrie, and at times he 
may be seen even farther afield. That the law of territory 
is respected is certain, for two eyries are never found close 
together. Birch informs me that he has known a couple 
only a mile apart, but he considers such proximity very 
exceptional. 

On the eastern slope of Barden Fell there are two gills, 
known respectively as Lesser and Greater Hay Gills. Their 
heads are separated by nearly a mile but they rapidly 
converge. No year passes without a nest on one or the 
other, as they both offer ideal conditions, but two nests in 
the same season, one on each gill, have yet to be recorded 

The law of territory may account for the limiting of 
numbers, but it throws no light on the actual choice of sites, 
which offers a most interesting problem. With a very large 
number of possibilities to choose from, most of which have 
at some time or another actually been used and have thus 
proved their eligibility, the Merlins show an extraordinary 
preference for a small minority which will hold an eyrie 
year after year without a break. It is in this case not a 
question of the same pair of birds returning to a favoured 
haunt in successive seasons, for it is but rarely that a hawk 
attempting to breed on these moors survives to tell the 
tale, but rather one of certain sites attracting new birds 
annually. Two concrete examples of what I mean will 


vot. XV.} BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 127 


make this statement clearer. A patch of old ling on Cracoe 
Fell held in 1898 a Merlin’s nest and eggs, both owners of 
which were trapped and killed and the eggs destroyed. 
The year following another pair nested on the same spot, 
both birds again being killed and the eggs taken. Eighteen 
years later this patch of heather was burned, but during the 
nineteen years that elapsed from the trapping of the first 
pair to the time of the burning, nineteen pairs of Merlins 
were killed, one pair each year without a miss and not a 
single egg was hatched. Yet there were a score of other 


MERLIN: Fig. 2. <A typical ‘‘ Merlin boulder.”’ 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


sites on the moor that the newcomers might have chosen. 
In another instance, during the same period, a pair of Merlins 
was trapped on an old bed of ling for each of twelve successive 
years, not a single bird escaping and not an egg hatching. 
The heather was then fired. Thus for twelve years these 
two sites attracted each a pair of Merlins out of an annual 
average of three or four breeding pairs on the whole moor. 
That they offered some special attraction there can be no 
doubt, but exactly what it may have been is not clear. The 
only certain factor is that the old bed of heather was not 
the attraction, for in one of these two cases bracken has 
now appeared in the place of the ling, and Merlins have 


128 BRITISH BIRDS. |. [von, xv. 


once again shown their love for this site by breeding and 
meeting their inevitable death. There are other spots that 
seem to be as popular at the present time and will, no doubt, 
eventually have very long runs. Instances of unbroken 
ones of five or six years with a fresh pair of birds every year 
are too frequent to quote. The destruction of the old bed 
of ling always terminates the series, but as noted above, the 
ultimate appearance of bracken may reinstate the popularity 
of the site. 

It is very generally assumed that if a nesting spot is used 
annually by any given species of bird, it is not merely the 
same species but the same individuals that return. Even 
Walpole Bond, in his delightful book, Field Studies of Some 
Rarer British Birds, infers that it is the same pair of Merlins 
that go back to a given spot year after year until it has 
been “‘improved,’’ when they seek a fresh site. But even 
if the birds are protected on their breeding grounds—a rare 
concession—they all too frequently fall victims to gunners 
during the winter months. In the case of hawks in particular 
and all avian “‘ vermin ”’ in general, it seems to me that to 
assume the safe return of any pair of birds to their breeding 
grounds year after year is travelling beyond the realm of 
probability. With passerine species the case is very different, 
for they are comparatively free {rom molestation, and the 
ringing of such birds as Swallows has proved that the same 
pair does return to its old haunts ; but if these birds were 
destroyed with their nest and eggs, would an unrelated pair 
choose the same roof the year following? The answer is 
probably yes. With the Crow, Jay, Magpie, Kestrel, 
Sparrow-Hawk, and even the Long-tailed Tit, I have a great 
deal of evidence which goes to prove that with these birds 
the same fascination exists in certain nesting-sites as in the 
case of the Merlin, and that failing the return of the previous 
owners to one of these, fresh individuals will occupy that 
same territory rather than any other, however much latitude 
of choice there may appear to be. 

One other interesting point arises in this connection. 
Considering the steady persecution to which these birds 
are subjected, where does the unfailing supply of Merlins 
come from? At best, but a small percentage of the nesters 
can possibly be locally bred. In a successful year from the 
gamekeepers’ point of view, not a single youngster is reared, 
not a single old bird returns south, and successful years are 
quite frequent. Is it not possible that even as one site in a 
district is preferable to any other, so one district in the 


VOL. xv.} BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 29 


country is preferable to all others? The Merlin is rare in 
some localities where it was once abundant, but not so at 
Skipton and the West Riding generally, despite almost 
complete annual extermination. Is it possible that this 
district is drawing from others in which the species is 


MerLIN: Fig. 3. A mound of earth used as a perch instead of a 
boulder. 


(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


disappearing ? To follow up the argument without deducing 
further evidence would probably be futile, but one cannot 
help imagining that such a theory would adapt itself 
admirably to the elucidation of several unsolved problems 
in connection with migration and the erratic and unexplained 
seasonal wanderings of many species of birds. 


(To be continued.) 


( 180 ) 


A SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE SEQUENCE OF 
PLUMAGES IN SOME PALAARCTIC SURFACE- 
FEEDING DUCKS. 

BY 
ID, ILIDIEhy| SCHIOLER, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK. 


THE following remarks apply to the Teal (Anas c. crecca), 
Pintail (A. acuta), Garganey (A. querquedula), Gadwall 
(A. strepera), Shoveler (Spatula clypeata), Mallard (A. p. 
platyrhyncha) and Wigeon (A. penelope), the number of 
specimens of the remaining palearctic species seen being so 
small that nothing definite can be said about their moults. 

The total number of specimens amounts to about 2,500, of 
which about 2,300 are in my own collection, the rest in the 
University Zoological Museum of Copenhagen. This series 
ot ducks has been collected in the course of twenty years, 
about 1,700 have been sexed by myself and their skeletons 
preserved. 

The study of the moults of the surface-feeding ducks is 
not an easy one, examination of dry skins alone very soon 
proving insufficient. It is true that the juvenile tail-feathers 
may be taken as a safe guide to distinguish young from so- 
called old birds, but as these feathers are often changed quite 
early in the young bird’s first year, their evidence only goes a 
certain way. The oviduct and to some extent the ovary are 
in autumn and winter specimens more certain evidence, the 
narrow undeveloped oviduct of a young bird being easily 
distinguishable from the thickened prolapsed oviduct of an 
old or older bird that has laid eggs the preceding summer or 
before. In surface-feeding ducks the skeleton, 7.e., sternum 
and pelvis, may also be of some service in estimating age, as 
it is possible to follow the progress towards pneumaticity in 
these bones. This progress, however, does not take place 
according to the same rules in every species, and the time 
taken in attaining the maximum degree of pneumaticity for 
each species apparently differs to some extent, but this subject 
is too large to enter into more fully here. Used together these 
characters make it possible to trace the sequence of plumages 
in these interesting birds, and in doing away with guesswork 
they give the following results a tolerable degree of certainty. 

THE TEAL (Anas c. crecca). 

FEMALE.—-The downy duckling gets its first feathers on 
the shoulders and flanks ; when about five or six weeks old 
it wears the first juvenile plumage, recognizable by the juvenile 


VOL. XV.] SURFACE-FEEDING DUCKS. 131 


tail-feathers with their blunt shaft-points from which the 
down has dropped. 

By a moult including all the head, body and tail-feathers, 
but not the remiges, the young female assumes her second 
juvenile plumage ; in most specimens this is complete by the 
end of November of the same year, but some birds assume it 
a month or more before. In the early spring of the next year 
a partial moult takes place by which some scapulars and flank 
feathers are renewed, later the innermost secondaries are 
moulted and in some specimens a tail-feather or two is renewed. 
Thus the young female ten to eleven months old has acquired 
its first breeding (nuptial) plumage, this being a mixture of 
second juvenile and full adult breeding plumage. Birds of 
northern origin seem ordinarily to acquire nuptial feathers 
to a smaller extent than breeding birds from more southern 
latitudes, e.g., Denmark, whence specimens may be seen 
having a first nuptial plumage almost or quite indistinguishable 
from that of a fully adult bird. During the summer, fading 
and abrasion of the light edges of the feathers give the bird 
a very dark appearance. In August generally (in Denmark) 
the remiges are shed all at once and the bird becomes for a time 
flightless, at the same time going into its first post-nuptial— 
the so-called eclipse—plumage, which is very much like the 
second juvenile plumage, in fact, so much so, that in many 
cases only dissection will prove whether the bird is an adult 
or a young bird in second juvenile plumage. This post-nuptial 
plumage lasts until the bird in the early spring of the following 
year moults into the first complete, or second nuptial plumage, 
which is as a rule browner, richer in colour than the first 
nuptial plumage (see above) and generally fully acquired 
when the bird is twenty to twenty-three months old. After 
this it has only two annual moults, one complete in summer, 
and another in spring, which does not include the remiges, 
which are accordingly only moulted once. 

Ma.Le.—-After the downy stage the young male gets the 
first juvenile plumage, from which it commences to moult 
into first nuptial plumage, showing however during this 
moult traces of a second juvenile plumage, the feathers of 
which only stay for a short time, and then they drop off. 
Some young males show even in their first juvenile plumage 
feathers that seem to belong to a more advanced plumage— 
somewhat similar to the nuptial, or better post-nuptial, being 
very coarsely vermiculated or rather barred ; as, however, the 
ordinary juvenile feathers are always predominant, it seems 
reasonable to suppose that the second juvenile plumage of 


132 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. Xv. 


the male has become almost suppressed. As early as Septem- 
ber some young males have acquired a great deal of the nuptial 
plumage, while others, as late as November, show hardly a 
trace. The black and white scapulars seem to be the last 
feathers of the nuptial plumage to appear. The only change 
which this first nuptial plumage undergoes in spring is an 
abrasion of the tips of the feathers of the fore-neck and breast. 
whereby the roundish black spots of these parts become more 
visible than in autumn, when they are to some extent obscured 
by overlying feather-tips. In July the change into the 
post-nuptial plumage takes place, the flight-feathers being 
as a rule shed earlier in the male than in the female. After 
this the adult male, like the female, undergoes one incomplete 
and one complete annual moult. In many cases the tail- 
feathers of the post-nuptial (eclipse) plumage are changed, the 
central pair always. The post-nuptial or eclipse plumage 
of the Teal shows a great deal of variation, some specimens 
being greyish, others brownish of a hghter or deeper shade, 
some barred and others showing the common duck-hke pattern 
on their feathers. 

(Number of specimens examined: Coll. E.L.S. 430. Univ. 
Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 71.) 


THE PINTAIL (Anas acuta). 


FEMALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. Second juvenile 
plumage, acquired during the autumn and first winter. In 
spring a partial moult, including the inner secondaries, gives 
the female (now about ten months old) an incomplete first 
nuptial plumage consisting, as in the Teal, of a mixture of 
second juvenile and adult breeding plumage. The same 
remarks about northern and southern specimens of the Teal 
apply also to the Pintail. This plumage being worn and 
abraded during summer, is in early autumn or late summer 
replaced by a first post-nuptial plumage, which is of a more 
greyish shade than the buffy-brown breeding plumage of 
the adult bird acquired in the following spring when the 
female is about twenty-two months old. After this the 
female has an annual complete and an annual incomplete 
moult, the latter not including the wings. 

MaLE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. From this the 
bird in the course of the autumn and the early winter months 
goes into first nuptial plumage, showing, however, during 
this moult a growth of feathers that belong neither to the 
juvenile nor to the nuptial plumage; they are soon shed 
again, and no doubt represent a lost second juvenile plumage. 


VOL. XV.] SURFACE-FEEDING DUCKS. 135 


Young males seldom get the full plumage before the end of 
November or December and the elongated central tail-feathers 
seem to be the last of the nuptial plumage to appear. In 
spring the dark brown colour of the head and the yellowish 
tinge of the feathers of the sides of the anal region fade, giving 
the former a paler brown and the latter a more whitish colour. 
From the nuptial plumage the thirteen to fourteen months 
old bird goes into first post-nuptial (eclipse) plumage, which it 
commences to lose again in October to November, acquiring by 
an incomplete moult—of course not moulting the flight-feathers 
again as in summer—a second nuptial plumage. After this 
there is an annual complete and an annual incomplete moult. 

The eclipse plumage of the male Pintail does not show 
so much variation as that of the male Teal. There is in this 
reversion plumage a type that is broadly barred, not at all 
unlike the first juvenile plumage of the male, while another 
coarsely and duskily vermiculated type seems to represent 
4 more advanced stage, its feathers being reminiscent of 
those of the disappearing second juvenile plumage. 

(Number of specimens examined: Coll. E.LS., 270. 
Univ. Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 51.) 


Tue GARGANEY (Anas querquedula). 


FEMALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. In this plu- 
mage most young Garganey leave their breeding places 
(in Denmark). I have not seen a second juvenile plumage, 


but young females in spring have a first nuptial plumage 
which is a mixture of a former—not first juvenile plumage— 
and first breeding plumage, easily distinguishable from the 
breeding plumage of two-year-old or older birds. This makes 
it probable that a second juvenile plumage exists as in Teal 
and others. From first nuptial plumage the bird by a 
complete moult goes into first post-nuptial (eclipse) plumage 
easily distinguishable from the breeding plumage by its much 
darker tone. As soon as the post-nuptial plumage is com- 
pleted the female Garganey leaves Denmark and returns 
late in March or early in April, some a week or ten days 
later, in full breeding or second nuptial plumage. After this 
there are two annual moults as in the preceding species. 

MaLE.—The moult is probably very nearly the same as 
that of the female. I am unable to say whether traces of 
a second juvenile plumage are found, as I have not been 
able to examine specimens in transition plumage. 

(Number of specimens examined: Coll. E.L.S., 91. Univ. 
Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 13.) : 


154 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


THE GADWALL (Anas strepera). 


FEMALE—Down. First juvenile plumage. As in the 
Garganey I have been unable to examine specimens in second 
juvenile plumage, but specimens from breeding places show 
the same characters as Garganey and it does not seem difficult 
to distinguish between first and later nuptial plumages. The 
rest of the moults of the female Gadwall are the same as in 
the female Garganey or other surface-feeding ducks. Of this 
species comparatively few specimens have been examined. 

MALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. During the 
moult into first nuptial plumage, commencing in the bird’s 
first autumn, many traces of a second juvenile plumage 
are visible in the few specimens examined (from Iceland and 
one from Greenland). After the nuptial plumage follows 
the post nuptial or eclipse and after this again a new nuptial 
plumage. 

(Number of specimens examined: Col. E.L.S., 23. Univ. 
Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, IT.) 


THE SHOVELER (Spatula clvpeata). 


IfEMALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. This is fol- 
lowed by a second juvenile plumage acquired in autumn 
and the first winter months, this moult including all the 
head, body and tail-feathers but, of course, not the wings. 
In spring there is another moult, giving the bird, as in the 
Teal and others, new feathers on the crown, mantle, scapulars, 
innermost secondaries and some tail-feathers; the moult, 
however, seems to be more extensive than in the pre- 
ceding species; consequently the difference between this 
first and later nuptial plumages is very slight, the more 
worn flight-feathers and duller blue fore-wing of the young 
bird being as a rule the only certain marks of distinction. 
Having reared its ducklings it goes into first post-nuptial 
(eclipse) plumage, which in the following spring, sometimes 
earlier, even in the winter months, is replaced by the second 
nuptial plumage, after which the female Shoveler, like other 
surface-feeding ducks, has two annual moults, one only 
including the flight-feathers. 

MaLE—Down. First juvenile plumage. In early 
autumn this plumage is replaced by a perfectly distinct 
second juvenile plumage which has, however, hardly been 
completed before the feathers of the first nuptial plumage 
commence to appear. This moult lasts until spring, when 
the bird assumes its first nuptial plumage, showing in this 
as a rule, but not always, a less glossy green head and some 


VOL. XV.] SURFACE-FEEDING DUCKS. 1355 


dark horseshoe-shaped markings on the white shield of 
the fore-neck and breast, the chestnut-brown feathers of the 
lower breast and belly being retained from the second juvenile 
plumage. The first nuptial plumage is followed by a first 
post-nuptial plumage (eclipse), this again by the second 
nuptial plumage and so on. It is a well-known fact that the 
enlargement of the bill is not noticeable in the newly hatched 
duckling, and that the growth of it commences just before 
the bird is acquiring its first feathers ; this seems to indicate 
that the broad spoon-shaped bill with its highly developed 
lamelle is a comparatively recently acquired character, 
and perhaps this may account for the fact that the male 
Shoveler exhibits a more primitive sequence of plumages 
than most other surface-feeding ducks, having retained a 
complete second juvenile plumage. 

(Number ’ Gr “specimens: examined:,, Coll) 1.L:S4 ~1s3 
Univ. Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 14.) 


THE MALLARD (Anas p. platyrhyncha). 

IFEMALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage, which is in 
early autumn followed by a first nuptial plumage ; birds 
from Denmark especially early ones, show only a few traces 
of a second juvenile plumage and in spring apparently no 
other moult takes place than the changing of the uniform 
greyish secondaries for new ones marked with a buff pattern, 
and then, if not before, such feathers of a second juvenile 
plumage which may have been retained are also changed. 
There is, however, a second juvenile plumage, exhibited by 
birds coming here in September and later, and in such birds 
another moult takes place, giving them a more or less complete 
first nuptial plumage ; some have this moult earlier, others 
later ; specimens in February and March still show new 
feathers coming in, while others, young birds nine to ten 
months old with straight oviducts, are indistinguishable 
from adults with oviducts that have been in function the 
preceding year or before. I have seen specimens in March 
in almost full second juvenile plumage (for instance, No. 2159, 
15/3/1917. Coll. E.L.S.)—as in other ducks it is very much 
like the post-nuptial of the adult female—and specimens 
from Iceland often show this state of plumage, one (No. 1728, 
13/7/1909, North Iceland. Coll. E.L.S.) a July specimen 
in worn and faded plumage has not even changed the grey 
secondaries. Such visitors to this country are probably 
birds coming from north-eastern districts. 

When the breeding-season is over, the worn and faded 


136 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL Xv. 


first nuptial plumage, including the flight-feathers, is moulted 
and replaced by a quite distinct post-nuptial plumage, 
which, lasting only for a short time, is in its turn—in some 
as early as October—replaced by the second nuptial plumage, 
the flight-feathers and innermost (uniform grey) secondaries 
alone being retained until the next spring when the latter are 
replaced by new ones with a buff pattern. In northern birds 
this moult, as in young birds, takes place somewhat later. 

MaLtE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. From this the 
young male very soon commences to moult into his first 
nuptial plumage but the first signs of the moult are almost 
invariably chocolate-brown feathers which appear on the 
head, most frequently on the cheeks and chin, feathers 
which are undoubtedly traces of a lost second juvenile 
plumage. Other feathers of this lost plumage may be seen 
elsewhere on the body as, for instance, on the flanks, some 
feathers of which are more coarsely vermiculated than those 
of the coming nuptial plumage. In June the moult into 
first post-nuptial (eclipse) plumage takes place and early 
in September—in northern birds later—the second nuptial 
plumage commences to appear. 

(Number of specimens examined: Coll. E.L.S., 746 (and 
200 from Greenland). Univ. Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 110.) 


THE WIGEON (Anas penelope). 


FEMALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage, retained in 
most specimens until December or even later, when a moult 
into a second juvenile plumage takes place. In this second 
juvenile plumage feathers of the first juvenile plumage 
(e.g., tail-feathers) are not unfrequently retained, and just 
before breeding time a new moult commences into what 
may be called the first nuptial plumage, though not all 
females breed in their first year. This is a mixture of the 
grey-backed second juvenile, and (to a greater or lesser 
extent) of a darker nuptial plumage and in some cases even 
of some feathers of the first juvenile plumage ; the inner- 
most secondaries are apparently always replaced by new 
ones with a pattern. From this first nuptial plumage the 
one-year-old female—having bred or not—goes into first 
post-nuptial, eclipse or reversion plumage. This, as a rule, 
seems to be more like the first than the second juvenile 
plumage. In autumn it is replaced by the second nuptial 
plumage, which is somewhat variable, a brown and a greyish 
more or less barred type seeming to be predominant. After 
this the two annual moults take place. 


VOL. XV.] SURFACE-FEEDING DUCKS. 157 


MALE.—Down. First juvenile plumage. This in the 
Wigeon is more variable than in other surface-feeding ducks, 
some specimens showing some barring on the back between 
the shoulders, others none, some having a glossy green, 
others a blackish speculum, some showing a uniform greyish- 
brown fore-wing, others having the lesser and median coverts 
broadly edged with white, and others again even showing 
a tendency towards a white fore-wing with darker edges to 
the feathers. 

From the first juvenile plumage the bird passes by a 
slowly progressing moult, into its first nuptial plumage. 

During this moult there is a growth of feathers which are 
mostly shed again and which are evidently representatives 
of a lost second juvenile plumage. 

The first nuptial plumage is like the corresponding plumage 
of the old male, except that the yellowish feathers of the 
fore-head are as a rule paler, the vermiculation of the back 
and flank feathers seems slightly coarser and the juvenile 
fore-wing with the above named variations is retained. As 
it is uncertain whether males always pair in this plumage 
—those dissected have shown swelling of the sexual organs, 
although apparently not to the extent shown in old males— 
this plumage might even be called third (or existing second) 
juvenile plumage. It is followed in summer by a first post- 
nuptial eclipse or reversion plumage showing for the first 
time the white fore-wing, and this again is replaced by the 
nuptial plumage of the fully adult male, the white fore-wing 
being retained. 

(Number Of “specimens .examined: Coll, E.L.S.; 373. 
Univ. Zool. Mus., Copenhagen, 85.) 

It will be noticed that the females of all the above-named 
species have a post-nuptial or eclipse plumage as well as the 
males, but as it has only been my intention to give an account 
of the sequence of plumages no detailed description of these 
or other plumages has been attempted nor have such well- 
known changes as that of the colour of the feet, due to age, 
or the seasonal colour changes in the bills been mentioned. 
Besides, a full description of all these plumages with the 
necessary illustrations is under preparation and will appear 
in a not remote future. 

Finally it may be mentioned that a few females in male-like 
plumage have been seen. 

On the 13th and 20th of March, 1911, two ten-months-old 
Mallard females were killed. With a lot of others they had 
been reared by a hen, the eggs having been taken from the 


N 


138 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


nest of a wild duck the preceding spring, 1910. When the 
rest of the Mallards were all in normal plumage (pinioned) 
and paired these two birds kept by themselves and had 
singular voices different to the normal one of the female. 
Their bills and feet were of normal colour, but their plumage 
was very much like that of an old drake in eclipse; one, 
however, showed an imperfect white ring round the neck 
and upcurled middle tail-feathers, as well as uniform brown 
feathers on its chin and cheeks resembling those of the 
“lost ’’ second juvenile plumage of the male. Dissection 
proved that both had normal but perfectly thin and straight 
oviducts and two little oval organs, that to the naked eye 
looked like testes but by microscopic examination were 
found to be ovaries in an embryonic state. 

A female Pintail shot September 17th, 1911—judging from 
the skeleton about sixteen-and-a-half months old—has the 
plumage very much like the barred type of the old male in 
eclipse, the wing, however, like that of a young male. The 
colour of the bill was that of a normal female ; the ovary 
(only one visible, but the bird somewhat damaged by the 
shot) very small and undeveloped, the distal part of the 
oviduct somewhat broad. All tail-feathers “ adult,’’ middle 
ones somewhat elongated. 

A female Wigeon, bought on the market here, Septem- 
ber 26th, 1918, looks like a young male going into first 
nuptial plumage. Oviduct normal, ovary undeveloped ; 
apparently about fifteen months old. 

In these cases the presence of a male-like plumage was 
evidently not due to old age, but rather to arrested develop- 
ment of the ovaries. 

In the case of the Pintail it would seem that pairing had 
been attempted. No alteration in the trachee was seen. 


WOOD-LARK BREEDING IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE 


WITH reference to Capt. W. M. Congreve’s note (antea, p. 58) 
on the breeding of the Wood- Lark (Lullula a. arborea) in 
Montgomeryshire the following may be of interest. During 
the latter end of May (17th-31st), 1921, I stayed at a house 
in the Dovey Valley, and on the day of my arrival I heard 
a Wood-Lark singing on the hillside not far from the house. 
I heard it singing and saw it soaring almost at the same 
spot every day I was there. 

One day I saw, and heard, what I think was another bird 
at a village about a mile higher up the valley. This one 
was singing when perched on a post on the common near 
the village. After having left this bird singing on the 
common I heard the bird on the hillside singing in the usual 
place, so came to the conclusion that there was more than 
one in the neighbourhood. 

Towards the end of our stay my wife called my attention 
to some birds in a lane at the foot of the hill mentioned. 
Fortunately, I had my field-glasses with me and was able 
to identify them as Wood-Larks. There were four young 
ones being fed by one parent bird. We kept them under 
observation for some time and were able to get quite near 
them and observe them distinctly from within a few yards, 
by the naked eve. I may add that the Wood-Lark is quite 
familiar to me as it is fairly common in my neighbourhood. 
We were not able to find a nest, but I think that a parent 
bird feeding its young is fairly conclusive evidence that 
the birds nested in the immediate neighbourhood. 

W. MIALL JONES 


MALE BLACKCAP SINGING WHILE BROODING. 


Mr. G. C. S. INGRAM, in his “ Field Notes on the Blackcap ” 
(antea, p. 80) refers to the singing of the male while he was 
brooding. 

In a communication to the Zoologist, 1915, p. 182, I mention 
that Prof. Newton (Dictionary of Birds, p. 43), after alluding 
to the male Blackcap sharing with the female the duty of 
incubation, refers to writers who have declared that the male 
whilst so employed has been known to sing—“‘ a statement,”’ 
he remarks, “that seems hardly credible.” I add that 


140 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


I do not know on what ground Newton wished it to be inferred 
that he disbelieved the statement, and am much mistaken 
if I have not heard the male sing while brooding, and it is 
pleasing to think that Mr. Ingram’s observations settle this 
matter in a most definite manner. E. P. BUTTERFIELD. 


RAPID RE-NESTING OF THE COMMON WHITE- 
DEROCAT: 


In Surrey, on May 17th, 1921, I found a clutch of five eggs 
of the Common Whitethroat (Sylvia c. communis) which I 
took as the type was somewhat unusual. This clutch was 
from five to six days incubated. Exactly five days later 
I visited the same spot and was surprised to find that a 
second nest had been built about eight yards from the first, 
and contained three eggs. Two days later—May 24th— 
I again visited the nest and found that it then contained 
five eggs. These I also took to dispel any doubt as to the 
two clutches being laid by the same female. The nests 
were in brambles and nettles around a small swamp in the 
corner of a field, and according to present ideas on bird 
territory the available ground was not sufficient to allow 
of two pairs settling there. 

Both clutches are exactly alike. I have not before known 
of a small bird building a nest and laying five eggs within 
seven days, and the fact that the first clutch was considerably 
incubated makes the experience all the more interesting. 

D. W. MUSSELWHITE. 


THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE WHEATEAR. 


Mr. J. F. Tuomas in his interesting notes (antea, p. 114) 
refers to what he thought might possibly be some kind of 
nuptial display on the part of the Wheatear (&. @. enanthe) ; 
towards the end of May and at the beginning of June 
(but not at an earlier date) he saw both male and female 
hovering about ten feet from the ground, though he dis- 
covered no signs of young ones or a nest. I find in my 
notes that on May 26th, 1903, I was in the Pevensey 
Marshes watching a pair of Wheatears. I noticed them 
hovering in a curious manner and presently with a pair of 
strong glasses I made out a grass-snake which was the object 
of their attentions. They kept fluttering up two or three 
feet and down almost, but not quite, on to it; once the 
snake reared itself up and the male bird appeared to strike 
it. They were at first about a hundred yards away, but 
they drew gradually nearer to where I was sitting. The 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 141 


snake slid down a bank and swam across some stagnant 
water, still closely attended by the Wheatears. Their 
excitement seemed to increase and I judged their nest or 
young to be close by. The male bird suddenly flew to within 
about a yard or two of me and back again to the snake, in a 
manner which certainly suggested an appeal for help. I did 
not move till the snake had advanced well clear of the water, 
and then made a rush and despatched it. The whole 
proceedings had occupied nearly half an hour. Not very 
far from the same place I had on May gth found an open 
nest of a Wheatear containing four eggs in a position exactly 
similar to that of a Skylark (Alauda arvensis) under a small 
tuft of grass. 

It is now seventeen years since I was in Sussex, and I 
should be interested to learn whether Wheatears still continue 
to nest in an old dismantled gun of one of the martello towers 
near the Pevensey Sluices. 

On one occasion I remember opening out a rabbit-scrape 
near Camber Castle, because I saw Wheatears showing an 
anxious interest in 1t ; when I reached the nest, there was a 
fat hedgehog with portions of broken shell adhering to his 
person. AYE MACHELE Cox: 


EMALE OWL BREEDING IN CHESHIRE: 
THE Little Owl (Athene n. mira) bred near Alderley Edge in 
Cheshire in 1921. One of the old birds was seen by Mr. G. H. 
Ramsbottom on May 29th and he subsequently found the 
nesting hole. I saw both old birds and three fledged young 
ones on June 22nd. Little Owls were seen near a farm a few 
hundred yards from the nesting site in 1920, but I cannot find 
direct evidence that they bred there. Mr. T. A. Coward 
writes to me that for some three or four years Little Owls 
have been noticed in different parts of Lancashire and Cheshire 
but that this is the first actual observation of their nesting in 
Cheshire that he can find. E. W. HENDY 


BEAN-GOOSE IN CHESHIRE AND N. WALES 
IN SUMMER. 
WitH reference to Mr. Paton’s notes on the Bean-Goose 
(A. fabalis) (antea, p. 88), the following may be of interest. 
On June 15th, 1921, at 10.15 p.m. (Summer time) I saw a line 
of eleven Bean-Geese in Tranmere, Birkenhead, flying north. 
They were probably making for the mud flats near the mouth 
of the Mersey. They kept calling to one another, and flew 
low down over the housetops. As it was still quite light, and 


142 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


they passed within thirty feet of me, there was no mistaking 
them for any other bird. At Prestatyn shore, N. Wales, I 
saw five Bean-Geese at 3 p.m. on July 2gth, flying in line, about 
forty feet up. They were travelling westwards, and making 
good progress in the face of a pretty stiff breeze. Their calls 
were almost drowned by the sound of the wind and the sea. 
jas. M. McTEar. 


LATE NESTING OF STOCK-DOVE, 


A PAIR of Stock-Doves (Columba cnas) have just laid their 
third clutch of eggs this season in a large hole in a beech tree 
in my garden in Montgomeryshire. Incubation commenced 
about September gth, and I think it is a remarkably late 
date. Fresh eggs were previously observed in this nesting- 
hole on April 13th and June 2gth last respectively. 

W. M. CONGREVE. 


THE instance recorded by Captain W. M. Congreve of a 
Stock-Dove breeding three times successively in the same 
hole, and beginning the incubation of the last clutch on 
September gth is very interesting, but cases of even later 
nesting have been several times recorded previously. Mr. J. 
Whitaker found two eggs hard set on September 21st, 1915, 
in Notts. (Field, October 2nd, 1915), and E. C. Moor records 
two eggs on September 27th, 1868, near Woodbridge, Suffolk 
(Zool., 1869, p. 1517), while C. M. Prior found a set of two 
eggs on October 2nd, 1875, in Bedfordshire (Zool., 1876, 
p. 4881 and 1879, p. 339), and young were found in a nest 
in Yorkshire on October 29th, 1907 (Field, November 2nd. 
1907). It is evident from the above notes that the Stock- 
Dove, occasionally at any rate, nests nearly as late as the 
Ring-Dove (Columba palumbus). F.C. R. JOURDAIN. 


POSSIBLE RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHERS IN DEVON.— 
Mr. W. Walmesley White sends us a description of two birds 
seen by Miss Brownell in her garden at Exmouth on several 
occasions between the third week in May and mid-July, 1921. 
The description both of the plumages and call-notes answers 
well to those of Muscicapa parva, but the species is a very 
difficult one to identify on the part of an observer who has 
had no previous acquaintance with it. 


RUFF IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—Mr. IF. H. L. Whish informs 
us that an immature male Philomachus pugnax was shot on 
the River Severn, at Stonehouse, on August 22nd, 1921, and 
passed into his possession. 


( 143 ) 


OBITUARY. 
W. WARDE-FOWLER. 


Ir is a long time since the day when, as a rather timid under- 
graduate, I found my way up the old stairs to Warde-Fowler’s 
rooms in Lincoln College. I came to talk about birds with an 
ornithologist ; I went away having talked about birds, but 
about many other things besides, with a remarkable and 
lovable man who, among many other devotions, was devoted 
to birds and their study. 

Warde-Fowler, if perhaps not that rarest of beings, a great 
man, was certainly great as a man ; and the news of his death 
will have meant to many, as it did to me, the loss of a friend. 
I was privileged to spend occasional days and week-ends in 
his chosen retirement at Kingham. We would tramp the 
meadows or the hills all the afternoon, and in the midst of bird- 
watching or stories of birds he would break off to tell me the 
name and history of one of the fields, or to discuss the agri- 
cultural system of Kingham in feudal times. He was interested 
in the place and its history because he was unable to remain 
uninterested in any of the people or things with which he 
came into contact ; and luckily he has given us the fruits of 
that interest in his village in Kingham, Old and New, the only 
book I know which has the same quality as White’s Selborne. 

It was the same with the birds. He began by loving birds ; 
and because he had intellect as well as heart, he went on to 
study them, as a glance at the well-used volumes in his library 
showed. But he never ceased to love them for themselves ; 
he was a naturalist, not a scientist, and did not go to birds 
only because he wanted to find out something, or much less 
only to satisfy a collector’s instinct by collecting eggs, or skins, 
or facts. 

In his latter years his deafness was a heavy trial ; he who 
knew every bird by its note suffered the loss of their voices 
one by one, first the low-voiced like the Cuckoo, but all in 
time. In 1919 he took me to the Marsh-Warbler ground, and 
there was a cock in full song. I had never seen or heard one, 
so had to describe the unheard song to him before he was 
satisfied that he had introduced me to the species. He 
suffered much trom rheumatism too ; but one day, after telling 
me of the difficulties he had in getting much about, and in 
hearing his birds, he ended with the characteristic sentence : 
“ But after all, I can still walk a good deal ; and I can always 
find more than enough to interest me in any hedgerow.” 


144 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


Nor shall I easily forget the intense interest he displayed in 
1920 in the doings of the solitary bees which, he had discovered, 
built their nests in the mortar of the village houses. 

With this intense absorption of his in the details of what 
happened to come beneath his eye in his own village and his 
own countryside, it was sometimes difficult to remember that 
he was a distinguished scholar of world-wide reputation. 
But then one would look round his library again and see half 
of it filled with books on the classics and early religion, and 
realise that he was one of the leading authorities on the history 
and the interpretation of the religion of classical Rome. 

So the evening would pass in the library ; and after dinner 
he and his sister would play a Mozart duet—for Mozart was 
another of his loves, and he not only knew all that Mozart 
had composed, but had written a booklet on the composer and 
his music ; and so early to bed with the Owls hooting round. 

I had one standing ornithological dispute with him. In 
one of his books he records having heard a Tree-Creeper singing, 
and comments on the rarity of the occurrence. When I 
asserted that I used to be woken up by the song of Creepers in 
a Surrey wood, and, anyhow, that I could hear their song every 
fine April day in Oxford, he always shook his head with an 
unconvinced smile at the errors of youth. At last one day I 
heard the bird singing in his own garden—but, alas, he was 
too deaf to hear it, and he still did not believe. That was 
typical of him, too, the holding firmly to whatever he thought 
or believed. It is a comfort that he will not wholly die. 
People will continue to read his books because they contain 
so much of himself. The love of nature for its own sake is 
as valuable a human trait as the love of truth or of knowledge 
for its own sake, or of men and women for their own sakes. 
Warde-Fowler had that love of nature, and his books are 
full of the spirit of the love of birds and of all animated things. 

Juiian S. HUXLEY, 


Mr. Warde-Fowler’s output of purely ornithological work was 
notlarge. Heis perhaps best known by two pleasantly written 
little books, A Year with the Birds, published anonymously 
in 1886, which reached a third edition, and Tales of the Birds 
(1888). Kingham Old and New also contains some references 
to local bird-life. His observations on Oxfordshire bird-life, 
mostly contributed to the Zoologist between 1885 and 1916, 
contains many references to the Marsh-Warbler, and in 1906 
he summarized the results of fourteen years’ observations on 


this species in an article in the Zoologist (pp. 401-9). 
|B Geel 9) 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 7, VOL. XV., DECEMBER I, 1921. 


BoB ee PAGE 
A Critical Note on the Value of Bird-Marking. By A. Lands- 
borough Thomson, O.B.E., M.A., D.Sc. A ie oe 146 
On the British-taken Examples of the ‘“‘ Levantine’’ Shearwater. * 
By H. F. Witherby - 3 ws 23 és re = eae 
Notes :— 
Autumn Migration across the Irish Sea (Lt.-Col. H. A. F. 
Magrath) Re af ; ae A aa - 154 
Wood-Lark Breeding in Red onnies (Ose tOwen))) ae. 33 154 


Waxwings in Forfarshire, Northamptonshire and Devonshire 
(T. Leslie Smith, the Hon. N. Charles Rothschild and 


Cadets J. P. W. Furse and H. T. Bonham) .. ws aie 155 
Wood-Warbler Singing Whilst Brooding (Isaac Clark) .. 155 
Rapid Re-building by Bonelli’s Warbler and Tits (Major 

W. M. Congreve and Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain) = sa) ae 
Rapid WRe-nesting of the Common Whitethroat (J. P. 

Burkitt) i eer at 15) 
eg-laying Habits of ie: (C Neon ° 10 R. Omen), ee ; 157 
Glossy Ibis in Cumberland (L. E. Hope) - ee prs 158 
Velvet-Scoter in Cheshire (Capt. A. W. Boyd) a aE 153 
Red-necked Phalarope in Somerset (Stanley Lewis) .. a 158 
Sabine’s Gull in Cumberland (L. E. Hope) ae ai bof 158 


Short Notes :-— 


Mr. Chance’s Film of the Cuckoo. The Relation of Song to 
the Nesting of Birds. Spread of Little Owl to Sussex 
Coast. Inland occurrences of Waders 26 8 oe 158 


Review :— 
Early Annals of Ornithology. Some Critical Notes by W. H. 
Mullens .. re = oe Ms nis Ls fe 161 
oO 


( 146 ) 


A CRITICAL NOTE ON THE VALUE OF 
BIRD-MARKING. 
BY 
A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON, 0.B.£., M.A.. D.SC. 


Tue present writer has recently given elsewhere (Jbis, 1921. 
p. 466) a summary of the results of a study of bird-migration 
by the marking method, as carried on from the University 
of Aberdeen from Igog onwards. This inquiry was of necessity 
brought to an end soon after the beginning of the war, 
although a few co-operators were able to continue to use 
their rings for some further years and reappearances were 
still being recorded in very small numbers in 1920. An 
extension of the work being impracticable, no course was open 
but to make the best use of the data concerning the 27,802 
birds marked and the 879 of these which were recovered. 
In making his summary, however, the writer kept in view 
the fact that much other work of the kind was still in progress, 
notably that in connection with British Birds, and he accord- 
ingly endeavoured especially to make some constructive 
criticisms of the method and to assess the significance of the 
kind of results which it is found to afford. It is on this 
aspect of the subject that he has been asked to comment in 
these pages. 

There are probably few who will deny that the method has 
great possibilities and that in some directions the value of 
its results has already been established. It must, of course, 
always be regarded as supplementary to other means of study, 
but while these deal with mass movements the marking 
method singles out the individual bird and traces its part 
in the whole and thus, after repeated confirmation, the part 
played by birds belonging to a particular region of a species, 
distribution. Clearly, this holds out hope of important 
additions to our knowledge of the true nature of migration. 

Nevertheless it must be admitted that the method involves 
the expenditure of a great amount of time and labour, not 
to mention money, and that the result is often very small 
in proportion. The possibilities of getting birds marked 
being naturally limited, the question arises as to whether 
concentration on the more fruitful portions of the field of 
inquiry is not the soundest policy. If this be admitted it 
does not necessarily follow that a preliminary experiment 
in working the whole field has not been justified. The question 
is, rather, is not the experience of promiscuous marking now 


‘vot. xv.]| VALUE OF BIRD-MARKING. 147 


sufficient to show how further effort may be concentrated 
in such a manner as will lead to results of the maximum value ? 
In the writer’s opinion, the best prospects of the method lie 
in certain definite directions, and continued diversion of 
effort into minor channels thus seems to him likely to diminish 
or retard the chances of obtaining the valuable results which 
some measure of concentration might well achieve. 

There would appear to be two broad classes of results 
which marking may yield, and these may be roughly described 
as individual and cumulative. In the first class may be 
placed records such as those of British-bred Swallows from 
South Africa (British Birds), records which establish a new 
fact of great interest but which seem unlikely ever to become 
sufficiently numerous to afford a basis for detailed analysis. 
Records of this kind enable one to say that such and such 
sometimes occurs, but for an attack on the fundamental 
problems of migration one requires data from which one 
can infer that such and such is the rule or occurs to a certain 
definite extent. From the point of view of the great biological 
questions of migration, as distinct from the histories of 
particular species, the second kind of record is needed, records 
which fit in with many others to give a more complete picture 
of some selected phenomenon of migration. This kind of 
record is to be obtained, whether by special concentration 
of effort or not, from marking the more “ remunerative ”’ 
species on a large scale and in a systematic manner. 

If the object be to gather individual records about as many 
different species as possible, promiscuous marking will 
obviously suffice; but if it be agreed that the nature of 
migration is the more important study, it will follow that 
the most valuable results are those which help to build up a 
thorough knowledge of some particular examples. On the 
Continent considerable success has attended the intensive 
study of such species as the White Stork, the Hooded Crow 
and the Teal (although the selection may have been guided 
by chance rather than by intention), and in working out the 
Aberdeen University data the writer has found greater interest 
and promise among the numerous records of, say, the Lapwing 
than in any equal number of records scattered among various 
species which have each contributed only a few to the total ; 
the experience of the british Birds scheme, when the time 
comes for final analysis, is not likely to be very different. 

Assuming the desirability of concentration, the question 
arises as to how far experience now affords a basis for selection. 
Two requirements must, from the outset, obviously be fulfilled 


148 _. BRYEISH BIRDS. [von. xv. 


by any species before it can be expected to be remunerative : 
it must be procurable for marking in large numbers, and it 
must yield a good percentage of reappearance records : both 
these are points on which sufficient information is now avail- 
able. A third requirement is that the species should 
present some interesting problem; some species which 
are good in the respects previously mentioned tend to 
fail here. The point is, of course, open to dispute in that 
there may be no agreement as to the nature of the problems 
to be studied, and it may be admitted that to some extent the 
problems are unknown and that their scope cannot therefore 
be predetermined. There are, however, some obvious gaps 
in the material available for a theory of migration, and the 
facts required to fill these may well be taken as an immediate 
object of inquiry. One example will suffice: much in the 
theory of the origin and nature of migration depends on whether 
it be true or not that the members of a species breeding 
farthest north ‘“‘ winter’’ farthest south, other members 
being stationary midway. The British Isles present a 
particular aspect of this question and one which confronts 
their students of migration at every turn. Very many 
species are found all the year round in the British Isles but 
are known in autumn both as immigrants from the north 
and as emigrants to the south, and vice versa in spring: do 
the visitors from the north replace our native birds while 
these journey southwards, or do our native birds remain 
while the others pass through to still more distant winter- 
quarters? The question is here stated in its crudest form, 
but is yet enough to indicate a fruitful field of inquiry to 
which the marking method would seem to be peculiarly well 
adapted. 

There is, however, still another requirement which actual 
experience of working the method has revealed, namely 
that the circumstances must be such as will not invalidate 
the results by the introduction of too many uncertain factors. 
This point requires elucidation, but a few examples from the 
Aberdeen University data may make it plain. 

In working up his results the writer found that the only 
satisfactory means of correlating his records for any species 
was by classifying them in homogeneous groups within each 
of which one record would be strictly comparable with another, 
and between which some comparison on broader Hines could 
also, perhaps, be made. In some cases this was found to be 
impossible. Starlings marked in winter were, for instance, 
quite likely to be a mixture of native birds and of birds bred 


you. xv.} VALUE OF BIRD-MARKING. 1419 


in one or more parts of Northern Europe, and the comparative 
value of the subsequent records was thus much less certain 
than in the case of records derived from birds all marked as 
nestlings in a given area. 

After trials with smaller areas as the basis of classification, 
thus establishing the absence of material local variations, 
groups as wide as, say, “‘ Lapwings marked as chicks in 
Scotland and the North of England” were usually employed 
in the end. Within a group such as this certain comparisons 
were possible, as, for example, that some native Lapwings 
remain throughout the winter while others emigrate, but 
other large groups for comparison with this were unfortunately 
lacking. The British Birds scheme* will be able to provide a 
parallel group for the South of England: but, if it were 
feasible, one would also like to see similar studies carried 
out in, for instance, Ireland, Holland, a district of France 
and a district of Norway ; the basis would then exist for a 
broad comparison that could scarcely fail to yield some ot 
the information which students of migration most earnestly 
desire. : 

It would, of course, be well if the records of the method 
became sufficiently numerous to be quantitatively as well as 
qualitatively significant, lending themselves to real statistical 
treatment. Unfortunately the obstacles are very great, 
although they may be sensibly diminished where the problem 
takes the form of comparisons between sets of records 
collected under approximately similar circumstances. The 
number of birds in a given area at a given time is only 
imperfectly represented by the mortality rate, because the 
latter varies with time of year and other circumstances: the 
true mortality rate, moreover, is still less adequately repre- 
sented by the “recorded mortality ”’ rate which forms the 
datum of the method, because obviously a smaller proportion 
of dead marked birds will be reported from some places or 
countries than from others. There is virtue, too, in mere num- 
bers of records, as may be seen from the following example :— 
Out of 3,142 Lapwings marked, 62 were recovered, or 2.0 
per cent. When the total was split up into groups according 
to native districts or to years of marking, the separate per- 
centages were found to vary from 0.4 to 3.3 in the groups 
of 200 or more, and from 1.3 to 2.9 even in those groups 
containing over 400. Obviously, therefore, no percentage 


* See British Birds, Vol. X., pp. 217-18, for summary of Lapwing 
records.—EDs. 


150 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


figure can safely be used for comparative purposes unless 
it is based on a total of many hundreds of marked birds. 

The unreliability of very isolated and thus possibly abnormal 
records need not be laboured, but it may be worth while 
drawing attention to the danger of laying stress on negative 
evidence except in very clear cases; the absence of records 
from a particular area is significant only when it can be shown 
that the species tends to yield a good proportion of records 
under circumstances such as are prevalent there. This 
point was found to be important in connection with the 
retrapping of marked birds at the places of marking. Very 
high figures are obtainable by this means ; without counting 
any individual bird more than once, the Blue-Titmouse 
yielded, in the Aberdeen inquiry, respectively 90.2, 53.3 
and 42.2 per cent. of recoveries at three places where the 
markers carried out systematic retrapping, while a much 
larger number marked at other places afforded only 1.1 per 
cent. in all. 

* * x * * x 

Examples of the difficulties encountered in dealing with 
the results of bird-marking need not be multiplied. Enough 
has probably been said to point the moral that the method 
is likely to be most fruitful where special attention is directed 
towards definite problems and towards those opportunities 
of studying them which seem most likely to yield reasonably 
numerous records of a kind readily capable of sound inter- 
pretation. The writer hopes, accordingly, that the criticisms 
which he has been led to make of his own methods may be 
of some service to those who have been working on parallel 
lines but who are still in a position to plan further develop- 
ments of their schemes of investigation. 


(We shall welcome any further views on this subject and 


would especially like to have the opinion of those who 
“ring.” —EDs. | 


( 151) 
ON 'THE BRITISH ‘TAKEN EXAMPLES OF 'THE 
«“ LEVANTINE” SHEARWATER. 


BY 
H. F. WITHERBY. 


THE well-known Levantine Shearwater (Puffinus p. velkouan) 
has for a long time figured on the British list and up to date 
some twenty-eight examples have been recorded, while 
Mr. W. J. Clarke, who obtained a good many of these, con- 
sidered the bird a regular visitor off the Yorkshire coast 
in autumn (see British Birds, IJ,, p. 207). So far as I know 
there is no other bird breeding in the Palearctic Region 
which has the habit of migrating northwards in autumn. 

At the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club, held 
on June 8th, 1921, Dr. P. R. Lowe pointed out that the 
bird found in the west of the Mediterranean differed con- 
siderably from the typical P. p. velkouan, and he proposed 
for this the name Puffinus puffinus mauretanicus (Bull, B.O.C., 
XLL, p. 140). At the same time Dr. Lowe pointed out that 
two specimens from Devonshire in the British Museum 
collection belonged to the new form. 

Dr. Lowe’s discovery is of considerable interest to British 
ornithologists. At present this new form is only known from 
specimens taken off the coasts of south-east Spain, Algeria 
and the British Islands. Its breeding-places are not known. 
Dr. Lowe conjectured that it might breed in the small islands 
off the Mediterranean coast of Marocco, and in the last 
issue of the /bis Capt. P. W. Munn stated that a Shearwater 
(which may be this bird) bred in some numbers in Minorca. 
All the specimens so far examined taken from Corsica east- , 
wards have been P. p. velkouan, so that the ranges of the 
two forms seem fairly clear. No Shearwater of the species 
Puffinus puffinus is known to breed on the west side of Spain 
or Portugal, but the small islands off that coast have not been 
thoroughly worked, though Mr. W. C. Tait of Oporto has 
visited some of them. 

Since Dr. Lowe’s discovery I have endeavoured to examine 
and compare as many of the British taken “ Levantines ”’ 
as possible. By the help of Mr. W. J. Clarke I have been 
enabled to trace some of the present owners of these birds, 
and I am sincerely grateful to the following gentlemen for 
having sent me (often at much inconvenience and trouble) 
specimens for examination, viz.: Messrs. J. H. Gurney, W. A. 
Harding, L. E. Hope, W. RK. Lysaght, J. B. Nichols, and 
P. Thompson. 


152 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


[T am also much indebted to Mr. FE. W. Wade for having 
sent me detailed descriptions of birds in the Hull Museum. 

