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EDITED BY

H. F. WITHERBY F.ZS. M.B.O.U.

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

W. P. PYCRAFT A.LS. M.B.O.U.
AND

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

Volume III.
JUNE 1909—MAY 1910

WITHERBY & CO.
326° HIGH HOLBORN LONDON.

BRITSHBIRDS ~

AN ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE DEVOTED
TO. THE BIRDS ON THE BRITISH LIST

4\4\54

PREFACE.

Tue ornithological event which has excited the most
interest among our readers during the year covered by
this volume has been, without doubt, the remarkable
irruption of Crossbills. The widespread character of
the incursion, the large number of birds taking part in
it, and the considerable number of breeding records
resulting therefrom are unparalleled in the history of
previous irruptions. We take the opportunity of thanking
all those correspondents who have helped in making the
record of this interesting movement, so far as the British
Isles are concerned, as complete as possible.

The ‘“ British Brrps Marking Scheme,” inaugurated in
the first number of this volume, has made a successful start.
The number of birds ringed during the first year has been
highly satisfactory, although we hope that in the future
many more of our readers will co-operate both in the actual
ringing and in making the scheme as widely known as
possible. Although the percentage of “recoveries ” is
at present small, we have little doubt that it will grow
rapidly, and that the results of the scheme will eventually
attain very considerable importance. It is as yet
impossible to measure the knowledge achievable by
this means, but there is every indication that facts of
the utmost interest and importance will be brought to
light by the ringing of birds, and this being so, we feel
sure that the scheme will continue to receive the active
and increasing support of our readers.

The subjects of Migration and Plumages have received
considerable attention in this volume, and we hope
that at some future date Professor Newton’s reproach

IV. BRITISH BIRDS.

that ornithologists have neglected to study sequences
of plumages may be removed so far as British birds are
concerned.

In recording our special thanks to Miss E. L. Turner
for the very interesting series of photographs of the Water-
Rail, we would remind our photographer-correspondents
that we are always glad to consider contributions illus-
trated by photographs which aid in the demonstration
of particular points in the habits of birds. We are very
glad to note a growing tendency to photograph with this
object in view rather than for the sake of mere
portraiture.

Perhaps the most satisfactory feature of the volume
now completed has been the growth in the number and
importance of the “‘ Notes ” which have been contributed
by so many correspondents from all over the kingdom.
The varied character of these notes has added greatly
to their interest, and hardly any branch of our subject
seems to have been neglected.

The loss of Dr. R. Bowdler Sharpe and Mr. Thomas
Southwell from the ranks of British ornithologists will
be long and keenly felt. Dr. Sharpe was from the first
greatly interested in this Magazine, and his kindly
encouragement and active support in making it known
amongst the host of his ornithological friends places
us all under a great debt of gratitude.

THE EDITORS.
April 30th, 1910.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Chicks of the SANDERLING. (Drawn by P. H. Bahr,
from the specimens obtained by Dr. W.S. Bruce
on Prince Charles’ Foreland, Spitsbergen.) Plate 2

Fron
Woop-Lark at the Nest. eee phed by F. Barber-
Starkey) Platel .. . facing

Woop-Lark on the Nest. (Fig. 1) (Photographed 4
F. Barber-Starkey)

Nest and Eggs of the Woop-Lark. Fig. : 2) (Photo
graphed by F. Barber-Starkey) Re

Diagram of Port Said District. (Fig. 1)

Diagram showing some of the Passages of Migrant
Species through Port Said, Autumn, 1906.
(Fig. 2) oe

Diagram showing some of ine pee of eee
Wintering at Port Said, Autumn, 1906. (Fig. 3)

Diagram showing a relation between the intensity of
Migration Passage at Port Said and the con-
temporary weather in the Constantinople District,
Autumn, 1906. (Fig. 4)

Diagram showing comparison between Mei enaleniael
“Conditions at Port Said and in Constantinople
district, Autumn, 1906. (Fig. 5)

“The Dorr,’ Bempton Cliffs. Re LE by nm
D. Sapsworth) :

The PEREGRINE’S ronee (Photographed by A. D.
Sapsworth) Pe

GREAT CRESTED GREBE’S Nest w “ith Six eee (Photo
graphed by Miss EK. L. Turner)

Warter-Rai (Photographed by Miss E. L. iBiaeien ;
Running to the Nest: Plate 3. Chipping the
Shell to assist the Chick: Plate 4. Brooding:

‘ Plate 5. Removing first Chick: Plate 6. Re-
moving second Chick: Plate 7. Removing
third Chick still in the Shell: Plate 8. Removing
fourth Chick in the Shell: Plate 9. Removing
“ Addled’”? Egg: Plate 10 " .. facing

tisprece

PAGE

1

9

10
39

43

44

47

53

61

65

V1. BRITISH BIRDS.
Pterylosis of the BLAck-rHROATED Diver (underside A462
and upperside). (Figs. 1 and 2).. : .., SGM

Diagrams of the Heads of three marked BLAcK-
HEADED GULLS, showing progress of the moult

in spring. (Figs. 1-6) Ep wt ay 107-110
Brown FrycatcHer (Muscicapa latirostris) shot near
Lydd, Kent, on May 21st, 1909 .. Oa ep

Rabbit-hole opening on level ground, used by STAR-
LInGs for nesting purposes, Roseness, Orkney.

(Photographed by N. F. Ticehurst) oo ee al
STARLING’s nesting site on the sea-shore, Lambholm,

Orkney. (Photographed by N. F. Ticehurst) .. 120
RED-RUMPED SwaLLow (Hirundo rufula), shot at Jury

Gap, Kent, on May 16th, 1909 .. oe E22
Chart showing the routes or zones traversed by

Migrants crossing the Mediterranean. (Fig. 6).. 137
THomas SOUTHWELL. Plate 11.. = .. facings iis

Site of the Nest of the Common Scorer on an Island
in an Irish Lough, June, 1909. (Photographed by
Major H. Trevelyan) : is a Ree we /

“She offered the infuriated Pees a bunch of
heather.” (From the “ Home-Life of a Golden

Eagle ”’) ip a Le ap ab ot) e206
GRASSHOPPER WARBLER feeding young at the nest.
(Photographed by Miss E. L. Turner) ae wo! eee

Maps (I.-V.) showing the extent and progress of the
Trruption of Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra curvi-
rostra) in the British Islands in the Autumn of

1909>> Plate, 2 aM as .. facing 228
Raven’ feeding Young. Photogra Eee oy F.

Heatherley) .. ae 235
RavEN after having fed Young Phot sraphal 5

F. Heatherley) Me ; 236
HooveEpD Crow, Female feeding ie (Photo gra pha

by F. Heatherley) .. oe , 239
HoopEpD Crow, Young birds quiet. Ee aehes -

F. Heatherley) es ee mi: eg ai, “oe

HoopED Crow, Female peering round after feeding.
(Photographed by F. Heatherley) .. Me ot ee

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE (Glareola melanoptera),
shot near Northallerton, Yorkshire, on August
17th, 1809 a Be : af

RicHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. Plate 13 .. facing

Male Buack WHEATEAR, Saxicola leucura (Gm.), shot
on September 2nd, 1909, near Rye, Sussex

The Hossy’s Wood : :

Diagram to show apparent sexual anes in size
and wing-contour of the Hopspy

The Hossy’s nest with two Young a few aan pice
(From a Sketch by Commander “Lynes)

Little Owxis in a Quarry near Portsmouth. (From a
Sketch by Commander Lynes) me ae

MARSH-SANDPIPER—male shot near a Sussex, on
June 18th, -1909

Wing (part) of a female Sour Saconioan (Totanns
macularius)

Undersurface and uppersurface of a hikes Pera
variety of the Common Cormorant shot by Mr.
I. W. Frohawk in the Scilly Isles on June 30th,
1909. (Photogruphed from the skin)

White markings on the Head of the Young Gachad
(Figs. 1-3) (Photographed by Miss F. Pitt)

Nest of RrincEeD PLover, Frensham, Surrey, 30th May,

1909. (Photographed by H. H. Farwig)

if a) DF , ales: 7 * ar oe - Brad
; "4 ~ og 4 tr me. 5 ;
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7 A piri 4 ‘. A % eS

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[BRITISH BIRDS, Vol. //1., Pl. 7.)

¥, Spy ve
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dy

WOOD-LARK AT THE NEST.

(Photographed by F. Barber-Starkey in North Devon.)

BRITDSABINDS

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

Rev. F.C. R. JourDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., W. P. PycRaFT, A.L.S.,

M.B.0.U., AND Norman F., TicEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.0.U.

Contents oF NuMBER 1, Vou. III. June 1, 1909.

Editorial, by the Editors se ve ore ihe Ne Page I
Marking Birds, by H. F. W. .. : 4

Some Nesting Habits of the Wood- nee as otgecred in
North Devon, by F. Barber-Starkey. (Plate I.)

An American’s Views of Bird Migration, by J. A. Allen 1
The Lesser Redpoll in Sussex, by J. Walpole-Bond F 2

Notes:—Marking Birds in Scotland (A. Handsboreticn
Thomson). The Redstart in Sussex (John Walpole-
Bond). Dartford Warbler in Sussex (W. H. Mullens).
Some Sussex Ravens (Col. H. W. Feilden). Cuckoo’s
Egg in Blackbird’s Nest (H. E. Forrest). Nesting of
the Snipe in Wiltshire (R. O. Mathews). Baird’s
Sandpiper in Norfolk (H. F. W.). Ruffs in Norfolk
(Miss E. L. Turner). Black-tailed Godwits in North
Wales (F. Coburn). Black Guillemot in Cornwall
(Herbert C. Griffith). Early Nesting of the Great Crested
Grebe (Chas. Oldham). Slavonian Grebes in Summer
in Orkney (H. W. a onan Norfolk Birds (H. F. W.).
Short Notes 7 ea ae at

bo
lor)

EDITORIAL.
Ir is with great satisfaction that I am able to. announce
that, commencing with this number of the Magazine,
I shall have the assistance not only of Mr. W. P. Pycraft,
who has given me most able help in the past, but also
of two such excellent ornithologists as the Rev. F. C. R.
Jourdain and Mr. N. F. Ticehurst—both already well-

known to the readers of BririsH BIRDs.

In the volume which commences with this number,
we hope to devote special attention to the migration of
birds. The opening article, by Dr. J. A. Allen, will, we
feel sure, be greatly appreciated by our readers, since

A

2 BRITISH BIRDS.

it may be regarded as a summary of the views held on
the general aspects of the subject by one of the best-
known and most respected of our American confréeres—
views which are, we believe, in harmony with those held
in general by American ornithologists. In a future
number will commence a series of articles by Commander
H. Lynes on some aspects of the migration of birds in the
Mediterranean. Commander Lynes has made excellent
use of exceptional opportunities for the study of
migration during three years in this region, and his
observations on the direction, manner, speed, and altitude
of the flight and on the habits of migrating birds are
most valuable.

The device of marking birds, as an aid to the study of
migration, is an excellent one, and promises to yield a
rich harvest of facts—if properly carried out. We
venture to express a hope therefore that the Bririsu
Birps marking scheme, described in this number, will
receive the hearty approval and co-operation of our
readers. In organizing this scheme we have been
fortunate in securing the aid of Dr. C. B. Ticehurst,
whose experience in this work is considerable. At
present our continental brethren are ahead of us in this
field, but we hope that British ornithologists will not
long remain laggards in this matter. .

In yet another direction we desire to obtain the help
of our readers. We are anxious to begin a systematic
inquiry into the exact distribution throughout our
islands of certain species whose range at the present time
is but imperfectly known. The Nightingale may serve
as a case in point, and two of us—Jourdain and Ticehurst
—have undertaken to collect information with a view to
defining its range so far as at present known. Their
work will, we trust, be supplemented by the observations
of our readers, and we beg that, to this end, they will
take careful notes as to the status of this bird in their
several districts.

As has been pointed out by a number of eminent

EDITORIAL. 3

ornithologists during recent years, there is but little
known as to the sequences of plumage which take place
from the nestling to maturity, and from season to season,
in relation to our native birds. This is a subject to which
several ornithologists have been devoting special attention
for some years, but owing to the difficulty of examining
_ material sufficiently complete to show the cycle of the
plumage of any one species, progress has been slow. It is
now thought, however, that a sufficient number of species
has been worked out to allow of a start being made,
and contributions on the subject will be provided by
Messrs. J. L. Bonhote, M. J. Nicoll, W. P. Pycraft, C. B.
Ticehurst, and H. F. Witherby.

Beyond the special features above mentioned, we hope
to publish many interesting contributions, and we feel
sure that the “ Notes ”’ section will continue to form a
valuable and interesting feature of the Magazine.

THe Eprrors.

MARKING BIRDS.
THE “BRITISH BIRDS” SCHEME.

REFERENCES to the plan of marking birds have been
made from time to time in previous numbers of this
Magazine, and the subject will be familiar to our readers.

The results achieved by Herr C. Mortensen in Denmark
and by the officials of the Rossitten Bird Observatory in
Germany (cf. Vol. II., p. 362) prove that the plan is
well worthy of a thorough and exhaustive trial.

If sufficient results were obtained much could be
learned from marked birds. We should gain a more
exact idea of the movements of individual birds than has
ever been possible by any other method, and this should
not only throw light upon the more general aspects of
migration, but it should tell us a great deal that is at
present obscure with regard to particular points. For
example, while we may know the general distribution of
a species in winter and summer, we do not know the
extent of the migration of individuals; or, indeed, whether
in such cases as the Song-Thrush and Robin, certain
individuals migrate at all. The movements of sea-
birds are very little understood, and much might be
learned from marking a large number. This plan might
also tell us what influence age has upon plumage, etc. ;
where a young bird, whose birthplace is known, breeds ;
whether individuals return to previous nesting haunts,
and whether pairs come together again in successive
breeding seasons.

Such are a few of the possibilities of a thorough system
of marking birds, but in order to obtain results of real
scientific importance there are two essentials. Firstly,
to mark a large number of birds with such care that the
facts with regard to the identity of the birds, the numbers
on the rings and the dates and localities are indisputable ;
and, secondly, to recover such a proportion of the marked

MARKING BIRDS. 5

birds that the results obtained may be sufficient to make
them really valuable.

To this end we have had prepared a number of rings,
of which we will send a supply, with a schedule of
observations to be filled in, and full directions to any
reader of the Magazine who will undertake to mark
birds. It is above all necessary that those who under-
take to help shall also undertake to use every care to
fill in the schedule methodically and accurately, and to
observe the directions given, otherwise endless confusion
will be caused, and the objects desired will be defeated.
For this reason a copy of the schedule and directions
has been here printed, so that those who are willing to
help will see before applying for rings exactly what they
will be asked to do.

It may here be mentioned that the rings are very
simple and easily adjustable, and do not, so far as observa-
tions go, in the least injure or impede the birds.

Equally important to marking the birds is their
recovery. Every ring therefore will be marked in full—
“Witherby, High Holborn, London.” Rings which are
insufficiently marked, or marked with an abbreviated
address, seem to us to be useless, and the results obtained
from birds so ringed may even be misleading. London,
being more universally known than any other place-
name, seems a great advantage, in that any finder of a
ring so marked should realise that communication with
the “ringer” is intended. Moreover, it is our intention
to seek the co-operation of the Press, not only of this
country, but of the Continent, in making it known that
birds are being so marked, and for what purpose.

Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, who takes a great interest in this
subject, and has himself had experience in marking birds
for the last two years, has very kindly given us much
advice, and has offered his help in keeping records and
working out the results of the scheme. Progress will be
reported from time to time in these pages, and we hope
that many of our readers will take up the work. All

6 BRITISH BIRDS.

communications on the subject should be addressed to
the Editors of British Brrps, 326, High Holborn,
London, and marked in the corner “ M.”

SCHEDULE.
REMARES,
No. or PLACE. (State Bex. Lae are cone of -
: and whether nesiling or adult; i
RING. DATE. NAME OF BIRD. (State several birds of one brood, colony

County.) or flock have bee marked, indicate

which they are.)

Le

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MARKING BIRDS.

1. It is most important to note down the number of the ring and the
species of bird immediately you have marked it, and to enter up

the Schedule without delay. The number of any ring lost or
broken must be noted.

Any birds that can be caught should be marked, but the easiest to
obtain are nestlings just before they fly.

3. Do not mark any bird unless you are quite certain of the species.

4. Do not mark any injured bird, nor any bird which has been in
captivity.

The rings are made in three sizes:—the largest size is suitable for
Peewits, Gulls, Rooks, etc.; the medium size for Starlings,
Thrushes, Snipe, etc. ; the smallest size for Warblers, Tits, etc.

6. To fix the ring :—Hold the bird with its back upwards and its legs
away from you in one hand, and with the forefinger and thumb
of the same hand hold one of the legs at the ankle joint (some-
times called the knee). With the other hand slip the ring on
to the tarsus, just above the foot, and, with the finger and
thumb or a pair of pliers, press the ends of the ring together
so that they just meet. See that the ring cannot slip off the
foot before you release the bird.

i)

or

7. Schedules, when complete (7.e., when 20 birds have been marked)
or when partly filled if no more birds are likely to be marked
for some time, should be sent immediately to the Editors of
British Birps, 326, High Holborn, London. Requests for
additional rings (the sizes wanted should be stated) and
schedules should be addressed the same, and it is requested that
all communications be marked ‘*‘ M”’ upon the envelope.

8. Full particulars should be sent in of all marked birds recovered,

even ‘if they are recovered in the district in which they were
marked.

9. If aring is recovered it must not be used a second time or confusion
will arise.

SOME NESTING HABITS OF THE WOOD-LARK
AS OBSERVED IN NORTH DEVON.

BY
F. BARBER-STARKEY.

(Prats I.)

On May Ist, 1908, Captain R. D. Fanshawe, with whom
I was staying in North Devon, about eleven miles from
the outskirts of Exmoor, informed me that nearly three
weeks before he had found a nest containing almost
full-fledged young, which he took to be those of a
Lark. The extreme earliness of the nest aroused
my suspicion, so, on the following day, I asked Captain
Fanshawe to take me to the place. As we were searching
for the nest, an exclamation from my companion hurried
me to his side, where I was delighted to see a Wood-Lark’s
(Alauda arborea) nest with four eggs. The nest was made
entirely of moss and dried grass, it had no lining, and
was placed in a small natural hollow under a tuft of dead
bracken. We afterwards found an old nest about fifteen
yards away, and this was in all probability the first nest of
the same pair of birds, the one containing feathered young
which Captain Fanshawe had found three weeks before.

Both nests were situated in a narrow grass field dotted
with small patches of bracken and sloping down to a
steep bank covered with briars and bracken, with a few
oak and ash trees at scattered intervals. On the opposite
side of the valley was a large oak coppice, joining some
rough ground golden with furze bushes. I may note here
that nests of this species which I have found in Norfolk
have been situated in short grass with very little covering
over them, and in every case there has been a belt of
Scotch firs at about fifty yards distance. This day we
saw nothing of the birds.

The next day I took out my camera with the intention
of photographing the nest and eggs. Approaching the

8 BRITISH BIRDS.

nest cautiously I found the hen bird sitting on her eggs,
so I set up the camera at about four yards distance and
succeeded in making a couple of exposures. This photo-
graph (Fig. 1) shows well the extraordinary protective
colouring of the bird amidst her natural surroundings.
On my attempting to move the camera a little closer, the
bird left her eggs and flew with an undulating flight across
the valley. Having exposed some plates on the nest and
egos (Fig. 2), I decided to attempt nothing more till the
young were hatched.

A fortnight later I determined to try my luck with the
old birds. As we drew near both birds were seen to walk
slowly away from the nest, for about fifteen yards, when
they rose together and flew off across the valley.

I set up my camera about five feet from the nest, and
seating myself below the tripod, was covered up with a
ereen cloth by my companion, who then walked away.
In about half-an-hour one of the birds appeared with its
bill full of grubs, and uttering all the while a plaintive
note it walked very slowly all round my hiding-place,
and made a careful scrutiny of the strange object which
had so rudely disturbed its privacy.

Just as the bird was gaining confidence and seemed to
be on the point of approaching the nest, a flock of sheep
came through the fence from the neighbouring field and
catching my wind came sniffing right up to me; I was
afraid they would trample on the nest, so was obliged to
jump up and show myself. Owing to a high wind which
was blowing the green cloth occupied muchof my attention,
and I determined to build a more substantial hiding-place ;
accordingly we approached the farmer who owned the
land, and he most courteously offered to remove all his
sheep from the field and even gave us a hand in erecting
a hut, which we had no difficulty in doing, owing to the
proximity of the beech fence, which was in full foliage.

The next morning I took up my position full of hope
and waited. In less than ten minutes both birds appeared
with their bills full of small grubs, and after a good look

(‘Aay4e7S-4agieg «4 Aq paydessoj0yd)

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F. BARBER-STARKEY : WOOD-LARK. via

at the lens, one of them approached and commenced to feed
the young, the other keeping at a respectful distance.
At the noise of the shutter, the bird that was feeding the
young flew straight up into the air about three feet and
settled again within a couple of yards of the nest; I
remained motionless and very soon she came back, and
after cleaning out the nest flew away, the other bird
following.

I now changed my plate, and after about five minutes
the hen bird was back again (Plate I.) ; her mate returned
with her, but although on this occasion and several times
afterwards, I did not release the shutter in the hope
that he, too, would come to the nest, he never dared to
face the lens, but stood at about five yards distance, with
his bill full of grubs, and there he remained until his
mate had fed the young, when he flew away with her.

I have presumed that this shy bird was the male, but
as the two birds seemed exactly to resemble one another
[ could not be sure.

( 12)

AN AMERICAN’S VIEWS OF BIRD MIGRATION.*
BY
J. A. ALLEN.

Some birds are resident the whole year throughout the
areas they inhabit, while others move more or less north-
ward or southward with the change of the seasons, while
still others roam practically from pole to pole. The
extent of the seasonal movement varies in different
species mainly in accordance with the nature of their
food, and is also more or less correlated with their powers
of flight, the greatest wanderers being also strong of wing.
Most of the Grouse tribe and many of the hardy, seed-
eating, semi-omnivorous Passerine birds, are nearly or
quite non-migratory, while such exclusively insectivorous
and berry-eating species as Swallows, Flycatchers,
Warblers, and many of the Shore-birds make semi-annual
journeys of thousands of miles. Again, many birds
that are resident as species over large areas are, in winter,
more or less nomadic as individuals; in other species
the more northern representatives move to a small ex-
tent north or south with the change of seasons. In the
species of this latter class the individuals that breed in
the southern part of the common range of the species are
permanently resident throughout the year, while those
that breed in the northern part move to lower latitudes
at the approach of winter, returning to their breeding
stations with the return of summer. Other species entirely
leave their breeding ranges in winter, migrating often
thousands of miles to reach their winter quarters. There
is thus every degree of migratory movement in different
species of birds, from slight nomadic movements to ex-
tended migration, in accordance with the physiological
needs of the species.

* The present article, written by request, is a brief statement of the
author’s present views on the subject of Bird Migration, to which he
has for many years given careful consideration. To go into a discus-
sion of the whys and wherefores would require the space of a volume.
It has therefore seemed sufficient to give here his conclusions, with
merely a slight thread of argument and evidence.—J. A. A,

J. A. ALLEN: BIRD )MIGRATION. as

The life of the bird, like that of most animals and
plants, is made up of annual cycles. The controlling
force that governs these cycles and determines the manner
of life of the species is the fundamental fiat of Nature,
“*to increase and multiply ’—the perpetuation of the life
of the species. As Mr. F. M. Chapman long since pointed
out,* most birds seek seclusion during the period of
reproduction, or, as in the case of birds that nest in
colonies, like many of the sea-birds, resort to special
breeding places.

In many instances they repair to some islet well within
the usual range of the species; in others to some point
more or less remote from their range during the non-
breeding season. In the first case, where the resort is
within the usual range of the species, the assembling of
the birds at some long-used breeding station is not
usually considered as migration; yet the nature and
purpose of the movement is the same in both instances,
namely, to secure a safe and congenial breeding place.
In each case, also, the movement is characterized by the
same periodicity and unanimity of action. The first
class is illustrated by such species as the Brown Pelican,
the Man-o’-War Bird, and various species of Boobies,
Albatroses, Petrels, and Terns ; the second by the White
Pelican, various species of Auks, Guillemots, Petrels,
Shearwaters, etc., as, for example, the Wilson Petrel,
which inhabits the North Atlantic in summer and resorts
to certain Antarctic islands to breed during the northern
winter.

As in the case of migration, where there is every degree
of seasonal movement between a strictly sedentary life
and greatly extended journeys, there is here also every
stage of differentiation between the gathering of the
hordes to some near-by islet for reproduction to a journey
of many thousands of miles to reach some favourite
breeding resort. In the case of birds that do not breed

* « Auk,” XI., 1894, pp. 12-17; see also his “Camps and Cruises of
an Ornithologist,” 1908, p. 88.

14 BRITISH BIRDS.

in colonies but are diffused in the breeding season over
the larger part of a continent, the influence governing the
selection of a breeding-site is the same as in the case of
birds which nest in colonies, namely, the approach of
the breeding season. The cause of the seasonal movement
is thus beyond question physiologic, and hence periodic,
and. irresistible.

If climatic conditions were everywhere nearly uniform
there would doubtless be no migration, as there is now
practically no true migration among the indigenous birds
of sub-tropical and inter-tropical latitudes near sea-level.
The difference in physiographic conditions due to
differences of altitude and latitude gives rise, of course,
to the widely diverse biotic conditions of different parts
of the earth’s surface. It is generally believed that in
pre-glacial times biotic conditions were vastly less
diversified than at present; it hence seems reasonable
to infer that the breaking up of this uniformity of
climatic conditions by the glacial period greatly changed
the distribution of animal and plant life, which to a large
extent must have been either driven southward or ex-
terminated over the glaciated regions. With the re-
cession of the ice the habitable area at the northward
became gradually extended, with marked seasonal
changes from pre-glacial conditions. There was now
established a distinct alternation of summer and winter,
so that many birds found congenial homes in summer in
districts which were uninhabitable to them in winter.
As the recession of glacial conditions was gradual, the belt
of new habitable land must have been at first narrow
and the later increase gradual. Here, then, were just
the conditions to develop a migratory habit in such birds
as were able to extend their summer range to the north-
ward. The necessity for migration would vary with
different species in accordance with the character of their
food and their adaptability to new conditions. Birds
organized to subsist upon insects and pulpy fruits would
find such food in summer far to the northward of where

J. A. ALLEN: BIRD MIGRATION. 15

it would be available in winter, while those able to subsist
upon a more varied diet would be less affected by the
change of season and hence make shorter migrations.

It is obvious that migratory birds, of whatever class,
which seek high latitudes for breeding stations, find there
the conditions most favourable for reproduction, as regards
not only food but the general environment. Otherwise
they could not have successfully persisted for possibly
millions of generations in the selection of a breeding station
at which they can live for barely a fourth of the year.
Migratory birds that breed in the temperate and colder
latitudes are wanderers for from seven to nine months
of the year ; while some change their residence by a journey
of, only a few hundred miles, others travel thousands of
miles, as do many Warblers, Tanagers, Swallows,
Flycatchers, and Shore-birds. It is therefore by no means
a mere figure of speech to call a bird’s breeding station its
real and only home, for here it is not only a settled
resident for a definite period, but is occupied with the
most important function of its life, the reproduction of its
kind.

As already said, the district selected by a large pro-
portion of migratory birds as a breeding station is
climatically uninhabitable to them beyond the short
period required for the duties of procreation. The
reason why they leave it is therefore not far to seek, and
it is hardly worth while to waste words over the question
whether the return to milder latitudes is due to a fall of
temperature, to the failure of the food supply, or to both
combined. Neither is it material to inquire whether the
species might or might not be able to withstand the
environment at the breeding station for a few days, or
even weeks, after the young of the year are sufficiently
mature to start on the long journey to a milder country ;
for, since the purpose for which the long journey to the
breeding station was undertaken has been accomplished,
why should they linger? Much more time, however, is
usually taken for the autumnal journey than for the

16 BRITISH BIRDS.

vernal, which, as the breeding season approaches, is
prosecuted with increasing rapidity till the goal is reached,
whereas in autumn it is only necessary to make such
progress as the advancing season demands. The fall
journey is only a part of the round trip to and from the
breeding station, the one journey being the complement
and necessary consequence of the other, the two together
constituting the full cycle of migration.

As already shown, the sole and all-sufficient cause of
migration is the necessity of a congenial environment
for the reproduction of the species. This need may be
met in the seclusion and isolation of a rocky islet or cliff,
or the proper conditions may be afforded by an Arctic
tundra. The inception of the movement is the periodic
necessity of reproduction, and the journey to the breeding
station, be it long or short, is made in obedience to
physiologic changes which the bird is powerless to resist
or control; the return journey is obviously a natural
and necessary sequence. The return of a bird to its
particular ancestral breeding station, and the character
of the station selected, are as distinctive of the species
as are the colour of its eggs, the character of its nest,
the peculiarities of its song and call-notes, or the markings
of its plumage. It becomes, therefore, unnecessary to
ascribe, except figuratively, the cause of the movement
to “ strong home love,” notwithstanding the fact that the
individual bird not only returns to the region of its birth,
but will often, as is well substantiated, return year after
year for many successive years to absolutely the same
nesting site. It is also well-known that during the non-
breeding season different local races (subspecies) of a
widely distributed species are often found associated
during their migratory wanderings, and that when the
season of reproduction approaches they will take different
migration routes to their respective and often very
remotely separated breeding stations.

It is a well known fact than in many species the old
birds migrate first, both in spring and fall, the immature

J. A. ALLEN: BIRD MIGRATION. We

birds following, sometimes, in the case of the fall migra-
tion, much later. An instance that has attracted
attention is the European Cuckoo, in which the parents
depart from their summer home long before the young
leave. This condition, however, is by no means unusual.
since, in North America at least, it has been found to be
the. rule rather than the exception. This has led to the
question, How do the young birds of the year, left behind
by their parents, find their way in migration? In
Mr. William Brewster’s memorable paper, ‘Bird
Migration,” published many years ago,* and based on long
field experience, he states (referring to North American
birds) that ‘“‘the adults of many, or, as [he] believes, all
species migrate southward first, and often several weeks
in advance of the young. It is perfectly true, nevertheless,
that a few old birds are always to be found in the larger
flights, although the latest of these are certainly composed
mainly of young.’ Young birds, when left behind by
their parents, it is believed, join the general throng of
southward migrants, which always includes birds of many
species.

All this goes to show that the present breeding stations
of birds are, generally speaking, of the highest antiquity,
and are an inseparable part of the evolution of the species ;
that the habit of migration in migratory species is likewise
inseparable from the history of their differentiation, and
has become as much a specific trait as any of their
physical characteristics. The origin of migration and
its doubtless gradual development is so remote that the
explanation must ever remain hypothetical, but an
hypothesis may be so well grounded that it may be
accepted as a reasonable certainty. Many birds not
_much unlike existing types—belonging in many instances
to the same genera—existed in tertiary times. Since
this period the earth’s surface has undergone great physical
and climatic changes, which have in turn immensely
modified not only the distribution but the physical

* Memoirs of the Nuttall Ornithological Club, No. 1, 1886, pp. 1-22.
B

18 BRITISH BIRDS.

characters of its inhabitants. These facts furnish good
ground for the belief that bird migration, possibly already
incipient at this remote period, became emphasized and
mainly developed by the recession of glaciation in the
northern hemisphere. Nor is it improbable that some-
what similar climatic changes in past geologic times
afford a similar explanation of migration in birds and other
animals in the southern hemisphere.

That birds, and many other animals, perform long
migrations at regular periods, is a fact not open to cavil.
It is also evident that a reasonable cause for these
periodic journeys may be assigned. Hence a large part
of the “mystery ”’ that has hitherto enshrouded the
general subject of bird migration may be fairly regarded
as having been dispelled.

The manner of migration, as regards season, routes,
and extent, is now also known with considerable detail
for a large number of species. There still remains for
consideration the much discussed question of how the
migratory hordes find their way.

While we are unable to fathom the workings of the
bird mind, or to take the measure of their mental and
sensory equipment, it must be recognised that birds are
endowed with the ability to remember and _ recognise
landmarks, since otherwise it would be impossible for
them to return year after year to the same nesting site,
after months of absence and thousands of miles of travel.
With the abundant evidence we have of their ability
to remember landmarks and to revisit former nesting
sites, it seems unnecessary still to regard their ability to
find their way in migration as a “ mystery.”’

It is generally conceded that birds are endowed with
great sensitiveness to atmospheric conditions, and readily
recognise approaching changes in the weather. As was
long since made known by Cooke,* and has since been
repeatedly confirmed by independent investigation, in
Europe as well as in America, birds migrate from areas of
high barometric pressure to areas of low barometric

* « Report on Bird Migration in the Mississippi Valley,” 1888.

J. A» ALLEN: BIRD MIGRATION. 19

pressure. In general this direction is northward (in the
northern hemisphere) in spring and southward in autumn.
In other words, in general the migratory movements
of birds in spring are coincident with the alternation of
warm and cold waves, the former favouring and the latter
retarding or checking the movement. Thus the “ waves ”
or “rushes” of bird migration in spring are not only
necessarily from the south northward, but are coincident
with a warm atmospheric wave and a southerly wind.

While these are the favourable conditions for bird
migration, birds move more or less under the ordinary
conditions of the weather proper to the season, and are
only held in check by the unfavourable conditions of a
cold wave and northerly winds. The conditions of the
autumnal movement are in a sense reversed, the birds
moving southward with, or just in advance of, a cold
wave and a northerly wind.

Many recent writers, as well as those of earlier days,
delight to refer to bird migration as a “ great mystery,”’
‘“a mystery of mysteries,” as surrounded ‘“ with a halo
of mystery,” etc. While there is still much to learn
regarding the general subject, and the faculties and mental
attributes of birds, it would seem that enough is known
to remove migration from the realm of mystery. The
origin and present inducement to migration seem open to
reasonable explanation, and some light seems also to have
been thrown upon the subject of how birds find their
way during their migratory journeys. In addition to
keen powers of vision, a memory for landmarks, and
remarkable sensitiveness to meteorologic conditions,
they seem also to be endowed with a sense of direction,
which recent experiments with Noddies and Sooty Terns
on the south-eastern coast of the United States* seem to
demonstrate as present, if as yet unexplainable. With
these facts in view it seems not difficult to believe that
while the ability of birds to find their way in migration
is truly wonderful, it implies little that is really
mysterious.

* cf. “ Bird-Lore,” Vol, X., 1908, p. 134.

Bl)

THE LESSER REDPOLL IN SUSSEX.

BY
J. WALPOLE-BOND.

In his ** Birds of Sussex ” (1891, p. 134), the late Mr. Borrer
wrote of this species (Linota rufescens) that ** it is seldom
met with in the Weald, and I have but once seen it there.”
Beyond this rather unconvincing statement he has nothing
further to add about its status, except to mention that “‘it
is often captured in very large numbers in clap-nets, and,
at the time of immigration, it has frequently been taken
in small traps on the roofs of the houses in Brighton and
Hastings.” Then, writing of its nesting, he continues,
‘‘T have never heard of its having done so in the county
in a truly wild state. Mr. Booth, however, mentioned
that a few nests were found in alders and willows in 1869
near Brighton; he supposes from the worn and faded
appearance of the birds that they had escaped from con-
finement.” Mr. Booth was a capital and expert field-
ornithologist, yet I doubt if he was correct in this
instance, seeing that Lesser Redpolls often look worn
and faded during nesting operations.

Now, whether it is that, during the past seventeen _
years, the bird has kept on gradually increasing in Sussex,
or whether it is that it was formerly overlooked, I know
not, but at the present day, at all events, the Lesser
Redpoll is a resident in Sussex, though, of course, very
much commoner and more widely distributed in winter
than in summer. In fact, during the winter there is
hardly a district in the county where it does not put in
a roving appearance from time to time. In the breeding
season, however, things are somewhat different. or,
although it nests regularly, either in scattered pairs or,
and more usually, from two to eight pairs together in a
very restricted radius of ground, in a goodly number of
spots in the wooded districts, it is ever most partial to
the Weald. I could enumerate quite a number of locali-

THE LESSER REDPOLL IN SUSSEX. 21

ties within easy touch of Horsham where this sprightly
and engaging Finch rears its young annually ; but, be it
noted, in varying numbers, for in some years (such as, for
instance, 1905 and 1908) it is much more plentiful than
in others.

These Sussex Lesser Redpolls affect several quite
different nesting haunts. But they are very local, and
their presence is, of course, subject to that of trees in
more or less abundance. Among favourite haunts are
the alders, swaying till they meet over those sluggish
streams which connect with, or flow out of, many of our big
mill pools; the shrubberies and ornamental grounds of
country mansions; long “strippy” plantations. of
saplings; hedgerows; “shaws” intersecting common
land with their outlying, self-sown conifers ; and, lastly,
thinly-planted larch plantations of fair growth. I am
intimate with one such small planting of about an acre
in extent, growing on a bracken-decked slope, which some
years harbours as many as six pairs. Thus it will be
seen that there is no fixed rule for the haunt. But it is
well worth remarking that nearly all the resorts, if not
actually by a pond or stream, are in damp spots where
the ground is seldom indeed anything but inclining to the
boggy. And a great many haunts are close to a road.
I have located many a pair as I have walked or cycled
slowly along the highway, for the Lesser Redpoll draws
attention to its haunt by continually flying about in the
air, trilling and twittering the while.

Indeed, during the entire summer the Lesser Redpoll
gives much of its leisure to the air. One minute it alights
in some tree—it is particularly enamoured of conifers—
usually near, if not on, its actual summit, whence, after
two or three minutes breathing space, it flits off, as it
were, aimlessly flying to and fro for a stretch of a hundred
yards perhaps, and ever and anon undertaking far longer
journeys, and while it flies it trills.

These love-flights are nearly always conducted at an
altitude of about twenty feet or so above the tree-tops,

22 BRITISH BIRDS.

unless the trees are very lofty, when they are about on
a level with their summits. Besides trilling when on the
wing, the bird also trills when perching, though then the
performance is subdued as compared with the aerial
utterance. And where several pairs are nesting very
close together—as is frequently the case—all the males
may be in the air together, one taking up the trilling
refrain as the other ceases. I have also heard a softly
modulated song from the male—always when he has
been settled close to the nest. It first ascends, then
descends the scale, and you must be near indeed to catch
the notes at all.

As a general maxim, birds which congregate in autumn
and winter, as the species under discussion does (though
I have never seen very big gatherings ; usually a small
party, or even only two or three, whilst a single bird at
those seasons is no uncommon sight), pair annually.
Despite this, however, | know many haunts which are
patronized each succeeding summer by Lesser Redpolls,
a fact which suggests that at any rate one of each given
pair returns unerringly to the old trysting place with his
or her new partner, as the case may be. In fact, I have,
on several occasions, found this year’s nest built within
a few feet of the relics of last season’s. Although the
Lesser Redpoll cannot claim to be gregarious in the
summer, it is certainly very social, and in some districts
it is nothing for three or four nests to be placed in as
many trees within a radius of a comparatively few square
yards.

For a resident species the Lesser Redpoll is a notoriously
late breeder, as, although the gatherings disperse and
pairs are formed during the early part of April and all
through that month, I can never recollect finding eggs
before the middle of May, and that must be reckoned as an
exceptionally early record. Even here in Sussex I seldom
think it worth while to look for the nests till the last
few days of that month or early in June. In 1908 the
first eggs I saw were on June 6th, and between that date

THE LESSER REDPOLL IN SUSSEX. 23

and the end of the month [ found several with fresh eggs.
Yet, in 1907, in much the same district, I knew of two
nests on June 17th, one containing big nestlings, the
other which the young left that very day, and this in
spite of the backwardness of the season. Occasionally
a second brood is reared late in July, but, of course, in
a different nest.

As the haunt is varied, so is the position of the nest.
Some examples—and they are ever the neatest—may
be found in hedgerows, either in a thorn or a sloe bush,
sometimes as much as eight feet from the ground, but
more usually from two to four. At other times they are
in the ‘“‘ crotch”’ of an alder by the stream ; ina hedgerow
elm or in a furze bush. Yet, in Sussex at all events,
most nests are built as high up as possible in sapling
conifers, birches, oaks, or beeches of from nine to eighteen
feet high. They are always in a “crotch,” and, as a
further protection, portions of the nest material are
often woven round the branches or twigs forming the
“crotch.” I have also seen nests at the end of tapering fir,
larch, and holm-oak boughs, though in this case the trees
have been lofty and of big girth. In one locality (in
Sussex) all the nests are in stripling larches, some of
which are really tall, either against the bole, resting on
some tiny sprigs, or higher up on a branch projecting
from the main stem, when it lies against the bole or as
much as a foot away from it.

The nest, though exquisitely neat internally, always
has rather a rough, not to say straggling, exterior. It
varies somewhat in composition, of which the following
notes, relating to four nests, will give a fair impression.
The first is a very typical example, and is made of a good
many slender twigs, fibrous rootlets, dry grass, and
a little of the same material in a green condition, and a few
flakes of moss, wholly lined with vegetable down. The
second shows dried grass and plenty of greyish-green tree
lichen externally, whilst the finishing off is first a layer
of horsehair in strands, then a pad of vegetable down,

24 BRITISH BIRDS.

and, finally, a good accumulation of Wood-Pigeon’s and
cock Pheasant’s feathers. This is a curiously beautiful
nest, and it is further peculiar owing to the fact that only
one patch of the snowy vegetable down showed up in the
final lining. Number three is composed of grasses, roots,
and a few twigs, lined with hair, down, and a few small
feathers, whilst in its lowest foundations I unearthed
a strip of decayed wood, a dead leaf or two, and a few
spiders’ cocoons. The fourth exhibits a good deal of very
green moss over the usual fine grass stems and flowers,
as well as a few pieces of grey lichen, and the padding is
of horsehair, down, and a sprinkling of feathers, including
those of a Tawny Owl and Partridge. The vegetable
down is a characteristic of and is never absent from any
nest, and is frequently woven into its foundation. An
average nest measures 34 inches across by 21 deep, with
an egg-cup 14 in diameter and 1} in depth. Should wet
weather prevail during nest-building, many a home is
deserted, because so waterproof is the padding of down
that in some cases the nest actually holds rain for a short
time, and in exceptionally severe storms this is an un-
looked-for calamity which overtakes nests holding eggs
or young.