The result is that of the twenty-eight examples taken in 
Great Britain and recorded as P. p. velkouan, I have 
examined twelve, all of which are clearly referable to the 
western Mediterranean form, P. ~. mauretanicus. Five 
others which I have not seen, are also clearly of this form 
from the descriptions given. Following are lists of these 
birds and those which have yet to be identified :— 


IDENTIFIED AS P. p. mauretanicus BY EXAMINATION. 


1868 — Plymouth, Devon Coll. J. H. Gurney 

1875 = = a Jette Wiss 

1875 Aug. Torbay, Devon vs as 

LOOM Se puZe Cley, Norfolk my JeSeeNichols 

1891 pop i. 7 NW oORS leyvsaoian 

1904 ay, off Scarborough, Yorks ,, Lord Rothschild 

1904 27 ” » le Be Nichols 

1907 19 : » W. R. Lysaght 

1907 Reo is “3 - 

1908 a) ; ,, Carlisle Mus. 

1908 eet ¥, 1» WwW. A. Harding 

1912 3 me , West Ham Mus. 

IDENTIFIED AS P. p. mauretanicus FROM DESCRIPTIONS. 
1860 =6Sept. Cullercoats, See Hancock, Birds 
Northumberland Northumb., p. 133. 

1865 (about) Wingham, Kent See Ticehurst, Birds 
Kent, pp. 552-3. 

1874 Aug. 19 Firth of Forth See Cat. Dyke Rd. Mus., 
IQII, p. 160. 

1880 = (about) Flamborough, Yorks E. W. Wade, 2” Iti. 


(in Hull Mus.) 
1900 Sept. 13 Scarborough, Yorks a 
(in Hull Mus.) 


Examples Not EXAMINED NOR SUFFICIENTLY DESCRIBED. 


1859 Aug. Hampshire (Birds Hants, p. 344) 

1877. Autumn nr. Redcar, Yorks (Birds, Scores ain. 
761) 

1890 Aug. 16 Flamborough, Yorks (now in York Mus., but 
cased with other 
birds.) 

1003s OCs Bridlington Quay, Yorks (R. B. Sharpe, Bull. 
BiOLG., X< Peaep 

1899 Feb. 4 Scarborough, Yorks (H. Saunders, Bull. 
BiOiG.) Nala) 

1900, Autumn 3; (Birds Yorks, Wn. py 76x) 


1902 Seine i ” 

1904 Autumn A re 

L907)" Sept. 19 oF (Brit. Birds, I1., p. 207) 
1907 ee oe) " ” 

1908 =A 4 


vot. xv.] “LEVANTINE”. SHEARWATER. 153 


With regard to the last list, if any of my readers possess 
any of these specimens or know their whereabouts, I sincerely 
hope they will communicate with me as I am most anxious 
to examine all the specimens possible. 

It is, of course, far more likely that this form inhabiting 
the western Mediterranean should visit us than the true 
yelkouan of the eastern Mediterranean, and the fact that 
all the British examples so far examined have the characters 
of the western form goes to support the correctness of 
Dr. Lowe’s separation of the two forms. 

P. p. mauretamcus will be found fully dealt with in the 
next part of the Practical Handbook, but meanwhile it may 
be briefly described as being slightly larger than the Manx 
Shearwater, the upper-parts browner, the sides of the neck 
pale sooty-brown, the sides of the throat sometimes the 
same but often only finely mottled with sooty-brown, the 
centre of the throat usually white but sometimes mottled, 
the sides of the body sooty-brown which extends considerably 
on to the belly, while the vent, under tail-coverts and axillaries 
are entirely sooty-brown. The amount of sooty-brown on the 
under-parts varies individually and often fine mottling extends 
_ all over the under-parts. The bird is very distinct from the 
Manx Shearwater with its black upper-parts and white 
under-parts mottled slightly on the sides with slate-grey. 
The least brown specimen is browner than the Levantine 
Shearwater and has sooty-brown axillaries which, in the 
Levantine, are only tipped sooty-brown, while the under 
tail-coverts are wholly sooty-brown, whereas in the Levantine 
only the lateral ones are of this colour. 


AUTUMN MIGRATION ACROSS THE IRISH SEA. 


Crossinc to Holyhead from Dublin (Kingstown), on 
November 7th, 1921, I witnessed a well-marked east to 
west migration along the steamer route. The distance 
from harbour to harbour is, I believe, 64 miles, and the 
passage was accomplished in exactly two hours and forty 
minutes. We cast off at Kingstown at 8.40 a.m. At 9.10, 
when off The Kish Lightship, a flock of Starlings (Sturnius 
vulgaris), consisting of about a dozen individuals, passed 
us, flying low, and heading straight up Dublin Bay instead 
of for the nearest land which was Howth Head. At intervals 
of, roughly, half an hour four more large and medium-sized 
flocks were encountered all heading west, and flying from 
10 to 50 feet above the sea. Near mid-channel two flocks 
(one dense) of Finches were passed, flying low, in the same 
direction, followed by a solitary Jackdaw (Coleus monedula) 
struggling along just above the waves. Coming up to The 
Stack two or three Greenfinches (Chloris chloris) passed, going 
out to sea, and also a couple of Rooks (Corvus frugilegus). There 
was a cold N.W. breeze blowing when we left Kingstown, 
which stiffened into a nasty “ nor’-wester”’ off Holyhead, 
accompanied by showers of sleet, and a waterspout, an unusual 
phenomenon in these latitudes, which was visible about seven 
miles away on the starboard beam. As I was only watching 
from the sheltered starboard side I am unable to say what 
passed us on the weather side. H. A. F. MAGRATH. 


WOOD-LARK BREEDING IN RADNORSHIRE. 

So far as I am aware the Wood-Lark (Lullula a. arbovea) 
has not yet been recorded as breeding in Radnorshire, and 
therefore it may be interesting to record that in May 1929 
I found near Knighton a Wood-Lark’s rest with an addled 
egg. Also on May 8th, 1g21, I found a nest containing three 
young within three miles of the 1920 nest. Further, I located 
another pair midway between these two sites, but owing to 
my subsequent absence from the neighbourhood I was 
unable to find the nest. I have done a great deal of field 
work in the neighbourhood for the last seventeen years, 
and I do not think it likely that I have overlooked this bird, 
as its beautiful song is bound to attract one immediately. 

O. R. OwEn. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 155 


WAXWINGS IN FORFARSHIRE, NORTHAMPTON- 
SHIRE AND DEVONSHIRE. 
On November 12th, 1921, I saw two Waxwings (Bombvcilla 
garrulus) on a wild-rose bush in a hedge near Broughty Ferry. 
The hedge was by the side of a main road, and the birds, 
when disturbed by a passing motor, flew out for a few yards 
and then returned to the same bush, affording a clear view. 
T. LESLIE SMITH. 
Ir may be worth recording that on November 11th, 1921, 
I saw two Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) in a hedgerow 
near Ashton Wold, Oundle. They were busily engaged 
in devouring hips and allowed me to approach within a few 
yards. I visited the locality next day but failed to see them 
again. N. CHARLES ROTHSCHILD. 
WHILE walking near the coast near Dartmouth on 
September 25th, Ig21, we saw two strange stumpy birds 
which we could not at once identify. They were brown, 
with black throats, tails and primaries with a lghter bar, 
yellow and white on the wings, a yellow tip to their tails and 
short crests. They were flying in front of us about fifty yards 
away, settling on the hedge or in the field until we got nearer. 
They constantly uttered a high twittering call-note. We 
identified them later as Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), 
the first we have seen here. On October 16th and 27th we 
saw them again in the same neighbourhood. 
J. P. W. FursE anv H, T. Bonuam. 


WOOD-WARBLER SINGING WHILST BROODING. 
Apropos of Mr. G. C. S. Ingram’s remarks (antea, p. 80) as 
to the Blackcap (Sylvia a. atricapilla) singing whilst brood- 
ing, it may be of interest to record that I have seen a 
Wood-Warbler (Phylloscopus s. sibilatrix) behaving similarly. 
I had been watching the pair some time with a view to 
discovering their nest, when the male suddenly dropped 
down in the manner in which this species usually approaches 
its nest, and swiftly entered it. As soon as it appeared to 
have settled in the nest it boldly poured out its song as 
loudly as if it had been singing on the top of a tree. This 
it twice afterwards repeated at intervals of about one minute, 
then remained silent. This happened in Axwell Park, near 
Blaydon-on-Tyne, in May 1898, about 4.30 a.m., in full 
view of me within 15 feet of the nest, lying upon a tree that 
had fallen to an angle of about 70 degrees. I have enjoyed 
considerable experience in watching birds nesting, but this is 
the only instance I can recall of its kind. Isaac CLARK. 


156 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL Xv. 


RAPID RE-BUILDING BY BONELLI’S WARBLER 
AND TTS: 


WitH reference to Mr. Musselwhite’s note (antea, p. 140) 
on rapid re-nesting of a Whitethroat (Sylvia c. communis), 
after having had a clutch of considerably incubated eggs 
removed, I think an experience I had in Spain in 1920 may 
be of interest. On May 16th I found three nests of Bonelli’s 
Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli1), each containing five eggs, 
two lots proved to be nearly hatching, and the third was 
very much incubated. During the next three days I found 
all three pairs very busily re-building within a few yards 
of their respective first nest sites. 

On May 23rd each nest contained one egg and incubation 
commenced with four, five and five eggs respectively on 
May 26th and May 27th. 

The period in one case was therefore ten days, and in the 
other two cases eleven days. The time period is, I know, 
not exceptional, but interesting points are that the first 
clutches were nearly hatched when taken, and all three pairs 
of birds behaved in exactly the same way to a day. 

W. M. CONGREVE. 


As showing the extremely short period which elapses before 
a bird whose nest has been taken or destroyed begins to nest 
again, the following incident which was witnessed by Major 
W. M. Congreve and myself in Marocco, may be of interest. 
On April 26th, 1920, we had taken a nest with ten eggs (in 
which incubation had begun) of the Ultramarine Tit (Parus 
ceruleus ultramarinus) from an old Woodpecker’s boring in 
a cork oak. While sitting close at hand and examining the 
structure of the nest, we noticed the hen making journeys to 
and from the nest-hole, and satisfied ourselves by watching 
with glasses that she was carrying fresh nesting material 
into the hole within a few minutes of the removal of the 
original nest. F. C. R, Jourpare 


RAPID RE-NESTING OF THE COMMON 
WHITETHROAT. 


WitH reference to Mr. Musselwhite’s note (antea, p. 140) 
the normal nest of this bird (Sylvia c. conimunts) is built 
very quickly though I have no records at hand, but (in this 
district at least) large numbers of “ cock’s’’ nests are built 
by unmated males, as I wrote in the Jvish Naturalist of 
October-November, 1918. Several may be built by the 
same bird before he gets a mate, if ever. These nests have 


VOL. Xv] . NOTES. 157 


not the finer grass lining or hair which is added by the female, 
though the male has a strange propensity to pile willow-down 
about the edges. These “ cock’s’”’ nests can be built in from one 
to one-and-a-half days. Therefore, with a female present 
the two days for a complete nest as given by Mr. Musselwhite 
tallies with my experience. In the case of Wrens and their 
“cock ” nests an egg may be laid before the lining by the 
female is complete, but this was not likely to happen with 
Mr. Musselwhite’s female which had just been incubating 
her full clutch. {Ee BURKE 


(Mr. Burkitt’s note, though interesting, appears to us to 
miss the point raised by Mr. Musselwhite’s record, which is 
not that a Whitethroat can build a nest in a hurry, but that 
a female should be in condition to lay again so quickly after 
incubating a clutch for nearly the full period.—Eps. | 


EGG-LAYING HABITS OF CUCKOO. 


Wuitst taking a walk across a common near Knighton on 
the afternoon of May 22nd, 1921, in company with Mr. Edgar 
Chance and Mr. Herbert Massey, I was startled by hearing 
some birds fly quickly past me and, turning round, observed 
a Cuckoo (Cuculus c. canorus) chased by five Meadow-Pipits 
just about to alight on the ground not twenty yards from me. 

I immediately looked at my watch and it was 4.30 p.m., 
and having learned along with Mr. Chance in 1920 that a 
Cuckoo laid in the afternoon regularly, I thought it quite 
probable that this one might do so. I had momentarily lost 
sight of my friends but soon caught sight of Mr. Chance and 
beckoned him to me; before he reached me the Cuckoo 
had again flown down to the ground close to where [| saw it 
alight before. It was soon away again, flying into a larch 
tree some 200 yards away on the edge of the common, and 
we searched for a nest ; not finding one we walked a little 
distance away and, while doing so we saw the Cuckoo leave 
the larch tree and glide right over us, alighting on the ground 
this time by the side of a Meadow-Pipit’s nest, and hopping 
on to it, remained about ten seconds, then flying clear away. 
We ran to the site and found the nest contained one Cuckoo’s 
egg quite warm and one egg of the Meadow-Pipit. We 
watched from about 60 yards’ distance. 

This is now the fifth Cuckoo I have personally known to 
lay in the afternoon, so it may reasonably be assumed that 
this is the most favoured time of day for the Cuckoo to lay. 

O, R. OwEn: 


158 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


GLOSSY IBIS IN CUMBERLAND. 
On October 19th, 1920, a Glossy [bis (Plegadis f. falcinellus) 
was shot at Moor House, near Carlisle. It is the first and 
only record for Cumberland. LJ ES Ors: 


VELVET-SCOTER IN CHESHIRE. 

On the rocks of Hilbre Island, at the mouth of the River Dee, 
and in the water close under them I saw on October 30th, 
1921, a flock of thirty Common Scoters (Oidemia n. migra) 
and with them a female or young male Velvet-Scoter (Ordemia 
J. fusca) ; I had a good view of the latter both in flight and 
on the water. On November 12th the flock had increased to 
about fifty birds, and included two Velvet-Scoters, similar in 
plumage to the one previously seen. Though seen from time 
to time on the coasts of Lancashire and North Wales, the 
Velvet-Scoter has not been recorded previously from Cheshire. 

A. W. Boyp. 


RED-NECKED PHALAROPE IN SOMERSET. 
A RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (Phalaropus lobatus) was shot 
at Blagdon Reservoir, Somerset, by Mr. Smythe, of But- 
combe, on September 21st, 1921. I saw it in the flesh on 
September 24th and again examined the skin on October 4th 
at Mr. Whish’s studio, Lympsham, Somerset, whither the 
bird had been sent for preservation. This is the first known 
occurrence in the county. STANLEY LEwIs. 


SABINE’S GULL IN CUMBERLAND. 
On October 8th, 1921, an immature female Sabine’s Gull 
(Xema sabint) was shot by a local fowler on Newton Marsh, 
near Carlisle. Itisin first autumn plumage, with the brownish 
grey bars on the upper-parts, but has commenced to moult, 
a few grey-blue feathers having appeared on the wing-coverts. 

It is the second example recorded for Cumberland. 
L.. Loe 


Mr. CHANCE’S FILM OF THE CucKoo.—Mr. Edgar Chance 
has already described in these pages his work on the Cuckoo 
during 1918, 1919 and Ig2c (see Vols. XII., pp. 182-4; 
XIIL., pp. 90-5 ; XIV., pp. 218-232) and this summer (1927) 
he has continued this work with very interesting and valuable 
results. Acting on the knowledge gained in previous years, 
and adopting more or less the same plan, he was able to 
predict when and where the Cuckoo would lay with such 
accuracy that Mr. E. Hawkins, concealed in a “hide’’ near 
the Meadow-Pipit’s nests. successfully “ filmed ” the Cuckoo 


VOL. XVv.] NOTES. 159 


on six separate occasions. This film was shown to the 
British Ornithologists’ Club and the Zoological Society in 
November, and illustrated with remarkable clearness the 
Cuckoo’s glide down from a tree, its actions ahout the nest, 
and even the taking of one of the fosterer’s eggs in its bill, 
the last incident being also shown in a slide {rom a photograph 
by Miss E. L. Turner. 

The knowledge of when and where the Cuckoo will lay 
has made it possible, not. only to photograph the bird, but 
for a number of observers (among them the present 
writer) to watch it from a “hide” placed close to the 
chosen nest. and perhaps one ot the mecst interesting of 
Mr. Chance’s discoveries has been in connection with 
the actual egg-laying. After sitting motionless in a crouch- 
ing attitude for a period varying from one to _ three 
hours on a bough of a tree from 50 to 150 yards from the 
Meadow-Pipit’s nest, the Cuckoo glides down to the ground. 
She then often returns to the tree and glides down again, 
sometimes several times, but eventually goes to the nest, 
and having taken out with her bill one of the eggs of the 
fosterer, sits on the nest and lays her own egg in it. The 
actual time she is sitting on the nest is remarkably short— 
from five to eight seconds—and this is no doubt made possible 
by the egg being ready for extrusion when she leaves the 
tree. Were this not so, and had the Cuckoo to sit on the 
nest for an hour or so, the fosterer would doubtless desert. 
At the same time, Mr. Chance discovered by experiment 
that the Cuckoo could retain its egg for several hours. even 
after it had made its glide, should the necessity arise. 

That the Cuckoo actually lays in the nest is a very interest- 
ing fact, but Mr. Chance makes it clear that this statement 
refers only to those birds he has watched. As eggs have 
often been found in nests in which it would be impossible 
for a Cuckoo to sit, certain individuals must deposit their 
eggs with the bill. 

We congratulate Mr. Chance on the film, which has a 
definite value scientifically as well as educationally, and we 
hope that having discovered so much that was previously 
unknown he will be encouraged to continue his observations 
on the Cuckoo’s habits, which present many points that 
are still obscure.—H. F. W. 

THE RELATION OF SONG TO NESTING IN BirpDs.—Mr. 
J. P. Burkitt contributes a further valuable article on 
this subject to The Irish Naturalist for October, 1921. During 
the past spring and summer he made close observations on 


160 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. XV. 


the song of individual Chaffinches, Blackbirds, Song-Thrushes, 
and some other species at Enniskillen. In every case he 
found that song diminished after a mate appeared, and that 
the birds that continued in full song during the breeding- 
season appeared to be mateless. After the first broods were 
fledged, however, revival of song was noted, but not for long. 
It appears from his observations that in north Ireland most 
birds stop singing entirely three or four weeks earlier than 
in south-east England. 

He also gives interesting particulars of the times of day 
when each species sings most; these evidently change as 
the season advances. His notes on fighting, too, and on 
“territory ’’’ generally, are a useful commentary on 
Mr. Howard’s theories, and he notices changes in feeding- 
habits during the season. It appears that two of his Black- 
birds, which, one gathers, were mated all through the winter, 
never sang at all! His conclusions are first, that vigorous 
song, even the residual song of autumn, indicates the will 
to mate, and that the restriction of breeding to spring-time 
is solely due to the lack of response on the part of the females ; 
secondly, that vigorous song is to all intents and purposes 
restricted to the breeding territory, whatever the season 
may be. HG 

SPREAD: OF LITTLE OWL TO Sussex Coast.—With 
reference to a note on this subject (antea, p. 119) Mr. H. 
Bentham writes that he saw a Little Owl between Shoreham 
and Bramber on July 25th, I9g19, and the following year 
a pair was nesting about a mile south of Henfield, while on 
December 26th, 1920, he heard a Little Owl on the South 
Downs close to Steyning. Capt. H. F. Stoneham also 
informs us that he has a young bird, obtained at Shoreham 
in 1919, which must have been bred in the vicinity. 

INLAND OCCURRENCES OF WADERS.—--Mr. H. G. Alexander 
has suggested to us that an enquiry into the occurrences of 
Waders at reservoirs this autumn would be worth while in 
view of the drought, as this has caused most of the reservoirs 
to be very low, and consequently a considerable amount of 
mud has been exposed, thus affording an attraction to Waders. 
We shall, therefore, be glad if any of our readers who have 
been in the habit of watching birds at reservoirs and also 
at sewage farms would give us details of the occurrences of 
Waders at these places this year with a comparison, if possible, 
of previous years. Our knowledge of the migration of Waders 
across country is still very scanty, and these observations 
might throw some lght on the subject.—Eps. 


(Tor) 
REVIEW. 


Early Annals of Ormihology. By J. H. Gurney, F.Z.S. 
With Illustrations from photographs and old_ prints. 
£ Vol. Svo. - London -(f. FP. & -G. Witherby), 192. 
Some Critical Notes by W. H. Mullens, M.A., LL.M. 


Mr. GuRNEyY has succeeded in compressing into this volume 
of 225 pages an extraordinary amount of welcome informa- 
tion concerning matters ornithological in bygone days, and 
has in the course of his researches explored many literary 
avenues with good result, but he has unfortunately failed to 
carry out the main idea of his work, which as he tells us in 
his preface, was “to collect all the ancient passages about 
birds of any special interest, but more particularly those 
which concerned British birds.’’ This project comprised on 
the face of it a most formidable undertaking, and one which 
if carried to its conclusion would have resulted not in a single 
book but in a series of volumes. The book moreover cannot 
be treated as one of reference, partly on account of the many 
omissions made; some no doubt from want of space and 
from the many difficulties attending publication at the time 
it appeared, and partly from the fact that the different species 
of birds dealt with “are strung together in order of date,” 
and consequently the passages quoted concerning them are 
scattered through the work without order or system. The 
index is moreover deplorably incomplete, much new matter 
having been evidently interpolated after the first proofs had 
been set up and the size of the book determined on. In spite 
however of these defects we must cordially congratulate 
Mr. Gurney on what he has accomplished, which is to provide 
us with a storehouse of historical and ornithological informa- 
tion extracted from rare books and MSS. quite inaccessible 
to the ordinary reader, and copiously illustrated with maps, 
photographs, and careful reproductions of old plates and 
portraits. In fact it may be said of Mr. Gurney’s Annals, in 
the words of the “great lexicographer ’’—‘‘ In this work 
when it shall be found that much is omitted, let it not be 
forgotten that much likewise is performed.’’* 

In the following notes we have endeavoured in small 
degree to supply some of the omissions in the Amnals, and 
have, at the risk of being tedious to the ordinary reader, 
given the passages quoted, where difficult of access, in extenso, 


* Preface to Dr. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary cf the English 
Language. 


P 


162 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


having found by bitter experience the pitfalls of part quota- 
tion. The notes are arranged in alphabetical order. 


AvocEt.—The only reference to this remarkable and 
striking bird appears to be that on p. 210 (Annals) where 


A HawrFincuH. From Walter Charleton’s Onomasticon Zoicon. 


Willughby’s mistaken opinion that it “to the Gull kind 
doth belong ”’ is quoted. The earliest reference of impor- 
tance as regards this country seems to be that made by 
Walter Charleton in his Onomasticon Zoicon, the first edition 
of which appeared in London in 1668. On p. 96 he writes :— 


“ Avosetia, Italoyrum Spinzago d’aqua, Recuyvivostva, the Scooper 
(because his long narrow beak, arched upward, resembles the long 


VOL. XVv.] REVIEW. 165 


crooked scoop with which the Dutch mariners threw up water to wet 
their sails.”’ 

The rest of the Latin passage may be thus translated: ‘‘ On the 
approach of winter they congregate in flocks on the western coasts 
of England and after a month or two disperse to shores perchance 
less vexed with cold. In my youth I have killed no small number of 
these birds with small leaden shot on the banks of the River Severn.”’ 

Sir Thomas Browne (1605-82) in that same year (1668) 
writing to Dr. Merrett* from Norfolk says :— 

«A Shoeing-horn or Barker from the figure of the bill and barking 
note, a long made bird of white and blackish colour, finne footed, a 
marsh bird and not rare, some times of the yeare in Marshland, it may 
upon vewe be called Recuvvivostva nostvas or Avosetta, much resembling 
the Avosette species: in Johnstonust tab. (54). Isend you the head 
in a picture.” 

(For other allusions to the Avocet by Browne cf. Noles and 
Letters on Nat. Hist. of Norfolk, by T. Southwell, London, 
1902. | 

Robert Plot (1641-96) in his Natural History of Staffordshire, 
Oxford, 1686, p. 231, informs us that 
‘““of whole footed water foule the Avosetta Italovum or Recurvirostra, 
is also found here, as well as in the Eastern parts of Norfolk and 
Suffolk, there having been of them killed at the Black Lakes near 
Aqualat, eight of them being seen first in the morning, and but six at 
night when they shot: which needs no other description, but that its 
bill is reflext upward, which is peculiar to this bird, ending in a thin 
slender weak point somewhat of the consistence and strength of a 
whale-bone of the same size.”’ 

From this somewhat cryptic passage, which he does not 
quote, Newton in his Dictionary of Birds deduces the proba- 
bility that the bird bred in Staffordshire. 

In Gough’s edition of Camden’s ‘‘ Britannia,’’ 1806, Vol. II., 
p. 381 (wrongly quoted by Yarrell as p. 271), the following 
occurs under Lincolnshire: -- 

“Opposite to Fosdyke Wash, during summer, are vast numbers of 
Avosettas, called there Yelpers, from their cry as they hover over 
the sportsman’s head like Lapwings.”’ 

AUK, GREAT (Alca tmpennis)\, vide British Birds, Vol. XV., 
No. 5, p. 98. 

BELON, PieERRE.—Belon is mentioned on p. 155 of the 
Annals as the author of Historie de la Nature des Oysseaux, 
but no reference is made to his Observations des Plusieurs 
Singularities, 1551, which contains several passages concerning 


* Christopher Merrett (1614-1695), author of Pinay Revum, London, 
1666. The first printed work to contain a list of British birds. 


+ Johannes Jonstonus (1603-73) author of Histovia Naturalis, 1650. 


+ Other early references to the Avocet will be found in Willughby 
and Pennant, but as these are easily accessible they are not quoted. 


164 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


birds, and in its later editions a note which is perhaps worth 
quoting, Bk. II., Ch. XXXVI. :—[Translation]. 


““T reckon that I scarcely saw a greater concourse of Kites in Cairo 
than is to be seen most commonly at any time of the year in the City 
of London, in England ; for since it is illegal to kill them in order that 
they may pick up and devour the filth thrown out by the inhabitants 
into the streets and even into the river Thames itself which flows by 
the City, they crowd there in very great multitude and are become 
so tame that they are not afraid of carrying off amid the crowd of 
people the spoil they have espied while circling in the air on high. 
While I was there I saw this with amazement over and over again.’ 


CAPERCAILLIE.— There is no mention of this bird in the 
‘““Annals’’ as occurring in England, but apart from the dis- 


te ce 


A CrossBILL. From Walter Charleton’s Onomasticon Zoicon. 


covery of the bones of this species in the counties of Yorkshire 
and Durham (cf. Nelson, Birds of Yorkshire, Vol. IL., p. 
503-4) reference is made in the Zoologist, 1879, p. 468, to the 
old British name of “ Ceiliog Coed,” 7.e., Capercaillie, and to 
certain grants of land held in the county of Durham by 
tenure of paying, inter alia, ““ one Woodhenne yearly ”’ to the 
Bishop of Durham for the time being. These are thus set out 
in Tenures of Land, by Hazlitt, London, 1874, p. 220. 

“ Midridge, Co. of Durham. , In the eleventh year of the pontificate 
of Bishop Bury, 1343, Thomas de Midrigg held of the Lord Bishop in 
capite one messuage and twenty acres of land with the appurtenance 
in Midsidge, paying in the Exchequer of Durham (inter alia) one 
wood-hen. .. .”” and on p. 286 :— 


VOL. XV.] REVIEW. 165 


“Sokyrton, Co. Durham. In the seventeenth year of Bishop 
Hatfield, 1361, Margaret, late wife of Robert Orleans, held of the Lord 
Bishop in capite one messuage and fifteen acres of land . . . in Sokyr- 
ton by paying (inter alia) yearly . . . one hen called a wood-hen (e¢ 
unam gallinam, voc. woodhen.)”’ 


It is most probable that this Wood-hen was the Capercaillie. 


CAREW, RICHARD (1555-1620) is merely mentioned in a 
note on p. 136 Annals, but he is well worthy of inclusion, not 
only on account of his considerable description of several 
local birds in his Survey of Cornwall, London, 1602, but because 
his work is the earliest of our County histories to deal with 
local ornithology. There were three subsequent editions of 
The Survey, viz. 1723, 1769, 1811. 


_ CHARLETON, WALTER.—One of the most serious omissions 
in the Annals is that of all reference to the works of Walter 
Charleton (1619-1707). This remarkable man, whose princi- 
pal work, so far as touches our subject, the Onomasticon 
Zoicon, was published in 1668, was the first of the English 
writers to append illustrations to a list of birds, and these are 
in themselves so excellent and so far in advance of the badly 
executed figures in Willughby’s well-known Ormithology 
published seven years later, that we here reproduce three ‘ot 
them for the information of the reader. The Onomasticon 
contains some fifty-six pages concerning birds, and contains 
many important observations on those of this country, and 
also includes an account of Charles II. menagerie in St. 
James’s Park. In his preface Charleton tells us that in addition 
to the assistance he had received from observing the living 
birds in the menagerie, of which he writes :—|Translation 
from Latin]. 

““Tt contains such a multitude of beasts and birds . . . brought 
thither from the utmost corners of the earth . . . that you may, by 


no means without cause, believe that you are present at the entry 
into Noah’s Ark for the second time of all living things.” 


He had also studied the specimens in the Museum of the Royal 
Society, and that he had moreover— 


“derived no mean help from the pursuit of fouling which I have 
constantly and keenly practiced from boyhood (. . . having no great 
love for anatomy). How many times has some bird either hitherto 
insufficiently known to me or new to the British Isles been perchance 
discovered and as is my wont I have followed it up and shot it flying 
with my hand gun, then with it thus in my possession, having first 
consulted Aldrovandus* and Johnstonus as to its name and nature, 
I have duly recorded it in the above mentioned Tables.”’ 


* Ulyses Aldrovandus, author of Historia de Avibus, 1599. 


166 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


Some further references to Charleton’s observations on birds 
will be given under their respective headings. 


CHURCHWARDENS’ Accounts.—Mr. Gurney mentions in 
a note on p. 154 of the Annals entries of money paid by 
Churchwardens for the destruction of vermin, and on p. 144 
refers to the statute of 24 Henry VIII., cap. 1o., in so far as 
it applies to Crow-nets. 

The record of the various birds for which these parish 
officials paid money is an important source of information 


A Hoopor. From Walter Charleton’s Onomasticon Zoicon. 


concerning the bird-life of this country in bygone times, and 
has in some cases been most carefully recorded. It should 
be remembered that these payments and records were not 
due to the individual enterprise of parishes or officials but 
were imposed on them by the Act of Henry VIII. above- 
mentioned and by the two continuing Acts of 8 Eliz. cap. 
r5 and 14 Kliz. cap. 11. The text of the firstecited eens 
as follows :— 
‘“ANNO 24 Hien. VIII AWD) 1532=3) CARR 
“An Act made and ordained to destroy Choughs, Crows, and Rooks. 


“ FORASMUCH as innumerable Numbers of Rooks Crows and 
““Choughs do daily breed and increase throughout this Realm, which 


VOL. Xv.] REVIEW. 167 


“Rooks Crows and Choughs do yearly destroy devour and consume 
““a wonderful and marvellous great Quantity of Corn and Grain of 
‘“all Kinds, that is to wit, as well in the sowing of the same Corn and 
“Grain as also at the ripening and kernelling of the same and over that 
‘““a marvellous Destruction and Decay of the Covertures of thatched 
“Houses Barns Reeks Stacks and other such like: So that if the said 
“Crows Rooks and Choughs should be suffered to breed and continue, 
‘“as they have been in certain Years past, they will undoubtedly be the 
“ Cause of the great Destruction and Consumption of a great Part of the 
“Corn and Grain which hereafter shall be sown throughout this 
“ Realm, to the great Prejudice Damage and Undoing of the great 
“Number of all the Tillers Husbands and Sowers of the Earth within 
“the same. 

“Everyone shall do his best to destroy Crows etc. upon Pain ot 
“ Amerciament. Every Town Hamlet &c. shall provide and maintain 
““Crow-nets during Ten years. The Inhabitants shall during Ten 
“years assemble and Take Order to destroy Crows Rooks &c. The 
“ Defaults shall be given in Charge in Leets &c. Any Man with 
“Licence of the Owner of the Ground may take Crows &c. The Taker 
‘of Crows &c. shall have after the Rate of Two-pence the Dozen. None 
“under Pretence of this Act shall kill Pigeons upon the Pain limited 
‘by the Laws and Customs of the Realm.” 


And the gist of the two continuing Acts is thus quaintly set 
out by William Lambard “of Lincolnes Inn, Gent.” in his 
Etrenaica or of the Office of the Justices of Peace, London, 1594 : 


“ The Office of the Distributers of the provision for the destrucion of notsome 
foule and Vermine, 8 El. cap 15, and 14 El. cap. 11. 


“These Distributers being so chosen, and having money (as is before 
shewed in the eight Article of the Churchwardens Office) shall give and 
pay of the same money so to them delivered to every person that shall 
bring to them any heades of old crowes, chouhges, pies, or rookes 
taken within the severall Parishes, for the heades of every three of 
them a penny ; and for the heads of every fivet young crowes, choughs, 
pies or rookes taken, as is afore saide, a pennie, and for every five! 
egges of any of them unbroken, a pennie: and likewise for every 
twelve stares? heades a pennie. All which said heades and egges, the 
saide Distributers in some convenient place shall keepe, and shall 
every moneth at the least bring forth the same before the sayde 
Churchwardeins and Tarors!® or three of them, and then and there 
unto them shall make a true account in writing what money they 
have payed foorth and payed for such heads and egges, and for the 
heads of such other ravenous birds and vermine as are hereafter in 
this Acte mencioned. That is to say, for everie head of merton3, 
hawkes, fursekite, moldkite, buzzard, scag,* cormerant, or ringtaile, 
two pence and for everie two egges of them, a pennie; for every iron? 


Palsive—inthemaActe sym. 

2 Stares=starlings. 

3 Merton, hawkes—in the Act ‘‘ Martyn Hawkes.”’ This may 
refer to the Hen-Harrier or Montagu’s H. which is the ‘‘ Buzard St. 
Martin”’ of the French. Fr. Martin-chasseuy cf. New Eng. Dict. 

4 Scag=in the Act ‘‘ schagge.”’ 

® Iron, probably erne or eagle, cf. N.E. Dict.; it certainly is not 
Heron as suggested by Cox (Chuvehwardens’ Accounts). 


168 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


or osspraees® head, foure pence ; for the head of every woodwall’ pie, 
jay, raven or kite, a pennie ; for the head of every bird, which is called 
the kings fisher, a pennie: for the head of every bullfinch, or other 
bird that devoureth the blouth® of fruit, a pennie: for the head of 
everie fore® or grey!® twelve pence : and for the heade of every fitchew!! 
polcat, wesell, stote, faire!’, badge, and wildecat, a penny; for the 
heades of every otter, or hedgehogge two pence: for the heades of 
everie three kattes,!* or twelve mice, one penny: for the heades of 
everie moldwarpe,'* or want,'4an halfe pennie : for the heades of everie 
which birdes and vermine last mentioned the last Distributers shall 
likewise pay and give to the bringer of them, for everie head killed 
and taken within their severall parish, as before is limited, and shall 
keepe the same to be shewed foorth upon their account in manner and 
fourme as is aforesaid. All which said heades and egges shall bee 
foorthwith after such account made in the presence of the saide 
Churchwardeins and Tarors!®, or of three of them, burned, consumed, 
or cut in sunder. And if upon any account to be made in the end 
and determination of the office of any such Distributers, it shall appeare 
that anie summe of money is remaining in the hands of the said 
Distributers, or anie of them, then the same shall be by Bill indented 
as is aforesaid, delivered over to such persons as be or shall be elected 
to the same Office for the yeere next following, by them to be dis- 
tributed as is aforesaid. This shall not in any wise extend to give 
anie libertie or authoritie to any person or persons, to use or exercise any 
meanes or engin, for the destruction of crowes, or rookes, choughs, or 
other the vermine aforesaid in any place or places, to the disturbance, 
let, or destruction of the building or breeding of any kind of hawkes, 
herons, egrittes,'!® paupers,'? swannes, or shovelers!? : or to the hurt and 
destruction of any doves, dove houses, deere, or warren of conies, nor 
extend to give or appoint any summe or summes of money to be given, 
payed or distributed, to any person or persons for the head or heads 
of any buzzards, ringtails, herne,!® polcat, fitchew, or stote, taken in 
anie Parke, Warren, or ground, imployed to the maintenance of anie 
game of conies or to anie stares taken in dove houses, nor to the killing 
or bringing the head of anie kite or raven, killed in anie citie or towne 
corporate, or within two miles of the same.” 


For further information on this subject, Cox’s Church- 
wardens’ Accounts, London, 1913, may be consulted. 


6 Osspraees, in the Act ‘‘ Osprayes,”’ 7.e., Ospreys. 

* Woodwall= Woodpecker. 

8 Blouth= blossom, 

Fore hoxe ci. Cox 

10° Grey = Badger. 

11 Fitchew= Polecat. 

12 Faire, badge, Cox in his transcript has ‘‘ Fayre bade or Wilde 
Caters 

BPA thes— inlet ne oNC Cree atbesan: 

144 Moldwarpe or want=Mole, this duplication of names is a legal 
precaution. 

15 Tarors=Taxours (Cox). 

16 Egrittes= possibly a repetition of Heron. 

17 Paupers—possibly popelers, 7.e., Shovelers or Shovelards =Spoon- 
bills, but see The Annals, p. 179, for possible meanings. 

18 Herne=Erne or Eagle as in Note 5. 


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BRITDSABIRDS 


WITH WHICH WAS INCORPORATED IN JANUARY, I917,‘*THE ZOOLOGIST.”’ 
EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, M.B.E., F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. 
ASSISTED BY 


Rev. F. C. R. JourDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., AND Norman F. 
AICEHURST, O:B.E:, M.A., E:RIGS., M.B.O:U. 


CONTENTS OF NUMBER 8, VoL. XV. JANUARY 2, 1922. 


-— = PAGE 
Nesting of the Whooper Swan in Scotland. By Audrey Gordon, 
WITOEWE oe os ae a6 or xe Sc a 170 
On the Breeding-habits of the Turnstone as observed in Spits- 
® bergen. By A. H. Paget Wilkes, B.A..M.B.0.U. .. an 172 
Another Cuckoo Record. By George J. Scholey ae a 180 
Notes :— 
Unusual Lining in Jay’s Nest (F. H. Day) x3 a #3 187 
Blue-headed Wagtail in Devonshire (Cadets J. P. W. Furse 
and Hi. I. Bonham) ~ |: om ae a ss Os 
Nuthatch Nesting in Anglesey (H. E. Forrest) i as 187 
Waxwings in Cumberland and Montgomeryshire (L. E. Hope 
and H. E. Forrest) P eA ok a: %. ee 187 
Abnormal Clutch of Kestrel’s Eggs (O. R. Owen) a nee ital, 


Kestrels’ Unusual Nesting-site and Large Clutch (W.Stewart) 188 


Bewick’s Swans in Cumberland and Shropshire (L. E. Hope 
and H. E. Forrest) ae ae = a ix Rte ESO 


Late Nesting of Little Grebe (E. G. Hope Johnstone) me 189 

Spotted Redshank in Essex (Lt.-Com. C. E. Hamond, R.N.) 190 
Letters :— 

The British Birds Marking Scheme (R. O. Blyth) Be Ae 190 


The Greater Spotted hase in English ce, (El J: 
Massingham) Be ys .. 192 


Former Breeding of the Osprey in Ireland (Rev. F. L. 
Blathwayt) “rs rs es te 36 ae 56 192 


Q 


C70) 


NESTING OF THE WHOOPER SWAN IN 
SCOTLAND. 
BY 
AUDREY GORDON, M.B.0.U, 


On May 21st, 1921, my husband and I went to a certain loch 
in the West Highlands hoping to photograph a Black-throated 
Diver whose nest we had located on May 16th, However, 
to our great disappointment the Diver’s eggs had been washed 
out of the nest during the flood in the night of May r9th-zoth. 

Near a neighbouring island, where many Herons nested 
on low birch trees, we saw a pair of Whooper Swans (Cygnus 
cygnus) swimming. Suspecting a nest, a search was made, 
and soon revealed the Swan’s nest with four eggs. It was 
situated on a patch of green grass amid a mass of humimocks 
of blaeberry and heather and about four yards from the 
edge of the loch. The nest was composed of dead grasses 
and weeds and was raised some fifteen inches from the ground- 
level. A ‘‘hide”’ was constructed among the hummocks 
and from it a watch was kept on the 22nd and 23rd. 

The Swan always landed at exactly the same place, on a 
tiny sandy beach, and approached the nest slowly, drying 
her breast-feathers by rubbing them with her head. While 
sitting she spent a good deal of time building up the nest by 
pulling the grasses up and around her, from the base of the 
nest. Several times she stood up and laboriously turned the 
great eggs completely over. Once she left the nest to feed, 
and before doing so carefully covered the eggs with the nesting 
material. On returning, however, she did not remove the 
covering, but wriggled it off the eggs with her body. Often 
she went to sleep on the nest, her long neck lying along her 
back in tortuous curves. The photograph shows clearly 
the distinguishing features of the Whooper Swan—the large 
size, long straight neck held erect and not curved as in the 
Mute species, and the absence of knob or berry on the bill. 
Further proof of the identity of the species was given by the 
hearing of the repeated calling of both birds, a musical call, 
rather resembling that of the Wigeon. 

The nesting of the Whooper Swan has been reported from 
a loch in Perthshire, but as far as I am aware the nest 
portrayed above has never been recorded. However, the 
stalker informed us that to his knowledge a pair of Swans 
has nested on this same island in the loch for the past nine 
years, but he was not aware that they were anything but 
Mute Swans. I think it probable that similar cases occur 
in many of the remote lochs of the West Highlands. 


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ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE TURNSTONE 
AS OBSERVED IN SPITSBERGEN.* 


BY 
A. H. PAGET WILKES, B.A., M.B.0.U. 


Tue problem of the geographical races of birds is considered 
to-day to be of great importance in the study of ornithology. 
Curiously enough, so far as can be ascertained up to the 
present, that most cosmopolitan of species, the Turnstone 
(Arenaria interpres interpres) shows no tendency to separate 
into geographical forms beyond the one found in arctic North 
America, A. interpres morinella. The Turnstone is found on 
almost all the shores of the world, at almost all seasons of the 
year. Perhaps it is the powers of travel of this “ farfugl,”’ 
that has proved the factor in keeping the bird to two forms 
all the world over. On the other hand, the Turnstone 
presents a more intricate and interesting problem in its 
uneven breeding range. A glance at the map shows how 
abnormal this range is compared with a bird of the same 
family—the Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius). Colonel 
Feilden found the Turnstone breeding in Grant Land, 
Lat. 83° N.—the most northerly land on the globe (bis, 
1905, p. 544) and yet it breeds commonly in the Baltic and 
there is a doubtful record from north Portugal (Tait). Yet 
still it does not breed in France or the British Isles and only 
in the north of Iceland (Slater, Birds of Iceland, p. 86). 
Hantzsch records it as a resident in Iceland (Vogelwelt 
Islands, p. 208), von Zedlitz as a possible breeder in the 
Spitsbergen Archipelago (J.f.0., I9gII, p. 323) and Koetthitz 
as a wanderer to Franz Josef Land (May 27th, 1896, Jackson- 
Harmsworth Expedition). Some people would have us 
believe that its main breeding grounds are further south, but 
not only the work of the Oxford University Expedition but 
also the experiences of men like von Middendorf in the 
Taimyr and Boganida, Pearson on Waigatz and Popham on 
the Yenisei (bis, 1898, p. 199) disprove that theory. It is 
evidently common in Greenland trom the reports of Manniche 
and Winge as well as from the older authority, Holbdll, who 
states that it breeds in north and south Greenland. 

The following observations were made on the ornithological 
expedition sent out by the University of Oxford to the 
Spitsbergen Archipelago in the spring of 1921. The Turnstone 
was observed to occur sporadically in Ice Fjord but these 
observations come entirely from their breeding grounds in 
Liefde Bay, north-west Spitsbergen. In all some twenty 
pairs of birds were seen and no less than nineteen nests of 
eggs or young in down discovered between the dates 


* Forming No. 3 of the ‘Results of the Oxford. University 
Expedition to Spitsbergen.”’ 


vot, xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF TURNSTONE. 173 


june 3rd-8th and another nest would undoubtedly have been 
found but for the blunder of one of our assistants. The 
Presqu'ile de Rennes, which forms the western littoral of 
Liefde Bay, consists of barren tundra and _ stone-covered 
wastes with a few scattered tarns inland, round which we saw 
Grey Phalaropes, Sanderlings (Crocethia alba) and the Purple 
Sandpiper (Evolia maritima). No vegetation occurs beyond 
the two types of dwarf willow (about an inch in height) and 
saxifrages, Dryas, etc. For the most part the Presqu’ile de 
Rennes consists of stones. Off the Peninsula lie two or three 
groups of islands—the Station Islands, the Canards and the 
Mouettes. On all these islands we found the Turnstone 
breeding. 

I propose to deal not with each individual site and the 
behaviour of each pair of birds, but with the various (such 


—— Miri SrOme 

ee Grey Phalarope 

SKETCH-MAP SHEWING BREEDING RANGE OF TURNSTONE AND 
GREY PHALAROPE. 


1. Feilden. 4. Slater. 7. Naumann. ro, Popham, Pearson, 
2. Holbodll. 5. Jourdain. 8. Anderson. tr. Walter. Middendorf. 
3. . Manniche, 6. Collett. g. Trevor-Battye. 12. Witherby. 


as they were) types of site and to make some general remarks 
on the breeding Turnstones of this region, supporting these 
by such individual instances as are necessary. 

The first site was on an island and the nest contained three 
eggs. The island was about a hundred yards long by about 
fifty broad and was absolutely devoid of cover, save for two 
large boulders. It was occupied by Arctic Terns (Sterna 
paradis@a) and Grey Phalaropes. As soon as we saw the 
bird we lay down at one end of the island. The bird flew 
from one boulder over the nest to the edge of the water 
beyond it several times uttering the attack note. Then it 
became silent and gradually ran close to the nest and finally 
right on to the eggs from which we flushed it. The eggs were 
some twenty paces from the sea either way and were on 
the point of hatching. At this nest we never saw both birds, 


174 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


as we did in every other case. The cup was a very flat 
depression among small stones on a small ridge of dry, red mud. 
Six other nests were found on islands. One was about thirty 
yards from the sea on another small island. Another was 
five yards from the sea on a big island three-quarters of a 
mile long. Another was ten yards from some shore ice on 
the west side of this island and another about five yards from 
ice on the east side, and the last was about a hundred yards 
from the sea. On another large island I found one pair only 
one hundred yards from the sea. All these nests were in 


® 7 : . See at td 


TURNSTONE : MALE ON GUARD. 
(Photographed by Seton Gordon.) 


much the same bare, stony, wind-swept positions, very similar 
I should imagine to the positions used by the Grey Plover 
(Sguatarola squatarola) and the kind of ground on which 
Pearson found both the Turnstone and Grey Plover breeding 
on Kolguev (Zbis, 1896, p. 217). After we had discovered our 
first nest on the island we were rowed back to the sloop and 
on from there to the mainland about half a mile distant. 
One section of the party went further afield to shoot, and 
Mr. Jourdain and I, after spotting another pair of Turnstones, 
waited behind to watch them to their nest. We had only 


vot. Xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF TURNSTONE. 175 


taken five minutes watching our bird on the island, so that 
we were feeling hopeful. Unfortunately we sat down to 
watch within a few yards of the eggs so only found them by 
shifting our position. This took in all some twenty minutes. 
Two more nests we found quickly and easily inland, in this 
part, back about 200-300 yards from the sea and two more 
further on, down by the sea—say 100 yards from it. The 
land in this part had not long been free from snow and 
presented that crushed and bare appearance that earth has 
after snow and frost. There were extraordinary circular 
and oval patches of a kind of red mud here and there, often 
constituting a miniature mound, and sometimes the nests 


hse 


TURNSTONE : FEMALE APPROACHING EGGS, 
(Photographed by Seton Gordon.) 


were on these. At other times they were not, but merely on 
low, flat ground among the small stones. One nest here was 
in a little fold in the ground so that when the hen ran on we 
lost sight of her. Most of the others we watched right on to 
the eggs. It is most interesting to note that in spite of 
the presence of large and small boulders and stones the 
Turnstone in Spitsbergen does not lay its eggs under the 
shelter of this somewhat scanty cover or in the small holes or 
pockets in the soil but chooses perfectly open and bare, wind- 
swept places for its breeding-sites. The remaining nests 
which we found later in the week were scattered along the 
shore of the Presqu’ile de Rennes for some six miles. The 


176 BRITISH BIRDs. [VOL. XV. 


average distance between the pairs was about three-quarters 
ofamile. This of course did not hold good in the colony, where 
some five or six pairs were nesting within a radius of half a 
mile. One of the nests in the colony was in a curious place. 
A stream running down from some higher ground had branched 
into many parts and had intersected the soft, low-lying 
ground so that miniature islands were formed about 3 feet in 
height above the level of the muddy bottom of the stream. 
On one of these hard mud islands a Turnstone had laid her 


TURNSTONE : FEMALE COVERING EGGS. 
(Photographed by Seton Gordon.) 


eggs. It was only 3 yards by 2 yards; with the mud-trickle 
all round it. I noted that in all the nests the beautiful, green 
eggs lay with their pointed ends together in the centre. 
Some of the hard browns and greys with which the eggs were 
marked showed up in delicate and lovely contrast to the 
exquisite green of the ground-colour, and were a sight to 
gladden any ornithologist’s heart. This nest was very quickly 
found owing to the help of a Richardson’s Skua (Stercorarius 
parasiticus) which came up to have a look at the Turnstone’s 
eggs, and was so persistently harried by the hen bird that by 


vot. xv.} BREEDING-HABITS OF TURNSTONE. 177 


her anxiety she gave away the approximate location of her 
eggs. We then watched her. These desperate attacks on 
the Skuas, and indeed on all intruders, we noticed at several 
sites, particularly at a site on the Canard Islands. Every 
bird that came near the eggs, which were on the point of 
hatching, the Turnstones attacked until they had driven 
them away, and certainly the Skuas were easily deterred from 
further investigation of the eggs. 

As to the habits of the male and female Turnstones when 


TURNSTONE : FEMALE INCUBATING. 
(Photographed by Seton Gordon.) 


breeding the following observations may be of interest. 
Firstly, the brighter colours of the cock are most noticeable, 
especially the orange and also the difference in shape of the 
black gorget. With a good pair of glasses no mistake ought 
to be made. The cock’s note is much stronger and fuller than 
the hen’s. The notes are very metallic and consist of two 
kinds, an alarm note (private) and an attack note (public). 
The former is just one note sounding like “tche” and is 
repeated once or twice with a two-second interval. The 


178 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


attack note is somewhat like “ tche-wick ... tche-wick, tche- 


wi-i-i-i-i-i-ck.”” This with a one-second interval between the 
first two double syllables. The succession of “‘i’s ”’ stand for 
a rippling note which it is impossible to reproduce on paper. 