Incubation, which frequently commences with the first
egg laid, is principally performed by the female, and lasts
from twelve to fifteen days.

The Lesser Redpoll is usually a very close and intrepid
sitter. Sometimes I have stroked one or even lifted it
bodily off its eggs, but more usually it slips off the nest
when an intruding hand is within an inch or two of it.
I have known one to perch on the hand of the man who
was examining the eggs ; and I have seen another return
and nestle down into the fork from which there had just
been taken the nest ; whilst you can fearlessly remove
a nest from its site and replace it after examination without
causing desertion.

The nest is not a very easy one to discover. To find it
usually means long and hard searching in a spot where the

THE LESSER REDPOLL IN SUSSEX. 25

birds are frequently seen. And in any case, especially
when they are in saplings in full leaf, the nests are far
from easy to see. But the birds themselves often lead
to its ultimate discovery, the male by trilling and singing
just above or close to it, and the female, or the two
together, by repeatedly flying to one special spot in a line
of covert. And if, as you scramble as best you may
through a strip of closely-planted saplings, you suddenly
hear the alarm-cry from somewhere in the greenery
overhead, you may rest assured that a nest is close by
for the finding.

MARKING BIRDS IN SCOTLAND.

May I trespass on your space to the extent of a few lines to
draw the attention of readers of BririsH Brrps to a scheme
for marking birds which we have just set afoot ? This
inquiry into bird migration is to be carried out from the
Natural History Department of the University of Aberdeen.
The details are similar to those of the Rossitten enterprise,
of which I have already given some description in these
pages (Vol. II., p. 362). As I understand that our enterprise
is to be closely followed by the appearance in the field of a
similar one to be carried out under the auspices of this
magazine, I cannot make any appeal here for co-operators
to assist in the work of marking, and therefore confine myself
to asking that any readers of BririsH Birps finding one of
our marked birds will return the ring, preferably with the
foot or even the whole bird, with particulars of date, locality,
etc., to “ Bird Migration Inquiry, Natural History Depart-
ment, The University, Aberdeen, N.B.” We shall refund
postage whenever desired. Our rings are marked “ Aberdeen
University ” on the sizes for Lapwing and upwards, but we
hope to get some returns for small birds marked with the
contracted address (in smaller characters) ‘“‘ Abdn. Univ.”
There is a registered number on each ring.

A. LANDSBOROUGH 'THOMSON.

THE REDSTART IN SUSSEX.

AurHoucH the Redstart comes in quite well amongst the
usual rush of summer migrants, it is, so far as I can gather
from personal as well as from outside sources, an extremely
rare breeder in Sussex. In the Weald it is practically non-
existent, as it is in the vicinity of the coast round Eastbourne,
Brighton, and Worthing, to enumerate but a fewspots. Iam,
therefore, anxious to know if any of your numerous readers
have found the nest in Sussex, and if so, when and where.
By detailing this matter much valuable assistance would ,be
lent to my forthcoming work on Sussex ornithology. It is a
remarkable fact that the Redstart should be so rare in Sussex,
seeing that in parts of Kent, at any rate, it is quite a common
bird. So it is in Essex.

JoHN WALPOLE-BOoND.

bo
a

NOTES.
DARTFORD WARBLER IN SUSSEX.

A MALE specimen of the Dartford Warbler (Sylvia undata)
was shot by one of the watchers in Pett Level, Sussex, on
April 3rd, 1909, and was brought in the flesh to the Hastings
Museum on April 5th.

W. H. MuULLENs.

SOME SUSSEX RAVENS.

I poust whether any inland breeding place is at the present
time used by Ravens in the county of Sussex, but should be
pleased to find that I am wrong. Borrer (Birds of Sussex)
mentions five inland localities where the Raven bred, or had
formerly done so, namely, Danny Park, Wolstonbury Hill,
Burton Park, Parham Park, Bramber Castle, and he also
refers to the Petworth Park Ravens, so graphically described
by A. E. Knox (Orn. Rambles Sussex). In a previous number
of this magazine (Vol. IT., p. 279) I have told of the destruction
of the Heathfield Park Ravens as late as 1876, and now put
on record the date of disappearance of the Ravens from
Ashburnham Place. The “ Ravens’ Toll,” or clump, consists
to-day of sixteen ancient Scotch firs, scarred and weather-
beaten, but these remaining trees are evidently only a portion
of the original group which once crowned the knoll. They
stand not more than 150 yards within the palings of the deer
park of Ashburnham Place, which borders the high road
between Battle and Ninfield, and directly opposite to Agmer-
hurst House. It is a fitting position for a Raven’s nest, for
the view embraces a great extent of fair country. Beachy
Head, the Downs, the Weald, and, immediately beneath, the
stately home of the Lords of Ashburnham, enveloped in woods
of noble oaks and beeches, with green park and broad waters.
When lately visiting this spot I had the advantage of being
accompanied by Thomas Hook, now eighty years of age,
who had passed all his life as one of the gamekeepers on the
estate, and with whom the nesting of the Ravens, which he
had watched from boyhood, was an event of annual interest.
He pointed out the actual tree in which the birds had nested ;
he never heard any complaint of damage to animals made
against these Ravens, they ate a dead fawn or hare, but never
to his knowledge attacked living ones. The late Earl of
Ashburnham had the young broods of Ravens shot yearly,
but never allowed the parents to be molested. They bred in
the “* Ravens’ Toll’ annually, and for the last time in 1877,
but disappeared in 1878, the year in which the above-men-
tioned nobleman died. The coincidence of the two events

28 BRITISH BIRDS.

was much commented on at the time by the people of the
estate, and the departure of the Ravens was looked on by
them as a bad omen—an interesting survival of the sentiment
of veneration for the bird, which was so generally held by our
forefathers.

H. W. FEmpen.

CUCKOO’S EGG IN BLACKBIRD’S NEST.

I HAVE heard it asserted that whenever a Cuckoo places its
ego in the nest of a Blackbird (T'urdus merula), the latter
ejects the alien egg. As the Blackbird is not very often chosen
as a fosterer by the Cuckoo, such assertions are difficult to
prove or disprove. The following incident may therefore be
deemed worthy of record, as stated by Rev. C. F. Thornewill,
vicar of Calverhall, near Whitchurch, Salop. On May 9th
he found that a Cuckoo had placed an egg in the nest of a
Blackbird, in his garden. It was deposited when the Black-
bird had laid only one egg, but she subsequently laid three
more. Mr. Thornewill took the Cuckoo’s egg and two of the
Blackbird’s, and has them now in his collection.

H. E. Forrest.

NESTING OF THE SNIPE IN WILTSHIRE.

On May 6th last, when searching a reed-bed in the water-
meadows along the River Kennet, about four miles east of
Marlborough, I flushed a Common Snipe (Gallinago ceelestis).
I made a thorough search all round the spot, but could find
no signs of a nest. The following week, on May 12th, I
visited the place again, and a Snipe got up at the same spot.
After a short search I found the nest, which was very well
hidden by small reeds, grasses, and wild flowers of various
kinds. The nest was very slight in structure, and contained two
eggs, which were in every way typical of those of the Snipe.
The reed-bed is about 100 yards long, varying from 50 to
30 yards in breadth. Along one side there is the river, and
along two-thirds of the other side there is a withey bed,
while on the remaining third of this side there is a hedge.
Every three or four yards there are small channels of water
running across the bed, at right angles to the river, and the
nest was placed about six inches from one of these channels.
The whole of the reed-bed is thickly covered with small reeds
and wild marsh plants about eight inches high. This is the
first nest of this species found in the Marlborough district,
and Mr. Mevrick thinks that it is the first nest recorded for
Wiltshire. R. O. MarHews.

NOTES. 29

[We are very glad to publish this note, if only because it
is a good illustration of how much there is yet to be done in
working out the distribution of some of our commonest birds.
Dr. F. G. Penrose tells us that the Snipe nests at Downton,
near Salisbury, and we have no doubt that it does so in many
other places in Wiltshire, but we are surprised to be unable
to find a record (we have not made an exhaustive search) of
its nesting in the county, although it is well known to breed
more or less commonly in the surrounding counties. In his
‘Birds of Wiltshire,” the late Rev. A. C. Smith seems to
consider the Snipe as a winter migrant only in the south of
England, yet it was well known to Gilbert White a hundred
and fifty years ago as a breeder in the adjoining county of
Hampshire.—Ebs. |

BAIRD’S SANDPIPER IN NORFOLK.

In his ‘Ornithological Report for Norfolk” (Zoologist,
1909, p. 124) Mr. J. H. Gurney makes the important announce-
ment that a specimen (sex and age not noted) of Baird’s
Sandpiper (T’ringa baird7) was shot at Hunstanton, Norfolk, on
September 16th, 1903. The bird, ‘“‘ which was not recorded
at the time, and has only been recently brought to the
knowledge of Norfolk naturalists, was received on the 19th by
Mr. George Bristow, taxidermist, St. Leonards, and examined
while still in the flesh by Mr. M. J. Nicoll, himself the shooter
of the first British 7’. bairdi.” This second specimen has
since passed into Sir Vauncey Crewe’s collection at Calke
Abbey. It will be remembered that the late Howard
Saunders included Mr. Nicoll’s specimen in his ‘‘ Additions
to the list of British Birds since 1899,” contributed to our
first number (Vol. I., p. 15).

Hho WwW

RUFFS IN NORFOLK.

On May 6th, about six a.m., at Hickling, while crouching
behind some bushes watching a pair of Stonechats, ten
Reeves and three Ruffs (Machetes pugnax) passed so close that
I was able to note the brilliancy of one Ruff in particular.
Later on, about ten o’clock, a flock of from seventy to eighty
flew over the marshes, going due east. All that day these
birds were about the broad in large flocks, sometimes dropping
down to feed, sometimes circling ‘round for several miles ;
with glasses we could watch their progress as they made the
circuit of the marshes. When crossing the broad they flew
quite low down. For several days in succession I have come
across little batches of these birds, standing about in the

30 BRITISH BIRDS.

shallows or feeding, but so far have seen no fighting. It’s
“an ill wind that blows nobody any good,” and the north-
east gale, that has interfered sadly with photography or
bird-watching, has had its compensation.

K. L. TURNER.

BLACK-TAILED GODWITS IN NORTH WALES.
WHILE studying the bird-life on Morchras Island, near
Barmouth, North Wales, on April 10th, 1909, I was delighted
to find four specimens of the: Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa
belgica), feeding on the marsh after the tide had receded. Two
were in the reddish plumage of summer, the others in the
drabish grey of winter. As these were the first living
specimens I had had the good luck to see in Great Britain, I
studied them through my field-glasses for one hour. The birds
appeared to be quite oblivious of my presence, and fed
leisurely, keeping to one spot, which appeared to supply plenty
of food. The colour of the light portion of the bill was a pale
pink, and the upward curve of the mandible much more acute
in the living than dead specimens. In stretching out their
legs and wings the birds several times displayed the broad
black band across the tail. This bird must be regarded as
very rare for Wales. Mr. H. E. Forrest in the ‘‘ Vertebrate
Fauna of North Wales,” states that Mr. Rawlings of Barmouth
noted one on the estuary, but that gentleman declared that
he had never seen the Black-tailed Godwit; whilst the
taxidermists at Aberystwith also said that they had never
seen this species. FC

. COBURN.
BLACK GUILLEMOT IN CORNWALL.

Own April 15th, 1909, some friends and myself, when starting
on a fishing expedition at the Lizard with Mr. R. H. Harris,
a keen local naturalist, saw a bird come several times into
the cove and finally settle on the rocks within twenty or thirty
yards of us. We then clearly identified it as a Black Guillemot
(Uria grylle). Mr. Harris told us that he had seen a similar

bird last year, but had not found out what it was.
HERBERT C. GRIFFITH.

EARLY NESTING OF THE GREAT CRESTED
GREBE.
A FEW years ago I saw a pair of Great Crested Grebes
(Podicipes cristatus) piling up nesting material in a reed-bed on
one of the Cheshire meres on March 17th, and it is not unusual
to find fresh eggs in the second half of April, but until this
year I had never seen young birds in the first week of May.
At Weston Turville Reservoir, near Aylesbury, on May 2nd,

NOTES. 31

incubation in some cases had probably not begun, as several
birds were indulging in the grotesque bowing and head-shaking
that marks the course of courtship in this species; two birds
were brooding on nests in the rushes, and it was obvious from
the pose of another, sitting high in the water as it did, with
wings slightly raised, that it was carrying young birds on its
back. <A closer inspection with the glass showed that the
young birds—three in number—had not long been hatched, for,
apart from their size, the ground colour of their striped downy
plumage was much whiter than is the case with nestlings a few
days old, and except when they craned their necks in order to
be fed they were almost entirely concealed by the sheltering
feathers of the parent bird. Now and then one of the young
ones would slide into the water from the old bird’s neck ; it
never remained there, however, for many seconds but scrambled
up over the old bird’s tail to regain its floating cradle, using feet,
wings and, I think, bill in doing so. The old bird, from time
to time, picked up something from the surface of the water,
and, turning its head, fed the jostling trio on its shoulders.
Its mate, too, foraging in the vicinity with lowered neck, tippet
trailing in the water, and bill submerged, made frequent visits
with food which it gathered on the surface—I did not see it
dive—and fed the young ones. I could not make out what
the food was, but whilst I was watching the birds the old one
twice swam up with a white feather in its bill—perhaps gleaned
from the water, perhaps plucked from its own plumage—and
proffered it to the young, one of which on each occasion
swallowed it with many gulps and struggles. This act
suggests that the curious habit of swallowing feathers obtains

in Grebes at a very early age.*
y ¥ #8 CuHas. OLDHAM.

SLAVONIAN GREBES IN SUMMER IN ORKNEY.

Wir reference to the occurrences of the Slavonian Grebe
(Podicipes auritus) in Scotland in summer, mentioned in
Vol. Il., p. 334, these birds often stay very late in Orkney
during adverse winds, but certainly do not nest there. On
April 5th, 1908, my boatman got one there in almost full
summer plumage ; on April 10th two in full summer plumage
flew past within fifteen yards of me, and I saw several others
three parts changed, and they were still about during the first
week in May. The latest date was the end of the second
week in June during 1907, when my boatman procured one

* In “The Home-Life of some Marsh-Birds,”’ Miss E. L. Turner
records (p. 13) how a parent Great Crested Grebe offered feathers to
the young when only a day old.—H.F.W.

32 BRITISH BIRDS.

in full summer plumage. These{birds certainly begin to
acquire summer plumage early in March, if I may judge
from one half in winter and half in summer plumage which
I shot on March 18th, 1907, on Loch Stenness, Orkney.
H. W. Ropinson.
NORFOLK BIRDS.
In Mr. J. H. Gurney’s “ Ornithological Report for Norfolk
(1908) ”? (Zool., 1909, pp. 121-138), we note the following
interesting records, which have not been previously referred
to in these pages :—Barn-Owls exhibiting luminosity were
again reported by several observers, but no one has yet set
at rest the question as to the cause of the phenomenon, which
can only be satisfactorily accomplished by securing one of
these birds and submitting it to a careful examination.
Bitterns were reported as ‘“‘ booming” on March 23rd,. April
12th, and October 2nd. The first Spoonbill visited Breydon
Broad on March 31st (this seems the earliest date on record
in the district) ; four were seen at the same place on May 13th,
one was reported on August 8th, one on October 14th, while
another was shot on November 21st, and this is one of the
latest occurrences of this bird which has been recorded in
Norfolk. A Stilt was reported on April 29th and an Avocet
on May 28th, while a small flock of the latter species visited
the north coast during that month. Haw
*% * *

IrtsH Brirps.—Corrections.—Mr. R. J. Ussher informs us
that the Black-throated Divers recorded at p. 421, Vol. IL.,
were not Irish birds, but were received by Mr. Williams from
Norway. Also, that Ardagh mentioned under Snowy Owl
(p. 412), is in co. Limerick and not in co. Kerry. Mr. R. M.
Barrington writes to us to correct his record of the Little Gull
mentioned on p. 420, which proves to be in immature plumage
and not adult, and was shot on February 7th and not on
March 7th.

SHOVELER AND WIGEON BREEDING IN CUMBERLAND.—
Messrs. D. L. Thorpe and L. E. Hope record the breeding of
the Wigeon on April 31st (?30th!), 1908, at Bassenthwaite
(Zool., 1909, p. 191), and of the Shoveler near the River Esk
on May 21st, 1908 (é.c., p. 192). No further particulars are
given.

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A HISTORY

—_——— OF THE ————_

Birds of Kent

NORMAN F "TICEHURST.

M.A., M.B., F.R.C.S.Eng., M.B.0.U.

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BRITDSTBIRDS

PoE BY HF WItHhaBY, KZS. -M.BOU.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F.C. R. JourDain, M.A., M.B.0.U., W. P. PycraFt, A.L.8.,

M.B.0.U., AND Norman F. TicEHURST, M.A., F.R.C.8., M.B.O.U.

ContTENTS OF NumBER 2, Vou. III. Jutny 1, 1909.

The Chicks of the Sanderling, by William Eagle Clarke,

F.R.S.E. (Plate I.) ss ee .. Page 33
Observations on the Migration of Birds in “the Mediter-

ranean, by Commander H. Lynes, R.N., M.B.0.U. : 36
The Peregrine Faleon on the Yorkshire Cliffs, by A. D.

Sapsworth, M.B.0.U. oy as Ab ke a 52

Notes :—Marking Birds (Eds.). Redstart in Sussex
(E. F. B. Monck). Lesser Redpoll in Sussex (H. G.
Alexander). Ravens as Scavengers (Col. H. W. Feilden).
Little Bittern in Orkney (W. Cowan). Shoveler Nesting
in Staffordshire (W. Wells Bladen). Turtle-Dove in
Scotland (W. A. Nicholson). Late Nesting of Wood-
cock (Richard H. W. Leach). Snipe Perching (Gwynne
Witherington). Black-Tailed Godwit in North Wales
(H. E. Forrest). Large Clutches of Eggs of the Great

Crested Grebe (L. W. Crouch and Miss E. L. Turner). . 56
Review :—The British Warblers—A History, with Problems
of their Lives. Part III... ae te a Ht, 62

THE CHICKS OF THE SANDERLING.

BY
WILLIAM EAGLE CLARKE.

(Puate IT.)

Tue chicks of the Sanderling (Calidris arenaria), which
form the subject of this contribution, are of historical
interest, inasmuch as they are the first that have been
made known to science. They were, however, exhibited
by me at the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club
on the 20th of May, 1908, but have hitherto remained
undescribed.

The Sanderling was said by Captain Edward Sabine,
who accompanied Parry on his remarkable voyage in

Cc

54 BRITISH BIRDS.

search of the North-west Passage, in 1819-20, and who
correctly describes the birds,* to have been found
breeding, in the summer of 1820, in considerable numbers
on the North Georgian or Parry Islands. It was not,
however, until 1863 that the first authenticated eggs
were found. In that year MacFarlane obtained a single
nest, with eggs, near Franklin Bay, on the coast of
Arctic America. Since that date eggs from various
localities have been obtained in the high northern
countries of America and Asia and in Iceland; + but
until the year 1906 the chicks appear to have remained
quite unknown, though they appear to have been found
on the west coast of Greenland. On August 3rd of the
year named, my old friend Dr. Bruce, of Antarctic fame,
found a Sanderling accompanied by her brood of four
young, a day or two old at the most, on stony ground (a
raised beach), about a mile from the sea, and some one
hundred feet above its level, in the north-east part of
Prince Charles’ Foreland, Spitsbergen. This family party
he secured, and most patriotically presented it to the
collections in the Royal Scottish Museum, where the
birds form an attractive mounted group.

Dr. Bruce’s discovery fills up an important gap in our
knowledge of this bird’s distribution as a nesting species,
since it bridges over the area between the tundras of
Siberia and Iceland, and thus completes the chain of
evidence that the Sanderling is circumpolar in its range
during the breeding season.

Since Dr. Bruce’s specimens were obtained chicks were
taken in the summer of 1907 or 1908, by Mr. Manniche
during the Danish Expedition to Nerth-east Greenland.
This, however, is not a new locality for the Sanderling as
a breeding bird, for Dr. Pansch found several nests on

* Appendix to Parry’s First Voyage, p. cxix.

+ Although it is extremely probable that the Sanderling has
occasionally’ bred in Iceland, the evidence is not quite conclusive.
There is an egg in the British Museum ascribed to this species which
was received from Proctor, and the Rev. H. H. Slater found a nest
with incubated eggs, but the parent bird was not shot and the chicks
proved to possess a hind toe, which is absent in the adults.—F.C.R.J.

W. E. CLARKE: CHICKS OF SANDERLING. 35

Sabine Island, off the east coast of Greenland, during
the German Arctic Expedition of 1869-70.

The chicks are difficult to describe, but fortunately
they have been excellently depicted. on the accom-
panying plate, by my friend Dr. Philip H. Bahr. The
ground colour of the upper-surface is greyish-buff,
liberally variegated with black, some richer buff, and
prettily spangled with white. There are no traces of
longitudinal stripes—7.e., the black (which predominates),
buff and white markings do not tend to run in lines.
The head and back are marked off by a somewhat broad
nuchal collar of plain buff. The under-surface is almost
white; and the legs and bill are dark leaden grey.

Lys ay

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

IBS
COMMANDER H. LYNES, R.N., M.B.O.U.

INTRODUCTORY.

WHILE serving in H.M.S. “ Venus ” on the Mediterranean
Station from August, 1905, to February, 1908, I saw,
one way and another, a good deal of the migration of
birds, and in hopes that some of my observations may
bring out a few fresh points or strengthen existing views
on the subject, I have ventured to put together the
following notes.

A man-of-war seldom stops long at any one port; my
observations were consequently of a rather disconnected
nature. We were fortunate, however, in 1906, in having
three of the spring months at Crete, and five of the
autumn and winter months in Egypt.

Malta, excellent for migration observation, but almost
an ornithological desert in summer and winter, being the
headquarters of the Mediterranean Fleet, was of course
a frequent port of call during the commission ; however,
as the ‘‘ Venus”’ never happened to stop there for more
than a few weeks during the spring and autumn, I was
unable to make many notes on the passage of birds
through that island.

At Crete, in the spring (February, March and April,
1906), our opportunities for studying migration were not
so favourable as could have been wished ; the ship was
at sea, patrolling the coast a great deal of the time, and
when at anchor she always lay some distance from the
shore. We left Crete, too, some time before the vernal
migration had ceased.

In Egypt the conditions were much more favourable.
We were there from August 23rd, 1906, to January
20th, 1907—spending most of our time at Port Said,
with four short visits to Alexandria, going out of

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 37

harbour for a few days’ gunnery and torpedo practice
every two or three weeks. At Port Said the ship was
moored close to the shore, birds on passage were
constantly flying by and settling in, or even flying
against, the rigging, and I was able to get ashore in the
early mornings and in the evenings fairly frequently.
Less than one hundred yards from the ship was the court-
yard of the ‘‘ Navy House ”’ containing some six trees,
whose foliage was a great attraction to migrants, and
consequently to me, as one could go over there, see what
there was to be seen, and get back to the ship in about
ten minutes.

Since most of my conclusions are based upon observa-
tions made in Egypt during the autumn migration, I
propose to deal with that first, then with the spring
migration at Crete and, finally, with migration at sea,
in the Mediterranean.

J.—AUTUMN MIGRATION AT AND AROUND PORT SAID.

Geographically, Port Said seems admirably suited for
observing bird migration. Hosts of birds breeding in
European Russia, and Central and South-eastern Europe,
winter somewhere in tropical or sub-tropical Africa, and
they must converge, on their southward passage, to the
comparatively narrow, fertile strip of land between the
great deserts of Sahara and Arabia,* since it appears that,
whatever may be the case in spring time, in autumn,
when they lack the spring excitement of going up north to
breed and many of them are in partial moult, birds do not
progress at such a pace as would enable them to venture
across the deserts, for fear of starvation overtaking them.

Port Said is in the centre of this strip, and being right
on the sea-shore, is the first land to be seen by those
birds that cross the Mediterranean Sea, after what must
be the long over-water passage of their whole southward
migration,

* Palmen’s route No. 4.

38 BRITISH BIRDS.

After such a voyage, land, even though the alighting

place be but a pile of scrap iron among the docks, or a
miserable little bush in the sandy wastes, is only too
welcome to these over-sea migrants, as I shall hope to
show.

It seems to me that for such a study as migration,
the area under observation should be sufficiently re-
stricted for an observer to have a comprehensive grasp
of all that is going on in that area. All our best records
appear to come from small and isolated areas—Heligoland,
Fair Island, lightships and lighthouses, may be quoted as
instances of this. If observations are made over a wide
field it can but be bewildering, one cannot feel certain of
departures, the birds may just have moved their position
a little, and not really have continued their migration,
arrivals may easily be overlooked, individuals un-
recognised.

Considering the orders Passeres and Picarie only,
Port Said appears to possess about eight breeding
species, all of which are resident, so when it is considered
that the species actually identified in the autumn
numbered eighty (further observation might very well
increase the number to one hundred or more), it will be
realised that at Port Said there is not the same difficulty
in gauging the extent of a migratory movement as in
places like England, where individuals of many species
migrate over the heads, as it were, of resident individuals
of the same species.

Now although, on the map, Port Said looks as if it
might be a most unrestricted observing area, and to
the eye of the steamship passenger, probably as if no
bird could ever be tempted to alight in such a sandy,
treeless spot, it really possesses in its physical features
the requisites of an excellent observing station. From
the accompanying chart (Figure I.), it will be seen that
just south of the town lies the enormous expanse of
salt water called Lake Menzaleh, which is very shallow
and fringed with innumerable swampy and muddy islets,

Figure I

7
Scale Miles
MEDITERRANEAN SEA

4
H— — desert partly —— —

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TRPCES SA PLISTLLS se awe A e@eog

40 BRITISH BIRDS.

admirably adapted as feeding places for the water-loving
birds. Natural accommodation for “land” birds is
almost entirely dependent upon the presence of fresh
water, for it is only in its immediate vicinity that
anything but a low sparse scrub exists. Thus it is in the
gardens, in and about the town, and around the banks of
the fresh-water canal and the waterworks tanks that we
find the tamarisk bushes, Aleppo pines, and other trees
whose foliage forms so welcome a retreat for the swarms
of tired and hungry little Warblers, Chats and other
Passerine birds, after their long journey over the Mediter-
ranean Sea.

In the following notes I have not attempted to include
any but ‘‘land” birds, as I was quite unable to cope
with the water and marsh birds as well: my remarks
are therefore confined to the Passeres and Picarie,
together with a few notes only upon isolated species of
one or two other orders. The subject will be divided
into the following headings :—A. Migration Period.
B. Weather and Progress of Migration. C. Times.
D. Direction. EH. Height. F. Speed. G. Age of
First Arrivals. H. Habits.

A. Migration Period.

When we arrived at Port Said on August 23rd,
migration was in full swing and had doubtless commenced
some weeks before. The passage continued in full in-
tensity, that is, the numbers of individuals remained
great, though the species varied, up to the end of
October, when the stream began to subside ; but it was
not until well into December that only belated migrants
or winter visitors had finally ceased to arrive, showing
(since, as I shall subsequently relate, the spring migration
starts in February) that ordinary passage migration is
really at a standstill only for a very short period in
winter in the Mediterranean.

As an example of what may be called migration in

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 4]

“full swing,” I will quote the following extract from my
diary of August 26th :—

‘Landed at 2.30 p.m. to explore the region of the
fresh-water canal. Soon found that even in the little
desert space before reaching the canal, birds were very
abundant. Shrikes, Great Grey and Red-backed, were
especially numerous, perched on every other bush, post,
or knoll. Common Wheatears were also plentiful, and
so were Quails, endeavouring to lie perdu in the sparse
thistle-like bushes. As there was so much of interest on
the route progress was but slow, and it was not until
4.30 that I had covered the half mile between the landing
place and the grove of Aleppo pine trees around the
waterworks at the terminus of the fresh-water canal.
Here was a marvellous spectacle, literally thousands and
thousands of little soft-billed fly-catching birds were
among the trees. They were chiefly Willow-Wrens, but
there were also many Bonelli’s Warblers, Lesser White-
throats, Nightingales, Great Grey, and Red-backed
Shrikes, Spotted Flycatchers, Hoopoes, and doubtless
other species invisible among the thick foliage. All the
inhabitants of this ‘avian metropolis’ appeared to be
imbued with activity, searching for food in a restless
sort of way, as if anxious to catch what they could
and be off again.

“ Birds were by no means the only creatures whose
presence was obtrusive for, being Sunday, ‘ tout le monde
en famille ’ was picnicing under the same trees.

‘“‘ Shooting, fortunately for human as well as bird life,
being prohibited in the immediate vicinity of the water-
works, I was unable to procure any specimens there, but
proceeding quietly down the canal, the tamarisks that
fringe its banks were found also to be teeming with
small birds. Boys were catapulting them, ‘ sportsmen ’
were shooting them, one gay chasseur had a sort of
buttonhole consisting of a Quail, a Cuckoo, a Hoopoe
and smaller fry, and many had network game-bags
bulged out with Quail and ‘ etceteras.’ Even among the

42 BRITISH BIRDS.

crowd of people Quails occasionally sprang from the
bushes accompanied by cries of ‘ caille ! —‘ quaglia ! ’

‘From five o’clock onwards there seemed to be a
general movement of the birds to the southward follow-
ing the canal. Commencing in a small way, this move-
ment increased and appeared to reach its height shortly
before sunset, when the air seemed to be full of small
birds flying along from 20 to 150 feet high. On re-
passing the waterworks trees about seven o'clock just
before dark, the only birds I could disturb there were
Nightingales and Simouee Flycatchers, all the others had
apparently mond on.’

* * * ae: ee

The accompanying diagrams (Figures II. and III.) will,
it is thought, give a more or less comprehensive view of
the progress of migration of the more notable species that
visited the Port Said district throughout the autumn.

B. Weather and Progress of Migration.

From the day we arrived at Port Said (August 23rd),
up to the end of September, the sun pursued its daily
course unobscured by clouds, light N.N.W. breezes
always sprang up in the afternoons, and frequently
continued throughout the greater part of the might,
making the atmosphere cool and dry, in spite of an
average temperature of 81° F. in the shade ; the morn-
ings and forenoons were always calm—each day’s weather
was the pattern for the next, with tropical regularity.

Very soon after the Autumnal Equinox there came a
marked change. The wind, though still never more than
a moderate breeze, blew more irregularly throughout
the twenty-four hours, and nearly always from N.N.E.
or N.E. when it was blowing at all—an alteration which
brought a somewhat moister atmosphere, but could
hardly be considered to have had any effect upon the
migration.

The first rain, a thunder-shower, fell on October 7th,
and there was some heavy rain on October 19th, but in

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other respects the whole of October and nearly all
November kept fine and warm (average noon temp.
77° F. to 72° F.), the wind, never more than “ fresh
breezes,’ blew from N.E. or N.W., more often the former,
and on one occasion only from the southward.

On November 27th the weather broke up suddenly ;
the temperature fell about 8° F., and winter, in the ever
varying moods characteristic of that season in the
Mediterranean, was ushered in by a succession of strong
winds and foul weather from the S.W.

So that, as far as the local weather went, it may be
said that up to the end of November the weather con-
ditions were entirely propitious to migration—after that
date the reverse.

It might perhaps be supposed that with such favour-
able and regular weather conditions throughout
(practically) the whole of the migration period, the flow
of migration would have been equally regular, but such
was not indeed the case.

Throughout the whole period, even when migration was
at its greatest intensity, the number of arrivals varied
greatly from day to day. The migrants came in diurnal
waves, sometimes a day, or even several days in succes-
sion would go by with a small wave, and then the next
day there would be a large one, when migrant arrivals
would simply swarm everywhere. By 8 a.m. any day
one could say “‘ itis a good migration day ”’ (or a bad one),
though nothing but the presence or absence of the birds
themselves was there to enable such a fact to be stated.

All this only brings out what is, I think, generally
accepted, and what it is only reasonable to suppose, viz.,
that it is mainly to the weather conditions at the point
of departure for the migration flight, that one must look,
in order to realise what the birds are going to do.

Now Port Said notably enjoys much more halcyon
weather during the autumn months than Crete, Cyprus,
Asia Minor, and even than Alexandria only 150 miles
distant; and an inspection of the actual weather

46 BRITISH BIRDS.

conditions at the northern side of the Levant from August
to October, 1906 (Figures IV. and V.), may reasonably
be considered to provide an explanation of the irregu-
larity of migration arrival at Port Said during that
period; an irregularity which, with the continuously
favourable weather conditions at the latter place, seemed
so illogical.

In the diagrams (Figures IV. and V.), I have chosen
the Constantinople district, merely because it is the only
place near the north side of the Levant whose meteoro-
logical data I have been able to obtain. I should have
wished to get the same for Cyprus and several points in
Asia Minor as well ; however, I think the Constantinople
weather may fairly be assumed to represent more or less
the weather which a large proportion of the migrants
arriving at Port Said actually experienced at the point
of departure for their flight across the Mediterranean.

Referring to the diagrams, it will be seen that even at
the end of August the Constantinople weather showed
signs of breaking up, in September about nine of the
days were unfavourable to migration, and in October
the weather became very unsettled, whereas at Port
Said there was not a single day unfavourable to migra-
tion the whole of this time. At Constantinople the
atmosphere was much moister than at Port Said, and
the temperature much lower, in August averaging about
10 degrees lower, in September 15 degrees, and in
October as much as 20 degrees.

Figure IV. gives, side by side with the weather chart,
a graphic representation of the progress of migration
through Port Said between the same dates, but I am
afraid that the notes and observations are not full enough
to make this as satisfactory as I could wish, and I would
ask therefore that this part of the diagram be taken
merely as suggestive of what more extended and complete
observations might have made conclusive.

I would draw attention in Figure IV. to the short
‘hitches’? very noticeable at the time in migration

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passage at Port Said at the end of August and middle of
September, and these appear to have synchronized with
the unfavourable weather at Constantinople; on the
other hand the unfavourable weather at the latter place,
at the end of September, fails to show a corresponding
influence upon the passage.

C. Tumes.

To analyze thoroughly the times of arrival and
departure of migrants would have required very much
more attention and application than I was able to give ;
it would necessitate the choice of a spot where one could
be sure that arrivals were fresh arrivals; remaining on
that spot the whole time, and being ever on the alert to
pick up fresh arrivals and note departures.

The more one studies observations on this point the
more one is driven to the conclusion, perhaps an obvious
one, but nevertheless worthy of note, that although the
main body of the migrating birds follows a certain
routine, yet in all species there is a rather large per-
centage of exceptions to this routine, and one must be
very cautious in drawing conclusions from single observa-
tions. And surely this must be so. Birds are so very
dependent upon weather conditions, not only for their
food but also for their locomotion, that to expect them
to move as if by clockwork would be hardly reasonable.

So far as I could make out, the birds, speaking in a
broad and general way, began to arrive, that is to alight,
with the first streaks of dawn, the maximum intensity of
the movement being somewhere about sunrise, after
which it slowly diminished, but a fairly strong arrival
nearly always went on until about noon, as could be
observed from the ship in the harbour. From noon
onwards there seemed to be no further migration until
about half-an-hour before sunset, when a small number
of fresh arrivals might frequently be seen coming in
from the northward over the sea. This latter movement,
though not to be compared in intensity with that of the

D

50 BRITISH BIRDS.

morning, was nevertheless a well marked one, and one
which, occurring as it did with moderate regularity, must
I think be put down as a feature of the daily routine and
not merely as the influx of certain individuals which had
become separated from the main body and had arrived
abnormally late in consequence. Species noticed as
taking part in this movement were Redstart, Nightingale,
Willow-Wren, White Wagtail, Short-toed Lark, Sky-Lark,
Nightjar, Corn-Crake and Water-Rail, besides some small
unidentified species, and some Limicole.

Departures were more difficult to observe, but I
concluded that they took place at dusk from the following
facts :—The birds generally got more lively and were to be
found feeding and moving about restlessly towards
sunset after a decided period of torpor during the
afternoon; large parties of birds were seen beginning
to move southwards about the same hour; and on “ off-
migration ’’ mornings, succeeding days that had brought
plenty of birds, there were hardly any to be found.

As I have said, there was scarcely a species that did
not present exceptions to the above generalization, and
these exceptions may doubtless be put down to in-
dividuals on the “sick list” requirmg longer than a
day’s rest to recoup themselves.

One thing, however, impressed me as being an
undoubted fact, viz., that taking it as a whole, the
successive arrival, resting, feeding and moving on, was a
performance that recurred every twenty-four hours at a
greater or less intensity throughout the whole season of
true passage, and I cannot but think that the statement
of certain writers on migration that birds dawdle about
and quietly moult on their autumn migration, though it
may no doubt be true for places perhaps more remote
from their breeding quarters, is not the case at Port Said,
which is comparatively close to their breeding quarters.

Although at night time I watched several times with
glasses for birds crossing the face of the moon, I never
saw any, and the only instances I can quote of migrating

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 51

passage at night are (1) Bee-Eaters, September 19th,
6.30 p.m., at dusk, heard passing south, and (2)
November 18th, 7 p.m., quite dark, when burning search-
lights off Damietta, a number of small birds appeared from
the northward fluttering in the rays. Both of these occur-
rences may have been the continuation of the evening
arrival last mentioned.

It seems to me rather curious that such a representa-
tive South-east European species as the Bee-Eater should
have been observed on the above and on one other
occasion (also at dusk) only, during the whole migration
season, and the incident may have its own significance
with regard to the mode of migration of that particular
species.*

D. Dtrection.

The direction of the flight was always south or within
a few points of it, but arrivals were inclined to come
from a little to the east of north rather than from the
west of it. This is perhaps only what might be expected
from the geography of the Levant and its contiguous
land areas.

(To be continued.)

* Col. Irby (Ornith. Straits of Gib.) makes a similar note about the
autumn passage of Bee-Katers at Gibraltar, ‘all with few exceptions
being heard passing at night.”

( 52) )
THE PEREGRINE FALCON ON THE
YORKSHIRE CLIFFS.

BY
A. D. SAPSWORTH, M.B.O.U.

In Seebohm’s ‘ British Birds,” published in 1883, he
states that the Peregrine Falcon has most probably
now deserted the cliffs of the Yorkshire coast for ever.

“The Dorr,’ Bempton Cliffs.

,

It is pleasant to be able to record not only that they
subsequently made their reappearance, but that again
this year they have successfully hatched out two

A. D. SAPSWORTH: PEREGRINE FALCON. 53

young. After some twenty years’ absence from the
cliffs a pair was seen in April, 1902, when the hen bird
was shot. In 1904 a pair was again seen, but it is
thought that they did not remain to breed. In 1906
they took possession of a ledge on a precipitous cliff at
Bempton, known as “ The Dorr.” Here they successfully
brought off three young birds. In 1907 they selected the
same spot, and reared one. In 1908 they moved their

The Peregrine’s Eyrie.

quarters some two miles further north, and, thanks to a
reward offered by the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union and
the protection they enjoy, they again succeeded in
bringing up a single chick. This year they are once
more in the same spot, and on the 24th of May I took the
opportunity of making their closer acquaintance. The
cliff at this point is some 400 feet high, higher in fact

54. BRITISH BIRDS.

than St. Paul’s from the pavement to the top of the cross.
The ledge is underhung and about two-thirds down the
face of a precipitous chalk cliff. It can be seen from a
bend above, a hundred yards to the south, and is easily
recognised by the green fringe of rank grass growing at
the edge.

The professional ‘“‘climmers”’ were harvesting the
Guillemots’ eggs, and I am glad to say that these birds
are more numerous than ever, probably due to the close
season for collecting the eggs now commencing on July
Ist. The birds appear to be in nowise discouraged by
the taking of some 130,000 eggs each season from about
eight miles of cliff in six weeks.

The ‘‘climmers”’ work in parties of four, one going
down, while the remaining three lower and haul, and by
preconcerted signals on the rope, those above follow the
directions of the man below. I found no difficulty in
inducing the party that rents this portion of the cliff to
lower me to the eyrie.

It was a calm day, and that delightful babel of noise
peculiar to a sea-bird’s haunt in spring filled the air.
Guillemots and Razorbills lined the ledges and Puffins
squeezed themselves into the crevices, Kittiwakes
selecting the lower sites near the sea.

Far down below, schools of black dots floated and
sported on the glassy sea, diving and chasing one another
in full enjoyment of the warm calm day. To my surprise,
a pair of Rock-Doves dashed out from behind a chimney
of rock not 100 feet above the Peregrines’ ledge as I was
being lowered, apparently in nowise disturbed by the
close proximity of their dangerous neighbours.

The Falcons took alarm as the slack rope was let
down, chattering noisily as they went out over the sea. A
few quick beats, followed by a lightning sweeping curve on
outspread wings marked their graceful and more rapid flight
among the direct passage of the innumerable Guillemots.