Both sexes incubate, but when the eggs are fresh or partly 
incubated the hen seems to brood and the cock stands on guard. 
When the eggs were within a day or two of hatching or were 
just chipping we invariably found the cock incubating, and 
when the young were out we always found the cock looking 
after the family and the hen with her duller plumage and 
weaker notes, on guard. These characteristics observed in 
the cases of nineteen pairs should form a useful basis for 
further research. 

When the nest is approached the first indication is one 
of the birds standing on guard anything from half a mile to 
fifty yards fromits sitting mate. Sometimes we found that it 
gave the quiet alarm note to its fellow and then turned on us 
with the full blast of Turnstone invective, and at other times 
we found that we got the attack first and that after the bird 
thought it had given us something to think about, it turned 
tail and warned its mate, returning to us almost at once. 
When the cock got alarmed by our approach he would come 
very close, and I have had a cock Turnstone within three 
paces ofme. The hen I noticed was more diffident of approach 
and usually kept a respectful distance. The bird on guard 
usually selected a large stone or boulder to watch for the 
approach of danger, and when one came near either flew 
away in a semicircle or flew over one’s head to a position hard 
by, but always tried to find some kind of eminence from which 
to sound his attack note. I call it the attack note because 
the moment one showed any sign of retreat he would follow 
with redoubled vocal efforts until one was well off his ground. 

On flushing the cock bird from four young in down on the 
Mouettes Islands I was shown an example of his tenacity and 
intelligence. I had taken the young birds away in my pocket 
and hadrun back tothe boat across a neck of land some three 
hundred yards broad. The cock chased me a little way and 
then disappeared. On reaching the sea, however, on the other 
side of the small peninsula, I immediately saw the cock fly 
round the point and make straight for me, and he stood and 
chattered at me until we rowed away in the boat. The hen 
put in no appearance at all. 

When the bird on guard had given the alarm the sitting 
bird, as far as we could see, flew directly off the eggs, or at 
any rate only ran a yard or two before taking to flight and 


vol. xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF TURNSTONE. 179 


then with the bird on guard circled round us, all the time 
making the attack note, or regarded us silently from some 
point of vantage. If one got seventy or a hundred yards 
away from the nest, and lay down, the incubating bird would 
indulge in a number of circuitous runs in the neighbourhood 
of the nest, and finally in quite a short time run straight to 
them, and we often had the sitting bird under our glasses. 
We then walked up and flushed the bird, the eggs being quite 
easy to find. One pair near the shore were very wild, and the 
moment we got on our feet from watching the bird on, she 
got up off the eggs so quickly that we could not mark the 
place. The reason for this was that Mr. Brown had watched 
this pair on to some chipping eggs an hour or so previously 
—a fact which we did not then know. Again on one of the 
islands we watched a pair whose behaviour puzzled us, but 
soon discovered that there were four young birds being looked 
after by the cock. The moment he was flushed the young 
birds scattered in all directions, and on our lying down again 
came back under the fatherly wing. Before I discovered 
that the cock incubated in the last stages I patiently watched 
a hen running about quite unconcernedly for almost an hour, 
and then suddenly jumped to the conclusion that the cock 
was sitting. When I got up the hen gave the alarm note and 
I flushed the cock from four chipping eggs. Before we had 
learnt the ways of these birds we often lost much time in 
finding the eggs by lying down to observe in a spot very 
close to the nest, and then wondering why we could not watch 
the bird on. This was put right, and by the time we left 
this country we could guarantee to find any pair of Turnstones’ 
eggs inside an hour. The hen usually was the incubating 
bird and the best plan was to keep one’s eye on her. Of 
course some pairs were wilder than others and it was only by 
experience that one could find the approximate centre of 
their gyrations. We should be interested to know if so many 
Turnstones’ nests have been found in so limited a space of 
time. Of course the bare nature of the ground is bound to 
make the finding of the nest easier than further south. 

After one week in Liefde Bay we went south again, and 
various members of the expedition noted solitary pairs of 
Turnstones in Ice Fjord, but nowhere did we meet again 
such a colony as described. Very few records of the habits 
of this bird have come from the high north, which certainly 
seems the easiest place to study the species. At any rate, 
we felt that we had got a basis for further observation, and 
so returned home moderately satisfied. 


( 180 ) 
ANOTHER CUCKOO RECORD. 


BY 
GEO. J. SCHOLEY. 


IT was in mid-June 1919 when I first made the acquaintance 
of a female Cuckoo (Cuculus c. canorus) which laid no fewer 
than nineteen eggs this year with Reed-Warblers (Acrocephalus 
scirpaceus) as fosterers, by the discovery of a fresh type of egg 
deposited in a Reed-Warbler’s nest in the main ditch of my 
hunting ground. Another Cuckoo had hitherto occupied this 
‘‘ territory,” laying eight eggs in 1918, and seven in 191g up to 
the 16th June, when my present bird arrived upon the scene 
and apparently drove her off, as I was not able to trace her 
subsequently. 

The old bird was a very shy creature, most irregular in 
her habits, but well able to deposit her eggs safely in the 
most cunning places on the marshes. In strange contrast 
to my present one, she was never faithful to one particular 
fosterer ; in fact, the seven eggs she laid in 1919 were 
deposited one each with Meadow-Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, 
Yellow Bunting, Sedge-Warbler and the remaining three 
with Reed-Warbler, the last named being apparently her 
natural fosterer. All these nests were on the confines of 
the marshes well within the bounds of her own territory. 
My present bird, who laid six eggs in IgIg, sixteen in 1920, 
and nineteen in 1921, proved faithful to the Reed-Warbler 
throughout, and it is to her behaviour that I would refer, 
if only to deal with those points which concern her marvellous 
regularity as compared with many other Cuckoos I have 
from time to time had under observation. The locality 
used by this Cuckoo is an isolated rectangular ditch containing 
patches of reeds interspersed with tall hawthorns, sallows, 
brambles, etc. These bushes split the main circle of reeds 
into small beds, each of which is occupied by one pair of 
Reed-Warblers. I very seldom find two pairs of Reed- 
Warblers using the same small cluster of reeds. In anticipa- 
tion of the return of my Cuckoo this year for the third time, 
I made an inspection of the marshes on May 12th, when I 
could only find three nests in course of construction. The 
condition of the reeds at this time was so poor that they 
hardly afforded any cover whatever. However, I was 
certain from previous knowledge of the Cuckoo that she 
took advantage of practically all the early nests, so on the 
13th I made another inspection but could find nothing 
further than the three nests mentioned, one of which had 


vot. xv.| ANOTHER CUCKOO RECORD. 181 


its first egg on this day and its second on the 14th. This 
morning the Cuckoo was very busy and in the company of 
two males hung about the vicinity of this nest all the morning. 
At 1.0 p.m. there was no change in its condition, but at 
2.30 p.m., when I returned to the marshes after lunch, the 
Cuckoo had deposited her first egg, removing one Reed- 
Warbler’s egg at the same time. 

On May 16th she deposited her egg in the second nest, 
which by this time had got its second egg, removing one of 
these at the same time. On the 18th the third Reed-Warbler’s 
nest held its second egg and the Cuckoo deposited her third 
egg in this, removing one Reed-Warbler’s egg as before. 

History was repeating itself, the Cuckoo availing herself 
of the most suitable nests as they became ready and depositing 
her eggs at the old times, namely, not before I p.m. and 
not after 2.30 p.m. This is what she did throughout 1919 
and 1920 without exception. It was not until May aist 
that I found another Reed-Warbler’s nest. This had two 
eges on May 24th and there was not another nest on the 
marshes in a suitable condition. At 1.25 p.m. the female 
Cuckoo came over with her two males and settled in a tall 
hawthorn immediately over it. She then flew into the reed- 
bed with one of the males, the other remaining in the hawthorn. 
The male Cuckoo came out first with the two Reed-Warblers 
in hot pursuit. He engaged their attention for some thirty 
seconds, when the female left the reeds bubbling and flew 
right off the marsh in the company of her two males. [I let 
them get away, when I ran to the nest and found the Cuckoo's 
egg in it and a Reed-Warbler’s egg missing. On the 26th 
she laid again in a nest containing two eggs, removing one 
of them as before, but on this date there was another nest 
on the marshes with two eggs also. On the 28th I visited 
this and found it with a Cuckoo’s egg; but this time two of 
the Reed-Warbler’s eggs had been removed, for on this date 
there were four. A careful survey of the incidents connected 
with the laying of these six eggs proves beyond all doubt 
the Cuckoo’s wonderful inherited instinct for finding the 
most suitable nests. She made a break of four clear days 
following this, laying her next egg on June 2nd. By this 
time the condition of the reeds had considerably improved, 
and in consequence there were quite a number of nests in a 
fit condition to meet the Cuckoo’s requirements. Little 
need be said as to the actual depositions of her remaining 
twelve eggs, which were laid on the following dates : June 5th, 
4th, oth, 11th, 13th, 17th, 2oth, 23rd, 27th, 2gth, and July 4th, 


182 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL Xv. 


6th. Her last fourteen eggs were laid and deposited on the 
days of the laying of the fourth egg of her dupes and no egg 
was deposited before 1 p.m. nor after 2.30 p.m. This I can 
vouch for, and she carried out the same practices in 1920, 
when out of a total of sixteen eggs laid she, on no less than 
ten occasions to my knowledge, deposited her egg on the 
fourth day of her host, removing two fosterer’s eggs at each 
time of depositing her own. It will be noticed that she 
deviated somewhat in her regularity of laying (every other day) 
in not laying on June 4th. This egg arrived on the 5th, 
but I attribute this to great cold on the third night and also 
on the fourth day. It is astounding that at each time of 
deposit she removed half the contents of the nest, on five 
occasions removing one egg from two and on fourteen occasions. 
removing two from four. Her last two eggs were very 
small as compared with the others, which shows that her 
laying capacity had been severely tested. I attribute her 
great regularity to a certain extent to her fortune in selecting 
a locality where she was so immune from molestation. From 
May 26th, when she laid her fifth egg, she was never in want 
of a suitable nest, in fact, when I got her tenth egg there 
were fourteen nests in a suitable condition for the receipt 
of her egg. By suitable I mean nests containing either one, 
two, three or four fresh eggs. 

This Cuckoo from past experience has the position on these 
marshes well in hand. The tall hawthorns which grow on 
the ditch banks are used by her as observation posts as they 
provide her with a good command of the reeds below. In all 
her depositions she is accompanied by one male and sometimes 
two. It is the males who engage the attention of the fosterers 
when she is on her business of deposition. Immediately 
after she has safely deposited her egg, she flies away bubbling 
with her one or two male consorts for two to three hours, 
possibly to feed, returning later to find the nest for her next 
egg, due forty-eight hours later. In this particular business 
she acts quite alone and to my mind this is the most interesting 
of all her movements. In finding nests for her subsequent 
eggs she will sit motionless for an hour on end watching a 
stretch of reeds from one of the tall hawthorns. Presently 
she will go down, remaining in the reed-bed for several 
minutes and very often leaving thirty or forty yards from 
where she first entered. This is the time to watch her as 
it often saves much time and hard work “ doing ”’ the reeds, 
which is much harder work than one would imagine. Upon 
leaving the reed-bed after such excursions she will always 


gy 


vot. xv.}] ANOTHER CUCKOO RECORD. 183 


betray the nest of her intended victim by circling round its 
vicinity several times, “ bubbling ”’ all the while. As soon 
as she commences this, she is joined by her males and they 
all fly off again together just as they do after the deposition 
of an egg. It is seldom that I have been disappointed in 
visiting a suitable nest after having seen her there previously. 
When this Cuckoo was about to lay her egg she would drop 
into the marsh grass some ten to twenty feet from the nest 
of her intended victim. She would remain there for roughly 
twenty minutes and she was always accompanied by her one 
or two males. I must emphasize this as it is not always the 
case, some females acting entirely upon their own responsi- 
bility in such matters. Upon rising from the grass she 
would betray no signs of her egg, but that she carried it to 
the nest in her bill I have no doubt, as one could readily see 
in almost every instance where she had stood on the edge 
of the nest to deposit her egg, as the side of the nest upon 


‘which she stood was weighed down upon the two reeds support- 


ing it. Some nests are suspended on three reeds but the 
majority have four, and it is these the Cuckoo more often 
chooses for the deposit of its egg. The young Cuckoo will 
be safer between four supports and it is almost impossible 
for him to come to grief by falling overboard, although his 
bed is so very small as compared with his dimensions. He 
has two reeds on either side of him to which his bed is firmly 
laced and he can only come to grief either by moving backwards 
or forwards. 

I made a systematic practice of visiting my nests at least 
twice a day, very often thrice daily, especially when my 
Cuckoo made breaks in her laying. These were very anxious 
times as one could not safely say whether an egg had 
been missed. I am sure, however, that all her eggs have 
been located and it was not until May 26th that she had any 
choice at all. Previous to this date there was never more 
than one Reed-Warbler’s nest ready for her use, but after 
this date she always had nests available—and consequently 
her irregular laying is the more interesting and once again 
demonstrates the individuality of birds. I understand 
that Mr. Chance created facilities for his Cuckoo by removing 
the eggs of the fosterparents as soon as the Cuckoo’s egg was 
deposited. Further, I believe he removed all eggs laid by 
his nine pairs of Meadow-Pipits whether they contained a 
Cuckoo’s egg or not. In view of this I resolved to let my 
Reed-Warblers carry on in a natural way and instead of 
causing them to desert when I removed the Cuckoo’s egg 


184. BRITISH BIRDS. [VoOL. Xv. 


I gave them other fresh eggs which I got from another marsh 
three miles away and left them to sit. In most cases these 
were hatched and reared, in any way I finally left the nests 
in good order and condition. In certain cases I found that 
after the eggs had been sat on for a week or ten days the 
nests became empty, and I am strongly of opinion that the 
Cuckoo revisited these nests and upon finding her egg missing 
removed the rest and caused the fosterer to build another 
nest for her subsequent use. This sort of thing I have 
noticed for the last five years in connection with Cuckoos 
that have used Reed-Warblers as fosterers. I watched it 
more closely this year and can prove on four occasions that 
my Cuckoo did deposit an egg in the rebuilt or second nest 
of the fosterer. The sixteenth egg was laid in the rebuilt 
nest that had received the fourth, the seventeenth occupied 
the second nest of the fosterer that had received the fifth, 
and the same thing occurred with those that contained the 
twelfth and sixth and the nineteenth and ninth respectively. 
It is well known that as soon as the nest of a pair of birds is 
destroyed they immediately set to work to build another. 
It is so with the Reed-Warbler : if the first nest meets a tragic 
fate they commence to pull it to pieces and build another 
with the same material a yard or so away. Three pairs had 
their second nests built and clutches of four eggs in eight 
days, which is remarkable, and the amount of work accom- 
plished in the building of a second nest during the stay of an 
hour or so on the marshes is surprising. The use of the 
material from number one no doubt facilitates the work on 
number two and relieves the bird of a considerable amount 
of hunting for suitable material. In all cases where the 
Reed-Warblers hatched and reared their young they only 
had the one brood, but where for any reason the first nest 
was destroyed a second nest was proceeded with at once. 
This theory of the Cuckoo destroying nests for her subse- 
quent use is very interesting as the same thing has happened 
this year in the case of another Cuckoo using Wagtails as 
fosterers, first nests being destroyed in the same way. I have 
never been able to ascertain accurately what the Cuckoo does 
with the Reed-Warbler’s egg she removes when depositing 
her own. In cases where she removes one I have never been 
able to find a trace of it, but in cases where she removes two 
I generally find one lying on the duck-weed or on the thick 
black ooze in the ditches. On the face of it 1t looks as though 
she takes one away at any rate, which being fresh she no doubt 
relishes ; but the second egg in cases where she removes two 


vot. xv.} ANOTHER CUCKOO RECORD. 185 


undoubtedly goes overboard. So far as I was able to gather 
I had twenty-three pairs of Reed-Warblers nesting on this 
particular Cuckoo’s territory this year and, curiously enough, 
at the end of June there were nineteen in one stage of occupa- 
tion or another. This nineteen, of course, includes all, from 
those building to those containing youngsters ready to fly. 
I mention this as a coincidence to the actual finding of 
nineteen eggs. The only assistance I had was that of my 
friend Mr. H. Turner, who is associated with me in business 
and to whom I owe a debt of gratitude for the large amount 
of work he put into the job. I have decided that the most 
fitting receptacle for this series of nineteen eggs is alongside 
the series of twenty-one laid by the Meadow-Pipit Cuckoo 
of Mr. E. P. Chance last year. Mr. Chance will be pleased 
to afford an opportunity to all naturalists who are genuinely 
interested in the subject to call and examine these eggs for 
themselves. 

I would just like to touch once more upon the marvellous 
regularity of this Cuckoo. On three occasions in 1920 I 
did not disturb her egg, which on each occasion I found 
with two fosterers’ eggs. The Cuckoo’s egg was in each case 
the first to hatch due to its not being deposited until the 
fourth egg of the fosterer was laid. It is not until the Reed- 
Warbler has her fourth egg that she begins to sit, consequently 
the Cuckoo’s egg being deposited on this day also, is never 
allowed to get cold, with a result that it is the first to hatch. 
Last season these three eggs only took thirteen days to 
incubate, the young Reed-Warblers were hatched the next 
morning, viz., fourteen days, and in each case were hoisted 
out of the nest during the evening of the same day they 
were hatched. The young Cuckoo by this time would be 
roughly thirty-six hours old. 

It is very interesting to see how zealously the hen Reed- 
Warbler guards the Cuckoo’s egg given into her charge. One 
can approach a nest of highly incubated eggs a dozen times 
without seeing the hen Reed-Warbler sitting ; but immediately 
she becomes possessed of the Cuckoo’s egg she will almost 
allow one to lift her from the nest. 

In conclusion, I am convinced that where the male Cuckoo 
accompanies the female on her egg depositing business it is 
for protection. This has been particularly noticeable in 
other cases where I have had Cuckoos under observation, 
especially where the fosterers are of a pugnacious nature 
such as Robins, Wagtails, etc. A little tragic incident will 
not be out of place here, as I have reason to believe that my 


R 


186 . BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


Cuckoo played a leading part in the tragedy. Another 
female Cuckoo occupied an adjoining territory. I found 
this bird in 1920 and had already found three of her eggs 
this year, all with Hedge-Sparrow’s eggs in a low quickset 
hedge adjoining the marshes. A shortage of Hedge-Sparrows’ 
nests, no doubt, caused this Cuckoo to trespass, for I found 
her next egg in the nest of a Reed-Warbler in the main ditch 
of my own bird’s territory. Two days later I picked up the 
dead body of a Cuckoo roughly a hundred yards from this 
nest, and I never traced this bird again. The possibility 
is that this bird which used Hedge-Sparrows as fosterers 
needed no protection when dealing with such docile birds 
as Hedge-Sparrows and consequently trespassed on my own 
Cuckoo’s ground where she deposited with the Reed-Warbler 
without any male consort. 

I imagine that my female Cuckoo with her one or two males 
pitched into the intruder and had matters all their own way. 
In any case I never got another of her eggs and I have 
definitely given her up as lost. 


UNUSUAL, LINING IN JANIS NEST. 


I met with a nest of a Jay (Garrulus glandarius riufitergum) 
near Carlisle in May, 1921, which outwardly was of the usual 
character. The twigs of which it was built in this case were 
those of birch, heather and honeysuckle. Internally a fair 
quantity of fibrous roots had been worked into the structure, 
but the real lining with which it was finished consisted of 
abundance of horsehair—the strong, coarse hair from the 
animal’s mane. Posh, Day 


BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL IN DEVONSHIRE. 


On October 14th, 1921, a flock of some fifty migrant Wagtails 
was seen by us on the large lawns in front of the Royal Naval 
College, Dartmouth. It comprised all three species, viz. : 
Pied, Yellow and Grey (M. a. lugubris, M. f. rayi, and M. c. 
cinerea). Amongst them was a ‘single Blue-headed Wagtail 
(M. f. flava) easily distinguished from the others by its 
blue-grey head and distinct white eye-stripe. We may 
add that one of us is well acquainted with this spat having 
watched it a good deal in Belgium. We get regular flocks of 
Pied Wagtails here, but this mixed flock was a novelty. 
CavDEtTs J. P. W. FurseE AND H. T. BONHAM. 


NUTHATCH NESTING IN ANGLESEY. 


Tue Nuthatch (Sitta europea britannica) was firsts recorded 
in Anglesey in May r1g10, when Mr. Lort and I watched a 
pair at Llangoed, near Beaumaris. The species was noted 
again at the same place by Mr. R. W. Jones in May ror4, and 
nearer Menai Bridge in February 1919 by Mr. F. H. Mills. 
This observer reported that a pair was again seen at Llangoed 
early in the summer of Ig21, and later in the year the nest 
was found with the brood, which was reared successfully. 
This is the first actual record of the Nuthatch nesting in 
Anglesey. . H. E. FORREST. 


WAXWINGS IN CUMBERLAND AND 
MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 
THREE parties of Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) were 
seen in the neighbourhood of Carlisle recently—a party of 
four on the south side of the city on November 2oth, 1921 ; 


188 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


a party of about a dozen on the 22nd near Skinburness, 
Silloth (W. Nichol), and another of about thirty to forty 
birds near Stanwix, Carlisle, on the 23rd. L. E. Hope: 


A SMALL flock of Waxwings appeared at the Llanerch, Church- 
stoke, on 21st November, 1921, and remained in the neighbour- 
hood for several days. This place is on the borders of Shrop- 
shire and Montgomeryshire. H. E, Forrest: 


ABNORMAL CLUTCH OF KESTREL’S EGGS. 


On May 15th, 1921, I fiushed a Kestrel (Falco ¢. tinnunculus) 
out of a cliff within a mile of Knighton (Radnorshire), and 
on climbing up to the nest I found that it contained eight 
eggs. The Kestrel is a scarce bird in the neighbourhood, 
and during my seventeen years residence at Knighton I have 
never known a Kestrel’s nest in this cliff, so that there is 
no likelihood of this being a case where two hen birds were 
using the same nest. Moreover, all the eight eggs are very 
similar and appear to have been laid by the same bird. 

O. R. OWEN. 


[Clutches of seven eggs are decidedly rare in this county, 
and I only know of two other definite records of eight eggs 
besides that given above. In 1906, Mr.C. E. Wright reported 
a set of eight from Northampton, and Mr. W. H. Turle took 
another similar clutch in Hants (Birds of Hants, p. 185). 
Nine eggs were found in a nest on the ground at Ruston, 
Norfolk, by the Rev. M. C. H. Bird (Zool., 1895, p. 97). 

F. C. R. JourpAmg 


KESTRELS’ UNUSUAL NESTING-SITE AND LARGE 
CLUTCH. 


WHILE going over some old bird-notes I had recalled to 
memory a very interesting and unusual nesting-site of a pair 
of Kestrels (7. ¢. tinnunculus). 

The place was a wild moorland district in upper Lanarkshire 
and the nest was shown me early in July 1892. The site 
was a hole in the wall of a disused lime-kiln, about five feet 
from the ground, beside the arch where the lime must have 
been taken out by wagons. In reality the nest was only 
on a level with the surrounding moor, as the egress from the 
kiln was low and water-logged. It contained seven eggs, 
which were lying on the bare earth, about two feet from the 
entrance. They were of a beautiful red type, almost blood- 
red in fact, but on trying to blow one of them, I found it 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 189 

impossible, as the “‘contents’’ were very much alive, the 

remaining half-dozen hatching out the following day. 
Although I visited this nesting-site for some years following, 


I did not again find it occupied. W. STEWART. 
BEWICK’S SWANS IN CUMBERLAND. AND 
SHROPSHIRE. 


On the morning of the 17th of November, 1921, a park-keeper 
informed me that two Wild Swans—he thought Whoopers 
(C. cygnus)—were on the River Eden, near the old race- 
course at Carlisle. I immediately went to see them, but 
found instead of Whoopers, two of the smaller species (C. 0. 
bewickit). We had Whoopers at the same place for seven 
consecutive years, 1904-1910, following the advent of an 
immature female which finally brought not only its mate 
and offspring, but others. 

It is interesting to be able to record a visit, the first, of 
Bewick’s Swan to Carlisle, although it is an almost regular 
annual visitor to the Solway. Le HOPE. 


On 24th October, 1921, a flock of Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus 
bewickit) appeared on the mere at Ellesmere towards nightfall. 
They spent the night there, and early the following morning 
Messrs. Brownlow Tower and R. W. H. Hodges were able to 
watch them through glasses for over an hour before they 
took wing and flew away in a northerly direction, whence they 
had come. Enquiry elicited the fact that they had also been 
seen here about six days before. A similar flock visited 
Ellesmere 20th December, 1899, and stayed three days ; 
some remained till 4th January. The waterfowl on these 
meres are protected. There are a number of semi-domesti- 
cated Canadian Geese. These are regularly fed on Indian 
corn, etc. One frosty morning in December 1899, when the 
Geese were fed, the Bewick’s Swans walked out on to the 
bank and fed with them! Such was the force of example. 
All previous occurrences of Bewick’s Swan in Shropshire 
have been in December or January. It will be noticed that 
the present visitation began on or about 18th October—a 
remarkably early date, and the more noteworthy since our 
other winter visitors are late this year—the first Fieldfare I 
have seen was a solitary bird on 27th October. 

PE) FORREST, 


LATE NESTING OF LITTLE GREBE. 


On October 22nd, 1921, on a small lake in the grounds of 
Kilboy, Co. Tipperary, I heard young Little Grebes (Podiceps 


190 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


vy. ruficollis), and Lord Dunalley told me that about six weeks 
previously he first noticed an old one with three young ones 
about a day or two old and had seen them frequently since. 

E. G. Hope JOHNSTONE. 


[For previous records cf. British Birds, II., p. 242; XIII, 
p. 172.—Eps.] 


SPOTTED REDSHANK IN ESSEX. 


WHILE shrimp trawling on the Stour River, about three miles 
above Harwich, on October gth, 1921, I heard the call-note 
of a Spotted Redshank (Tvinga erythropus). On sailing close 
to shore to make certain I heard it again more distinctly. 
On the next day I was at the same place in a punt and again 
heard the note many times during the tide, but could not 
get close and failed to pick out the bird from the flocks of 
Redshanks it was with. I am well acquainted with the 
Spotted Redshank, and believe its call to be too distinctive 
to be confused with any other wader. C. Ik. HAMoNnD, 


LE'T'TERS. 


THE “ BRITISH BIRDS ” MARKING SCHEME. 
To the Editors of BritisH Birps. 


Strs,—Dr. Landsborough Thomson in his ‘‘ Critical Note’? in the 
December issue (pp. 146-150) undoubtedly gives a very true criticism 
of the value of bird marking from the ideal scientific point of view. 
Whether his constructive suggestions are practicable for the British 
Birds Scheme is open to doubt. 

This contribution to the discussion is the expression of opinion of 
an enthusiastic marker for British Birds who has very limited oppor- 
tunities. It is given to very few to be able to devote their whole time 
to scientific research work, and I feel sure that there are many who can 
only devote week-ends and a short summer holiday to their hobby 
who hailed the British Birds Marking Scheme, when it was first brought 
to their notice, as a long wished for opportunity cf helping the great 
work of the advancement of science. It isaninvitation to the amateur, 
and a great encouragement to him to feel that he can be of real service. 
But the scheme has done a great deal more for those who have taken 
part in it than merely provide data on which the experts can work ; 
the markers have found out many secrets of bird life which would 
never have been noticed by them otherwise and, in particular, have 
learnt how to read the signs which birds give when their nests are 
near and that in the case of many species it is even possible to gauge 
the age of the young birds before the nest is found. 

The British Birds Magazine exists for its readers. The success of the 
Marking Scheme also depends on those readers. These factors have 
to be borne in mind as well as the three requirements for success 
mentioned by Dr. Thomson, when any serious restriction in the range 
of the Scheme is considered. But does not Dr. Thomson’s third 
requirement—that the species should exhibit some interesting problem 


VOL. XVv.] ee EL PERS. 191 


—rather beg the question? The report which is published yearly 
by Mr. Witherby includes a note of the numbers of birds marked in 
the year by each member. This has produced a healthy rivalry, but 
in order to retain that rivalry there must be permission for each marker 
to work on those species which in his district are most easily procurable. 
Having at one time lived near London for some years, in the vicinity 
of one of the large wooded commons which are over-run each week-end 
by boys who destroy the nest or take the eggs from any nest which they 
find, and where only the small warblers are able to bring off their 
broods successfully, I know how discouraging it would be to the marker 
who works six days a week in the City, if he were to be restricted to 
Lapwings, Song-Thrushes, and two or three other species. If he could only 
mark twenty birdsa year his interest would very quickly fall off. If we 
are asked and encouraged to concentrate on certain species as far as 
possible, while permission is granted as at present for the marking of 
other species, the tendency will all be for good. 

Dr. Thomson deprecates promiscuous marking on account of 
(1) expense, (2) time wasted. The British Bivds markers must consider 
both these aspects. So far as the Magazine is concerned both aspects 
are measured in terms of money. If each marker is his own judge 
whether he is wasting his time on unremunerative species, the likelihood 
of waste will not be great, he will bear his own penalty and some 
unforeseen and most interesting record may justify him—and justify 
the retention of indiscriminate marking ! 

As regards the expenses of the Scheme, promiscuous marking involves 
manufacture of more rings, printing of card schedules, provision of 
filing cabinets, clerical expenses in connection with the issue of rings 
and sorting of cards. As ‘“‘unremunerative’’ species show few 
recoveries, the cost of recording recoveries will not be materially 
increased. The following suggestions are made for reducing the 
financial strain on the Magazine to a minimum :— 


(a) A charge to be made per 100 rings issued to cover cost of rings, 
cost of schedules, and cost of filing accommodation. Mr. 
Witherby might tell us what charge would cover expenses. 

(se) Schedules to be filled up in strict numerical order and to be 
sent in only at the end of the summer season, or twice yearly in 
the case of those who can mark in winter. 

(c) A synopsis of the number of each species marked to be sent in by 
the marker with his schedules in order to save clerical work for 
the Magazine staff. 


It would stimulate interest if this synopsis were published in the case 
of some of those who have marked large numbers. 

To obtain homogeneous data for comparison would appear to be 
impossible unless trained whole time scientists in sufficient numbers 
are available in the districts selected. This is an ideal which is unat- 
tainable. The best approximation to the same result will be obtained 
from an indefinite increase in the number of markers and this can only 
be brought about by making the scheme popular. To restrict the scope 
to a few species would tend to make it unpopular and defeat the object 
to which we are striving to attain. R. O: BLytuH. 


[With reference to Mr. Blyth’s suggestions numbered (a) (B) and (c). 
British Birds, with the generous assistance which is provided from time 
to time by voluntary subscriptions towards the expenses of the scheme, 
is quite willing to continue to issue rings and schedules without charge. 
A charge for rings would be unfair, since it would tall heaviest on those 


192 BRITISH BIRDS. [Von. Xv. 


who help the Scheme most by ringing most birds. Suggestion (c) 
however, would save a great deal of clerical work and is warmly wel- 
comed. Suggestion (B) would be little saving of labour as all the 
schedules have to be cut up into separate sections before they can be 
arranged numerically and filed. The financial considerations being 
thus disposed of, I hope that other ‘“‘ringers ’’ and readers will give 
their opinions with reference to promiscuous versus special ringing.— 
H.F.W.] 


THE GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER IN ENGLISH 
POETRY: 


To the Editoys of BritisH Birpbs. 


Strs,—I believe the following is the first—and perhaps the only— 
reference to the Greater Spotted Woodpecker (Drvyobates major) in 
our poetry. It occurs in John Bartlett’s ‘‘ A Booke of Ayres with a 
Triplicitie of Musicke. . .’’ (1606) : 

‘« The little daw, ka-ka, he cried ; 
The hic-quail he beside 
Tickled his part in parti-coloured coat. 
The jay did blow his hautboy gallantly.”’ 


Hick-way or Hecco (‘‘ The laughing hecco ’’-—Drayton’s Polyolbion) 
was a popular Elizabethan name for the Green Woodpecker (Picus 
viridis). Hic-quail is, no doubt, a corruption of the same word and 
has nothing to do with the Quail. But “ parti-coloured ’’ suggests the 
Greater Spotted Woodpecker, especially as its double chirp follows 
upon the “ ka-ka’”’ of the daw. 

H. J. MasstncHam. 


FORMER BREEDING OF THE OSPREY IN IRELAND. 
To the Editors of BritisH BirpDs. 


Sirs,—In the Birds of Iveland by Ussher and Warren, 1900, is the 
statement on p. 149: ‘“‘ There is no record of the Osprey ever breeding 
in Ireland.’’ Since that date I have come across two references to the 
former breeding of this species in Ireland which are, perhaps, worth 
putting on record in British Birds. 

1. Inthe Field for November 13th, 1915, p. 839, appears the following 
from an old letter of April 23rd, 1683 :— 

“In this county (Leitrim) are several eyries of Eagles as also of 
Ospreys. The latter build on old walls near great rivers and lakes.”’ 

2. Inaletter dated July 24th, 1790, from Robert Marsham to Gilbert 
White, the writer states that when he was on the Lake of Killarney he 
was told that a pair of Ospreys that yearly nested on an island of rock 
in that lake used to drive off their young as soon as they were able to 
provide for themselves. Robert Marsham lived 1708-1797, and the 
letter referred to is printed in The Life and Letters of Gilbert White, 
Vol. 2, p. 220 (R. Holt-White). In the Birds of Ireland are notices of 
Ospreys in summer on the Lakes of Killarney, and these were probably 
visiting a former breeding haunt of that race. 

F, L. BLatHwaytT. 
MELBURY OSMOND, DORCHESTER, Nov. 30th, 1921. 


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Dontenns OF NUMBER < Qg, VOL. XV. _ FEBRU Ave Tae Q2 2) 


PAGE 
Observations on the Beadine eet of the Merlin. II.— 
Incubation. By W. Rowan, M.SC., M.B.O.U., F.Z.S. .. ate 1Q4 
Notes on the Breeding of the Marsh-Warbler in Berkshire. By 
A. Steven Corbet, B.sc. .. = . "e oe se 203 
Notes :— 
Uncommon Birds in Glamorganshire (Geoffrey C. S. Ingram 
and H. Morrey Salmon) a0 fc ae Sa 205 
Unusual Lining in Jay’s Nest (J. M. Goodall) Be sis 206 
Abnormal Clutch of Chaffinch’s Eggs (O. R. Owen) oe ae 207 
Richard’s Pipit in Carnarvonshire (Richard W. Jones) 207 
Waxwings in Great Britain (Clifford Borrer, Mrs. H. M. Rait 
Kerrand H. E. Forrest) : As 208 
Lesser Whitethroat Breeding in Argyll (Ww. Stewart) _ fre 208 
Continental Song-Thrush in Westmorland (A. Astley) ae 209 
Postponed Laying of the Common Wren (T. Leslie Smith) .. 209 
Cuckoo Eggs and Nestlings, 1921 ( (J. H. Owen) aA af 209 
Late Cuckoo in Wiltshire (Rev. D. P. Harrison) : 210 
Rough-legged Buzzard in Oxfordshire (Reva Gare Jourdain) ZIT 
Hen- “Harriers in Oxfordshire and Sussex (Rev. F. C. R. 
Jourdain and Prof. K. Orton) ae re 211 
, American Bitterns in Ireland (W. J. Williams) 212 
Bewick’s Swan in Cheshire (E. W. Hendy) 212 
Bean-Goose in Herefordshire (H. E. Forrest) 272, 
Scaup-Ducks in Argyllshire in Summer (W. Stewart) 212 
Eider Breeding in southern Argyllshire (W. Stewart) 213 
Velvet-Scoter in Cheshire (W. Wilson) .. 213 
Cormorants inland in Essex (William E. Glegg) 213 
Green Sandpiper in Surrey in Winter (Miss Flora Russell) ; 214 
Early Appearance of Glaucous Gull in Suffolk (Lt.-Com. 
CE. Hammond) .. wa 14 
Albinistic Gulls and Ivory Gulls (Rev. Bs Gage Jourdain) 14 
Short Notes :— 
Late Stay of Yellow Wagtail. Great Grey Shrike in Devon- 
shire. Late Stay of Red-backed Shrike. Buff-coloured 
Robin in Surrey. Black Redstart in Sussex. Common 
Buzzard in Sussex. Golden-eye in Sussex. Breeding-Habits 
of the Turnstone.—Corvections. Late Stay of Land-Rail in 
Hampshire as =F ise ee Be a So BUS 
Letters :— 
Weight-carrying Power of the Golden Eagle (Lt.-Col. H. 
Delmé- Radcliffe) us a bi de 3 217, 


The British Birds Marking Scheme (Charles F. Archibald, 
A Mayall, James Bestholomew, jee teedihonas, |). kK. 1B: 
Masefield, J. N. Douglas Smith and Clemence M. Acland) Re 217 
Former Breeding of the Osprey in Ireland (H. Kirke Swann) .. 220 


Ss 


( 194° ) 


OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING-HABITS 
OF ‘THE, MERLIN. 


II —INCUBATION. 
BY 
We. ROWAN, MSc. UM-BlOLUs, Zs. 


(Continued from p. 129.) 


WITH regard to the methods employed in destroying the birds, 
there is little to say. They are simple, but efficacious. A 
trap placed in the nest and one or two more, without any 
camouflage whatever, on the favourite boulders above the 
nest, usually account for both birds in a very short time. 
The cleaner method of trapping is preferred to shooting, as 
certain feathers of the male are highly prized by fishermen, 
but the gun is sometimes resorted to. By walking up to 
the nest a shot at close range is guaranteed, first at one bird 
and a little later at its mate. 

It seems almost incredible that a bird will deliberately 
sit down in a naked trap on top of a boulder while other 
perches are to be had, yet that is one of the Merlin’s 
weaknesses, and no doubt accounts to a large extent for the 
fact that both birds of a pair are so readily killed. The 
love of a perch in a certain relative position to the nest seems 
to be at the bottom of this apparently foolish trait. 

The average time of arrival of the birds on these moors 
is the middle of April, though some years, as for instance 
in I92I, it may be considerably earlier. They appear to 
spend some time in the selection of a site, although this may 
be nothing more than appearance, for they will frequent 
the spot they finally choose on and off, almost from the time 
of arrival till egg-laying. But during this period they may 
be away for days together. Already at this stage the male 
will feed his mate, who appears to do very little hunting 
for herself from now until the young are flying, but there is 
considerable individual deviation in this respect. I am 
not sure that the feeding at this time is not merely part of 
the courting ceremonies, for it takes place always at the 
nest, or what is ultimately to be the nest, and is, frequently 
at all events, followed by sexual union. Should the hen be 
away when her mate arrives witha catch, he calls persistently 
until she arrives and takes it, not as later on, at a boulder 
but at the actual nest site. If there are any aerial courtship 
displays on the part of the male, I have failed to interpret 
them as such. 


vou. XV.] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 195 


The nest is merely a cup in the ground lined with heather 
(or bracken) debris that may chance to be there. During 
the early stages of incubation the birds amuse themselves 
by breaking off twigs from the heather within reach and 
adding them to the nest. In several cases I have noted 
small bits of bracken in a heather nest, but only if a bracken 
patch happens to be within a few feet. 

The eggs—usually 4, very rarely 5—appear to be laid 
every second day, but the actual period of incubation I have 
failed. to determine, though it does not seem to commence 
until the clutch is completed. Both birds then share in 
the task, the hen on an average taking longer spells than 
her mate.* I have only kept night watch over a single 
pair of sitting birds and in that case at all events the male 
incubated all night, but this may merely have been an 
individual idiosyncrasy. The male now regularly does 
the hunting, the hen but rarely being out of sight of the 
nest. The moment he arrives with {ood his mate meets 
him, takes it and teeds, while he replaces her on the nest 
and she proceeds to preen or doze on one of the higher 
boulders. 

This year for the first time I had the good ‘fortune to get 
a pair of sitting birds to face the hide, and thus got a few 
photographic records of incidents during the period of 
incubation. Previous attempts had ended in desertion. 
At this nest the birds had been sitting for nearly a fortnight 
before the hide went up. As both birds tend to sit tighter 
as time advances, it is sound policy not to hurry, particularly 
as they show no worry at being watched from a greater 
distance in the meantime. As stated above, the male sat 
at night and alternated at intervals with the hen during the 
day. As a rule, she would sit for about two hours before 
being relieved by her mate for a period varying from one to 
two hours. She was seldom away from the eyrie during 
the cock’s spell of incubation ; he was seldom present during 
hers. She appeared to be fed entirely by him, always 
taking her meals on the high ground above the nest, but 
never on a boulder. On rare occasions during the day the 
male would sit for short periods on one of the perches on the 
high ground behind the nest, but as a rule he was away, 
presumably hunting. The Tiercel was far more nervous 
than his mate, and on being photographed would leave his 

* Birch at one time had four imitation Merlin eggs turned in 


wood and stained brown, and found that the birds readily accepted 
these as substitutes for the real thing, 


196 BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. XV. 


task and let the Falcon replace him. More often than not, 
when it was his turn on, the tact of my getting into the hide 
would be sufficient to make him leave the care of the eges 
to the hen. Her periods on would thus be artificially 
prolonged, the normal length being ascertained from a 
distance. 

Both birds took great pains to arrange the eggs prior to 
sitting. They were invariably turned with the help of 


MERLIN: Fig. 4. Turning the eggs with foot and beak. 


(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


talon and gaping beak (Ig. 4). The effect of this rough 
method of handling became more and more apparent as 
time went on, as minute bits of the outer pigmented shell 
got chipped off, finally producing eggs very freely sprinkled 
with small white specks. It was fortunate that the shells were 
as strong as they were, for many a time the hen, on arriving, 
landed in the middle of the clutch (Fig. 6), and damage 
seemed inevitable. But they took no harm. As in the case 


VoL. Xv.) BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN, 197 


of many another species, during incubation the feet are 
tucked under the eggs, this position being achieved by a 
rapid side to side shuffle. This resulted in the occasional 
ejection of one or two eggs out of the nesting cup on the 
precipitate departure of the parent, On her return she 


MERLIN: Fig. 5. Arranging the eggs. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


would collect these again. On one occasion an egg was shot 
out nearly a foot from the nest and rolled into a small 
depression. On her return the hen promptly set about 
restoring it to its fellows. With tail to the nest and wide 
open beak (Fig. 7) she attempted to roll it backwards 
between her legs, but it was too well lodged to be readily 


198 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


moved. After several attempts she gave this up and 
endeavoured to roll the three to the one. The fact that 
they kept sliding back into the nesting cup frustrated this 
effort, and ended in her sitting in despair between the one 
egg and the three. After several minutes of despondency 
she made another assault on the single egg, finally hoisting 


MERLIN: Fig. 6. Hen alighting in middle of eggs. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


it out of its bed successfully, when it was rolled home without 
further trouble. 

For a number of days the weather was extremely hot. 
Both birds showed great depression, sitting with gaping 
mouth and tail and wings drooping (Fig. 8). During the 
intense heat the hen would sometimes stand, panting, over 
the eggs for an hour with wings hanging (Fig. g) as though 


VoL. xv.}] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN, 199 


to keep the sun’s rays off her eggs, and fearing even the 
heat of her own body. This was not the result of nervousness 
at the camera, for at slightly cooler times she would incubate 
normally and she would, moreover, stand in similar manner 
in the absence of the lens. At times she would rest with 
one foot on an egg, the other on the ground. The cock 
behaved in much the same way during the great heat. 


MERLIN: Fig. 7. Collecting a stray egg. Note the wide open beak. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


Except to alleviate occasional itching the hen never 
preened during incubation. This was kept as a pastime 
for her spells on the boulders while the male was on duty. 
At times she would sit motionless for minutes together with 
gaze fixed here or there on the horizon, promptly to resume 
her preening. Occasionally she would move from one 
boulder to another. If there was any signal between the 
birds at changing time, it escaped me. As far as I could 


200 BRITISH BIRDS. [von Xv, 


determine the male left when so inclined and his mate came 
on. Both birds on arrival at the nest uttered a very soft 
monosyllabic “‘ Tick,’’ which would have been quite in- 
audible at any considerable distance. 

Food, as far as I could determine from the remains on the 
hilltop, consisted entirely of Pipits. (Feeding always took 
place too far away to make a hazard as to the prey.) That 


MERLIN: Fig. 8. Cock brooding in heat. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


some Merlins do feed on Grouse chicks is unfortunately 
only too true. This is particularly noticeable during years 
such as 1921, when the hatching time of the Grouse comes 
early in the Merlin season. They seem only to feed on 
small chicks and their total depredations are probably not 
very serious as a result, particularly as only some individuals 
appear to indulge in this luxury. With this statement the 
keepers are agreed. Some of the evidence as to the culpability 


VoL. Xv.}] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 201 


of the Merlin is very amusing and quite irrefutable. For 
instance, it happened one day this year that a keeper was 
sitting under a boulder on the bank of a stream opposite a 
Merlin’s eyrie, waiting for the return of the cock, knowing 
that the hen would reveal the nest by rising to meet him. 
Presently the Tiercel soared over his head from behind, saw 


MERLIN: Fig.9. Hen shading the eggs. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


him just before giving the food call and in fright dropped 
his prey, which fell on to the watcher’s shoulder—a Grouse 
chick. On another occasion a cock was shot with a chick 
in his talons. 

In connection with feeding it will be seen below that 
during the rearing time the young are fed entirely by the 
hen, though the prey is caught by the cock. The only 


202 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL Xv. 


exception to this rule seems to be if the female is killed 
after the first week of the life of the young, when the male 
will do the feeding as well as the hunting. Should this 
eventuality arise earlier, he will apparently leave the young 
to starve. 

During incubation Birch has several times killed one of a 
pair of Merlins and found that the remaining bird has 
promptly secured a fresh mate. He has not found this to 
happen after the hatching of the eggs. Possibly the lateness 
of the season may be responsible for failure to find a fresh 
mate at this time. 

The pair of birds watched and referred to above were 
birds found and kept for me by Birch until my arrival from 
Canada. The nest contained one egg when found. When 
I had to leave for London the birds had been sitting for 
twenty-four days. Birch very kindly offered to tramp 
daily to the eyrie so as to get me the date of hatching and 
further to ascertain the treatment of the young during 
their first few days of life. Unfortunately the eggs never 
hatched and were sent down to me for examination, upon 
which I found that they had been spoiled half way through 
incubation, presumably on the day when the camera went 
into the hide, the birds on that day being off the eggs for 
over an hour. This as far as I know was the longest period 
away,.so that the eggs can evidently stand but little exposure. 

The behaviour of the only family of young I have kept 
under constant observation I will describe in detail. As 
far as I can tell from spasmodic observations of other pairs 
it was quite typical. 


(To be continued). 


( 203 ) 
NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF ‘THE MARSH- 
WARBLER IN BERKSHIRE. 


BY 
AY SLEVEN CORBET, Bsc: 


In 1920 I discovered a colony of Marsh-Warblers (Acrocephalus 
palustris) breeding on an island in the Kennet Valley. The 
island lies rather low and is partially swamped during the 
winter months. In the summer a large number of small 
willows are overgrown by nettles, osiers and goosegrass, while 
a few ivy-covered hawthorn trees grow on the higher ground. 
Generally the conditions seem to be ideal for a breeding haunt 
of the Syluiide. During late May and June nine nests of the 
Marsh-Warbler were found containing eggs. Built on to a 
willow-stem and surrounded by tail nettles, the first nest was 
discovered on May 26th. It was about three feet from the 
ground and contained one egg, but was subsequently deserted. 

The second nest was found on June 2nd about ten yards 
from the first. It contained two eggs and was in a similar 
situation, but much longer (though not deeper inside) than 
No.1. I had excellent opportunities for observing the parent 
birds of the second nest, and later, my task was made easier 
as one of them had a deformed bill. When they first left the 
nest the melodious song was poured forth, but after half-an- 
hour or so, they became anxious and flew to and fro in short 
jerky flights. They did not appear to be shy and often 
approached quite near to me. It was easy to observe them 
singing on the branches of the willows overhead. Eventually 
the female would return to the nest, although still under 
observation. This nest was rather conspicuous, and on 
June 7th the eggs had disappeared and the nest was deserted. 
Later, however, the same birds built a new nest close to their 
former site and successfully reared a brood. 

Except in two cases the other nests found were not strikingly 
different from the two described either in situation or struc- 
ture. One found on June 14th was built on some osiers 
within a yard or two of the river and when approached the 
birds generally flew across the river. 

The other nest calling for special remark was built in a fork 
at the top of a small hawthorn bush. In this case the “ basket 
handles ’’ were attached to two thin hawthorn stalks. The 
nest contained one egg on June 16th and was the last built of 
those under observation. 

From observations made on these nests at intervals of two 
or three days it appears that one egg is laid each day until the 


204 BRITISH BIRDS. {VOL.en\. 


clutch is complete. If an egg be taken before the clutch is 
completed, the bird does not lay an additional egg. Incuba- 
tion commences as soon as the first egg is laid and takes {rom 
thirteen to fourteen days. The young are from ten to eleven 
days in the nest before they are fully-fledged. If a branch be 
shaken, or a movement made near the nest, the young birds 
open their mouths, thereby rendering themselves rather 
conspicuous, as the inside of the mouth is of a bright yellow 
colour with two black tongue-spots. 

When an almost fully-fledged young bird was removed 
from the nest the parent birds became very agitated and 
often approached quite near. 

In every case the nest was composed of blades and stalks 
of dried grass and contained a variable quantity of moss. In 
one case a little fluff was woven into the bottom of the nest. 
All the nests were placed within a foot or so of tracks which 
had been made through the herbage, 

The normal clutch appears to be four, although one nest 
contained five eggs. The percentage of addled eggs was 
very small, 

In early October I visited the island and found two nests 
which had escaped observation in June. Each contained a 
badly discoloured addled egg. 

As a typical example, the followi ing dates may be of interest. 

2nd June one egg 16th June two young, two eggs 
3rd June two eggs 24th June three fully fledged 


7th June four eggs young 
oth June four eggs 26th June young still in nest 
14th June four eggs 2nd July nest empty 


In 1921 I was disappointed to find that the herbage on the 
island was being cut down. However, I thought I recognised 
the song ofa Marsh-Warbler, and ev entually on May 25th a 
nest was found containing four eggs and a Cuckoo’s egg. 

In June an empty nest was disc overed on the banks of the 
Thames but, on visiting it a few days later, I found that the 

entire nest had been cut out. 