The ledge was indented in the somewhat hollow-faced
side of cliff, but gave sufficient room to move in a bent

A. D. SAPSWORTH : PEREGRINE FALCON. 55

position. Two of the three eggs had hatched off, and the
young birds, in white down, were about three weeks
old. As they were some little way from each other,
I put out my hand to move one, that I might take a
photograph, which he resented by turning on his back,
with beak and talons ready for attack. Nest there was
no trace of, but feathers and pellets lay around with the
remains of Rock- and Stock-Doves and other smaller
birds. As the old birds were somewhat uneasy (though
they did not approach so close as when the eggs are
near hatching), I soon launched myself once more into
space and was hauled up, gathering Guillemots’ eggs from
the ledges on the way. The ‘“climmers” having a
practical interest in protecting the young birds, there is
every reason to believe that this pair will be successfully
reared, and that the Peregrines will not desert the
Yorkshire cliffs for many years to come.

MARKING BIRDS.

WE are very glad to be able to state that the scheme for
marking birds with aluminium rings, outlined in our last
number, has been well taken up, and we take this opportunity
of thanking those of our readers who are helping by putting
on the rings and filling up the schedules. We have so far
issued nearly 3000 rings of various sizes, and we hope soon
to publish some particulars of how they have been used, and
meanwhile, as there will still be many young birds about
during this month, we would ask those readers who have
opportunities for joining in the work to apply for rings and
schedules. Eps.

REDSTART IN SUSSEX.

In reply to your correspondent (Mr. J. W. Bond) last month,
a Redstart (Ruticilla phenicurus), some fifteen years ago,
built in my summer-house here (Netherfield, near Battle),
upon a sort of shelf which went round the top of the match-
boarded interior, under the heather thatching. I managed to
identify the bird, being very uncertain what the four eggs laid
were. Their colour was greenish blue, delicately sprinkled
with dull red, especially at the base, like a Whinchat’s. The
bird deserted, and then nested in the cavity of a holly tree,
in a field close by, and laid four eggs speckled similarly. In
my twenty-one years’ residence here I have never seen

another pair in Sussex.
kK. F. B. Moncx.

LESSER REDPOLL IN SUSSEX.

Mr. WALPOLE Bonp writes in the last number of the Lesser
Redpoll as being a resident in Sussex. In the Tunbridge
Wells district I believe no birds stay throughout the year, for
those that nest here all seem to leave about September, and
then for some weeks there is scarcely one to be seen—or, it
would be better to say, heard. After an interval the winter
visitors arrive. The summer residents return at the beginning
of April, again after a gap of several weeks from the time
when the winter birds leave. This gap was particularly
noticeable last autumn, for only a very few birds came for
the winter and they were later than usual.

H. G. ALEXANDER.

NOTES. 57
RAVENS AS SCAVENGERS.

THE testimony of the eminent naturalist Belon (circa 1555),
referring to the protection given to Kites and Ravens in the
City of London, is well known; and likewise that of Sir
Thomas Browne, referring to Norwich (circa 1662), as to the
‘‘ good plentie about the citty which makes so few Kites to
be seen hereabout.” That Ravens existed in great numbers,
and were useful scavengers around London as late as towards
the close of the eighteenth century, is manifest from the
personal experiences of Robert Smith, who published a work
on the destruction of four-footed and winged vermin, and
quaintly describes himself as ‘‘ Late Rat-Catcther”’ to the
Princess Amelia.* As I never remember seeing this author
quoted, and as some of his descriptions contain valuable
information, and as the book itself is not common, I venture
to give Robert Smith’s note on the Raven, which shows the
rat-catcher was a man of observation. ‘ This is the largest
bird that feeds on carrion, and is of a fine shining colour ; in
some places it is very serviceable, in eating up the stinking
flesh or carrion of dead beasts and other carrion, but in many
other places very mischievous, and does a great deal of harm,
I having been allowed as much per head for killing them as I
had for Kites and Hawks, as they are equally pernicious in
killing and devouring young rabbits, ducklings and chickens.
I know of no better way to catch them, where they become
troublesome, than to set two traps for them,in the same manner
as you do for the Buzzard [see plate VI., fig. I.], and put a
rat between them for a bait, but when you have taken one
or two, you must move your traps to another place, or the
others will prove too shy to be caught ; for as soon as one is
taken, great numbers will keep round him, and seeing him
fast, will grow suspicious of some danger, and not come near
the place any more; but by observing the above method, in
moving the traps, I have caught great numbers of them in a
day, though it is attended with some labour and trouble. I
have often caught,the London Ravens near twenty miles from
home, in warrens, where they will sometimes come after the
young Rabbits ; by the London Ravens, I mean those that
generally frequent the outskirts of the metropolis, and live
upon the filth lying there, grubbing up the dirt in order to
get at their food, from whence the tops of their wings become
of a nasty, dusky brown colour, occasioned by their wallowing
in the dirt, by which means they are easily distinguishable

* «Universal Directory for destroying Rats, and other kinds of four-
footed and winged Vermin.” Third Edition. London, 1786.

58 BRITISH BIRDS.

from the country Ravens, which are black as jet, according
to the old saying, As black as a Raven. I have seen some of
these Ravens sit upon a lamb, that has been dropped weak,
not being able to run, when they have got to his head and
picked out the creature’s eyes while yet alive. Another
remark I shall make, which is to point out the difference
between the manner of birds of the hawk-kind carrying their
prey, and those of the carrion kind. Now, it is observable
that Buzzards, Kites, Hawks and Owls constantly carry their
prey in their claws, whereas Ravens, Carrion-Crows and
Magpies carry their food in their beaks.”

H. W. FEILDEN.

LITTLE BITTERN IN ORKNEY.

On May 14th, 1909, a servant of Mr. Scarth, of Binscarth,
Orkney, when passing the opening into the sea of the Stennis
Loch in Orkney, caught alive an adult male Little Bittern
(Ardetta minuta). Mr. Scarth tried to keep the bird alive, but
it only lived a few hours. It was sent to Messrs. Small and
Son, of Edinburgh, to be stuffed.

There seems to have been only one other specimen recorded
in Orkney and that was from Sanday (at Lopness), in 1806.

W. Cowan.

SHOVELER NESTING IN STAFFORDSHIRE.
I am pleased to be able again to report the nesting of a pair
of Shovelers (Spatula clypeata) in Staffordshire, on a piece
of water about a mile from the nest I reported last year
(cf. Vol. IL., p. 95). Eleven eggs were safely hatched out on
May 16th. It is very probable that there are one or two
other nests in the neighbourhood, as at least two other drakes

are to be seen. W. WELLS BLADEN.

TURTLE-DOVE IN SCOTLAND.

A MALE example of the Turtle-Dove (T'urtur communis), a
rare bird in Scotland, was procured at Kelso, Roxburghshire,

on May 15th, 1909. W. A. NicHorson.

LATE NESTING OF WOODCOCK.
I rLusHED a Woodcock off her nest on June 8th and found
there were four eggs, one of which I took and extracted the
young bird—this was in Ross-shire. The nesting of the Wood-
cock at so late a date is remarkable, and I think it may be

worthy of record. RicHarp H. W. LEacn.

NOTES. 59

Like the Snipe the Woodcock is undoubtedly sometimes
double-brooded, and nests have been found considerably later
in the season than that recorded by our correspondent.
Eggs have been taken in Yorkshire as late as July 14th
(T. E. Metcalfe, quoted in Victoria History of Yorkshire), while
in Ireland the Rev. W. W. Flemyng found a nest with four
eggs on July 14th, 1890, in co. Waterford (Zool., 1890, p. 312),
and a nest in co. Tipperary had four eggs on July 21st, 1892
(Field, May 6th, 1899). This last nest was the second brood
of a pair which had young on April 2nd.

HC. ad:

SNIPE PERCHING.

On May 3lst last I was on a large marsh in Berkshire with
Mr. H. M. Wallis. All along one side of this marsh there is
a line of large pollard trees, and behind certain of these are
placed high hurdles serving as butts for Snipe-driving in the
winter. We had reached one end of the marsh, and I was
watching several Snipe ‘‘ drumming” overhead, when one of
them suddenly lowered and rounding a pollard tree perched
on the top of a hurdle which was placed close by. Mr. Wallis
tells me that this is the first time he has ever seen a Snipe
actually perching, and, personally, though I have watched
Snipe in their breeding haunts fairly closely for some years
past I have never seen a similar case.

GWYNNE WITHERINGTON.

THis, of course, is unusual, but a search through the
«Naturalist ’’ columns of the “ Field”’ or ‘‘ Land and Water ”’
would result in the discovery of many other recorded
instances, as it is one of those perennial topics of controversy
which recur at intervals every few years. Probably most
Limicoline birds which breed in wooded districts occasionally
adopt this habit, and I have even seen the Curlew perched
for several minutes on a pine tree on the heaths of Brabant !
The habit is, however, commonest among the TJotani; the
Redshank is very fond of perching on posts or rails, while
the arboreal habits of the Sandpipers are well known.

F.C.R.J.

BesipEs the species above mentioned I have noted that
Greenshank, Dusky Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Reeve,
Common and Wood-Sandpiper and Whimbrel make a habit
of perching upon trees and bushes in their breeding grounds.

60 BRITISH BIRDS.

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT IN NORTH WALES.

As the concluding part of Mr. Coburn’s note under this head
in the June issue of BririsH Brirps calls in question the
accuracy of the statement in the ‘‘ Vertebrate Fauna of North
Wales,” that the Black-tailed Godwit had occurred previously
at Barmouth, I would like to reply briefly. In the first place
Mr. Coburn misquotes the passage. I did not state that the
bird was noted by Mr. F. C. Rawlings, but that it was obtained.
Mr. Rawlings recorded it in the ‘“ Zoologist,” 1894, p. 334,
as ‘‘ Rare: one procured in August, 1893.” In reply to
my enquiry for details Mr. Rawlings writes as follows :—
“Though I have never shot the Black-tailed Godwit or noted
it alive, I saw one in the flesh, and I think skinned and
stuffed it for a Mr. ——— on August llth, 1893.” The
species is distinctly rare in North Wales, but other examples
are recorded in the ‘‘ Fauna” on the estuaries of the Dee and
Dovey, and one in the west of Anglesey.

H. E. Forrest.

LARGE CLUTCHES OF EGGS OF THE GREAT
CRESTED GREBE.

Wiru reference to Mr. Oldham’s letter in the June number of
Bririsu Brrps re the early nesting of the Great Crested Grebe,
the three young he mentions were hatched from a nest, which
contained six eggs on April 8th. I waded out to it myself.

This pair now has only two young: what has happened to
the third I do not know.

On p. 327 of Vol. I. I noted a nest of Great Crested Grebe
containing the unusual number of seven eggs, and suggested
that they might have been the product of two female birds.
As stated above, I have found a nest containing six eggs this
year; I also found a nest containing six eggs on the same
reservoir on April 16th, 1908. These three nests were in almost
the same place in each of the three consecutive vears. I
suppose they were the property of the same unusually prolific
pair.

The Great Crested Grebe is increasing in numbers on the
Weston Turville Reservoir, Herts., every year. I noticed at
least five different pairs this year.

L. W. Crovucn.

THE accompanying photograph of a Great Crested Grebe’s
nest taken in Norfolk is interesting, owing to its containing
a clutch of six eggs. These eggs, so far as the keeper could
tell, were laid by one bird. The nest itself is rather exposed,

NOTES. 61

but as the Broad in which it was situated is private, these
beautiful birds are unmolested, and last year (1908), eighteen
pairs nested there. The second time I visited the Broad
the young Grebes were hatching out, and with a pair of

field-glasses I could see the male feeding the female and their
firstborn. As only one bad egg remained in the nest I conclude
five were safely hatched, and this the keeper confirms.

E. L. Turner.

SS TVEWO

The British Warblers—A History, with Problems of their Lives.
By H. Eliot Howard, ¥.Z.S., M-B.0.U. Partie
Coloured and Photogravure Plates. (R.H. Porter.) 21s.
net per part.

WE have already given an appreciative notice (Vol. II., p. 67)
of the first two parts of this interesting work. This third
part is chiefly concerned with the Blackcap, though two pages
each are given to Pallas’s Willow-Warbler and Radde’s Bush-
Warbler. The plates, four of which are in colour, and nine in
monochrome, are all by Mr. H. Gronvold, and attain that
high standard of excellence which marked the work of the
same artist in the first two parts. In our first notice we
questioned the wisdom of the author’s plan of including
the rarer British Warblers only to dismiss them in scanty
fashion, so that we need not here consider his treatment of
Phylloscopus proregulus and Lusciniola schwarz. We therefore
pass on to Mr. Howard’s discussions of the habits of the
Blackeap, and it is his detailed descriptions of the habits, and
especially the ‘‘courting’’ habits of the birds of which he
writes, that make his book so valuable. We find in the
account of the habits of the Blackcap ample evidence of the
same close and unwearying observation in the field as was
shown in the first two parts. Asthe author has demonstrated
is the case with other Warblers, so the male Blackcap generally
arrives before the female and occupies a well defined territory,
which he holds against all other males. In stating that the
male generally pairs with the first female that settles on this
territory the author seems to overlook entirely what we have
pointed out (Vol. II., p. 67) is a fair assumption, viz., that if
the male returns to the same territory year after year then the
female does, too, and therefore that migrants may be said to
pair for life. We may here suggest that many birds which
go in flocks in the winter also pair for life, for after all
a flock is very often but a collection of families, and it
is only reasonable to suppose that the parents keep together
when the flock breaks up in the spring. The mere fact that
birds often resort year after year to the same nesting site
seems to afford proof that they mate for life. Amongst birds
which flock in the winter we have the well-known case
quoted by the late Professor Newton (Dict. of Birds, p. 553)

REVIEWS. 63

of a pair of Blue Titmice using a bottle in a tree as a nesting
site for a hundred years, and it may be of interest to record
here a case of a migrant species using the same nesting site
for certainly sixty years. This was in the village of Burley,
Hampshire, where a pair of Wrynecks occupied year after year
a hole in a hollow branch of an apple tree in a cottager’s
garden. One winter the branch was blown down, but John
King, the occupant of the cottage, took great pride in his
Wrynecks, and bethought himself of the expedient of cutting
off the portion of the branch in which the birds nested and
fixing a tin roof over one end to keep the hollow weather
tight. This natural ‘‘ nesting box” he placed in the original
tree, and when spring came round the Wrynecks took to it
at once and continued to nest there for many more years.
The end was tragic. King had a spiteful neighbour, who,
seemingly from motives of pure jealousy, and knowing the
old man’s pride in the Wrynecks, one summer about five
years ago shot both the old birds. John King is over eighty
years of age, and has been a keen observer of nature all his
life (he has lived largely by the chase!) and remembers well
his father, who had the cottage before him, showing him the -
Wrynecks many a time when he was a boy. The sitting bird
was so tame that it did not in the least mind being handled
and was often brought out of the hole to be shown off, while
Tits which sometimes took possession of the place were
ruthlessly turned out and their nests destroyed before the
time of the Wryneck’s arrival.

In such a case as this, equally with that of the Blue Tit,
the birds must have both returned to the nesting place so
long as both survived, and as it is not possible to believe that
the same birds lived for fifty or sixty years the surviving
partner (both birds of the pair we must presume never died in
the same winter) must have brought a new mate, whether
male or female, to the old nesting place. Is it not likely, too,
that migrants which nest in a particular place year after year,
also winter in company with one another. With cases such as
the foregoing before us, it does not seem reasonable to suppose
that such birds find new mates at each breeding season. In
any case, it would appear unsafe to argue, as Mr. Howard does,
without due regard to this point as a possible factor. It may
account for some of the apparent want of selection on the
part of the female Blackcap, for according to Mr. Howard’s
observations, she takes no notice whatever of the ‘“‘ extravagant
bodily actions” of the male, nor is she influenced by his
wonderful song, since directly she arrives this is changed as a

64. BRITISH BIRDS.

result of excessive excitement to high-pitched squealing notes
and imitations. Thus neither the female nor the male seem to
have any choice; yet again, if this is always so, and if the
young return to the home of their birth, how is inbreeding
prevented ? How does the bird which has never paired
choose his ground and his mate? The method cannot be a
haphazard one, but to discover how this comes about will be
a matter of extreme difficulty, although it may be that the
plan of marking birds with rings will help us here.

Mr. Howard considers that he can distinguish the “‘ yearling”
Blackcap from the adult in the spring by the browner or less
glossy head of the cock, and he has noticed that these birds
are not such accomplished singers. Several of his arguments are
founded on the assumption that the young are always thus
dully coloured, but here he is on treacherous ground, owing
to his reliance (apparently) on work in the field only. If a
good series of skins of male Blackcaps be examined it will be
found that although some young birds have brown or brownish
heads in the spring following the year they were hatched,
others acquire a glossy black head in their first autumn. The
brown on the head is individual and varies in extent, and-may
very likely be due to a want of vigour. But Mr. Howard is
wrong in supposing that glossy black-headed birds are
necessarily older than brown-headed ones.

Another point to which we should like to draw attenticn is
the observation that the Blackcap not only carries away the
feeces of the young, but that it sometimes swallows them.
This we know is a regular habit of the Mistle-Thrush, Song-
Thrush and Blackbird, and it would be very interesting if
observations regarding it were made upon other species,
because as we have suggested elsewhere, it may be of
economical importance to the bird which is busy feeding young;
the faeces may provide for the old some nourishment that the
young, by reason of its exceedingly rapid digestion, has not
assimilated.

In conclusion, we heartily recommend Mr. Howard’s book,
not only as containing the results of much valuable original
observation, but as a thoughtful piece of work. We have
discussed at some length a few of the points the author has
raised, not so much with a view to criticism as to show how
much there is of interest in such observations as the author of
this work has so perseveringly made.

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ConTENTS OF NuMBER 3, Vou. III. Aveust 2, 1909.

A remarkable incident in the Life-History of the Water-Rail,
by Miss E. L. Turner zs: Page 65

Observations on the Migration of Birds in the iMfaditer:
ranean, by Commander H. Lynes, R:N., M.B.0.U.—
(continued from page 51) ms 69

Notes :—The Longevity of Birds (The Gekieas of Bedferd))
Winter Habits of the Blackcap and Mating for Life
(Perey R. Lowe). Large Brood of Reed-Warblers
(D. H. Meares). Arrival of Martins at their Breeding
Haunts (J. Lewis Bonhote). Paper used as Nesting
Material by Lesser Redpoll (Col. H. Meyrick). Cross-
bills in Scotland and England (N. F. Ticehurst and
E. G. B. Meade-Waldo). Curious Site for a Starling’s
Nest (F. W. Headley). Ravens as Scavengers
(J. E. Harting). Little Owl Breeding in Derbyshire
(C. H. Wells). The Peregrine Falcon on the Yorkshire
Cliffs (E. W. Wade and W. J. Clarke. Migration
Routes of White Storks (A. Landsborough Thomson).
Red Grouse, Heather, and Crowberry (Fredk. J. Stubbs).
Woodcock Breeding in Surrey (C. Hawkins). Late
Nesting of the Woodcock (Heatley Noble). Snipe
Perching \Eds.). Increase of the Redshank in Clyde
(Walter Stewart). Common Terns on Holyhead
Skerries (Heatley Noble). Arctic Terns Feeding on
Crane and May Flies (Wm. C. Wright). Briinnich’s
Guillemot in Yorkshire ail ghey Land Birds
Nesting in Holes _... : a 78

A REMARKABLE INCIDENT IN THE LIFE-
HISTORY OF THE WATER-RAIL.

BY
EK. L. TURNER.

I wap the Water-Rail (Rallus aquaticus) figured here
under observation for a month, as I was particularly
anxious to secure photographs of the young when
fledged. Perhaps the most astonishing fact with regard

E

66 BRITISH BIRDs.

to this particular bird is that she did hatch off her brood,
because both Mr. Farren and I so subjected her to the
ordeal by camera that I do not know how long we kept
her from the nest between us, but I can answer for three
hours on June 16th and again on the 21st. But on June
27th two of the seven eggs showed signs of breaking,
and early on the morning of the 28th I went again,
hoping to find the chicks out and to secure a photograph
of them before they slipped away. However, the
female was still brooding, but over five eggs only. Her
whole attitude showed intense nervous excitement,
which apparently had nothing to do with the proximity
of my camera. Almost as soon as I was ready for her
the bird came running back to the nest; not with
doubtful hesitancy, as on previous occasions, but with
an entirely self-absorbed business-like air. During the
whole of the first two hours while I watched she
incessantly uttered a curious purring noise, exactly like
the sound a contented happy squirrel makes when it
comes to be petted. This sound seemed to be ventral,
and not guttural, for there was absolutely no movement
of the throat, only a continuous slight jerking of the tail.
Whether running to the nest or brooding this “* purring ”
was unceasing, except when now and again she gave
forth the usual ‘“‘ sharming ”’ call note, which her mate
would respond to, either by ‘“‘ sharming”’ or “ groaning”
whenever he came near; the male bird also “ purred.”
Twice he fed the hen on the nest, but from behind, so
that owing to the thick tangle of reeds, I was unable to
secure a photograph of the two together. I also heard
a faint ‘“‘ cheep, cheep,” which led me to suppose he had
with him the first newly-hatched chick, though I did not
actually see it. Once the male changed places with the
female and settled down to brood, but the sharp rattle
of my shutter drove him away. I should not have
known any difference between the two birds had not
they changed places under my eye, when, by a closer
observation of the male, I noticed that his bill was

E. L. TURNER: THE WATER-RAIL. 67

considerably larger, and the upper mandible a much
brighter red, than that of the female.

The moment her mate fled the female returned and
seizing one of the already chipped eggs she enlarged the
hole, as shown in Plate IV., and then contentedly settled
down, purring and jerking her tail all the time. I wish
to call particular attention to the third photograph
(Plate V.), which shows the hen brooding contentedly,
a position she maintained for an hour while I watched ;
because it seems to me that my presence was not. sufficient
to account for her subsequent extraordinary behaviour.
As a rule the Water-Rail is one of the most wary of
sitters—more keenly alert and sensitive to the slightest
sound than any bird I know; but on this occasion she
more than once allowed me to change my plate without
disturbing herself in the slightest. The nervous anxiety
she did display was purely maternal ; wrapt in her own
meditation, she seemed lost to outside influences. As
for me, I was keenly interested and not willing to disturb
her; however, seeing the keeper, James Vincent,
approaching at the end of the appointed two hours,
I dropped the shutter; the Rail did not move till foot-
steps approached.

I asked Vincent to examine the eggs and report progress.
Two of the young were out, and he removed the broken
shells. Then the excitement began. The female
returned, stood on tip-toe, peeped into the nest, and
quick as thought seized one youngster by the neck and
carried him off. So rapid and unexpected was this
manceuvre that I had barely time to secure my picture
(Plate VI.), but the attitude in which she is caught shows
to advantage the real elegance of the Water-Rail, for
on the nest she fluffs herself out and looks twice her
natural size, whereas she is really slim and dainty. No
sooner had I changed my plate than she was back again,
and this time seized the second unfortunate and
bedraggled-looking chick by the head, and whisked him
off (Plate VII.). She then returned for the third, not

68 BRITISH BIRDS.

yet out of the shell, and seizing him by the shoulder
removed him shell and all (Plate VIII.), and the fourth
also in like manner (Plate IX.). There remained only
one addled egg, but though this formed a very difficult
task, after several unsuccessful efforts she succeeded in
getting a firm grasp of it (Plate X.), and disappeared.
All these five photographs were taken in less than ten
minutes.

After this the bird returned twice and just peeped into
the nest, and, thus apparently satisfied as to its emptiness,
we saw her no more.

We diligently searched the reeds for the missing birds,
but found only the addled egg, some eight feet away,
and one half-fledged chick, that must have been in the
water many hours, evidently one of those removed from
the nest on the 27th. We replaced the egg, covered up
the nest and went away, hoping that, like the Great
Crested Grebe and Coot, the Water-Rail would bring
back her young to the old home for a day or two; but
on the 29th the nest was wet and cold, evidently there
had been no return; and though we made a long search
in its vicinity, no trace of the birds, old or young, could
be found.

I can give no explanation of the cause of this behaviour
on the part of my Water-Rail, and do not know whether
it is ordinary or extraordinary ; the fact that two young
ones disappeared before the 28th seems to show that these
birds are in the habit of removing their newly-hatched
or partly-fledged young. This is a story without an
ending, because so far we have failed to discover the
whereabouts of the missing birds. Perhaps another
season, by carefully watching and not attempting to
photograph the Water-Rail, some further light may be
thrown upon this very interesting point. After all,
this bird is my ‘‘ totem” and ought to reveal her secrets
to me.

Cree)

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

BiY4
COMMANDER H. LYNES, R.N., M.B.O.U.

I.—AUTUMN MIGRATION AT AND AROUND PORT SAID.
(Continued from page 51.)

E. Height.

TRAVELLING birds—I mean those whose evident intentions
were to proceed and not to alight—were never seen either
near the land or at sea; and in the harbour, all arriving
birds seemed to be in a state preparatory to alighting,
either flying in quite low like the Quails, which rose from
just above the surface of the water, only to clear the
houses and shipping ; or dropping down from what may
have been a good height, slowly making for cover as
indicated by an uncertainty in direction.

On the sea near the land, birds seen were almost
invariably quite close to the water’s surface, a matter of
a few feet only. It is, however, a significant fact that
outside of a radius of about ten miles from land, whether
in Egyptian or other waters, no birds ever came near the
ship (except such as appeared to have lost their bearings)
whose appearance could not be directly ascribed to some
untoward event such as wind or rain, and on these
occasions they would fly around, follow, or alight on
board the ship.

This only bears out what is doubtless another generally
accepted fact, viz., that sea passages, if not also land
passages, are at any rate in the majority of cases, carried
out at a height at least above the normal limit of human
vision, and that a descent is only made when the bird
intends to alight.

The position relative to the Egyptian sea-shore, at
which the descent is made, appears to vary with the
species. Quails seem always to arrive at the coast-line
only a few feet above the surface of the water. I have
also afew somewhat similar notes for the Corn-Crake,

70 BRITISH BIRDS.

Water-Rail and Spotted Crake, but the small birds
seemed to appear suddenly from nowhere as if they had
dropped down rapidly from a height. On the evening of
September 6th I went over to the Navy House courtyard
to see whether there were any Nightingales in the trees
there. A careful examination of the two largest trees
whose middle boughs swept the balcony revealed only
one Nightingale, although there were plenty of other
birds there. Toward sunset I suddenly became aware
that there were more Nightingales, quite a number in
fact, and I shot two Spréssers and one common Nightin-
gale for specimens. Although the trees had been closely
watched the whole time, these arrivals had escaped
notice, which could scarcely have been the case had
the birds approached from anywhere near the horizontal,
hence the conclusion that they had dropped in almost
vertically.

Such a conclusion may seem rather far-fetched, but it
is nevertheless an undoubted fact that birds can and do
sometimes make downward swoops of very great rapidity.
This may be seen ona winter’s evening in London by
watching the Starlings coming in to roost in the big
poplar trees in St. James’s Park. One’s attention is first
drawn to the sudden appearance in the tree-tops of the
first party of Starlings, which proceed to settle down in
their night quarters with the noisy chatter characteristic
of the species. Stop near the trees, and you cannot fail
to be aware both by eye and ear that the numbers of
birds are increasing every few minutes, and yet no more
have actually been seen coming in. Now move two or
three hundred yards away from the trees, and careful
watching will reveal a party of Starlings, high in the air,
coming from the northward. They look as if they are
going to take no interest in our poplar trees, as they
seem to continue their flight until they are right over
them. Suddenly there is a check, and down, almost
vertically, they come hurtling through the air, growing
from a speck to a Starling with such marvellous rapidity

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 71

that one feels at a loss to say exactly how it has all
been done.

With regard to departures of birds at Port Said all I
ever noticed was a restless movement in a_ southerly
direction in the evenings. As already described the birds
were from twenty to a hundred and fifty feet high, but
I have little doubt that if particular attention had been
paid to the point, some of them might have been noticed
mounting to their passage altitude during the short
Egyptian twilight.

F. Speed.

The only passage speeds I was able to deal with were
those of some of the species which arrived flying low.
The best observations were made on the Quails by
timing them from the moment they crossed the fore and
aft line of the ship to the moment that, with a pair of
glasses, they could be seen to fly into a Quail net exactly
500 yards distant.

The result gave a speed of just fifty knots an hour.
Corn-Crakes, Water-Rails and Spotted Crakes arriving
appeared to be going just about the same speed, but
proper time-observations of them were never obtained.
No matter whether at the sea-shore or in the harbour, the
speed of these particular birds as they came in never
appeared to be appreciably different, but whether it was
that at which the whole passage across the sea had
actually been made is, of course, impossible to say.

I question much, however, whether these and like
species of birds that possess a continuous whirring flight
on migration are capable of any but a very limited
increase of their ordinary speed on the horizontal, or of
much diminution of it without intervals of ‘soaring.’
On downward grades, no doubt, almost any speed is
possible, but this cannot apply to long distance flight.
In a ship, an increase of a few knots on the normal speed
requires a disproportionately high relative increase of

72 BRITISH BIRDS.

horse-power, and it seems rather unnatural to expect a
bird’s flight-mechanism to be capable of such analogous
expansion of power, since it would be the reverse of
economical to maintain a similar reserve of power.

Consider mankind—there is scarcely 20 per cent.
difference between the ‘‘ record ” and the general average
speed in any foot race.

G. Age of First Arrivals.

With regard to the much debated question of whether
some of the adults of each species do or do not lead the
way as pioneers of the migrant waves, I can only say
that, with the exception of the Redstart and Wheatear,
every species sufficiently well represented to enable a
conclusion to be arrived at, appeared to have some adults
among the first batch of arrivals, and this was actually
proved by obtaining specimens in the majority of cases.
There may, perhaps, have been adult females among the
Redstarts and Wheatears, but their appearance was not
sufficiently distinctive to enable me to separate them
from the young birds.

With so many individuals of other species migrating
from (probably) the same breeding areas, and bound in
the same direction, it seems rather natural to suppose
that young birds may not always consider it necessary
to have one of their own species as a guide, but may, on
the contrary, join up with birds of other species—a
supposition which is of course supported by the frequent
appearance of heterogeneous assemblages of species
during migration time.

A, Habits.

Since space naturally precludes a separate description
of the habits of each species, I shall endeavour under
this heading to describe, in more or less general terms,
only such habits as the act of migrating seemed to have
imposed upon the birds passing through Port Said.
Firstly, there was the desire for seclusion on alighting,

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 73

and there is little doubt that fatigue resulting from
the passage across the Mediterranean was its direct
cause, since it was rest, and not food, that was first
taken. Just as on our own eastern sea coast the
autumnal North Sea migrants are to be sought during
the day in the thickest bushes, tufts of grass, bean
fields, and other cover—or as Gaetke in Heligoland
found them in the scanty bushes and potato fields of
that island, so at Port Said the birds of passage, on
alighting, took possession of the bushes, trees, and
thickest cover they could find, and when such-like natural
cover was insufficient to cope with the influx of the
migrants then they overflowed into all sorts of odd
places like hotel verandahs, or on board the shipping in
the harbour. Under the latter circumstances each
species seemed to do its best to select something more
or less corresponding to its own natural environment.

Thus, on board the ‘“ Venus” in the harbour, the
Water-Rail flew into the officers’ smoking room through
the open scuttle ; the Corn-Crake and Quail would alight
on the quarterdeck and after a nervous glance around
dive hastily behind a six-inch gun; the Nightjar would
fly silently about the ‘‘ bosky glade’ formed by the
funnels and boats’ davits, resting now and then on a
skid-beam as being the nearest approach to a bough ;
while the Willow-Wrens and other small warblers would
perch on the masts, yards and rigging. Ashore, the
Redstarts might be found in hundreds among the piles
of scrap iron in the docks, and Golden Orioles in the little
trees on the Bund crowded with people, while a heap of
old tin pots and kettles or a roll of barbed wire in the
extension works was a quite likely hold for a Quail.

Naturally, this characteristic was not without its
exceptions, for instance, one evening we saw a Corn-Crake
perched in the topmost foliage of a sixty-foot Aleppo pine
tree, and other like incongruities were noticed from time
to time.

Song, during the whole of the most important period

74 BRITISH BIRDS.

of migration, was entirely absent. The nearest approach
to song, and the only example I ever met with during
August, September, and practically all October, was that
of a Nightingale, one of several in the Navy House trees,
that I was watching, in the early morning of 26th
August. This bird uttered a few of its liquid notes—but
they were but an echo of the Nightingale’s true song.
Probably my presence a few yards away was the
cause of this little outburst, which it struck me
corresponded to the nervous song that warblers often
utter when they first find an intruder at their nest. The
other Nightingales in the tree were also uneasy at my
proximity, but only showed it by making low croaks
and agitated movements of the tail.

Bluethroats, of which species the first representatives
appeared in mid-October, were not heard to sing until
after the beginning of November, and then only
occasionally, and not well.

Robins were first heard to sing in December, although
the arrival of the species dated from the latter part of
October, and the Chiffchaff, whose passage had begun
in mid-October, was heard to sing on one occasion only—
the early morning of the 4th December. Curiously, this
was a dull, still morning, and it was quite a surprise to
hear not one, but several Chiffchaffs singing away for
a few moments (only) as if it were June in England.

I can record only one other species as having sung at
all—a Reed-Warbler—which came out on to the end of
a tamarisk spray and gave forth a rapid, but clear, jumble
of notes. This was on October 27th, the migration of
the species having commenced in August; and a few of
its representatives (of which this was very likely one),
remained to winter in the district.

Even in winter the Song-Thrush did not appear to
sing, and the Cuckoo, Golden Oriole, Hoopoe, Corn-Crake,
and other species with striking “‘ song-calls ” alike went
by in absolute silence.

In the British Islands as we all know, some species sing

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 75

in winter as well as in the breeding time (vide also
Messrs. Alexanders’ Song-periods, BritisH Brrps,
Vol. I., pp. 367-372), and if, in non-migratory birds which
habitually sing in the winter, it is the moult that causes the
cessation of song in the autumn, then in migratory birds
the passage itself would seem to be the governing factor,
since in such species it is reasonable to suppose that no
extensive migratory flight could be successfully undertaken
by a bird moulting any of the more important parts of its
plumage, a supposition which is supported by the speci-
mens obtained at Port Said during the period in question.

So far as migration goes, therefore, it would appear
that under such conditions as governed the process in the
Port Said district, bird-song had no existence whatever,
the isolated records during the migration period showing
every probability of having come from individuals which
had already settled down in the quarters in which they
proposed to spend the winter. It would have been
interesting to have discovered whether any of these
songsters were young birds of the year—but though alive
to the desirability of such an investigation I was unable
to procure any satisfactory data.

Feeding, generally speaking, seemed to take place
towards the close of the day, after the hours of rest.
Small insects, such as mosquitoes, were available for the
lesser insectivorous birds in great abundance in the
evenings and probably also well into the night; since
great swarms of insects are frequently attracted to the
navigation searchlights used by ships passing through
the Suez Canal in the dark. Thus, the feeding time of
these soft-billed little birds was mainly about sunset.

The Shrikes seemed to feed considerably earlier, and
by 2 or 3 p.m. became conspicuous by taking up points
of ’vantage on posts, telegraph wires and bush tops, and
their prey being the larger ground and day-flying insects,
such as grasshoppers, this would seem quite natural. I
never saw the Shrikes molest small birds in any way,
in spite of the fact that they were constantly sitting

76 BRITISH BIRDS.

among quantities of tired little Willow-Wrens and other
small birds, but a resident told me that in the previous
autumn he had seen a Red-backed Shrike take and eat
a small bird, in one of the trees in his “ patio.”

We had several instances both in Port Said and at
sea off the Egyptian coast, of birds on flight striking the
rigging, all in daylight. One can readily understand
such a thing occurring in the dark, but when one
considers the wonderful command of wing that must be
possessed by birds like Starlings, Ducks, Waders, etc.,
which fly and turn with great rapidity in close formation
without ever colliding—the inability of these migrating
birds to avoid the ropes suggests diminution of wing
power arising from fatigue as being the cause. True the
birds damaging themselves thus were mostly Quail, but
we had other species as well—a Willow-Wren and a
Whitethroat for instance.

In the early morning of November 3rd I liberated a
Sky-Lark, caught by the wing in spiders’ webs among
tall bulrushes, and in the afternoon of November 8th I
found a Sky-Lark fluttering along the ground a few miles
_ south of Port Said, with one scapular broken, and a very
badly bruised head—evidently by a collision—as the skin
was intact.

In considering to what extent the gregarious habit was
affected by the various species passing through Port
Said I have been chiefly influenced by observations
made during the halt in the day-time; owing, it must
be admitted, to lack of sufficient data during the flight.

Certain groups, such as Larks and Finches, undoubtedly
both arrived and halted in parties, not necessarily of the
same species, but I cannot be sure that the Turtle-Doves
and Shrikes, which seemed to rest and feed in scattered
bands, actually travelled in like manner ; on the contrary,
I am under the impression that, in their case, one or two
at a time was more usual on flight, and that a mixture
of species travelling in company was the exception,
rather than the rule.

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 77

Then again, the larger insectivorous species would
naturally find it more lucrative to disperse in order to
obtain their grasshoppers and beetles, while the seed-
eaters would be more likely to find enough food for their
whole party in a small patch, where a particular kind of
plant flourished in a suitable stage for consumption.
Species that appeared always solitary, whether flying in,
resting or feeding, were the Grey Wagtail, Nightjar,
Hoopoe, Cuckoo, Quail, Corn-Crake, Water-Rail and
Spotted Crake and some of the Raptores.

Some of these solitary birds were, of course, young of
the year, presenting the old difficulty of explaining how
such individuals could find the way to their winter
quarters, along a route they had never traversed before.
When it is remembered, however, that these observations
only concern one of the breaks in the journey and that
all passage flight was probably carried out at a height
beyond human vision, the fact of certain species flying
in to alight, resting and feeding singly at Port Said is
not wholly antagonistic to the theory that these birds
are guided by old birds of their own or other species
travelling along the same route.

Species resting and feeding in more or less scattered
bands, one, two, or even more, in each bush of a
particular area, but with little, if any, concerted action,
were Wheatears, Whinchats, Redstarts, Shrikes, and
Golden Orioles. Turtle-Doves were not uncommonly in
twos. The majority of species rested and fed in parties,
composed of one or a few family parties, if one may
judge from the proportion of adults and young birds.
The masses of warblers seen on certain occasions, I am
sure, had no concerted action as a whole, but simply
represented the accumulation of numbers of smaller
parties in a confined area. I think that about fifty was
the maximum number of birds we saw in any “ organised ”’
party, the species being Blue-headed Yellow Wagtails,
Sky-Larks, and perhaps Linnets.

THE LONGEVITY OF BIRDS.

In your review of Mr. H. Eliot Howard’s book I notice that
you say (supra, p. 63) that it is not possible to believe that
Wrynecks live for fifty to sixty years. May I ask why?
Given that a bird lives in perfectly natural conditions and
never suffers from want of food or from excessive cold, what
proof have we of the length of its life ?

It is well known that a great many birds die on migration,
many more die from starvation due to excessive cold and
sudden deprivation of food, but of the length of life of such
bud and seed-eating birds as Bullfinches, Goldfinches,
Yellow Buntings, ete., living in a temperate climate we know
but little.

I think one may assume that the life of a pinioned or caged
bird would probably be shorter than that of one living under
natural conditions, where its food supply never failed, and yet the
following instances of longevity amongst birds have occurred
amongst those in my own collection.

A Barbary Dove which has been in my possession for
fifteen years was left me by an old woman who also owned it
for fifteen years and who always told me that it was an old
bird when it was given to her. It shows no sign of old age
unless it be that the innumerable eggs laid by the young hen
bird which lives with it are always infertile.

The second case is that of a Chinese Goose which has been
in the possession of the family for fifty-seven years.

The third is a Pintail Drake which I bought twenty years
ago and which was then an adult bird.

It is well known that Eagles live to a great age. A few years
ago we had in our possession the last of the White-tailed
Eagles bred in Galloway. The bird was taken from the nest
in 1852 and died in 1900. It was chained by the leg to a
small hutch and lived forty-eight years under these miserable
conditions.

The Wryneck is dependent upon insect food but it leaves
us early, and there is no reason why its food supply should fail.

M. BEDFORD.
[The whole subject of the age to which birds live is one

about which we are profoundly ignorant and the only positive
facts we have concern the ages to which certain captive

NOTES. 79

birds have attained. Of these even we have comparatively
few reliable records, and the instances of longevity noted
above by the Duchess of Bedford are therefore most welcome.
Attention must here be drawn to a valuable article on the
subject by Mr. J. H. Gurney, published in the ‘ Ibis” for
1899 (pp. 19-42). In his researches Mr. Gurney found some
remarkable records such as a Raven of 69, Parrots of 80.
Eagle-Owl of nearly 70, Condor of 52, Eagles of 55 and 56,
Heron of 60, Goose of 80, Swan of 70, Collared Dove of 40,
and so on, but of the small Passerine and Picarian birds
25 years seems the maximum, and that has only been reached
in a very few cases.

We have practically no positive evidence as to the length
of life of the wild bird, and I do not think we can argue from
instances of longevity in captive birds, which are so kept that
the supply of food is unfailing and all enemies and accidents
are carefully guarded against. There is perhaps little doubt
that members of certain families, such as Corvide, Falconide,
and Anatide live longer than birds of other families, but I do
not believe that the average life of any species, of which a
pair would raise a minimum of say four young each year, can
be longer than a few years. If the normal life were much
longer, even after taking into account the probable great
mortality of the young, I imagine that birds which rear four
and more young in a season would literally be swarming in
the course of a few years.