From the reports of others and my own observations in 
1920, it appears reasonable to hope that, if unmolested for a 
season or two, the Marsh-Warbler may establish itself in the 
county. 


NOTES & 


UNCOMMON BIRDS IN GLAMORGANSHIRE. 


Brack Repstart (Phenicurus o.  gibraltariensis).—-An 
example of this species, either a female or an immature 
bird, was seen among the stones on the side of one of the 
Llanishen Reservoirs, some four miles from the shore of the 
Bristol Channel, on November 20th, 1921. 

BEwIcK’s SWAN (Cygnus b. bewickit).--On November Oth, 
1921, a Swan was seen on a pool near the coast, but before 
it could be identified it was frightened off by the appearance 
of a man on the edge of the water. It flew right away, 
passing over the place where we lay hidden. Twenty minutes 
later we were delighted to see it circling over the pool, and 
it alighted about 200 yards away and right on our front, 
Through the telescope (x25) the area of lemon-yellow on the 
beak showed very clearly, and a sketch of this made on the 
spot confirmed our identification when compared with the 
plate in the Practical Handbook. As far as we are aware, 
there is only one other record of the occurrence of this species 
in the county. 

SmMEw (Mergus  albellus).—A sane female was to be 
seen daily on the Roath Park Lake, Cardiff, from January 16th 
to March roth, 1921. It was very loath to take wing, but 
when it did so it flew strongly and was apparently uninjured, 

GREEN SANDPIPER (Tyringa ochropus).—-Two birds on 
September 25th, three on October 2nd, and two = on 
October 16th, 1921, were at the Llanishen Reservoirs. 
During the period covered by these dates the smallest of 
the two reservoirs was being emptied, and the birds were 
seen feeding on the mud at the edge of the water, at times 
wading into it, and fishing up what looked to be small snails, 
at which they nibbled with the tips of their beaks, and often 
dropped and retrieved. One was seen to swim out a yard 
or more and wash, fluttering and splashing in deep water, 
returning to repeat its performance close inshore. 

Brack TERN (Hydrochelidon  nigra\.—-An immature 
specimen was identified on the small Reservoir, Llanishen, 
on October gth, 1921. It was flying backwards and forwards 
over the water, frequently mobbed by Black-headed Gulls 
(Larus rv. vidibundus). Its flight was almost bat-like, and it 
constantly paused on rapidly fluttering wings and dipped 


206 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


down to the surface of the water, never actually entering 
it, however. Its small size was very noticeable, and when it 
at last alighted on a large stone sticking out of the mud we 
had no difficulty in identifying it. 

GREAT NORTHERN DIvER (Colvmbus —immer).——On 
November 20th, 1921, an immature bird was seen on the 
Llanishen Reservoir, and we were able to watch it through 
a telescope at a distance of less than 200 yards. Its large 
size and heavy build placed its identification beyond doubt. 

BLACK-NECKED GREBE (Podiceps nigricollis)—A_ single 
bird was identified on November 6th, 1921, on a pool near 
the coast. As far as we can ascertain it is the first to be 
recorded for the county. It was in the company of some 
Coots (Fulica atra) also one Little Grebe (Podiceps vuficollis), 
so we were able to gauge accurately its size. Seen through 
binoculars it conveyed the impression of a slightly enlarged 
edition of the Little Grebe in black and white, but the telescope 
revealed the slender and slightly uptilted bill, dark eye, dark 
brownish-black head and back of neck, and dusky band on 
lower neck. The dark colouring of the head reached to well 
below the level of the eye in this specimen. As we are 
familiar with the Slavonian Grebe (P. auritus) we have no 
hesitation in recording this as P. nigricollis. 

GEOFFREY C. S. INGRAM. 
H. MorrEy SALMON. 

[The dark (blackish) colouring of the head reaching ‘‘ to well 
below the level of the eye” is a good point of distinction 
(besides the shape of the bill and the white on the primaries) 
in the winter and juvenile plumages of the Black-necked 
Grebe because in the Slavonian Grebe in similar plumages 
the white of the chin reaches right up to the eye.—H.F.W.] 


UNUSUAL LINING IN JAY’S NEST. 
Wiru reference to Mr. Day’s note (antea, p. 187), a similar 
nest, very heavily and practically entirely lined with long 
black horsehair (from the mane) and containing five normal 
eggs, was found by Mr. C. H. Roper and myself on May 6th, 
1905, in Epping Forest. Both nest and eggs, taken two days 
later, are in my possession. The former is considerably larger 
than the generality ; built outside of twigs of blackthorn, 
oak and birch (the last-mentioned with new buds just burst- 
ing) the interior correspondingly big, deep and cup-shaped, 
resembling greatly the inside of a gigantic nest of the Yellow 
Bunting (Emberiza citrinella). The sitting bird left the nest 
on both occasions cited. J. M..GooDALL. 


VOL.. Xv.| NO'TES. 207 


ABNORMAL CLUTCH OF CHAFFINCH’S EGGS. 


ON May 16th, 1921, when staying with Mr. Edgar Chance 
in Worcestershire, I found a nest of a Chaffinch (Fringilla 
c. celebs) with seven eggs. All these eggs were of the same 
type of colouring (of the Bullfinch type) and undoubtedly 
the product of the same female, but three of them, which 
were smaller than the others, were infertile and appeared 
to have been laid a week or more before the remaining four, 
which were perfectly fresh. O. R. OWEN. 


[See notes on this subject, by A. Mayall and F.C. R. Jourdain, 
Vol. XIII., pp. 80-81.—EbDs. | 


RICHARD’S PIPIT IN CARNARVONSHIRE. 


A LOUD, sparrow-like chirp drew my attention to a bird which 
rose from the ground when I was near the summit of the 
Great Orme’s Head on the morning of December 26th, 1g2t. 
It alighted a few yards further on, and with the aid of my 
binoculars I immediately saw from its large size and the jerky 
motion of its tail that it was a Pipit with which I was not 
previously familiar. As I approached it it stood erect to 
watch me, then ran quickly over the grass and heather, rose 
again, uttered its single note and again alighted. I followed 
it all over the open slope, concealing myself as best I could. 
In this way I got excellent views of it, took particular notice 
of the broad whitish stripe over and behind the eye and under- 
ear-coverts (giving a very light appearance to the head), the 
prominent dark chocolate primaries, thinly edged with buff, 
the dull white chin and upper-throat, the clear line of brownish 
streaks extending from the corner of the bill down the sides 
of its neck and joining on the breast, its flesh-coloured legs 
and brown bill, and saw that the bird was an example of 
Richard’s Pipit (Anthus r. richardi)-—a bird new to Carnarvon- 
shire. I disturbed it again and again, but the only note it 
uttered was the chirp after rising. I visited the same place 
in the afternoon, and finding the bird still there, watched it 
for upwards of an hour. It was only when it alighted on a 
cart-track that the length of limb was at all noticeable. It 
seemed to stand as high as a thrush. Time after time I 
walked up to it. Upon seeing me approach it would run 
nimbly along the grass or road, halt suddenly, jerk its tail in 
true pipit-like fashion and take to its wings, never uttering 
its loud note more than once whilst flying. Fortunately it 
never flew far and its large size rendered it Holwasloe many 
yards distance away. 


208 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv 


WAXWINGS IN GREAT BRITAIN. 

EIGHT Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) were seen by Mr. 
and Mrs. James of Evistones, near Otterburn, Northumber- 
land, during the last week in November, 1921. A considerable 
flock, over a score, arrived at Cley, Norfolk, about December 
ist, and after clearing off the berries, which are few this 
year, in the grounds at Wiverton Hall moved on, two having 
been shot. At the same time many arrived at Hunstanton, 
and during the first week of December four were seen at 
Southwold, Suffolk, by Mr. H. M. Hart-Smith. 

CLIFFORD BORRER. 


On December 15th, 1921, I saw a Waxwing at Bedford, 
and the following day there was a pair which remained about 
most of the day, but have not been seen since. On both days 
they were feeding upon the berries of rose trees, and were 
perching on the trellis-work on which the rambler rose grew. 
Neither were at all alarmed by my approach nor shy of 
observation. HELEN M. RaAirT Kerr. 


An adult male Waxwing was shot near Ross-on-Wye, 
Hereford, on November 22nd, 1921 and one was seen at 
Church Stretton, Shropshire, on January 7th, 1922. 
H. E. Forresr: 
[Mr. W. J. Clarke mentions (Nat., 1922, p. 17) a number 
on the Yorkshire coast between November 14th and 28th, 
as many as twenty being seen on the 23rd near Scarborough. 
Mr. A. J. Campbell Colquhoun noticed four in his garden at 
Crieff, Perthshire, on November 16th and 17th (Feld, 
December 3, 1921, p. 724). In the same journal (January 7, 
1922, p. 26) Lieut.-Colonel H. M. Hardcastle recorded two 
near Uppingham.] 


LESSER WHITETHROAT BREEDING IN ARGYLE: 
In 1921, at least one pair of Lesser Whitethroats (Sylvia c. 
curruca) nested in the Inverary district of Loch Fyne. The 
nest was placed amongst dense undergrowth close to the 
public highway, the young were fledged about the middle of 
June and immediately took up their quarters amongst the 
foliage of a large plane tree. The old birds when “ scolding ”’ 
came to very close quarters and were easily identified. _ The 
“scolding ”’ note is quite distinct from that of the Common 
Whitethroat (S. c. communis). A few pairs of Blackcaps 
(S. a. atricapilla) also nested on this side of the Loch, while 
on the eastern side Garden-Warblers (S. borin) and Common 
Whitethroats were plentiful. W. STEWART. 


VOL. XV.] ; NOTES. © 209 


CONTINENTAL SONG-THRUSH IN WESTMORLAND. 


At about 9 a.m. on October gth, 1921, a large flock of Song- 
Thrushes alighted on the lawn and in the surrounding trees 
of a house near Ambleside, which is one of the highest in the 
neighbourhood, being 580 feet above sea-level. There were 
probably from 75 to 100 of the birds, which spent a few 
minutes busily feeding until they were disturbed and left 
in a body. As they were in full view of the windows and 
in a very good light it was possible to notice these birds 
very distinctly, and it was very obvious that they were 
undoubtedly lighter coloured than the native Thrushes, 
and they also appeared to be slightly larger, though this 
may have been due to the lighter coloration. According 
to The Practical Handbook the Continental Song-Thrush 
(Turdus ph. philomelus) is not often recorded from the west 
side of the country, but I think that there can be little doubt 
that this passing flock belonged to that race. 

A. ASTLEY. 


POSTPONED LAYING OF THE COMMON WREN. 
IN a garden in Broughty Ferry, Forfarshire, on May 8th, 
1921, I found a nest of a Common Wren (Tvoglodytes ¢. troglo- 
d\tes) lined with horsehair, etc., and apparently completed. 
On that date the bird was seen to leave the nest, which was 
empty. It was again visited on May 15th and June 5th, and 
on both occasions no eggs were in the nest nor was the bird 
seen. On June 24th I saw the bird fly from the nest, which 
was still empty ; but on revisiting it on July 7th I disturbed 
the bird from eggs. Some of these hatched out on July 15th. 
The bird had not sufficient time to rear a brood in the intervals 
between my visits, so it seems probable that nearly eight weeks 
elapsed between the completion of the nest and the laying 
of the eggs. T. LESLIE SMITH. 


[In sheltered sites old nests of the previous year may be 
refurnished and used. The Wren may have deserted the 
nest on May 8th, have built another which was destroyed, 
and then come back to the old one.-F. C. R. J.] 


CUCKOO EGGS AND NESTLINGS, 1921. 


IN 1921 Cuckoos (Cuculus c. canorus) were not very abundant 
generally in the Felsted district (Essex). Here and there a 
considerable number could be noted, but, curiously, no eggs 
were found about those particular spots, although consider- 
able search was made from time to time. The first egg was. 


& 


210 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


found on May 15th, close to the school infirmary, and another, 
not far from it, the next day. It is probable that egg 
depositing had begun about a week earlier. Later on three 
young birds were found all quite near where the eggs were 
found. No Cuckoos were heard calling after June rgth (a 
very early date for them to stop) and the last fresh egg was 
found on June 17th. The last nestling, kept under observa- 
tion, quitted the nest on July 2tIst. 

In all 27 eggs and young were found. Of these 21 were in 
nests of the Hedge-Sparrow (Prunella m. modularis), one in 
that of a Linnet (Carduelis c. cannabina), one in a White- 
throat’s (Sylvia c. communis), three in Pied Wagtail’s (Motacilla 
alba lugubris) and one in a Robin’s (Erithacus rubecula melo- 
philus). One Hedge-Sparrow’s nest had two eggs and two 
Cuckoo’s eggs. This list has nothing unusual in it, but two 
of the nests are of special interest to ornithologists. The egg 
in the Whitethroat’s nest was in a nest less than half-built ; 
indeed, it was so flimsy that a fair breeze would have shaken 
the egg through the bottom. The egg in the Linnet’s nest was 
placed there several days after the nest had been robbed by 
some boys, and as the Linnet was then sitting it could not 
possibly have held eggs when utilised by the Cuckoo. More- 
over, the nest looked stale and deserted when the Cuckoo’s 
egg was found in it. Another curious point about this egg 
was that the Cuckoo which laid it was using Hedge-Sparrows’ 
nests in the vicinity where it was found. I found several of 
her eggs, including four, two preceding and two following, the 
one she put in the Linnet’s nest. Some of the eggs were 
destroyed by mice, birds and village boys ; two of the nine 
young Cuckoos I watched did not survive the nestling period. 

J. H. Owen. 


LATE CUCKOO IN WILTSHIRE. 


On December 3rd, 1921, I put up near the river Ray a young 
Cuckoo (C. c. canorus). It, I think, rose from the ground, 
flew a little way and alighted on a strand of barbed wire 
which ran along the bank of the river. It sat quite still, 
and I could observe it carefully at 20 yards’ distance. Ona 
nearer approach it flew off and pitched in a thick hedge the 
other side of the field. I had half a mind to shoot it, and 
make certain of its identity but refrained, as I was really 
quite sure. There was a bitter wind blowing, but the bird 
flew strongly and well. The incident is not unique in my 
experience, for three years ago a young Cuckoo haunted 
my garden here for four or five days during the first week of 


VOL. XvV.] NOTES 211 


December. It would be interesting to know on what these 
belated birds feed, and also whether they ever manage to 
leave these shores, or finally succumb to the rigours of the 
English winter. D. PERcy HARRISON. 


[Although Cuckoos have been recorded on several occasions 
in winter no specimens appear to have been obtained to con- 
firm the identification so that it is desirable that the fact 
should be incontestably proved by the shooting of a specimen, 
when opportunity offers, and the food might then be investi- 
gated.—EDs. | 


ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD IN OXFORDSHIRE. 
On September 5th, 1921, a Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo 1. 
lagopus) was shot by a keeper at Taynton, near Burford, close 
to the Gloucestershire boundary. A pair of these birds had 
been seen in the district for some weeks previously, but the 
survivor disappeared after the death of its companion. In 
the autumn of 1920 two others were also seen about the 
place, but managed to escape the usual fate. For this informa- 
tion I am indebted to Mr. C. B. Chambers, who kindly investi- 
gated the case. Only four occurrences of this species (between 
1825 and 1888) are recorded in O. V. Aplin’s Birds of 
Oxfordshire. F. C. R. JOURDAIN. 


HEN-HARRIERS IN OXFORDSHIRE AND SUSSEX. 
Towarbps the end of the year 1919 a female or immature Hen- 
Harrier (Circus c. cyaneus) appeared in the neighbourhood 
of Oxford, It was first noticed near Waterperry on December 
12th’ and again on the 14th and 17th and was last reported 
from Shotover on January 24th, 1921. This bird apparently 
escaped with its life, but a very large female was killed on 
Otmoor on December 1gth, 1921. Mr. G. Tickner of Oxford 
has kindly supplied me with the above details. The steady 
and persistent slaughter of these birds on the Berkshire downs 
and in the adjacent counties every winter must result even- 
tually in the extermination or at any rate, serious diminution, 
of this species in its breeding haunts in the Orkneys and Outer 
Hebrides, when it will probably be ascribed to quite different 
causes. It would be well if more attention were paid to this 
aspect of protection. F. C. R. JOURDAIN. 


On November 24th, 1921, on the Downs near Wilmington 
Hill, a female or juvenile Hen-Harrier (Civcus cyaneus) was 
put up from the ground some 30 yards away. A strong N.E. 
wind, blowing over the crest of the Downs prevented the bird 
moving away rapidly. An excellent view was obtained 


212 - BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. XV. 


through the glass in the best possible position in bright sun- 
light. The white upper tail-coverts were very conspicuous. 
The bird flew across in front of the observer from south to 
north, and remained on the wing quite close on the north side 
for a couple of minutes. KENNEDY ORTON. 


AMERICAN BITTERNS IN IRELAND. 


Ow October 19th, 1921, a male American Bittern (Botaurus 
lentiginosus) was shot on Caravacaw Bog, near Armagh. 
The bird was in excellent plumage and condition, and its 
stomach contained the remains of large beetles. Another 
was shot in the same bog in October but did not pass through 
my hands. It is a curious fact that these American wanderers 
have been shot far inland instead of near the coast, where 
they would be expected to drop into the nearest bog on arrival. 
No doubt a bird like the Bittern might alight on the spars 
of a vessel in mid-ocean, which would materially assist it 
in performing the long flight across the Atlantic. 

W. J. WILLIAMS. 


BEWICK’S SWAN IN CHESHIRE. 


Srx Bewick’s Swans (Cygnus b. bewickit) visited Radnor Mere, 
Alderley, from 24th to 26th November, 1921. They were 
first seen on the 24th by Mr. G. H. Ramsbottom. My wife 
saw them the same day and on the 25th, and I saw them 
myself on the 26th on two occasions. Mute Swans and 
Canada Geese were on the Mere at the same time, so that I 
had a good opportunity of comparing the Bewick’s Swans 
with them. Mr. Ramsbottom and my wife heard them call 
once, and describe their cry as resembling the “‘ honk ” of a 
Canada Goose. [Four previous records for this county are 
given in Mr. T. A. Coward's Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire 
(pp. 318-9) and two other instances are recorded by the same 
author in his Notes on the Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire (Lancs. 
and Cheshire Fauna Committee) for 1916. 

E. W. HENDY. 


BEAN-GOOSE IN HEREFORDSHIRE. 


Two Bean-Geese (Anser fabalis) were shot, out of a flock of 
fourteen at Wilton, near Ross-on-Wye, the first week. in 
December, 1921. H. E. ForREST. 


SCAUP-DUCKS IN ARGYLLSHIRE IN SUMMER. 


DourinG the third week of May, 1921, and again on the 24th 
and 25th, a female Scaup-Duck (Nyroca m. marila) was seen 


VOL. Xv.] NOTES. 2138 


(probably the same bird) on Loch Fyne and for a few days in 
the third week in June three males accompanied by a male 
Tufted Duck (N. fuligula). Ihave since confirmed the above 
identification, as a female Scaup in the Royal Scottish 
Museum js in an exactly similar phase of plumage to the one 
mentioned above. W. STEWART. 


EIDER BREEDING IN SOUTHERN 
AKGYLUSHIRE: 


On June 19th, 1921, on the western side of Loch Fyne, about 
four miles from the head of the Loch, I surprised a female 
Eider (Somateria m. mollissima) accompanied by three very 
small young ones, and had a very good view of them as they 
hurriedly took to the water. During the two previous 
summers I had occasionally seen a female Eider, but never a 
male, and this actual proof of their breeding affords I believe 
a slight extension of breeding range. W. STEWART. 


VELVET-SCOTER IN CHESHIRE, 


On January 2nd, 1922, at Hilbre Point, at the mouth of the 
River Dee, I picked up a female Velvet-Scoter (Oidemia f. 
fusca). Therecent gale had washed up a number of Common 
Scoters (Ordemia n. migra), but this is the first Velvet-Scoter 
Ihave found. This may be of interest in view of Capt. A. W. 
Boyd’s note (antea, p. 158). W. WItson. 


CORMORANTS INLAND IN ESSEX. 


On August 6th, 1921, I noted two immature Cormorants 
(Phalacrocorax carbo) on one of the islands in No. 5 of the 
Metropolitan Water Board Reservoirs at Walthamstow, 
Essex. On August 20th a single bird was on the Racecourse 
Reservoir. On August 27th two were on the Racecourse 
and two were perched on a branch of a tree on an island in 
the High Maynard Reservoir. Subsequently Cormorants 
were seen on the Racecourse Reservoir as follows: two 
September 3rd, one September roth, two September 24th, 
one October Ist, and two October 8th. There are points 
of interest in these occurrences, On all the visits the birds 
were resting on an island, on no occasion did I see them 
feeding but the visits were all made between the hours of 
one to four p.m. Records of the Cormorant occurring 
inland in Essex are scarce, only one instance being quoted in 
the Birds .of Essex. The fact that the birds made a 


U 


214 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


stay of nine weeks is also worth mentioning. On my two 
last visits (October 15th and November 5th) I did not see 
any, but as these sheets of water are very extensive they 
may have been on another reservoir; as, however, shooting 
had started the probability is that they had been driven off. 

WILLIAM E. GLEGG. 


[Although Mr. Miller Christy in the Birds of Essex gives 
only one specific instance of the occurrence of the Cormorant 
inland in Essex, both here and in the Vict. Hist. of Essex, L., 
p. 245, he treats it as “‘ occasionally met with inland after 
severe storms.’’ Mr. W. Bull also records an instance in 
the Field, Jan. 10, 1920.—F.C.R.J.] 


GREEN SANDPIPER IN SURREY IN WINTER. 


On December 25th, 1921, my brother saw a wader on one of 
the streams of south-west Surrey, but was unable to identify 
it. The next day we both saw it and have no doubt it was a 
Green Sandpiper (Tvinga ochropus). On the 26th we put it 
up twice and only saw it in flight, but on the 27th we got near 
it with glasses and watched it in brilliant sunshine feeding in 
the shallow water. FLORA RUSSELL. 


EARLY APPEARANCE OF GLAUCOUS GULL IN 
SUFFOLK. 


AT Lowestoft Harbour on September 23rd, 1921, I saw an 
example of the Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus), a bird 
which was getting its pale grey back but was still faintly 
marked on the wing-coverts, being apparently in the final 
stage before the adult plumage. It was still about on 
October 20th. I had already seen one on September 22nd, 
1918, and on September 18th, 1920, but the usual time for 
the appearance of this species js not till after mid-October. 
It seems not unreasonable to suppose that this individual 
may have formed the habit of early wandering during its 
first year. I will report next September if it appears in 
adult plumage. C. E. HAMOoND. 


ALBINISTIC GULLS AND IVORY-GULLS. 


LIEUT.-COMMANDER C, E. HAMOND informs us that a white 
Gull came alongside his ship (H.M.S. “ Ettrick ’’) at 7.30-8.0 
a.m. on October 30th, Ig21, about ten miles south from the 
Galloper Light off the Essex coast ; wind N. 4, sea 3. There 
had been a northerly gale just a week previously. In size 
the bird was about the same as a Kittiwake, but the wings 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 215 


appeared long and narrow, Colour white, with a pale cream 
or ivory tint on the back and wing-coverts. Bill pale fleshy- 
yellow ; feet pinkish. It came frequently within 10-15 yards, 
and was watched with glasses at intervals for about twenty 
minutes. Some twenty or thirty Kittiwakes were also about 
the ship at the same time. There seems very little doubt that 
this bird was an albino Kittiwake (Rissa ¢. tridactyla), and it 
is interesting to note that Mr. S. H. Smith (Naturalist, 1921, 
p. 364), records a white variety of the Kittiwake as seen in 
Bridlington Bay, Yorks., “during the autumn.” This bird 
is described as pure white, bill ivory and legs [feet] white ; 
eyes apparently light brown. 

While writing on this subject I should like to refer to a 
record of a “ probable’ Ivory-Gull at Cardiff on April 3rd, 
1921 (Brit. Birds, antea, p. 22). This bird was also white 
with the exception of some dark spots on the primaries, bill 
light, feet dark, and agreed exactly in size with the Common 
Gulls (L. canus), with which it was associating. Mr. G. C. 5. 
Ingram suggests that this was an immature Ivory-Gull 
(Pagophila eburnea). At the time I had no personal experience 
of the latter species in a wild state, but during the past summer 
we met with a good many in Spitsbergen, and had opportuni- 
ties of observing their habits and appearance. April is a very 
unlikely time for an Ivory-Gull to visit us, and it is quite 
improbable that a straggler would associate amicably with 
Common Gulls, or remain in the neighbourhood till June. 
The difference in size would also be striking, and the carriage 
is also quite different and would catch the eye even more than 
the size. The Ivory-Gull is a fierce and self-assertive bird, 
and will even drive the formidable Glaucous Gull (L. hyper- 
boreus) from its prey. Whatever this bird was, and it may 
have been an albino of one of our smaller gulls, I do not think 
it can have been an Ivory-Gull. Mr. Ingram has kindly 
furnished some additional details, and adds that it was again 
seen on May 8th at Lisvane Reservoir by Mr. H. M. Salmon, 
who describes it as considerably larger than the Black-headed 
Gulls, but of similar build. On June 13th the bird was again 
seen at Sully Island, eight miles west of Cardiff. Here a very 
good view was obtained and the following details noted : eye 
dark, beak yellowish-green, feet slate: flight like that of a 
Tern or Black-headed Gull. At close quarters the vermilion 
ring round the eye of the Ivory-Gull would be perceptible. 
The colouring of the soft parts seems to suggest a Kittiwake 
rather than a Common or Black-headed Gull, but might well 
have been somewhat abnormal. F. C. R. JOURDAIN. 


216 BRITISH BIRDS. [vou, Xv. 


LATE STAY OF YELLOW WactaiL.—Dr. Norman H. Joy 
reports seeing a Motacilla f. rayi near Reading, Berks, on 
October 2oth, 1921. 

GREAT GREY SHRIKE IN DEVONSHIRE.—Cadets J. P. W. 
Furse and H. T. Bonham report that they saw a Lanius 
excubitor at Dartmouth on October Ist, 14th and 16th, 1921. 
On the first occasion he was seen to seize, kill and carry off a 
Long-tailed Tit from a mixed flock that was feeding on 
dandelion heads on the lawn in front of the Royal Naval 
College. 

LATE STAY OF RED-BACKED SHRIKE.—Cadets J. P. W. 
Furse and H. T. Bonham inform us that they identified a 
Lamius collurio at Dartmouth on October 30th, Ig2t. 

BUFF-COLOURED ROBIN IN SuRREY--Mrs. A. Patteson 
writes that she has had a buff-coloured Robin (E7thacus 1. 
melophilus) inher garden at Limpsfield since the early summer. 
It is hght buff all over with a red breast and cream-coloured 
tail and wing feathers. Two points of interest about it are 
that it appears to add a certain record to those that show 
that some British Robins are permanent residents and that 
it is the same colour now as it was before the autumn moult. 

BLACK REDSTART IN SussEX.---Mr. P. Rickman writes that 
a male Ph. o. gibraltariensis was shot at Berwick on November 
2nd, 1921. 

_ COMMON BUZZARD IN SuSSEX.—Professor Kennedy Orton 
informs us that he watched a Buteo b. buteo soaring over the 
Downs near Wilmington Hill on September 25th and 26th, 192t. 

GOLDEN-EYE IN SussEX.—-Mr. P. Rickman informs us that 
he shot an immature Bucephala c. clangula at Berwick on 
October 30th, 1g2T, an unusually early date for the Sussex coast. 

BREEDING HABITS OF THE TURNSTONE.—Corrections.—The 
photograph reproduced on page 177 is of the male bird, not 
female as stated. This correction was noted, unfortunately, 
too late for this alteration to be made before printing. 

Mr. Seton Gordon writes with reference to Mr. Paget 
Wilkes’s statement (antea, page 178) regarding the cock bird 
incubating when the eggs are within a day or two of hatching, 
that during his two days’ watching of a nest with eggs on the 
point of hatching, he only once saw the cock incubating. 
Mr. Gordon also points out that on page 173, line 1, the date 
should read July 3rd—-8th, not June 3rd-8th. 

LATE STAY OF LAND-RAIL IN HAMPSHIRE.—Mr. Gilbert W. 
Galton states that a Land-Rail (Crex crex) was killed by a dog 
at Christchurch, Hampshire, on January 8th, 1922. 


( 217 ) 


LETTERS. 


WEIGHT-CARRYING POWER OF THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 
To the Editors of BritisH BirDs. 


Sirs,—With reference to the letter on this subject (antea, p. 24), 
an experience of mine in the Himalayas may be of interest. In May 
and June 1893 I was shooting ibex in the Wakha nullah in Ladak, 
beyond Cashmere, and one evening while returning to camp, I disturbed 
a Golden Eagle feeding round a bend in a stream-bed. The Eagle rose 
and flew off, carrying something heavy in his claws. He flew low, 
about 50 feet up but fairly easily, and pitched about half a mile further 
up the stream. On following him up with my shot-gun, he rose from 
round another bend, again carrying his burden about, 30 yards from me, 
and I dropped him easily. He proved to be a fine Golden Eagle and 
his prey a very large marmot. I took both to my camp and weighed 
them at once, as I was so struck with the size of the marmot and was 
amazed that the Eagle had carried him, comparatively speaking, so 
easily. Unfortunately I cannot at the moment gain access to the 
notes and sketches I made at the time, but two things I can be abso- 
lutely certain of are, that the marmot was heavier than the Eagle and 
that their respective weights were round about 11 and to lbs., the 
Eagle being just under or just over 10 lbs. and the marmot about 1 Ib. 
more. Of course the weight of the marmot was much less than that of 
the lamb carried by the Eagle described in your former correspondent’s 
letter, but on the other hand my Eagle was far from being laden to the 
full extent of his carrying powers, H. DELM&-RADCLIFFE. 


THE “ BRITISH BIRDS” MARKING SCHEME, 
To the Editors of BRITISH BIRDs. 


Sirs,—As you have invited your ringers to express their opinions, 
I should like to say that I hope you will not restrict the work to certain 
selected-species. Although only a few birds of a particular kind may 
be ringed in each year, the records accumulate and in time the total 
will become respectable. A single record, though useless as a basis on 
which to found any general conclusion, may nevertheless be very 
interesting. 

I should like to suggest to those who, like myself, have the misfortune 
to live near a large town, that something may be done even in a small 
suburban garden. I have caught a good many birds here in a home- 
made wire-netting trap, and have obtained some information that has 
interested me. For instance, the weather here in the early months 
of I917 was very severe, and I expected that birds would try to find 
more favourable conditions elsewhere ; the following records for that 
period show that some at least of the Blackbirds and Robins did not 
do so, and that they survived in spite of the cold. 

Out of nine Blackbirds ringed at West Park, Leeds, before the end 
of January five were recovered as follows :— 


Blackbird ringed 18th Dec. recovered 13th Feb. 


ts a 18th Dec. a3 11th Feb. and again 2nd April. 
es is 14th Jan, 59 1st April 
ae éJ 17th Jan, 5 2nd April 

a 29th Jan. Ps 6th March 


Two, Robins ringed 19th Dec. were both recovered on the same day, 
6th February, 


218 BRITISH BIRDS. [vVoL. Xv. 


On the other hand, of eleven Starlings ringed in December, not one 
was recaptured. 

A point that has interested me is the number of individual birds that 
come to the garden; one sees a couple of Robins and an occasional 
Blackbird, Song-Thrush or Chaffinch, and is apt to think that each 
species is only represented by two or three birds.. My records, however, 
for the winter 1916-17 included 21 Blackbirds, 13 Song-Thrushes, 
11 Robins and 8 Chaffinches. 

Another incident that pleased me was that a Starling ringed in 
February was found nesting about a mile away later in the year; and 
—though I made no note of it—I am sure I have seen Starlings nesting 
in the immediate neighbourhood bearing rings which they had doubtless 
received at my hands in winter, 

The points I have mentioned are perhaps trivial, but they have given 
me pleasure, and I have ventured to bring them forward in the hope of 
inducing others situated as I am to add to the number of ringed birds. 


CHARLES F. ARCHIBALD. 


Sirs,—I should like to be allowed to associate myself with the 
observations on the above scheme contained in Mr. R. O. Blyth’s letter 
in the January number. 

The deductions and suggestions which are put forward by Dr. 
Landsborough Thomson in his Critical Note are scientifically so true 
and are based on such wide experience that it would be impertinent, 
at any rate on the part of such a mere amateur as I, to attempt to 
dispute them. But one of the chief attractions of the British Birds 
Marking Scheme is the unfettered choice which the ringer is allowed 
in his selection of birds for marking purposes. 

I think most ringers have a predilection for certain birds; but 
definitely to restrict this choice would, as Mr. Blyth points out, cause 
a very marked diminution of interest in the scheme, though there is 
no reason why special ringing should not be authoritatively encouraged, 

Mr. Blyth pertinently emphasises the real means of obtaining the 
fullest success, 7.e., by making the scheme popular, which in this case 
is Synonymous with arousing interest. 

One’s own experience is that the interest of others is easily secured, 
and the scheme is becoming more widely known. I do not know if 
the percentage of rings recovered is higher than it was ; but I do know 
from my own experience that the knowledge that birds are ringed is 
much more general than it was, and that owners are not nearly so 
reluctant to grant permission for a ringer to search their grounds for 
nests, and are not so ready to regard a devotee of the ringing hobby as 
alunatic. Nor when a ringed bird has been shot or caught in a mouse- 
trap are people so liable to hush up the record for fear that someone’s 
escaped pet bird has been killed. 

Some time ago Dr. H. J. Moon (antea, Vol. XIII., p. 97) contributed 
some suggestions on ways of arousing interest in the Marking Scheme, 
and there are dozens of such ways. But the point I would enforce is 
that the returns of marked birds are likely to be more numerous the 
further the interest in the scheme is spread and the more widely the 
infectious fever of ringing is communicated. Special, as opposed to 
promiscuous, ringing would necessarily limit the areas in which ringing 
could be practised, and would inevitably tend to reduce the number of 
ringers and consequently the interest in, and success of, the Marking 
Scheme. A. MAYALL. 
Eton, WINDSOR, Jan 3rd, 1922. 


VOL. XV.] LETTERS. 219 


Strs,—I agree most thoroughly with Mr. Blyth’s opinion as expressed 
in his letter in British Birds that “ to restrict the scope to a few species 
would tend to make it unpopular and defeat the object to which we 
are striving to obtain.’’ Mr. Witherby’s note at the foot of Mr. 
Blyth’s letter disposes of the question of expense, which to me would 
seem to be the only good reason for curtailment of the ringing scheme. 
Anyone interested in the scheme will not grudge the time they can 
devote to it, and in many cases “‘ some unforeseen and most interesting 
record ”’ will justify his trouble. To speak for myself, if I concentrated 
on say, Lapwings and Song Thrushes, I do not think that I would ring 
any more of them than I do, possibly fewer, as I find some of them 
when looking for other birds. 


JAMES BARTHOLOMEW. 
GLENORCHARD, TORRANCE, Nr. GLAsGow. 


Srrs,—I quite agree with Mr. R. O. Blyth that the popularity of the 
“ Marking Scheme ’’ would be greatly decreased if we were to confine 
our labours entirely to a few species: but I do think that if, while 
continuing “‘ promiscuous "’ marking, we were invited to pay special 
attention to certain species, ringers would fall in with the suggestion. 
Such birds might be underlined in the list giving the sizes of rings, or 
perhaps printed on the back. I have on several occasions thought of 
sending you a list of birds most easily got at in my neighbourhood and 
asking you to mark any on which Special concentration was desired, 
but have hesitated to bother you in the matter. I should like to say 
that I have derived the very greatest interest and enjoyment from the 
‘‘Marking Scheme,” and hope that it will continue for many years, more 
or less along its present lines. J. F. THomas. 
THE VICARAGE, LAUGHARNE, S. WALES, Jan. 6th, 1922. 


Sirs,—As one who has taken part annually in the British Birds 
Ringing Scheme since its inception in 1909, I should advocate 
promiscuous ringing at the discretion of the ringer. The unexpected 
always happens and one can never tell what valuable result may turn 
up from a single ring or from the consecutive ringing of a family of 
nestlings. At the same time let us concentrate as far as possible on 
certain species. I have specially concentrated on the Swallow with 
the result of a return of a ring from Natal, and proof that the same 
Swallows or some of them return year after year to the same nest. 

To Mr. Blyth’s suggestion as to filling up the Schedules in strict 
numerical order I would add that the rings should be carefully used 
in numerical order to save time, and to obviate the necessity of noting 
the number of each ring as it is put on the leg of the bird. My system 
is to arrange each packet of 20 rings in numerical order on a 4} inch 
wire nail, and then place a piece of cork at the sharp end of the nail 
to prevent the rings falling off. The rings are then available for 
instant use one after another, and it is only necessary to note the 
number of the first ring used. In the case of nestlings partly fledged 
it is important that the ringing should be done as quickly as possible, 
otherwise the young birds become restless and may fall out of the nest. 


Joun R. B. MASEFIELD. 
ROSEHILL, CHEADLE, STAFFORDSHIRE, 16th Jan. 1922. 


Sirs,—I think that Mr. Blyth in his letter in the January issue 
(pp. 190-192) has put forward very clearly the case of those whoare 


221) BRITISH BIRDS. [voL, xv. 


only able to ring on a small scale; but I should like to suggest another 
view of the matter which I have not seen mentioned. 

It seems to me that, now that financial considerations have been 
disposed of, the point at issue between promiscuous and special ringers 
is a very small one, and as time passes the tendency will be for it 
to become even smaller. I think the chief aim at present ought to 
be to enlist the help of as many readers as possible, and certainly 
promiscuous ringing is the more attractive to the majority. 

During 1921, my brother and I ringed some two hundred birds, 
but of these, eighty-five were of one species. If that is a common 
experience, it follows that as soon as the scheme receives the support 
it deserves, while ringing promiscuously on the chance of some new 
and unexpected discovery, we shall automatically approach as near 
as is possible for part-time workers to the scientific ideal of Dr, 
Landsborough Thomson. For then, several ringers in various parts 
of the country will mark simultaneously a large number of that species 
which happens to be commonest or most easily procurable in their 
particular districts. J. N. DouG Las SMITH, 


ASHWOOD, BROUGHTY FERRY, FORFARSHIRE, 13th Jan, 1922. 


Strs,—As one who has only limited time for this most fascinating 
branch of the study of birds, I should feel very disappointed were the 
idea of only marking certain kinds to become the rule, Having of 
necessity to give less time during the war to ringing, and only 
having recommenced last year I am looking forward to a good season 
during 1922. 

Having ringed for several years in the neighbourhood of London, 
I found the interest taken by farmers, keepers, boys, etc., very keen, 
and I did all in my power to spread the knowledge of and the reasons 
for the Scheme. Were restrictions imposed upon us we should also 
be restricted in our opportunities of this useful propaganda. 

Having recently removed to S, Wales, I found the Scheme scarcely 
known in the part where I now am, but I was greatly helped and 
encouraged by the interest taken in it by those whose work keeps 
them about the country where they may be of great use in returning 
to us the rings and in assisting generally in the Scheme. 

If it were wishful to concentrate on certain of the more “‘ remunera- 
tive ’’ species, could not a list of the same be forwarded to the ringers 
with the request that though “all are welcome ’’ the following species 
are to receive, where possible, the prior attention. Would not this 
meet the case ? 


Jan, 237d, 1922, CLEMENCE M, ACLAND., 


FORMER BREEDING OF THE OSPREY IN IRELAND. 
To the Editovs of BrivisH BiRrDs, 


Sirs,—Referring to the Rev. F, L. Blathwayt’s letter in January 
British Birds (p. 192), I should like to mention that early records of 
the Osprey breeding should not be taken for granted as referring to 
Pandion haliaétus. The bird was much confused with the Sea-Eagle 
by old writers. Willughby’s Osprey is Haliaétus albicilla, and no 
doubt the old letter of 1683 mentioning “several eyries of Eagles as 
also of Ospreys’”’ may refer to the Golden Eagle and White-tailed 
Eagle. 


New Barnet, Jan. 7th, 1922, H, KirKE SWANN 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 10, VOL. XV., MARCH I, 1922. 


———— PAGE 
Observations on the Breeding-Habits of the Merlin.— 
III. Rearing of the Young. By W. Rowan, M.SC., M.B.O.U., 
E.Z.S. aie 50 36 ss ae a0 oe ao 222 
The ‘“ British Birds’’ Marking Scheme. Progress for 1921. 
By H. F. Witherby. a He ae a as ss 232 
Notes :— 

Notes from Holy Island, Northumberland, 1920-1. (W. G. 
Watson) .. si xe me ac a he fe 239 

Waxwings and Bramblings in Manchester (Herbert Massey) 239 

Garden-Warblers in Perthshire (Charles G. Young) .. a 230 

Size of Swallow Broods in 1921 (H. W. Robinson) Pe ey. 2240 

Great Spotted Woodpecker in Perthshire (Charles G. Young) 240 

Hen-Harrier in Anglesey (J. A. Pownall) or 2: FS 241 

The Gadwall in Westmorland (H. W. Robinson) oy ok ZYE 

Great Crested Grebes in Perthshire (Charles G. Young) 56 rt 

Great Skua in Dorset (Rev. F. L. Blathwayt) a aE 242 

Little Auk in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) .. i a «= 242 

Spotted Crake in Anglesey (H. E. Forrest) .. os sa. 2242 

Short Notes :— 

White Wagtails in Yorkshire. American Yellow-billed 
Cuckoo in the Scilly Islands. Cuckoo in December in 
England. Western Mediterranean Shearwater in Hamp- 
shire pie 56 5c oc 50 56 46 a¢ 242 

Letters :— 

Former Breeding of the Osprey in Ireland (Geo, R. Humphreys) 243 

Share of Incubation in the Turnstone (A. H. Paget Wilkes) .. 243 

Oystercatchers opening Oysters (Dr. J. M. Dewar).. Thea. (DAA 

Albinistic Gulls and Ivory-Gulls (Geoffrey C. S. Ingram) an 2AM 


XN 


( 222 4 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING-HABITS 
OF THE MERLIN. - 


II] —REARING OF THE YOUNG. 
BY 
W. ROWAN, M.Sc., M.B.O.U., F.Z.S. 


(Continued from p. 202.) 


In the middle of July 1918 I got word from one of the 
keepers on the outlying part of the moor that he had found 
a family of newly-hatched Merlins and would keep them for 
me if I so wished. The nest was four miles away across 
the moor, but I decided to have them, if for no other reason 
than to save their lives. So the next day we met and tramped 
over together. It was in the evening and the cock rose 
from the boulders, ‘‘ Keking ’’ wildly as we came into sight, 
to be followed almost at once by the hen which rose from the 
nest and also began “‘ Keking.”” (The two notes were quite 
distinguishable.) Both eventually disappeared, but, as I 
discovered later when I knew them better, the hen at all 
events had only settled on the distant hilltop and had 
not actually gone. The young were quite small and still 
unable to walk. Like baby Sparrow-Hawks they could 
crawl about using the whole tarsus as a foot. They 
were clad entirely in white down, with yellow legs and a 
tinge of yellow at the base of the cere. The eyes were almost 
black and the tongue had a curious greenish cap at the tip, 
characteristic of these birds. It is no true cap, however, 
though it has that appearance, for it slowly disappeared as 
the birds grew. They had a most ferocious mien, and lay 
on their backs and presented their claws and beaks when 
we attempted to handle them. They had just been fed, 
which accounted for the cock being on the boulders and 
the hen at the nest. The plucked and still warm body of a 
Meadow-Pipit, partially torn up, lay in the nest. 

The site was a very typical one. The nest was just 
inside some old heather, adjoining a bracken patch. Un- 
fortunately, the only place for a hide was to the west of the 
nest, which made the chance of good photographs impossible 
on account of the light. Still, since it was the notes I 
mainly wanted, I decided to make the best of it. As we 
moved away, the hen again appeared and renewed her wild 
alarm till we were out of sight. 

On the 19th of July we fixed up the hide seven feet from 
the nest. It was the only possible spot and the standing 


j VoL. xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN, 223 


bracken helped very materially to camouflage it. To the 
left was the hillside with its favourite boulders, while straight 
in front one got a distant view of Simond’s Seat across 
Wharfedale. To the right and some fifty yards away 
splashed and gurgled a little stream, Gill Beck, with a solitary 
tree on its far bank in which, immediately below the tree, 
a pair of Wrens was just rearing a second brood. 

The young Merlins had already grown appreciably, and I 
was very disappointed at not being able to begin a continuous 
watch right away, but circumstances made it impossible, 
whilst the weather lent no encouragement. On the 23rd 
my watch began in earnest, and I kept steadily at it till 
the young could fly on August 5th. 

Determined to discover all I could of the habits of these 
birds, I realized the importance of being on the spot first 
thing in the morning and last thing at night, periods which 
most bird-photographers (and also watchers) miss, and 
which are usually the most interesting. The only way of 
achieving this object was to spend the night here, which I 
did to my great discomfort, several times. Twice I stayed 
in the hide—two feet high, two feet broad and six feet long 
(two of which were camera space). Once indeed I was 
there for thirty-six hours on end without coming out and 
without a chance of stretching my aching limbs. Sleep 
was, of course, out of the question. At other times I lay 
on a small commanding knoll to get an untrammelled and 
more satisfactory view of the behaviour of the old birds. 

I have been unable to find a correct description of the 
Merlin’s notes in any of the published material. The alarm- 
note is a fairly rapidly repeated ‘“‘ Kek-kek-kek,”’ strongly 
reminiscent of the very similar note of the Kestrel. The 
alarm of the cock, of several pairs that have come under my 
close observation, has been higher pitched than that of the 
hen and readily distinguishable. The feeding-note of the 
cock—a more rapidly repeated “‘ Kek ”’ than the alarm and 
only sometimes uttered, when bringing food—is too similar 
to be separately described, but is quite distinguishable in 
the field. As a rule it is only repeated half a dozen times 
at the most. That there is a distinction, notwithstanding 
assertions to the contrary, is proved by the behaviour of 
the hen, for when the cock alarms, she alarms too. When 
the cock cries “food,” she replies with her feeding-note. 
Her note is at all events quite characteristic and can be 
mistaken for nothing else, consisting as it does of a long- 
drawn-out: and frequently repeated ‘‘ Eep-eep-eep,’”’ at 


224 BRITISH BIRDS, [VoL. XV. 


times kept up for two or three minutes without a break. 
The whimpering of the young is very similar and might 
possibly be mistaken for it in certain circumstances, but 
it is very soft, and uttered at a much quicker rate. As the 
young matured, however, it grew both slower and louder. 
Then, lying in the hide only seven feet from the nest, it was 
difficult at times to distinguish between the note of the 
young close at hand and the distant note of the mother. 
There is in addition the soft “ tick ’’ of both birds on landing 
at the nest. 

From beginning to end I never saw the mother attempt 
to brood her young. No matter whether it thundered and 
poured rain in buckets, day and night they were left to 
themselves. At such times when quite young, they would 
huddle together, all four quite symmetrically arranged, 
breast to breast, four doleful little heads making a dome at 
the top while the rain coursed down their backs in little 
runnels through the matted down. At night they also 
huddled together, but just anyhow. . There was no definite 
arrangement. Now and then one would have a final spasm 
of preening, and for a moment one would see a large beady 
eye shining out from some corner of the soft downy pile. 
But as night fell all movement would cease. With the 
earliest streak of dawn, first one head and then another - 
would jerkily appear, and one by one the owners would 
waddle to different corners of the nest and begin preening. 
I never saw them fed earlier than half-past six and mostly 
it was much later. The long wait was regularly spent in a 
clean-up. In fact, this was their favourite occupation 
throughout the day. 

In spite of the fact that the mother never broods her 
young, she is a most faithful parent. Up to the time that 
the young began to fly I never knew her to be out of sight. 
Day and night without a break, except when the cock brought 
food, or a human being was in sight, she sat keeping a faithful 
watch over the family from one of her pet boulders. The 
nearest of these (but seldom used) was about forty yards 
away. She was most frequently to be seen on one about 
eighty yards distant. Here she would sit sometimes for 
two hours on end without stirring. Occasionally she would 
preen, but always was she wide awake and keeping an un- 
ceasing watch on the surrounding country. If one of the 
keepers chanced along she would rise and fly to and fro, 
“ Keking ”’ loudly. If he made his way to the hide for a 
chat and stayed any length of time, she would apparently 


(‘ueMoy “AA 4q paydvasojoyd) 
‘youn, Jog s}idiq-mopvayy Surjsou OM], “6 ‘Sty : NITNayW 


296 BRITISH BIRDS. [von xv. 


disappear over the hilltop. This she actually did, but 
always returned silently and unostentatiously to another 
part of the hill, there to settle and watch. The moment 
the intruder moved away again, once more she would rise 
and ‘“‘ Kek”’ angrily overhead until he was completely out 
of sight, when she would quietly resume’ her post on the 
boulder. . 

On one occasion, towards the end, I came alone to the 
hide. Incidentally I came up the valley of the little stream, 
so that the bird probably saw me at least twenty minutes 
before I reached the nest. She was neither to be seen nor 
heard. I thought the fates were with me and that I could 
creep in unobserved. No sooner had I got inside than she 
rose from the bare ground on the top of the hill, “‘ Keking ” 
her loudest. Over and over again she flew across the hide, 
sometimes almost touching it, “‘ Keking ”’ her wildest “‘ Keks,”’ 
but as I made no movement, eventually went to her boulder 
and ‘‘ Keked”’ there. This she kept up for half an hour, 
once in a while sailing over the hide and nest, when the cock 
arrived, unsuspecting, with food. She “ Eeped,”’ took the 
food and returned to her boulder, again “ Keking.”’ For 
another hour and a half she sat there and “‘ Keked,” mixing 
this up from time to time with the “ Eep,” as though the 
food was ever in her mind. The behaviour of the young 
was most interesting now, for every time she uttered the 
‘““Eep ” they responded, but the moment she went back to 
the ‘“‘ Kek”’ they instantaneously “froze.” Then, for no 
reason that I could see, the mother suddenly summoned up 
courage and flew down with the prey. The young seemed 
quite surprised after all the false warnings of the_previous 
hour. 

Except on this occasion, I was always accompanied by 
another person when I went in to the hide, the other person 
walking away when I was settled in. In my experience 
this is the only safe way of taking up one’s position. I 
have yet to meet the bird that can count up to two.* 

It proved just as effective with this species as with any 
other, but as one may imagine it was no easy matter to find 
some one day after day to do the tramp of four rough miles 
just to see me crawl into my hide, and then toreturn. Some- 
times I arranged with one of the keepers to meet me there, 
at others I bribed a couple of the sanatorium boys to come 
with me, 


* Birch cited me a most interesting case of Crows on which this 
trick absolutely failed. 


voL. xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 227 


The cock spent most of his time away, though at night he. 
too, was on one of the boulders. He arrived with food at 
irregular intervals throughout the day, the average being 
about two hours. The shortest was ten minutes, when he 
brought two fledgling Meadow-Pipits at the first visit,” 
and another one apparently from the same brood at the 
second. The longest was three hours. During such pro- 
tracted waits the hen would often begin “ Keking ” (with 
impatience apparently) on her rock at intervals before 


MERLIN: Fig. 10. KRending the prey. 
The top of the “‘rip.’”’ Her weight is thrown on to the tail. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


his arrival. As he hove in sight, usually with the charac- 
teristic food-call, she would leave her station and fly to meet 
him. Promptly and invariably he would fly low for the 
nearest boulder, often some way down the valley, and the 
hen would then fly beneath him at incredible speed and 
seize the prey. Both birds were always so low, and the 
transaction so swiftly executed, that it was exceedingly 
difficult to see whether he dropped the prey or whether she 
snatched it from him. Once beyond doubt he was on the 
boulder before she reached him and he could not have dropped 


228 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


the food in the air, which is the usual method of transference: 
ascribed to these birds. On all other occasions they were 
almost touching, and it was quite impossible to say if the 
food was snatched or dropped. From the hide itself I could 
form no opinion, for though I had plenty of peepholes, the 
whole thing was so soon over that I usually missed it by not 
finding the correct peephole in the few available seconds. 
One cannot but receive with scepticism the glib accounts 
of one or two of the few bird-photographers who have tackled 
these birds with success, of the feeding of the hen by the 
cock; for a hide is a hide, and the best peepholes in the world 
have their limitations. Moreover, when the observer refers 
to the book he is reading at the time, one can no longer attach 
much weight to his observations. Personally, I was quite 
dissatisfied with my own brief glimpses from the tent and 
spent many hours on the opposite hill watching the oft- 
repeated performance through the binoculars’ with un- 
impeded view, and still I am in doubt. 

The male never hunted late. Usually before sundown 
he would bring in his last catch and then spend an hour 
feeding and preening himself. His first bag would usually 
be brought in soon after sunrise. This, and the last of the 
day, provided the only two regular meals for his mate, and 
these she mostly tore to bits and ate, not on one of the 
boulders, but on the ground somewhere on the slope of the 
hill. (Indeed, in preparing the food for the young she 
usually tore it up on the ground in preference to a rock.) 
She was always very slow and deliberate over her feeds, 
‘““Feping ’’ continuously, usually being engrossed for about 
half an hour, In the meantime the cock would sit on one 
of his pet boulders and preen, or mostly in the mornings, 
also devoured prey, during which occupation he would utter 
his feeding ‘“‘ Kek’”’ from time to time. Once in a while 
he would fly to the hen, who invariably moved to a fresh 
spot. If the cock again pursued, she shifted afresh. On 
one fine sunny morning she moved four times in and out of 
the tree as a result of his advances. The second or third 
and subsequent catches (except the last) were always given | 
to the young via the hen who sometimes ate parts herself, 

The male was very fond of two particular boulders and 
nearly always sat on one or other of these during his evening 
rest. This resulted once or twice in a rather amusing 
situation, for one of these was apparently also a favoured 
post for the evening performance of an old cock Grouse. 
On two evenings, soon after sunset, the Grouse quietly strolled 


(uemoy “A\ 4g paydpssoj0Y4qZ) 
“SsuIJSO[ “II ‘sty : NITMATY 


ey 


230 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL, Xv. 


up and with a sudden whir, jumped on to the rock and pushed 
the little Falcon off. Once he merely shifted to the alternative 
post, but on the second occasion he sat on the ground for a 
moment in blank surprise, then landed full on the chest of 
his rival, who in his turn made an undignified descent, only 
to repeat his onslaught a moment later and resume his seat. 
Ignoring his fallen foe he blew out his chest and began to 
“ Beck,”’ but before he was half way through, the now 
thoroughly angry little Merlin flung himself with all his 
might at the performer, who could stand no more, and 
skimmed noisily away. The victor continued preening as 
though nothing had happened. 

Grouse and Merlins were always on good terms, or perhaps, 
more correctly, never on bad ones. They completely ignored 
each other’s existence. Quietly hunting for bilberry leaves, 
the game-birds would come strolling through the bracken 
patch right up to the nest containing the young Hawks. 
but the mother never attempted to chase them off. The 
young showed no emotion of any sort on these occasions, 
nor did the Grouse. The “ Becking ”’ of the latter, morning 
and evening, was so constant all around that I assume they 
considered it a natural part of their environment. 

A word as to the feeding of the young. As mentioned 
above, this fell entirely to the mother. I am only aware of 
one author who implies that the father shares in this work 
(E. R. Paton, British Birds, Vol. X1., p. 30). I have never, 
here or elsewhere, seen even so much as an attempt at this, 
except, as stated above, in event of the mother’s death. 

The prey included the following birds, Meadow-Pipit, 
Sky-Lark, Ring-Ouzel, Snipe, Spotted Flycatcher, Willow- 
Wren and Song-Thrush, though the first constituted go per 
cent. of the entire supply. 

Usually the prey would be brought down plucked, with 
the head and wings missing. The flesh, bit by bit, would 
be tenderly given, by two or three successive mouthfuls, to 
each chick in turn, the bones frequently being swallowed 
by the mother as she cleaned them. She made very curious 
use of her tail during these operations, using it as a third 
leg to save herself from falling backwards as the meat came 
off in jerks (Fig. 10). Sometimes she would bring down 
the prey still partially unplucked, when she would give each 
youngster in turn a mouthful of feathers only. She always 
preceded this by swallowing a mouthful herself, and a mighty 
effort it always required to get it down. The young found 
it no easier, but on the whole took their medicine well. 


voL. xv.| BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 231 


Like the majority of birds she took but scant notice of 
noises coming from the hide, but the slightest movement 
always sent her precipitately away, ‘“‘ Keking’’ wildly. 
But it never took her long to recover. Also, like the majority 
of other birds, she had no objection to smoke. This was 
fortunate, for the filth of the nest during the last ten days. 
was a great attraction to flies and other insects, which came 
freely into the hide, and were a great nuisance. A single 
cigarette, however, could clear them out. More than once, 
feeding time coincided with one of my smokes, but the old 
bird paid no attention to it, even though it blew right across 
her. 

Feeding would take anything up to a quarter of an hour 
when the young were small, but later it diminished in duration. 
The prey would also be brought down less mutilated, till finally 
it appeared complete, merely being ripped open. It was 
then just dumped down on to the nest and the young had to 
scramble for it. Early on, the mother used to eat parts of 
the prey before she brought it to the eyrie. This augmented 
her own morning and evening rations. A day or two before 
the young could fly, for the first time she hunted on her 
own, but never, I think, went far. Once she brought down 
food when the cock was away. This, I think, must have 
been captured by herself and she arrived without uttering 
her “ Eep ”’ note, which supports the assumption. Another 
time the male arrived with food but got no answer to his 
call, and settled on a boulder still calling. In a minute, 
from very far away came the rapidly approaching “ Eep ’” 
of his mate, as she soared over the distant hilltop, shot past 
his perch, and snatched the prey from him to take it back 
to the top of the hill and there to prepare it for the young. 
This occupied her but a short time, and she brought it down 
complete except for the entrails. Her departure, after 
feeding, was always very precipitate. Mostly she would 
sit for a few seconds and take a loving look at the scrambling 
young and then without warning, disappear in a flash. 

I never knew her to remove any of the stale remains from 
the eyrie. Sometimes she would carry the bones away: with 
her immediately after a feed, sometimes they were left, and 
sometimes eaten. On the last day there were several un- 
savoury skulls, wings, legs and bigger bones still in and 
around the nest. Incidentally, this and the surrounding 
heather were white with the down shed by the young. 


{To be continued). 


( 282 ) 


THE “BRITISH BIRDS” MARKING SCHEME.* 
PROGRESS FOR 1921. 
BY 
H. F. WITHERBY. 


It is with great pleasure that I am able to report that during 
1921 more birds were ringed under our scheme than in any 
year since 1914. This satisfactory result has been achieved 
not only by the enthusiasm and energy of experienced 
“ringers ’’ who have increased their former totals, but also 
by the welcome assistance of others who had not previously 
taken part in the scheme. The following are the totals :— 


NUMBER OF BIRDS RINGED. 


In- 1999 <. a2: i Be 2198 
ASIOUO i103: ae . 7,910 
~ BOLE a a < 10,416 
pk Obers ane ah ie 11,483 
4. LOL? ao = Zs 14,843 
py LOTARS cn - ae 13,024 
is ECG aed oe a Be 7,707 
9 LOT6 ee sa a 7,107 
in ORG a4 a8 £3 6,926 
gp HOLS. =: 7 = 5,937 
 OTOs, 7 i 3,578 
3 LQ20 pee = ve 5,276 
OL 2k fe ag 8,997 

Total 2 4, LO5435 


It is obvious that results of real importance can only be 
obtained by ringing very large numbers, and I hope that 
present enthusiasts will, if possible, increase their activities, 
and that more readers will join in the work. 

This brings me to Dr. Landsborough Thomson’s interesting 
suggestions and the correspondence on the subject subse- 
quently published. Since the last number went to press I 
have received several other letters, which I hope the writers 
will forgive me for not publishing as all express the wish that 

* 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. VII., pp. 190-195, for 1913; 
Vol. VIII., pp. 161-168, for 1914; Vol. IX., pp. 222-229, for 1915 ; 
Vol. X., pp. 150-156, for 1916; Vol. XI., pp. 272-276, for 1917; 
Vol. XIII, pp. 96-100, for 1918; Vol. XIII., pp. 237-240 for 1919; 
Vol. XIV., pp. 203-207, for 1920. 


vot. xV.] ‘BRITISH BIRDS’ MARKING SCHEME. 233 


the scheme shall go on along its old lines, and I am personally 
greatly in favour of this, and am quite in agreement with the 
various reasons advanced by correspondents. At the same 
time, Dr. Thomson’s proposition that certain picked species 
should be ringed in very large numbers over a wide area, is 
undoubtedly a sound one, as has been realised by correspon- 
dents, and if this could be done in a really systematic way it 
would yield results which cannot be obtained by our present 
methods. If a group of ringers would undertake to do this 
voluntarily, or if someone would provide the necessary funds 
for travelling, accommodation, etc., for those who had the 
time but not the means to assist, I am sure that Dr. Thomson 
would help in elaborating a definite plan of action. I hope 
that there may be readers who will come forward with 
proposals and offers to assist in carrying out such a plan. 
But should this be the case there is no reason why it should 
interfere with our present scheme, which involves more or 
less “‘ promiscuous ”’ ringing. The results already achieved 
have proved the value of ringing under the present scheme, 
and as records gradually accumulate those results become 
more and more valuable. 

Several correspondents have expressed a wish to have 
pointed out in what direction they should concentrate their 
work should opportunity allow, and I have set out below 
a few considerations to this end. 

1. To assist in tracing the routes and winter-quarters of 
strict summer-migrants it is necessary to ring large numbers. 
of certain species, and if possible the old birds as well as young 
ones. The only species under this head that we have been 
really successful over has been the Lesser Black-backed Gull 
(see Vol. XIII., pp. 311-12), but this is not to say that we do. 
not require more of this bird ringed. The Swallow, although 
showing a small percentage of recoveries, has yielded most 
interesting results, and the ringing of much larger numbers. 
would undoubtedly “pay.” Curiously enough, the Terns 
have not yielded the results we should expect under this head. 

2. A great many interesting facts have already been 
revealed by ringing partial migrants such as Starlings, 
Lapwings, Song-Thrushes, Woodcock and Snipe, to mention 
only the chief ones. The ideal method for such birds would 
be that suggested by Dr. Thomson, but much may be learnt 
by ringing “‘ promiscuously ” as many as possible. Under 
this head I might mention the Wood-Pigeon, Redshank, 
and Curlew as probably good subjects, besides those 
mentioned. 


234 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


3. A difficult point to get evidence on, owing to our 
geographical position, is as to whether our winter-migrants 
return to the same place year after year. But it is an 
extremely interesting point, and essentially one to be dis- 
covered by ringing. Mr. S. Prentiss Baldwin has already 
proved by trapping and ringing in the case of several 
migratory species in the U.S.A. that individuals do return 
to the same winter-quarters. Unfortunately there are few 
species in this country to experiment on, but Siskins are 
fairly easily caught where they appear as _ winter-visitors 
and the trapping and ringing of Ducks in certain places 
could perhaps be increased. 

4. The return of summer-migrants to the same nesting- 
place we have proved in several cases but more facts are 
wanted, especially regarding both birds of a pair. 

5. Another very interesting point which ringing and 
trapping could throw much more light upon, is the dispersal 
of individuals in relation to their birthplace. We have 
already had a few interesting recoveries bearing on this 
important point, but much more evidence is required. 
Ringers should make every endeavour to ascertain where 
the young birds they have ringed subsequently breed. Some 
birds, such as Swallows and Starlings, can be caught at their 
nests, others are constantly caught in fruit-nets, and where 
there are fruit-nets a point should be made not only to ring 
every nestling in the vicinity, but to make sure that every 
bird caught in subsequent years should be examined for 
a ring; other birds, such as Robins, especially, can be trapped. 

6. Winter trapping of such birds as the Starling has 
already provided interesting results, for instance, in showing 
where some of these birds come from, but much more might 
be done in this direction, especially by persistent effort for 
a number of years in the same locality, and as far away from 
houses as possible. In connection with the trapping of 
small birds, I hope to be able to issue this year a No. I ring 
more easy to manipulate and with the number outside. 

7. Finally, I should like very strongly to recommend a 
special enquiry in case any of my readers could undertake 
it. That is, to ring a large number of the young and parent 
birds of some large colony each year for a number of years. 
In order to ascertain the facts required, it would be necessary 
to catch and ring a good proportion of the old birds as well 
as the young, and to do this on a fairly large scale. I think 
this might be done in the Gannet, Puffin or Manx Shearwater. 
The breeding colony should be divided into sections, and the 


voL. Xv.] ‘BRITISH BIRDS’? MARKING SCHEME. 235 


number of each bird ringed, whether old or young, should be 
plotted on a chart in the position of its nest. If this were 
done with great care year after year at the same place it 
should yield results of very great interest. One would 
reasonably expect to discover, among other things, whether 
the birds used the same nesting spot year after year, whether 
both birds of the pair returned, or whether they mated with 
others, at what age and where the young nested and whether 
they mated with older birds or other young. If the charts 
were made with sufficient detail and care by one ringer it 
should be possible for another to take up the work in following 
years if the original ringer could not for any reason undertake 
at: 

Returning to the totals of ringing for 1921 it will be seen 
that once again Mr. Mayall heads the list with a really wonder- 
ful total of over fourteen hundred, while Mr. Holder and 
Dr. Moon, with over a thousand each, are not so very far 
behind. Mr. Bartholomew and Dr. Joy and his son have 
done remarkable totals, while Mr. Masefield and Mr. and 
Mrs. Blyth, Mr. Robinson and Captain Boyd are also to be 
much congratulated. There follow a number who have 
ringed over a hundred each, and several of these, I am glad 
to say, are new recruits, as are others who have ringed smaller 
numbers. 

The following list and tables have been drawn up in the 
same way as those in my reports for previous years. 

With reference to one of Mr. Blyth’s proposals I would 
now ask each ringer to attach to each batch of schedules 
sent to the office a list giving the number of each species 
ringed. 


NUMBER OF BIRDS “ RINGED.” 


Mr. A. Mayattr (1408), Dr. H. J. Moon (1253), Messrs. F. W. 
Hoider (1186), J. Bartholomew (641), N. H. and D. Joy (517), J. R. B. 
Masefield (334), Mr. and Mrs. R. O. Blyth (332), Mr. H. W. Robinson 
(245), Capt. A. W. Boyd (229), Messrs. P. G. Taylor (186), A. L. and 
E. B. Vesey (184), J. F. Thomas (179), J. N. D. and T. L. Smith (174), 
S. K. Barnes (171), Mrs. Patteson (150), Messrs. B. Clarke (146), J. A. 
Anderson (115), Mrs. Rait Kerr (115), Capt. W. M. Congreve (107), 
Messrs. E. G. Hope Johnstone (104), W. A. Ellistone (91), W. H. 
Thorpe (83), H. J. and D. W. Vaughan (79), H. S. Gladstone (74), 
J. F. Madden (70), H. B. Cott (61), Miss C. M. Acland (54), Messrs. K. 
Fisher (41), C. H. Stobart (39), York. Nat. Hist. Society (39), Mrs. 
Boord (36), Dr. R. C. C. Clay (35), Major A. H. Greg (35), Messrs. 
J. S. Elliott (33), W. Raw (33), M. Portal (28), R. M. Garnett (27), 
C. F. Archibald (26), O. W. Rowntree (25), Rev. E. Peake (24), 
Messrs. J. F. L. Mitchell (23), J. G. Maynard (20), H. Bentham (20) 
and others who have ringed under 20 each. 


236 


BRITISH BIRDS. 


NUMBERS OF EACH SPECIES “ RINGED.” 


’09-"14 
Rook sc nce lle) 
Jackdaw .. ye OS 
Jay 36 w2) 26 
Starling... . . 4806 
Greenfinch .. 1500 
Twite ae er 2 
Redpoll, Lesser .. 94 
Linnet a be LE 
Bullfinch .. as 104! 
Chaffinch .. 1468 
Sparrow, House... 454 
Sparrow, Tree .. 164 
Bunting, Yellow .. 248 
Bunting, Reed .. 155 
Lark, Sky . eosin 
Pipit, Tree . 56 WES 
Pipit, Meadow .. 741 
Wagtail, Yellow .. 51 
Wagtail, Grey .. 86 
Wagtail, Pied .. 407 
Tit, Great .. 56) Ops) 
Abit we livewrr OBZ 
dicgeCoalea.. Ba) avis! 
Tit, Marsh So ie) 
Tit, Long-tailed .. 37 


Wren, G.-crested . 32 
Shrike, R.-backed 61 


Blycatcher S29 3. 374 
Chiffchaff .. ase Hil 
Warbler, Willow ..1084 
Warbler, Wood .. 75 
Warbler, Reed .. 12 

Warbler, Sedge .. 81 
Warbler, Garden.. 71 
Blackcap .. a 58 
Whitethroat Pee; 
Whitethroat, L. .. 68 
Fieldfare .. toy BOs 
Thrush, Mistle .. 340 
Thrush, Song . 5143 
Redwing .. a5. RC) 
Ouzel, Ring ace 97S} 
Blackbird .. » »3058 
Wheatear .. Sy RZ 

Whinchat.. ee LOO 
Stonechat . . ee Le 
Redstart .. sie RO 
Nightingale eek 377 
Redbreast eiealey7 OS 
Sparrow, Hedge ..1116 
Wren oo A277 


Dxpper eee ag 6S 


"16 


ny) 
38 
29 


560 
254 


"18 


23 
9 

6 
219 
260 


4 
173 
Di 
262 


4 
62 


54 
I50 
5 
85 
9 

8 


17 
16 


’I9 


4 


I51 
206 
46 
20 
220 


ahi 
29 
20 
5I 
15 
12 


? 


20 


[ VOL. XV. 
‘21 Total 
17 (1268 
20) eee 
2 43 
411 7598 
380 3359 
I 46 

5 144 
272 1695 
52) B2og 
321 37/47. 
T + 407 
48 273 
100) =. 606 
59 458 
63 1882 
34° +279 
134 1421 
26. P37 
Le Acer 
124 801 
31 = 830 
12. 681 
3 106 

u 43 
29 201 
157 1066 
68) 57 
284 2362 
71 + 203 
39. | 322 
80 384 
55) os 250 
3:2 eae O77 
179 766 
230 Tye 
772 738 
1042 11381 
3 45 

3 88 
918 6080 
75: e2ge 
17 483 
5 I41 
139° oe 
19 89 
494 3623 
246 2316 
265 1079 
18; 170 


voL. Xv.] ‘BRITISH BIRDS’ MARKING SCHEME. 237 


09-14 
Swallow .. ..2978 
Martin se me 58 
Martin, Sand vie) 392 
Nightjar .. 3% 30 
Wryneck .. BNO 
Cuckoo... ao 9/33 
Owl, Long-eared .. — 
Owl, Barn.. ae 52 
Owl, Tawny ey Sy, 
Kestrel .. yo ee 
Hawk, Sparrow .. 51 
Heron, Common .. 105 
Sheld-Duck ee 40 
Mallard .. .. 498 
Teal ae RES >) 
Wigeon .. aq uy 
Duck, Tufted 835740 
Cormorant = 470 
Shag an ao WE 
Gannet ... LOO 
Shearwater,Manx 69 
Wood-Pigeon a2 
Dove, Stock sc) SO 
Dove, Turtle sree Si: 
Oystercatcher  .. 78 
Plover, Ringed .. 115 
Plover, Golden <.. 30 
Lapwing .. . .2902 
Sandpiper, C. ee 
Redshank 50 LOB 
Curlew, Common.. 167 
Snipe, Common .. 145 
Woodcock. . so SS 
Tern, Sandwich .. 655 
Tern, Common ..2917 
Tern, Arctic a i7) 
Tern, Little eS 
Gull, B.-headed 11933 
Gull,Common .. 487 
Gull, Herring m1 AOL 


Gull, L. Blk.-bkd..2104 
Gull, G. Blk -bkd.. 78 


Kittiwake Saints) 
Razorbill .. >. 60 
Puffin Foc .. 899 
Moor-Hen ee eLod. 


an 
896 
198 
44 
2 


22 


| H 
Gest One e eco! vel 


le 1Sa0da 


"16 "r7 
720 1470 
208 401 
LB) LO 

6 7 

34 25 

By ts) 

3 6 
— It 
5 6 
5 — 
4 — 
30 70 
I 12 

15 6 

3 — 

mél seit 

3 4 

ame) 3 

ae i 

4 2 

4 — 
242 168 

20 7 

MEO | )) 

me) Gi 

Toue2 oS 

I 174 

— 8 

I — 

30 — 

20 7 

19 I 
21900 — 

2 = 

Zi 217 


"18 


HN 


[al 
erate ie ls ital rales nee eee Roce nce |. irene Gyeoe WML Gens le nccon line [lest ovens hs 


Dit 
382 
144 


Sys 


Total 


7979 
2015 


Note.—About fifty 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 identification was not certain. 


238 BRITISH BIRDS. * [VOL. XV; 


SOME PERCENTAGES OF RECOVERIES. 
Number 


‘ Number aes Percentages 
Spee ogre. Recovered ec Sveries, 
Starling .. ies 3 riko, 439 6.1 
Greenfinch ince 2,979 2 9 
Linnet .. ae Bre 1,423 16 1 
Chaffinch , . - ze 3,226 41 12 
~Sky-Lark a Jed 1,819 15 8 
Meadow-Pipit .. i 1,287 19 1.4 
Pied Wagtail .. ¥. 767 18 3 
Spotted Flycatcher... 909 I fe 
Willow-Warbler ore 2,078 13 6 
Whitethroat re ue 587 3 5 
Mistle-Thrush .. be 661 17 2.6 
Song-Thrush oe bs 10,339 140 1.3 
Blackbird a ie 6,062 167 229 
Redbreast sti i 3,12 117 By 
Hedge-Sparrow .. Ms 2,070 46 2.2 
Swallow .. ae ae 7,597 60 7 
Martin» 2: on .% 1,871 162) 6 
Sand-Martin ee 798 4 5 
Sparrow-Hawk .. she 67 10 14.9 
isievaor us ae ae ee nit ¢ 7 15.3 
Mallard .. es ay 6045 143 225% 
Cormorant ¥ z 563 95 16.8 
Shag = a Ke 166 17 10.2 
Gannet .. - a 198 12 6.0 
Wood-Pigeon .. cw 212 12 5.6 
Lapwing .. e: #: 4,158 109 2.0 
Redshank ‘+ ae 211. 15 4.8 
Curlew... ee oe 228 13 5.7 
Snipe . an “ 220 20 9.0 
Woodcock i tes 365 44 120 
Sandwich Tern .. shi 762 10 re 
Conunon Wert, oh 3,998 QI 2.2 
‘Black-headed Gull on 11,961 52 4.3 
Common Gull .,. “i 514 14 2a 
Hemine Gull, .. ae 512 iF 3.3 
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3,169 139 4 3 
Put ~~... ~s se 905 I I 


NOTES FROM HOLY ISLAND, NORTHUMBERLAND, 
1920-1. 

HAWFINCH (Coccothraustes c. coccothraustes) —One killed in 
a mouse-trap, November 16th, 1g2t. 

RED-BACKED SHRIKE (Lanius c. collurio)—A young bird 
on August 27th, 1g2r. 

Waxwinc (Bombycilla garrulus)—A single bird arrived 
on November 14th, 1921, three on the 2oth, one on the 26th 
and one on the 2gth. In every case they only remained a 
few hours on the Island. At Beal, just opposite on the main- 
land, I counted ten on November 23rd, and this number 
had increased to twenty by the 25th. 

WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SHEARWATER (Puffinus p. 
mauretanicus) —One was shot on September 8th, 1921, not 
more than a mile from the shore off Bamburgh. It was 
sitting amongst Guillemots and Razorbills. No other Shear- 
waters were seen. 

AMERICAN PECTORAL SANDPIPER (Evolia maculata) —One 
was shot on October roth, 1921. 

GREAT SNIPE (Gallinago media) —Male shot on October 
12th, 1920. 

My thanks are due to Dr. W. Eagle Clarke for kindly 
identifying those birds about which I had any difficulty. 

W. G. WATSON. 


WAXWINGS AND BRAMBLINGS IN MANCHESTER. 


On November roth, 1921, a pair of Waxwings (Bombycilla 
garrulus) were seen feeding on the hawthorn pips in my garden 
at Burnage, but disappeared the next day. On October 30th, 
1921, I saw a flock of Bramblings (Fringilla montifrinzilla) (30 
to 40 birds) feeding on the stubble just outside my boundary, 
and on January 21st, 1922, they were still about but in 
diminished numbers; both these places are within the City 
of Manchester. HERBERT MASSEY. 


GARDEN-WARBLERS IN PERTHSHIRE. 


On August 8th, 1921, I came across a party of five Garden- 
Warblers (Sylvia borin) in some birch trees above the river 
Braan, near Inver bridge. I was at first in some doubt as 
to their identity, but their size and grey-brown plumage 


240 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


settled my doubts. I heard a sharp alarm note and a scolding 
Whitethroat-like “churr.’”’ They remained at this spot 
the whole of the afternoon and evening of August 8th, but 
on the goth had disappeared. - CHARLES G. YOUNG. 


SIZE OF SWALLOW BROODS IN 1ga2rt. 


As usual I send you the list of Swallow broods for 1921, as 
compared with other years. The summer of I9g2I was as 
bad as that of 1920 for Swallows, and their growing scarcity 
is a Serious one from an economic point of view. The scarcity 
of nests was so marked in Ig2rI that with my figures for 
North Lancashire I have joined those of Mr. F. W. Holder 
for South Lancashire. 


Nests Broods of Broods of Average Full Average 
Visited. Six or more. Five. Broods. Brood. 
1g0g II 0) O Cc 327 
I9Io 8 45 0 15 33 3°89 
IgII_ 60 3 24 45 4.4 
LOLZa. ZO O 8 40 3°95 
LOLS iy 22 0) 3 13°6 oF. 
1914 None — — — — 
1915 638 5 14 50°0 4 65 
1916 8642 0) 12 28'5 4°0 
I9Ql7_ 70 4 28 45°7 43 
1g18 51 + 14 352 419 
I9QIg 59 0 23 38°9 411 
1920, (14 I Z 57 14 4°5 
I92I 106 if 25'0 3°81 


H. W. RoBINSON. 


GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKER IN PERTHSHIRE. 


DuRING March, Ig921, although the work of Woodpeckers 
was very apparent in the birch woods round Dunkeld, none 
were seen or heard. 

The first material evidence which I had of the presence of 
Great Spotted Woodpeckers (Dryobates major anglicus) was 
on July 26th, when in Ladywell Wood I found a bunch of 
wing feathers which could have belonged to no other bird. 
On the 31st, I saw one on the summit of Craig Vinean (over 
1,000 feet). This bird flew past me into a larch plantation 
and I was able to identify it with certainty as a Great Spotted 
Woodpecker. From then on to the middle of August I 
frequently heard and saw them, particularly in Ladywell 
Wood, where most of my time was spent. On August 3rd 
in a larch plantation in the centre of Ladywell Wood, there 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 241 


was evidently a family of them. I heard the sharp calls of 
the parent birds and a continuous chatter which must have 
come from young. This family was also seen by my friend 
Mr. T. C. Cairns. It was the only Woodpecker met with 
in the neighbourhood. CHARLES G. YOUNG. 


HEN-HARRIER IN ANGLESEY. 


WHILE shooting in Anglesey, not far from Holyhead, on 
January 14th, 1922, I put up a Hen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus). 
It was only about fifty yards off and I noticed the white 
patch above the tail distinctly, so I have no doubt of the 
species. J. A. POWNALL. 


THE GADWALL IN WESTMORLAND. 
MACPHERSON in his Fauna of Lakeland says of the Gadwall 
(Anas strepera) that ‘it is the rarest of all the wildfowl that 
can be considered irregular winter visitors to Lakeland.” He 
gives five records, all of them in Cumberland. Mitcliell in 
the Birds of Lancashire also gives only five records for that 
county. The first record for Westmorland, an adult male, 
was shot near Tebay, on January 2nd, 1922. In view of 
the fact that hundreds have been bred at Netherby, in 
Cumberland, most of which are full-winged and not marked 
in any way, many more must have occurred in these counties 
but been overlooked. On making enquiries I find this to be 
the case, for T. R. C. saw two feeding this winter near 
Arnside, Westmorland, and at least four more were shot 
by flighters in the same place. The wisdom of liberating 
such full-winged birds without some ring or identification 
mark upon them is open to question, for there is but little 
doubt that the American Wigeon recorded in Scotland not 
long ago were also escapes from Cumberland. 

H. W. RoBINson. 


GREAT CRESTED GREBES IN PERTHSHIRE. 


ON March 26th, 1921 I watched a pair of Great Crested Grebes 
(Podiceps cristatus) on Craiglush Loch. They were swimming 
rapidly about, the long body half submerged, and were in 
breeding plumage, rich chestnut frills and ear-tufts being 
much in evidence. Occasionally they would draw together, 
necks stiffly erect and heads being vigorously shaken. They 
faced each other about six inches apart and continued head- 
shaking after which they would resume their normal occupa- 
tion. On the same day I observed four or five others on this 
loch and the Loch of Lowes, which is joined to it by a narrow 
channel. All were in breeding dress. On August 6th I 


242 BRITISH BIRDs. [ VOL. 9 


saw three or four on Craiglush Loch still in breeding plumage. 
They were busy diving, the dives varying from 23 to 32 seconds, 
about 26 being the average. On Buttersworth Loch on the 
same day I counted eleven, some in full plumage and others 
immature. I obtained a very close view of one of the 
immature birds which, by its size, I judged to be a bird of the 
year. I unfortunately had no opportunity to search for 
nests. CHARLES G. YOUNG. 


GREAT SKUA IN DOKSE re 
A BIRD, which from the detailed description I received from 
several sources, was evidently a Great Skua (Stercorarius 
Ss. Skua), was caught by a dog near Abbotsbury, on December 
22nd, I921. It was surprised while feeding upon a Coot. 
It was not preserved. This is the first example I have heard 
of in Dorset since the capture of one near Weymouth, early 
in January, 1916 (v. Proceed. of Dorset Nat. Hist. & Antiq., 
Feld Club, 1917, p. 197), but there are several earlier records 
for the county. F. L. BLATHWAYT. 

LITTLE AUK IN SHROPSHIRE: 
A LitTLe Auk (Alle alle) was found caught in some wires 
at Wistanstow, Craven Arms, on the 7th December, 1921. 
The weather was mild and still and the bird in good condition. 
I have never before known this species to occur here except in 
severe weather. H. E. FORREST: 


SPOTTED CRAKE IN ANGLESEY. 
Mr. F. H. Mitts tells me that a Spotted Crake (Porzana 
porzana) was shot on a bog with a small lake init called Hafod- 
y-llyn, near Rhos-goch, Anglesey, early in October 1921. 
There are four or five previous records in the county. 
H. E. FORRESE: 


WHITE WAGTAILS IN YORKSHIRE.—The White Wagtail 
(Motacilla a. alba) is not frequently observed migrating 
inland and, therefore, it is worth noting that Mr. J. Atkinson 
records (Nat., 1921, p. 360) seeing a party of twenty to twenty- 
five at Cookridge, near Leeds, on September Ioth, 1921: 


AMERICAN YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO IN THE SCILLY 
IsLANDs.—Mr. C. J. King kindly sends us photographs of a 
dead Coccyzus americanus, which was brought to him for 
identification during the third week in November, Ig2r. 
Mr. King sent the bird on to Dr. James Clark, and it has 
already been recorded in Country Life (24.xii.21I, P. 869) and 
The Field. It was shot while resting on a Sota s chimney 
at St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly. 


VOL. xv.] NOTES. 243 


Cuckoo IN DECEMBER IN ENGLAND.—With reference to 
our note on this subject (antea, p. 211), Mr. G. F. Gee writes 
to point out that he shot a young bird in Delamere, Cheshire, 
on December 26th, 1897 or 1898, as already recorded (Vol. X., 
p. 227), but overlooked by us. Mr. Gee has kindly sent the 
bird for inspection. It is in juvenile plumage with a few 
grey feathers grown and growing on the head and mantle 
and not further advanced in the moult than young birds 
often are in August and September, In its winter quarters 
the young Cuckoo is usually in full moult (body, wings and 
tail) in December —H.F.W. 


WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN SHEARWATER IN HAMPSHIRE. -~ 
With reference to my notes on Puffinus puffinus mauretanicus 
(antea, pp. 151-3) Mr. Edward Hart writes that the Hampshire 
example shot in Christchurch Bay in August, 1859, is in his 
museum. Mr. Hart states that after reading the description 
given at the end of my article he has no hesitation in saying 
that this bird is P. p. mauretanicus —H.F.W. 


LETTERS. 


FORMER BREEDING OF THE OSPREY IN IRELAND. 
To the Editors of BRITISH BiRDs. 

Strs,—I quite agree with Mr. Kirke Swann’s remarks (antea, p. 220). 
If the Rev. F. L. Blathwayt will refer to Thompson’s Natural History 
of Iveland, 1849, Vol. I., p. 24, also the footnote pp. 29/30, he 
will see Thompson definitely stated there was no proof of the Osprey 
breeding at Killarney, or elsewhere in Ireland, This view, so far 
as my experience goes, has always been supported by the later authori- 
ties on Irish ornithology. 

The following extract from Rutty’s Natural History of the County of 
Dublin, 1772, Vol. I., pp. 296/7, will show what confusion existed in 
regard to the two species at that time :— 

“ Haliaétus sive Ossifraga, The Osprey or Sea Eagle. Said 
“to have been found about Lambay.’ 

Undoubtedly this remark refers to the White-tailed Eagle. 

Gro. R. HUMPHREYS, 
Upton LopGEe, DrRuMCONDRA, DUBLIN, 4th February, 1922. 


SHARE OF INCUBATION IN THE TURNSTONE. 
To the Editors of BRITISH BiIrRDs. 


Sirs,—With regard to Mr. Gordon’s observations (antea, p, 216), 
it seems quite possible that the male bird may have been affected by 
the close proximity of the hiding tent, as it is a matter of common 
experience that one bird of a pair is often indifferent to observation, 
while the other is very shy. In every case we noted where the eggs 
were hatching, the male was incubating, except in one instance where 
the birds had been recently disturbed and in this case we flushed the 
hen from the eggs. 

OxForD, February 5th, 1922. A. H. PaGet WILKEs. 


244. BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


OYSTERCATCHERS OPENING OYSTERS. 
To the Editors of BritisH Brirps. 


Sirs,—You may be interested to know that Oystercatchers (H@ma- 
topus ostvalegus) at present in the Scottish Zoological Park, have been, 
almost certainly, opening oysters put out for them. Unfortunately 
no one, so far, has witnessed the act, as the birds are intolerably shy 
in the presence of humans. But no other bird in the waders’ aviary 
is likely to have tackled such a stiff problem as an oyster, so that it is, 
as I have said, almost certain that the Oystercatchers have done so. 
I tried the experiment last winter without any success. This winter 
I had two more birds to work with, and these were fresh from the sea- 
beach. After a fortnight’s work on mussels (Mytilus) the birds 
apparently tackled the oysters at once. Out of the first six bivalves 
put out five were opened and cleaned in not more than five days. Of 
two in my possession one has evidently been dealt with like a limpet, 
while the other shows signs of long-continued chipping or gouging 
along the edge of one valve. These two shells are 4.5 and 5 cm, in 
length respectively. I am continuing the experiment, and hope that 
some one may be fortunate enough to witness the act of opening an 
oyster before all the shells I have are used up. 

EDINBURGH, January 19th, 1922. J. M. Dewar, 


ALBINISTIC GULLS AND IVORY-GULLS., 
To the Editors of BRITISH BIRDs. 


Strs,—Regarding the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain’s note (antea, p. 214), 
I quite agree with him that my record of a probable Ivory-Gull at 
Cardiff, April 3rd, 1921, cannot be accepted as indisputable, especially 
in view of the fact that this bird, or a similar one, was seen again as 
late as June 13th. On the other hand, Mr. Salmon and myself are 
absolutely agreed that it was not an albinistic specimen of any of the 
six species of Gulls that visit us during the winter, viz.: Black-headed, 
Common, Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Great Black-backed ‘and 
Kittiwake. It was seen in the company of, and compared with, the 
first three species mentioned, when its size immediately separated it 
from the Black-headed and the Herring-Gulls, and although it agreed 
with the Common Gull in this respect, looking if anything slightly 
larger, its carriage, shape and flight were totally dissimilar. Confusion 
with the Lesser and Great Black-backed Gulls and Kittiwake is 
also impossible on account of size and shape. It is improbable that 
an albino would differ from the normal in anything but colouring, but 
it would be expected that the beak, eyes and legs would lack colour 
as was the case in the two specimens mentioned as occurring off the 
Essex Coast and in Bridlington Bay, Yorks. 

The suggestion that ‘‘ April is a very unlikely time for an Ivory-Gull 
to visit us ’’ isnot altogether supported by previousrecords. A specimen 
was obtained in Yorkshire, April 5th, (Brit. Birds Vol. II., p. 329) another 
in Orkney April ist (Brit. Birds Vol. IX., p. 28), and there are also 
two records from Ireland March 25th and March 27th. If nothing 
more had been seen of the bird after April 3rd, there would have been 
no doubt in my mind as to the species.. Although it is extremely 
improbable that an Ivory-Gull would remain in this country until 
so late a date as June 13th, it is the only species that in any way 
resembles the specimen observed. 

CarRDIFF, Feb. 1oth, 1922. GEOFFREY C. S. INGRAM. 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER II, VOL. XV., APRIL I, 1922. 


oes PAGE 

Observations on the Breeding-Habits of the Merlin.—IV. The 
Veoayes, dahip avg oyiehany IMIESTeS WEIS OPO, I /Z5S. Ae oe 240 

History of the Great Crested Grebe in Dumbartonshire. By 
-Alexander Cuthbertson .. =e 254 


Some Breeding-Habits of the Sparrow-Hawk. (9) Chiefly 
Further Notes on the Effects of Sun.—Part IV. By |. H. 
Owen Ay 250 


Notes on the Breeding-Habits of the Wood-Lark in Dorset. By 


W. J. Ashford 264 
Notes :— 

Reed-Buntings Flocking in Spring (Chas. 2. Pearson) a. 260 
Bearded-Tit in Hampshire (M. Portal) Be te re 269 
Waxwings in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest) ¥ ays ne 269 
Ring-Ouzel in Westmorland in Winter (Lenore F. Marshall) 269 
Early Arrival of a Swallow (Norman Gilroy) A * 269 
Peregrine Falcons in London (Lewis R. W. Loyd) a 270 
Spoonbill in Lancashire and Cheshire (T. A. Coward) ee. 270 
“Saw-billed Ducks ’’ wintering in Cheshire (T. A. Coward) 270 
Red-necked Grebe in Oxfordshire (Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain) .. 271 
Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes in Derbyshire (Rev. F.C. R. 

Jourdain) be 5 3e Se 56 a do | cage 
Slavonian Grebe in Cheshire (H. E. Forrest) ie ey 272, 
Black-necked Grebes in co. Dublin (E. G. Hope-Johnstone) .. 272 
Inland Occurrences of Waders in the Autumn of 1921 Zsa 
Avocets washed up in Lancashire (F. K. Boston) .. we 274 

Short Notes :— 

Golden Oriole in Wigtownshire. Reported Pied Flycatcher 

in co. Mayo. Great Spotted Woodpeckers Nesting in 

Argyllshire and Perthshire. Green Sandpiper /in “Sussex 

in Winter. The Indigenous Scottish Capercaiilie {pn 274 


Review :— 
A Synopsis of the Accipitves (Diurnal Birds of Prev), Second 
Edition. Parts l.and II. By H. Kirke Swann (ESFANY,) 275 
Letter :— Li 
The Share of the Male Merlin in Feeding the Young 
(E. Richmond Paton) .. Pe ae a xe 3 276 


Z 


( 246 ) 


OBSERVATIONS ON THE BREEDING-HABITS 
OF THE MERLIN, 


IV. —TuHE YOUNG. 
BY 
W. ROWAN, M.sSc., M.B.O.U., F.Z.S. 


(Concluded from p. 231.) 


DurInc, many long hours in hiding here, I can honestly 
say that I never suffered a moment’s boredom. Cramp, 
suffocating heat at breathless midday, freezing cold during 
the weary night hours, and intense thirst, all came into the 
“ day’s work,’’ but the comical antics of the young Merlins 
kept me incessantly entertained. 

Thirst was not the least of my worries. To reduce weight 
—two cameras, a tripod, binoculars, mackintosh, blanket, 
sketch book, etc., made a sufficient burden for a four-mile 
moorland tramp—-my food consisted of chocolate. This 
in itself induced thirst. The suffocating heat of the little 
hide induced it. Tlies led to smoking and smoking induced 
it. Within earshot bubbled Gill Beck, purest of pure moor- 
land becks, and that induced it more than all the others put 
together. But to run down to its banks and wallow in it, 
which was my continual desire, was out of the question, 
for I was alone, and there was no one to see me back into 
the hide. But even thirst was forgotten many a time, 
thanks to my constant little entertainers. 

When first I saw them they were but a few days old and 
completely clothed in down. On the 22nd the blood-filled 
quills of the remiges and rectrices were easily visible, and 
on the 23rd they had burst their tips. By the 26th these 
had grown considerably, but more than half of each was 
still in sheath. The lores now showed the first signs of 
feathering. This was an important date for the youngsters, 
for they began to get the use of their legs and spent much 
time in practising the art of standing upright. This caused 
them many falls, but they persevered. Hitherto they had 
crawled about, the whole tarsus being applied to the ground 
and used as a foot. 

Already they showed their natural instinct of obedience, 
for if the mother for any reason sounded the alarm from 
her rock all would instantly “ freeze,”’ no matter what their 
occupation at the time, and glance fiercely around. If, on 
the other hand, they heard the maternal ‘“‘ Eep”’ they all 


VoL. xvV.] BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN, 247 


began to whimper in response and expectation. When her 
warning was followed by a rush of wings and she precipitated 
herself on to the edge of the nest, they became positively 
rowdy, and crowded clamouring round her. During one 
feed I happened to move. Instantly the mother ceased her 
rending of the prey and fixed a penetrating eye on the hide. 
But she had not “ Keked,” and the young continued to 
clamour and crowd on to her, so much so that since all 
hapfened to be on one side, she would have lost her balance, 
had she not shot out the off wing and saved herself (Fig. 11). 

One of the young was much smaller than the rest, and 
proved to be backward both in feathering and behaviour. 
The others now for the first time began to take an interest 
in the legs of two Pipits left in the nest. Many times during 
the day they tugged at them sometimes two pulling, one at 
each end, “‘ Keking ”’ tiny miniature “ Keks ” at one another. 
In the end the biggest of the brood managed to swallow 
one. It took him nearly ten minutes, and more than once I 
thought I should have to rush out to the rescue. With much 
jerking of the head all disappeared with comparatively little 
bother down to the foot, and it was then the real trouble 
began. He craned his neck to the utmost and rolled his 
eyes, straining every muscle to jerk it down. For many 
seconds at intervals he sat and rested, the foot protruding 
out of his beak. The long hind claw, the very last item to 
be accommodated, necessitated a rest of over a minute before 
sufficient effort could be made to stow it completely away. 
This laid out the little hero of the episode for over an hour. 
Nothing that his brothers did could induce him to stir. 

A favourite occupation now and later was the rubbing of 
beaks. Any two happening to be together would spend 
minutes on end at this game. The rest of the time was 
passed in dozing and preening. 

On the 27th they were strong on their legs and for the first 
time left the nest. This is characteristic of the Merlin at 
this age and very necessary from a sanitary point of view. 
Henceforward they were mostly just outside. As fortune 
would have it, they moved towards the hide, so that I not 
only had them in full view still, but nearer than formerly. 
On being handled, one of them uttered for the first time 
the “ Kek ”’ of the full-grown bird, though, no doubt, not so 
strongly. The first pellet was produced by the little chap 
who had the day before swallowed the Pipit’s leg. It gave 
him nearly as much trouble to eject this as the swallowing of 
the leg had given him. 


248 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


The 29th and 30th were extremely hot days (and the 
intervening night intensely cold!). The young now sought 
shelter from the direct rays of the sun under the surrounding 
heather most of the day, but even there they lay listlessly 
and panted open-mouthed. They took a keen interest in 
the flies, periodically snapping at them. In the cool of the 
evening they went farther afield, every now and then running 
full tilt across the nest. They also expended much energy 
climbing up on to the heather stalks and scrambling down 
again. For the first time the biggest of the family attempted 
to feed themselves properly, putting their feet on the prey 
and rending it in imitation of their mother. Their wings 
were developing, but were still heavy in down. The 
stage may be seen in the photographs of the bird stretching 
and the one feeding. They were taken on the 29th and 30th 
respectively. 

By the ist of August the backs were getting well 
feathered, while feathers were also appearing on the head 
and breast. There was one exception, however—the little 
backward chap, whose head was still completely downy. 
They climbed more frequently on to the heather and would 
sit there for many minutes together, as though trying to 
get used to the sensation of being in the air. Instead of 
scrambling down they would now jump the last few inches 
with wings outspread. They would also stretch their 
growing wings by standing on one foot only and using the 
other to spread out the feathers of the wing on that side. 
Then they would stand on the other leg and reverse. In 
fact, they were developing into real big birds and were 
trying big things. Like all beginners, they could not 
accomplish everything they tried. Amongst the odds and 
ends in the nest was the head of a Pipit with the whole 
windpipe attached to it. This one of the bigger ones tried 
for half an hour to swallow, but in the end had to leave it 
where he found it. He swallowed the trachea successfully, 
but could not open his little beak wide enough to accommodate 
the head. Many minutes of vicious jerking and stretching 
of the jaws failed to get it in, though the windpipe was 
stowed away safely enough, two long inches of it. The 
only thing to do was to put his foot on the head of the Pipit 
and pull everything out again. He then had another good 
look at it and once again swallowed the trachea, only to 
find that both the head and his jaws were the same size as 
before, and that even more vigorous jerks than previously 
failed to bring the prize nearer home. Once again the whole 


VoL. xv.}| BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 249 


thing was fetched out and re-examined beiore a third try 
was made. It was only after the sixth effort that he was 
_ quite convinced that he was attempting the impossible 
and gave it up in disgust. His feelings must have been 
seriously hurt, when his mother at the next feed spotted 
the dainty morsel and swallowed it at a gulp ! 

Now that their feathers were rapidly coming they seemed 
to spend even more time in preening. The loose bits of 
down kept coming away in their beaks. Each one was 
swallowed, though being so small and fluffy and dry, each 


ea Re ee” 
MERLIN: Fig. 12. Watching the mother’s approach. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


proved an eifort. When preening an awkward spot, e.z.. 
the throat, the eyes were always closed. 

In the evening, when they were livelier than at other 
times, they now went far afield. It was indeed only at odd 
moments that I could get a view ot one at all, vigorously 
flapping his wings, or stretching, or else sitting still with 
head bobbing hard up and down, gaze concentrated on 
something in the distance—usually a fly at the top of a tall 
heather branch. 

That feeding themselves was still a new idea was evident 
whenever a bird was brought down to them, for they still 
clamoured to be fed. and continued whimpering for some 


250 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


time after (the mother had gone. Long after her dis- 
appearance, as a last resource, they tried it for themselves. 
Now for the first time they slept apart, little Runtie being 
left all by himself on the edge of the nest. 

On the 2nd of August, with the exception of the little 
backward chap, the down was disappearing visibly. The 
colouring ot their first winter plumage was now apparent. 
The tail-feathers were still in sheath for nearly half their 
length, the flights only at their bases. The irides were very 
dark hazel and the cere a little more deeply tinged with 
yellow. <A pale tawny stripe had appeared above the eye. 
The back was brown with a steely-grey mixed into it, the 
individual feathers having dark centres and light brown 
fringes. The breast was rufous-brown with sandy streaks. 
The thighs were a dirty white with rufous “ blobs ” scattered 
thinly over them, shaped like tear-drops and quite different 
from those of the adult. They spent more time than ever 
flapping and stretching their wings and climbing on to the 
heather to jump off again, wings outspread. One of them 
went right round and beyond the back of the hide, fifteen 
feet from home, the farthest vet. 

On August 5th the three biggest could fly for about a 
hundred yards. For the first time I heard them respond 
with a first-class imitation to the alarm “ Kek”’ of the 
mother. 

In conclusion, I will quote verbatim from my notes written 
on the spot, to give the reader a clearer idea of the home life 
of these birds for a few hours in the evening and the morning. 

“ July 27th, 1918.—7.30 p.m.: The hen is sitting silently 
on her rock. 7.50: The rapid ‘ Kek’ of the cock suddenly 
breaks the silence as he flies across the valley in front of the 
tent. Immediately the hen rises with the long drawn 
‘ Eep-eep-eep.’ He then feeds her too low and too far to 
see the exchange, which was done like a flash. Both birds 
then settle quite close together. For twenty minutes the 
hen keeps up the ‘ Eep ’ from the same spot, a good distance 
away. Periodically comes the short ‘Kek’ of the cock 
from about the same spot, though now he is flying right 
over the tent uttering the same note. The young take no 
notice of him except to watch him in his flight. (At the 
first ‘ Eep ’ of the hen they had begun to whimper expectantly, 
but soon got quiet again.) They are now very restless and 
have shifted back to the old nest and have begun preening. 
They can stand up but are very shaky, and waddle rather 
than walk. Grouse are now getting noisy, but my birds 


voL. xv.]} BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 251 


seem to take no notice of them. The call of a Golden Plover, 
however, brought them all to attention. 