Then in the case of a migrant such as the Wryneck, imagine
what an individual would have to go through in the course
of sixty years: How many miles in all would it journey? How
many storms and fogs might it be expected to encounter at
sea? How many times would it have to steer clear of the
fatal lighthouse or lightship ? How many Hawks and Gulls,
how many guns and snares would it avoid? I said that it
was impossible to believe that the same birds (7.e., the same
pair) lived for fifty or sixty years, but I would say now that
I cannot believe that any Wryneck could escape for fifty
years the manifold dangers to which it would of necessity be
exposed.—H. F. W.]

WINTER HABITS OF THE BLACKCAP AND MATING
FOR LIFE.

Wir reference to your remarks on the Blackcap in your
review of Mr. Howard’s book on the Warblers, and the likeli-
hood of its pairing for life, it may be worth while stating that
during last winter, which I spent on the Riviera, I repeatedly

80 BRITISH BIRDS.

saw male and female Blackcaps in company. Doubtless
these birds, and many others, mate for life, or at any rate for
long periods. The length of their partnership will, apart from
accidents, depend on the degree of ‘faithfulness’ which
either bird exhibits for the other, and this faithfulness will
naturally depend on the degree of continued fascination
which either bird can command over the other. Their charms
will, therefore, not necessarily be limited to the breeding season.
For instance, on the Riviera last winter Blackcaps were in full
song during the whole of the winter months. From October
until June, when I left for England, this song continued
uninterruptedly every day through one of the coldest winters
which has been experienced on the Riviera for years. My
diary contains several notes to this effect: e.g., ‘‘ Nov. 23rd.
Still more Blackcaps in the garden. They sing all the
morning, especially when it is warm and raining.” ‘‘ Dec.
Ist. Blackcaps singing here every morning to the full
extent of their powers.” ‘‘ Dec. 25th. Blackcaps still in full
song.” What then were these Blackcaps singing for ? Surely
we may presume that it was to convince the hen bird what
fine fellows they still were, and to prevent her running off
with some other male. Resident birds do not breed until
April.

Chiffchaffs also sang throughout the winter. Their song
consisted for the most part of fowr notes, and could be
rendered—chiff-chiff-chaff-chiff, the second note rising high.

With regard to the “high-pitched squealing notes” you
refer to as uttered by the male Blackcap during the breeding
season on the arrival of the female, the following extract from
my diary while at Madeira in December, 1905, may be
interesting in reference to the great difference in the time of
the breeding season between the Madeira and the European
bird :—

‘December 20th. The public gardens are swarming with
Blackcaps (S. atricapilla obscura). They were flying about
among the magnolias, hibiscus and tree begonias. Besides
the ordinary harsh, grating, alarm note, the air was full of their
peculiar squeaking, half whining plaintive calls, evidently a
sign of the approaching nesting season.”’

During my stay I obtained a living example of the peculiar
melanistic variety of the Madeira Blackcap (S. heanekent). We
kept this bird alive for nearly two years, and it sang, except
when moulting, practically continuously throughout the year.
Its song differed from the usual one of the Blackcap by
beginning with an exceedingly sweet and low gazouillement,

NOTES. 81

and ending with a burst of high-pitched, very clear and dis-
tinct, fluty notes. During two visits to the Azores I found
several clutches of eggs of the Blackcap towards quite the end
of May (e.g., May 29th), and I believe the time of nesting of
the Azorean Blackcap to be very much the same as ours, if
anything a little later.

In connection with the remarks you make as to the well-
known fact of birds resorting year after year to the same
nesting site, it may also be of interest to state that a pair of
Pied Wagtails have nested yearly within a yard or two of
the same spot in some ivy surrounding the billiard-room of
a house near Windsor for the last eighteen or nineteen years.

For the last seven years I can vouch for this myself, and,
in addition, have seen and handled during these seven years
three young Cuckoos which have been reared by them; one
in 1903, one in 1904, and the last this summer. It is quite
possible that during these seven years there may have been
other Cuckoos’ eggs laid or hatched, as for two or three years
I unfortunately did not take the trouble to examine the nest.

Here then we have almost certain evidence of the same
“branch” of this Wagtail family occupying the same nesting
site, but, in addition, it seems highly probable that the same
Cuckoo or its descendants remained faithful to it in so far as
they probably returned yearly to visit the nest.

Percy R. Lowe.

LARGE BROOD OF REED-WARBLERS.

On June 12th a friend and I found a Reed-Warbler’s (A.
streperus) nest containing siz young, built amongst dead
reeds in a dyke near Southminster. Five is an uncommon

clutch, and I have never seen or heard of six before.
D. H. Miargss.

[Clutches of six eggs are very rare in the case of the Reed-
Warbler, which generally lays four, occasionally five eggs. I
took one on June 20th, 1907, at Sudbury, Derbyshire, but
have never found another. Mr. F. Norgate, however, told
me that he once took a clutch of six, and I have seen one or
two reputed sets in other collections.—F. C. R. J.]

ARRIVAL OF MARTINS AT THEIR BREEDING
HAUNTS.

I was struck during the latter end of May by the absence

in this village (Hemel Hempstead) of the House Martins

(Chelidon urbica), which usually breed in some numbers on

F

82 BRITISH BIRDS.

the houses bordering the high road. Having satisfied myself
that none were about on the 25th of May, I visited a farm-
house about a quarter of a mile down the road, where there
are usually twenty nests or more, and to my surprise
found a fair number of pairs with nests in all stages of
building. Subsequently I kept a sharp look-out round my
immediate neighbourhood, but never saw a bird until the
14th of June, since when a fair number have appeared, and
I have now, 22nd of June, three completed nests on my own
house. Several possibilities to account for this occur to me,
but none are completely satisfactory, and so they are best
left unpublished ; but a difference of at least three weeks in
the arrival of a species at two breeding haunts within a quarter
of a mile of each other and under precisely similar climatic
conditions is, I think, worthy of record.

J. Lewis BoNHOTE.

PAPER USED AS NESTING “MATERIAL BY
LESSER REDPOLL.

Last year I found in a birch tree at Hampstead a nest of the
Lesser Redpoll (Linota rufescens) into the exterior of which
a number of strips of white paper, collected from some lying
under the tree, had been worked; the nest was thus made
very conspicuous, which otherwise would not have been
the case, as it was high up in the fork of the tree.

H. Meyrick.

CROSSBILLS IN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND.

THE visits of the Crossbill to Orkney seem to be sufficiently
infrequent to be worth recording. On June 29th last I
noticed a single bird in a row of stunted sycamores in the
garden at Gremeshall, in the 8.E. mainland, and on the
following morning there were two others. All three were

immature birds with striped breasts, and appeared to be .

feeding on the seeds of some weed which they procured in the
long grass, afterwards flying to the sycamores in order to eat
them. I saw them again on July Ist, but after that they
appear to have passed on. I may add that the wind was
blowing from the N.E. from the 27th to 30th June, and
changed to 8.E. on July Ist. The trees above mentioned are
practically the only ones in the S.K. of the island, and so
afforded the only resting place for these birds on their arrival.
It will be interesting to see if these individuals were part of
an extensive immigration of Crossbills into the British Isles,

NOTES. 83

such as is sometimes known to occur in July, and if this
should prove to be the case, this note may be of some
assistance in tracing the origin of these migrants and the
route they have followed. N. F. Ticenurst.

At the end of June or beginning of July there was an irrup-
tion of Crossbills into Shetland. The first I saw was on
July 2nd, but they had been seen some days previously. I
afterwards saw scattered individuals and small flocks in Fell
and Mainland, and I heard of them on all sides. There were
old birds of both sexes and many young, and all seemed in
great straits for food, many being in a starving condition.

On reaching Hever, near Edenbridge, Kent, early on the
morning of July 15th, a flock flew over me, and I have seen
many since, and one flock of at least one hundred birds. My
woodman tells me to-day (July 20th) that he has seen many

for some time. EK. G. B. MeapE-Wapo

[We also hear from Mr. W. 8. Medlicott that he saw a flock
of about twenty Crossbills near Botley, Hampshire, on
July 4th, and Mr. Eric Lacey writes us from Crow Hill, near
Ringwood, Hants., that from sixteen to twenty arrived there
on July 4th, and Mr. C. J. Wilson tells us that they have been
numerous near Godalming in Surrey during July. In the
*« Field”? of July 10th, Mr. W. P. Green writes that about
a dozen were seen near Romsey, Hants., ‘last week.” We
also learn from the ‘“‘Scotsman” of July 12th, that a small flock
was seen on Sanday, Orkney, about July 5th, and a good many
were seen between that date and July 10th near Kirkwall,
while Mr. A. G. Gavin writes to the “ Standard” of July 21st
that some were seen at Fraserburgh. It is a pity that dates
have not been recorded with sufficient exactness in some ©
cases.—KEDs. |

CURIOUS SITE FOR A STARLING’S NEST.

A BARRIER of the safety range at Haileybury is made of
loose flint pebbles, encased in wood. A Starling (Sturnus
vulgaris) has found a crack in the wood casing at the top of
this barrier, and has entered by this and removed a number
of the flints, so as to make room for a nest. Curiously
enough the bird has flown several yards with many of the
stones, and has deposited them upon a ledge. The expenditure
of so much labour in providing a nesting site would seem to
indicate that the more usual breeding places of the Starling
were becoming exhausted. F. W. HEApDtey.

84 BRITISH BIRDS.

RAVENS AS SCAVENGERS.

Unper this heading (p. 57) Col. Feilden makes some remarks
on the former abundance of Ravens in and around London,
and their utility as scavengers, quoting Robert Smith’s
“Universal Directory for Destroying Rats and _ other
Vermin,’ third edition, 1786. He says: “As I never
remember seeing this author quoted, and as some of his
descriptions contain valuable information, and as the book
itself is not common, I venture to give his note on the
Raven.” It may therefore interest him and others to
know that I mentioned this book and quoted the passage
about London Ravens more than five and twenty years ago
in an article ‘““On the Ferz Naturz of the London Parks,”
published in my “ Essays on Sport and Natural History,”
1883. The first edition of Robert Smith’s ‘ Directory ”
was printed in 1768.

J. E. Harrine.

LITTLE OWL BREEDING IN DERBYSHIRE.

On May 2nd, 1909, I discovered a clutch of six Owl’s eggs in
the hollow interior of a tree in Derbyshire. They seemed to
be slightly incubated, and though certainly belonging to an
Owl, they appeared very small. Neither bird was to be seen,
but twenty or more fresh-killed mice were scattered about the
interior together with a few feathers, apparently of Finches.

On revisiting the place a week later, all doubt as to the
species was set at rest by finding a Little Owl (Athene noctua)
sitting tight upon the eggs. She was fully awake, with wide-
opened yellow eyes, but refused to leave the eggs, and might
have been taken in the hand. Most of the mice had been
eaten, presumably by the sitting bird.

On June 6th four young had been hatched, ashy-grey in
colour. very scrap of food was now gone, and the nesting
cavity was rapidly assuming a very unsavoury condition. On
the 13th the young were considerably grown, and varied
slightly in size and general development, the oldest giving
short sharp snaps to indicate his resentment at interference.
By the end of June the young were well feathered and taking
short flights, though they still used the nest for roosting, etc.

I have every reason to believe the birds got safely away.
This being, so far as I am aware, the first record of the Little
Owl nesting in the county, their success is gratifying, and it is
to be hoped that the species will become an addition to the
regular Derbyshire breeding list.

C. H. WELLS.

|

|

NOTES. 85

THE PEREGRINE FALCON ON THE YORKSHIRE
CLIFES.

ALLow me to offer a few comments on Mr. A. D. Sapsworth’s
article in your July number. Mr. Sapsworth’s remarks seem
to leave room for a doubt as to the Peregrine Falcon’s not
breeding in 1904. The birds, male and female, were seen at
Speeton Cliff on 24th April, 1904, by Mr. T. Andas, near the
place known as Old Man’s Head. On the Saturday following
Mr. Andas and myself passed the same place, but as no birds
were then about, and as no more were seen again that year
up to at any rate the end of the climbing season, there can be
no room for doubt that they did not remain to breed, as all
the range of cliff is climbed for eggs of Guillemots, and if the
Falcons were there they would not be long in letting everyone
know of their presence.

Again, as regards the height of the cliff at Falcon’s Nest,
where they bred in 1908 and 1909, the climbing ropes used
by the Hodgsons, which are the longest in use at any part of
the cliffs, are made 95 yards long only, and reach to within
about 15 yards of the bottom at this point, so that 330 feet is
nearer the height than the 400 feet stated. In fact there is no
sheer cliff 400 feet high even at Speeton where the greatest
height is reached, the bank of glacial drift which caps the chalk
above the precipice hardly rising to this height above sea-level.
The eyrie is as nearly 200 feet from the top as possible, and
this is about two-thirds of the way down. The photograph
of “The Dorr” as the Falcons’ breeding place in 1906 and
1907 is misleading. The actual place is east of the view
shown, at a climb called Black Hole, quite invisible from the
top of the cliff, and in 1907 the birds had shifted a few yards
west of their 1906 breeding ground. H. Marr, on whose
climbing the birds were, has always maintained that two
young only were reared in each year.

KE. W. WADE.

THE article on the Peregrine Falcon on the Yorkshire Cliffs
(supra, p. 52) omits reference to a pair which nested at
Redcliff, between Scarborough and Filey, in the spring of
1901. Four eggs were laid, which were plainly visible through
glasses from the cliff top, and four young ones were safely
reared. One of the adults was shot in the following September,
and an immature bird, possibly belonging to this brood, was
killed at Filey about the same time. The following year
a pair of Falcons returned to the same place and nested, the

86 BRITISH BIRDS.

eggs being taken and one of the old birds shot, after which
the survivor deserted the site.

W. J. CLARKE.

MIGRATION ROUTES OF WHITE STORKS.

Iy a leaflet which has just been issued from the Vogelwarte
at Rossitten, Dr. Thienemann gives particulars of two marked
Storks recaptured in Africa within the last few months, and
summarises all his returns from that continent, of Storks
marked as nestlings in Kast Prussia and neighbouring
provinces. The six African localities of recapture, and the
locality of a Syrian recapture recorded at the same time, are,
from north to south, as follows :—Karietein, 65 miles north-
east of Damascus ; Lake Fittri (eastwards from Lake Chad) ;
Roseires, on the Blue Nile, Soudan; Fort Jameson, North-
eastern Rhodesia; Kalahari Desert; Morija, Basutoland ;
and Quthing, Basutoland. The available information as to
dates of recapture is in most cases of the vaguest. It will
be seen that the localities are fairly well distributed along
the route, or routes, which they begin to mark out. The
record from Lake Fittri, almost in the same latitude as
Roseires, but 1150 miles further west, is suggestive. No
mention of European returns is made, but it is interesting to
note that Herr Mortensen’s Storks marked at Viborg and in
Brandenburg, follow a south-easterly course through Germany
and Hungary towards Asia Minor, in contrast to his marked
birds of other species, which take the more usual south-
westerly direction.

A. LANDSBOROUGH 'THOMSON.

RED GROUSE, HEATHER, AND CROWBERRY.

Ir is impossible to read any account of the natural history
of the Red Grouse without coming across the statement,
either explicit or implied, that the bird cannot exist without
heather—a term that may be used to include the true heather
or ling (Calluna vulgaris), and the two common heaths (Hrica
Tetralix and E. cinerea). So high an authority as the late
Professor A. Newton stated that ‘‘ the Red Grouse indeed is
rarely or never found away from the heather on which it
subsists, and with which it isin most men’s minds associated.”
So far as I have been able to learn, this is the opinion held
by every British ornithological writer who has treated of the
bird, and by all sportsmen and gamekeepers. But the Red
Grouse is abundant on certain moors in Lancashire and
Yorkshire where the heather is absolutely unknown.

NOTES. 87

During the last year or so I have made several ‘“ surveys ”
of the moorlands that lie (roughly speaking) between
Manchester and Huddersfield, and have more than once
walked for miles and seen many scores of Grouse without
meeting with a single plant belonging to the order Hricaceae.
The plant that is called ling by all the sportsmen and keepers
on these moors is the crowberry (Hmpetrum nigrum) ; true
ling, when it does occur, is called ‘‘ heather,’ and the heaths
are called ‘“ bell heathers.”’

In the earlier months of the present year I made a thorough
search over some five or six square miles of a particular series
of Grouse moors without seeing a solitary plant of either
heather or heath. Yet Grouse were numerous, and I saw
several nests during my later visits. Where heather and
crowberry grow side by side, as they do on some moors, it is
easy to persuade anybody that they have been wrong in their
botany ; but the task is naturally harder where the real
heather happens to be altogether replaced by crowberry. One
experienced keeper refused to listen when I suggested that he
had not a plant of heather on his moor, and I rather think
that this will be the mental attitude of many another person.
The vegetation of these moors has been made the subject of
an elaborate memoir by two authors (Smith and Moss,
Geographical Distribution of Vegetation in Yorkshire, Geo-
graphical Journal, April, 1903), who have quite omitted to
refer to the absence of heather from many hundreds of acres
of the moorlands they write about. It is hardly necessary
for me to add that no hint of this state of affairs appears in
the writings of any of our North Country naturalists. I have
spent many hours, at every season of the year, on Grouse
moors in both Wales and Scotland ; but as my interest in the
food of the bird is very recent, | cannot speak with any
confidence of the heather on moors other than those
I have lately visited in Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire.
So far as I can gather real Grouse disease is altogether
unknown on these heather-less moors: the discussion of the
subject with the keepers soon makes this evident ; and it is
rather interesting to read that this happy state obtains on
many moors in the West of Scotland, a part of the world
where the crowberry (fide many Scottish ‘ Flore’) appears
to be common. There may be something in this, for, without
going too far into the botany of the subject, I may say that I
have never yet found the crowberry growing anywhere except
on more or less pure peat, a soil that supports a peculiar
flora, and, presumably, a correspondingly peculiar fauna.

88 BRITISH BIRDS.

I now make the suggestion that everyone, no matter how
confident he may be of his ability to identify ‘ heather,”
should submit specimens to some competent botanist. Crow-
berry bears its inconspicuous flowers in April or May;
but heather, as everyone knows, blooms in late summer,
and its flowers are very striking. All heather that is not in
bloom in July or August should be looked upon as crowberry
until the contrary is proved.

Sometimes, as on certain tracts of the district I now write
about, heather and crowberry grow side by side. But heather
is always more or less local here, and I cannot see that ground
where it does grow holds more Grouse than those parts where it
is quite non-existent. It is hardly strange that the two plants
have been for so Jong confounded by sportsmen and zoologists,
for the resemblance between them is very great. Botanically,
they are in no way related. Although it is said that the
easily recognisable leaves of the crowberry have been detected
in the stomachs of Grouse, I have never seen any marks of
the birds on the actual plants. The berries, of course, are
eaten with avidity; but as the species is dicecious, and the
staminate plants are apparently the most numerous, a given
area of crowberry may not produce much fruit.

One need not here go any deeper into the subject. It must
suffice if I point out that on great tracts of the Pennine
moors Grouse are abundant and heather does not and cannot
grow ; and I think that the same conditions prevail on moors
in other parts of Great Britain. Of course I am well aware
that Grouse are common on land where true heather is the
dominant plant, and where the crowberry does not occur.
But it is a mistake to hold the ancient belief that the Red
Grouse cannot exist (and probably free from disease) on
ground where heather is not found. I can hardly be
as explicit as I should wish in the way of naming localities ;
but Blackstone Edge, on the south-west border of Yorkshire,
is easily examined by the observer who is not desirous of
leaving the path. Here he will find the Grouse (in places)
common, but he will search in vain for heather.

FREpDK. J. STUBBS.

WOODCOCK BREEDING IN SURREY.

A casE of the Woodcock having bred this year in Surrey
may be worthy of record. Early in May a small party of
gentlemen visited the estate of Lord Abinger, near
Leatherhead, to view the prospects of the autumn shooting.

NOTES. 89

A recently-hatched Woodcock was caught by the keeper who
accompanied the party. The young bird was liberated after
a satisfactory examination had been made.

C. HawkIns.

[In his notes (Zool., 1901, 253) supplementary to the
‘“‘ Birds of Surrey,” Mr. J. A. Bucknill (fide F. B. P. Long)
records that the Woodcock breeds regularly in Bagshot
Woods, while in a further contribution (f.c., 1902, 308) the
same writer says that it used to nest regularly in the Thursley
district.—H. F. W.]

LATE NESTING OF THE WOODCOCK.

THERE can be little doubt that the Woodcock (Scolopax
rusticula) is often, if not generally, double brooded. I have
known two clutches of eggs to be laid in the same nest, the
first brood having successfully hatched off; then, again, I
have known fresh eggs in July, and others on the point of
hatching by the second week in April. It is interesting to
note the increase of the Woodcock as a breeding species in
this country. On Spey Side a few years ago they were
uncommon, now they might almost be called numerous. On
one small estate seven nests were known to hatch-off last
year, and one evening this season I had the pleasure of
watching at least a dozen birds flighting to their feeding ground.

HEATLEY NOBLE.

SNIPE PERCHING.

A NUMBER of correspondents, among whom we may mention
Messrs. H. W. Mapleton, Heatley Noble, H. W. Robinson
Sydney H. Smith, and J. Whitaker, have sent us notes with
reference to the Snipe perching upon posts, fences, hedges, etc.
The habit, as we have already mentioned (swpra, p. 59), has
often been recorded. To the species we have already named
as perching on trees in their breeding grounds, Mr. W. J.
Clarke adds the Black-tailed Godwit, which he has observed
in Holland perching upon the topmost twigs of tall bushes
and trees, just as the Bar-tailed Godwit does in Lapland.
Eps.

INCREASE OF THE REDSHANK IN CLYDE.

In the Blantyre district of the Clyde Valley a remarkable

change in distribution and numbers has taken place in regard

to the Redshank (7. calidris). Ten years ago one or two
G

90 BRITISH BIRDS.

pairs nested on a boggy part of the moor some few miles
from the river, now nearly every grass or hay field from the
moor to the riverside has its breeding pair. This year a pair
has even bred within a stone-throw of the public highway,
in close vicinity to a number of houses and where the tram-
cars pass every few minutes, and it is now a common sight
to see the old Redshanks perched on the gate posts and on
the tops of the telegraph poles.

WALTER STEWART.

COMMON TERNS ON HOLYHEAD SKERRIES.

I HAVE just returned from a visit to the Skerries off Holyhead,
and it may interest your readers to know that we observed
three distinct colonies of Common Terns (Sterna fluviatilis),
some fifteen to twenty pairs in each, while doubtless others
were overlooked. Formerly it was supposed that only Arctic
(S. macrura) and a few Roseate Terns (S. dougalli) bred on
these rocks, but the Duchess of Bedford proved last year
that such was not the case, and this season, having more time
at our disposal, we were able to locate the colonies mentioned.
All the eggs of both the Common and Arctic Tern were either
hatched or on the point of hatching, and whilst nests of the
former generally contained three eggs or young, we never
saw more than two in any nest of S. macrura that was properly
identified. In our experience, both at the Skerries and other
breeding haunts, the Arctic Tern, like the Sandwich, very
seldom lays more than two eggs, the Common and Lesser Tern
far more often three than two, the Roseate generally one,
sometimes two, but we have never seen three.

HEATLEY NOBLE.

[It is rather curious that until recently it was supposed that
the Tern colonies off the N.W. coast of Anglesey contained
no Common Terns, while in those on the N.E. and S.W. the
Arctic Tern was not represented. It has, however, now been
shown that colonies of Common Terns exist among the far
more numerous Arctic Terns on the Skerries, and during the
present season, in company with Commander Lynes, we had
the satisfaction of identifying a small colony of Arctic Terns
off the S8.W. coast of Anglesey, so that both species appear to
be increasing their breeding range.

With regard to the number of eggs laid by the various
species of Tern, my own experience agrees with that of Mr.
Noble in the main, except that in some localities clutches of
three eggs of S. cantiaca are not uncommon while in others

NOTES. 91

they very rarely occur, and the normal clutch of S. dougalli
consists of two eggs, laid apparently at an interval of two or
three days:—F. C. R. J.

An examination of 76 nests of the Arctic Tern in one colony
during this season gave the following figures :—11 contained
1 egg each, 4 contained 3 eggs, and 61, or over 80 per cent.,
2eggs. On the other hand at another colony (only a very
small proportion of the nests being found) no less than 8 out
of 13 contained 3 eggs.—N. F. 'T’.]

ARCTIC TERNS FEEDING ON CRANE AND
MAY FLIES.

A cuRIOUs incident happened a few days ago whilst fly fishing
on Lough Melvin, co. Leitrim, for the famous gillaroo. We
had landed on Inishtemple Island to lunch and during the
interval I took the opportunity of visiting a Tern colony
there; the young in most cases were hatched and a good
number fully fledged, these I noticed were being fed not
with sand eels (the sea being five miles distant) but with
large crane flies, there being enormous quantities of these
insects among rushes in the centre of the island.

On resuming fishing my brother, who was using a blow line
with bo‘sh a greendrake and crane fly on the hook, and whilst
drifting past the spot on which the Terns were nesting, we
were surprised to see an adult Arctic Tern dash down, seize
the bait, and on rising again get caught and entangled in the
fine line, the hook entering under the wing. It was an easy
matter to reel the bird in, and putting a ring on one of its legs
we Jet it go again. A second one was caught in a similar
way a few minutes later, and doubtless had we been longer
ou the drift we should have hooked many others. The
greendrake as well as the May fly were out in large quantities
on the water and the Terns were feeding on these as well as
the crane flies.

Wo. C. WriexHr.

BRUNNICH’S GUILLEMOT IN YORKSHIRE.

Ow June 27th last I saw on the Bempton Clifis an undoubted
example of Briinnich’s Guillemot (Uria bruennichi). I saw
this bird several times as it always returned to the same ledge
in company with a Common Guillemot, and it was not more
than forty or fifty feet below me, so that I could discern every
detail with the naked eye easily, and with my Zeiss glass I

92 BRITISH BIRDS.

might have had it in my hand. I have handled three York-
shire specimens in the flesh, and lent the late Lord Lilford
the bird that I picked up dead in Filey Bay, for Mr. Thorburn
to paint, for reproduction in his book, ‘‘ Birds of the British
Isles.” Both Lord Lilford and the late Professor Newton told
me long ago that they saw no reason why the Briinnich should
not be found breeding on our cliffs, and the former always
considered it a large form of the Common Guillemot, and
looked upon the Common Guillemot, viz., ours, as a local race
of the Briinnich’s. I have examined scores of Guillemots at
different times, both in winter and summer plumage, and
have found all gradations, between the Briinnich’s, the large
Baltic race—and ours—running into ene another.

OxLEY GRABHAM.
* * *

Lanp Brrps Nesting rn Hotes on the wind-swept islands
off the west coast of Ireland is the subject of an interesting
note by Mr. R. J. Ussher in the ‘Irish Naturalist” for
July (p. 159). He quotes Mr. H. M. Wallis’s discovery of
eggs attributed to the Reed-Bunting at the end of burrows
two feet long on a lofty stack in the Aranmore Islands.
This observation was published in the ‘ Transactions of
the Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc.,’ Vol. IV., ,.Pt. IV.,
p. 467, and though the birds were not seen, the eggs are
undoubtedly correctly identified. Mr. Ussher in the ‘ Birds of
Ireland,” p. 77, mentions a nest ‘‘ well under a boulder” on an
island in Lough Mask. With regard to the Meadow-Pipit
which has been recorded by Major Trevelyan (BritisH Brrps, L.,
p. 94) as nesting in holes in the ground, the case is less
remarkable, as in Iceland according to Hantzsch (Vogelwelt
Islands, p. 318) it breeds frequently tolerably deep down in
lateral fissures in the ground, quite invisible from above; and~
a nest found by me in the side of a Roman fosse in Dorset
was in a hole four or five inches deep in the steep side of the
ditch. The third species which has been found breeding ina
burrow is the Wren, which was found nesting in a Puffin’s hole
on the Blaskets by Mr. W. H. Turle (Jbis, 1891, p. 6). Mr.
Ussher suggests that this adaptation to circumstances has the
double advantage of giving shelter from the weather and
protection from the voracious Gulls. Readers may also be
reminded of a remarkable record in our last volume (Vol. IL.,
p. 380) of a Wood-Warbler apparently nesting in a rabbit-hole. ©

F.C.R.J..

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ASSISTED BY
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M.B.0.U., AND Norman F. Trenavest, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

ContTENTS OF NumBeER 4, Vor. III. SepremsBer 1, 1909.

The Pterylosis of the Black-throated Diver, by W. P. Pycraft Page 93
Migration of Birds in the Mediterranean, II. Spring
Migration at Crete, by Commander H. Lynes, R.N.,

M.B.O.U.—(continued from page i) «2 99
On the Supposed “ Colour-Change ”’ and the Spring Moult

of the Black-headed Gull, by P. H. Bahr, m.a., etc. 105
The Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris, Raffles) in

Kent, by M. J. Nicoll, m.B.o.vu. ... . ike sae 112

: Boros :—Vertebrate Fauna of Cheshire (T. A. Coward)
Ornithology of Sussex (J. Walpole-Bond). Longevity
of’ Birds (Duchess of Bedford, E. G. B. Meade-Waldo,
H.W. Robinson, R. Staples-Browne and C. B. Ticehurst).
Unusual Nesting-Sites of Dipper, Blue Titmouse and
House-Sparrow (W. Stewart). Land-Birds Nesting in
Holes (N. Gilroy). Starlings’ Nesting Sites (N. F. Tice-
hurst). Unusual Nests of Robin (A. G. Leigh). The
Meaning of Birds’ Songs (F. B. Kirkman). Colour of the
Mouth of Nestling Waxwing (W. P. Pyeraft). Red-
rumped Swallow in Kent (M. J. Nicoll). Lesser Redpoll
Nesting in Essex (L. Gray). Irruption of Crossbills (F. H.
Carruthers Gould, William Evans, etc.) Late Nesting of
Cirl Bunting (N. Gilroy). Rose-coloured Starling in
Lincolnshire (W. E. Suggitt). Short-eared Owl Breed-
ing in Lancashire (W. Mackay Wood). Little Owls in
Anglesey and Warwickshire (F. C. R. Jourdain and
A. G. Leigh). Common Buzzard in Sussex (Thomas
Parkin). Peregrine Falcon on the Yorkshire Cliffs (A. D.
Sapsworth). Osprey in co. Sligo (F. C. R. Jourdain).
White Stork in Kent (C. B. Ticehurst). Spoonbill in
Yorkshire (8. Duncan). Water-Rail carrying away its
Young (E. G. B. Meade-Waldo). Late Nesting of Wood-
cock (J. Davidson). Black-tailed Godwit in Wigtown-
shire (Duchess of Bedford). Number of Bags | laid Re
Terns (N. Gilroy). Short Notes.. ms 114

ON THE PTERYLOSIS OF THE BLACK-THROATED
DIVER.

BY
Wiebe PY CRATE:

It is surely a matter for regret that so little interest has
been taken in that side of ornithology which concerns

structural characters, for these often throw an unsuspected
H

94. BRITISH BIRDS.

light on habits, and always, at any rate, contribute
towards our understanding of the wider problems of
ornithology. The study of Pterylography, founded by
Nitzsch just upon a century ago, has really made very
little progress since, and this because his work has been
used as though he had left nothing more to be said or
done in the matter. Nearly all the references to Ptery-
losis contained in the various text books can be traced
back to Nitzsch; and his work, though good, was not
always accurate, for he had often to depend for his in-
terpretation on dried skins instead of birds in the flesh—
a fruitful source of error. And thus it is that all the
descriptions and figures of the Pterylosis, for instance, of
the Black-throated Diver (Colymbus arcticus) are mis-
leading, for they are one and all taken from Nitzsch—
and he was wrong !

But, I hear some reader of this magazine say, this may
be most interesting to the anatomist but it can scarcely
be supposed to come within the purview of the ordinary
student of British birds. But it does. A knowledge of
the Pterylosis of the Grebes would have convinced Mr.
Edmund Selous that he was mistaken when, in one of his
books, he describes the Dabchick as sending up a shower
of spray with a “flick” of its tail! Mr. Selous saw
nothing of the kind, he only thought he did. A know-
ledge of Pterylosis would have brought to light the
true nature of the plumage of the fledgling Tawny Owl
long before I had the good fortune to discover it: and
finally, it would have introduced more accuracy into the
figures of our native birds, most of which, in details, such
as the number and overlap of the wing-coverts, for
instance, are hopelessly wrong, so that Eagles are shown
with wings which properly belong to Sparrows, only the
mistake has been masked by enlarging the size of the
wing to fit the Eagle!! In short, then, if we want to
know all that can, at any rate, be discovered by busy
men, about our native birds, Pterylosis must be included:
and I propose, from time to time, to recount such facts |

W. P. PYCRAFT: BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 95

on this head as may seem of interest to the readers of
BritisH Brrps.

Circumstances recently placed in my way, at the
British Museum, a newly-killed Black-throated Diver, and
I immediately set to work to examine its Pterylosis, and
to compare the results of my examination with the figures
thereof which have from time to time appeared—all,
however, from Nitzsch. All these figures are inaccurate,
in showing that this bird presented extensive bare spaces,
or ‘‘apteria’’ on either side of the body, and along the
median line of the spinal tract between the shoulder-
blades: the under surface is not figured. But in the text
of Nitzsch’s work (Hng. Trans., pub. 1867, Ray Soc.,
p. 152), he says of the ventral aspect, ‘‘The inferior space
is very narrow, remains of equal breadth throughout,
and extends forward only to the fureula.” This de-
scription is certainly inadequate. Itis founded, apparently,
on an examination of two species—the Black- and Red-
throated Divers, and does not appear to fit either! We
suspect, however, that here, as in so many other cases,
Nitzsch was working from dried skins for want of fresh
material, and this because he remarks that, ‘‘On the
pinion of the wing there are probably only ten feathers

.’ In a freshly-killed bird these could easily have
been counted.

Now let us turn to the facts, which, as may be seen
by a glance at the accompanying figures, in no way con-
firm Nitzsch’s figures, or descriptions ; for this species of
the genus Colymbus at any rate, is even more closely
feathered than any of the Struthiones, which, so far, have
been commonly regarded as the most densely feathered
of all birds.

The Apterium mesogastrei is traceable only with diffi-
culty, and is represented by a very narrow space running
immediately under the free edge of the carina sterni, and
terminating with this, as may be seen in Fig. 1, the
apterium being indicated by the narrow blank space down
the middle of the breast. The Apterium tranci laterale

96 BRITISH BIRDS.

is confined to a very small space not extending anteriorly
beyond the level of the wrist-joint when the wing is

mie, Il,
PTERYLOSIS OF THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER (UNDERSIDE).

The dotted areas represent the pteryle or feather-tracts.

closed, nor posteriorly beyond the level of the femur:
above it is bounded by the axilla, below by the flank-
feathers. The small dorsi-lateral space overlying the

W. P. PYCRAFT: BLACK-THROATED DIVER. 97

scapula is a vestige of the dorsal extension of this space.
(Fig. 2.)

FIG. 2.
PTERYLOSIS OF THE BLACK-THROATED DIVER (UPPERSIDE).
[The dotted areas represent the pteryle or feather-tracts.

The cervical tract is absolutely continuous. The spinal
tract is of enormous width posteriorly, and blends with

the femoral tract, which is unusually closely feathered.

98 BRITISH BIRDS.

Anteriorly, it should be remarked, the spinal tract ex-
pands immediately behind the scapula, and, running
outwards, joins the posterior border of the humeral tract:
from thence it becomes continuous with the pteryla
femoralis. In the region covered by the closed wing the
feathers are very small, but only in what is practically
the axilla have they disappeared. Just as the pteryla
femoralis is continuous with the pteryla spinalis above,
so it is also continuous with the pteryla ventralis below.

There are 11 primaries, and 18 rectrices,

There are yet other features in connection with the
Pterylosis of this bird which have long puzzled me, and
the most elusive of these concerns the nature of the
feathers of the neck during the adult and winter
plumages. On this theme, and on one or two minor
points, [ hope to have something to record in the near
future. But I would draw attention here to the webbing
of the feet, for I find, on careful examination, that the
foot approaches that of the Steganopodous type, since
the hallux is bound by a very distinct web to the base
of the inner toe, and this web, it seems to me, should be
regarded as a vestige of a thin sheet of membrane
extending between the hallux and inner toes, as in the
Steganopodes. An examination of the feet of nestlings,
or embryos, may show that this web, during earlier
stages of development, is more extensive than in the
adult.

In considering the Pterylosis of the Divers one turns
naturally to that of the Grebes for comparison, And
here, as with the Divers, all figures so far published,
seem to be inaccurate. I have just completed a study of
the Dabchick from this point of view, and was surprised
to find how far from the truth are the descriptions here
referred to. When I have made a similar examination
of the Great Crested Grebe I propose to communicate the
results to the pages of BririsH BrrDs,

(oe)

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

BY
COMMANDER H. LYNES, R.N., M.B.O.U.

(Continued from page 77.)

I].—sSPRING MIGRATION AT CRETE.

CreTE, perhaps the least known ornithologically of the
large Mediterranean Islands, appears, as might be
expected from its proximity to that country, to agree
very closely in its avifauna with Greece.

In the winter time, in common with the other Mediter-
ranean Islands to the westward, the bird-life is decidedly
scanty ; while in summer, judging from the influx of
migratory visitors from the south up to the date of our
departure on the 29th April, the bird-life seems to be
much a counterpart of that met with in the rocky
country around Platea, near the Gulf of Arta.

From its geographical position, and knowing that
Greece in summer is populated with individuals of many
species of birds that winter in Africa, it will be readily
inferred that Crete is a migratory highway between the
two regions, acting as a stepping-stone to birds from
the southward, and enabling them to shorten their
Over-sea journey by some eighty miles, a diminution
which can hardly fail to be welcome.

The only difficulty in such an inference seems to be
the point of departure on the North African coast from
which the influx might be expected.

Considering the physical features of the strip of
country from Alexandria to Tripoli lying between the
Sahara and the Mediterranean, it seems out of the
question that as a winter base it can provide any but
a minute proportion of the migrants that pass through
Crete in spring. Furthermore, the majority of the
Cretan migrants observed on the present occasion during

100 BRITISH BIRDS.

February, March and April, 1906, was composed of
species known not to winter north of the Tropic of
Cancer.

The fact remains, however, that we actually did find
a very considerable passage across Crete to the northward,
probably towards Greece and her archipelago, and perhaps
also to part of Asia Minor; but the unfortunate absence
of data as to the direction of arriving migrants leaves it
open to doubt whether the birds do actually come from
Egypt by a north-westerly course or from the nearest
part of the African coast in Barca by a more northerly or
even a north-easterly course. Unless the birds wintering
south of the Tropic of Cancer cross large areas of desert
in spring, it seems as if the bulk of the migrants at Crete
might be expected to have come by a north-westerly
course from the Lower Nile district.

But perhaps there is a regular migration passage across
the Sahara vid the oases. Such a journey would seem
far less dangerous than a cross-sea passage to most birds :
the food difficulty would be almost the only thing to
contend with.

The “ Venus ” arrived at Suda Bay on the 3rd February,
and remained in Cretan waters until the 29th April,
with the exception of thirteen days in the middle of the
latter month, when she was away at Athens. This
made rather an important gap in our migration records,
although, as a matter of fact, the only new arrivals
found on our return from Athens were the Cuckoo,
a warbler of the genus Hypolais, the Rock-Thrush
(Monticola saxatilis), Turtle-Dove, Wood-Wren, and the
Pied Flycatcher.

On one occasion only did we go to the southward of
Crete, and then only to steam along the coast at several
miles distance.

In consequence of this, all our bird-observations were
made on the north side of the island, chiefly at Suda Bay,
but although I made the most of my time by getting
ashore whenever duty permitted it, the ship did so

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 101

much cruising that several undesirable breaks appear
in the migration records, and, in addition, I never got
even a glimpse of the country inland.

Considering the orders Passeres and Picarie only,
from present information Crete seems to possess about
thirty winter species, some sixteen of which are resident
and breed in the island.

Up to the date of our departure on 9th April, the
spring migration had added to the winter list, according
to my own observations, only thirty-one more species
belonging to these two orders, twelve of which left some
of their individuals to breed, the remainder passing on to
the northward.

The first indication of the spring migration was the
arrival at Suda Bay on the 11th February—a cold rainy
afternoon with a strong west wind—of a few Crag-
Martins (Cotile rwpestris). On the 19th and 20th February
Crag-Martins were plentiful around Suda village in the
afternoon. The 23rd February brought the last two
Crag-Martins to this district, and the species then
disappeared for the year. Previous to the 11th February
I had particularly looked out for the Crag-Martin without
success. I felt quite sure at the time that this movement
was a migratory and not merely a nomadic one, and
concluded that it represented the departure of those birds
which had wintered among the mountains in the interior
of the island, and not the passage of any individuals from
the southern coast of the Mediterranean. Skylarks,
also, which were met with on the northern lowlands on
the 18th February, we never saw subsequently.

Analysing my notes, I find that these two very early
pioneer species of the spring migration were shortly
followed by the departure—tor I firmly believe that the

influx of migrants from over the sea had not then
_commenced—of those species which are purely winter
visitors to Crete, so that by the 15th March the island
was almost denuded of all its winter visitors ; and there
/ensued a short period of bird-desolation, until the 19th

r

102 BRITISH” BIRDS.

March brought the first—so I believe—of the spring
migrants from the south.

On the 19th March three species of Limicole and the
Black-headed Wagtail, undoubted migrants from Africa.
made their appearance.

The spring migration had started in earnest, and from
the 20th to 27th March there was a regular rush of birds
from the south, followed, up to the middle of April, by
a steady arrival of fresh species. Each species in turn at
first increasing in numbers and then either spreading to
breed or passing on northwards.

Except in the case of one dull-plumaged Wheatear,
which I did not obtain and which may have been a young
male of the previous year, it was very marked how all the
first arrivals were males, the Wheatears particularly being
in beautiful fresh-coloured plumage ; the females appeared
to arrive on an average some ten days later.

The following list gives the order of arrival of the
species, the dates being those on which the species was
first observed. Specimens were obtained of those species
marked with an asterisk :—

19th March. *Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla melanocephala).
*Ruff (Machetes pugnax).
*Green Sandpiper (Z'otanus ochropus).
*Common Snipe (Gallinago calestis).
20th March. Swallow (Hirundo rustica).
Greenshank (7) (T’otanus canescens).
21st March. *Common Wheatear (Saxicola enanthe).
*Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla).
Ringed Plover (M#gialitis hiaticola),
Redshank (T'otanus calidris).
22nd March. *Black-eared Wheatear (Saxicola albicollis).
23rd March. Common Heron (Ardea cinerea).
24th March. *Ruéppell’s Warbler (Sylvia rueppellz).
*Black-throated Wheatear (Saxicola melanoleuca).
25th March. Common Redstart ‘Ruticilia phenicurus).
*Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia subalpina).
27th March. *Sedge-Warbler (Acrocephalus phragmitis).
Sand-Martin (Cottle riparia).
*Little Stint (T'ringa minuta).
28th March. *Tree-Pipit Anthus arboreus).
29th March. *Nightingale (Dawlias luscinia).
*Whitethroat (Sylvia cinerea).
*Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca).
*Wryneck (Lynx torquilla).

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 103

Ist April. Whinchat (Pratincola rubetra).
*Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris).
*Hoopoe (Upupa epops).
Marsh-Harrier (Circus ewruginosus).
Hen-Harrier (?) (Curcus cyaneus).
3rd April. *Blue-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava).

4th April. Montagu’s Harrier (?) (Circus cineraceus).
Spotted Crake (?) (Porzana maruetta).
8th April. *Ortolan Bunting (Hmberiza hortulana).

*Cretzschmar’s Bunting (Hmberiza cesia).
11th April. House-Martin (Chelidon urbica).

On the 12th April we left for Athens, not returning
thence to Crete until the 23rd April, our last five days at
Suda Bay adding six new species to the above list,
Viz. :—

*Roek-Thrush (Monticola saxatilis).
Wood-Wren (Phylloscopus sibilatrix).
Tree-Warbler (Hypolais sp. ).

Pied Flycatcher (Muscicapa atricapilla).
Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).
Turtle-Dove (Turtur communis).

I have no note of seeing migrants at sea either on the
passage to Athens or back again; on both occasions it
was fine, settled weather.

Weather.

Up to the 10th April the weather was very unsettled.
Frequently for days together there were squalls of rain
and wind, which seemed to have the effect of delaying the
migrants on the north coast of Crete from continuing their
passage. After the 10th April the weather picked up,
and was nearly always fine and sunny.

Unfortunately, material is insufficient to enable a
satisfactory connection between the weather and the
progress of migration to be formed, but I have a note,
made on the spot, that during the very rough and rainy
weather of the first week in April there seemed to be
a regular banking up of migrants on the north coast,
pointing to the fact that they would not, or could not,

face the weather. Directly it cleared up, away went the
birds.

104 BRITISH BIRDS.

Times.

The principal time of arrival of migrants on the north
side of the island, in the vicinity of Suda Bay, was
unquestionably late in the afternoon, about an hour
before sunset and onwards.

I am somewhat inclined to think that this represented
the result of a small diurnal shifting of quarters from
the south side of the island, preparatory to a departure
northwards at dusk, rather than the true arrival from
over the sea. This surmise could not be verified, how-
ever, on account of the entire absence of data concerning
the south coast. In the early mornings there was never
anything like the number of migrants to be seen that
there had been the previous evenings, the obvious
inference being that the majority had departed at some
period of the night.

(To be continued.)

C 05)

ON THE SUPPOSED “COLOUR-CHANGE” AND
THE SPRING MOULT OF THE BLACK-HEADED
GULL.

BY
Pe e BAEIR, MSA, MB. MB OlUr he Zs:

A SMALL investigation which I undertook for the purpose
of attempting to settle the vexed question with regard
to the supposed vernal colour-change in the Black-headed
Gull (Larus ridibundus) is perhaps worth recording.

Inthe fourth edition of “ Yarrell”’ (III., p. 603) we find it
stated that an individual of this species in the Zoological
Gardens of London assumed the black head of the spring
plumage in five days, not, it is said, by a process of
moulting, but by a complete colour-change. Now,
I do not suppose there are any who at the present day
believe that the vernal plumage is assumed in this
manner, but it is asserted by some, notably by Mr. J. L.
Bonhote,* that previous to the spring moult there is a
distinct colour-change in the feathers of the head over
the area covered later by the brownish-black feathers of
that moult.

In the case of the North American Laughing Gull
(Larus atricilla)+ Mr. Beebe proved that the black head
was assumed by a moult, the white feathers of the head
being gradually displaced by new grey feathers with
white tips, which latter were afterwards worn off.

In January, 1908, I purchased five adult Gulls of this
species, out of a large collection of which the majority
wore the white cap with the post-auricular stripe of the
winter plumage. Amongst them, however, were two
individuals with darker heads. I labelled three of them

by means of nicks cut into the primaries of their wings,
1, 2, and 3, so that they could be identified with certainty
Whenever examined. The other two adult specimens
sy kept as controls, and besides these I had a young
| bird of the year caught wild, which I labelled No. 4, and
|

* “« Avicultural Magazine,” Jan., 1907, p. 103.
7 “ Auk,” Vol. XXII., No. 4, Oct., 1906.

—

106 BRITISH BIRDS.

three young birds of the year reared by hand. They
were all kept in a wired compartment, and carefully
examined every week. The heads of the marked birds
were drawn to scale, and the amount of colouring noted
once every week. In order to _ identify individual
feathers certain of them were stained red with carbol
fuchsin and indicated on the diagram, so that they could
be recognised again in order to ascertain whether any
colour-change was actually taking place in them or no.
Two or more feathers were extracted and mounted on
slides and examined microscopically every week.

The result of the inquiry goes to prove, I venture to
think, that no such thing as colour-change occurs in
this species before the moult at least, and that the black
head is gradually assumed by growth of the new black
feathers beneath the white ones of the winter dress.
One circumstance which vitiates the experiment is that
being kept in close confinement and living under
unnatural circumstances, the onset and duration of the
moult was delayed. In the immature wild bird no change
of any description was noted in the head or neck, though
the brown feathers on the back and wing were gradually
lost. The immature birds raised by hand had a complete
body-moult in January, but no indication of any black
feathers on the head was observed. However, birds in
immature plumage do occasionally assume the black
hood ; two very good examples were to be seen in the
Zoological Gardens during the spring of 1908.

In the wild state the spring plumage is often assumed
early in January, but more frequently in early February.
From observations made during the spring of this year
on London Bridge, where the birds come so close that
each step in the change may be observed at close range,
I found the moult takes about a week to complete.

Minute observations on my birds began on January

19th, 1908. Fig. 1 shows how the heads of the three

adult marked birds then appeared. The charted diagrams
made every week showed no change till March 29th,

f
f

| No3. Jan. 19th

* FIG. I.—HEADS OF THE THREE MARKED BLACK-HEADED
GULLS.

| * All the figures are three-fourths natural size. In figures 2 and 3
the area of black has been shown by shading.

108 BRITISH BIRDS.

when in bird No. 3 (see Fig. 2) new feathers were observed
to be sprouting in the supra-orbital area and under the

FIG. 2.—BLACK-HEADED GULL, NO. 3, ON MARCH 29TH.

The black dots represent new black feathers, the papille of which are just appearing
beneath the skin. The rami of the white feathers under the chin are dropping
off, together with the downy plumules at the base, leaving the calamus with a
few worn rami still adherent.

chin, when the old feathers were losing the rami at their

bases, giving the bird a bedraggled appearance in that

Xa No new feathers here

My

FIG. 3.—BLACK-HEADED GULL, NO. 3, ON APRIL 5TH.
New feathers are appearing in great quantities under the chin, where they have
reached the length shown. Numerous white feathers are appearing on the nape
of the neck.
region. On April 5th new feathers were coming more

thickly in the same regions, and in addition they were

P. H. BAHR: THE BLACK-HEADED GULL. 109

appearing on the crown and forehead. New white
feathers were sprouting on the nape and sparsely on the

feathers

A New circumorbital feathers
= appearing

¥ \
old white feathers
rapidly being shed

; hers
hite feal
fF new W
Zone 9

een = a=

FIG. 4.—BLACK-HEADED GULL, NO. 3, ON APRIL 19TH.

There are only a few worn rami clinging to the calami in the region below the chin as
shown. Feathers are now appearing most numerously in the frontal area above
the upper mandible. Old black feathers, much worn, still remain on the vertex,
interspersed with new ones, which are blackish-brown in colour.

breast (see Fig. 3). Hereafter new feathers began to
appear quickly under the old black feathers of the

few old feathers
Still not cast

New filamentous
feathers here.

New white feathers
on breast & back.

FIG. 5.—BLACK-HEADED GULL, NO. 3, ON APRIL 26TH.

auricular area, and by April 19th the head appeared
almost black, save for a white patch above the upper
I

110 BRITISH BIRDS.

mandible, a few scattered worn feathers under the chin,
and a small white patch on the posterior part of the
auricular area. At this time, too, the old feathers of the
small white circum-orbital patch were being replaced by
new ones (see Fig. 4). On April 26th a small white
patch remained on the forehead; the auricular area
was supplied by long new filamentous feathers ; only a
few worn and faded black feathers were to be found on the
top of the crown; and the breast and back were covered
with a new growth of white feathers, many of those on
the breast having a roseate hue (Fig. 5). On May 3rd,
when the observations ceased, the head was entirely
black save for a few ragged remains of old feathers on the

New black feathers

remains of with white tips

old feathers

FIG. 6.—BLACK-HEADED GULL, NO. 3, ON MAY 38RD.

forehead. At the posterior part of the black patch
were two or three rows of black feathers with white tips
(Fig. 6) (analogous probably to those found in L. atricilla).

In No. 2 the change was exactly similar, save that the
new feathers did not appear till April 5th, and started
to grow sooner in the auricular area. This bird, however,
never entirely completed its moult during the summer.

In No. | the changes were to all intents and purposes
similar.

All my birds assumed feathers which were more of
a slaty black, not a brown colour, great variation in this
respect being seen in different individuals.

P. H. BAHR: THE BLACK-HEADED GULL. 111

During the spring of this year (1909) I have had three
individuals under close observation—two mature birds
and a young bird received in 1907, which this year for
the first time assumed the black hood. No change of
any sort was observed till the middle of March, when
they completed the moult in a fortnight.

Those feathers mounted for microscopical examination
showed the usual changes preliminary to moult, and
a complete series of developing black feathers. No
invasion of the shaft of the old feathers with pigment,
which would undoubtedly take place in colour-change,
was noted. Till April 5th feathers from the vertex
and chin were observed to have the terminal rami broken
off and the softer basal ones gradually stripping off
from the shaft. This was especially noticeable in those
from under the chin, where many of the white feathers
were only represented by a calamus having a terminal
tuft of rami. The complete new black feathers from
the crown differed considerably from the old ones in the
same situation in being shorter, more compact and round,
and the rami were provided with longer and stouter
radii. These, in short, were the main changes observed
in a large number of specimens. The process seemingly
being that the rami at the base of the feathers strip off
as the new one pushes its way underneath.

The conclusions I have arrived at are as follow :—

(1) That individuals vary in the amount of black on
the crown in the winter plumage, and that this variation
has given rise to the belief that a “‘ colour-change ” takes
place.

(2) That no colour-change occurs.

(3) That a moult takes place usually about the
beginning of February, and under natural conditions
takes about a week to complete, and that it not only
embraces the head but the breast and back as well.

(4) That birds of the previous year occasionally assume
the black hood of the breeding plumage, while retaining
the immature dress on back and wings.

THE BROWN FLYCATCHER (MUSCICAPA
LATIROSTRIS, RAFFLES) IN KENT.

A NEW BRITISH BIRD.
BY
M. J. NICOLL. M.B.O.U.

At the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club held
on May 26th, 1909, I exhibited an adult male of the
Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris, Raffles) which
had been shot near Lydd, close to the borders of Kent
and Sussex on May 21st, 1909. It was examined in the
flesh by Mr. J. L. Bonhote and Dr. N. F. Ticehurst.

Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa latirostris), shot near
Lydd, Kent, on May 21st, 1909.

In appearance this bird somewhat resembles an im-
mature Pied Flycatcher, but lacks the white on the
wings and tail. The bill, moreover, is slightly wider at
the gape than that of M. atricapilla.

M. J. NICOLL: THE BROWN FLYCATCHER. 1138

Not only is this Flycatcher new to the British list,
but this is the first occurrence of the bird in Europe,
and it has never before been recorded as occurring west
of Chamba, Kashmir. It is unlikely, for many reasons,
that this example escaped from confinement, and an
“‘ assisted ’’ passage—an easy way out of a difficulty—is
not to be thought of in this instance.

The summer range of the Brown Flycatcher, as given
by Dr. E. Hartert (Vog. pal. Fauna, IV., p. 477), is East
Siberia to the Baikal Sea, Korea and North China. the
Himalayas westwards to Chamba.* Its winter range,
however, extending to India, Ceylon, Malacca, Andamans,
Hainan, South China, etc., gives us a clue, I think, to its
appearance on our shores. The bird would meet during
the winter such species as Phylloscopus superciliosus, and
it seems quite possible that the example under discussion
came westwards in company with some such species as
the Yellow-browed Warbler, which, although of rare
occurrence in Western Europe in spring, has been
recorded at that season from Heligoland, and once just
lately from Scotland.

* Japan must, however, be added to the breeding range of this
species (cf. Seebohm, Birds Jap. Emp., p. 62; C. Ingram, Ibis, 1908,
p. 140). Apparently it also nests in India (cf. Stuart-Baker, Ibis, 1906,
p. 277).—F.C.R.J.

THE VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF CHESHIRE.

1 HAVE in preparation and almost ready for publication a
vertebrate fauna of the county of Cheshire. I should be
greatly obliged if any readers of British Brrps who have
notes on the avifauna of the county, which might be suitably
incorporated in the work, would communicate with me, at
Brentwood, Bowdon, Cheshire.

T. A. CowaArD.

THE ORNITHOLOGY OF SUSSEX.

As I desire to make my forthcoming work on the ornithology
of Sussex as perfect as possible, I shall deem it an act of
courtesy if any of your readers conversant with the bird-life
of that county will let me know (1) whether they know of or
have ever found a breeding haunt of the Wood-Lark there,
and (2) if the Whinchat is ever at all numerous. IJ have now
worked Sussex hard since December, 1903, but it was not
until this last spring that I found a breeding haunt of the
Wood-Lark. I saw three birds there and found one nest.
As to the Whinchat, I consider it a local and rare breeder in
Sussex, though it comes in fairly well on migration, especially
in some years. On the other hand, some springs I hardly ever
see it. Of course I know a few—but they are very few—
districts where it nests annually.

I should also be grateful if any of your readers could supply
records, since 1891, of the following birds occurring in Sussex,
or even before that date, provided that the fact was not
notified in Borrer’s *‘ Birds of Sussex’: Gyr-Falcon, Green-
land Falcon, Tengmalm’s Owl, Scops Owl, Snowy Owl,
Eagle-Owl, Red-winged Starling, Little Bunting, Crested
Lark, Short-toed Lark, Dipper, Black-throated Thrush,
White’s Thrush, Alpine Accentor, Bearded Tit, Pallas’s Sand-
Grouse, Black Grouse [when was the last authentic nest in
Sussex ?], Crane, Great Bustard [my latest record is circa
1880], Little Ringed Plover, Bonaparte’s Sandpiper, Buff-
breasted Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Gull-billed Tern,
Sooty Tern, Bewick’s Swan, Grey Lag-Goose, Ivory-Gull,
Iceland Gull, Glaucous Gull, Buffon’s Skua, Fulmar Petrel.
Manx Shearwater, Slavonian Grebe, Eared Grebe, and Shag.

I have very few notices of the Ruff; and I should like to
know if any of your correspondents have ever known or

NOTES. 115

know of any spot in Sussex where Black-headed Gulls have
bred or do breed. Although I see birds of this species in
every month in the year, and although I have seen small lots
of adult birds over likely ground in April and even later, these
have never bred.

I am very doubtful about Borrer’s records of the Eagle,
Scops and Tengmalm’s Owls. The last two probably escaped
from captivity, as no doubt have all the Little Owls of which
I have notices.

JoHn Wa.poLe-Bonp.

[Mr. Walpole-Bond has apparently not consulted Mr. J. G.
Millais’ article on the Birds of Sussex in the ‘‘ Victoria History
of Sussex,” Vol. I., pp. 273-298. Records which are not to be
found in Borrer’s work will be found with regard to the
Crested Lark, the Bearded Tit (seen by Mr. Meade-Waldo in
1892), Great Bustard (a probable occurrence in 1899, and one
shot in 1891), etc. Mr. J. Weaver, in achapter on the Fauna
and Flora in Gordon’s “‘ History of Harting,” gives some in-
teresting notes on the breeding of the Wood-Lark, Raven,
Grey Wagtail and Marsh-Warbler.—F. C. R. J.

The Ruff is a regular autumn migrant in small numbers
on the coast of east Sussex, e.g., Rye Harbour.—N. F .T.]

THE LONGEVITY OF BIRDS.

In reply to your editorial note to my remarks on the longevity
of birds, may I say that if they depend mainly upon accident
for the curtailment of their lives, the chances are that a few
survive in a wild state for the natural term of their existence.

I cannot believe that because a bird is saved from starva-
tion and natural enemies its life will be abnormally prolonged
under such conditions as caging, pinioning, chaining by the
les ,ebC., CLC.

If, therefore, a bird is known to live thirty to sixty years
under these adverse conditions, it looks as though the natural
course of its life were a great deal longer than is generally
supposed.

So great are the perils of migration, starvation, and their
natural enemies that the chances are very much against their
surviving for any length of time, and it isin this way that I
would suggest that Nature regulates the balance and prevents
undue increase.

The fact that one pair of birds apparently returns to the
same nesting site (often in a peculiar position) for a great
number of years, rather points to the possibility that a very
small proportion escapes accidental death. That the same

116 BRITISH BIRDS.

pair does return for two or three years I know for a fact, and
if they were not the same Wrynecks which returned to the
nest for sixty years it would be interesting to know how
their numerous progeny decided amongst themselves which
of them was to return to the paternal abode, and how they
knew that they would find it empty ?

M. Breprorp.

[It is unfortunate that there is very little basis of recorded
fact to go upon in this matter and, therefore, I fear that this
discussion tends to become academic. There are so few
instances which give us positive proof of the same two
individuals returning to the same nesting site that I hope
Her Grace will place on record the details of the case referred to
above. Reverting to the Wrynecks, I do not think it is
necessary to suppose that the young ones came back to the
old nesting site ; the suggestion I made on page 63 seems to
be the simplest, viz., that it so happened that both birds of
the pair never died in any one winter, and that the survivor
got anew mate. The individuals might thus have changed
many times during the sixty years.—H. F. W.]

THE ages to which birds live has always been a subject of
interest to me, and the following records from my aviaries
may be of value :—
Lapp Owl, 27 years.
Ural Owl (a pair), 22 years, and still vigorous.
Pintail Sand-Grouse, 17 years, and still in perfect
health, but now lays infertile eggs.
Wigeon, 20 years.
Pochard, 22 years (she reared a brood annually for
20 years).
A wild Turtle-Dove (Turtur communis), which was noticeable
by reason of its having a stiff leg, turned up about May Ist
every year at the place where we fed our water-fowl for
twenty-one years.

EK. G. B. MrapE-WALpDo.

Apropos of your notes on the longevity of birds (p. 79) it
it may be of interest to state that there is on the Loch of Skail
in Orkney a Whooper Swan which was winged, captured and
pinioned sixty-three years ago.

It is well protected on this loch, which is a private one,
but it walks about a great deal, often as far as the large tidal
loch of Sterness, four miles away. It has met with many
accidents in its career, chiefly broken wings, one man in the
neighbourhood having set the wing twice in the last six years.

NOTES. 117

Although it has been there so long it is still shy and wild,
except when captured after an injury, when it is very savage.
What age it really is, it is impossible to say, as it was an adult
bird when captured sixty-three years ago.

‘H. W. Rosinson.

Youne have been raised both this year and last from the
mating of a male Barbary Dove, which has been in my
possession for twenty-three years, and a young female of
the same species.

RIcHARD STAPLES-BROWNE.

In regard to the longevity of birds, the following translation
of a record by the late Herr H. C. Miller in his ‘‘ Feroernes
Fuglefauna’”’ may be of interest :—

«<A farmer at SandhG6e took in 1781, during the summer, two young
Herring-Gulls out of a nest and reared them at his home. He let
them have their freedom, and the Gulls, which appeared both to be
cocks, stayed sometimes near the house and sometimes in a field in
the neighbourhood, or even made short flights out to sea, from which,
however, they always came back. After some years one of the Gulls
was accidentally shot during one of these flights; the other continued
its accustomed mode of life, and became so tame that it took food out
of its master’s hand. Finally, it paired with a wild Gull, and they
selected for a nesting place a rocky cliff (near by), from which the
cock bird, after the usual time, went back to the farmer’s house in
company with his mate and half-grown young. During the summer
the Gull family lived mostly on the shore, especially when fishing was
good, and they then fed chiefly on offal from the fishing, as the entirely
wild Gulls do. When the fishing got slack, and particularly during
the winter, the pair of Gulls constantly sought food at the peasant’s
house, and the cock bird still took what was handed to him. ... In
1846 these remarkably old Gulls were still living, and were conse-
quently sixty-five years old; but, in spite of this advanced age,
carried on under such peculiar relations, there was neither in their
colour or in other respects any difference to be detected between them
and the entirely wild Gulls. In 1847 the old peasant died, and a short
time afterwards the Gulls also went away.”

Herr Miller also mentions a Puffin which lived in a
peasant’s house and yard for twenty-nine years, and finally
died as the result of an accident.

C. B. TickHURST.

UNUSUAL NESTING-SITES OF DIPPER, BLUE
TITMOUSE AND HOUSE-SPARROW.

Tue following three nests, built under more or less abnormal
conditions, have this year come under my observation in the
Blantyre district of Clyde Valley :—

1. Dieper (Cinclus aquaticus).—The site chosen was a tube-
shaped hollow branch at the root of a tree on the bank of a

118 BRITISH BIRDS.

stream. The hollow was about four inches in diameter, and
the nest was placed about sixteen inches from the entrance.
It was shallow, cup-shaped, the materials used being damp
moss with a lining of leaves, and the usual dome, owing to the
want of room, was entirely dispensed with.

2. Brug Tirmovuse (Parus ceruleus\.—The site chosen was
in a Scottish fir-tree, about twenty-six feet from the ground.
Seen from below it looked just like a small nest of a House-
Sparrow. It was built against the trunk and supported by
two small branches, the materials used being white withered
grass, lined profusely with cow’s hair, a few horse-hairs, and
one or two feathers. It was cup-shaped, and a little bulky at
the foundation.

3. House-Sparrow (Passer domesticus).—The site chosen
was a hawthorn hedge about fifteen feet high, and instead of
the nest being well out of reach, it was only three feet from
the ground. It was the usual roofed nest, built with withered
grass and lined with feathers.

All three nests contained quite normal eggs.

WALTER STEWART.

LAND-BIRDS NESTING IN HOLES.

RELATIVE to the note on this subject in the “ Irish Naturalist ”’
quoted in the last number of BritisH Brrps, it may be of
interest to state that in May of the present year I saw a nest
of the Wood-Lark in Norfolk built in a deep rabbit-scrape on
bare, flat warren, and at least eighteen inches from the
entrance.

NorMAN GILROY.

STARLINGS’ NESTING SITES.

In the last number of BririsH Brrps Mr. F. W. Headley
records the finding of a Starling’s nest in the wooden casing of
the barrier of the Haileybury rifle-range. The point, however,
which struck me as of most interest, was that the birds actually
removed and carried to a distance a number of flints in order
to make room for their nest. A letter in the “ Field” for
July 3rd last, headed ‘‘Odd Site for a Starling’s Nest,”
records a nest situated in a split in a rock on the side of an
open drain on the golf-links at Kirkwall. In both of these
cases the actual site of the nest is not very unusual, for, in
truth, the, Starling will make use of any hole or cranny that is
at all suitable to its requirements. A lengthy list of various
nest-sites will be found in Yarrell’s “ British Birds,’ and in

NOTES. 19

the different volumes of the ‘‘ Scottish Faunas,” notably those
of Orkney and the Outer Hebrides. What may be considered
a normal site in one locality is unusual in another, and only
affords evidence of the great adaptability of that bird to its
environment at the breeding season. This point is the one of
real interest, and as extreme cases of their adaptability, these
nests on or in the ground are good illustrations. Although
they are all mentioned in the books above referred to, they
certainly come as somewhat of a surprise to one who has not
looked up the particular point. During the present summer,
in Orkney, I found that in certain parts of the mainland and
the adjacent small islands these sites were actually the

Rabbit-hole opening on level ground, used by Starlings for nesting
purposes. Roseness, Orkney.

normal ones and quite common. The holes in the ground
containing nests that I examined were all rabbit-holes, and not
only were those opening on the face of a low bank or cliff
occupied, but many also of those opening on the surface of
perfectly level ground were also used by Starlings. Most of
these were of the most common type of rabbit-hole with a
scratched out sloping entrance, but one or two nests that I
found were in holes, the entrances of which were perfectly
round and flush with the surface, of the tvpe known as “ bolt ”
or ‘‘ pop-holes.” In these there was a vertical drop of a foot

120 BRITISH BIRDS.

or so before the bottom of the gallery was reached, and the
nest was situated about two feet from the entrance. The
majority of the rabbit-holes were in peat, and consequently by
no means dry, though, perhaps, warm enough habitations.
The accompanying photograph shows the entrance of one
of these ‘‘ pop-hole”’ Starling nests. The other normal nesting
site on these islands was under loose stones on the shore, the
sort of situation one would expect to find Storm-Petrels
breeding in. The mound of stones shown in the photograph
was about three feet high and at the bottom of a low cliff, and
only distant a couple of yards from high-water mark. It was
tenanted by a numerous colony of Starlings whose nests were

Starling’s nesting site on the sea-shore. LLambholm, Orkney.

easily found by turning back the stones, and it was curious to
see and hear the young birds scrambling away through the
crannies like so many rats, as one walked over the mound.
Unfortunately at the time of my visit, the nests all contained
young birds nearly ready to fly, so that although I was able
to ‘‘ ring” a certain number, I was unable to secure a photo-
graph of a nest with eggs. Another illustration of a normal
nesting site for a given locality is the utilisation of the piles
of empty fish-boxes by the fishermen’s houses along the coast
of Dungeness in Kent.

N. F. TicEHURST.

NOTES. 121

UNUSUAL NESTS OF THE ROBIN.

Tuts season I have photographed two unusual nests of the
Robin, a species well known for its eccentricity with regard
to its choice of nesting sites. In these cases the birds
showed a distinct preference for high situations rather than
curious positions. The one was placed in the top of a holly-
hedge and the other in the fork of a thick fir-tree, both about
four feet from the ground. They were composed of moss,
leaves and, in the first case, horsehair.

A. G. LEIGH.

THE MEANING OF BIRDS’ SONGS.

REVERTING to Dr. P. R. Lowe’s valuable note on the winter-
singing of the Blackcap, I should like to question his assump-
tion that it had necessarily any sexual meaning. There is
evidence enough to show that birds sing to give expression to
other feelings than those of love. It cannot for example
be contended that the Robin sings in winter to please his
mate, for if the latter venture but a few steps into the area
which he regards as his exclusive property she is promptly
assaulted and driven forth in a manner that is anything but
lover-like. Hesings to please himself. Birds, again, frequently
sing when fighting, between the rounds. The Wren, Sky-Lark,
and Song-Thrush illustrate the fact. It may be contended that
both the fighting and the singing have in this case their basis
in sexual feeling, but even this is doubtful. I have seen Song-
Thrushes engaged in battle, singing with what breath was left
after each bout, long after mating had been concluded. The
quarrel may have been due to the proprietary instinct or to
the parental instinct, both taking the form of an objection
to another bird’s invasion of the area that contained the nest
or nestlings.

F. B. Kirkman.

THE COLOUR OF THE MOUTH OF THE
NESTLING WAXWING.

Mr. W. H. Str. QuintTIN has just presented to the British
Museum of Natural History a nestling Waxwing (Ampelis
garrulus), sending therewith some very valuable notes on the
coloration of the mouth-parts. ‘The inside of the mouth”
he writes, ‘‘ was brilliantly coloured; a patch of violet-blue on
each side of the lower mandible, and the same above—these
colours have sorely faded already, but the patches on the palate
are bright still, and I hope may remain till you see them. The

122 BRITISH BIRDS.

remainder of the interior lining of the mouth was of a brilliant,
deep, cherry-red, and the tongue a port-wine colour. The
effect was startling when the young bird gaped!” ‘It is
curious to note,” he also remarks, ‘“‘ that at this tender age
(ten days) the wax tips are visible.”

The colours of the mouth have now completely vanished,
but the red of the ‘‘ wax” tips to the secondaries can still
be seen within the transparent feather-sheath.

;

W. P. PycrarFt.

THE RED-RUMPED SWALLOW IN KENT.

Ar the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club held on
May 26th, 1909, I exhibited an adult female Red-rumped
Swallow (Hirundo rufula). This bird was shot on May 16th,

Red-rumped Swallow (Hirundo rufula), shot at Jury Gap, Kent,
on May 16th, 1909.

1909, at Jury Gap, on the coast actually on the boundary of
Kent and Sussex, and was seen in the flesh by Dr. N. F.
Ticehurst and myself. This is the second recorded occurrence

NOTES. 123.

of this species in Great Britain, the first having been recorded
from Fair Island by Mr. W. Eagle Clarke.

The appearance of this Swallow in Great Britain is not so
very surprising as an example was obtained on Heligoland on
May 3lst, 1855. The habitat of this species as given by Mr.
Dresser (Man. Pal. Birds, p. 267) is:—‘‘ Southern Europe as
far west as Italy and Sicily, ranging east through Asia Minor,
Palestine to Persia, Afghanistan and Turkestan. In winter it
occurs as far south as Abyssinia, and it has strayed on one
occasion at least as far north as Heligoland, and has occurred
in Malta.”

Both this bird and the Brown Flycatcher (recorded on
p- 112) were sent to Mr. Bristow, of St. Leonards, for
preservation.

M. J. NIco.t.

LESSER REDPOLL NESTING IN ESSEX.

Last year I was able to record the breeding of the Lesser
Redpoll (Linota rufescens) in Essex (cf. Vol. II., p. 203). Iam
pleased to be able to report that a pair have built in the same
place again this year, this time in a crutch at the top of a walnut-
tree and about thirty-five feet from the ground, the tree being
not more than forty yards from the one used last year.

A single bird appeared April 10th, and it was not until June
that I saw the second one. Incubation did not begin until
the last week of June, and the young flew on July 24th.

I find, on referring to my notes, that last year the young
flew just about the same date as this year, so that from these
cases and from what Mr. Bond has stated with reference to the
same bird in Sussex (supra, p. 22) it would seem as though
the species nests later in the south of England than in
Sutherlandshire or Cumberland, in both of which counties I
have found eggs by the first week in June.

LEONARD GRay.

THE IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.

Own June 28th, a flight of sixty or so Crossbills, in a somewhat
exhausted state, pitched on the rigging of the ‘ Dunottar
Castle,” about sixty or seventy miles from the Hardanger Fjord,
Norway, towards which she was steaming. They took refuge
on board about seven in the evening, and after resting a couple
of hours took their departure. They first took to the upper
rigging, but soon made their way downwards, and finally
rested in the boats on the davits.

My brother, who was on board at the time, gives me the

124 BRITISH BIRDS.

impression that most of the birds were immature, but that

there were some older birds among them.

It will be noted that this was just about the date that the
birds were first seen in the north of Scotland.
F. H. CarruTHERS GOULD.

On July 9th several Crossbills alighted on a group of fishing-

boats, about twenty miles out from the Farne Islands, off the

coast of Northumberland. One was captured, and brought
alive into Dunbar, where I saw it in a cage a week later. It
is an adult male, and from the shape of the bill, and its
appearance generally, belongs, I should say, to the
continental form. A flock of about twenty also settled for
some hours the same day on a steamer off Bervie, Kincardine-
shire, as reported in the ‘‘ Scotsman ” of 15th July.

Witu1AmM Evans.

In addition to the above notes and those published in our
last number (pp. 82-83), we have received a number of
communications on this subject, which will be more convenient
for reference if tabulated under the respective counties to
which the observations refer. Although there has been,
without doubt, an unusual irruption this year of Crossbills
from oversea into this country, it must not be too hastily
concluded that all the records can be traced to this source.
In some of the districts we know that Crossbills appear every
year in July, but in such cases there is certainly evidence that
this year their numbers have been larger. Some of our
correspondents have noted that the birds move on after
exhausting the available food-supply, and this may be the
underlying cause of the periodic large movements of these
birds.

Scortanp.—Ten or twelve at Creetown, Kirkeudbrightshire,
from July 29th to time of writing (August 3rd) (W.
Walmesley White). A flock of forty near Castle Grant,
Strathspey, on July 19th, feeding on pine-cones and on
the galls of the spruce aphis (‘ Forester,’ Scotsman,
24, vir., 09). Hight feeding on green fly ‘‘ during the last
fortnight ” (July 22nd), at Wick, Caithness (D. Maclean,
Scotsman, 24, vi1.,09). One caught at Hawick, Roxburgh-
shire, about July 20th (J. H. W., Scotsman, 26, vit., 09).

LANCASHIRE.—One was caught with wing damaged, probably
by flying against a telephone wire, at Brinscall on July
16th (W. Mackay Wood).

CHESHIRE.—One (female or young) seen by Mr. W. V. Wenner,
who knows this bird well in captivity, on Alderley Edge,
on July llth (7. A. Coward).

NOTES. 125

HEREFORDSHIRE.—A flock of ten or twelve, of which one or
two were in red plumage, seen at Pontrilas at the end of
July (W. S. M. DUrban).

Drvon.—One found dead under a telegraph wire at Combe
Martin ‘early in July” (W. S. M. D’Urban).

YorRKSHIRE.—Many, both old and young, were seen at Dalton
and Beverley on July 15th. The crop of one contained
a green viscid mass, ‘‘ which the foreman of the Beverley
nursery-gardens, who was trained under the eye of the
late Mr. George Swailes, declared to be green fly, which
he had seen the birds feeding on” (£. W. Wade).
About the middle of July one was seen near Brough
(Nat., 1909, p. 280, footnote).

LINcoLNsHIRE.—A flock of about a dozen was seen at Louth
on July 14th (C. 8. Carter, Nat., 1909, p. 280).

Esspx.—A flock of eight or nine at Hockley during the first
week of July (fF. W. Frohawk).

MrppueEsex.—A flock of fifty seen (no date) at Northwood
(Field, 24, vi1., 09).

Kent.—A dozen, two, and one (all flying), seen between
Knockholt and Otford on July 30th (H. G. Alexander).
A flock near Wye on July 29th (C. J. Alexander).

SussEx.—Mr. Bristow received the first from the Hastings
neighbourhood in the first week of July, and has since
heard of or received birds from Brightling and Hawk-
hurst. At Ore Mr. Walter Field saw a flock of 30 first
on July 26th. Mr. J.C. Arnold noted the first, a flock
of eight, at Battle on July 13th, and saw eight on the
15th and 30 to 40 on the 17th (NV. F. Ticehurst). About
14, of which at least one was in red plumage, were seen
at Ashhurst from July 16th to 19th, and about 20 on the
Downs on July 17th (W. Walmesley White).

SurrREY.—Some seen at Reigate on July 27th had evidently
been at work on the larches for some time previously
(H. G. Alexander).

IRELAND.—One (which may or may not have been a migrant)
was seen at Coleraine, co. Londonderry, on July 8th
(Field, 17, vut., 09).

EDs.

LATE NESTING OF THE CIRL BUNTING.

I HAVE lately spent a few days in south Devon and was
surprised to find the Cirl Bunting in the district not only in
great abundance but also in full song. I saw no sign of a
hen bird at all, and as everything pointed to the fact that the

Kk

126 BRITISH BIRDS.

species was still nesting I decided to watch carefully, and if
necessary, to search the hedgerows in the immediate vicinity
of the ‘ singing points.”

On August Ist I was successful in observing a cock
carrying food to his sitting mate. He did this every ten to
twenty minutes, returning “to his singing perch immediately
afterwards.

The nest was beautifully concealed and contained five eggs
which were quite fresh. The Cirl Bunting appears to have
two or three “singing points”? which are used periodically
This nest was perhaps ten yards from one of these, although
the other alternatives were about sixty yards away. I suc-
ceeded in watching two more males carrying food, but owing
to the nature of the ground was unable to follow them up
successfully. Had I had more time, however, I feel sure I
should have been able to establish this late nesting on a
firmer basis than on the one case mentioned.

NorMAN GILROY.

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING IN LINCOLNSHIRE.

On August Ist I saw a male Rose-coloured Starling (Pastor
roseus) feeding on some late cherries in my garden at
Cleethorpes, Lines. The bird remained in the vicinity of the
cherry-trees all day, and was there early on the following
morning, after which it disappeared. It was very wary, but
by taking cover I got a good view of it from a distance of
only a few yards and could see no signs of its having been in
captivity. There was no wind and it rained heavily all day.

W. E. Suaaeirt.

SHORT-EARED OWL BREEDING IN LANCASHIRE.

A patr of Short-eared Owls (Asio accipitrinus) bred on the
moors near Brinscall, in May this year, within a very short
distance of several large manufacturing towns. There is
strong evidence that this species has bred in the same district

for several years. W. Mackay Woon

LITTLE OWLS IN ANGLESEY AND WARWICKSHIRE.

WHILE on a visit to Penmon (N.E. Anglesey) last June, I was
informed that a pair of small Owls had been seen by a keeper
on June 15th. He now informs me that he has had further
opportunities of seeing the birds, and from his description I
think there isno doubt that the birds in question are the
Little Owl (Athene noctua). Mr. H. E. Forrest (Vertebrate

NOTES. 127

Fauna of North Wales, p. 214) records one undoubted occur-
rence of this species in Anglesey in the winter of 1899-1900.

HK. C. R. JouRDAIN.

I aM now able to record a Little Owl (Athene noctua) which
was shot at Sheldon on November 15th, 1908, and preserved
by Messrs. Spicer and Sons. This is only the second thoroughly
reliable record of this species in Warwickshire, as I am unable
to obtain further particulars concerning the specimen I
recorded as shot at Sutton Coldfield (ef. Vol. II., pp. 240 and

344). A. G. LEIGH.

COMMON BUZZARD IN SUSSEX.

A Common Buzzarp (Buteo vulgaris) was shot at in the neigh-
bourhood of Battle, on June 8th. The bird, however, was not
recovered till the 26th. when the wing and other parts of the
body were sent to me for identification. One greatly deplores
the slaughter of these fine birds, which, if unmolested, would
perhaps again be often seen in the deep woodlands of east

Sussex. THOMAS PARKIN.

THE PEREGRINE FALCON ON THE YORKSHIRE
CLIFES.

I was interested in Mr. E. W. Wade’s comments on my
article in the July number on the above subject, and as
accuracy on any matter of scientific interest is of the first
importance, perhaps I may be permitted to offer a few remarks
in reply.

Mr. Wade states that there is no room for doubt that the
pair seen in 1904 did not remain to breed. I think I implied
this in my remark that ‘‘it is thought they did not remain to
breed,” without too emphatically insisting upon it.

Mr. W. J. Clarke adds an interesting fact that a pair nested
at Redcliff in 1901. This may have been the same pair seen
at Speeton Cliff in 1904, which though they did not nest on
the Bempton Cliffs may have passed on to that part of the
coast between Scarborough and Filey and there bred.

Mr. Wade mentions that H. Marr has always maintained that
two young birds only were reared in 1906 and 1907 respectively,
while I stated that three were brought off in 1906 and one in
1907. H. Marr was also my source of information, as it was
on that portion of the cliff where he has climbing rights that
they nested on both occasions. - I find in Mr. Wade’s interesting
pamphlet, entitled “‘ The Birds of Bempton Cliffs,” he states
that ‘‘In 1906 the discovery was made that the birds had

128 BRITISH BIRDS.

bred and were rearing three young ones on H. Marr’s ground
when climbing began . . . and in due course the three flew
safely from the nest.”” Marr’s evidence apparently oscillates,
and Mr. E. W. Wade may now be in possession of a more
recent version.

A. D. SAPSWORTH.

OSPREY IN CO. SLIGO.

Mr. J. HENDERSON reports the occurrence of a fine Osprey
(Pandion haliaétus), seen by him on May 29th, 1909, on Lough
Arrow, co. Sligo. This is a very late date for a bird on
migration northward, but though there is no record of the
breeding of this species in Ireland, Messrs. Ussher and Warren
mention several instances of its occurrence during the
summer months, while recent records were summarized on
p. 414 of Vol. II. of this Magazine.

F. C. R. JoURDAIN.

WHITE STORK IN KENT.