“At about 8.30 I re-focussed the camera on the old site, 
hoping if the sky cleared to get a moonlight exposure of the 
sleeping birds. Whether the hen on the rock saw my hand 
go to the front or not I do not know, but the light was very 
poor and the whole camera well in the hide, and I should 
have thought it quite impossible. A few minutes later. 


MERLIN: Fig. 13. Stretching. 


or 
oD 


(Photographed by W. Rowan 


however, she began the alarm ‘ Kek,’ or what sounded like 
it to me, and kept it up till 9, once coming over the tent 
when the young sat motionless, wide-eyed. Then came 
the rapid ‘ Kek’ of the male, when the hen switched into 
the ‘ Eep’ note and met him. The young showed no desire 
for food, but relaxed from their tense attitude and began 
preening again. They now rubbed their beaks together and 
began huddling up, breasts together and heads all mixed 
up on top of the downy pile. And thus at 9.30 they fell 
asleep. Of the old birds I saw or heard no more. 


252 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. xv. * 


OS ad 


‘Not a breath of wind stirred the ling. One by one the 
Grouse grew silent. The fells purpling in the distance 
faded into the blackness of night and a deathly silence fell 
over the moor, broken only by the distant murmuring of 


Gill Beck. 


x 5 —. % 
. Pi ae 


MERLIN: Fig. 14. Stage of plumage on 1st August. 
(Photographed by W. Rowan.) 


“As the moon rose higher behind heavy thunder clouds - 
I could just distinguish the nestlings, a motionless ball of 
white. Twice between 11 and 12 I heard the Nightjar 
close at hand, not the ‘ Churr,’ for they all have well-grown 
young now, but the monosyllabic call-note. It did not disturb 


’ VoL. xv.}| BREEDING-HABITS OF MERLIN. 253 


the Merlins. Nor did my own movements, for I had to turn 
once or twice during my long eerie vigil to avoid cramp. 

“Sunday, July 28th—Daybreak was disappointing. 
Just after four the sky over Simond’s Seat and Barden Fell 
grew brighter, and soon the grey light of a cloudy dawn 
was creeping westwards, and revealed the moor shrouded 
in mist, blocking out the fells. At 4.15 the first ‘ Quack, 
quack go-back, go-back, go-back ’ of an old cock Grouse 
resounded from a mound to the left, and inside ten minutes 
the whole moor was reverberating with the becking of the 
Grouse. With the babbling of Gill Beck were mingled 
snatches of a Wren’s song. Suddenly there came the rapid 
‘“Kek’ of the little cock Merlin as he flew over the tent, 
answered at once by the ‘ Eep’ of the hen as she rose from 
the boulder on which she had settled last night. On the 
instant the young were awake, and responsive, but soon 
began preening. The ‘Eeping’ continued for something 
like half an hour with the occasional ‘ Keking’ of the cock. 
Then silence. At six the same thing was repeated, though 
the ‘ Eeping ’ did not last so long. At 7.30 again came the 
rapid ‘ Kek’ of the male, followed by the ‘Eep’ of the 
hen once or twice before she came down to the young with 
their first feed for the day, the plucked back end of a Pipit.”’ 

On the 5th of August my vigil ceased. The keeper in 
charge of this area had asked me several times when the 
young would be flying. I said honestly enough that they 
should be flying by the middle of the month. I hoped that 
by then they would be strong enough to escape the gun, 
though I did not explain this. But the man was sceptical, 
and on the 5th, early in the morning, thinking that I was 
stretching a point, I suppose, went out with his gun and 
finding two of the little Merlins far from home and flying 
well enough to escape his dog, shot them. The other two 
—little Runtie was one—he caught and tethered in the nest for 
my benefit. Shortly afterwards I turned up and for the last 
time saw the faithful little Tiercel bring food to the Falcon. 

No amount of pleading, no offers of bribery and cor- 
ruption, could save the lives of the remaining two. It was 
claimed that they would not be strong enough on the 
wing by the 12th to get out of the way of the Grouse drive, 
which they would spoil by scaring the Grouse! However, 
Birch promised me that if I took the young away, the old 
birds should go scot free. And that is how my little friends, 
a week or two later, found themselves at liberty on the 
wild Carnarvon moors far from the home over which their 
parents were probably still lamenting them. 


( 254 ) 
HISTORY OF 'THE GREA'T CRESTED GREBE 
IN DUMBAR'TTONSHIRE. 


BY 
ALEXANDER CUTHBERTSON. 


In their paper “On the Great Crested Grebe as a Scottish 
Breeding Species” (Scot. Nat., 1919, p. 71), Misses L. J. Rintoul 
and E. V. Baxter state that “‘it is reported to breed on at 
least one of the reservoirs on the Kilpatrick Hills.” It is 
somewhat surprising to find that, despite the conspicuous 
plumage and remarkable structure of the Great Crested Grebe 
(Podiceps c. cristatus), little information is available regarding 
its occurrence as a migratory or breeding species in 
Dumbartonshire, even twenty or thirty years ago. 

Prior to 1875 the Great Crested Grebe was almost 
unknown ; but about fifteen years later it was on rare 
occasions observed among the departing Wigeon in early 
spring, and in late autumn, in mild weather. A pair was 
seen about 1886 in Loch Humphrey, and several years later 
in Fyn Loch, where in 1897 a nest with eggs is reported to 
have been found by collectors of Black-headed Gull’s eggs. 
Three years later a pair were frequently seen on Cochno 
Loch, but there is no record of their nesting. From Igo0o 
to 1907 a marked increase in the numbers of Grebes 
occurred on Cochno Loch; they appeared at long intervals. 
In I91I a nest is reported to have been found, but it 
was not until 1913 that the Grebes are definitely known 
to have nested. On the 12th June of that year Mr. C. A. 
Hamilton, of Barns, found the hatched eggs, but the chicks 
lay dead upon the nest. In 1914, 1916, and 1917, the eggs 
were taken ; andin 1918 and Ig1g the parent Grebes ‘‘ were 
very unlucky with their progeny.’’ In 1920 the eggs were 
stolen, and in 1921 the Grebes disappeared in late May. 

Adjoining Cochno Loch is Edinbarnet or Jaw Loch. This 
loch was colonized in 1915, but personally I did not find a nest 
with eggs until May, 1920. The eggs were taken, another nest 
made, and a full clutch laid. A brood was, I believe, raised, 
but in the following year no Grebes bred, although a pair 
was seen by me on several occasions in early April. 

No information about the first nesting of the Grebe in 
Gilshaw Loch, a few miles from Craigallian Loch, is to hand. 
In late November, 1919, I saw three flying from this loch 
in the direction of Craigallian Loch. A pair bred on a sedge- 
covered islet in 1920. In 1921 a pair nested among reeds 
on the north shore but it is doubtful whether the eggs were 
hatched. However, I found a nest with incubated eggs on 


VOL Xv.] GREAT CRESTED GREBE, 255 


a sun-baked island in late June; and in July I saw three 
young, several days old, with their parent out in the loch. 

Baker Loch is the real home of the Great Crested Grebes 
in the Kilpatrick Hills, for it is extensive, and food is abundant 
during the greater part of the year, while the shore is mostly 
of the ‘“‘ mere ” or “ broad” type. Information regarding the 
history of this species here prior to 1905 is urgently desired. 
It is certain that from 1g00-19g10 tew Grebes were recorded 
even as migratory birds in autumn. In Ig16 a nest with 
four eggs was found, but in 1917 and Io18 it is not known 
whether any nested successfully. In the autumn of IgIg 
I saw two pairs, and in 1920 two nests with eggs were 
found. The following year, 1921, saw an increase in the 
number of breeding birds, three pairs nesting in the north- 
east bay and one pair in the west bay. The behaviour 
of the Grebes in the north-east bay was interesting. Owing 
to the abnormal climatic conditions the loch rapidly dried 
up, and as the water receded, leaving the large nests 
of moss and aquatic plants several feet distant, it was evident 
that the sitting birds were very restless and showed great 
unwillingness to sit during the day. When I approached 
they rose, ran rapidly in an ungainly fashion to the water, 
and instantly dived. 

It is probable that in the near future an extension will be 
made to Loch Humphrey or Burncrooks Loch. I am credibly 
informed that a nest was found in the western bay of Loch 
Humphrey in 1920. The evidence concerning breeding in 
this loch and Fyn Loch, from 1900-1916, is much too indefinite 
to be reliable. 

Fyn Loch is an excellent breeding haunt for this species, 
and seems to have been little visited by naturalists in the 
last twenty years. In 1918 a nest with eggs was found, 
and in the autumn of 1919 I saw a solitary Grebe. In 1920 
a pair nested in the south-west bay, and in 1921 a brood 
was seen with their parents in early July. 

Craigallian Loch has not, as far as I know, been colonized 
of later years, and no Grebes have nested at Loch Ardinning 
since 1911. No data is available regarding their breeding 
recently at Carbeth Loch, near Craigallian Loch, but they 
probably have done so as stated in Scot. Nat., 1919, p. 7I, as 
I have seen pairs there during the nesting-season. 

In conclusion I wish to state my indebtedness to Mr. C. A. 
Hamilton, of Barns, the Keepers of Auchentorlie, Cochno, 
Edinbarnet, and Aucheneden Estates, and the many other 
gentlemen without whose assistance this short history would 
have been necessarily more incomplete. 


( 256 ) 
SOME BREEDING-HABITS OF ‘THE SPARROW- 
HAWK. 


(9) CHIEFLY FURTHER NOTES ON THE EFFECTS OF SUN.— 
Part IV. 
BY 
J. H. OWEN. 


In British Birds, Vol. XV., p. 76, I stated that the nest we 
were then watching was furnishing some new and interesting 
information. This chiefly consisted of the effects of the 
sun and the hen’s efforts to shield the young from it. These 
began as soon as hatching commenced and before it was 
complete. The hen brooded the young as usual until direct 
sunlight fell upon the nest. Then almost at once she began 
to show anxiety. She at first merely shuffled about on the 
nest until her back was directly opposed to the sun. After a 
short time she slightly opened and depressed her wings. 
As the nest became more fully exposed to the sun, the wings 
were expanded more and more until the outer primaries were 
separated. At the same time the body was raised so that 
the bird crouched over the nest ; this crouching appearance 
was made more pronounced by her bending rather forward 
until her bill was among the latest added twigs on the rim of 
the nest. The photograph of her (Vol. XV., p. 75), makes 
the description clear. This position was maintained for some 
hours until a branch began to shade the nest. It sheltered 
the young completely from the sun but allowed air. The 
only change she made was to raise her body slightly, for 
perhaps half a minute at most, during which period her head 
and tail were both further depressed. The tail in this position 
was never much spread. Before the final position was 
assumed her restlessness on the nest was due to the young 
being incommoded by fragments of eggshell on the bark at 
the bottom of the cup; these she did her best to bury among 
the twigs from time to time. This pair of Hawks exhibited 
rather unusual relations through the incubation and nestling 
periods. Once during incubation, while the hen was away, 
the cock came into the nest with a twig. After that I never 
saw him on the nest again until the young had left it. He 
hunted, brought his catch to the wood, and called. If the 
hen wanted food she left the nest at his first note, though 
she did not join him immediately, but after moving about 
the wood for a short time called to him and, on his answering; 
she flew to him. The usual conversation followed, and then 


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258 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


after a few minutes silence she would appear, as noiselessly 
as a ghost, on the edge of the nest. If she did not want food 
she absolutely ignored the cock and he flew round calling for 
a period extending up to twenty minutes. He then devoured 
what he had brought himself and proceeded to hunt again. 
The intervals between returns varied trom an hour and a 
quarter to two hours. On one occasion, while Nott was in 
the hut, the hen brought the food, a young Blackbird nearly 
intact, to the nest, and began to eat it there. After a time 
he must have made some movement which she heard for she 
flew away with the body and returned soon after without it. 
Later on the cock used to fly to a particular branch of a tree 
near and in full view of the hut, while the hen was taking 
exercise after leaving the nest. When she was ready for food 
she flew towards this branch, but below it. When she was 
within a few yards of it the cock slipped off and dropped the 
prey and she caught it unerringly as she passed by. I saw 
this done repeatedly, especially during late incubation and 
early nestling times. 

My observations convince me more and more that the cock 
takes no share in incubation. Many keepers assure me that 
he does. They shoot the hen and then trap the cock on 
the nest and this satisfies them. It is no proof. Not one of 
these cocks that I have seen shows any sign of having taken 
any share in the duties of incubation. His presence at the 
nest I put down to anxiety as to the welfare of the hen. I 
give just one case in proof of my theory. In July 1921 I 
knew of a nest belonging to a very old pair of hawks; they 
had only two eggs and these (second laying) were infertile. 
Both birds were in an advanced state of moult. As the 
keeper of the wood was set on killing them I asked him to 
let me do it for the purpose of helping to justify my theory. 
I got the hen and then waited. In a very few minutes I 
heard the cock call in the distance. Then he came nearer 
and nearer, calling all the time more and more plaintively. 
At last he settled on the tree next to the nest-tree and called. 
As there was no answer he circled the nest-tree calling, and 
alighted on a dead branch in full view of the nest and not far 
from it. Here he gave one final appeal to the hen and then 
very leisurely plucked and ate the small bird he was carrying. 
After cleaning his feet and beak in the usual way he sat quite 
motionless for a few minutes. Then after preening a little 
he made another circuit of the nest-tree, calling as before, and 
alighted in a tree some thirty yards from the nest, calling for 
the last time. Then he flew on to the nest and looked at 


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260 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. Xv. 


the eggs but made no attempt to cover them, though he 
stayed some time. He crossed the nest with a kind of two- 
footed skip or jump.and I shot him as he left it. A close 
examination of the body by myself and Mr. W. Farren, to 
whom I sent it, revealed no sign at all of his having shared 
in incubation. Some stay much longer on the nests than 
others, when they are drawn to it in such circumstances, but 
none of the bodies I have examined of cocks killed during the 
incubation period show any signs of their having shared it. 

As incubation advanced, and again after the young had 
hatched, we removed more and more of the foliage round the 
nest to let in light and get sun on to the nest during the hours 
in which we were able to watch it. We also hoped that we 
should get a thunderstorm or two, but those that visited the 
neighbourhood passed us by. The only exception was just 
the edge of one and the rain was so little that it did not drive 
the hen on to the nest and hardly damped the down of the 
young. Indeed, it seemed rather a welcome change to them 
than otherwise, and no wonder. Nearly every day the sun 
shone intensely on the nest and the sufferings of the old bird 
(and the occupant of the hut) were considerable. 

During the first week, nothing new in the way of methods 
of sheltering the young was observed. The description in 
Vol. XIII., p. 120 and the photograph on page 121 apply 
exactly, the only difference being that in this case, instead of 
being sideways, the bird was almost facing the camera. 
However, as the young grew we could watch the development 
of the position day by day. As they got bigger so the female’s 
shadow had to be made larger. To do this she opened her 
wings more and more until finally they were at the widest 
stretch she could manage. Sometimes she also curved the 
end of one down. At the same time she used to spread her 
tail until the feathers had no overlap at the tips. Unfor- 
tunately, owing to the position of the hut with regard to the 
nest, we could only get a photograph of her in this position 
facing us or at any rate somewhat sideways. Frequently I 
arrived at the nest when the sun was full on it and often she 
returned and had to be scared away once or twice before I was 
ready. As soon as she lit on the side of the nest one of the 
young would hurl himself at her and cuddle against her. 
She then, instead of puffing out her feathers to their widest 
expanse as she would in ordinary circumstances, flattened 
her plumage as tightly as possible against her body and edged 
her way into the centre of the well of the nest, gradually 
widening the distance between her feet until she straddled a 


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262 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


good many inches. The most coveted position for the young 
was behind her legs and under her tail. The others were some- 
times between her feet and sometimes under her wings. Now 
and then they got out in the sun, but did not stay long. While 
they were small they could all sit comfortably between her 
feet ; in fact, in the earliest stages one could clearly see her 
working them there before she finally settled over them. Later, 
they seemed to feel the heat more and more, in spite of her 
efforts to shield them, and became very restless. Under these 
circumstances the hen Sparrow-Hawk was more peevish with 
the young than I had ever seen before, and more than once 
indicated to them that the discomfort was not entirely 
confined to them. She never fed them when the sun was 
directly on the nest. If she brought food with her when 
she returned she deposited it on the nest and took no further 
notice of it. Hf the sun was clouded over sufficiently long 
for her to recover enough to do so she would break the prey 
up. If-the sun came out while she was doing this she hurried 
and, if she considered it inadvisable to finish the meal, she 
would pick up what was left, and fly away to drop it and 
return immediately to resume sheltering the young. On one 
such occasion she picked up the remains with her beak instead 
of her foot. Her partner used to bring rather big game ; 
he preferred Blackbirds and Thrushes to anything else, 
though he brought several old Sparrows he had caught on 
the early ripe grain. On one occasion he brought an old, 
and very tough, Stock-Dove which gave the hen a vast 
amount of trouble to break up. Nearly half of it was carried 
away and dropped after some twenty minutes hard work 
on it. 

During some of the hottest periods her, breathing became 
very laboured and as the sun travelled westwards so she moved 
round on the nest to keep her back towards it, and then I could 
see how her respiratory movements were communicated even 
to her tail. By means of astop-watch I timed her respiration 
rate on several different days and found it to vary from 
I51 to 155 to the minute. 

If the incubation, maybe owing to the heat, was unduly 
long, nature compensated the parents by making the nestling 
period unusually short. I noticed by the seventh day that 
the young seemed a little forward but by the fourteenth 
it was very noticeable that they were growing faster than 
usual. As stated in my previous notes the young were 
hatched two on June 25th and the other on June 26th. They 
seemed quite ready to leave the nest when I was observing 


FE —— 


vot. xv.} HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. 265 


them on July 19th. Nott went to the nest on July 20th and 
found that two had left and the other seemed on the point of 
going. I went on July 21st and found that two were in the 
tree and one on the nest. Two left the tree and flew quite 
strongly as I climbed up. The other remained perched some 
feet from the nest until I was in the act of focussing her when 
she went and I saw no more of them in the hour and a half I 
was able to stay. Of course they returned to the nest for 
food for some time after as usual, but I could not get photo- 
graphs though they came on to the nest while I was in the hut 
more than once. The nestling period therefore for these birds 
was not more than twenty-five days, whereas twenty-eight to 
thirty is more usual with undisturbed birds. 

During the latter part of the nestling period I think the 
cock must have begun to bring food on to the nest again, 
although I never saw him do so. However, on July 2oth 
while I was in the hut and the young out of the nest-tree, he 
alighted on the nest after much calling, but darted off without 
dropping any food. At this time I was unable to spare very 
much time for watching at the nest. 

Another point that interested me greatly about this nest 
was the disposal of food. If the hen brought food when the 
sun was on the nest she dropped it and shielded the young, 
and never worried about it attracting flies or anything of that 
sort. After a meal, however, she was as careful as usual to 
remove any fragments of bone, flesh or feather. After the 
young were some sixteen days old she became less careful 
about this. and it was no uncommon sight to find remains, 


' such as wing-tips of the larger victims, leg-bones, or breast- 


bones on the nest. These showed that a large number of 
Blackbirds and Starlings were caught. At first these were 
daily replaced by a new lot, but as the nestling period neared 
its end the accumulation increased and the variety of bones 
also. This showed that the young were allowed to feed 
themselves and that the hen no longer broke it up for them. 
In most nests it is not usual for bones to be found left about 
the nest until the last three days of the nestling period. 

The reader will be able to grasp something of the hardships 
endured to get these notes and photographs when he learns 
that the hut was made of coarse sacking and was absolutely 
unshaded from the sun. The heat was almost unbearable 
at times, as it reached 92° in the shade on July 11th and was 
over go° on two other days while I was in the hut. 


( 264) 


NOTES ON THE BREEDING-HABITS OF THE 
WOOD-LARK IN DORSET. 


BY 
W. J. ASHFORD. 


DuRING the last few vears a decided increase has been notice- 
able in the number of Wood-Larks (Lullula arborea) breeding 
in Dorsetshire. The heath district of the eastern portion 
of the county, where many pairs now nest annually, is un- 
doubtedly its headquarters ; but even here its distribution 
is anything but general and with the exception of a few 
scattered pairs might be described as consisting of small 
settlements, comprising perhaps three or four pairs of birds, 
situated a mile or more apart and linked up by single pairs ; 
a radius of but a few miles embracing the whole breeding 
area. 

Although a few pairs are to be found nesting here and there 
over the heath commons of Poole and Wimborne and a 
little further west, there are thousands of acres of apparently 
suitable ground stretching from there to Wareham and 
westward to Dorchester, where the Wood-Lark is almost, 
if not quite unknown, and I have failed entirely to find 
it in the Isle of Purbeck, many parts of which are to all 
appearance admirably suited to its requirements. 

During all my rambles of the last twenty-five years around 
Blandford and neighbourhood, I never met with the Wood- 
Lark until 1920, since when, however, it has several times 
been observed and has probably nested in at least one locality. 

The nest is said to have been found many years ago near 
Bradford-Abbas*, but recent investigations in that neighbour- 
hood have proved fruitless. 

On the western side of the county a few pairs have been 
found nesting in recent years, and there also, as lam informed, 
they appear to be on the increase. 

As a rule the birds return to the same haunt year after year, 
usually in February, and building operations commence in 
March. The earliest nest I have notes of was commenced 
during the first week of that month, and the young were 
hatched before April, but many nests are much later and do 
not hold eggs until the middle of April. 

I would advise anyone desirous of finding the nest of the 
Wood-Lark to abandon any idea of watching the birds during 
the building period, for not only is the task of keeping them 


* See Mansell Pleydell’s Birds of Dorset. 


voL. Xv.] BREEDING-HABITS OF WOOD-LARK. 265 


under close observation a very difficult and tiresome one— 
that is when the site selected is amongst short heather—but 
also frequently a time-wasting one as they often remain 
away from the nest for hours on end, while some days pass 
when scarcely a visit is paid to the nest and not a fragment of 
material added. I have only once seen a Wood-Lark actually 
carrying nest material and that bird I flushed quite accidentally 
from a newly-formed “scrape.” I waited concealed for two 
hours in vain for the bird’s return, but the nest was eventually, 
after eleven days, built and the eggs laid. I have only 
noticed this dilatory behaviour with first nests; that later 
nests or second or third attempts are, or can be, completed 
within the space of two or three days, I have proved more 
than once. 

Perhaps the most interesting discovery that I have made in 
connection with the nesting habits of the Wood-Lark is that 
relating to the construction of a screen or canopy over the 
nest. I am unable to find any previous mention of this, 
so venture to describe what I think may be a new and interest- 
ing habit. 

In the latter part of March, 1921, I had under observation 
a pair of Wood-Larks which I knew were nesting, and although 
unaware of the exact site, I was quite confident of discovering. 
the nest when visiting the spot early in April, owing to finding 
the male by himself and under circumstances which, from 
previous experience, left no doubt in my mind that he had 
a sitting mate close by. A few steps flushed the female 
at my feet, revealing a nest, the four eggs on which she had 
just commenced to sit being visible from one side only. My 
first impression was that a small accidental accumulation of 
bents and dry grass blocked my view from the other side, 
but a closer examination showed that this was not so, for the 
nest, instead of showing the usual cup-like formation, was 
‘“ built up ’’ on one side to a height of about four inches and 
then “arched over,’’ forming a canopy of firmly interlaced 
bents, a little lichen and fine wiry heather twigs. It speaks 
well for the architecture of this nest that I examined it in 
the following December and found the canopy still firmly 
intact. A second nest similarly constructed by another pair 
of birds was found later on about half a mile from the first, 
while in a third, on June 8th, the five young were enjoying 
the protection from the heat of the sun afforded by this 
dome-lke structure. 

In the case of the first nests of Aprilit can hardly be supposed 
that the heat of the sun would have caused sufficient 


266 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


inconvenience to either the sitting bird or the young to 
account for such building precautions. Many theories might 
be advanced as an explanation but after examining over thirty 
nests, three only of which have been constructed with the 
canopy as described above, I am unable to offer any satis- 
factory reason for what I think must be an unusual habit. 

In these parts various situations are chosen for nesting 
purposes. I have known the nest situated in an open patch 
in a garden shrubbery not many yards from the front door 
of a house.. At other times the spot chosen is miles away 
from any habitation on the desolate moor, but never of 
course in a treeless part. The majority of nests which I have 
found have been built in short heather, but I have noticed 
that the birds not infrequently prefer a patch or strip of rough 
grass should such a one occur on or bordering the heath land. 
It so happens sometimes that a nest built openly amongst 
dead bracken stems, although clearly exposed to view at the 
time the bird begins to sit, becomes entirely sheltered and quite 
invisible before the young are ready to leave, owing to the 
luxuriant growth of new green bracken having sprung up 
in the meantime. In such circumstances it is, of course, 
impossible to watch the birds to the nest. 

The number of eggs is usually four, yet sets of three only 
are fairly frequent with first clutches. A five clutch, as far 
as my experience goes, only occurs in later nests and not very 
often then, for I have only known that number three times 
and it is somewhat remarkable that in each case all five 
hatched, seeing that at least one addled egg is very usual 
even with clutches of three, and I have known a case where 
only one egg of a clutch of three hatched, the remaining two 
showing no sign of fertility. This state of affairs is perhaps 
attributable to the weather, which is often treacherous with 
severe frosts during the first incubation period (March-April) 
but more favourable to a complete hatch later on. 

The eggs vary greatly in size, shape, colour and character 
of markings, but all in the clutch are generally, though not 
always, true to type. 

Each pair of birds seems persistent in rearing at least two 
broods, but many nests meet with disaster, and nestlings are 
often destroyed by Crows, Magpies, Jays or Stoats. In one 
case a Little Owl was probably the culprit, in another a 
Hobby (Falco s. subbuteo) which I had twice noticed passing 
dangerously close on his evening “ beat,’’ I believe discovered 
and took a whole family, for they disappeared with remarkable 
suddenness. In 1920 a nest containing eggs upon which the bird 


ee 


vo. xv.} BREEDING-HABITS OF WOOD-LARK. 267 


had commenced to sit was flooded out by a heavy downpour 
of rain following the terrific hail-storm on the afternoon of 
April 4th. I visited this nest immediately after the storm 
was over and found the bird still on the nest though surrounded 
and almost buried from view by sleet and hailstones, which 
on leaving she scattered in all directions, exposing to view 
the nest half full of water with eggs at the bottom. A few 
seconds later it was completely swamped and needless to say 
she never returned. 

Another nest the same year contained three young, two of 
which were dead, the third im extremis. An examination 
showed them to be infested with myriads of minute parasites. 
The parent birds still continued their visits to the nest with 
food and as I sat watching from a distance the male suddenly 
rose in the air and sang delightfully for several minutes, 
oblivious of the tragedy below. 

That the female Wood-Lark occasionally sings I have very 
little doubt, yet I have been unable to satisfy myself entirely 
on this point owing to the proximity of other pairs of birds. 
Although incubation is said to be performed solely by the 
female, which is perhaps correct, there is reason to believe 
that the male occasionally relieves her, for I have watched 
him brooding the newly-hatched young for several minutes 
immediately following his visit to the nest with food. This 
occurred one cold evening in April when I was able to crawl 
to within three or four feet of the nest and watch him at very 
close-quarters. 

Strange as it may seem, I have known a Cuckoo to deposit 
its egg in the nest of a Wood-Lark shortly after the young 
had vacated the nest! 

The young, like those of the Sky-Lark, have three black 
tongue-spots which are conspicuous from birth. After 
leaving the nest the young remain in hiding for a few 
days until able to fly and it is then that the parents become 
extremely elusive during their visits to and fro with food, 
often seeming to appear on the scene from “ nowhere,” and 
vanishing in an equally mysterious manner. This is of 
course to be explained by the bird’s cunning in dodging 
about through the bare patches amongst the heather, at the 
same time taking advantage of any irregularity of the ground 
to get away unobserved. I once had under observation a 
bird which on leaving the nest after feeding the young almost 
invariably made use of a cart-rut, along which it ran for the 
distance of several yards before taking flight. The behaviour 
of another pair of birds was so puzzling, baffling all attempts 


268 BRITISH BIRDs. [VOL. Xv. 


at finding the nest that at last, determined not to be outwitted, 
I started off with a companion bent on solving the mystery. 
On arriving at the haunt we took up our position under a 
grand old Scotch fir commanding an excellent view of the 
situation. It was not long before the female arrived on the 
scene, first alighting on the topmost twig of a small sapling 
some sixty yards distant and then flying down into the 
short heather. We kept our attention centred in this direction 
for fully a quarter of an hour and not having seen a sign of 
her in the meanwhile we decided to commence a search. As 
we rose, the bird flew up at our feet! The nest was just in 
front of us with young newly hatched. With amazing cunning 
the bird had crept through the heather from the place where 
we first lost sight of her and had managed to reach her destina- 
tion unobserved in spite of the fact that we were within a 
very few feet of the nest all the time. 

After the nesting season is over family parties consisting 
of parents and young still remain for several weeks in the 
vicinity of their nesting places, or at times join forces with a 
similar party from the next haunt, and as these parties and 
gatherings are frequently to be met with later on and even 
throughout the winter months, it seems probable that in 
mild seasons, at any rate, they seldom wander far from their 
old haunts. 


REED-BUNTINGS FLOCKING IN SPRING. 


ON February 21st, 1922, I saw a small flock of Reed-Buntings 
(Emberiza s. scheeniclus) in an orchard at Lowdham, Notts. 
I have known the species for fifty years but never saw a 
number together before. Cuas. E. PEARSON. 


(Of course it is usual to find Reed-Buntings in considerable 
numbers together on migration in autumn, but flocking in 
spring appears to be unusual.—EDs. | 


BEARDED TIT IN HAMPSHIRE. 


Capt. H. BuXTON saw a male Bearded Tit (Panurus biarmicus) 
near the mouth of the river Meon, Hampshire, on February 
Ist, 1922. The bird was very tame and appeared to be alone. 
Capt. Buxton watched it for some time and is familiar with 
the species in Norfolk. M. PORTAL 


WAXWINGS IN. SHROPSHIRE. 


I have recently been SHORE a fine adult male Waxwing 
(Bombycilla garrulus) shot out of a small party at Longden, 
near Shrewsbury. The crop was full of hips and haws. At 
the Llanerch, Churchstoke, where I reported a considerable 
flock on November 21st (antea, p. 188), small parties have 
continued to haunt the vicinity ever since up to the end of 
February. H. E. FORREST. 


RING-OUZEL IN WESTMORLAND IN WINTER. 


SINCE the end of December and up to February 13th, 1922, 
a Ring-Ouzel (Turdus t. torquatus), | think a female by the 
dingy tint of its white ring, has visited my bird table at 
Patterdale Hall every day for food. As Blackbirds (7. m. 
merula) have frequently been present also, a comparison was 
easy and there can be no doubt of the Ring-Ouzel’s identity. 
LENORE I. MARSHALL 


EARLY ARRIVAL OF A SWALLOW. 
On March 5th, 1922, at about 2.30 p.m., in bright sunshine, 
but with a very strong wind from W .5.W., Mr. W. E. Renaut, 
Mie OW Musselwhite, my son and I spent a considerable 
time watching a Swallow (Hirundo r. rustica). It was hawking 
for insects over a water-meadow by the Little Ouse, close 
to Euston, Suffolk. 


270 BRIVISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


It appeared to be in excellent condition and flew close to 
us quite unconcernedly. I think this must surely be a 
very early record for this species. NORMAN GILROY. 


[Two earlier records, viz. February 29th and March 2nd, 
are given in A Practical Handbook of British Birds, Vol. 1.. 
p-. 506.—Eps. } 


PEREGRINE FALCONS IN LONDON. 


On February 26th, 1922, at about 6 p.m., I saw two Peregrines 
(Falco peregrinus) flying over the Brompton Road, towards 
the Natural History Museum. They were flying at a 
considerable height, but Iam in no doubt as to their identity. 
They breed close to my house every year and I have daily 
opportunities of observing them. Lewis R. W. Loyp. 


THE SPOONBILL IN -LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE 


As recorded in the local press a Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia), 
an adult male, was shot by Mr. G. H. Blair at Formby, 
Lancashire, on February 28th, 1922. There is, I believe, 
only one other published record of the bird in Lancashire, 
the one referring to the specimen in the Preston Museum 
which was shot on the Ribble in 1840. The Spoonbill does, 
however, occasionally visit the district on migration, and 
two occurrences are mentioned in The Vertebrate Fauna of 
Cheshire, one for the Dee, the other for Tatton Mere near 
Knutsford. In November 1913 another Spoonbill was shot 
in the Dee Estuary and was preserved, and in April 1920 
one or two birds visited inland waters. On April 11th Mr. 
J. B. Milner saw one rise from the pool at Tabley, and on the 
18th Mr. Rock saw one chased by Black-headed Gulls from 
Oakmere ; it is, of course, possible that these were one and 
the same bird. In both counties it is necessary to investigate 
all reports of “‘ Spoonbills,” for the name is constantly used 
by wildfowlers for the Shoveler. The Formby bird is at 
present in the hands of a taxidermist. T. A. COWARD. 


“SAW-BILLED DUCKS ” WINTERING IN CHESHIRE. 


For eight or nine weeks an unusual number of “ Saw-billed 
Ducks ”’ frequented the Cheshire meres, moving from one 
to another of those waters which were at no great distance 
apart. On December toth, 1921, Mr. Travers Hadfield saw 
twelve Goosanders (Mergus m. merganser) on Tatton Mere, 
five of these were old drakes. Since then, in varying numbers, 
and on various dates, these birds were seen by Mr. 
Hadfield, Mr. Easterby, Captain A. W. Boyd and myself, 


VOL. XV. | NOTES, 271 


on the waters at Tatton, Rostherne, Redesmere and Marbury, 
near Northwich. The largest number seen at one time was 
sixteen, on January 28th, 1922, but fourteen were together 
on February 4th and 11th. 

On January 28th the sixteen were accompanied by a 
single drake Smew (M. albellus) a bird in mature dress ; it 
remained in the district until after February 22nd, when 
I found it swimming and flying with three Goldeneyes on 
Rostherne. A  brown-headed Smew frequented Oakmere 
for about two weeks; it was seen by Captain Boyd and 
Mr. G. F. Gee on February 11th and later. 

A young drake Red-breasted Merganser (M. serrator) was 
with the Goosanders on Tatton on February 4th, and four 
brown-headed birds of the same species on Rostherne on 
February 12th. Eight of the Goosanders were on the mere 
at the same time, but as the water was in part ice-coated the 
birds were restless; the Mergansers swam and dived apart 
from the larger birds, but though we visited the meres on 
several occasions after that date we did not see them again. 

Tam informed that a drake Smew “ in almost full plumage ” 
was shot at Pilling, in Lancashire, about the middle of January. 

Goosanders are fairly regular winter visitors to the Cheshire 
meres, but they seldom remain so long, nor have they 
previously to our knowledge come in such large numbers. 
Brown-headed Smews are also not infrequent, but mature 
drakes are very uncommon. Red-breasted Mergansers are 
rare visitors to the inland waters, though not infrequent in 
the estuaries. T. A- COWARD. 


RED-NECKED GREBE IN OXFORDSHIRE. 
A RED-NECKED GREBE (Podiceps g. griseigena) was picked 
up in a dying condition in the snow near Watlington, in 
South Oxfordshire, on February r2th, 1922, and has been set 
up by Rowland Ward for the Wallingford Literary Institute. 
Mr. R. R. Hutchinson kindly furnished me with particulars 
of this occurrence. F. C. R. JOURDAIN. 


RED-NECKED AND SLAVONIAN GREBES IN 
DERBYSHIRE: 


Mr. C. B. CHAMBERS informs me that on February 3rd, 1922, 
he shot a Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus) on the 
Williamthorpe Reservoir, in north-east Derbyshire, which 
had been noticed there for a day or two previously. On 
February 5th, another Slavonian Grebe appeared on the 
same reservoir and remained there all day. 


272 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


On February 5th and 6th, a Red-necked Grebe (P. g. 
grisergena) was seen on the large pond adjoining the Duck 
decoy in Hardwick Park. It showed its disapproval of close 
inspection by a sharp scolding “chat,” repeated every four 
or five seconds. F.C. R, JouRpamime 


SLAVONIAN GREBE IN CHESHIRE. 


On February, 10th 1922, two examples of the Slavonian 
Grebe were shot by the keeper on Marbury Mere near Whit- 
church, Salop, but just over the Cheshire border. According 
to the keeper there were several more—presumably of the 
same species—on the mere. I see no recent occurrence is 
recorded in Coward’s Fauna of Cheshire. H. E. ForRREsT. 


BLACK-NECKED GREBES IN Co. DUBLIN. 


On January 8th, 1922, I saw on the estuary at Malahide 
a bird which I took to be a Slavonian Grebe (Podiceps auritus). 
However, some time later ! saw a pair of similar birds and 
identified them by the slender rather up-tilted bills and the 
markings on the sides of the face as Black-necked Grebes 
(P. n. nigricollis). My wife has seen them several times since 
up to as late as February 22nd. E.G. HOPE JOHNSTONE. 


[A sketch sent to me bears out Mr. Hope Johnstone’s 
identification —H.F.W. ] 


INLAND OCCURRENCES OF WADERS IN THE 
AUTUMN: OF xozz. 


It will be remembered that, at the suggestion of Mr. H. G. 
Alexander, those who are in the habit of watching birds at 
reservoirs and sewage-farms were invited (p. 160 antea) to 
send in their records of inland occurrences of Waders during 
the autumn of Ig21. It was suggested that the effect of the 
drought in laying bare large stretches of mud might have 
provided more attractive halting places than usual, and that 
at a time when many normal feeding resorts were dry, so 
that the migrants would tend to be more concentrated 
and observations might furnish some information as to their 
cross-country fly-lines. Perhaps the suggestion came too 
late for full advantage to be taken of a possible opportunity 
of enlarging our knowledge on this point ; be this as it may, 
the response to the invitation has proved so meagre and the 
observations recorded are so discontinuous that no conclusions 
can be drawn from them. 

Mr. C. Oldham reports that he has never, since he started 
observing at the Tring Reservoirs (Herts) in 1908, seen so 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 273 


many Waders as in this autumn and Mr. H. G. Alexander’s 

records from the Upper Bittell Reservoir (N. Worcestershire) 

all refer to species that were absent in 1920, when the reservoir 
was unusually full. Capt. A. W. Boyd on the other hand 
expresses the opinion that at the Northwich (Cheshire) Meres, 

Waders were unusually scarce in the autumn of 1921, while 

in the only other reports sent in, from the Prestbury Sewage 

Farm (E. Cheshire) by Mr. R. M. Garnett and from the 

Walthamstow Reservoirs (Essex) by Mr. W. E. Glegg, no 

comparison has been drawn. 

It only remains therefore to place on record such 
occurrences as appear to be of interest from a local faunal 
aspect and these are :—- 

THE RurF (Philomachus pugnax) —Tring Reservoirs. A male 
on August 8th and roth, two on the 14th and 18th, 
a female on September 4th and 25th, and a male on 
October oth. 

Prestbury Sewage Farm. One on June 16th and 26th, 
two females on August 7th, and a male and two 
females on August oth. 

THE CURLEW-SANDPIPER (Evolia ferruginea)—Tring Reser- 
voirs. Two on August 28th and one on September 
25th and October oth. 

Upper Bittell Reservoir. Two on September 27th and 
one on the 30th. 

THE LITTLE STINT (E. m. minutia) —Tring Reservoirs. Three 
on September 25th, two adults on October oth and 
one juvenile on October 16th. 

Upper Bittell Reservoir. Five on September 27th. 

Clifton Sewage Farm (S. Lancashire). Two on September 
5th (1. Whittaker). 

THE GREEN SANDPIPER (Tvinga ochropus) —Tring Reservoirs. 
One on August 20th, two on the 28th and one on 
September 4th. 

Walthamstow Reservoirs. One on August 20th and 27th. 

Upper Bittell Reservoir. One on August 12th and 26th. 

Northwich Meres. One on August 16th. 

Prestbury Sewage Farm. I*requently between June roth 
and November 2oth, in numbers up to five in a day. 

THE GREENSHANK (T. nebularia)—Tring Reservoirs. Two 
on August 18th, four on the 21st and one on the 28th. 

Northwich Meres. One from August 16th to 18th. 

THE BLACK-TAILED GODWIT (Limosa limosa).—Tring Reser- 
voirs. A juvenile on August 7th and an adult from 
September 25th to October 4th. 


274. BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


Records of the RINGED PLOVER (Charadrius hiaticula), 
DuNLIN (E. alpina) COMMON SANDPIPER (T. hypoleuca) 
and REDSHANK (T. totanus) have been omitted, but in 
addition Mr. H. G. Alexander reports an immature 
CORMORANT (Phalacrocorax carbo) from the Upper 
Bittell Reservoir from August 12th to 19th, a RED- 
NECKED GREBE (Podiceps griseigena) on December 2nd 
and an immature BLAck TERN (Hydrochelidon nigra) 
on August 26th. NB 


AVOCETS WASHED UP IN LANCASHIRE. 
WHILE walking along the shore between Birkdale and 
Ainsdale (Lancs) on December 11th, 1921, I found the 
remains of three Avocets (Recurvirostra avosetla) along the 
high tide line. The beaks and legs were broken in each case 
but the plumage and feet rendered them unmistakeable. 
They had evidently been washed up by the tide. Iam sending 
a pair of the wings for your inspection. F. K. Boston. 


GOLDEN ORIOLE IN WIGTOWNSHIRE.—Sir Herbert Maxwell 
records (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 132), that a friend of his repeatedly 
heard singing and eventually saw a Golden Oriole (Oviolus 
o. ortolus) in a plantation of young Scots pine and birch near 
Monreith, in June 1921. The bird was evidently a male, and 
there was no evidence of its having a mate. 

REPORTED PIED FLYCATCHER IN CO. MAayo.—Mr. J. Flinn 
of Tully Lodge, Louisburgh, reports (Field, Dec. 10, 1921, 
p. 758) that he captured a “female” Muscicapa hypoleuca 
fluttering against a window of his house about midnight on 
November 23rd, 1921. The bird was identified by reference 
to Howard Saunders’s Manual and released next morning. 
As Mr. Flinn observes, the date is extraordinarily late. Only 
fourteen occurrences of the bird in Ireland have been noted. 

GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS NESTING IN ARGYLLSHIRE 
AND PERTHSHIRE.—With reference to the notes already 
published on the nesting of Dryobates major in Argyllshire 
(see Vol. XIV., pp. 62-63), it is interesting to note that 
Mr. J. H. P. Leschallas records (Scot. Nat. 1921, p. 154) the 
bird as nesting in Ig21 in Glenfinart, Ardentinny (two nests 
found and possibly two other pairs) and at Castle Lachlan, 
Strachur, Loch Fyne (one nest seen with young). Mr. M. R. 
Tomlinson, on the same page of our contemporary, records 
finding a nest with young in 1921 1n a wood in the Trossachs. 

GREEN SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX IN WINTER.—Mr. Charles G. 
Young writes that he put up a Tvinga ochropus from a stream 
on the Crowhurst Marshes on February 11th, 1922. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 275 


THE INDIGENOUS SCOTTISH CAPERCAILLIE.—It has long been 
doubtful if a single specimen exists of the original Capercaillie 
of Scotland. Mr. H. S. Gladstone, in a careful paper (Scot. 
Nat., 1921, pp. 169-177) now brings forward good evidence 
to show that the male from the Allan Museum now in the 
Hancock Museum, Newcastle-on-Tyne, was in fact shot in 
Scotland. The bird originally belonged to Marmaduke 
Tunstall (1743-90) and was bought with the rest of the 
collection by his friend George Allan. In an Appendix to 
Fox’s catalogue of the collection Mr. Gladstone finds an 
extract from a MS. volume by Allan in which it is stated 
that this bird “was shot in Scotland.” As to the pair of 
Capercaillie from the Pennant collection in the British Museum 
(see British Birds, VI1., p. 3), Mr. Gladstone considers that 
there is no evidence that they came from Scotland. 


REVIEW. 


A Synopsis of the Accipitres (Diurnal Birds of Prey). 2nd 

edition. By H. KirkeSwann. Parts I. and II. (Wheldon 

& Wesley). 6s. per part. 
Tuis is a second revised edition of Mr. Swann’s useful Synopszs, 
the first edition of which, entitled A Synoptical List of the 
Accipitres, was completed in March 1920 and noticed in our 
pages. The plan of the work is the very practical one adopted 
in the first edition, but the author has made many emenda- 
tions and additions. The question of the East European 
form of the Common Buzzard is a difficult one, but we do not 
think that Mr. Swann overcomes it by treating the bird as 
of a different species to the Common Buzzard (p. 73), as was 
originally suggested by Domaniewski and Grassmann. In his 
first edition Mr. Swann claimed that six of the British speci- 
mens in the British Museum were of this form or species as he 
now Calls it, and if this were really so, about one-third of all 
west European examples of Common Buzzards would have 
to be considered as “ Buteo vulpinus intermedius.” The 
truth is we think that this is merely a rufous type of the 
Buzzard fairly common in western Europe but dominant in 
eastern Europe, much as the grey type of Tawny Owl is 
common on the Continent but very rare here. Mr. Swann 
quotes Colonel Meiklejohn as stating that the two “ forms ”’ 
of Buzzard nest together in Esthonia, but do not interbreed. 
We should be interested to have the evidence on which the 
statement we have italicized is based. All those specially 
interested in the “‘ Hawks” of the world should provide 
themselves with a copy of Mr. Swann’s Synopsis —H.F.W. 


oS : 
H) A 


LETTERS sf 


THE SHARE OF MALE MERLIN IN FEEDING THE YOUNG- 
To the Editors of BritisH Brrps. 


Sirs,—I notice that Mr. Rowan, in his article on the Breeding-Habits 
of the Merlin (antea, p. 230), quotes me as stating that the cock 
Merlin feeds the young. That it does so sometimes is quite true. 
The accompanying photograph taken on my estate in 1916 by Mr. 
Oliver Pike proves this. I do not thinkit is possible to prove that the 
cock does not take its share in feeding the young ones in every case, 


that is to say, by nature. The photographer who makes his observa- 
tions from a ‘‘ hide’’ close by is apt to upset the balance of nature. 
The hen, being the more courageous, would be more likely to feed her 
young in the presence of the intruder, while the cock would perhaps 
desist from acting as he would do in the ordinary way. 

That the cock does most of the hunting and the hen most of the 
feeding is obvious supposition, but here is a case of a cock feeding 
and I have many times seen the hen hunting at some distance from 
the nest—that is usual, of course. The hen, however, does not go 


hunting, I believe, until the young are of an age to feed for themselves. 
E. RICHMOND PATON. 


' leet a > 
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ay 


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Pe haley Dn le 


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CONTENTS OF NUMBER 12, VOL. XV., May I, 1922. 


—_——-—— PAGE 
Ornithological Notes from Norfolk for 1921, 28th Annual Report. 
IBA le Lele (Guarana yA oc ie Lge ae ah se 278 
Notes :— 

Reed-Buntings locking in Spring (Charles G. Young) eat 293 

Some Breeding-habits of the Common Wren (A. H. Machell i 
Cox) ne ve <<; = s: ae Le * 203 

Some Winter Visitors to Great Yarmouth, 1921-22 (E. C. 
Saunders) 5 os Ne a: o% ae ae 295 

Red-breasted Merganser and Bewick’s Swan near Manchester 
(Capt. A. W. Boyd) als i ae de Be Be 296 

Red-necked and Slavonian Grebes in Hertfordshire (Chas. 
Oldham) .. a i He a Ww. ie bie 296 

Short Notes :— 

Black Redstart in Somerset. Hoopoe in Aberdeenshire. 
Wryneck in Midlothian. Little Owl in Northumberland. 
Iceland Falcon at Sule Skerry. Pink-footed Geese in 
North Uist. “Great Snipe in Ayrshire. Common Tern in 
Scotland in Winter $8 a sc ae oo Te 207 

Letters :-— 

Velocity of Flight among Birds (Dr. B. B. Riviere) .. = 208 

Observations on Song-Periods (J. P. Burkitt) .. oe eS 209 

Status of the Surf-Scoter in Orkney (H. W. Robinson) .. 209 


The Races of Eider-Ducks (H. W. Robinson and Mrs. A. C. 
Meinertzhagen) .. os He oe oe ig se 300 


B 2 


( 278°} 


ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM NORFOLK 
FOR 1921. 


28TH ANNUAL REPORT. 
BY 
EE GUIKINE Ye aie zs: 
(Assisted by Members of the Norwich Naturalists’ Society.) 


In presenting my Norfolk Report for 1921, I wish to thank 
correspondents in different parts of the county, without 
whose co-operation these annual notes could not be carried on. 

The Spring Migration —Nothing very particular to remark 
except that Mr. Bird drew the attention of the Naturalists’ 
Society to the fact that the Thrush and other familiar birds 
broke into song a good deal sooner than usual. April and 
May were uncommonly dry months, and rather birdless, the 
Chiffchaff was reported on March 19th, and a Wheatear on 
the 22nd (S. H. Long). It was inthis month that the spring 
emigration of Waxwings took place, and this agrees with 
observations made by Mr. Coopman in Belgium, where on 
the 7th of March a troop of two hundred and fifty were seen at 
Sart (Le Gerfaut, 1921, fas. 1i., p. 46), working their way to 
breeding quarters. 

SUMMER NOTES. 


The Drought —The year 1921, with its miserable rainfall of ° 
only 15°81 (E. Knight), was one of the dryest on record, and 
naturally the drought had a great effect upon all animal life 
trom rats upwards, some instances of which will be referred 
to under the birds which suffered. Game, of course, felt the 
lack of moisture in some of the dry parts of West Norfolk, 
and especially in the district of Thetford, where many young 
Partridges and Pheasants succumbed. In Mr. Bird’s parish 
Partridges were seen trying to force their way through 
wire netting in order to quench their thirst at a pond 
on the other side, for there was no dew available, other 
cases in point might be cited, some were indeed brought 
forward at a meeting of the Naturalists’ Society. On July 
17th Dr. Long saw a family party of four thirsty Green 
Woodpeckers come down to the edge of Langmere to 
drink. Insects of all kinds abounded—on June 22nd and 
24th the Elephant. Hawk-Moth had emerged, and tens of 
thousands of Cockchafers. On the former date a large bird 
was seen near Keswick all through that sultry evening 
hawking the Cockchafers among the oak trees, it is believed 


VOL. XV.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 279 


to have been a Hobby, but as its identification was not 
certain, it is omitted from the classified notes. 