On July 19th I saw in Romney Marsh, in Kent, a fine adult
White Stork (Ciconia alba). It was standing in some swampy
ground, together with some Herons, and, when it rose, its
red legs and bill showed up well as I watched it through the
binoculars. It was very wild. C. B. TIcEHURST.

[Although this may have been a perfectly wild bird, so many
such birds are kept in semi-captivity without being pinioned,
that records must now be received with caution. At Kew
Gardens, for instance, the Storks have reared young, we
believe, every year for a considerable time, and these, some
of them several years old, fly about freely, and it is question-
able if one would be missed should it fly away altogether.—
Hor. W.|

SPOONBILL IN YORKSHIRE.

Ir may be of interest to note that on the afternoon of August
15th, while in company with a friend (Dr. Compton), I noted
a Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) on the north shore of the
Humber. During the last twenty years this is only the
second I have seen in this district. The bird on taking wing
flew in a southerly direction.

STANLEY DUNCAN.
WATER-RAIL CARRYING AWAY ITS YOUNG.

THE behaviour of the Water-Rail described by Miss Turner
in the last number of Brrrisu Birps, is not, I think, unusual
in a bird that is uneasy, and thinks itself watched when

NOTES. 129

hatching. Most bird-observers and alas! most bird-keepers
have had only too many similar experiences. The action of
the Water-Rail may, I think, be compared to that of a bitch,
cat, rabbit or ferret, all of which will remove or eat their
young when disturbed. The domestic fowl will also do it, and
I have seen a Wild-Duck, when suddenly surprised while her
eggs were hatching, pick up a young one and carry it some

yards. E. G. B. MgapE-WALDO.

LATE NESTING OF THE WOODCOCK.

A Goop many Woodcock breed in Morayshire, and in May I
saw, or was told of, five or six nests in the woods adjoining
the house, which had all hatched successfully by May 20th.
They were, I think, first broods, as this is an exceptionally
late season. On August 5th the head-keeper informed me
that a Woodcock was sitting on four eggs close to his house,
while another nest had hatched off on the previous day. ‘Two
days later the first nest hatched off, the old bird going away
with two young and leaving two chipped eggs behind. Pro-
bably a closer search would have resulted in the discovery of
more nests, as in 1907 I was shown a nest at an even later

date. J. DAvIDSON.

BLACK-TAILED GODWIT IN WIGTOWNSHIRE.

WHEN watching for birds on the shores of Luce Bay on
August 13th a couple of Godwits flew up and pitched within
twerity to thirty yards of me.

One of them was almost, if not quite, in summer plumage,
and I felt sure from its size was a Black-tailed Godwit
(Limosa belgica).

I was soon able to confirm my suspicion as the bird began
to clean itself, constantly raising its wings and showing the
black tail in contrast to the white lower rump. From time
to time also it flew a few yards, giving me a good view of
the conspicuous white wing-bar.

The second bird was in immature plumage, being brownish-
grey all over with dark markings, and I was unable to detect
the white wing-bar when it flew; but as the two birds sat at
one time within a foot of each other I could see that there
was practically no difference in size and have no doubt that

it belonged to the same species. M. BEeprorp.

NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY TERNS.

I SHOULD imagine that in the case of the Terns as with other
species, the number of eggs laid is to a certain extent regulated

130 BRITISH BIRDS.

by the food-supply, which varies considerably in different
districts.

In my experience the Common Tern does not vary so much
as the others—about 85 per cent. of nests contain three eggs:
In the case of the Sandwich Tern clutches of three are very
rare in one large colony known to me—perhaps one per cent.
of the whole, while in another well known one the proportion
is very much larger. Ina third small one, in a very out-of-
the-way spot, but where food is abundant, 99 per cent. of the
nests usually contain three eggs.

The same applies to the Arctic Tern. On the Farne Islands
in 1907 I saw only two nests out of 101 with three eggs—90
containing two, and nine one egg, whilst on the island of
Sanday (Orkney) where the species is abundant, although the
colonies are small, I noticed in one colony 20 nests with three
egos; 10 nests with two eggs; 10 nests with one egg; and in
another, 13 nests with three eggs; one nest with two; and
one nest with one egg. Of course a proportion only of the
nests was found.

Norman GILROY.

k * *

Prorection In Norrotk.— The report by Mr. C. A.
Hamond of the Wells Wild Bird Protection Society for.1908,
shows what successful results can be achieved by the employ-
ment of watchers. Terns and other birds have undoubtedly
increased, 400 or 500 pairs of Common Terns having nested in
the area watched during 1908, while Black-headed Gulls
returned to an old breeding place (Mow Creek), after an
absence of seventy years! We have always thought that
such one-time British breeding birds as the Ruff, Black
Tern, Spoonbill, Bittern, and we are afraid there are
many others, would return to (or rather would stay in, for
they certainly often return to) old breeding haunts, which are
still suitable, if they were efficiently protected.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER IN SCOTLAND IN SPRING.—A
specimen of Phylloscopus superciliosus—the first observed in
this country in the spring—was satisfactorily identified by
Mr. George Stout, who has become familiar with the bird in
Fair Isle, on April 11th, at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire (Ann.
Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 182).

Wuitr Waerait oN THE Hast Coast or ITRELAND.—In
Vol. I., p. 111, we noted that Motacilla alba had only twice
been recorded from the east coast of Ireland; it is therefore
interesting to have some further records from Mr. Alexander

NOTES. 131

Williams (Irish Nat., 1909, p. 121). These refer to County
Dublin, and are briefly as follows :—In April, 1904, a friend
of the author so accurately described two pairs of Wagtails
which were frequenting the gardens of the Ringsend Coast-
guard Station that there seemed little doubt that they were
White Wagtails. On April 24th (two days later), Mr.
Williams himself saw and identified at ten yards distance,
four White Wagtails on the shore near Malahide. It was not
until April 26th, 1908, that Mr. Williams again saw a White
Wagtail, and this was a single bird at Dollymount. The
identification of this last bird was confirmed by Mr. W. J.
Williams, who knew the species well in Norway.

GOLDEN ORIOLES IN YORKSHIRE, SCOTLAND AND IRELAND.
—Mr. F. M. Burton records (Naturalist, 1909, p. 268), that he
watched an example of Oriolus galbula near Gainsborough on
the 12th “instant” (? June). A male was observed in a garden
in Renfrewshire in the first half of May, and was afterwards
found dead (W. Horton, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 182).
An adult male was also shot on April 24th, near Dunmanway,
co. Cork (F. R. Rohu, Jrish Nat., 1909, p. 183).

Nestinc or Hawrincn -1n Scotianp.—A pair of Cocco-
thraustes vulgaris built two nests and laid eggs in May, 1909,
near East Linton, in East Lothian. Unfortunately disaster
attended both efforts, and no young were reared (W. Evans,
Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 181). Only one nest had pre-
viously been found in Scotland (cf. swpra, Vol. I., p. 151). A
young bird was found dead in East Lothian on J uly 3rd, 1908
(cf. Vol. II., p. 314). An adult Hawfinch was seen by Mr. W.
Berry on April 2lst at Newport, Fife (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist.,
1909, p. 181).

Hooror in Scortanp.—An example of Upupa epops
occurred at Waternish, Skye, on April 27th (Ann. Scot. Nat.
Hist., 1909, p. 183).

GADWALL Nestine In Scortanp.—The Misses L. J. Rintoul
and EK. V. Baxter report (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 184)
that in early June, 1909, two nests of Anas strepera were
found on ‘a loch in the 8.E. of Scotland.” The eggs, down
and feathers have been satisfactorily identified. The Gadwall
is a rare bird in Scotland and has only once before been
positively found nesting, although it has been suspected of
doing so on another occasion.

TurTLE-DovEs IN co. WATERFORD.—Under this heading
Mr. R. J. Ussher contributes to the ‘‘ Irish Naturalist ” (1909,
p- 184) a long list of occurrences of T'urtur communis, from

132 BRITISH BIRDS.

which it would appear that the bird is an increasing annual
visitor (chiefly in May and June) to the county. Mr. Ussher
remarks that it appears to visit co. Cork in the same way, but
that it has not yet been known to breed in these counties.

Sanp-GROUSE IN YORKSHTRE.—Mr. Arthur Pratt (for whose
knowledge of the bird Mr. T. H. Nelson vouches) records in
the ‘‘Field’’ (June 12th, 1909, p. 1028) that he saw nine
Syrrhaptes paradoxus on West Coatham Marsh, near Redcar,
on May 17th, 1909.

LirttLE CRAKE IN ScoTtLAND.—On March 29th, 1909, an
example of Porzana parva was caught in a fishing boat lying
in Girvan Harbour, Ayrshire (James Aird, Ann. Scot. Nat.
Hist., 1909, p. 185). We believe this species has only once
before been taken in Scotland.

SPRING-MOULT OF THE ADULT GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.—
Mr. F. W. Smalley contributes an interesting paper to the
« Annals of Scottish Natural History’ (1909, pp. 139-144)
relative to the spring-moult of Colymbus glacialis. His
conclusions are in brief as follow :—

ApuLr WINTER PLUMAGE (MALE AND FEMALE.)—This plumage seems
retained only for a short time and is thus described:—Head and
upper Neck.—Mouse-grey with a mixture of white on the lores,
round the eyes and sides of neck. Upperside.—Dark blackish-grey,
with two indistinct lighter grey spots on each feather. Tail-feathers.—
Black with white tips. Primaries and Secondaries.—Black. Under-
side.—White with a dark mouse-grey band across the vent.

Aputt SummMEeR PLuMAGE.—Acquired by a complete moult which
appears to commence in December and become complete in May,
but varies in individuals. Judging by one bird killed on February
18th, the whole of the remiges are moulted at once at this time of
year. During the moult the bird assumes a strangely mottled
appearance, due to the interspersing of new summer feathers, and
the head is the last to moult. The full summer plumage is thus
described :—

Head, Throat and Neck.— Deep glossy black with purple and green
reflections ; on each side of the neck and across the throat lateral
lines of white forming transverse bars. Upperside.—Glossy black ;
each feather with two large white spots towards the tip. Tail,
Primaries, and Secondaries.—Black. Belly.—White with a narrow
band of white-tipped black feathers across the vent.

RED-NECKED GREBE IN OrKNEY.—Mr. H. W. Robinson
now records that in Loch of Harray he saw several Podicipes
griseigena on March 2nd, 1904; a pair on February 28th,
1905; and in the Bay of Ireland a single bird on April 10th,
1908 (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 185).

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ASSISTED BY

Rev. F.C. R. JouRDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U.; W. P. PYCRAFT, A.L.S.,

M.B.O.U., AND Norman F. Ticenurst, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.0.U.

Contents oF Number 5, Vou. III. Ocroser 1, 1909.
Migration of Birds in the Mediterranean, by Commander

H. Lynes, R.N.,M.B.0.U. III. Migration at Sea ... .. Page 133
On the Down-Plumage and Mouth-Coloration of Nestling
Birds, by C. B. Ticehurst and A. Geoffrey Leigh 151

Notes :—The Meaning of Birds’ Songs (F. J. Stubbs, ae Rees).
Marsh-Warbler Breeding in Worcestershire (W. Davies,
F. Coburn). Marsh-Warbler in Kent (C. J. Alexander).
Nesting of Mateless Sedge-Warbler (C. B. Ticehurst).
Red-backed Shrike returning to Nest in the same place
(Duchess of Bedford). Departure of House-Martins
(J.S. T. Walton). Lesser Redpoll Nesting in Essex (R. H.
Fenton). Nesting Dates of the Lesser Redpoll (G. T
Atchinson, D. W. Mussel-White). Late Nest of Crossbill
(R. Hamilton-Hunter). The Irruption of Crossbills( Eds.).
Alpine Swift in Norfolk (D. W. Mussel-White). Early
Breeding of Nightjar (R. Hamilton-Hunter). Two Young
Cuckoos fed by the same Meadow-Pipit (EK. A. Wallis).
Short-eared Owl Breeding in Lancashire (H. W. Robin-
son). Montagu’s Harriers and Honey-Buzzard in Ireland
(W. J. Williams). Additions to the Shropshire Avifauna
and Osprey in Shropshire (H. E. Forrest). Food of the
Common Eider(W. Evans). Flocking of the Red-breasted
Merganser (H. Trevelyan). Woodcock Removing its Eggs
(Duchess of Bedford). Black-tailed Godwits in York-
shire and Lincolnshire (S. Duncan). Black Terns in Wales
and Cumberland (H. E. oe rest, H.W. Robinson). White-
winged Black Tern in Warwickshire (A. G. Leigh). Notes
on the Common and Sandwich Terns (H. W. Robinson).
Great Crested Neon» Double-Brooded (A. G. Leigh).
Short Notes . : sti so ves ae 155

OBSERVATIONS ON THE MIGRATION OF BIRDS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

BY
COMMANDER H. LYNES, R.N., M.B.O.U.

(Continued from page 104.)
III.—MIcGRATION AT SEA.
In the following remarks it will doubtless be observed
that much old ground is gone over, but I am loath to
leave merely to inference such characteristics of the

L

154. BRITISH BIRDS.

migration passage across the Mediterranean, as are
accepted, more or less universally, as rules governing the
phenomenon of migration, because it seems to me that
not only do spring and autumn passages across the same
area differ inter se, but that in many important features
each migration area possesses characteristics peculiar
to itself. I think, for instance, that the passage across
the Mediterranean differs .a great deal from that
across the North Sea at the same season, while the dis-
similarity of the spring and autumn migration in the
latter area makes itself sufficiently apparent in all our
records. For an explanation of the former we may,
perhaps, look to the physical geography, past and present,
of the areas under consideration—their climate and their
position with reference to the breeding and winter quarters
of the migrants themselves.

During our two-and-a-half years in the Mediterranean,
July and February were actually the only months of
the year in which the ship never fell in with birds other
than regular sea-frequenting species, but for all practical
purposes one may say that from mid-December to mid-
March, and from mid-June to mid-August, migration
over these waters is apparently in abeyance. I say
apparently, because in August, if not in July, there must
surely be numbers of Limicole crossing the Mediter-
ranean, although not a single representative of that
great order ever visited us at sea at any period of the
year, an interesting fact which coincides with records
from other sources, and doubtless has its own bearing
on the mode of passage of this particular group of birds.

During the rest of the year it was seldom that a cruise,
however short, would pass by without our being able
to record some migrant visitors to the ship—birds whose
presence in such uncongenial surroundings would have
seemed strange indeed, had we failed to realise that they
were merely the strayed representatives of a feathered
concourse travelling between their winter and summer
quarters.

OF BIRDS. 135

MIGRATION

H. LYNES

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156 BRITISH BIRDS.

In the preceding table will be found a list of the species
that occurred at sea in the Mediterranean during the
two and-a-half years ; either flying by, flying around, or
settling on board the ship. .

It seems that there are three broad routes or zones
normally traversed by migrants crossing the Mediter-
ranean, somewhat on the lines indicated in Figure VI.

I. The Gibraltar zone (in which possibly the Balearic
Islands may be included, but I have no information
about this group).

Ill. The Italy-Sicily, Corsica-Sardinia, Malta-Tunis
zone.

V. The Levant zone.

This leaves the two large sea-areas (II. and IV.) between
the three zones normally untraversed except near the
coast-lines, and our ‘‘ Venus” observations agree with
these divisions.

In IL. and I[V., abnormal conditions of weather, which,
as will be seen, produced such large bird visitations in
the other zones, never brought any but a chance bird or
two to the ship, indicating clearly that the sea-areas
are not normally traversed by, at any rate, those species
whose presence in such circumstances may be expected
in the other zones, I., III., and V.

But it is not at all my intention to give the reader the
impression that we always fell in with the birds mentioned
in the list during the migration seasons, wherever and
whenever the ship happened to be cruising in areas L.,
III. and V. On the contrary, except within a very few
miles of the land, no migrating birds of any species
(excepting, perhaps, the Pelicans mentioned later on)
were ever seen at sea whose presence could not be clearly
ascribed to abnormal causes, and even so, their numbers
varied inversely as (perhaps the square of) their distance
from the land.

Considering the Port Said district alone, at fifteen
miles north of the place, if all the birds that arrived in
daylight had travelled across the sea sufficiently low

Figure VI,

lo -O Se Va,

138 BRITISH BIRDS.

to be visible to the naked eye, then, from 6 to 8 a.m.
any day during September, there ought to have been
a constant stream of birds, of perhaps thirty different
species, flying past the ship. But there was not.

Even Quail, which habitually make the land only
a few feet above the water’s surface, did not seem to
have crossed the Mediterranean in this fashion. At
three miles from the land a good many Quail did pass
the ship, flying past her at their business-like fifty miles
an hour, taking no notice of the ship at all; these birds
were travelling under normal conditions and knew where
their goal was perfectly well. (The tops of the houses
would have been visible to a bird flying just above the
water’s surface from a distance of about twelve miles.)

At fifteen miles or more from land, whether in Egyptian
or other Mediterranean waters, we never found this
state of affairs ; on the contrary, Quail were remarkable
by their absence. At 2 p.m. on September 17th, 1907,
in clear weather, a Quail came flying round the ship, and
eventually went away to the northward, absolutely lost,
in spite of the fact that Malta was only twelve miles to
the southward.

I feel no hesitation, therefore, in saying that in the
Mediterranean, when birds are seen at sea outside of a
very few miles from the coast, their appearance is due
to abnormal causes ; they have lost their way, and see
something to break the monotonous expanse of water,
so fly towards it; they are exhausted and must needs
rest at all cost or drop into the sea; they cannot face
the head-wind that has suddenly sprung up and are loath
to turn back, and doubtless many other such reasons
force them to the ship.

In short, there is nothing whatever in the migratory
passage across the Mediterranean, considering that sea
as a whole, to correspond to the low altitude, and
consequently visible passage, of certain species across
the North Sea, for instance, as is graphically described
by Mr. Eagle Clarke in the “ Ibis” for January, 1904.

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 139

I say “considering the Mediterranean Sea as a whole,”
because I do not wish to include in the above statement
out-of-the-way corners of the Mediterranean which we
did not visit, for these may very likely have a subsidiary
migration character of their own ; indeed, an instance of
such can be quoted that came under my own observation.

During September, 1906, H.M.S.‘‘Scylla” was at anchor
off Alexandretta, in the Gulf of Iskanderun, at the very
north-east corner of the Levant. For an hour or so
during the forenoon (from memory I think it was about
10.30 to 11.30) for several days in succession, there was
a considerable stream past the ship of White Storks,
about eight or ten every hundred yards, steering a dead
straight south-easterly course. They appeared to be
flying in rather a leisurely way, between ten and fifty
feet above the surface of the water, and were obviously
just crossing, by the shortest route, the mouth of the
gulf, a distance across the water of some twenty-five
miles. On reaching the far shore of the gulf (our side),
they stayed their progress a little to assemble, wheeling
around and mounting higher and higher, about five
thousand strong—an impressive spectacle. Gradually
they drew away, still circling round and still apparently
rising, until, finally, perhaps half-an-hour after the last
of the pack had passed the ship, the whole concourse of
Storks became lost to view at an immense height over
the hills in the direction of Aleppo ; an exact continuation
of the birds’ course across the gulf, and a line of flight
which suggests that the Storks were bound for India wid
the Euphrates valley.

In the following pages are given some of the causes
which account for the appearance of birds at a ship at
sea in the Mediterranean.

Cause I. Wind.

_ Strong, adverse winds retard a bird’s progress, fatigue
it and drive it out of its course, of which we have ample

140 BRITISH BIRDS.

evidence from all over the world, and the Mediterranean
is no exception, although I hardly think, from my
own observations in the latter district, that mere wind
in fine weather is to be looked on as the predominant
cause of derangement of migration routine for the
following reasons :—

A.—The principal migration routes of the Mediterranean
are to a great extent dotted with land, and the chances
of effecting a pied-a-terre should an adverse wind spring
up are fairly good. Sea-distances are nowhere great.
To be blown out into the Atlantic or other great ocean
would be very different.

B.—Birds will undoubtedly not start on their fiat
across the sea if the wind is unfavourable, and although
weather in the Mediterranean may be very local, there
is generally a fair period of warning before strong winds,
so that the chances are greater that birds will have a
favourable passage, especially if the journey is not a very
long one.

The effect of a strong head-wind upon migrating birds
was very noticeable on May 2nd, 1907, in Palmas Bay,
at the south end of Sardinia.

Here, day after day, during the months of April and
May, in fine bright weather, very strong winds drive
down from the mountains seawards during the day time,
and subside again in the evening; but they are quite
local winds, and do not extend many miles to seaward.
On this particular day the ship was manceuvring about
Palmas Bay, and one of these very strong local winds
sprang up from due north early in the afternoon. No
migrants had been seen in the forenoon, but no sooner
had the wind freshened than migrating birds started to
appear—Redstarts, Wheatears and a Woodchat-Shrike
beating up to windward, hugging the surface of the water
to obtain the retarded velocity of air due to the water’s
friction. Quite a few of these birds settled on board, in
spite of the fact that we were carrying out aiming rifle
practice, and what struck me as more remarkable still,

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 141

that the ship was in the middle of the bay with land all
round except from south-eastward to south-westward.

Another interesting occurrence connected with wind
took place when we were steaming along the south coast
of Crete on October 7th, 1907. There was not a cloud
in the sky, but a very strong north wind was blowing, not
a local wind, but one which extended very likely up to the
African coast. We were only a few miles from the shore,
so that we got into calm water, while the mountain
ranges of Madara and Ida screened the ship from some
of the wind, and entirely sheltered the sea within a mile
of us landwards.

At 5 p.m. a Swallow passed the ship, beating low against
the wind, flying landward, due north. This bird had
probably started from the south coast of Crete on his
southward passage shortly before five o’clock, and finding
the stern-wind too much for it, had wisely turned back
before going too far. I believe it is generally accepted
that a strong wind astern is as objectionable to a bird
as the flood tide is to the navigator when entering a
narrow harbour.

Cause IT. Rain.

From what I have seen, I believe that in the Medi-
terranean the chief factor in bringing birds on board ship,
and the principal scourge of the migrant host, is rain ;
not steady settled rain, which generally lasts for some
time and is preceded or accompanied by stormy weather,
tending to prevent migrants setting out on their journey,
but changeable weather with heavy thunderstorms.

These are just the conditions that prevail in the
Mediterranean during the four months of the year in
which the migration of birds across that sea is at its
greatest intensity.

April showers, the sea calm, the wind light and variable,
blue sky with light cirro-cumuli clouds ; here and there
a blurred nimbus cloud drawn down to the horizon,

142 BRITISH BIRDS.

denoting heavy showers all around—this is the sort of
weather that takes a heavy toll of the feathered passengers
across the waterway. Lured from the land by the
deceitful appearance of the sun, by the light and pleasant
breeze, they start their journey. Ere long, with the
suddenness so characteristic of this class of weather,
they find themselves in a deluge of rain, great heavy
drops, one after another beating down their wing strokes
and soaking their plumage. Their view obliterated—
perhaps the greater consideration with species whose
plumage by reason of its gloss or oily nature is less
susceptible to wet than that of the majority of Passeres—
little wonder the birds are forced to descend to lower
planes. Then, what a piece of luck to find a ship to
rest on to shake out the plumage and greet the re-appear-
ance of the sun, for it has only been a ten-minutes’
shower, but woebetide their less fortunate companions.

Hardly a single instance of a really abundant arrival
of birds on board the “‘ Venus” at sea in the Mediter-
ranean (and I might also include the Red Sea and off
the coast of Spain between Gibraltar and St. Vincent),
but we were able to attribute it definitely to weather
such as I have described. Indeed, so strongly do I feel
impressed with a sense of certainty of the result effected
by this sort of weather upon migrating birds that,
accepting it as an axiom, I would infer from it that the
fact of birds never appearing on board ship during
thunder-shower weather in these two large sea-areas
(II. and IV., Figure VI.) is satisfactory evidence that birds
do not normally travel over those areas, and with regard
to the observed fact that it is only when fairly close to
land that birds come on board in large numbers, I would
suggest that it is because they are normally over the
central part of the sea during the night time, when a ship
is invisible to them.

The following account, the facts of which were recorded
directly after the events had taken place, will serve to
illustrate my point.

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 143

At seven o’clock on the morning of April 29th, 1906,
the ‘“‘ Venus” left Suda Bay, Crete, bound for Malta.
There was little or no wind, the sun was shining brightly,
with a few clouds here and there, the sea calm, with the
remains of a north-westerly swell, probably the result of
a recent “bora” in the Adriatic, as there had been no strong
wind at Crete, and we subsequently had a calm passage
the whole way to Malta.

In the middle of the afternoon we fell in with several
short heavy showers, and it was evident from the nimbus
clouds at several points of the horizon that there were
local thunder-showers all around us, which equally
obviously had an all-important bearing upon a tremendous
visitation of migrants on board the ship. At 3.30 p.m.
(this was just after our first shower) a Wood-Wren,
in beautiful plumage, came aboard, very tired, but did
not actually look wet. I tried to catch it in a butterfly
net, but missed, and I am afraid the poor little creature
dropped astern and perished. Then four Bee-Katers
appeared—also very tired—and settled in the fore
rigging, and a female Wheatear flew around the ship.

At 4.30, when the ship was fifty miles from the west
end of Crete and forty miles south of Cape Matapan,
making about eleven knots to the westward* there
commenced a regular rush of migrants. Some Yellow-
bellied Wagtails, a Redstart, a Turtle-Dove, and a Whin-
chat appeared ; the latter settled aft, the Wagtails were
shyer and only followed in the wake of the ship, uttering
vibrating chirps, the others flew around the ship.

After this my observations were entirely confined to
what was going on right aft on the quarterdeck, but we
heard afterwards that there were also many birds forward,
and, indeed, all over the ship.

At five o’clock two more Wood-Wrens came on board,
and a party of seven Yellow-bellied Wagtails, which
paddled nimbly about the quarterdeck searching for
flies, which, unfortunately, did not exist.

* See Figure VI.

144. BRITISH BIRDS.

The next few minutes brought some Turtle-Doves,
Whinchats, a Wheatear and more Wagtails. The Turtle-
Doves, I think, settled in the rigging, the Whinchats
were quite tired out and could only sit miserably hunched
up, and next day two of them were found dead in the
boats.

About 5.30 Swallows started to arrive, and their
numbers rapidly increased until Swallows were perched
all over the ship in the most confiding way. They would
crowd up together on the rim of a ventilator or a hatchway
rail, heads and tails, as if to keep one another warm, and
they did not mind us in the least when we walked up
within a foot of them. They subsequently roosted all
over the ship, several inside the chart-house, in the
captain’s cabin (half-deck) ; there must have been more
than one hundred Swallows roosting altogether. Many
were captured by the ship’s company and liberated again.
Although obviously very tired those Swallows that came
under our particular notice did not seem to be wet, at
any rate, not drenched.

After dinner some of the officers were walking up and
down the quarterdeck, lighted by a single electric light
underneath the awning; a Swallow hovered over them
and actually settled on the head of one, who was wearing
a cap with a white cover on it, put its head under its
scapulars and went to sleep. The officer took his cap
off and put it down on a grating ; the Swallow just raised
its head for a moment, then tucked it away again and
was at once asleep.

Other arrivals at 5.30 included a Sparrow-Hawk,
which flew around the ship, but was not observed to
take any birds; several Pied Flycatchers, one a male
in very fine adult plumage, and a rather wet male
Subalpine Warbler. The Pied Flycatchers increased in
numbers, and at dark, about seven o’clock, there were
numbers ,roosting about the ship. Two, a male and a
female, were brought to me from the captain’s cabin,
which they had entered through the open stern-door ;

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 145

another was brought to me from forward (a young male
of the previous year, I think) in a very exhausted con-
dition, which I took to my cabin and endeavoured to
feed with cockroaches. The poor little fellow was in
such a state, however, that he could only crouch down
panting, with eyes closed, a pitiable spectacle, and would
not—probably could not—attempt to eat. I had to
leave him thus in my cabin for a short time, and on
returning I found he had disappeared and the food was
untouched. The mystery was cleared up a few days
later, when he came to light, a decomposing body, from
behind the writing table.

We did what we could to feed our visitors, which, being
unfortunately all insect-eaters, could only be supplied
with one plat, viz., cockroaches ; however, we were more
or less successful as a good many birds came and ate
them, running about the deck and snapping them up
within a few inches of our feet.

The first to come to the feast was the Subalpine
Warbler, which, with very little hesitation, hopped
eagerly after the cockroaches thrown down to him and
gobbled them with avidity. He ate at least a dozen,
and we really thought he had overeaten himself. His
example soon brought more birds, first a Wood-Wren,
then a Tree-Pipit; which was not quite so tame, but
managed a fair number of the outlying cockroaches, then
a male Pied Flycatcher, which partook freely, and a very
wet and wretched-looking Yellow-bellied Wagtail, which
was shy at first, and, finally, a very bedraggled White-
throat, which was either too frightened or too tired to
join in the feast.

Of the five birds that I took for specimens (two Pied
Flycatchers, male and female; two Whinchats, male
and female ; and one Wood-Wren), all had the stomach
empty, excepting one of the Flycatchers, which contained
a small quantity of something which certainly was not
cockroach, so probably was the undigested remains of
the last meal before leaving land.

146 BRITISH BIRDS.

I have noticed in dissecting some dozen birds which
have died of exhaustion on board ship that in all cases the
internal organs were shrunken, dry and dark coloured,
the intestines being an almost black-coloured sticky
pulp.

Although we did not pay special attention to it at the
time, it seemed that the birds came from no particular
direction, except perhaps that most were first seen beating
up astern, 7.e., from the eastward. It is to be regretted
that we did not follow more closely the departure of
our visitors, but I think that all except the most exhausted
birds pursued their journey before ten o’clock that night
(when the ship was about seventy miles south-west of
Cape Matapan), as the following morning none were visible,
except those which had succumbed to fatigue or exposure
during the night, and were picked up in various places
about the boats and decks in the morning.

The following day the weather was quite fine and dry ;
no birds came on board, except a stray Yellow-bellied
Wagtail, which followed the ship, flying wildly around
for about ten minutes, and then went off to the north-
eastward, and a little later a Turtle-Dove, which did the
same and then went off to the north-westward. Both
these birds had evidently quite lost their bearings.

Now, what were the reasons for this great visitation of
migrants to the ship and for their exhaustion ? A glance
at Figure VI. shows that we were about one hundred and
eighty miles from the nearest land south, the coast of
Barca; about sixty miles south-south-west of Cape -
Matapan, and forty-five to ninety west of Crete.

It seems obvious that these birds can have had no
connection with Crete as a starting point, as there was no
reason to account for their being so much out of their
course ; neither does the suggestion that they had been
blown over from the westward hold any weight, since there
had been no wind during the past twenty-four hours,
besides which immediately to the westward of us lay an
area of little or no migration passage (zone IV.), separating

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 147

us from the Malta-Sicily route by some three hundred
miles. The birds must have come from the African
coast, perhaps even so far to the eastward as Egypt, but
that is merely a surmise.

Now, the north-westerly swell was certainly not the
result of a wind that had existed near those longitudes
during the past twenty-four hours at least, for it was not
of such a nature, and we should also have had something
of it at Crete, which we did not; therefore, it may be
accepted that at no time of their flight since their
departure from the African coast had these migrants been
subjected to adverse winds, consequently nothing remains
but the rain to explain the whole phenomenon.

The time of day is worthy of note ; as will be seen, it
‘agrees with our observations as to time of arrival of
migrants on the north coast of the island of Crete.

I have often looked out and wondered why one does
not see dead birds which have met their death in crossing
the Mediterranean floating about in the sea, but, of course,
they would be very inconspicuous objects.

On June 7th, 1906, a date on which there would be
little or no migration in progress, in the Straits of
Gibraltar the ship became enveloped in a terrific thunder-
storm, that lasted for half an hour, during which time
we could not see more than a hundred yards around us.
There was no wind. A Turtle-Dove came on board, as
absolutely soaked as if it had been held under a tap,
and a bedraggled Reed-Warbler (or, possibly, a Hypolais—
I only got a hasty glimpse) also took refuge in the rigging.

At the same time quantities of oleander hawk-moths
were apparently being borne down from some higher
atmospheric stratum, and many could be seen floating
in the sea. I looked out for dead birds as well, but saw
none, though could not help thinking that had the storm
occurred during migration time we should have seen some,
in spite of its being so close to land on either side.

Off the north coast of China in summer it is a common
occurrence to see immense migratory streams of dragon-

148 BRITISH BIRDS.

flies (locally called typhoon flies), and the sea is sometimes
strewn with their corpses. The upper strata of the
atmosphere, judging from the actions of Swifts, Black-
headed Gulls and many other species of birds, must
frequently be full of insects. Diptera and other insects
often appear on board a ship at sea, and I hazard the
suggestion that insectivorous birds, especially those
species that habitually take their food on the wing, may
perhaps be able to obtain sufficient fuel for their loco-
motion to enable them to make considerably longer
migratory flights than are generally attributed to them.

Rather opposed to this suggestion is the fact that it is
the exception to find anything contained in the stomachs
of birds taken on passage, but it must be remembered
that digestion is very rapid.

Another occurrence of some interest, which may be
put down to the influence of rain on migration, was as
follows :—

On September 8th, 1907, the “ Venus” was about
fifteen miles to the south-westward of the Dardanelles.
During the previous night it had been blowing hard from
north-east to north-north-east in the Sea of Marmora
and Algean Sea, accompanied by heavy showers. The
wind was still very fresh from the same direction, when,
at 11 a.m., a party of migrants, amongst which were
recognised House-Martins, Swallows and a Nightingale,
flew by the ship, hugging the surface of the water, going
about north, that is with the wind two points on the bow,
progressing, of course, very slowly.

Later in the day another Hirundo, domg the same,
was seen in the distance.

The points about this that seemed remarkable were :—

(1) The birds were flying north instead of south.

(2) They were not flying in the best direction to make
the land, which they were presumably trying to do.

The latter points to the fact that they had quite lost
their bearings ; their position, coupled with the time of
day, which does not fit in with the time of departure as

H. LYNES: MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 149

calculated from Egypt arrivals (except perhaps the smaller
evening arrival there), seems quite abnormal, and I can
only suggest was connected with the stormy weather
during the previous night.

Herr Gaetke, in his “‘ Die Vogelwarte Helgoland ”
(p. 129, English translation), mentions a few rare instances
of birds, such as Thrushes, Buntings and Finches, taking
a rest on the water, and suggests that the habit may be
occasionally indulged in by such families of birds if
exhausted.

The only like instance from the Mediterranean that
I can quote is that of a flock of Pelicans, a species essen-
tially associated with water, either salt or fresh.

This happened on March 27th, 1897. H.M.S. “ Scylla ”
was steaming from Malta to Port Said, and, being some-
where to the north-westward of Alexandria at 5 p.m.
on this calm and sunny afternoon, there came a hail from
the man at the masthead of “Shoal on the starboard
bow.” Knowing that the ship was in the middle of the
Levant, and that the nearest land was quite one hundred
miles away, this report was naturally received on the
bridge with a certain amount of suspicion. However, as
the ship continued on her course, it became evident to
those on the bridge that there was indeed a shining white
patch about an acre in extent on the bearing indicated.

The ship’s course was altered for this patch, which
turned out to be a compact flock of about five hundred
Pelicans, seated on the water, apparently enjoying a rest.

These birds were presumably on their northward
migration, and since the weather conditions were entirely
favourable to migratory passage, the inference seems to
be that Pelicans normally have the habit of resting on the
water during their passage.

As regards times of arrival on board. At night time,
even in such weather as has been described as favourable
to such visitations, birds do not, so far as my experience
goes, come on board ship, probably because they cannot
see her. Even a brilliantly lt liner would only show

M

150 BRITISH BIRDS.

light to a bird overhead over a very small area, while
the ordinary navigation lights that ninety per cent. of
ships carry must be to all intents and purposes invisible.
The same, most likely, applies to foggy weather, but we
only twice experienced fog in the Mediterranean during
the migration seasons. When burning searchlights at
night, birds are frequently attracted to the beam, which
resembles that from a lighthouse or lightship. If the
birds made their passage at night at low altitudes, it
would seem probable that the rows of lights from the
ports of a man-of-war should attract a small percentage
of birds; the fact that it is not so must have a bearing on
the mode of passage at night across the Mediterranean.

In the day time, where rushes such as that described
off the Grecian coast are concerned, the time presumably
has a relation to the hours of normal passage of the various
species across the Mediterranean, but times of strayed
birds, as birds which come singly on board ship seem
undoubtedly to be, can have no significance except to
show by their very nature that they are the outcome of
abnormal conditions.

Cxsilathe &)

ON THE DOWN-PLUMAGE AND MOUTH-
COLORATION OF NESTLING BIRDS.

ile

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

STONECHAT Pratincola rubicola (L.).

Down. Colour.—Dark grey.
Character.—Moderate length. Scanty on the spinal and
humeral tracts.
Distribution.—Inner_ supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and
spinal.

COLORATION OF THE Movuru. Inside, yellowish; no spots;
externally, flanges very pale yellow.

REDSTART Ruticilla phenicurus (L.).

Down. Colour.—Dark grey.
Character.—Well marked and long, except in dorsal and
humeral tracts, where it is short and scanty.
Distribution.—Outer supra-orbital, inner supra-orbital,
occipital, humeral and spinal.

CoLoRATION OF MovutH. Inside, lemon-yellow; no tongue
spots; externally, flanges very pale yellowish white.

WILLOW-WARBLER Phylloscopus trochilus (L.).

Down. Colour.—Very light grey.
Character.—Fairly long and scanty.
Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral.
CoLoRATION OF Moutu. Inside, orange; no tongue spots ;
externally, flanges very pale yellow.

WOOD-WARBLER Phylloscopus sibilatrix (Bechst.).

Down. Colour.—Light grey.
Character.—Fairly long and scanty.
Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral.
CoLoRATION OF MourH. Inside, yellow ; no tongue spots ;
externally, flanges yellowish.

REED-WARBLER Acrocephalus streperus (Vieill.).
Down. Absent. Skin of body very dark.
CotoratTion or Mouru. Inside, orange; two long oval,
symmetrical, black tongue spots at base of tongue; exter-
nally, flanges lemon-yellow.

152 BRITISH BIRDS.

PIED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa atricapilla, L.

Down. Colour.—Dark grey.
Character.—Scanty, moderate length.
Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and
spinal, few tufts on centre of spine only.

CoLoRATION OF MoutH. Inside, orange-yellow; no tongue
spots; externally, flanges pale yellow.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa grisola, L.

Down. Colour.—Grey.
Character.—Well marked, fairly long and plentiful.
Distribution.—Outer supra-orbital, inner supra-orbital,
occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar, femoral, the last two being
scanty.

CoLorATION OF MoutaH. Inside, orange-yellow; no tongue
spots; externally, flanges pale yellow.

REED-BUNTING Emberiza scheniclus, L.

Down. Colour.—Greyish black.
Character.—Fairly long and abundant; tracts well marked.
Distribution.—Inner supra - orbital, occipital, humeral,
spinal, ulnar, femoral, crural, ventral, the last consisting of
two filaments only.

CoLoRATION OF MoutuH. Inside, pinkish ; no tongue spots ;
externally, flanges white.

GREEN WOODPECKER Gecinus viridis (L.).
Down. Absent.
CoLOoRATION OF MoutH. Inside, pink; no tongue spots.
Externally, flanges whitish; on the lower mandible the

gape close to the angle is modified into a hard roundish
cartilaginous lump.

STOCK-DOVE Columba cnas, L.

Down. Colour.—Rusty yellow.
Character.—Long and _ hair - like, each filament being
‘¢ unbranched.”
Distribution.—Over all the feather-tracts except on the chin
and ear coverts.

CoLoRATION OF MoutH. Inside, flesh pink; externally,
flanges whitish.

Bint. Black with a white tip; ‘“ egg-cracker ” same colour
as the down.

DOWN-PLUMAGE. 153

ROCK-DOVE Columba livia, J. F. Gm.

Down. Oolour.—Pale canary-yellow.
Character.—As in the last.
Distribution.—As in the last.

CoLorAaTION OF Mout. Inside, flesh pink; externally,
flanges whitish.

Brut. Dirty, flesh colour with a white tip and subterminal
ring of black ; ‘‘ egg-cracker” same colour as the down.

Wie

BY
A. GEOFFREY LEIGH.

Srnce Dr. C. B. Ticehurst’s article on the subject of Down-
Plumages appeared in British Brrps (Vol. II., p. 186),
I have paid a good deal of attention to the distribution of
the down of nestling birds, and it may be of interest to give
particulars of the distribution of down in those nestlings
which I have examined which were not described in the
article referred to.

First, however, I would call attention to the fact that
Dr. Ticehurst appears to have overlooked the presence of
down in the femoral tract of the nestling Swallow (Hirundo
rustica). I have examined two broods of these birds, and
found down in this tract moderately well developed in all the
young.

WHINCHAT Pratincola rubetra (L.).
Down. Colour.—Grey.

Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and

spinal.

CoLoratTion OF Moutu. Inside, lemon-yellow ; no spots.

BLACKCAP Sylvia atricapilla (L.).
Down. Absent.

REED-WARBLER Acrocephalus streperus (Vieill.).

Down. Absent.
CoLoRATION OF MoutH. Inside, orange; black tongue
spurs.

TREE-PIPIT Anthus trivialis (L.).

Down. Colour.—Dark grey.
Distribution.—Inner and outer supra-orbital, occipital,
humeral, spinal, ulnar, femoral and crural.

154 BRITISH BIRDS.

CoLoraTion OF Moutu. Inside, lemon-yellow ; no spots.
N.B.—When the nestling is about four days old the mouth
becomes deep carmine.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE Lanius collurio, L.

Down. Absent.
Cotoration oF Mourn. Inside, lemon-yellow ; no spots.