As for agriculture, our farmers were almost in despair 
when they looked at the rootless fields, and at their wretched 
crops of barley, but the wheat being deeper-rooted was better, 
some of it yielding fourteen coombs to the acre at Keswick, 
and eighteen at Hethel. 

The Autumn Migration--The autumn _ provided its 
customary arrivals of Rooks, Jackdaws and Starlings (these 
were seen at Cromer Knoll Lt.-v.), and there was a particularly 
strong movement of Skylarks on October 25th. Of all the 
multitude of birds which make for Noriolk and Suffolk during 
the migratory month of October, the Skylark is the most 
numerous, and next comes the Starling, but what to put 
third it would be hard to say. The question may be asked 
where do these huge armies of Skylarks come from ? Probably 
they collect from the plains of Germany and Poland, but 
England can not be the ultimate destination of all of them. 
This great Skylark invasion was not observed in Lincolnshire 
by Mr. Caton Haigh; on the other hand, he registered an 
immense passage of Starlings on October 6th and 7th, two 
very warm days, which does not appear to have had any 
counterpart on our coast. Skylarks are sometimes spoken 
of as being day migrants, but observations taken at our 
east coast lightships by no means point to their being 
exclusively so. Long ago my father’s colleague, W. R. 
Fisher, repeatedly detected their arrival at a very early hour 
in the morning (see Zoologist, 1846, p. 1387), proving that 
they had been in flight during a part of the night. Not only 
this, but various later observations made by Mr. Patterson, 
and others who live on the coast confirm Fisher’s views. 
Another point is that when these Skylarks come, their flocks 
are often scattered over a very large front, and it is the same 
with Rooks, Starlings, Chaffinches and other October migrants, 
which are nearly always widely spread throughout a consider- 
able area, although there may be intervals where few or 
none make land. The theory of fixed lines of migration 
across certain parts of the North Sea, which some have thought 
they could discover, must therefore not be too strongly 
insisted upon, at any rate Norfolk and Suffolk observations 
fail to confirm any such lines of travel during the annual 
autumn movement. 

It may be observed that while the Larks travel at a steady 
pace they do not seem to hurry themselves. If they fly at 
twenty-five miles an hour (which is Clarke’s estimate), they 


280 | BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. xv. 


would cross from Holland to Norfolk in rather less than 
five hours provided a change in the wind did not cause a 
deviation of direction. 

PASSAGE OF GuLis. Larus argentatus, L. marinus, L. 
fuscus.—Every autumn since I was a boy, and probably for 
centuries before that, as October came round, so did the 
annually recurring passage of Gulls attract attention on the 
rounded coast of Norfolk. Again and again have I heard 
visitors to Cromer ask where they were going, and why they 
all went the same way. At length their mysterious move- 
ments attracted the attention of Dr. B. B. Riviere, in whom 
their journeyings have at last found a capable exponent.* 

In the first place Dr. Riviere finds that, although the Gulls 
travel westward against the wind during a considerable 
part of the day, there is a return movement, which, com- 
mencing very early in the morning (even before daylight) 
has been overlooked. 

It is true 1t is a movement in much smaller numbers than 
the westerly flight, but its direction is distinctly eastward, 
and it would seem to begin during the night. Dr. Riviere, 
who has practically proved this by going to the shore at a 
very early hour, 7.e. before sunrise—holds that this return 
movement is accounted for by a very large exodus of Gulls 
trom the extensive mudflats at Morston and Stiffkey where 
they are known to spend the night, and many probably .- 
come from Wells. With the assistance of Lt.-Com. Hamond, 
R.N., who is attached to the North Sea Fishing-Fleet, and 
who has often worked round the Dogger Bank and down the 
Norfolk coast, Dr. Riviere has established another point, 
viz. :—that the passages of Gulls off Yarmouth, Winterton, 
Cromer and Blakeney coincide with the duration of the 
herring fishery season, and from the same source he learns 
that Gulls attend the fleet on the fishing grounds in enormous 
numbers. As regards any attempt to count them, that is 
difficult, for when they pass Cromer or Cley they seem to 
go on in an almost unending sequence. I have tried to guess 
at their numbers by reckoning so many flocks per minute, 
and once stood on the shore at Overstrand doing so for two 
weary hours. Dr. Riviere has attempted the same method, 
and has arrived at totals of between fifteen and twenty 
thousand, indeed on one occasion, he and Mr. A. F. Sherlock 
obtained the astounding total of 72,000 Gulls! This was 
their considered estimate of a passage which took place at 


* See Norwich Naturalists’ Trans., Vol. XI., pp. 104-127. 


VOL. XV.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 281 


sea off Palling, on October 13th, 1913, and Dr. Riviere points 
out that it coincided precisely with a record catch of herrings. 
According to my journal the day was fine at Keswick, with 
little or no wind. 

Effect on the Gulls of the Failure of the Herring Season.— 
It was to be expected that the fact of the 1921 herring season 
(October and November) having been one of the worst on 
record, the number of Gulls would diminish, and with a 
view of ascertaining whether this was the case, I put myself 
in communication with Lt.-Com. Hamond, who writes as 
follows :—‘‘ The chief point I noticed in October (1921) was 
the unusual scarcity of Gulls at sea with the (herring) boats. 
There was a normal supply in the end of September and early 
October with the boats working off the Humber, that is 
50-200 Gulls following each drifter which had any fish on 
board. However, there was a great scarcity of Gulls among 
the fleets (of trawlers) working east of Yarmouth and 
Lowestoft in mid-October, I imagine owing to the heavy 
amlsrobe fishes) | os ce Bh: 2 

Lt.-Com. Hamond adds that it was the 18th of October 
when the first big haul of herrings was made off the Norfolk 
coast, at which time he was among the trawlers, and was 
much surprised at the lack of Gulls, except Kittiwakes. 


WINTER NOTES. 


Sea-birds in Norwich.--Two rivers empty themselves into 
Breydon Broad, one of which, the Yare, joins the Wensum 
just below Norwich. One would not think that the dirty 
Wensum, which winds its narrow course through the City, 
could have much attraction for birds, nevertheless the Little 
Gull has been shot there, and at the close of December, 1921, 
this polluted stream was frequented by a Red-throated Diver 
(species identified by Mr. Clarke) whose place was taken after 
an interval of a few days by a Shag, and subsequently by 
two more Shags, one of which had been picked up in a garden 
and thrown into the river by a friendly hand. Dirty as is the 
water and closely lined with houses, it nevertheless contains 
eels and some small fish, and that these were the attraction 
which drew the sea-birds there can be little doubt, but how 
they knew they were there is a mystery only to be explained 
by supposing that birds possess a food-finding sense unknown 
to human beings. 

Apart from these sea-birds the winter was uneventful, 
except that between November gth and December 31st, 
about twenty Little Auks were picked up, mostly within a 


282 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


few miles of the sea, or on the shore, but these waifs have 
become too common to excite much curiosity. 


CLASSIFIED NOTES. 
Rook (Corvus f. frugilegus). 

Rooks eating dead Rabbits and Potatoes—On May 5th | 
was surprised to see some Rooks feeding on two half-grown 
Rabbits which they had found dead, and on July 29th the 
hungry birds were again consuming quite a large Rabbit at 
the same place. No doubt they were hard put to it, for their 
beaks could make no impression on the earth ; the surface- 
worms were all dead, so that they had not this, their natural 
food, to feed on, wire-worms and grubs of all kind being equally 
scarce. Besides being carnivorous during this exceptionally 
dry year, the Rooks took a liberal toll of field-grown potatoes, 
not getting much for their pains however, for most of them 
were little bigger than walnuts for want of rain. 

Migration—In October migratory Rooks came _ over, 
though I heard of none being washed up, and there was no 
particular inrush, but this was far from being the case in 
North Lincolnshire where Mr. Caton Haigh watched the 
greatest and most continuous flight he had ever seen on 
November 4th. The Rooks were going north-west, and so 
were sundry little parties which I saw at Keswick on the | 
same day, all flying against the wind, which was not strong. 


GOLDEN ORIOLE (Ovrolus oriolus). 


About the 1st of May a cock Oriole, a species which has not 
to my knowledge visited the county since 1909, was reported 
to be at West Winch and Runcton. Again on the 28th the 
loud and unmistakable flute call was recognised at Calthorpe 
by Mr. Robert Gurney, and on two subsequent days it was 
heard, but the bird was not seen. 


SKYLARK (Alauda a. arvensis). 


A Great Auiumn Migration—On Tuesday, October 25th, 
Dr. Long observed numbers of Larks flying west over Norwich, 
and on the same day the immigration of this abundant species 
reached its maximum at Southwold, where Mr. Doughty, 
who was sea-fishing, notes that they were coming over all day, 
while at Yarmouth, Mr. Patterson and Mr. Dye reported 
“ extraordinarily large numbers,”’ the latter adding that they 
were “ flying close to the water to avoid the pressure of the 
wind, which was westerly.’’ This assumption has been made 
before, and not unnaturally, but if it be the right one, why do 


VOL. XV.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 283 


Skylarks still hug the waves when there is no wind ?* How 
far the migration extended I am unable to say, for ought 
we know it may have been many miles, and possibly was 
going on most of the night. My correspondent, Mr. Vincent, 
who keeps a daily journal, assures me that at Horsey, which 


/ @ Force of Wind.3 
0 2 


o 


ge 
Te 


(Weather 
cloud 


DIRECTION OF THE WIND ON OCTOBER 25TH. 


lies north of Yarmouth, their numbers were “ simply wonder- 
ful,’ and probably they were equally abundant over the 
intervening eleven miles. But Larks were by no means the 
only birds passing on that memorable day, yet I gather that 
no other species approached them in numbers. Mr. Vincent 
had entered the wind in his diary as “a light breeze from the 


* See Studies in Bird Migration, II., p. 14. 


284. BRITISH BIRDS. [ VOL. Xv. 


S.W.,”” while the Meteorological Office gave it as ‘‘ West 
force 2”’ (that is, a velocity of about twelve miles an hour) 
and the same on the Dutch coast. The Larks were therefore 
flying against the wind, but this can be better seen by a 
reference to the map, diurnal autumn migrants of whatever 
species seem to prefer a westerly wind, seldom arriving by 
day in the Cromer district with anything else.* 

Skylarks destructive to Wheat—It is well known that 
Skylarks keep down many weeds, but there are times when 
they are doing the hard-pressed farmer damage. It cannot 
be denied that these birds were destructive to a field of young 
wheat at Keswick at the end of October (20th to 31st, just 
when the migrants were pouring in) ; the damage being caused 
by their eating, or biting off, the growing blade. It was the 
grain that they were after evidently, but my bailiff, who knew 
their habits, found that if they could not get down to it, 
they would snap off the blade, which in most cases is enough 
to prevent the grain sprouting again. More than once he 
discovered that the Larks, not to be beaten, had sucked out 
the germ or pulp of the grain, without actually uprooting 
it, the drilling having been too deep for them. 


GREY WactTaAIL (Motacilla c. cinerea.) 


On April 30th, Mrs. Smith of Ellingham, remarked a pair _ 
ot Grey Wagtails at the lock on the Waveney, a spot where 
nidification had been previously suspected by Dr. Ticehurst, 
and saw them carrying moss to a nest in the woodwork. 
Untortunately all did not go well, for they were worried by 
a pair of Pied Wagtails, and their nest was forsaken when 
only half completed. Up to the present this species has not 
been known to have bred in Norfolk, although black-throated 
males have been sometimes seen. As an autumn visitor it . 
is fairly common, but it was somewhat remarkable to hear of 
a couple in the middle of Norwich on September 30th and 
December 28th (Long). 


NuTHATCH (Sitta europea britannica.) 


I am seldom without these amusing birds in one of my 
“boxes,” and this year a pair hatched their full clutch of 
eggs and reared nine young ones, the largest family we have 
ever had. Why the unfortunates at the bottom were not 
suffocated passes my comprehension, as it was they survived, 


* In this connection the chart of twenty-five consecutive Octobers, 
nearly all spent on the Norfolk coast, by Dr. F. D. Power, is well 
worth consulting. 


VOL. XV.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 285 


and all got away safely on May 26th. Besides being a skilful 
mason, the Nuthatch has other good qualities, he is a very 
provident bird, never oblivious of the future ; nuts placed 
upon a window-sill he declines to eat in our presence, but will 
always carry them away to hide or bury. One effect of this 
procedure is that a neighbour of mine occasionally finds self- 
sown hazels growing up in rather odd places, the nuts having 
been long since forgotten by the bird that concealed them. 
Nuthatches also have a very frequent habit of inserting 
seeds of the common laurel into the interstices of oak bark, 
the habit is analagous to the wedging of acorns by a Californian 
Woodpecker Melanerpes formicarius. 
BEARDED TITMOUSE (Panurus b. biarmicus). 

These pretty reedlings keep up their numbers, but it is 
entirely owing to protection that they do so. Under date of 
March 1st, Mr. Farman writes of there being quite a good 
many in certain places on the Waveney, and on the 31st 
of that month nests were found in another locality already 
containing six and three eggs. 

WAXwING (Bombycilla garrulus). 

Double Migration of the Waxwing—On February 3rd, 
Mr. B. Dye announced three Waxwings at Hemsby, while 
in March there was a spring emigration of these birds, 
which were now on their return to Europe after wintering 
in England. At the beginning of November, a fresh immigra- 
tion set in from the Continent—the strongest since 1913-14— 
the tired travellers arriving singly (Vincent) or in flocks up 
to fourteen (Barclay). Their hunt for berries soon led them 
into gardens where their tameness indicated hunger, and 
one or two were presently picked up dead. At Gorleston, 
Mr. Doughty tells me some resorted to a solitary thorn bush 
which grows in the High Street, and remained there several 
days unmolested, while five are noted by Mr. Dye in the 
garden of the Workhouse at Yarmouth, and four in the 
allotment gardens. On the whole, people were content to 
watch and not destroy them. Mr. Caton Haigh reports 
small flocks in several places in Lincolnshire. 


Woop-WaARBLER (Phviloscopus s. sibilatrix). 

The status of the Wood-Warbler in Norfolk has not been 
properly determined, either it is very rare or it is overlooked. 
Mr. Tracey meets with it near Lynn, and it has been found at 
Harling ; on May 21st he knew of a nest with five eggs at 
Castle Rising, which hatched on June 4th. Towards the end 


286 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV= 


of July the same pair of Warblers again nested within five 
yards of the first site, and young were hatched, but 
unfortunately fell victims to a weasel. Stevenson seems 
not to have considered this species uncommon. 


ICTERINE WARBLER (Hippolats icterina). 

On August 2oth, a Warbler in a hedge at Cromer was 
identified by Mrs. Watham as of this species. Although this 
cannot be accepted with certainty, there is no doubt about 
another obtained on September 5th by Mr. Arnold (Wind N.W. 
-N.E.). Accepting the Cromer occurrence, the number for 
Norfolk now stands at nine. No Red-breasted Flycatchers 
or Yellow-browed Warblers were seen this year, but one of 
the latter was obtained in Lincolnshire by Mr. Haigh. 


SWALLOW (Hirundo r. rustica). 

On March 25th, two Swallows were resting on the telegraph 
wires at Bacton, which is by the sea, where they were identified 
by Mr. John Moore, this being the earliest spring record for 
the county. But although they came before their time the 
subsequent supply was exceedingly small, which led to many 
conjectures as to the reason of their scarcity, the more so 
as Martins (Chelidon u. urbica) were nearly up to their usual 
level. 


GREATER SPOTTED WOODPECKER (Dryobates major anglicus). 

In a former volume (B.B., [X., p. 250), Mr. Syers recorded 
the unusual circumstance oft a Woodpecker coming to feed at 
a “ bird-table ’’ and the same thing occurred here at a neigh- 
bour’s house in December, when such a brilliant visitor 
afforded much pleasure to everybody except the Nuthatches 
for whom the provender was intended. 


LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER (D. minor). 
One at Keswick on January 1gth identified as it flew out of 
a small plantation; during this month Woodpeckers, both 
D. minor and Picus viridis, 1 believe—were feeding on the 
grubs of Tetropium gabrieli (TYhouless). The spring rattle 
of D. minor comminutus is quite as loud as that of D. m. 
anglicus. 


GREEN WOODPECKER (Picus viridis). 


Chirping of the young—To Mr. Owen’s excellent notes 
(B.B., XV., p. 61) I should like to add a very few remarks. 


VOL Xv.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NO'TES. 287 


On June 29th from a hole at Northrepps, excavated at a 
height of only three feet and a half, and full of young ones, 
there proceeded a continuous and not unmusical chirping, 
rather difficult to describe. This singular chant increases 
with the growth of the nestlings, and is loudest when they are 
almost ready to fly, but as it is audible fifty yards away it 
must often lead to detection. This nest was in a birch tree 
but a second found on July 14th was in an oak, which later 
snapped off in a gale. As in dividing it disclosed the Wood- 
pecker’s hole, I took some measurements :— 


Entrance (round) ae ie .. 44 inches 
RS (diameter) .. a ors a aes 
Depth of shaft .. Re a ee vas Ore ee 
Width ,, _,, oes Mii io Ieee oe 
eee lower a eg Se 
Shapes ee a8 by 3 ak .. nearly cylindrical 
Nest hole Bs > Xe «s Quite, clean. 


The heart of the tree was not sound, which was probably 
known to the Woodpeckers before they began to hew. 
Although the chips at the foot of the tree are the best means 
of discovering a nest, they do not always mean that the hole 
is tenanted, for Woodpeckers have a habit of sometimes 
making several excavations before the downward shaft is 
finally begun. 


BaRN-OWL (Tyto a. alba). 

Owls preying upon Moles ——Owing to the drought in June 
and July, the two driest months of the year, moles had to 
die or to come above ground, and many must have perished, 
for they could neither feed nor burrow. One result of this 
was that Owls began to prey upon them. Now a mole is not 
greatly to the taste of a Barn-Owl, nor indeed of any bird of 
prey, however, they had to eat them in default of field-mice, 
rejecting the indigestible parts of course. On July 29th the 
dried-up remains of no less than nine moles were lying under 
one Barn-Owl’s “ tub,”’ besides another at a little distance, 
which had been dropped in the night. Not very long before 
this testimony to the Barn-Owl’s utility was being displayed 
—namely on March 11th—fourteen dead Barn-Owls were to 
be seen suspended with other “ vermin ”’ on an estate not very 
farfromhere. I didnot see them but have it on unimpeachable 
authority. Expostulations were at once made, and I hope 
there is an end to such mistaken persecution. 


288 BRITISH BIRDS. [voL. Xv. 


SHORT-EARED OWL (Asio flammeus). 


Nidification—-The nest of this Owl is little more than a 
depression, merely a few bents of Carex or Juncus, and by 
no means wide, the measurement of six inches by five being 
just large enough to accommodate its large complement of 
eggs. On May 28th one of my correspondents who had been 
watching a pair, found their abode containing one fledgling 
which the hen was brooding, while at a little distance were 
two more. The next day my friend, happening to be near 
the nest again, was witness to a novel incident, as the male 
Owl was settling and rising, a hen Pheasant which no doubt 
had young ones not far off, attacked him, charging full tilt 
and plucking out some feathers, whereupon the Owl retired 
discomfited. Mr. Bird has reason to believe that a second 
pair bred in the same locality. 


ROUGH-LEGGED BUZZARD (Buieo lagopus). 


Only two reported, and no Common Buzzards nor were 
there any Honey-Buzzards in September to arouse the 
wrath of our zealous gamekeepers. 


SPOONBILL (Platalea 1. leucorodia). 


The Protection afforded to Spoonbills—A Spoonbill put in 
an appearance on Breydon Broad, on June 5th (S.E.4), and 
was joined by another on the 13th (N.N.W°3), and these 
proved to be the only ones this year, which was perhaps one 
effect of the drought. The Watcher employed by the 
Breydon Wild-Birds Protection Society was on duty from 
March 31st to August 17th, and no doubt saved the lives of 
these and other birds from roving gunners who do not respect 
the law. Therehad already been, as | learn from Mr. Clifford 
Borrer, a party of six Spoonbills at the end of May on 
Salthouse Broad, where they stayed a week or so, and on 
June 7th, another turned up. Owing to breaches in the 
sea-wall, this Broad, which was drained, has now almost 
returned to its original condition, all the marshes being under 
water, which ought to prove a great attraction to birds. 

Dr. Long learns from one-of his correspondents that the 
Spoonbills at Naardermeer did exceptionally well in 1921, 
and also that for the first time a pair hatched off on Texel 
Island. 


GREY LaAG-GOoOsE (Anser anser). 


Two seen with a White-fronted Goose on October 23rd 
on Tompson Lake by Dr. Long. 


VOL. XV. ] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 289 


BRENT GOOsE (Branta bernicla). 


One picked up at Northrepps, in December, is dark-breasted 
(Davy), but the validity of this form is not allowed in the 
Practical Handbook of British Birds IT., p. 255. 


GARGANEY (Anas querquedula). 


First seen on March roth, and on May 7th there was a 
clutch of eggs on one of the Broads, while later a nest was 
reported on Tompson Water, and Dr. Long heard of another 
at Hargham. If the weather be open the peculiar “ crick ”’ 
of the Garganey is to be heard very early in the year. 


PocHARD (Nyvroca ferina). 
Miss Turner, writing on December 8th, speaks of there 
being quite a crowd of Pochards at Hickling, where, on the 


17th, Mr. Montagu shot a hybrid, believed to be a cross between 
this species and the Tufted Duck. 


EIDER Duck (Somateria m. mollissima). 


During the latter part of September, a male in change 
was seen off Blakeney by Dr. Long. 


GANNET (Sula bassana). 


During the latter part of the Yarmouth herring-fishery 
season, several Gannets were washed ashore, poor starving 
birds, some of them with pieces of net twisted round their 
necks. Miss Ferrier counted six on the beach at Hemsby, and 
Mr. Doughty as many as nine at Gorleston, besides remarking 
great numbers of moulted feathers on the sand. One Gannet 
was seen to snatch a piece of liver before the ravenous Gulls, 
to which the skipper of the trawler had thrown the morsel, 
could get it (Matthews). 

They are a great nuisance to the fishermen, who, when they 
get a bad entanglement, do not scruple to use the knife and 
sever a wing or two, rather than waste time over a lengthy 
liberation.. 


FORK-TAILED PETREL (Oceanodroma leucorrhoa). 


One picked up at Norwich near the river, October 15th 
(Gunn), and another found on November 7th, at South 
Walsham (Sir Bartle Frere). No Storm-Petrels have been 
reported. 


FULMAR (Fulmarus glacialis). 


The year never passes without one or two Fulmars being 
washed up. A couple were found at Corton by Mr. Cook 


290 BRITISH BIRDS. | VoL. XV. 


on November 13th and roth, and two more at Hemsby by 
Miss Ferrier about the same time, as well as one at Blakeney, 
while a sixth was seen at sea (Matthews). Subsequently 
(January 1922) four more were thrown up at Blakeney and 
discovered by the Watcher at high tide mark. It must have 
been starvation which accounted for so many corpses, unless 
they were thrown out of herring-nets by the “ drifters.” 


BLACK-NECKED GREBE (Podiceps n. migricollis). 


On May 7th one turned up on the Broads and remained a 
few days but I did not succeed in getting a view of it, and 
about the same time a Grebe which answered to the description 
of this species was seen by Mr. Buxton on Hoveton Broad. 


GREAT CRESTED GREBE (Podiceps c. cristatus). 


At a recent meeting of the Naturalists’ Society, the Rev. 
Morris Bird reported two nests on February 21st. This early 
nidification he attributed to the drought, and to the same 
cause was probably due the death of some Grebes in April, 
which had been partaking too treely of some aquatic vegetable 
matter (? Potamogeion) with the result that a hard ball was 
formed in the gizzard, which would not pass (J. Vincent). 


Woop-PIGEON (Columba p. palumbus). 


December was marked as usual by large arrivals of Wood- 
Pigeons, which some think come from Scotland, some from 
abroad. Anyhow, not content with their legitimate food of 
acorns, they presently attacked the sainfoin. As this was the 
only kind of hay which had withstood the long drought, and 
of that there was not much, their depredations were most 
unwelcome. Pigeons are not easy birds to shoot, even with 
decoys, but at Witchingham, where special artifices have been 
employed and where the woods are large, the following bags 
were made—130, I15, 105, 80, 60, which to one gun must be 
almost a record for the county. 


GOLDEN PLOVER (Charadrius apricarius). 


Several times flocks of 100 and 200 were seen passing over 
Norwich in the early morning by Mr. W. G. Clarke, and I 
hear from Sir Digby Pigott of a congregation of very unusual 
dimensions which settled in a field at Langham in November, 
several hundreds at least, but they were unapproachable. 


RurFr (Philomachus pugnax). 


Reeves arrived in the usual district on April 4th and on 
May 8th two males with frills were to be seen, but on going 


VOL. XV.] ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 291 


to the same spot with Colonel Cooper on the roth they 
had gone, so they would only have been on passage. Dr. 
Long believes that no eggs were laid on any of the Broads 
_or marshes. 


Woop-SANDPIPER (Tvinga glareola). 
This Sandpiper was noticed both on its spring and autumn 


passage. On the former it seems to prefer the larger Broads ; 
on the latter the sea coast. 


SANDWICH TERN (Sterna s. sandvicensis). 


Nidification—On May 2oth the Naturalists’ Society was 
invited to meet Professor Oliver at the Nature Reserve, 
Blakeney Point. There was a large attendance of members 
and their friends, who inspected such local rarities as the 
Oyster Plant, Suaeda fructicosa, etc., and a Sandwich Tern’s 
nest containing one egg. I did not see the nest, but learn 
from Mr. Clifford Borrer that it was a mere scrape in the 
sand, fortunately high enough on the ridge to escape the 
high tides, which have so often been destructive to this Tern 
settlement. If flying about with a fish in its mouth is a proof 
of having young ones, this fine Tern bred here long ago 


(Zoologist, 1896, p. 174). ‘ 


LARID#. 


Starving Sea-Gulls —The principal passage of Gulls, Larus 
argentatus, L. marinus and L. fuscus, which, as has been 
shown, is so intimately connected with the success or failure 
of the herring fishery, was registered by Mr. Cole as taking 
place this year at Cromer on October 18th, tgth and 2rst. 
Many of the Black-backs and Herring-Gulls following the 
herring “ drifters ’’ for what they could get, appear to have 
been ravenous with hunger ; Mr. Harrison Matthews, who was 
at sea on a trawler, describes the extraordinary scrambles 
for fish refuse thrown overboard from time to time. 


KITTIWAKE (Kissa tridactyla). 

In course of conversation Mr. Matthews was told by the 
skipper of the “ Agnes Mutten ” that he had seen “a pure 
white Kitty.’’ Neither the date nor the exact locality are 
obtainable, but this was in all probability the bird already 
recorded by Mr. Jourdain (B.B., XV., p.214). Fifty per cent 
of the Gulls which followed the trawlers were of this species, 
and that after Christmas when most of them ought to have 
left for the south. 


292 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


GREAT SKUA (Stercorarius s. skua). 


On September 22nd a Great Skua was seen by Mr. A. H. 
Macpherson to attack a Black-headed Gull at Cley, which 
after rising to a considerable height disgorged its food into. 
the sea, where the Skua quickly followed it. There has been 
a good deal of confusion about this bird, and some of the 
Norfolk records—e.g., Cromer, July 1872—-are hardly to be 
trusted. 


BLAcK GROUSE (Lyrurus tetrix). 


Two handsome hybrids between this species and the 
Pheasant were shot, as I learn from Mr. H. S. Gladstone, at 
Hunstanton Hall in November, the Grey-hen parent having 
been the produce of some imported eggs. As far back as 1866 
Stevenson mentions Black Grouse as being occasionally shot 
on this estate, and both here and at Sandringham there is 
ground which is not unsuited to their habits, yet it would 
be too much to believe that any descendants of the native 
race still exist. 


REED-BUNTINGS FLOCKING IN SPRING. 


WITH reference to the note on the spring flocking of Reed- 
Buntings (Emberiza s. schoemclus) (antea, p. 269) I came 
across a flock of seven or eight to-day, April 4th, near Bexhill, 
Sussex. There were two females in the party and all were 
in very bright plumage. CHARLES G. YOUNG. 


SOME BREEDING-HABITS OF THE COMMON WREN. 


WITH reference to Mr. Leslie Smith’s note (antea, p. 209), on 
the postponed laying of the Common Wren (Tvoglodytes t. 
troglodytes), | have been rather surprised that it has not called 
forth the record of similar experiences. As regards eccen- 
tricities none of our common species is worthier of close 
observation than the Wren. For many years past I have 
remarked that instances of postponed laying are not at all 
unusual. I have just looked up my notes of two such 
occurrences ; in both I can vouch for the fact that the nest 
was not an old one of the previous year (for they were built 
on my own premises where every yard is subjected to constant 
scrutiny), but one nest was complete but for the feathered 
lining more than seven weeks before eggs were laid, and the 
other at least five weeks. Always, however, in my experience, 
the addition of the feathered lining is immediately followed 
by the laying of the eggs. Incubation frequently lasts a full 
sixteen days, and the fledging occupies from fourteen to 
seventeen days or longer, the young birds being ready to 
leave the nest earlier on disturbance. At least twice I have 
known a nest, which has been robbed after incubation has 
begun, to be used after an interval for a second attempt. In 
fact the hability of Wrens to desert capriciously has been 
greatly exaggerated. No bird is more preoccupied while 
building and more indifferent to observation; I have set 
up a camera in full view within a few feet without interrupting 
operations. But as the nest approaches completion it is, [ 
think, rather a different matter, and far the greatest number 
of “‘ desertions ”’ take place at this stage; though as I have 
indicated some are not permanently deserted, while many are 
from the first experimental. When once the first egg has been 
laid and still more as incubation advances, no ordinary 
interference is likely to cause desertion. 


2 


294 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. XV. 


Not so very long ago the books repeated extravagant 
assertions about the normal clutch of a Wren’s eggs. In the 
first place the misstatements possibly arose from second- 
hand evidence about what were really Tit’s eggs, but there 
is, too, nothing easier than to make a mistake in counting by 
5 ave proved again and again in connection 
with Wren’s nests. The normal clutch is in my opinion five, 
with six fairly common ; but I have found complete clutches 
of three oftener than any number above six. In Ig11 I 
found eight Wren’s eggs inthe rather unusual site of one of 
my closed nesting-boxes, and in the following year in another 
box seven eggs were laid—-almost certainly by the same bird. 
It is of course possible that my own observations are insuff- 
cient to generalise about ; the above, however, may serve 
to elicit either corroboration or refutation. 

The most interesting characteristic of all—and as far as 
my investigations go a constant one—is the procedure of 
Wrens when the nestlings are first fledged. They do not, 
like the Swallows, return to roost in the nest at nightfall, 
but the parents either stow them away in any unoccupied 
nest of Thrush, Blackbird, Greenfinch, etc., that is handy 
(sometimes distributing them between two), or else—and 
this I have witnessed myself on two occasions—just when it 
is needed, the parents (I watched both together at any rate 
once) very hastily construct an extra nest to accommodate 
them. This is begun and completed in a very short time, 
and when ready for occupation looks exactly like a dilapidated 
nest at least a year old, with the back only half filled in. I 
twice attempted a flashlight photograph of the occupants, 
which was rendered perfectly possible by this gaping hole, 
but on each occasion the camera scared them away to other 
quarters. This habit I have not seen referred to in the 
“books,” but anyone who cares to take the trouble can 
easily test for himself my observation. 

A. H. MACHELL Cox. 


‘Although 5 or 6 eggs probably constitute the normal 
clutch of the Wren and 7 eggs are less usual, there is no doubt 
that much larger clutches occur occasionally. I have myself 
found 8, and iver of two locally found sets of g. Mr. H. 
Massey has met with sets of ro and 11 in his neighbourhood, 
and possesses a set of 14 from Ireland, while Mr. J. H. Owen 
records a case of 16 young being hatched off from one nest 
(British Birds XIITI., p. 82). esa also mentions 
instances of 16 and 17 eggs.—F. €. R. JOURDAIN. | 


VOL. XV. | NOTES. 295 


SOME WINTER VISITORS TO GREAT YARMOUTH, 
IQ2I-22. 
THE advent of spring seems to be a convenient time at which 
to record some of the less common visitors that have passed 
through my hands from Great Yarmouth and its vicinity 
during the winter months. The first spell of cold on the 
Continent brought the Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus), the 
first being shot on November oth, a Little Auk (Alle alle) 
came in the same day, and on the 16th I received three more 
Waxwings. On the 17th, an adult female Little Gull (Larus 
minutus) was shot near the harbour mouth, and on the 2tst 
a Storm-Petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus) was picked up exhausted 
on the North Beach. On the 23rd, a Barnacle-Goose (Branta 
Jeucopsis), on the 24th six more Waxwings, and on the 29th 
two more were brought in. None of these upon dissection 
had suffered privation, on the contrary, all were fat and in 
fair condition and their stomachs well filled with berries. 
With a single exception, all were immature birds. 
December roth brought a Bean-Goose (Anser fabalis), a 
male in fair condition, weighing 7 lbs. A female Sanderling 
(Crocethia alba). in its delicate ash-grey plumage, was brought 
in on the 28th and a male Pink-footed Goose (A. brachyrhyn- 
chus) on the 2oth. 
On January 7th, I received another Little Auk, very thin 
and with an empty stomach; on the 11th, an adult male 
Puffin (Fvatercula arctica) was picked up starved and exhausted, 
on the 12th an adult male Common Scoter (O:demia n. nigra) 
in the same condition, on the 17th another, on the 21st a 
Black-throated Diver (Colvmbus arcticus) also in very poor 
condition, and on the 24th an adult male Smew (JM. albellus). 
The intense cold was now telling severely upon the marine 
species, and amongst many specimens, brought in between 
February Ist and 18th, were an immature female White- 
fronted Goose (A. albifrons), another male and three female 
Smews, a second Black-throated Diver, two Black-necked 
Grebes (Podiceps n. migricollis), two Red-necked Grebes 
(P. g. griseigena), a Tufted Duck (Nyvoca fuligula), two more 
Common Scoters. a Golden-Eye (Bucephala c. clangula\, 
two Red-breasted Mergansers (M. serrator), three male Sheld- 
Ducks (Tadorna tadorna) and two female Goosanders (M. 
merganser), all of them showing upon dissection evidence of 
having suffered great privation. The Goosanders, Smews 
and Mergansers were apparently recovering their condition, 
having evidently found fresh water with plenty of small 
fish to prey upon, and all of them had full stomachs. I took 


296 BRITISH BIRDS. [VOL. Xv. 


{rom one Merganser’s stomach, eight roach of various sizes, 
one being nearly four inches long, and from a Goosander I 
took two small bream. 

An immature Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus), very fat 
and with a full stomach, was shot on the beach on February 
18th, and three fine Bean-Geese fell to a punt-gun on Breydon 
on the 21st, while another Pink-footed Goose and Sanderling 
on the 28th, complete the list. E. C. SAUNDERS. 


RED-BREASTED MERGANSER AND BEWICK’S 
SWAN NEAR MANCHESTER. 

THE Manchester Corporation Water Works at Audenshaw 
on the east, and only four miles from the centre of the City, 
are visited by passing migrants. Among others, an adult 
drake Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) was there 
from February 27th to March 2nd, 1922; it has been very 
rarely seen inland in Lancashire previously. From March 
3th to 15th a Bewick’s Swan (Cygnus b. bewickn) stayed 
on one of the reservoirs, and on one occasion I had an excellent 
view of it as it swam close in to the surrounding wall. It 
took one short flight while I was watching it, but, so far as 
I could gather from the reservoir keepers, swam in the middle 
of the water with some Mallards for the greater part of its stay. 
This water is only 17 miles from Alderley, where Mr. E. W. 
Hendy saw six birds in November last (antea, p. 212), and, in 
addition, Mr. F. Stubbs records (Oldham Chronicle, March 
18th, 1922) others from Greenfield, just over the Yorkshire 
border on March 5th, and mentions the occurrence of birds 
which were probably Bewick’s Swans on other reservoirs 
round Oldham about the same time, though these last were 


not identified as such by the observers. A. We ison 
RED-NECKED AND SLAVONIAN GREBES IN 
HERTFORDSHIRE. 


On February 12th, 1922, there was a Red-necked Grebe 
(Podiceps griseigena), and on the 19th a Slavonian Grebe 
(P. auritus) on one of the reservoirs at Tring. The two did 
not consort, and during their stay they held aloof from the 
Dabchicks and Great Crested Grebes. I saw both birds 
on several occasions up to March oth, but failed to find the 
Slavonian on the 12th. The Red-neck was still on the water 
on March roth, when the assumption of breeding dress was 
indicated by the increasing red of its neck, whilst the yellow 
patch at the base of the bill seemed to me to be brighter than 
a month before; by the 26th the bird had gone. 

CHAS. OLDHAM. 


VOL. XV.] NOTES. 297 


BLACK REDSTART IN SOMERSET.—Mr. Norman G. Hadden 
reports seeing a Phanicurus ochrurus gibraltaniensis at 
Porlock, on March 26th, 1922. 


HoopoE IN ABERDEENSHIRE.—Mr. W. Wilson records 
(Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 178), that a Upupa epops was obtained 
at Clashnadarrock early in October Ig2t. 


WRYNECK IN MIDLOTHIAN.—An example of Jynx t. 
torquilla, a very scarce passage-migrant in East Scotland, was 
captured on August 27th, 1921, near Musselburgh (C. Sykes, 
Scopaivia?. 1921, p. 158.) 

LITTLE OWL IN NORTHUMBERLAND.—“G. J. C.” states 
(Field, Nov. 12, 1921, p. 635) that he killed a specimen of 
Athene noctua at Bingfield on May 2oth, Ig19, that he is 
well acquainted with the bird in the south of England and 
that he notified the fact to Mr. Abel Chapman. We know of 
no recent occurrence of the Little Owl in Northumberland. 


ICELAND FALCON AT SULE SKERRY.—Dr. W. Eagle Clarke 
states (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 185) that an adult male Falco r. 
islandus arrived on Sule Skerry (Orkney) during a north- 
westerly galeon January 19th, 1921. The bird was exhausted 
and captured. 


PINK-FOOTED GEESE IN NortH Ulist.—Mr. G. Beveridge 
states (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 158) that a flock of forty Anser 
brachyrhynchus was seen feeding in the machar on North 
Uist on the evening of May 4th, 1921. They were very 
restless and departed the same night. Except for two birds 
on the Flannans in April I911, the previous occurrence of 
this species in the Outer Hebrides has been doubtful. 


GREAT SNIPE IN AYRSHIRE.—Mr. A. Fairbairn states. 
(Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 185) that a male Gallinago media was shot 
on September 8th, 1921, at Muirkirk. 


ComMMON TERN IN SCOTLAND IN WINTER.—Dr. W. E. 
Collinge reports (Scot. Nat., 1921, p. 133), that he has received 
the following remarkable number of examples of Sterna 
hirundo during late autumn and winter, viz.: October 1920, 
eight from different parts of the east coast of Scotland ; 
November 1920, four; December’ 1918, two from near 
Aberdeen; December 1919, one from near St. Andrews; 
December 1920, five from different parts of the east coast ; 
January 1919 one and January 1920 one from near St. 
Andrews ; February 1920, two from Aberdeen and two from 
near St. Andrews. Except for one of the October birds all 
were adults. 


p 2 


VELOCITY OF FLIGHT AMONG BIRDS. 
To the Editors of BRiTisH Brrps. 

Sirs,—The velocity at which birds fly must always be a matter 
of great interest to ornithologists, if only from the bearing which 
it has upon some of the problems of migration. 

I am under the impression that there is, perhaps, at the present 
time a tendency rather to underestimate than overestimate this velocity. 
the result possibly of reaction from a belief in the incredible velocities 
attributed to certain birds by the late Herr Gatke in his well-known 
book on Helgoland. 

The only bird whose speed can always be accurately ascertained 
over any measured distance is the Homing Pigeon, and Col. 
Meinertzhagen, ina very interesting paper on the“ Velocity of Migratory 
Flight Among Birds”’ (fbzs, April, 1921), in which he gives the results 
of some two hundred observations made upon over fifty species of 
wild birds timed by means of theodolites or stop watches, quotes 
several velocities made by Racing Pigeons in the past. 

As, however, he gives no more recent records than some of thirty 
years ago, and as most ornithologists seem to have very little knowledge 
of the distances over which Pigeons race nowadays, or the velocities 
they make, I thought the following six examples, taken from a list 
of recent record velocities published in the Racing Pigeon in 1921, 
might be of interest. Unfortunately no information is given as to the 
direction or force of the wind. so that these cannot, of course, be 
regarded as real, or air, velocities. Nevertheless they give some 
indication of a Pigeon’s speed over various distances. 


| Velocity. 
Distance sa Pol 
Miles. ape ena Yards per | Miles per 

: Minute. | Hour. 
(1) 80 | Malahide. | 2,744 | Over 82 
(2) 366 | Rennes (France). | 1,933 | OS 
(3) 416 Lerwick, Shetlands. 1,763 | 60 
(4) 501 Thurso, Scotland. 1,545 | sor 1852 
(5) 601 Lerwick, Shetlands. 1,684 | Py 
(6) 727 Mirande (France). | 839 | 28 


| 
| 

ne 

Referring again to the paper by Col. Meinertzhagen, I find that, 
as the result of his observations, he is only able to record two velocities 
which exceed that of No. 1 Pigeon, these being Lammergeiers’, which 
were descending to earth from a height (79} m.p.h. and 11o m.p.h.) 
and which may, I think, for this reason be disqualified. In the data 
of the ‘‘ Roubaix Swallow’’ (106 m.p.h.) which he quotes, Col. 
Meinertzhagen states that he does not place much reliance. 

* In a race of this distance, where a Pigeon does not home on the day of 


liberation, the hours of darkness are deducted from the time taken in estimating the 
velocity. 


VOL. XV.} +. LEDPTERS. 299 


There are only three other records of velocities amongst his observa- 
tions which exceed that of No. 5 Pigeon, namely one of Swifts (well 
over 68 m.p.h.), one of Golden Plover, which were eluding pursuit 
(60 m.p.h.), and one of Duck (59 m.p.h.). 

It is, I think, remarkable that a tame Pigeon should be able 
to maintain for 600 miles a velocity which, according to Col. 
Meinertzhagen’s observations, is so very rarely attained by wild birds, 
including such apparently rapidly flying species as Ducks, Waders, 
and Hawks. Moreover, it must be borne in mind that in Pigeon 
racing the distance measured is a straight line from the race point 
to the loft, and asitis, to say the least of it, very improbable that a bird 
can or does maintain an absolutely straight course home, the actual 
velocity a Pigeon makes is probably always considerably in excess 
of that with which it is credited. By Be Ravine RE: 


OBSERVATIONS ON SONG-PERIODS. 
To the Editors of BRITISH BrrDs. 


Sirs,—Perhaps some of your readers (from different parts of the 
country) who are interested in that branch of animal behaviour 
represented by birds’ song would be good enough to take the following 
simple notes this June or July about Chaffinches, Blackbirds and 
Song-Thrushes, or any one of them, and send them to me. The object 
being to explore any relation between England and Ireland, or between 
latitudes in the same in respect to the termination of the spring song 
period. (This appears to be also an indication of the relative number 
of broods). 

1. Week when there appears to be very little song left. 
2. Date of last song noticed. 

With me for example (1) will probably be Chaffinch, second or third 
week in June. Song-Thrush, second or third week in June. Blackbird, 
first week in June. j. Ps BUREIED: 
ENNISKILLEN, IRELAND. 


STATUS OF THE SURF-SCOTER IN ORKNEY. 
To the Editors of BriTisH BirDs. 


Strs,—In the Practical Handbook of British Birds the Surf-Scoter 
(Oidemia perspicillata) is given as a‘ Rare migrant. Most frequent 
Orkneys, where occasional examples, usually young, not infrequently 
seen and six recorded obtained.’”’ During the winters which I spent in 
Orkney, hardly an autumn passed without this bird being seen, one or 
more of the flocks of Velvet-Scoters having sometimes an adult male Surf 
among them. Wild as the Velvet species is, it was much more so with 
an adult male Surf in attendance. I can hardly agree with the state- 
ment that those seen are usually young birds, for if such were present 
they would not be detected, nor would females. What becomes of these 
adult male Surf-Scoters which come south with the flocks of Velvets 
I cannot say, for they usually disappear when autumn becomes winter, 
and are not shot, at any rate locally. During one very stormy spell, 
when the harbour was full of storm-bound steam trawlers, there was 
actually one of these adult males in Stromness harbour for nearly a 

fortnight, which survived, although fired at continually by rifles and 
guns of all descriptions during its stay. A pure white Shag, also storm- 
bound at the same time, met with the same reception, but lived through 
it. H. W. ROBINSON. 


300 BRITISH BIRDS. [VoL. XV. 


THE RACES OF EIDER DUCKS. 
To the Editors of BriTIsH BirDs. 


Sirs,—I notice in the Practical Handbook of British Birds, p. 361, 
that the basal part of the upper mandible of the adult male Common 
Eider (Somateria mollissima mollissima) is given as oil-green. In 
British Birds, Vol. VI1., p. 119, I pointed out that this is orange-yellow 
in life, but commences to fade soon after death, finally becoming green. 
I also mentioned that in the wrongly named Pacific Eider with the 
black V-mark on the throat, in the Oldham Museum, this orange was 
so stable as to still survive after the bird was set up (the bird was 
of course only a Common Eider). 

In the Greenland Eider (S. m. borealis) you state that the bill in 
spring is bright orange-yellow. If this be the case, then it is com- 
paratively common in Orkney and Shetland, particularly in early 
spring. Personally I do not think that novvegica, faeroeensis and 
borealis are worthy of sub-specific rank, but that if they are, then 
dvessevi and v-nigvum should be given full specific rank. Finally I 
might add that, according to the description of them given in this 
Handbook, I have shot and handled norvegica, faevoeensis and borealis 
in Orkney, but still contend that they are Common Eiders (S. mollis- 
sima), although I have handled some peculiar types and seen even 
more peculiar ones through the glass. If these races are separable, 
then, considering what a truly marine duck the Eider is, and the 
close proximity of their supposed ranges, one would naturally expect 
to find them in Orkney in winter. H. W. RosBinson. 


[The Editor having submitted Mr. Robinson’s letter to me for 
reply as the author of the descriptions of the Ducks in the Practical 
Handbook, 1 have consulted Sharpe’s Catalogue of Birds, Macgillivray’s 
British Birds, Dresser’s Birds of Europe, Dr. Hartert’s Vog. pal. Fauna, 
and Millais’s British Diving Ducks, and in no case do I find that the 
basal part of the upper mandible of S. m. mollissima is described as 
orange-yellow. Sharpe and Dresser describe it as “ dull olive-green 
almost olive-yellow in old birds,’’ while Millais, who I take it has 
seen a considerable number in the flesh, describes the bill as “ olive- 
green above blending to blue-grey below and in front of nostril, etc.” 
Koenig in his Avifauna Spitzbergensis gives a coloured plate of the bills 
of S. m. norvegica and S. m. borealis for comparison, the bill of S. m. 
norvegica has the base of the upper mandible olive-green with an olive- 
yellow tinge, that of S. m. borealis is shown as bright orange-yellow. 
I believe I am right in stating that this plate is from paintings made 
on the spot by the artist. I have also obtained the opinions of Lord 
William Percy and Mr. E. L. Schidler. Lord William Percy describes 
it as ‘‘ Olive-green above (the shade of Spanish olives as hors d’euvres) 
blending into french grey below the nostril and slightly forward from 
it, lower mandible french grey along the edge, nail yellowish-horn,”’ 
while Mr. Schidler remarks that orange-yellow is certainly the word 
he would use to describe the bill of S. m. borealis and should not be 
used for S. m. mollissima, and he sends a plate to demonstrate the 
difference. 

As to the supposed occurrence of norvegica, faeroeensis and borealis 
in Orkney, I should much like to see the specimens referred to, and 
also suggest that Mr. Robinson should submit them to the B.O.U. 
List Committee for identification. At the same time I would point 
out that the Common Eider, except in the far north, is normally a 
resident and not a migratory species. A. C, MEINERTZHAGEN.] 


( 301 ) 


INDEX. 


Nore.—The nomenclature followed in this volume is in accordance with 
A Practical Handbook of British Birds so far as published and 
A Hand-List of British Birds (1912) and the Additions and Corrections 
thereto in British Birds, Vol. TX., pp. 1-10, Vol. XI., pp. 2-5, Vol. 
XIII., pp. 2-4 and Vol. XV., pp. 2-3. 


Accipitres, A Synopsis of, Second 
edition, Reviewed, 275. 

AcLAND, Miss C. M., Note on the 
Goosander and Smewin Surrey, 


20; Letter on the “ British 
Birds ”’ Marking Scheme, 
220. 


acuta, Anas, see Pintail. 

Additions and Corrections to the 
Hand-List of British Birds 
(Fourth List), 2. 

@salon, Falco c., see Merlin. 

affinis, Larus f., see Gull, Lesser 
Black-backed. 

alba, Crocethia, see Sanderling. 

alba, Motacilla, see Wagtail, White. 

, Tyto a., see Owl, Barn. 

albellus, Mergus, see Smew. 

albeola, Bucephala, see 
Buffle-headed. 


Duck, 


albifrons, Anser, see Goose, White- | 


fronted. 
——,, Steyvna a., see Tern, Little. 
Albinism, Starling, 92. 
ALEXANDER, H. G. Notes on Mr. 
J. P. Burkitt’s article on The 
Relation of Song to Nesting in 
Birds, 159; Inland Occurrences 
of Waders, 160. 
ALForD, C. E., Notes on the Habits 


and Courtship of Diving-Ducks, | 


33- 

alle, Alle, see Auk, Little. 

alpina, Erolia, see Dunlin. 

americanus, Coccyzus, see Cuckoo, 
American Yellow-billed. 

, Mergus, see Auk, Great. 

anglicus, Dryobates m., see Wood- 
pecker, Great Spotted. 

ansey, Anser, see Goose, Grey Lag-. 

apivorus, Pernis a., see Honey- 
Buzzard. 

Apttn, B. D’O., Notes on House- 
Sparrows attacking Lesser 
Spotted Woodpeckers, 44; 


Lesser Spotted Woodpecker 
breeding in August, II5. 

apricarius, Charadrius, see Plover, 
Golden. 

apus, Apus a., see Swift. 

arborea, Lullula, see Lark, Wood-. 

ARCHIBALD, C. F., Letter on the 
“ British Birds’? Marking 
Scheme, 217. 

arctica, Fratercula, see Puffin. 


arcticus, Colymbus, see Diver, 
Black-throated. 

arquatus, Numenius, see Curlew, 
Common. 


arvensis, Alauda, see Lark, Sky-. 