SPOTTED FLYCATCHER Muscicapa grisola, L.
Down. Colour.—Dark grey.
Distribution.—Inner and outer supra-orbital, occipital,
humeral, spinal and femoral.

LINNET Linota cannabina (L.).
Down. Colour.—Grey.
Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral,
spinal, ulnar, femoral, ventral and crural.
CotoraTion OF Moutu. Inside, deep orange ; no spots.

YELLOW BUNTING Emberiza citrinella, L.
Down. Colour.—Grey.
Distribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral,
spinal, ulnar, femoral, ventral and crural.
CoLoRATION OF Moutu. Inside, lemon-yellow ; no spots.

REED-BUNTING Emberiza sheniclus, L.
Down. Colour.—Dusky black.
Distribution.—Inner — supra-orbital, occipital, humeral,
spinal, ulnar, femoral, ventral and crural.
CoLoRATION OF Mourn. Inside, salmon-pink ; no spots.

JACKDAW Corvus monedula, L.
Down. Colour.—Buffish grey.
Distribution.—Humeral, spinal, femoral and ulnar.
CoLoraATion OF Moutu. Inside, deep orange ; no spots.

WOOD-PIGEON Columba palumbus, L.
Down. Colour.—Straw.
Distribution.—Covering all the feather-tracts except the
auriculars and on the chin.
CoLoRATION OF MoutH. Flesh colour.
Britt. Dark brown with white tip.

I should also like to call attention to Mr. Collingwood
Ingram’s description of the nestling Marsh-Warbler (A.
palustris (Bech.) ) in the ‘“ Field,” April 4th, 1908, p. 583 :—

Down. Absent: skin of body very dark.

THE MEANING OF BIRDS’ SONGS.

In the September number of British Birps (p. 121) Mr.
Kirkman disagrees with Dr. Lowe’s explanation of bird-song.
We have always been told that all songs of birds are simply
the expression of sexual emotion. This is the explanation
usually accepted. While not holding this opinion myself I
cannot for a moment accept Mr. Kirkman’s alternative that
the bird ‘ sings to please himself.’ So far as I have ever
observed the bird has had no alternative. I have been
studying the subject for some years, and am _ strongly of
opinion that song is always the ebullition of superfluous energy,
and has no direct connection with sexual matters.

The case of the House-Sparrow may be taken as an example.
[For some reason this species was not mentioned either by
the Messrs. Alexander in their paper on ‘‘Song-Periods”’ in
British Brirps (Vol. 1., pp. 367-372), nor by Mr. Gyngell in
his contribution on the same subject to the Naturalist (1908,
p- 181).] The bird sings all through the year with the exception
of the period of rearing the young; the season of moult ;
certain damp, dark, or foggy days in winter; and when a
heavy fall of snow makes the task of securing food so arduous
that there is no energy left for song. Indeed, in all birds, the
song-period is coincident with a time of plenty. In November,
when the Sparrow is in full song, the males are certainly
incapable of any sexual feelings if the physiology of the bird
is to be any index. As everyone who has dissected a Sparrow
will remember, the essential organs in spring are probably
not less than fifty times bigger than they are in a bird
examined in mid-winter.

The best way to make a bird sing is to adopt the methods
that are used by bird-fanciers all over the world. Feed it
well, keep it in good health, and close all outlets for its
energy except the one of song. Even yet, birds are subjected
to the atrocious process of blinding, for it is known that they
sing the better for it. The darkening of the cage has the same
effect. In either case it depends on the stopping of one or
more outlets for the carefully stored energy of the bird.
_ Female birds, when deprived by age or other causes of the
opportunity of expending their superfluous vitality in egg-
production, are said to sing well.

156 BRITISH BIRDS.

When the male bird assists in the rearing of the young he
finds another outlet for his energy, and this is the explanation
of the cessation of song in May or June, and also of the
occasional outbursts from birds whose nests have been robbed.
Once through the moult, and free from the arduous duties of
the nursery, the abundance of food in late summer explains the
well-known autumnal songs of so many birds. This is by no
means confined to the Passeres. I have often watched Coots,
Grebes, Grouse, Snipe, Lapwings and several other birds going
through their so-called ‘love performances” in August,
September, October, and even later still. This phenomenon
is always dependent upon the abundance of food, and the
scarcity of enemies to repose. It is an interesting fact, and
one that can hardly be a mere coincidence, that the
commonest birds have the most extended song-periods. This
is exactly what one would expect under the theory that song
is the result of superfluous vitality.

Song must be a useful guide to the female in her choice of
a mate. In choosing the noisiest she is unconsciously
securing the male with the most superabundant energy.
When the young are hatched this stored-up vitality will be
turned into another more useful channel. And if the male
takes no part in the rearing of the young the song is still
useful to the species in another way. The whereabouts of the
singer is evident to birds or animals of prey, and the useless
bird is bundled off the scene to leave more room for the
coming chicks. At least, this would be Stolzman’s explana-
tion. It is surely going too far to grant zsthetic tastes to
birds when the most generous of us cannot allow them in by
far the greater number of our own species. The human
animal, when he sings instinctively, acts under exactly the same
impulse that moves the bird. Surely sex has nothing to do
with the singing of children, or with the half-conscious
humming of an adult engaged in a simple task !

It would take up too much space to cite instances in
support of the statement that bird-song is not connected
except indirectly with sexual affairs, and that it is at all times
and in all birds nothing but the overflowing of the vitality
that cannot be stored or used up in any other way. But
bearing this explanation in mind it should not be difficult to
understand many of the puzzles that are quite insoluble by
means of the present theories of song.

FreDK. J. STUBBS.

A YouNG Robin—one of a brood hatched in May—comes
daily into our house in search of food. Having satisfied its

=.

— “Sree aon.

NOTES. 157

hunger, it sometimes perches near the fire, where its sings
two or three times before departing.
AUGUSTINE REES.

MARSH-WARBLER BREEDING IN
WORCESTERSHIRE.

Mr. W. Davies writes to us that while spending a holiday
in Worcestershire he noticed on May 23rd a song which quite
puzzled him. He saw the singer, and watching it closely
came to the conclusion that it was a Marsh-Warbler
(Acrocephalus palustris). In subsequent walks in the neigh-
bourhood he met with several other birds with the same song ;
in fact he states that he considers the bird ‘“‘ quite common ”’ in
this district. ‘They were distributed over an area of several
miles. I found them chiefly along hedgerows adjoining fields of
wheat and beans. There was in most cases a ditch along the
hedge, in some cases with water but in others dry, but in all
cases there was a luxuriant growth of coarse herbage.’ More-
over Mr. Davies affirms that he did not meet with a single
Reed- or Sedge-Warbler during his stay in the place.

He did not himself discover a nest, but Mr. F. Coburn,
who spent a day-or two in the neighbourhood, sends us the
following account of his experiences :—

“Tt is with great pleasure that I am enabled this season to
add a new breeding bird to the list for the Midland Counties,
and that such a little-known species as the Marsh-Warbler
(Acrocephalus palustris). For obvious reasons I withhold the
name of the district where I found the birds breeding, further
than to state that it was in Worcestershire.

«A friend—Mr. W. Davies—having described to me the song
of a bird he had heard in Worcestershire I decided to
investigate the matter, and on June 13th last, after much
searching, I found one pair of the birds breeding.

“This being my first acquaintance with the Marsh-Warbler,
it was intensely interesting to listen to the song of a bird I
had never before heard. The spot where I found the birds
was a strange one for Marsh-Warblers, and would have been
unusual even for Sedge-Warblers. It was in an old orchard
by a much-frequented roadside, used also for grazing cattle
and as a fowl-run, and the only water for a considerable
distance away was a brook dividing two orchards. ‘There
was no osier-bed, or anything approaching a marsh, for many
miles, indeed the whole district is under high cultivation.

‘“‘T found the male bird singing in an old pear-tree, and lay
down outside the orchard for two hours listening to the song
and watching the birds.

BRITISH BIRDS.

“The song of the Marsh-Warbler once heard will never be
forgotten; it cannot be mistaken for that of any other
Acrocephaline bird I have ever heard. The bird is to a certain
extent a mimic, and introduces into its song a few bars of
those of the Nightingale, Linnet and Sedge- Warbler, connecting
them with its own notes, but the song is always the same,
the bars from the songs of other birds being always the
same, and in the same order. I should not have regarded it as
being altogether a mimicking song but that Mr. H. Eliot
Howard assures me that in other districts, especially abroad
where he has studied the bird, the song is composed of portions
of those of other birds of that district; but he confirms my
observation that the order of the song is always the same.

“To my eyes the Marsh-Warbler could not easily be
mistaken for the Reed-Warbler. The under-side of the two
birds I saw was of a clear and very pale yellow which would
perhaps fade after death and render it somewhat difficult to
distinguish from the skin of a Reed-Warbler. I have never
examined a skin, but in life the Marsh- could never be
mistaken for the Reed-Warbler, as it is thicker in build and
as bold and lively as a Sedge-Warbler. It lacks the slender
form and mouse-like creeping habits of the Reed-Warbler.

‘At the base of the old pear-tree where I heard the
male bird singing was a clump of stinging nettles and
cow-parsnips, and in the middle of these I found the
beautifully constructed nest containing five eggs, which had
been incubated about four days. The nest was attached
to the forked stems of the cow-parsnip and two nettles.
Mr. H. Eliot Howard says that the nest is a typical one, as
also are the eggs. The nest is very deep, and answers
perfectly to some published descriptions. Both nest and eggs
are so very distinctive that they are easily recognisable and
could not be mistaken for those of any other bird I know.

‘“ After the birds had found that their nesting site had been
discovered their bold manner entirely changed, and they
became quiet and exceedingly wary and skulking.”

15

(0.0)

{Mr. Coburn is in error in supposing that the Marsh-Warbler
has previously escaped notice in the Midland counties, as the
following extract by the late R. F. Tomes, in the “ Victoria
History of the County of Worcester,” Vol. I., p. 147 (1901), will
show :—*‘ A bird, which has subsequently proved to be the
Marsh-Warbler, was known to visit the valley of the Avon
in the counties of Warwick, Gloucester, and Worcester as a
summer migrant more than thirty years since. The first one
observed frequented some very high beans by the side of the

NOTES. 159

Avon at Welford, about five miles down stream from Stratford.
Others were subsequently heard and seen, but it was not
until the summer of 1887 that the species was satisfactorily
determined, when two were shot by the author, whose attention
was called to them by their unmistakable song and particular
[sic] movements. Since that time others have been noted.
‘In 1888 four were heard, all in the same neighbourhood,
namely, in the valley of the Avon, near Littleton. After that
date others were noted, and in the middle of June, 1892,
a pair were seen by the author in some rank herbage in the
bottom of a deserted stone-quarry, when, on search being made,
a nest was found suspended between the stems of some nettles.
But an animal of some kind had apparently rushed through
the nettles and pushed the nest aside, so that it could no
longer be made use of. It contained one egg. Another nest
was speedily constructed near the spot, and was found to be -
suspended between the stems of some umbelliferous plants.
The pair of birds were watched going to and from the nest
until four eggs were laid, which with the one in the first nest
made up the full number, and after an interval of a few days,
during which no more eggs were laid, both nests with the
egos were taken. Since the date above mentioned the Marsh-
Warbler has been repeatedly heard in the same neighbourhood,
and no doubt remains that it is a regular summer visitor with
us, though not in any considerable numbers. It ts a thorough
mimic, and has been heard to imitate the notes of the Skylark,
Swallow, Sparrow, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Thrush, Starling,
Partridge, and some others, which are mixed and blended with
its own notes into a low but very sweet song. The precise
spots chosen by the Marsh-Warbler are such as are frequented
by the Common Whitethroat and the Sedge-Warbler, but it
has not been heard in the reed-beds of the Avon.’’—Eps. |

MARSH-WARBLER IN KENT.

As I was going up Godmersham Hill on June 11th, I heard a
song of a Warbler unknown to me in a young ash plantation ;
on the 16th I again heard it and saw that the bird was an
Acrocephalus ; so on the following morning I went into the
plantation and watched it for some time. I should not have
known it from a Reed-Warbler by its colour, though I
thought it looked slightly yellowish below; but its habits and
song were quite different ; it sang from exposed branches of
some slender oaks and ashes left to form standards; it
generally started its bursts of song with a note like a White-
throats’ alarm-note, then went to irregular notes something

160 BRITISH BIRDS.

like a Reed-Warbler’s song, and when at its best frequently
introduced a very clear and sweet phrase, unlike the song of
any other British warbler.

I went again on the 26th, and Dr. C. B. Ticehurst on the
30th, but we neither of us came across it, so it presumably
did not stay to nest there.

C. J. ALEXANDER.

NESTING OF AN APPARENTLY MATELESS
SEDGE-WARBLER.

On June 6th, on asmall piece of swampy ground at Llandrillo,
Merioneth, I found a Sedge-Warbler’s (Acrocephalus phragmitis)
nest with six eggs. On mentioning the fact to Mr. A. McL.
Marshall, on whose ground the nest was, he expressed great
surprise, as he had visited the spot nearly cvery day during
the previous five weeks, and had never heard a Sedge-Warbler
singing there. I, too, visited the spot nearly every day for a
fortnight, and never heard a bird sing, nor did I see more
than the one bird; finally, I examined the eggs, and found them
unfertile after at least a week’s incubation. The question
arises, did this bird ever have a mate? If so, it may have
lost it on migration, or soon after it arrived, and failed to find
another. The Sedge-Warbler was certainly not a common
bird in the district, as during a fortnight’s ramble I did not
come across another pair. Mr. Marshall tells me that a pair
nest in this same spot every year. It seems to me that the
probability is that the male bird never reached its breeding
haunt, or else was killed soon after its arrival and before
breeding commenced, otherwise the eggs, at any rate, would
have been fertile.

C. B. TicEHURST.

RED-BACKED SHRIKE RETURNING TO NEST IN
THE SAME PLACE.

THE bird referred to in my note (p. 116) was a Red-backed
Shrike, with an injured foot, which returned to the same bush
to nest for two years on Chipperfield Common; the third year
the bird was there, but I was too early for the nest.

M. BEpDForD.

DEPARTURE OF HOUSE-MARTINS.
On August 9th, between six and seven o’clock p.m., an
assemblage of House-Martins (Chelidon urbica)—mostly young
birds—took place in the vicinity of my house at Stocksfield-

NOTES. 161

on-Tyne and began to settle on the roof until I counted over
eighty and many others kept coming in or flying round. Those
on the roof were either preening their feathers or flying up
in batches, then settling down again, whilst they kept up
a continual twitter.

At seven o’clock precisely I heard a distinct sound like a
pea-whistle proceed from one of the birds flying round, when
instantly the whole of the Martins on the roof arose with one
accord and began circling round ascending higher and higher
until they were almost lost to sight, when they made off in a
line direct southwards. Within ten minutes not one was to
be seen. It was a beautiful calm evening.

J. S. T. Watton.

LESSER REDPOLL NESTING IN ESSEX.

On June 19th I found a nest of the Lesser Redpoll (Linota
rufescens) in a lane two miles from Waltham Abbey on the
main road to Nazeing Common. The nest was built about
four feet from the ground in a small bush growing on the top
of a high bank, and contained five eggs in an advanced state
of incubation. I[ have been in the neighbourhood of
‘Waltham Abbey every spring and summer for the last ten
years, but I have never before seen a Lesser Redpoll or found
its nest.

R. Hay FEnton.

NESTING DATES OF THE LESSER REDPOLL IN
CAMBRIDGESHIRE, BEDFORDSHIRE AND _ WILT-
SHIRE.

Some further dates of the nesting of the Lesser Redpoll (Linota
rufescens) may be of interest :—

Wicken Fens, Cambs.—May 19th, 1901, one egg. June 2nd,
1901, three newly-hatched young and two eggs.

Tempsford, Beds.—June 21st, 1908, five eggs, apparently
about half incubated. May 20th, 1909, three eggs, newly-laid.
May 31st, 1909, two nests, one containing four eggs, apparently
at least half incubated ; the second, one egg and four newly-
hatched young.

Chippenham Park, Cambs.—June 21st, 1909, two nests, both
with young about four days old.

GrEorGE T. ATCHINSON.
Revertinc to Mr. Gray’s remarks in the last number of

British Birps on the breeding time of the Lesser Redpoll
(Linota rufescens) in Essex, it may be of interest to him and

162 BRITISH BIRDS.

others to learn that so far as my experience goes of this bird
in Wiltshire, the average date when eggs have been found
is June 6th. These are my records for the past seven years :—
June 2nd, June 5th, June 13th, June Sth, June 5th. I might
mention that this is a very local breeding species in Wiltshire,
and Iam only aware of one locality where it may be found
nesting. This particular place I should think contains about
five or Six pairs.

The fact that one of the nests, discovered on June 5th of
this year, was patronised by a Cuckoo is, I think, worthy of
notice, inasmuch as the Redpoll is so rarely selected as a
foster-parent. The nest contained the Cuckoo’s egg and four
of the Lesser Redpoll.

D. W. MussEL-WHITE.

LATE NEST OF CROSSBILL IN IRELAND.

I was greatly surprised when I received a note from a keeper
in co. Wicklow on June 8th, 1909, stating that he had “a
Crossbill’s nest ’ (Lowia curvirostra). On June 9th I climbed
to the nest, which was about forty feet up a larch tree on the
main stem, which had turned over at the top of the tree. The
nest contained four eggs, three well incubated and one un-
fertile. I have never heard of so late a nest. I have many
keepers on the watch for Crossbills, but had no report of any
having been seen since October, 1908. The pair above referred
to only arrived in the wood, in which they bred, about
May 20th.

R. HamMitton-HUNTER,

[The late John Hancock (Cat. of Birds of Northumberland
and Durham, p. 49) mentions a nest with young at Hesleyside,
on July 14th, 1838.—F. C. R. J.]

THE IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILIS.

We have received the following further details of the irrup-
tion of Crossbills. In our next issue we hope to give a map
showing occurrences so far as recorded.

YoORKSHIRE.—On or about June 28th a flock of Crossbills
alighted on a ship at sea off Scarborough, eight of them
being caught. The vessel went into port on the Firth of
Forth, where the birds were seen and identified by Mr.
K. H. Steavenson, whose father told me of the fact
(H. HE. Forrest). One in adult plumage seen on the
Yorkshire coast, September 12th, and another, also adult,
on September 23rd (H. F. Witherby).

NOTES. 163

Herts. AND Bucks.—A flock of sixteen (both green and red
birds) seen near Tring on the boundary between the two
counties, on September 12th (C. Oldham).

Surrey.—A flock of a dozen visited Oxted on August 4th
and stayed for a fortnight (P. H. Bahr).

STAFFORDSHIRE.—Mr. F. A. Monckton, of Stretton Hall,
Stafford, writes that a flock of 20-30 appeared there on
August 29th, and another small flock on September 2nd
(John R. B. Masefield).

SHROPSHIRE.—On July 22nd a party of about 20 Crossbills
paid a passing visit to Petton Park, near Shrewsbury.
They appeared to be flitting about in a generally westerly
direction. I received three from Cressage (two ¢—one
?), shot on September 4th, out of a party of about
forty. Two were killed near Oswestry about the same
date (H. H. Forrest).

TreLtanp.—Flocks of Crossbills have been reported from
several places around Dublin. I saw a party of twenty
in Palmerston Park, one of the city suburbs, on the
16th July (W. J. Williams). A solitary bird seen to
settle on the only pine tree in the district, at Maam’s
Cross, co. Galway, on August 17th, and another heard
calling in the same tree on August 20th (P.H. Bahr).

ALPINE SWIFT IN NORFOLK.

THE appearance of an Alpine Swift (Cypselus melba), during a
recent stay at Cromer, may be worth recording. The bird
could be seen any day flying up and down the cliffs up to
the date of my departure, July 31st.

The differences between this bird and the Common Swift
were very marked, the Alpine Swift having a more powerful
flight, being larger in size, having white under-parts, and
being generally browner in appearance.

D. W. MussE.-Wuite.

EARLY BREEDING OF NIGHTJAR IN IRELAND.

On May 13th, 1909, a Nightjar (Caprimulgus europeus) was
flushed from one egg, laid on a bare patch of ground amongst
gorse, one hundred yards from the sea, in co. Waterford. The
_ bird was again flushed from one egg on May 16th. The egg
was then taken and handed to me on May 20th unblown.

R. Hamitton-Hunter.

164 BRITISH BIRDS.

TWO YOUNG CUCKOOS FED BY THE SAME
MEADOW-PIPIT.

On Sunday, August 15th, while out on the moors north of
Scarborough, I saw two perfectly fledged young Cuckoos
being fed by one Meadow-Pipit. When first seen one of the
Cuckoos was on a wall dividing a field from the moor, and the
other was on the ground among the heather, and they were
both keeping up a continual crying for food. Presently a
Meadow-Pipit flew up to the one on the wall and put some
food into its mouth. I kept’ my glasses on the Pipit while it
went in search of more food among the heather and was
surprised to see it go, not to the Cuckoo on the wall, but to
the other one. This happened several times, the Cuckoos
being fed alternately until one flew away into some trees,
when the Meadow-Pipit devoted all its attention to the
remaining one.

K. ARNoLD WALLIs.

SHORT-EARED OWL BREEDING IN LANCASHIRE.

Apropos of your correspondent’s note on the nesting of the
Short-eared Owl in south Lancashire (p. 126), I may say that
the species nests sparingly on Cockerham Moss, in north
Lancashire, and also on the moors, and that a fair number of
adults have unfortunately been shot both in and out of the
nesting season in the locality during the past seven years.

H. W. Roprnson.

MONTAGU’S HARRIERS IN IRELAND.

AN adult male Montagu’s Harrier (Circus cineraceus) was shot
on the mountains near Rathdrum, co. Wicklow, on the 27th
August. The stomach was empty, but Grouse feathers adhered
to the bird’s talons. Repeated captures of this species in
co. Wicklow rather tend to the belief that it may yet be found
breeding there. An immature male Montagu’s Harrier was
captured on Lambay Island, co. Dublin, on August 16th.

W. J. WILLIAMS.

HONEY-BUZZARD IN IRELAND.

A FEMALE Honey-Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) in adult plumage
was trapped on Lord Ashtown’s property at Glenaheirey, co.
Tipperary, on June 12th.

W. J. WILLIAMS.

NOTES. 165

ADDITIONS TO THE SHROPSHIRE AVIFAUNA.

A cask of Falcons has just been presented to the Shrewsbury
Museum by Mrs. H. O. Wilson, who states that all the
specimens in it were collected on or near the Longmynd,
between 1848 and 1857, when her late husband was rector of
Church Stretton. Besides examples of the commoner species,
the series includes all three of the British Harriers, a pair of
Kites, an adult Red-footed Falcon (F. vespertinus), Goshawk
(Astur palumbarius), and an immature Iceland Falcon (Ff.
islandus). This last had been recorded by Roche, and
was one of two examples obtained at Leebotwood, the other
being placed in the Hawkstone collection. The date was not
given by Roche, but Inow learn that in the Rev. H. O. Wilson’s
diary there is an entry on 5th April, 1853, of a payment to
Millington (keeper) ‘‘for the Jer-Falcon”’; so that the bird
was probably obtained just before that date. The Red-footed
Falcon has been obtained on three other occasions in Shrop-
shire, but the Goshawk never; the species is, therefore, new
to the county fauna.

H. E. Forrest.

OSPREY IN SHROPSHIRE.

DurinG the latter half of May an Osprey took up its quarters
on Colemere, Ellesmere. It was seen there constantly by the
keeper up to June 10th, when an otter-hunt, which lasted the
greater part of the afternoon, disturbed it. That evening it
was seen to capture a fish in Ellesmere mere, and it returned
once afterwards to Colemere, but then disappeared.

H. E. Forrest.

THE FOOD OF THE COMMON EIDER.

On reading Mr. Robinson’s note on this subject in the March
number of BririsH Brrps (Vol. IL., pp. 344, 384), I was
reminded of a series of observations I made on the food of
the Eider Duck a good many years ago. Perhaps the facts
are of sufficient interest to be worth recording at this time.
In February, 1885, a bird-stuffer in Edinburgh received from
a ‘‘ sportsman,” who was spending a holiday in Orkney, no
fewer than forty-two Eiders. Happening to call at the
taxidermist’s the day the first lot arrived, I noticed that one
‘of the birds was much swollen about the throat. On
examination its gullet was found to be crammed with the
shells of small molluscs, chiefly the delicate blue-rayed limpet

N

166 BRITISH BIRDS.

(Helcion pellucidum), and the pretty brown and _ white
Lacuna divaricata, both common inhabitants of the fronds of
the large sea-weed, Laminaria. These, and the contents of
the stomach or gizzard, I secured, and made arrangements
whereby I was enabled to examine the food-material from
the whole of the birds. The following is a list of the mollusca
and other animals identified. The paucity of bivalve molluscs
is noteworthy in view of the prominent place usually assigned
to them in the Eider’s diet.

Helcion pellucidum :— Present, usually in large numbers, in 25 out of
the 42 birds. (Cisophagus often filled with it and the next species ;
in one case 286 of the former together with 144 of the latter—most
of the shells still quite uninjured—were extracted. This was over
and above the pounded mass in the gizzard.

Lacuna divaricata :—Present in 10 cases, thrice in large quantity, 144,
as mentioned above, being taken from the gullet of one bird.

Buccinum undatum :—Occurred in 4 cases, in 3 of which it constituted
practically the whole contents of the cesophagus and stomach, a few
of the next shell being the only other thing present. One bird had
9 all but entire Buccina in its gullet; another had 8, and a third 7.
A number of the shells were two inches in length.

Trochus cinerarius :—Occurred in 9 cases, but only in small numbers
(3 or 4), and always entire or nearly so, even in the gizzard.

Trochus magus :—In two cases, four specimens and one respectively.

Trochus zizyphinus :—In two cases, one specimen in each,

Littorina obtusata :—Occurred only once, when a dozen examples were
present,

Purpura lapillus :—Once ; two found.

Nassa incrassata :—Once; a few only.

Cyprea europea :—The ‘‘ Cowrie”’ occurred but once ; one specimen.

Saxicava rugosa :—Present once; portions of two examples.

Solen siliqua :—In gullet of one bird; portions about 24 inches long of
the valves (still united) of two examples. When entire these razor-
fish shells must have been about 5 inches in length.

Hyas coarctatus, Carcinus menas, and Cancer pagurus :—Remains of one
or other of these three crabs were detected in 17 cases. Hyas was
perhaps the most general, and Cancer decidedly the least frequent.
Examples of Hyas, entire but for the want of a leg or two, from 1}
to 1} inches, and a Carcinus 2 inches across the carapace, were taken
from the gullets of some of the ducks.

idotea tricuspidata :—Occurred in three cases, in one the cesophagus
and gizzard being crammed with it.

Asterias rubens :—This star-fish was present thrice; in one instance 4
good sized examples were found in the duck’s throat.

Ophiothrix fragilis :—Once ; portions of 3 or 4 in gullet.

Actinia mesembryanthemum (?):—A piece of a sea-anemone occurred
once, along with fragments of crabs.

Loligo sp. (?):—One duck had its gullet and stomach filled with the
flesh of a cuttle-fish, probably of this genus.

Spawn of Cottws (?):—Another contained a quantity of the roe of some
inshore fish, Cottws perhaps.

Some small black stones were found in the gizzards of three
of the birds, a few pieces of Laminaria in several, and in one

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NOTES. 167

there was a grain of wheat. In one case only were both
cesophagus and stomach quite empty.

From Eiders shot in the Firth of Forth I have obtained,
besides Helcion pellucidum and Lacuna divaricata, many
broken mussel shells (Mytilus edulis), and afew T'ellina tenuis.

A variety of Saxicava rugosa, it is interesting to note, was
found by Fabricius in the crop of the King-Eider (Jeffreys’
British Conchology, Vol. II., p. 83).

Wititam Evans.

FLOCKING OF THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER.

On August 2nd, 1908, I saw ona large inland lake in the
north-west of Ireland some sixty Red-breasted Mergansers
(Mergus serrator) collected together about the point of a
promontory. On at least one other occasion within a few days
of the above date I saw a pack of approximately the same
number about the point of an adjacent island; they were
probably the same birds. Again on August 3rd, 1909, I saw
another pack in the same locality. On all these occasions the
weather was fine. I was unable to discern their sex, for I am
not sufficiently acquainted with the seasonal change of
plumage in the male to enable me to differentiate between the
sexes after he has assumed the “ eclipse”’ plumage, which I
gather from Messrs. Ussher and Warren’s ‘“ Birds of Ireland ”’
is some time in June. They, however, were probably males,
with perhaps a few barren females. Seebohm in his work on
‘“ British Birds” (Vol. III., p. 630) states that ‘in stormy
weather in summer the Merganser seeks shelter in some
secluded creek or inlet. In these places numbers of birds
congregate, but as soon as the storm is over disperse again.”

HERBERT TREVELYAN.

WOODCOCK REMOVING ITS EGGS.

Wiru reference to Miss Turner’s photographs and account of
the Water-Rail (pp. 65-68), an old keeper in Perthshire gave
me a very graphic description last spring of how a Woodcock
removed the eggs from a nest in which he had accidentally
smashed one egg.

M. Breprorp.

BLACK-TAILED GODWITS IN YORKSHIRE AND
LINCOLNSHIRE.

_ EXxcEeptionaL numbers of the Black-tailed Godwits (Limosa

belgica) occurred on the north and south shores of the

Humber on September 3rd and 4th. One fiock I saw

168 BRITISH BIRDS.

contained eleven birds. I handled in all five examples shot
by the shore-gunners. These birds without an exception were
immature and, singularly, all females. The occurrence of the
species in such numbers is regarded as unusual, since, hitherto,
it has visited the district only in small numbers and somewhat
irregularly, not being recorded at all during some seasons,

STANLEY DUNCAN.

BLACK TERNS IN NORTH WALES AND CUMBER-
LAND.

In view of the fact that the visits of the Black Tern to North
Wales are few and far between (cf. Vert. Fauna N. Wales,
p- 369), it may be worth recording that the species has this
year appeared in three distinct localities, all about mid-May.
Six were seen on 21st May flying about over Presaddfed Lake,
near Holyhead, by Messrs. R. J. and W. G. Edwards. One
in full summer plumage was shot while in company with
several others at Towyn on 15th May, and sent in to Cooke,
the Shrewsbury taxidermist, who also showed me a similar
bird, shot at Bettws-y-Coed by a Mr. Cameron a few days
earlier. This is a first record for Carnarvonshire.

H. E. Forrest.

On August 26th I found the remains of an adult Black Tern
(Hydrochelidon nigra), on the sandhills at Ravenglass, in
Cumberland. The last seen there was one I recorded as
having occurred on May 6th, 1907, which stayed a couple of
days; the first there for many years (see Additions, Vol. II.,
p- 306).

H. W. Rosrinson.

WHITE-WINGED BLACK TERN IN WARWICKSHIRE.

Knowrne that the White-winged Black Tern (Hydrochelidon
leucoptera) is an extremely rare visitor to the Midlands, it is
with a certain amount of diffidence that I record a bird, I
think undoubtedly belonging to this species, which appeared
at Packington on May 8th, 1909. When I first saw the bird
it was accompanied by a Black Tern (H. nigra), and I was at
once struck by the lightness of its wings, as they hawked
together over the pool. As I watched them the lighter-winged
bird settled on a post rising above the water less than ten
yards from where I stood, and I could plainly see that the
carpal joint was pure white, this colour shading into the dark
grey of the wing. After a short rest the bird raised its wings
and a few seconds later flew from the stump, and during the

NOTES. 169

time that its back and tail were visible I could see that the
tail, tail-coverts and lower rump were pure white.

As I am not aware that in any stage of its plumage the
Black Tern has the tail, tail-coverts and carpal joints white,
I think there can be no doubt that the bird was H. leucoptera.

A. G. LEIeu.

NOTES ON BREEDING OF THE COMMON AND
SANDWICH TERNS.

Havine marked, together with my friend Mr. F. W. Smalley,
742 young of the Common Tern, and handled nearly, if not
quite, a thousand of them during July and August, perhaps a
few notes on these young birds may be of interest.

The young of the Common Tern are dimorphic, in that
some have red and others yellow legs, while some are much
darker on the back than others. When hatched they have
very thick legs, which grow thinner as the birds grow larger,
until the extremely small tarsus of the adult is reached.

Some of the young in down have a pure white tip to the
beak, of small extent, which disappears with the growth of
the feathers. The chief food of these young birds consists of
young herrings, but many small whiting were found, and also
a few young codling, lumpsuckers and long rough dabs, and
although the colony was bounded on one side by a river
famous for its Salmonide, no trace of the young of these fish
was found at all on the ground.

The chief food of the young Sandwich Terns was young
whiting, and that of the Black-headed Gulls almost entirely
sand-eels. I am indebted to Mr. Eagle Clarke, who kindly
corroborated my identification of the fish disgorged by the
young Terns.

Many of the nests of the Common Tern contained clutches
of three eggs, and many also only a couple, and not a few a
single egg only. These varied very much in colour, and
several blue and white eggs were seen, and one complete clutch
of three blue eggs spotted with small black spots at their
larger end.

The Sandwich Terns arrive at their nesting place a month
before the Common species, the first pair of the former being
seen this year on March 29th, and of the latter on April 25th.
On our first visit on June 20th, the Common Terns had

not finished laying, few nests containing more than two eggs
and a great many only one, so no young were seen. But on
this date the Sandwich Terns were nearly all hatched out, the

170 BRITISH BIRDS.

usual clutch being two, but some had three and a few only
one egg. The keeper marks every egg of this species with an
indelible pencil, so as to render them useless to egg-stealers,
and their number this year was 498, as compared with a little
over half that number last year. The young of this species
are very hard to find, as the colony is situated among the
thick herbage of the rag-wort, and we only succeeded in
marking 42. On this date young Black-headed Gulls
were running and flying about in thousands, being mobbed
unmercifully and sometimes killed when they trespassed
among the eggs of the Common Tern, and many eggs had yet
to hatch. Upon one of our visits a Cuckoo also was having
a very bad time of it. The mortality among the young
Gulls is enormous, although the ground here is clean as com-
pared with another gullery in Lancashire where the ground
is very foul and wet, but the mortality far less, starvation
and the gape-worm being the main causes of death among
them.

The mortality among the young Common Terns is also fairly
high, but not a fraction of what it is among the Gulls, but a
remarkable fact is that there seems scarcely any mortality
among the young of the Sandwich Tern.

A pair of Peregrines were preying upon the Common
Terns, at whose advent or crossing everv voice was hushed,
although the Falcons were often invisible to the human eye;
those birds on the ground rising, and those high in air falling
towards the earth and scattering in all directions. On the
other hand, the Gulls do not seem to mind a Hawk much,
but rise in great consternation when a Heron passes overhead.

On our second visit on July 23rd, not a single Sandwich
Tern or Gull remained, notwithstanding the number of eggs
of the latter unhatched on June 20th, all of which were now
also gone; but Common Terns were in great abundance, and
in all stages of development, some were even flying. So easy
were they to find that we rung 279 in two hours, and then
had to stop owing to our supply of rings having become
exhausted. Many eggs had yet to hatch, and some birds
were still laying—possibly second broods.

On July 30th they were much scarcer and harder to find,
but we succeeded in marking 297, but on August 10th, our
next visit, we only marked 74, and less on every
succeeding day, viz.,on August 13th, 17th, 18th and 26th,
when I marked 46, 30, 13 and 3, respectively, most of the
old birds also having left on the last date.

There were afew cripples met with among the Common
Terns, perhaps 20 or 25, the chief deformity being a stiff

NOTES. 171

wing from the middle joint outwards, but a few birds were
afflicted with a curious disease which destroyed the feet.

H. W. Rosrnson.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE, DOUBLE-BROODED.

As there has been some controversy on the subject of the
Great Crested Grebe (Podicipes cristatus) being double-brooded
(cf. Vol. II., pp. 171, 242), I may here give the results of my
observations on two pairs of this species at one of their
Warwickshire breeding haunts. First, however, I would like to
explain that by double-brooded I mean the laying of a second
clutch of eggs after the first brood has been reared.

On May 9th I discovered a nest containing one egg; on
May 12th it contained four eggs; and on May 30th one of
these had been taken, while on the same date I saw the
second pair, whose nest I had been unable to find, accompanied
by two well-grown young ; the eggs in the first nest hatched
about June 12th. On June 24th I saw the female of the
second pair sitting on a second nest; on July 17th one of
these eggs had hatched, while I saw the male of the first
pair carrying materials to a half-constructed nest on which
sat the female; this latter nest unfortunately vanished, and
a third was not constructed.

These observations show beyond doubt that the Great
Crested Grebe will sometimes in any case rear two broods in
one year.

A. G. LEIGH.

THE Use oF Domep Nests.—In the August number of
the “ Irish Naturalist ” Mr. C. B. Moffat has an interesting
paper (pp. 161-166) on the use of domed nests. Taking the
eight Irish birds which build nests of this type, he proceeds to
show that only one, the Magpie, can be said to need protection
on account of the conspicuous colouring of the incubating
female, and suggests as an alternative theory that the real
object of the roof in six out of the eight cases, at any rate,
is to prevent the young from falling out of the nest, especially
at the period when they are nearly ready to fly. In con-
firmation of this he points out that the builders of the domed
nests lay larger clutches than their congeners, which are con-
tent with the open type. Of course the same object is attained
by those birds which breed in holes, or nest on the ground,
and in the case of the Goldcrest by attaching the nest at
several points to the branch above. The paper is an interesting

172 BRITISH BIRDS.

one and well worth reading. One or two apparent exceptions
occur to us: the House-Sparrow builds a domed nest in the
open or else breeds in a hole, yet the clutch is not a large one
as a rule, and four is a much commoner number than five in
some districts. The Brambling, which frequently lays seven
eggs, the Great Grey Shrike, which has been known to lay as
many as nine eggs, and the Red-backed Shrike, which often
lays seven and occasionally eight, may be quoted as instances of
birds which rear large families in open nests above the ground,
while on the other hand the clutches in the genera Cisticola,
Prinia, and Scotocerca are small, although the nests are roofed
in. Mr. Moffat suggests that the Dipper’s nest is covered as
a protection from the spray, and possibly that of the House
Martin served the same purpose when built on sea-cliffs.

F.C. Bask

THe Use oF THE WINGS AND Feer By Divine Birps.—
Under this heading Dr. C. W. Townsend contributes to the
“ Auk” (1909, pp. 234-248) a useful article bringing together
the observations of a number of naturalists upon this point.

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has made a special Study of the Birds of Kent for many
years, and besides making himself intimately acquainted with the |
subject by personal observation, he has collected from all available
sources, and with the help of a large number of correspondents, a ~
vast amount of information. In the collecting, sifting, and authentic- —
ation. of this material the Author has’ spared no pains, and his |.
History of the Birds of Kent is a most exhaustive and accurate —
piece of work. }

WITHERBY & CO., 326, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON.

BRITISH ©
BIRDS _

ANTEUSTRATED MAGAZINE
DEVOIEDTOTHEBIRDS ON
> THEBRTISHUST a

Vol. IIl.—
No. 6.

NOVEMBER 1,
1900.

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in the British Isles. The parent Eagles brooding, guarding, feeding = |
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shown in these ‘marvellous photographs at close quarters. The
letterpress describes the Author’s observations and experiences.

Tommy’s Adventures a :
in Natureland | ‘

By Sir Dicsy Picorr, C,B. Mites le
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With Illustrations in Colour, and Pen and Ink by A. CaRRUTHERS ;
GouLD, R,B.A. ean

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‘a

Born June 15th, 1831. Died September 5th, 1909.

BRITDABIRDS

EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.ZS. M.B.O.U.
ASSISTED BY

Rev. F.C. R. JourDAIN, M.A., M.B.0.U., W. P. PycraFT, A.L.S8.,

M.B.0.U., AND Norman F. TicEHuRST, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

Contents oF Numer 6, Vou. III. Novemser 1, 1909.
Memoir of Thomas Southwell, by Alfred eee” Cocks.

(Plate XI.).. .. Page 173
Marking Birds: Progress of the BrrvisH Brrps “Scheme,
by H. F. W. 179

Notes :—The Meaning of Birds’ Songs (Dr. 1 Lowe and
F. B. Kirkman). Marsh-Warbler Breeding in Kent
and Worcestershire (Percy F. Bunyard). Dartford-
Warbler feigning injury at the Nest (Howard Bentham).
On the Breeding of the Great Tit (C. Kingsley Siddall).
Woodchat Shrike devouring Swallow on Migration
(Major H. A. F. Magrath). On the Breeding of the
Siskin in North Wicklow (R. Hamilton-Hunter). The
Irruption of Crossbills (H. F. W.). Dimorphism in the
Crossbill (Fredk. J. Stubbs). Two-barred Crossbills
in Scotland (W. E. Clarke). Late Nesting of the Cirl-
Bunting (Sidney G. Cummings). Ortolan Buntings in
Norfolk (F. I. Richards). A Late Swift in Norfolk
(H. M. Upcher). On the Breeding of the Nightjar
(J. S. T. Walton). Common Scoter Breeding in
Ireland (Major Herbert Trevelyan). Number of Eggs
laid by Terns (Percy F. Bunyard). Dimorphism in
Young Terns (N. F. Ticehurst, F.R.c.s.). The Young of
Terns (Fredk. J. Stubbs). Diseases in Young Black-
headed Gulls and Common Terns (F. W. Smalley).
Great Crested Grebe, Double-Brooded (W. Roberts).
Manx Shearwater in Warwickshire (A. L. porn
Short Notes ee Se 183.