AsHFoRD, W. J., Notes on the 
Breeding-Habits of the Wood- 
Lark in Dorset, 264. 

Astitey, A., Note on Continental 
Song-Thrush in Westmorland, 
209. 

ater, Parus, see Tit, Coal-, 39. 

ATKINSON, J., Note on White 
Wagtails in Yorkshire, 242. 

atva, Fulica, see Coot. 

atricapilla, Sylvia a., see Blackcap. 

Auk, Great, Notes on the, 98. 

, Little, in Shropshire, 242 ; 

in Norfolk, 295. 


auritus, Podiceps, see Grebe, 
Slavonian. 
Avocet, Old references to, 162; 


Washed up in Lancashire, 274. 
BaLFour, H., Varieties of the 
Common Gannet, 82. 
BARTHOLOMEW J., Letter on the 
‘‘ British Birds’’ Marking 
Scheme, 219. : 
bassana, Sula, See Gannet. 
BENTHAM, Howarp, Notes on 
Goosanders, Black-necked 
Grebe and Sheld-ducks in 
Surrey, 89; Spread of Little 
Owl to the Sussex Coast, 160. 


302 


bernicla, Branta, see Goose, Brent, 

Brst, Miss M. G. S., Note on the 
Fulmar-Petrel at the Farne 
Islands, 66; Letter on the 
Status of the Arctic and 
Common Terns in the Farnes, 
ai. 


bewicrtt, Cygnus, see Swan, 
Bewick’s. 
biarmicus, Panurus, see Tit, 


Bearded, 

Bittern in Anglesey, 88. 

——, American, in Ireland, 212. 

Blackbird, Laying in nest of 
Song-Thrush, 18 ; Recovery of 
Marked, 111; Buft-coloured, 
in Somerset, 118. 

Blackcap, Field-notes on the, 78 ; 
Male singing while brooding, 
So, 130. 

BLATHWAYT, Rev, F. L., Notes on 


Roseate Terns breeding in 
Dorset, 49; Grasshopper- 
Warbler nesting in Lincoln- 
shire, 85; Breeding of the 


Great Spotted Woodpecker in 
Cumberland, 87; Note on 
Great Skua in Dorset, 242; 
Letter on the former breeding 
of the Osprey in Ireland, 102. 
Bluethroat, Lapland, at Fair Isle, 


11Q. 
Bryty, R. Oj,.Letter- on the 
“ British Birds’? Marking 


Scheme, 190. 

bonelli, Phylloscopus, see Warbler, 
Bonelli’s, 

Bonnam, H. T.and Furss, J. P. W., 
Notes on Waxwing in Devon- 
shire, 155; Blue-headed Wag- 
tail in Devonshire, 187 ; Great 
Grey Shrike in Devonshire, 
216; Late Stay of Red-backed 
Shrike, 216. 

Boornu, H. B., Letter on the Status 
of the Arctic and Common 
Terns in Lancashire and the 
Farnes, 47. 

borin, Sylvia, see Warbler, Garden. 

Borrer, C., Notes on the Nestling 
of the Crested Tit, 18 ; Wax- 
wings in Great Britain, 208. 

Boston, F. K., Note on Avocets 
washed up in Lancashire, 274. 

Boyp, A. W., Notes on the Honey- 
Buzzard in Hampshire, 87; 
The Bittern in Anglesey, 88 ; 
Velvet-Scoter in Cheshire, 158. 
Red-breasted Merganser and 
Bewick’s Swan near Man- 
chester, 296. 


BRITISH BIRDS. 


brachyrhynchus, Anser, see Goose, 
Pink-footed, 
Brambling in Manchester, 230. 


Breeding-places, former, of the 
Black-headed Gull, 6; of the 


Oystercatcher, 6, 

britannica, Sitta e., see Nuthatch, 

britannicus, Lyrurus t., see Grouse, 
Black. 

British Birds, Handlist of, Additions 
and Corrections to, (Fourth 
Last), 2. 

brittanica, Certhia f., 
Creeper. 

Brown, R. H., Notes on the Great 
Spotted Woodpecker, breeding 
in Cumberland, 62; Abnormal 
laying by the Swallow, 86. 

Bunting, Reed-, Flocking in Spring, 
260, 293. 

Burkitt, J. P., Note on Rapid 
re-nesting of the Common 
Whitethroat, 156; Letters on 


see Tree- 


The Relation of Song to 
Nesting of Birds, 23, 1593 


Observations on Song-Periods, 
290. 

buteo, Buteo, see Buzzard, Common. 

BUTTERFIELD, E. P., Note on the 
male Blackcap singing while 
brooding, 130. 

Buzzard, Common, 
from surface of water, 65; A 
correction of, 92; in Sussex, 
216, 

——, Rough-legged, in Oxfordshire, 
211; in Norfolk, 288. 

——., Steppe-, added to British List, 
3: 


Calidris, see Knot. 

candicans, Falco, see Falcon, Green- 
land. 

cannabina, Carduelis c., see Linnet. 

canorus, Cuculus ¢., see Cuckoo. 

canus, Larus, see Gull, Common. 

canutus, Calidris c., see Knot. 

, Evolia ¢., see Knot. 

Capercaillie, Old references to, 164 ; 
On the Indigenous Scottish, 


.~—« 


275: 

carbo, Phalacrocorax, see Cormorant. 

Cave,. W., Notes on the Wing- 
Strokes of the Swift, 60; 
Buzzard taking food from 
surface of water, 65. 

‘““ Ceiliog Coed,’’ see Capercaillie. 

Chafiinch, Abnormal clutch of eggs 
of, 207. ’ 

Chiffchaff, Occurrence on the Isle 
of Man, 40. 


Taking food 


INDEX. 


chlovis, Chlovis, see Greenfinch, 
chlovopus, Gallinula ¢., see Moor- 


Hen, 

Chough, Breeding in the Isle of 
Man, 30. 

chryzaétus, Aguila, see Tagle, 
Golden, 

cinerea, Avdea, see Heron, 

——, Motacilla c., see Wagtail, 
Grey. 

clanga, Aquila, see Kagle, Great 
Spotted, 


clangula, Bucephala c., see Duck, 
Golden-eve, 

Crark, I., Note on Wood-Warbler 
singing whilst brooding, 155. 

CLARKE, W. J., Notes on Fulmar 
Petrel at Scarborough, 66; 
Waxwings on the Yorkshire 
coast and near Searborough, 
205, 

clavkei, Turydus ., see Thrush, Song. 

Cray, Dr. R. C. C., Note on Open 
Nests of Jackdaws in trees, 114. 

CLAYTON, Dr. R., Notes on the 
Great Grey Shrike in Stafford- 
shire, 59; Spotted Ilycatcher 
returning to deserted nest, 59. 

oypeata, Spatula, sce Shoveler. 

coccothvaustes, Coccolthyaustes ¢., see 
Hawfinch. 

calehs, l'vingila c., see Chaffinch. 

colchicus, Phasianus, see Pheasant. 

colluvio, Lanius c., see Shrike, Red- 
backed. 

colybita, Phylloscopus c., see Chiff- 
chaff, 

Co_gunoun, A. J. C., note on Wax- 
wings at Crieff, Perthshire, 208. 

comminulus, Dyyohaes m., see 
Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted. 

communis, Sylvia c., see White- 
throat, Common. 

Concreve, Major W. M., Notes on 
House-Sparrows nesting in 
hole of Lesser Spotted Wood- 
pecker, 58 ; Wood-Lark 
breeding in Montgomeryshire, 
58; late nesting of Stock- 
Dove, 412; Rapid rebuilding of 
nest by Bonelli’s Warbler, 156. 

Corset, A, Steven, Notes on 
Blackbird laying in nest of 
Song-Thrush, 1%; Breeding 
of the Marsh-Warbler in 
Berkshire, 203. 

Cormorant, Recovery of Marked, 
112, ; inland in Essex, 213. 

Corrections and additions to the 
Hand-List of British Birds 
(Fourth List), 2. 


403 


Notes on Saw- 
billed Ducks wintering in 
Cheshire, 270; Spoonbill in 
Lancashire and Cheshire, 270, 

Cox, A. H. M,, Notes on the Breed- 
ing habits of the Wheatear, 
140; Some reeding-habits 
of the Common Wren, 294, 

Crake, Spotted, in Anglesey, 242. 

crecca, Anas ¢., see Teal, 

cvex, Crex, see Rail, Land-, 

crvistatus, Pavus, see Vit, Crested. 

. -, Podiceps c., see Grebe, Great 
Crested. 

Crook, S., Notes on the Rook, to. 

Crossbill, Old reference to, 164. 

Cuckoo ges and nestlings, 1921, 
209; Habits of, 44, 157, 180; 
Late occurrence of, in Wiltshire, 
210; in Cheshire, 243; Laying 
in Blackbird’s nest, 116; Note 
on Mr, Chance’s film of, 154. 

——. American Yellow-billed in 
the Seilly Islands, 242. 


GOMARD, Ls. Aap 


Curlew Dreeding in Lincolnshire, 
me Pe ; 

cuvvuca, Sylvia, see Whitethroat, 
Lesser, 


Curt Lin, M. S., Note on the occur- 
rence of the Shore-Lark on the 
Worcestershire - Herefordshire 
border, 42. 

CutnupeEertson, A., History of the 
Great Crested Grebe in Dum- 
bartonshire, 254. 

cyanens, Cirvcus ¢., see Harrier, Hen-. 

cvgnus, Cygnus, see Swan, Whooper, 


Day, I’. H., Notes on the breeding of 
the Great Spotted Woodpecker 
in Cumberland, 67; Unusual 
lining in Jay’s nest, 187. 

Ditmé-Rapceitiurr“, Lt.-Con,, H., 
Letter on the weight-carrying 
power of the Golden Eagle, 217, 

desevtovum, Puleo b., see Vouzzard, 
Steppe. 

Diwan, De, J. M., Homing ability 
in the nestling Willow-Warbler, 
4; Letter on Oystercatchers 
opening Oysters, 244. 

Diver, Black-throated, in Norfolk, 
295. 

——, Great Northern, in Glamor- 
ganshire, 206, 

Doo.y, TJ, L. S., Note on the Little 
Ow] in Lancashire, 45. 

dougallii, Sterna d., see 
Koseate, 

Dove, Stock-, Late nesting of, 142. 

dyessevi, Parus p., see Vit, Marsh-. 


Terns, 


504 


Duck, Buffle-headed, Habits and 
display of, 38. 

———, Eider, Breeding in Southern 
Argyllshire, 213; in Norfolk, 
289; on the Races of, 30c. 

——, Golden-eye, Habits and dis- 
play of, 35; in Sussex, 210; 
in Norfolk, 289. 

——, Harlequin, Habits of, 34. 

——, Long-tailed, Habits of, 34. 

——, Scaup, Habits of, 34; in 
Argyllshire in summer, 212. 

——, Sheld, in Surrey, 89; Recovery 
of Marked, 112; in Norfolk, 295. 

——, Tufted, breeding in Lincoln- 
shire, 57; in Berkshire, £17 ; 
in Norfolk, 295. 

Ducks, Diving, Notes on their 

Habits and Courtship, 33. 

, Surface-feeding, Short descrip- 

tion of the sequence of 

plumages in some Palearctic, 

130; 


Eagle, Golden, Letters on the 

Weight-carrying power of, 24, 

21 

, Great Spotted, in Cornwall, 69. 

Early Annals of Ornithology, Re- 
viewed, I61. 

eburnea, Pagophila, see Gull, Ivory-, 


22. 

Extiott, J. S., Note on Pied Fly- 
catcher nesting in Worcester- 
shire, 43. 

epops, Upupa, see Hoopoe. 

Evolia, see Stints. 

evythropus, Tringa, see Redshank, 


Spotted. 

euvopeus, Caprimulgus e., see 
Nightjar. 

excubitor, Lanius, see Shrike, Great 
Grey. 


fabalis, Anser, see Goose, Bean-. 


falcinellus, Plegadis f., see Ibis, 
Glossy. 

Falcon, Greenland, in Pembroke- 
shire, 69. 


——, Iceland, in co. Kerry, 69; at 
Sule Skerry, 297. 
——., Peregrine, breeding inland in 


Somerset, 116; in London, 
270. 

——, Red-footed, in Northumber- 
land, 19. 


fevina, Nyvoca f., see Pochard. 

fervuginea, Evolia, see Sandpiper, 
Curlew-. 

flammeus, Asio f., see Owl, Short- 
eared. 


BRITISH BIRDS. 


flava, Motacilla f., 
Blue-headed. 

Flycatcher, Pied, nesting in 
Worcestershire, 43; Reported 
from co. Mayo, 274. 

—.,, Red-breasted, Possible occur- 
rence of, in Devon, 142. 

——., Spotted, Returning to deserted 
nest, 42, 59. 

Forrest, H. E., Notes on two 
varieties of the Magpie, 41 ; 
Nuthatch nesting in Anglesey, 
187; Waxwing on borders of 
Shropshire and Montgomery- 
shire, 188; Bewick’s Swan in 
Shropshire, 189 ; Waxwing in 
Herefordshire and Shropshire, 
208 ; Bean-Goose in Hereford- 

shire, 212; Little) Agia 
Shropshire, 242; Spotted Crake 
in Anglesey, 242; Waxwing 
in Shropshire, 259 ; Slavonian 
Grebe in Cheshire, 272. 
frugilegus, Corvus f., see Rook. 
fuligula, Nyvoca, see Duck, Tufted. 

Furse, J. P. W. and Bonuam, 
H. T., Notes on Waxwings in 
Devonshire, 155; Blue- 
headed Wagtail in Devonshire, 
187; Great Grey Shrike in 
Devonshire, 210; Late stay 
of Red-backed Shrike, 216. 

fusca, Oidemia f., see Scoter, Velvet. 


see Wagtail, 


Gadwall, Sequence of plumage of, 
134; in Westmorland, 241. 
GALTON, G. W., Note on late stay of 

Land-Railin Hampshire, 216. 

Gannet, Varieties of the Common, 
82; Abnormal colour of eyes, 
82; in Norfolk, 289. 

Gare Fowl, 104. 

Garganey, Sequence of plumages of, 

33- 

GARNETT, R. M., Note on Wood- 
Sandpiper and Ruff in 
Cheshire in June, 117. 

garvvulus, Bombycilla, see 

wing. 

, Coracias g., see Roller. 

GEk, G. F., Note on occurrence of 
the Cuckoo in December in 
Cheshire, 243. 

gibraltariensis, Phanicurus o., see 
Redstart, Black. 

GILL, E. L., Note on the occurrence 
of the Red-footed Falcon in 
Northumberland, 19. 

GittmMAN, A. R., Letter on the 
Weight-carrying power of the 
Golden Eagle, 24. 


Wax- 


INDEX. 


Gitroy, N., Notes on a clutch of 
four eggs of the Hobby, 63; 
Early arrival of Swallow in 
Suffolk, 2609. 

glacialis, Fulmarus, see 
Fulmar. 

GLADSTONE, H. S., Notes on the 
early breeding of the Wood- 
cock, 46; Fulmar Petrels in 
summer in Yorkshire and at 
the Farne Islands, 65; A 
Sixteenth Century portrait of 
the Pheasant, 67; Review of 
The Life of Alfred Newton, 93. 

glarveola, Tvinga, see Sandpiper, 
Wood-. 

GLEGG, W. E., Notes on Kestrels 
nesting on the ground, 64; 
movements of Great Crested 
Grebe in Middlesex, 90; Cor- 
morants inland in Essex, 213. 

‘Goirfugel or Garefowl, 104. 

Gold-crest, 236. 

Golden-eye, Nuptial display of, 35. 

Goopatt, J. M., Note on unusual 
lining in Jay’s nest, 206. 

Goosander in Surrey, 20, 89; Dive- 
periods of, 45; wintering in 
Cheshire, 270 ; in Norfolk, 205. 

‘Goose, Barnacle, in Norfolk, 295. 

——-, Bean, in Ayrshire, 88; in 
Cheshire and North Wales in 
summer, 141; in Hereford- 
shire, 212. 

——, Brent, in Norfolk, 289. 

—_——, Canadian, semi-domesticated, 
in Shropshire, 189. 

——, Grey-Lag, in Norfolk, 288. 

, Pink-footed, in Norfolk, 295 ; 

in North Uist, 297. 

—-—, White-fronted, in Norfolk, 295. 

GORDON, Mrs. A., Note on the 
nesting of the Red-necked 
Phalarope in the Hebrides, 90; 
Nesting of the Whooper Swan 
in Scotland, 170. 

GORDON, S., Corrections on breeding- 
habits of Turnstone, 216. 
Grebe, Black-necked, in Surrey, 89; 
in Glamorganshire, 206; in 
co. Dublin, 272; in Norfolk, 


Petrel, 


290, 295. 
——, Great-Crested, in Middlesex, 
Gon) inl) Perthshire (24am 


Dumbartonshire, 254; History 
of, in Dumbartonshire, 254 ; 
in Norfolk, 290. 

——, Little, Late nesting of, in co. 
Tipperary, 189. 

Red-necked, in Oxfordshire, 

27r 5 inuDerbyshire, 2770 im! 


305 


Norfolk, 295 ; in Hertfordshire 
296. 

Grebe, Slavonian, in Derbyshire, 
aq 3) im ‘Cheshire, i272; vin 
Hertfordshire, 296. 

griseigena, Podiceps g., see Grebe, 

Red-necked, 271. 

Grouse, Black, Occurring in Lincoln- 
shire, 57; in Norfolk, 292. 

; , Hybrid between, and 
Pheasant, in Norfolk, 292. 

Gull, Albinistic and Ivory, 214. 

, Black-headed, Former breed- 

ing-places, 6; in Yorkshire, 70; 

Recovery of Marked, 112, 113. 

—, Common, Occurrence on the 
Isle of Man, 4o. 

—, Glaucous, in Suffolk, 214. 

, Great Black-backed, Breeding 

on the Isle of Man, 4o. 

, Iceland, in Norfolk, 296. 

——, Ivory, in Glamorgan, 22. 

—., Lesser Black-backed, 
covery of marked, 112. 

—— Little, in Norfolk, 295. 

, Sabine’s, in Cumberland, 158. 

Gulls, Predatory habits of, 35. 

, Sea-, Starvingin Norfolk, 291. 

GuRNEY, J. H., Ornithological 
Notes from Norfolk for 1921, 
278. 


Re- 


haliaétus, Pandion h., see Osprey. 

HAMMOND, Lt. Com. C. E., Notes on 
Spotted Redshank in Essex, 
190; Early appearance of 
Glaucous Gull in Suffolk, 214. 

HARDCASTLE, H. M., Note on 
Waxwings near Uppingham, 
208. 

Harrier, Hen-, in Oxfordshire, 211 ; 
in Sussex, 211; in Anglesey, 
ZATe 

HARRISON, Rev. D. PERcy, Late 
occurrence of Cuckoo, 210. 

Hawfinch’s nest in Aberdeenshire, 
118; in Northumberland, 239° 

Hawk, Sparrow-, Period of Incuba- 
tion, 74; Breeding-habits, 74, 
256. 

HeEnpy, E. W., Notes on the Little 
Owl breeding in Cheshire, 141 ; 
Bewick’s Swan in Cheshire, 


PAY, 

Heron, Soaring and “‘ Looping the 
Loop,”’ 88. 

hiaticula, Charadrius, see Plover, 
Ringed. 


Hippolais, instead of Hypolais, 2. 
hivundo, Stervna, see Tern, Common. 
Hobby, Clutch of four eggs, 63. 


306 


Ho.p_er, F. W., Note on Little Owl 
in Lancashire, 63; Letter on 
the Status of the Arctic Tern 
in South Lancashire and the 
Farnes, 71. 

Holy Island, Northumberland, 
Notes from, 239. 

Honey-Buzzard in Hampshire, 87. 

Hoopoe, Old references to, 1606; 
in Aberdeenshire, 297. 

Hops, L. F., Notes on occurrence 
of Glossy Ibis in Cumberland, 
158; Sabine’s Gull in Cum- 
berland, 158; Waxwing in 
Cumberland and Montgomery- 
shire, 187; Bewick’s Swan in 
Cumberland, 189. 

HUMPHREYS, G. R., Letter on 
Former breeding of the Osprey 
in Ireland, 243. 

Hux ey, J. S., Obituarial Notice of 
W. Warde-Fowler, 143. 

hyemalis, Clangula, see Duck, Long- 
tailed, 34. 

hy perboreus, 
Glaucous. 
hypoleuca, Muscicapa h., see Fly- 
catcher, Pied. 
; Tringa, see 
Common. 


Larus, see Gull, 


Sandpiper, 


Ibis, Glossy, in Shetland and Aber- 


deenshire, 119; in Cumber- 
land, 158. 

ictevina, Hippolais, see Warbler, 
Icterine. 

immer, Colymbus, see Diver, Great 
Northern. 


impennis, Alca, see Auk, Great. 
INGRAM, G. C. S., Note on the 
occurrence of the Ivory-Gull in 
Glamorgan, 22; JFfield-notes 
on the Blackcap, 78; Letter 
on Albinistic Gulls and Ivory- 
Gulls, 244. 
and SAatmon, H. M., Notes on 
uncommon birds in Glamorgan- 
shire, 205. 
interpres, Avenariai., see Turnstone. 
islandus, Falco, see Falcon, Iceland. 
ispida, Alcedo a., see Kingfisher. 


Jackdaws, Open nests of, in trees, 
II4. 

Jay, Unusual lining in nest of, 187, 
200. 

JounsToNnE, E. G. H., Notes on the 
late nesting of Little Grebe in 
co. Tipperary, 189; Black- 
necked Grebes in co. Dublin, 


272. 


BRITISH BIRDS... 


Jones, W. M., Note on Wood-Lark 
breeding in Montgomeryshire, 


139. 

Jones, R. W., Note on Richard’s 
Pipit in Carnarvonshire, 207. 

JouRDAIN, Rev. F. C. R., Notes on 
the nestling of the Crested Tit, 
18; On the size of clutches of 
the Tawny Owi, 19; of the 
Moorhen, 23; Status of the 
Arctic Tern in Lancashire and 
the Farnes, 92; Open nests of 
Jackdaws in trees, 114; Late 
nesting of Stock-Dove, 142; 
Rapid rebuilding of nest by the 
Ultramarine Tit, 156; Abnor- 
mal clutches of Kestrel’s eggs, 
188 ; Postponed laying of the 
Wren, 209; Rough-legged 
Buzzard in Oxfordshire, 211 ; 
Hen-Harriers in Oxfordshire 
and Sussex, 211; Cormorants 
inland in Essex, 214; Albinis- 
tic and Ivory-Gulls, 214; Red-. 
necked Grebe in Oxfordshire, 
271; Red-necked and Slavo- 
nian Grebes in Derbyshire, 272. 

Joy, N. H., Notes on Tufted Duck 
breeding in Berkshire; jui7; 
Latestay of YellowWagtail, 216, 


Kerr, H.R., Notes on the Breeding- 
habits of the Grey Wagtail, 85 ; 
Waxwing at Bedford, 208. 

Kestrel, Nesting on the ground, 64; 
Recovery of marked> srr 
Abnormal clutch of eggs of, 
188 ; Unusual nesting site and 
large clutch of eggs of, 188. 

Kina, C. J., Note on the American 
Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the 
Scilly Islands, 242. 

Kingfisher, Occurrence on the Isle 
of Man, 40; Unusual site for 
nest of, 60. 

Kite, Black, Taking food from 
surface of water, 92. 

Kittiwake, Albinistic, 
Norfolk, 291. 


lagopus, Buteo l., see 
Rough-legged. 

Lapwing, Recovery of marked, 112, 
149. 

Lark, Shore-, Occurrence of, on the 
Worcestershire - Herefordshire ~ 
border, 42. 

——, Sky-, in Norfolk, 2&2. 

——, Wood-, Breeding in Lincoln- 
shire, 57; Montgomeryshire, 
58, 139; Radnorshire, 154; 
Dorset, 264. 


Pails iG) 


Buzzard, 


: INDEX. 


lentiginosus, Botaurus, see Bittern, 
American. 

leucopsis,. Branta, see 
Barnacle. 

leucopterus, Larus, see Gull, Iceland. 

leucorodia, Platalea l., see Spoonbill. 
leucorrhoa, Oceanodroma, see 
Petrel, Fork-tailed. 

——, Cnanthe @., see Wheatear, 
Greenland. 

Lewis, S., Notes on the food of the 
Robin, 86; Peregrine Falcon 
breeding inland in Somerset, 
116; KRed-necked Phalarope 
in Somerset, 158. 

limosa, Limosa, see Godwit, Black- 


Goose, 


tailed. 
Linnet, Large clutch of eggs of, 41. 
lobatus, Phalavopus, see Phalarope, 
Red-necked. 


Lone, Dr. S. H., Obituary notice of 
Colonel H. W. Feilden, 71. 
Loyp, L. R. W., Notes on Martins 
repairing damaged nest con- 
taining eggs, 43; Peregrine 
Falcons in London, 270. 

lugubris, Motacilla a., see Wagtail, 
Pied. 


McTear, J. M., Note on Bean-Goose 
in Cheshire and North Wales 
in Summer, 141. 

maculata, Evolia, see Sandpiper, 
American Pectoral. 

magellanicus, Anser, see Auk, Great. 

Magpie, Varieties of, 41. 

MaGcratuH, Lr.-Cor. H. A. F., Note 
on Autumn Migration across 
the Irish Sea, 154. 

Mallard, Sequence of plumages of, 


135. 

Manx Ornithological Notes, by P. G. 
Ralfe, 39. 

MAPLETON-BREE, H. W., Notes on 
Spotted Flycatcher returning 
to deserted nest, 42; Cuckoo 

_ laying in Blackbird’s nest, 116. 
marila, Nyvoca, see Duck, Scaup. 


marinus, Larus, see Gull, Great 
Black-backed. 

maritima, Evolia, see Sandpiper, 
Purple. 


Marked birds, Recovery of, 111. 

Marking birds, A Critical Note on 
the value of, 146. 

Marking Scheme, ‘‘ British Birds,”’ 
Letters on, 190, 217-220; 
Progress for 1921. 

MarRSHALL, L. F., Note on Ring- 
Ouzel in~ Westmorland in 
winter, 260. 


307 


Martin, Repairing damaged Nest 
containing Eggs, 43. 
MASEFIELD, J. R. B., Letter on 
the ‘‘ British Birds’’ Marking 
Scheme, 219. 
Massey, H., Note on Waxwings and 
Bramblings in Manchester, 239. 
MassincHAM, H. J., The Greater 
Spotted Woodpecker in 
English Poetry, 192. 
mauretanicus, Puffinus p., see Shear- 
water, Western Mediterranean. 
Mayatt, A., Letter on the “‘ British 
Birds ’’ Marking Scheme, 218. 
MEADE-WALDO, E. G. B., Notes on 
the early breeding of Woodcock, 
22; Habits of the Cuckoo, 44. 
media, Gallinago, see Snipe, Great. 
Mep.uicottr, W. S., Some Birds 
rarely breeding in  Lincoln- 


shire, 57. 
megarvhyncha, Luscinia m., see 
Nightingale. 


MEINERTZHAGEN, Mrs. A. C., Letter 
on the Races of Eider-Ducks, 


390. 

MEL Lor, J. E. M., Ruff feeding upon 
grain, 21. 

melophilus, . Evithacus Y7., see 
Redbreast. 


mergansey, Mergus, see Goosander. 

Merganser, Red-breasted, Display 
of, 37; Wintering in Cheshire, 
Arai 3 an INVereiollke, 2xeVG  iakewhe 
Manchester, 296. 

Merlin, Breeding in Devonshire, 45 ; 
in Somerset, 64; in Yorkshire, 
122; Breeding-habits of the, 
I22, 194, 222, 246; Caught in 
traps, 194. 

mevula, Turdus m., see Blackbird. 

migvans, Milvus, see Kite, Black. 

Migration, Autumn, across the Irish 
Sea, 154. 


minor, Dryobates m., see Wood- 
pecker, Messen) Spotted: 

——-, Lanius, see Shrike, Lesser 
Grey. 


minuta, Evolia m., see Stint, Little. 

minutus, Lavus, see Gull, Little. 

miva, Athene noctua, see Owl, Dutch 
Little and Little. 


mollissima, Somatervia, see Duck, 
Eider. 

montifringilla, Fringilla, see 
Brambling. 

Moorhen, Abnormal clutch of eggs 
Of, 22: 


MUSSELWHITE, D. W., Note on the 
rapid re-nesting of the Common 
Whitethroat, 140. 


308 BRITISH 


n@via, Locustella n., see Warbler, 
Grasshopper. 

nebulavia, Tvinga, see Greenshank. 

Newton, Alfred, Life of, reviewed, 


93- 
Nicuots, W. B., Notes on the 
Roller in Essex, 60; Heron 


soaring and ‘“ Looping the 
Loop,’’ 88. 

Nightingale nesting in Somerset, 
IIQ. 

Nightjar breeding in the Isle of 
Man, 40. 

nigva, Hydyvochelidon, see Tern 
Black. 

—., Oildemia n., see Scoter, 
Common. 

nigvicollis, Podiceps, see Grebe, 


Black-necked. 
nisus, Accipiter, see Sparrow-Hawk. 
Nuthatch, nesting in Anglesey, 187. 
in Norfolk, 284. 


Obituary Notices of Henry Morris 


Upcher, 16; Colonel Henry 
Wemyss Feilden, 71; W. 
Warde-Fowler, 143. 
occidentalis, Prunella m., see 
Sparrow, Hedge-. 
ochvopus, Tyvinga, see Sandpiper, 
Green. 


enanthe, Genanthe e., see Wheatear. 

anas, Columba, see Dove, Stock-. 

OrpuHAM, C., Note on Red-necked 
and Slavonian Grebes_ in 
Hertfordshire, 296. 

Oriole, Golden, in Wigtownshire, 
274; in Norfolk, 282. 


oriolus, Oriolus o., see Oriole, 
Golden. 

OrTON, Pror. K., Notes on Hen- 
Harrier in. Sussex, 211; 
Common Buzzard in Sussex, 
216. 


Osprey, Former breeding of, in 
Ireland, 192, 220, 243. 

ostvalegus, Hematopus, see Oyster- 
catcher. 


Ouzel, Ring-, in Westmorland in 


winter, 269. 

OwEN, J. H., Breeding-habits of the 
Sparrow-Hawk, 74, 2560; Red- 
backed Shrike, 109; Notes on 
an unusual site for Kingfisher’s 
nest, 60; Some _ Breeding- 
habits of Woodpeckers, 61 ; 
Cuckoo eggs and nestlings, 
1921, 209. 

OweENn, O. R., Notes on Wood-Lark 
breeding in Radnorshire, 154 ; 
Egg-laying habits of the 


BIRDS: 


Cuckoo, 157 ; Abnormal clutch 
of Kestrel’s eggs, 188; of 
Chaffinch’s eggs, 207. 

Owl, Barn, in Norfolk, 287. 

——, Dutch Little, a new sub- 
species, 2. 

——, Little, in Lancashire, 45, 63; 
Spread of to the Sussex coast, 
119,160; Breeding in Cheshire, 
141; in Northumberland, 297. 

——, Short-eared, breeding in 
Lincolnshire, 57 ; in Essex, 69 ; 
in Sussex, 116; breeding in 
Norfolk, 288. 

——, Tawny, Large Clutch of eggs 
of, 19. 

Oystercatcher, Former breeding- 
places, 6; Opening oysters, 244. 


palumbus, Columba, see Pigeon, 
Wood-. 

palustris, Acrocephalus, see Warbler, 
Marsh-. 


pavadisea, Stervna, see Tern, Arctic. 

parasiticus, Steycovarius, see Skua, 
Richardson’s. 

Parasitism, Gulls on Ducks, 70. 

parva, Muscicapa, see Flycatcher, 
Red-breasted. 

Paton, E. R., Notes on the Bean- 
Goose in Ayrshire 88 ; Incuba- 
tion period of Common Sand- 
piper, 117; Letter on The 
Share of Male Merlin in feeding 
the Young, 275. 

Patreson, Mrs. A., Note on Buff- 
coloured Robin in Surrey, 216. 

PEARSE, T., Letter on Parasitism 
of Gulls on Ducks, 70. 

Pearson, C. E, Note on Reed- 
Buntings flocking in Spring, 
269. 

belagicus, Hydrobates, see Petrel, 
Storm-. 

penelope, Anas, see Wigeon. 

peregrinus, Falco p., see Falcon, 
Peregrine. 

perspicillata, Oidemia, see Scoter, 
Surf. 

Petrel, Fork-tailed, in Norfolk, 289. 

, Fulmar, in summer in 

Yorkshire and at the Farne 

Islands, 65, 66,; Breeding in 

Aberdeenshire, 119; at Scar- 

borough, 66; in Norfolk, 289. 

, Storm-, in Norfolk, 289. 

Phalarope, Red-necked, Note on 
the nesting in the Hebrides, 
90; in Somerset, 158. 

Pheasant, A Sixteenth Century 
portrait of the 67. 


INDEX. 


Pheasant, Hybrid between, and 
Black Grouse, 292. 

philomelus, Tuydus p., see Thrush, 
Song, Continental. 

phenicurus, Phenicurus p., see 
Redstart. 

pica, Pica p., see Magpie. 

Pigeon, Wood-, in Norfolk, 290. 

Pintail, Sequence of plumages of, 

132), 

Pipit, Meadow-, 
Marked, 111. 


Recovery of 


——.,, Richard’s, in Carnarvonshire, 


207. 

bial euncha, Anas p., see Mallard. 

Plover, Golden, in Norfolk, 290. 

——, Ringed-, Removal of nests 
owing to unforeseen circum- 
stances, 26. 

Plumage, Sequence of, in 
Palearctic Ducks, 130. 

Pochard, Recovery of Marked, 112; 
in Norfolk, 289. 

polyglotta, Hippolais, see Warbler, 
Melodious. 

PorTAL, M., Note on Bearded. Tit 
in Hamphsire, 209. 

porzana, Porzana, see 
Spotted. 

Pownat.t, J. A., Note on Hen- 
Harrier in Anglesey, 240. 

pratensis,  Anthus, see 
Meadow-. 

RING C-n\p NOte on the Merkin 
breeding in Somerset, 64. 

Puffin, in Norfolk, 295. 

pugnax, Philomachus, see Ruff. 

pyrrhocorax, Pyrvhocorax, see 
Chough. 


some 


Crake, 


Pipit, 


querquzdula, Anas, see Garganey. 


Rail, Land-, Late stay of in Hamp- 
shire, 216. 

Rare, P. G., Manx Ornithological 
Notes, 1920, 39. 

Raw, W., Occurrence, probable, of 
the Lesser Grey Shrike in 
Northumberland, 18. 


yayi, Motacilla f., see Wagtail, 
Yellow. 

Redbreast, Food of, 86; Buff- 
coloured, in Surrey, 216; 
Recovery of Marked, 112. 

Redshank in Isle of Man, 40; 


Recovery of Marked, 112; in 
Essex, 190. 
Redstart, Recovery of Marked, 111. 
, Black, Probable occurrence in 
Isle of Man, 40 ; in Glamorgan- 
shire, 205; in Sussex, 216; in 
Somerset, 297 


309 


Reviews :— 

Life of Alfred Newton, 93. 

Our Resident Birds and How 
to Know Them, 120. 

Early Annals of Ornithology, 
161. 

A Synopsis of the Accipitres 
(Diurnal Birds of Prey), 2nd 


ede 275. 

vichavdit, Anthus y., see  Pipit, 
Richard’s. 

RIcKMAN, P., Notes on Black 
Redstart in Sussex, 216; 
Golden-eye Duck in Sussex, 
216. 

vidibundus, Larus, see Gull, Black- 
headed. 


RIVIERE, Dr. B. B., Letter on 
the Velocity of Flight among 
Birds, 298. 

Robin, see Redbreast. 

Ropinson, H. W., Notes on the 
dive-period of the Goosander, 
45; The size of Swallow 
broods in 1921, 240; Gadwall 
in Westmorland, 241; Letters 
on the Status of Arctic Terns 
in Lancashire and the Farnes, 

2-10) thes Sum-Scotem ain 
Orkney, 299; on the races 
of Eider-Ducks, 309. 

Roller in Essex, 60. 

Rook, Some Notes on the, 10; 
Nuptial display, 10; Nesting- 
habits, 10; Attack on incuba- 
ting birds, 13; Male feeding 


female, 12, 15; in Norfolk, 
282. 

voseus, H:githalos c., see Tit, Long- 
tailed. 

voseus, Pastor, see Starling, Rose- 
coloured. 


RotuscHiLp, Hon. N. C., Note on 
Waxwing in Northampton- 
shire, 155. 

Rowan, W., Observations on the 
Breeding-habits of the Merlin, 
122, 194, 222, 240: 

Ruff feeding upon grain, 21; in 
Cheshire in June, 117; in 
Gloucestershire, TAZ in 
Norfolk, 290. 

vuficollis, Podiceps y., see Grebe, 
Little, 189. 

vufitergum, Garrulus g., see Jay. 

RussELL, Miss F., Note on Green 
Sandpiper in Surrey in Winter, 
214. 

vustica, Hivundo r., see Swallow. 

yusticola, Scolopax, see Wood- 
cock, 


310 


sabini, Nema, see Gull, Sabine’s. 
Satmon, H. M., and INGRAM, 
G. C. S., Notes on Uncommon 
irds in Glamorganshire, 205. 
Sanderling in Spitsbergen, 173; in 
Norfolk, 295. 
Sandpiper, American Pectoral, in 
Northumberland, 239. 
——-, Common, Incubation-period 
of ma7. 
——, Curlew-, at Reservoirs, 273. 
Green, in Glamorganshire, 
205; in Surrey in winter, 214 ; 
in Sussex in winter, 274. 
—_—, Purple, in Spitsbergen, 173. 
——, Wood-, in Cheshire in June, 


117; in Norfolk, 291. 
sandvicensis, Sterna s., see Tern, 
Sandwich. 
SAUNDERS, E. C., Notes on some 
winter «visitors to Great 
Yarmouth, 295. 


SAVAGE, REv. E. U., Note on Late 
spring migratory movement of 
Common Whitethroats, 58. 

ScHIGLER, E. L., A Short descrip- 
tion of the sequence of plu- 
mages in some _ Palearctic 
Surface-Feeding Ducks, 130. 

scheniclus, Emberiza, see Bunting, 
Reed-. 

ScHoLtny, Gs .; 
Record, 180. 

Scoter, Common, Breeding in 
Perthshire, 119; in Cheshire, 
150, 203), am Noriollk 295. 

——, Surf-, Habits and display of, 

38; in Orkney, 299. 

Velvet-, in Cheshire, 
21ie 

scoticus, Parus c., see Tit, Crested. 

Sea-Penguin, see Auk, Great. 


Another Cuckoo 


158, 


servatoy, Mergus, see Merganser, 
Red-breasted. 
Shearwater, Levantine, On the 


British-taken examples of, 151. 
——, Western Mediterranean, on 
the British-taken examples of, 
151; in Northumberland, 2309 ; 
in Hampshire, 243. 
Shoveler, Sequence of plumages of, 


134. 

Shrike, Great Grey, in Staffordshire, 
59; in Devonshire, 216. 

——, Lesser Grey, in Northumber- 


land, 18. 

——, Red-backed, A note on, 109 ; 
Ratempestay. Olu. 92n0% in 
Northumberland, 239. 

sibilatvix, Phylloscopus s., see 


Warbler, Wood-. 


BRITISH 


BIRDS. 


Skua,. Great, in Dorset, 242 
Norfolk, 292. 
——., Richardson’s, in Spitsbergen, 


Sean 


176. 

skua, Stercovarius s., see Skua, 
Great. 

Smew, in. Surrey, 20; in Glamor- 


ganshire, 205; 
Cheshire, 271; 
292. 

SmiTH, J. N. D., Note on the Little 
Ternand Young, 50; Letter on 
the “British Birds’? Marking 
Scheme, 220. 

SmitH, L., On a Ringed Plover’s 
“Nests,’’ 26. 

SmituH, T. L., Note on Waxwing in 
Forfarshire, 155; Note on 
postponed laying of the Wren, 
209. 

SMEED, Major C., Notes on large 
clutch of Moor-hen’s eggs, 22 ; 
Large clutch of Linnet’s eggs, 
41. 

Snipe, Great, in Northumberland, . 
239; in Ayrshire, 297. 

Song, The Relation of, to the 
Nesting of Birds, 23, 159. 


Wintering in 
in Norfolk, 


Sparrow, Hedge-, Recovery of 
Marked, 112. 
——=-,. House, attacking) Lesser 


Spotted Woodpeckers, 44, 58. 

Spoonbill, Records of, in Hamp- 
shire, 20; in Lancashire and 
Cheshire, 270 ; in Norfolk, 288. 

Starling, Recovery of Marked, 111, 
113, 148; With. young) am 
January in Yorkshire, 69; 
Albino in Merionethshire, 92. 

— —, JRose-coioured in Yorkshire, 
69. 

stellavis, Botaurus s., see Bittern. 

Steppe-Buzzard added to British 
LAStase 

STEWART, W., Notes on Kestrel’s 
unusual nesting-site and large 
clutch, 188; Lesser White- 
throat breeding in Argyll, 208 ; 
Scaup Duck in Argyllshire in 
summer, 212; Eider breeding 
in South Argyllshire, 213. 

STONEHAM, H. F., Notes on the 
Wing-strokes of the Swift, 86 ; 
‘Little Owl in Sussex, 160. 

Stork, White, Value of Marking, 147. 

strepeva, Anas, see Gadwall. 

striata, Muscicapa, s., see Fly- 
catcher, Spotted. 

subbuteo, Falco s., see Hobby. 

svecica, Luscinia s., see Bluethroat, 
Lapland. 


INDEX. 


Swallow, Recovery of Marked, 112. 
Abnormal laying by the, 86; 
Size of broods of, in 1921, 240; 
Early arrival of, in Suffolk, 260 ; 
in Norfolk, 286. 

Swan, Bewick’s, Flock of, in 
Shropshire, 189; in Cum ber- 
land and Shropshire, 189; in 
Cheshire, 212; 1n Glamorgan- 
shire, 205; near Manchester, 


296. 

== Whooper, Nesting of, 10 
Scotland, 170 ; in Cumberland, 
189. 


Swann, H. K., Letter on the former 
breeding of the Osprey in 
Ireland, 220. 

Swift, Wing-strokes of, 60, 86. 

sylvatica, Stvix a., see Owl, Tawny. 

Symes, J. H., Notes on a large 
clutch of eggs of the Tawny 
Owl, 19; Buff-coloured Black- 
bird in Somerset, 118 ; 
Nightingale nesting in Somer- 
Sei, rb LO: 


tadovna, Tadorna, see Duck, Sheld-. 

Taytor, L. E., Letter on the Long- 
tailed Tit’s method of construc- 
tion of nest, 47. 
Teal, Sequence of plumages of, 130 ; 
Success in marking, 147. 
Tern, Arctic, in Spitsbergen, 173 ; 
Its status in Lancashire and 
the Farnes, 47, 71, 92. 

——, Black, 205, 274; in Glamor- 
ganshire, 205. 

——, Common, Its status in Lanca- 
shire and the Farnes, 47, 71, 
92; in Scotland in Winter, 


297. 
Ierttle; 
Man, 40; 

young, 50. 

——_, Roseate, Breeding in Dorset, 
6. 

iis Sandwich, Breeding on the 

Farne Islands, 71 ; in Norfolk, 


Breeding on Isle of 
Notes on, and their 


DOV - 
tetvix, Lyrurus, see Grouse, Black. 
Tuomas, J. F., Notes on some 


breeding-habits of the Wheat- 
Car urge | etter onmsric 
“ British Birds’ Marking 
Scheme, 219. 

THOMPSON, W. R., Letter on the 
Long-tailed Tit’s Method of 
construction of nest, 23. 

Tuomson, Dr. A. L., A critical 
note on the value of Bird- 
marking, 146, Tao. 


3ll 

THORPE, W. H., Note on Late 

Spring movement of Pied 
Wagtails, 42. 

Thrush, Mistle, Recovery of 
Marked, I1t. 

——, Song, Recovery of Marked, 


111; Blackbird laying in nest 
of, 18. 
—-, , Continental, 
morland, 20¢ 
TicEHURST, Dr. N. F., On former 
Breeding-places of the Oyster- 


in West- 


catcher and Black-headed 
Gull, 6; Note on Inland 


occurrences of Waders in the 
Autumn of 1921, 272. 
tinnunculus, Falco t., see Kestrel. 
Tit, Bearded, in Hampshire, 269 ; 
in Norfolk, 285. 
7 iGresteds “mesthinies sno). ai 
Forfarshire, 118. 
——, Long-tailed, on the Method of 
Construction of nest, 23, 47. 
——, Marsh, in Berwickshire, 118. 
——, Ultramarine, Rapid rebuilding 
of nest of, 156. 
toyquatus, Turdus t., 
Ring-. 
tovquilla, Jynx t., see Wryneck. 
totanus, Tvinga, see Redshank. 
Tree-Creepers on the Isle of May, 118. 
tridactyla, Rissa t., see Kittiwake. 
tyvochilus, Phylloscopus t., see 
Warbler, Willow-. 
tvoglodytes, Tvoglodytes t., see Wren, 
TROUBRIDGE, SIR T. H. C., Bart., 
Records of the Spoonbill in 
Hampshire, 20. 
Turnstone, On the breeding-habits 
of the, as observed in Spits- 
bergen, 172; Corrections, 216, 


see Ouzel, 


243. 

ultvamarinus, Parus c., see Tit. 
Ultramarine. 

UpcHer, H. M., Obituary notice of, 
16. 

uvbica, Delichon u., see Martin. 

uvogallus, Tetrao, see Capercaillie. 


vanellus, Vanellus, see Lapwing. 

vespertinus, Falco, see Falcon, Red- 
footed. 

Vicor, H., Note on Spread of Little 
Owl to the Sussex Coast, I19. 

vivescens, Gecinus t., see Wood- 
pecker, Green. 

viscivorvus, Turdus, see 
Mistle. 

vulgaris, Sturnus, see Starling. 

vulpinus, Buteo b., see Buzzard, 
Steppe-. 


Thrush, 


312 


Waders, Inland occurrences of, 160. 
Wagtail, Blue-headed in Ayrshire, 
118; in Devonshire, 187. 
——, Grey, Notes on Breeding- 
habits ef, 85; in Norfolk, 284. 
, Pied, Late spring movement 

of, 42. 

—, White, on Isle of Man, 39; 
Reported nesting of, in Kin- 
cardineshire, 118; in York- 
shire, 242. 

——, Yellow, on Isle of Man, 39; 
Late stay of, 2106. 

Warbler, Bonelli’s, Rapid rebuilding 
of nest by, 156. 

—--, Garden, in Perthshire, 239. 

. Grasshopper, Probable nest- 

ing in Lincolnshire, 57, 85. 

, Icterine, in Norfolk, 286. 

——, Marsh, Notes on the breeding 
of, in Berkshire, 203. 

——, Willow-, Homing ability in 
the nestling, 4. 

—-, Wood-, on the Isle of Man, 
40; Singing whilst brooding, 
155; in Noriolk, 285. 

Ware, R., Note on Short-eared 
Owl, breeding in Sussex, I16. 

Watson, W. G., Notes from 
Holy Island, Northumberland, 
1920-1, 239. 

Waxwings in Forfarshire, 
Northamptonshire and Devon- 
shire, 155; Cumberland, and 
Montgomeryshire, 187 ; Shrop- 
shire and Montgomeryshire, 
188; Northumberland, 208, 
239; Norfolk, 208, 285, 205; 
Hunstanton, 208; Suffolk, 
208; Bedford, 208 ; Hereford, 
208; Shropshire, 208, 269 ; 
Yorkshire, 208; near Scar- 
borough, 208 ; Perthshire, 208; 
near Uppingham, 208; Man- 
chester, 239. 

Wheatear, Notes on some Breeding- 
habits of, the 114; reeding- 
habits of the, 140. 

——, Greenland, Occurs on 
Migration in Isle of Man, 39. 

Wish. Ets Ie. Note on) Ruth in 
Gloucestershire, 142. 

WuiteE, W. W., Notes on the Merlin 
breeding in Devonshire, 45 ; 
Possible occurrence of the Red- 
breasted Flycatcher in Devon, 


142. 
Whitethroat, Common, Late Spring 
Migratory Movement, 58; 
Rapid re-nesting of the, 140, 


156. 


BRITISH BIRDS. 


Whitethroat, Lesser, Breeding in 
Argyll, 208. 

Wigeon, Sequence of plumages of, 
nO: 

WILKES, A. H. P., On the breeding- 
habits of the Turnstone, as 
observed in Spitsbergen, 172, 
243 Letter on) shareuson 
Incubation in the Turnstone, 


243. 

WitiiaMs, W. J., Note on American 
Bittern in Ireland, 

WILson, W., Note on Velvet-Scoter 
in Cheshire, 213. 

WITHERBY, H. F., On the British- 
taken examples of the‘ Levan- 
tine ’’ Shearwater, I51, 243; 
Notes on Mr. Chance’s film of 
the Cuckoo, 158 ; The“ British 
Birds ’’ Marking Scheme, 101 ; 
Progress for 1921, 232; Occur- 
rence of the Cuckoo in Decem- 
ber in Wiltshire, 243 ; Western 
Mediterranean Shearwater in 
Hampshire, 243. 

Woodcock, Early breeding of, 22, 


46. 
Wood-hen, see Capercaillie. 
Woodpecker, Great Spotted, re- 


corded from Isle of Man, 40; 
Breeding-habits, 61; Breeding 
in Cumberland, 62, 87; in 
English poetry, 192; in Perth- 


shire, 240; Nesting in Argyll- 
shire and Perthshire, 274.5) an 
Norfolk, 286. 


, Green, Breeding-habits, 61; 
in Norfolk, 286. 

, Lesser Spotted, Attacked by 
House-Sparrows, 44; Breeding 


habits, 61, 115; Breeding in 
August, 115; in Norfolk, 
286. 

Woodpeckers, Some Breeding; 


habits of, 61. 

Wren, Postponed laying of the, 209 ; 
Breeding-habits of, 293. 

——, Golden-crested, 236. 

Wryneck, Recovery of Marked, 112; 

* in Midlothian, 297. 
velkouan, Pufinus p., see Shear- 
water, Levantine. 

Younc, C. G., Notes on Garden 
Warblers in Perthshire, 239; 
Great Spotted Woodpecker in 
Perthshire, 240; Great Crested 
Grebe in Perthshire) 3240 
Reed-Buntings flocking in 
Spring, 293. 


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