Reviews:—The Home-Life of a Golden. Fagle. WED
Jahresbericht (1908) der Vogelwarte Rossitten der
Deutschen Ornithologischen Gesellschaft a 50 205:

THOMAS SOUTHWELL.
(PLate XI.)
ONE after another, zoologists, like all other mortals, drop
- out of the ranks, and enter into their rest. At this
moment all who knew Thomas Southwell, of Norwich,
are feeling the loss of a good friend. Born at King’s
Lynn, June 15th, 1831—one of ten children—he spent
nearly his whole life in his native county, dying at his
home in Norwich, September 5th, 1909.

oO

174 BRITISH BIRDS.

A love of natural history developed in him very early,
and as a boy all available time out of school was spent
wandering about collecting eggs, etc.; he possessed
also a great taste for practical mechanics. In 1846 he
entered the Lynn branch of Gurney’s (now Barclay’s)
Bank, where his father was at the time chief cashier.
In 1851 he read his first paper before the “‘ Lynn Con-
versazione and Society of Arts,” choosing as his subject
‘““Carbon.” The following year he moved to the
Fakenham branch of the bank.

In 1853 began a correspondence between Southwell
and Professor Alfred Newton, which developed into a
friendship,* terminated only by the death of the latter
fifty-four years later. In the same year he was made a
Life Fellow of the Royal Botanical Society of Edinburgh,
and shortly afterwards he left the bank and joined his
brother Charles, then managing partner in Castell and
. Brown, a firm of wholesale confectioners in London.
His health, however, gave way, and he returned to Lynn
in 1866, andin the following year he re-entered Gurney’s
Bank at Norwich, and settled in that city.

In 1868 he was elected on the Committee of the Norwich
Museum, and in the year following the Norfolk and
Norwich Naturalists’ Society was established. To the
Transactions of that Society he contributed nearly one
hundred papers, and, after having served as honorary

* « A friendship of more than fifty years.”” In Mem., Professor A.
Newton, by T. Southwell, Trans. Nor. and Nor. Nat. Soe. viii., 520
(1908); and in a letter to the present writer, dated June 15th (1907)
he writes:—‘‘I knew you would be shocked to hear of dear old
Newton’s death, he was such a splendid fellow and so good to every-
body who was worth being good to; it is fifty-four years since I was
introduced to him, and we have been friends ever since. My last
letter from him was dated April 29th, sending me a copy of Mulso’s
Letters to Gilbert White. I was somewhat prepared for what followed,
as he told me he was suffering from dropsy, and Miss Newton (his
niece) kept me informed as to the course of his illness. J. H. Gurney
and I went to the funeral, which was largely attended by College Dons
and Naturalists. I shall miss him greatly. The obituary notice in
“The Times” is the best I have seen and is quite approved by the
family it brings out some of his marked peculiarities, such as con-

tempt for unearned honours and all pretence and assumption, and
his fervent love for his favourite science.

THOMAS SOUTHWELL. 175

secretary for several years, was elected President of the
Society in 1879, and again in 1893. In 1872 he was
elected a F.Z.S., and in 1881 M.B.O.U. He was one
of the founders of the Museums’ Association.

He retired from the bank in 1896, just fifty years from
the time he entered the Lynn branch.

While at Lynn and Fakenham, in spite of long bank
hours, he pursued his study of natural history, often
getting up in the morning as early as five to take long
walks for observing bird-life before the bank opened ;
and made a large collection of birds’ skins and skeletons
and of eggs. He seems to have given up shooting from
about the time he went to Norwich. He was always fond
of making skeletons and dissections, excelling in anything
that required neatness and delicacy of touch. The
confinement of the bank was very irksome and uncon-
genial to him.

Southwell was a fairly prolific writer, but never wrote
for writing’s sake, but always because “out of a full
heart the mouth speaketh.” He was a most interesting
companion, being stored with zoological knowledge, and
besides his numerous published writings, has left some
large MS. volumes filled in his methodical and careful
manner with facts which cannot fail to be of interest
and value, if, as is sincerely to be hoped, they are some
day extracted and published by a competent editor.*

His published writings include a second edition of
Lubbock’s “ Fauna of Norfolk,” originally published in
1845, containing much original matter (Norwich, 1879) ;
“The Seals and Whales of the British Seas”? (London,
1881), an excellent handbook of those somewhat neglected
orders, and although our knowledge of them has increased
very considerably (thanks largely to Southwell himself)
in the twenty-eight years since it was published, it
remains the only work of its kind and is still very useful ;

* With respect to his cetacean notes he remarked in a letter to the
present writer, dated September 22nd, 1903 :—‘‘ The subject is such a

large one, and I have such a mass of original information in the shape
of letters, logs, etc., that I hardly know how to select.”

176 BRITISH BIRDS.

but, as he told the present writer a few years ago, sufficient
copies had not been sold to pay for the paper on which it
was printed. It was originally published in the form
of a series of papers in “‘Science Gossip.” In 1890 he
completed the third volume of Stevenson’s “ Birds of
Norfolk,” effecting the “splice”? on to another man’s
work in a manner which gained general approval.**. In
1902 he published ‘‘ Letters and Notes on the Natural
History of Norfolk,” from the MSS. of Sir Thomas
Browne (1605-1682). The guide to the Zoological
collection in the Norwich Castle Museum (with which he
was so intimately connected) is a much appreciated piece
of work by him.

In addition to these (ec publications, he was the
author of no less than one hundred and twenty communi-
cations to the “ Zoologist ” between 1869, when he sent
a note on nests of Dabchick, and 1909, when he contributed
the last of his series of twenty-eight annual reports on
the Arctic Whale Fishery ; a series begun in 1882 in
the pages of the Proceedings of the Natural History
Society of Glasgow, on the previous season’s voyage, and
continued since in the “ Zoologist’’ (the reports for
two seasons appearing in the volume for 1884). This
series forms probably the most lastingly valuable result
of his industry.

His long tale of papers in’ - the ‘Transactions of the
Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society,” already
referred to, ends in the volume for 1908, with a paper
“In Memoriam ” of his two friends Alfred Newton and
Howard Saunders, and now it is the turn of someone else
to attempt the same pious office towards himself. He was
also an occasional contributor to the natural history
columns of the ‘“ Field,’ and there are a few papers by
him scattered through various other periodicals. Of
these last, as they are almost hopeless to find without a

* “Mr. Southwell makes unnecessary apologies in his preface for

undertaking the task, which he seems to have performed in a very
satisfactory manner.’ ‘ Ibis,” 1891, p. 288.

THOMAS SOUTHWELL. ee,

clue, the following few may be noted, besides the paper
of 1882 above mentioned :—

“The Reproduction of the Eel,” and ‘‘ Sperm Whale
stranded at Grimsby in 1563 ” (with J. Hopkin),
the ‘* Naturalist,’’ 1885.

“On the Occurrence of Sowerby’s Whale on the York-
shire Coast’ (with W..Eagle Clarke), “‘ Ann. and
Mag. of Nat. Hist.,” 1886.

A paper on Swans in * Blackwood’s Magazine ”
(December), 1888.

““On a Specimen of Sowerby’s Whale on the Norfolk
Coast” (with S. F. Harmer, M.A., F.R.S., now
Keeper Zool. Dept., Brit. Mus.), “‘ Ann. and Mag.
of Nat. Hist.,’’ 1893. : °

‘‘The Birds of Norfolk” in the “ Victoria History ”’
of the County, 1901.

“Whale Fishing Ancient’ and Modern,” St. John’s,
Newfoundland “ Evening Herald ” (August), 1903.

“On the Whale Fishing from Scotland,” ‘Ann. of
Scottish Nat. Hist.,” 1904.

“Some Results of the North Atlantic Fin-Whale
Fishery,” “ Ann. and Mag. of Nat. Hist.,” 1905.

“Newfoundland Fin-Whale Fishing in 1905,” “ Ann.
of Scottish Nat. Hist.,’?: 1906.

‘Notes on an Eighteenth Century Museum at Great
Yarmouth,” “The Museum’s Journal,” 1908.

A complete list of his papers would be foreign to the
purpose of this short memoir, but some of those on
zoological archeology may be noted: In the “Trans.
N. and N. Soc.” :—‘‘ On the Ornithological Archeology
of Norfolk,” 1871; “Norfolk Decoys,” 1878; “The
Fens and Fen-Folk,” 1884; “‘On some Ancient Customs
and Regulations with regard to the Fresh-Water Fisheries
of the County of Norfolk,” I887 and 1888; “ Falconry
in Norfolk,” 1891; ‘St. Helen’s Swan-pit,” 1892, begins
with bygone days; “Shooting at Holkham,” 1893,
begins in the latter part of the eighteenth century ;
** Feltwell Decoy,” 1898, and in the same year “‘ Exhibition

178 BRITISH BIRDS.

of a Norfolk Bustard’’ and a second paper on “St.
Helen’s Swan-pit”’ are all more or less archeological ;
‘“Wild-Fowl Driving in the sixteenth Century,” 1900 ;
““On the Breeding of the Crane in East Anglia,” and
“On Dr. Marsham’s ‘Indications of Spring,’” 1901 ;
‘““ Ancient Records of the Occurrence of certain Cetaceans
on the Norfolk Coast,’’ and ‘‘ The Great Bustard in Nor-
folk,” and ‘On an unpublished Letter from Dr. Thomas
Browne to Mr. William Dugdale,” 1902; ‘‘ Leaves from
an Old Diary in the Years 1800-2,” 1903; ‘‘ On some
Early Dutch and English Decoys,” 1904; ‘Some Old-
Time Norfolk Botanists,’ 1907.

Similarly, in the ‘‘ Zoologist ” :—‘‘ Martens in Suffolk,”
1877; ‘‘ Fen versus Marsh,” and ‘‘ An Unrecorded Norfolk
Great Bustard,’’ 1897.

The principal ornithological rarities in Norfolk recorded
by him are (in the “Zoologist ”’):—Glossy Ibis, Sooty
Shearwater, Pallas’s Sand-Grouse, King-Eider, Caspian
Plover, Little Bustard, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Siberian
Pectoral Sandpiper, Pallas’s Willow-Warbler, Mediter-
ranean Herring-Gull and Hybrid Blackgame. In addition
he chronicled numerous rare occurrences in other classes.

Notwithstanding the deep interest he took in the blood-
thirsty occupations of sealing and whaling, he was one of
the gentlest and kindliest of men, hating any kind of
cruelty, and doing all he could to promote preservation
and check slaughter. He put whole-hearted service
into the affairs of the Norwich Castle Museum, and was
always on the look-out for specimens, photographs, or
anything else that would enrich the collection, and that
most excellent museum owes him a very great deal.

His wife predeceased him in 1903, and he leaves two
daughters.

With these imperfect lines we must leave him, fully
conscious of what scant justice we have done to the
memory of our revered old friend. There is one drawback
to having known him, namely, that his loss leaves a
permanent void—unfillable !

ALFRED HENEAGE CocKs.

MARKING BIRDS.
PROGRESS OF THE ‘“‘ BritTisH Brrps ”’ SCHEME.

NOTWITHSTANDING the late date at which we started
the British Birps scheme for marking birds (see antea,
pp. 4-6), so many of our correspondents have come
forward to help that we think it must be conceded that
an excellent beginning has been made.

We have issued 4750 rings, and of these nearly 2200
have been used to date. The proportion of rings used to
those issued is rather disappointing, but this is to be
accounted for chiefly through the nestlings flying before
the rings reached our helpers. Taking this fact into
consideration, we think the total ringed is satisfactory
and sufficient to lead us to expect some results, but next
year we trust that very much more will be done. We
shall be prepared with rings in good time, and we anticipate
that many more readers of the Magazine will volunteer
to help. We also hope that those who have the
opportunity of catching birds throughout the winter will
not neglect to ring them.

A few of our helpers have not yet sent in their schedules,
but the following is a list of those who have, with the
number of birds ringed by each. Thanks are due to all
those who have helped, and particularly to Messrs.
H. W. Robinson and F. Smalley, who have worked very
hard and have ringed nearly half the total number :—

Messrs. H. W. Robinson and F. Smalley (1002), Dr. C. B.
Ticehurst (200), Messrs. J. Bartholomew (95), J. R. B. Masefield
(94), Bentley Beetham (89), R. O. Blyth (73), T. Hepburn (47),
C. H. McCall (44), Dr. N. F. Ticehurst (40), Messrs. H. B.
Booth (40), A. Bankes (34), W. E. Suggitt (32), H. 8S. Glad-
stone (28), J. S. T. Walton (24), W. C. Wright (23), A. Geoffrey
Leigh (22), C. Oldham (20), A. H. Duncalfe (18), Miss F.
Russell (18), Mr. E. G. B. Meade-Waldo (16), Commander H.
Lynes (15), Lord William Percy (14), Mr. E. P. Chance (14),
Miss EK. L. Turner (14), Messrs. J. L. Bonhote (13), H. E.
Forrest (13), J. H. Gurney (13), C. K. Siddall (13), H. F.
Witherby (13), Stuart Maples (12), Major H. Trevelyan (12),
Messrs. F. W. Headley (11), T. P. Greenwood (10), M. Harris (9),

180 BRITISH BIRDS.

H. R. Leach (9), Col. R. H. Rattray (9), Mrs. Patteson (7),
Miss Annie Jackson (6), Messrs. C. W. Colthrup (5), H. H.
Machell Cox (4), H. W. Finlinson (4), Stanley Duncan (3),
P. F. Bunyard (1), H. L. Popham (1), C. L. Colleneth (1).

The following is a list of the various species and the
numbers of each which have been marked. The number
of different species (viz., 77) which have been ringed is

remarkable :—

Thrush, Mistle 2 Woodpecker, Great pea 2
Thrush, Song 71 Cuckoo 5 4
Blackbird 83 Hobby... 1
Wheatear 1 Merlin .. 1
Whinchat 7 Kestrel. 1
Redstart 1 Eerony sn 5 14
Redbreast 41 Sheld-duck, Common 1
Whitethroat : ae 22 Duck, Wild. . Ot ie 11
Whitethroat, Lesser .. 1 Teal re ate 1
Warbler, Garden 3 Eider, Common .. 3
Chiffchaff 2 Merganser, Red- breasted . 1
Wren, Willow 50 Pigeon, Wood ata es 3
Warbler, Sedge .. 1 Dove, Stock 1
Sparrow, See 18 Dove, Turtle 1
Dipper. . 7 4 Grouse, Black 2
Tit, Great 16 Grouse, Red 7
Tit, Blue 12 Pheasant u
Wren .. 9 Partridge 1
Wagtail, Pied 12 Rail, Land .. 3
Wagtail, Grey 5 Coot ‘ 1
Wagtail, Yellow.. 1 Curlew, Stone ee 1
Pipit, Tree .. 14 Lapwing so. 22.) (io ee
Pipit, Meadow ae 27 Oyster-Catcher .. u
Shrike, Red-backed .. 2 Woodcock .. ? 6
Flycatcher, pea he 23 Snipe, Common .. 1
Swallow 3 113 Dunlin. : 5
Martin, House 13 Sandpiper, Common . 5
Greenfinch .. 28 Redshank ow iO
Sparrow, House .. 8 Curlew . “a «50s Eells
Sparrow, Tree 17 Tern, Sandwich rere S57)
Chaffinch 6 erm, Common, =. ea eeeeSo
Linnet . : 20 Tern, Arctic we) Seiko
Bunting, Yellow 4 Gull, Black-headed .. .. 417
Bunting, Reed 2 Gull, Herring .. 5
Starling 21 Gull, Lesser ‘Black-backed 12
Jackdaw 11 Gull, Great Black-backed. . 1
Lark, Sky 1 Kittiwake 5 eee. | a!
Nightjar 3 Putin. 2 Se! Sei eee
Wryneck 14 Petrel, Storm 1

Turning now to results, that is to say, to the recovery
of marked birds, it is as yet too early perhaps to expect
many results of interest.

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182 BRITISH BIRDS.

that has as yet been reported is ring No. 4308, which we
hear through the Foreign Office has been taken to the
British Vice-Consul at Corcubion, in the north-west corner
of Spain. This ring was placed upon a young Common
Tern in Cumberland on July 30th by Messrs. Robinson
and Smalley, and we hope to give fuller details regarding
the date, place and circumstances of its recovery in a
future number. The foregoing table shows the recoveries
which have been reported to date and about which we have

full details.

THE MEANING OF BIRDS’ SONGS.

Ir I read him correctly, Mr. F. Stubbs (antea, p. 155) seems
to think that song is nothing more than the ebullition of
superfluous energy. That is to say that it plays as much or
as little part in the life of a bird as the steam escaping into
the air from the safety-valve of an overcharged boiler plays in
regard to the economy of an engine. Mr. Kirkman boldly
says, that a Robin ‘sings to please himself.’ But do we in
Nature see things running to waste in this spendthrift way ?

When Mr. Stubbs says in regard to singing that the bird
has ‘‘ no alternative,” I suppose no one will disagree with him,
for song is surely an ‘ unconscious,” almost a reflex act,
initiated by a series of internal physiological changes and
external conditions in the environment of the bird. Of course,
if we choose to think that any vitality can be superfluous, I
suppose we may say, with Mr. Stubbs, that song 7s the result
of superfluous vitality. But then we can just as easily say
the same of reproduction, which does not seem to get us much
further.

What we should like to know is, what is this ‘ vitality,”
and in what mysterious way is it induced to act in certain
directions at certain cyclical periods. Mere abundance of food
does not seem a sufficient explanation, otherwise we should
have expected the song of the Blackcap to have waxed
stronger in the spring, which was not the case.

Has anyone ever compared the syrinx of a bird during the
reproductive period with that of a syrinx in the non-breeding
or nestling stage ? We know that at certain periodic seasons
the reproductive organs take on an increased physiological
and histological activity and are thus ready to perform their
functions if the opportunity arises. We know also that in
the case of the higher vertebrates, distant organs and tissues
of the body become physiologically active in sympathy with
and synchronously with the physiological activity of the
reproductive organs, and it is not difficult to imagine that in
birds the syrinx may behave in the same sympathetic way,
becoming more adapted at this period for the utterance of
finer notes, this sympathetic action being really due to an
internal secretion which perhaps has, at the same time, a
selective action on other tissues. Supposing this were so
song would become a purely sexual phenomenon.

184. BRITISH BIRDS.

I gather, however, that Mr. Stubbs uses the word ‘“ sexual”
in a more restricted sense than is usual. For instance, I
imagine that the autumnal or winter moult of a bird, in so
far as it is different in the two sexes, is purely sexual, yet
this change is not productive of any emotional feeling such
as Mr. Stubbs seems to think would be necessary in the case
of the Sparrow (when he utters his autumnal song) if it were
argued that song is always sexual.

In my original letter I should like to state that I only
ventured to suggest a cause for winter song, or song uttered
apart from the actual breeding season, and I appreciate the
difficulty there would be in applying the above explanations
to song at this period.

Percy R. Lowe.

I sHALL be obliged if you will permit me to point out that in
his letter (p. 155), Mr. F. J. Stubbs has entirely misinter-
preted my remarks on the above subject (p. 121) by making
it appear I formulated the view that the bird “‘ sings to please
himself” as an “alternative ” to the one which makes its song
an expression of sexual emotion. I made no such state-
ment. I contented myself with pointing out that “ there is
evidence to show that birds sing to give expression to other
emotions than those of love,” a statement that most
ornithologists would, I imagine, be prepared to endorse. By
way of proof I instanced the fact that the Robin sings in
winter. It was in connection with this species alone that I
used the expression, ‘‘ He sings to please himself.” By it I
meant to suggest that the Robin sings in winter, like the
Starling, the House-Sparrow, the Skylark, and others, for the
same reason that a man whistles as he goes cheerfully, and
with a full stomach, to his work, and that. a baby croons
upon the carpet. It may or it may not be the right explana-
tion, but in attacking it Mr. Stubbs seems to have been in-
advertently attacking me on the one point in which I may
be said to agree with him. I admit that, owing to the
vagueness of the expression, ‘‘ Sings to please himself,” he
had an excuse which he had not when he made it appear I
assumed that what applied to the Robin in winter applied to
all birds, and to the Robin itself in spring.

Mr. F. J. Stubbs holds that song is always the ‘ ebullition
of superfluous energy.”” I have just been re-reading Lloyd
Morgan’s excellent ‘‘ Habit and Instinct.” In it I find
(p. 228): ‘‘ Song-birds matched against each other have been
known to sing till they dropped exhausted to death.” It
seems to me that a bird singing in a state of complete

NOTES. 185

exhaustion cannot correctly be said to be giving expression
to its superfluous energy. And the same applies to birds that
sing between the rounds of a protracted fight.

But there is not much use in discussing Mr. F. J. Stubbs’
view until we are a little clearer as to what it means. After
the phrase above quoted, he adds, ‘‘and has no direct con-
nection with sexual matters.” At the end of his letter he
repeats that ‘‘ bird-song is not connected except indirectly with
sexual affairs, and that it is at all times and in all birds
nothing but (italics mine) the overflowing of the vitality that
cannot be stored or used up in any other way.” What is the
nature of the indirect connection with sexual affairs, if song is.
“nothing but”? the expression of superfluous vitality ?

F. B. KIRKMAN,

MARSH-WARBLER BREEDING IN KENT AND
WORCESTERSHIRE.

I HAVE recently had brought in to me for identification a nest
and five eggs which undoubtedly belong to A. palustris.
They were taken by an entomologist and sent to my friend
as a peculiar clutch of Reed-Warbler’s eggs. They are typical
and rather larger than those from the Continent ; the nest
is very much like the one described by me in Vol. II., p. 183,
of this magazine, except that it is rather deeper on the inside.
It was found on an old rubbish-heap, overgrown with nettles
and cow-parsnip, on June 22nd, near Birchington. The four
supports round which the nest is built consist of nettle and
corn, one of the nettle and two of corn are apparently of last
year’s growth. The eggs were quite fresh.

It may interest Mr. W. Davies (cf. p. 157) to know that
I have in my collection a clutch of four eggs of the Marsh-
Warbler with a Cuckoo’s egg, taken in Worcestershire on
June 25th, 1904. They were sent to my correspondent as
the nest and eggs of a Reed-Warbler. The nest was typical,
but the.eggs are unusual, though they have the characteristic
peppered specks which are one of the principal distinguishing
features in the eggs of A. palustris. I believe this to be,
with one exception, the only British record of the Cuckoo
having used the nest of the Marsh-Warbler. Mr. Warde
Fowler records the ‘one other in the ‘“ Zoologist” (Vol. X.,
p- 403). Percy F. Bunyarp.

DARTFORD WARBLER FEIGNING INJURY AT THE
NEST.

During the summer of 1908 I paid repeated visits to a

small colony of Dartford Warblers (Sylvia wndata), and on one

186 BRITISH BIRDS.

occasion witnessed a male bird perform an action which I think
has not previously come under the notice of ornithologists, or
at least does not appear to have been placed on record.

I had discovered a nest placed low down in a thick furze-
bush growing beside a sandy cart-track and containing nearly
fully-fledged young, which at my approach scrambled out into
the tangled heather and were quickly lost to view. Being
desirous of observing the actions of the adult birds on their
return I partially concealed myself close to the nest, and
awaited developments. The male was the first to appear, and
immediately on discovering my presence it began to “ scold,”
and when I did not move away, his excitement became more
intense, and alighting on the sandy track about two yards from
me, he dragged himself along on the ground, with drooping
wings and tail-feathers widely expanded. This curious and
extremely interesting performance was repeated four times,
but, failing to produce the desired effect of enticing me from
the whereabouts of the brood, was then abandoned.

Howarp BENTHAM.

NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE GREAT TIT.

At the end of April this year a pair of Great Tits (Parus
major) took possession of a box in an apple-tree in my garden
in Chester and commenced to build. The nest was finished
on May 4th, six days having been spent in building. On
May 5th the first egg was laid, and on May 12th the female
bird commenced to sit on a clutch of seven. She sat
extremely closely, and often refused to move from the nest
when I opened the box, which I did daily in the hope of finding
the male bird sitting. In the daytime during incubation,
he visited the box seldom, but always roosted in it at night.

Seven young were hatched out on May 24th, incubation
having lasted twelve days.

In appearance they were excessively ugly, being naked with
the exception of a little down on the skull and shoulders.
The legs and claws looked much too strong for the rest of the
body. Except for increased size little change was observable
on the third day. On the fourth day there was down on the
dorsal tract and signs on the wing of the coming pin-feathers.
On the sixth day the bluish colour was noticeable. The tail-
feathers could not be seen until the tenth day. On the
eleventh day the nestlings had their eyes open. On the
fifteenth day a curious incident occurred, the female laid an
egg on the young birds! When twenty-one days old the
birds were fully feathered, and two days later they left the
nest.

NOTES. 187

On leaving the box the parents usually carried the feces of
the young out and dropped them a short distance away from
the box. I never saw anything to lead me to suppose that
they were swallowed.

The food carried in to the nestlings consisted almost
exclusively of small moth larve. About thirty yards from
the nest there was a small spindle-tree, which was at this time
literally covered by the larve of the Small Ermine Moth
(Iponomeuta padella). For the first sixteen days the Great
Tits made no attempt to take these caterpillars. Probably
they were afraid of the web-like material which surrounds the
larve of this species. On the seventeenth day I saw the male
bird with a grubI did not recognise, and when he tried to
enter the box I frightened him with the shutter of a camera I
had fixed near the nest, and he dropped a caterpillar, which
I found to be that of the Ermine Moth.

Having found they could take them with impunity the
Great Tits made short work of these garden-pests; for until
the young left the nest the birds were constantly backwards
and forwards between the spindle-bush and the box. I counted
their visits on several occasions and found them paying often
four in five minutes!

The female bird would frequently arrive with food before
the male left the box and vice versa.

I recognised the larve of the following insects being taken
as food :—

Small Ermine Moth (Iponomeuta padella)
Winter Moth (Cheimatobia brumata)

Magpie Moth (Abraxas grossulariata)
Cabbage Moth (Mamesira brassice)
Sawfly sp. (Nematus ribesiz)

There were three nests of Humble Bees (Bombus sp.) close
at hand, but I did not see the Great Tits attempt to take the
bees.

I have no doubt that the birds will take any small larve as
food, and the above mentioned species happened to be the
commonest available near this nest.

The Great Tits undoubtedly do much more good than harm
in an orchard—the foregoing short list is composed entirely of
injurious insects, and the Small Ermine Moth in particular is

a most destructive species. C. Kinastey SIDDALL.
WOODCHAT SHRIKE DEVOURING SWALLOW ON
| MIGRATION.

REFERRING to Commander H. Lynes’ remarks in his interesting
paper on ‘Migration of -Birds,’ regarding Shrikes not
molesting small birds when migrating with them (see p. 75),

188 BRITISH BIRDS.

the following from my notes for the year 1904 my be of
interest.

In the latter half of April, whilst on the voyage home from
India per P. & O.s.s. ‘‘ Egypt,” and when in Lat. 34° 10’,
Long. 23°, 7.e., about seventy miles south-west of Gozo, off
Crete, a number of small Passeres came on board. Among
these were several Swallows (Hirundo rustica), and three or
four Woodchat Shrikes (Lanius auriculatus). One of the
latter alighted in front of me, on a davit-chain on the boat-
deck, in close proximity to an exhausted Swallow resting on
the same perch. After eyeing the Swallow for a moment or
two, the Shrike sidled up to it, and suddenly pouncing on it
the two fluttered together to the deck. Here the Shrike
quickly despatched its victim by hammering in its skull, and
then proceeded to break it up and voraciously devour it. The
other Shrikes now appeared on the scene, evidently intent on
a share of the repast, but were driven off by the one in
possession.

Although, besides the Swallows, a few other tired little
migrants sat perched about the decks and in the rigging, such
as Willow-Warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus) and Wagtails
(Motacilla flava), I saw none of the other Shrikes follow the
example of the first and kill. They did not appear to have
the pluck and determination to take what was waiting for
them. Possibly exhaustion had told on them, and the
requisite vigour was not forthcoming.

The wind, which was at the time S.E. or a following one,
was favourable to the stay of the migrants on board, but by
sunset it had backed to a stiff ‘‘ Nor.-Wester ” and all of them
were blown off astern. We were then some two hundred
miles from the nearest land, and I think it likely that the
only one of our visitors that succeeded in reaching European
shores was the Shrike, that seized the opportunity to fortify
the ‘‘inner bird,” as described. H. A. F. Macratu.

NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE SISKIN IN
NORTH WICKLOW.

Stnce 1904 the Siskin (Carduelis spinus) has been a favourite
of mine ; its joyousness during the breeding season, tameness,
quaint ways, and local distribution, make it a most fascinating
study. I have examined a large number of nests in North
Wicklow, Ireland, and have seen very few in April, the first
clutch usually being laid in May, and the second in June or July.
I append a list of nests inspected by me in July, 1908, and
from April Ist to June 6th, 1909. Only two of these nests
could have contained eggs in April, and the first nest I found

NOTES. 189

in 1908 was on May 14th. This year I made an exhaustive

search in April in the district where the Siskin is most

common in Wicklow, and the first nest I found to contain

a full clutch was on May 2nd, and no broods were fledged

until the end of the month.

Deraits oF Siskins’ Nests In NortH WICKLOW.

.7.08. 5 eggs; incubation begun.

.08. 4 eggs fresh; 4 eggs; incubation begun; 4 eggs hard
set; 5 eggs chipping.

4 eggs fresh.

Nest building.

4, 3, 2, 3, eggs fresh; 3 eggs hard set.

3, 5, eggs fresh ; 4 young, week old.

5 young, about 4 days old.

09. 5, 4, eggs fresh; 4 young, about 3 days old.

09. 4 eggs fresh.

09. 5-eggs fresh.

09.

09

bo
Ou

oooo
2 2 G2) SS) ge

5, 5, 4, eggs fresh; 2 young (aad 1 addled egg)..
5 eggs fresh; 4 young.
POSITIONS OF NESsTs.

In Larch (3), Seotch Fir (6), Spruce (15), Ornamental Fir (3).
Height from ground varied from 10 to 50 feet; 7 were at 50, 9 at 40,
2 at 35, 2 at 30, 3 at 25, 2 at 20, 2 at 15, and 1 at 10 feet.

The North Wicklow eggs are of two types—the common
one being clear, pale blue, with pale red spots and streaks,
and deep red-brown outer spots. The uncommon type is
very pale blue, looking cream-colour until blown, and is
spotted with pale red with practically no deeper marks.

Ona few occasions I have found an almost fully fledged
young bird dead in the nest ; probably when the brood left
these birds were unable to follow and were forsaken by the
parents.

On May 23rd, 1908, I took a nest containing four eggs from
a larch-tree only ten feet from the ground. On June 27th a
nest containing three eggs of a similar (an uncommon) type
was in exactly the same spot.

On April 23rd, 1909, I was watching a pair of Siskins
building, when a male Chaffinch flew down to the nest and
commenced pulling out the inside; the Siskins, although
flying about in great excitement, made no effort to drive the
intruder off. The nest contained four eggs, however, on
May 2nd.

On May 5th, 1909, I watched a pair of Siskins building in
a larch-tree, the nest was quite low down—about fifteen feet.
On May 15th I was astonished to flush a Chaffinch from the
nest, which contained four eggs of this species. The Chaffinch
had completed a nest on the partially made one of the Siskin.

Clutches of three and four I found common, five the
exception. I have never seen six. R. Hami~ron-HuUNTER.

P

wn
POW SW HHO oo bo
PDROABAAAAAAA A
(=)
ve)

190 BRITISH BIRDS.

THE IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.*

Faroe Istanps.—‘ I obtained two Crossbills out of a flock
of eight at Midvaag, Vaago, Feroe Islands, on July 2nd,
1909. I believe them to be the first examples of the
Crossbill recorded from the Feeroe Islands ” (Rev. Francis
Turreff).

ScorLtanp.—Fair Isle.—First seen June 23rd; ‘ numbers
afterwards increased, as if the birds had come to the
island in a series of waves, and as many as 300 were seen
some days.” They remained during July, but decreased
in numbers towards the end of the month. Small parties
were seen throughout August. Shetlands—An adult
male on June 27th in Unst; at Lerwick, the first on
June 28th and from then until August 13th (generally
small -parties) ; also reported to Mr. J. 8. Tulloch from
Yell, North Mavine, Whalsay, Bressay, Tingwall ; many
near Sumburgh Head (one flock of 40); a number were
taken on fishing-boats’ eastwards of the Shetlands [ef.
also antea p. 83]. Orkney.—Many near Kirkwall and
small flock on Sanday (no dates) [cf. also antea, p. 82];
one came on board a steamer 95 miles E. by 8.38. of
Auskerry Light on July 12th. Sule Skerry.—One taken
at lighthouse lantern on June 28th and more seen
afterwards, 42 being the largest number; they stayed
on this almost desert island about three weeks. Outer
Hebrides.—F locks of 10, 20, and 30 at Barra since the
end of June; a small party (some old males) near the
Butt of Lewis on June 28th; a great many appeared
on the Flannan Islands at the end of June and stayed
about five weeks; two were seen in North Uist
(W. Hagle Clarke, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, pp.
215-217). [No information with regard to occurrences on
the mainland of Scotland additional to that which we
have already published is given, which seems extra-
ordinary.—H. F. W.]

NorTHUMBERLAND.—Mr. Abel Chapman writes that Mr.
Robert 8. Watson informs him that Crossbills were seen |
at Sidwood, near Bellingham, North Tyne, for the first |
time since September, 1903, in the last week of July, |
1909, when a flock of 15-20 appeared.

* For previous records see pp. 82, 123 and 162. Commander
H. Lynes has very kindly promised to prepare maps showing the |
extent and if possible the progress of the irruption in the British Isles, |
but, as much fresh information is published in this number he has not

been able to complete the maps in time, and it is proposed to publish
them in the next issue. —H. F. W.

NOTES. 19]

YORKSHIRE.—A large flock first seen at Swainby in the
middle of July, afterwards they broke up into small
parties (T. H. Nelson). An adult was picked up under
telegraph wires at Ilkley on July 18th (H. Walker,
Nat., 1909, p. 344). Small parties were seen near
Harrogate in the middle of July (R. Fortune, t.c., p. 344).
One was caught on the coast on September 26th.
(H. F. Witherby).

Nortu SrA.—One in immature plumage came on board a
steamer crossing to Hamburg when eighty-three miles
off Spurn Head at 6.5 a.m. on August Ist (C. S. Carter,
Nat., 1909, p. 344).

NorFotk.—On July 8th the gardener at Northrepps observed
twelve Crossbills on a young spruce-fir only some twelve
yards from the drawing-room window. On the 10th
they were further from the house but had increased in
number to sixteen, and from that date until September
26th small parties of them were seen at or near the same
place, but always on fir-trees of some sort, beneath which
the cones on the ground testified to their destructive
operations. Other flocks were seen during July and
August at Martham, Bodham, Cromer (three on
September 4th), Hempstead and Cley ; at the latter place,
Mr. Pashley tells me, gardens in the middle of the village,
including his own, were freely visited, possibly for the
sake of plums. A young Crossbill in the striped plumage,
but quite old enough to fly, was picked up alive on
Yarmouth sand-dunes, and brought to Mr. Lowne, as
well as two red males which were caught on a ship, one
of which, together with the young bird, he has still alive.
As lately as October 9th Mr. Gerard Gurney saw
fourteen at Hempstead, and these are the last reported ;
perhaps most of them have now moved further on
(J. H. Gurney). Six were taken at the Outer Dowsing
Lightship in July (A. Patterson). Adult male at Cley on
October 2nd (Ff. I. Richards).

Nortrs.—A large number “a week ago ” (say, end of August)
at Worksop (Ff. B. Hawkins, Field, 4, rx., 1909, p. 464).

BEDFORDSHIRE.— Upwards of fifty seen on August Ist in the
larch-plantation along the roadside between Sandy and
Everton, and later in the morning a similar flock passed
overhead between Everton and Potton, which may very
probably have been the same birds (J. Steele Elliott.)

CHESHIRE.—Quite a big lot at Bowdon now (October 15th)
(I. A. Coward).

192 BRITISH BIRDS.

SHROPSHIRE AND WORCESTERSHIRE.—On August 6th, a
party of eight passed over our valley at’ Dowles. Since
when up to the time of writing (15th October), some have
frequented this locality, which is on the borders of both
counties. The flock varies in numbers, as many as
fifteen or more being seen on September 29th, and at
other times only an odd bird will be seen or heard on
the wing. It seems rather remarkable that their stay
with us should be so continued, as the larch-trees, upon
which they devote a considerable part of their time, are
limited to some one hundred trees (J. Steele Hlliott). About
twenty were seen near Myddle Salop on September 24th
and since (H. #. Forrest).

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—A male, picked up dead against some
wire-netting at Mitcheldean on September 27th. Several
flocks (10-20 birds each) seen middle of October (NV. F.
Richardson).

BERKSHIRE.—Male in red plumage at Calcott Park, Reading,
on September 15th (Ff. J. Stubbs).

HERTFORDSHIRE.—F locks were seen in the woods near Tring
in August, a male and female was shot on September 28th
and three males on October 2nd near Tring (#. Hartert).
A flock of about 15 seen on July 30th, and others
heard and seen since up to the middle of September,
near Watton (Rev, Allan Ellison).

SuRREY.—Several small flocks at Leatherhead, from about
the middle of September to October 16th, 1909
(P. F. Bunyard).

SussEx.—Two (a green and a red one) seen on September 10th
at Maresfield ; one on September 11th and two on
September 22nd ; four on September 22nd and five or
six (one adult) on September 28th at Uckfield (R. Morris).

Sparn.—Mr. Abel Chapman writes :—‘‘ Mr. B. F. Buck informs
me that : * The Crossbills were first observed in Andalusia
on July 17th, 1909, but had probably arrived some days
earlier, as “curious birds” had been reported. They
were in the pine-trees, but seven which I got were caught
on the ground in a net. There was one red one, a cock
presumably, but unluckily the cat got him. They all
died in captivity ; we could not find out what they
needed to eat. I heard and saw them all the rest of
July and up to the end of August. A Spanish idea was
that the Crossbills had come over from Africa owing to
the firing at Melilla!’ Note that there were many Cross-
bills in the pine-woods of Coto Dofana in the preceding

NOTES. 193

February (1909).”* Five Crossbills were obtained near
Madrid, where it is a great rarity, during the summer,
according to Herr Kracht.

Foop.—They have been reported to us as feeding upon seeds
of grass, ‘‘ weeds,”’ pine, spruce, larch, alder, and on
spruce-aphis} and green fly. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke (loc. cit..
'p. 217) states that in the islands of Scotland they have
resorted to the following makeshifts for their more usual
food :—The yellow centres of daisies at Lerwick ; flowers
and berries at Fair Isle ; and sea-pinks at the Flannans.

ORIGIN AND CAUSE OF THE IRRUPTION.—The records we have
published show that the irruption has been of enormous
extent and that countless numbers of Crossbills have been
involved in it. There is no doubt that a great number
if not all of these birds have come from northern Europe.
Mr. Clarke (Joc. cit.) has received a number of specimens
‘taken in various localities in Scotland and ail these he
affirms belong to the typical continental form Lowia
curvirostra curvirostra, which can be readily distinguished
from the much larger-billed Scottish race (L. c. scotica).
Moreover, we have the evidence of birds coming on board
ship in various parts of the North Sea. In Fair Isle
and in the Flannan Islands several specimens of the Two-
barred Crossbill (Lowia bifasciata), a native of northern
Russia and Siberia, were detected amongst the flocks of
the commoner species (cf. W. E. Clarke, loc. cit., p. 217).
Furthermore, a large movement has been observed upon
the Continent ; they were seen in Heligoland in June and
July, and near Berlin, early in July passing westward, and
on September 19th; they have also been observed in the
Rhine provinces, near Aix-la-Chapelle, in the Northern
Eifel (August 9th), near Baden, in the Black Forest, near
Leipzig (June 27th—July 24th), in Pomerania and in
Mark Brandenburg (end July). With regard to those
which have been reported from so many parts of England,
there can be no doubt that most of these birds form part
of the irruption from the Continent, though some are
likely to have been bred in England. Unfortunately, the
differences between the English Crossbills and the con-
tinental form, as pointed out by Dr. E. Hartert in

* Mr. Abel Chapman has very kindly sent me two specimens of these
Crossbills, which I have submitted to Dr. E. Hartert, who pronounced
them to be undoubtedly of the distinct Spanish form Lowxia curvirostra
hispana. This incursion of Crossbills into Andalusia has therefore no
direct connection with the irruption from northern Europe.—H. F. W.

+ Some specimens shot in the act of feeding upon the galls had many
immature aphide (Chermes abietis) in their gizzards.

194

BRITISH BIRDS.

volume 1, page 209, do not hold good. So that it is not
possible to say if the specimens most kindly sent by a
good many of my correspondents are actually of con-
tinental origin or not. Dr. Hartert, to whom I have
submitted the specimens, writes me as follows :—

‘In 1894, I gave names to two British races, 7.e., the
Scottish and the English Crossbills. The former, which
has a very high beak, approaching that of L. pityopsittacus,
I called Loxia curvirostra scotica, the latter L. curvirostra
anglica. About the former there could be no doubt:
birds with such bills, and with a length of wing,
intermediate between continental JL. curvirostra and
pityopsittacus, are known only to breed in Scotland.
About the English race I have always felt somewhat
uneasy, yet, with the large series which I examined at
the time, it seemed to be evident that the hundreds of
continental birds at my disposal were very often of a
bright red, which I never found in any British example.
Moreover, the beaks of English birds were never so
small as they frequently are on the Continent, and often
approached my scotica. On the other hand, birds with
equally large bills were found on the Continent, and
since 1904 I have seen many more of them.

“Of course, when I named my anglica I had no
evidence that any of the British birds which I had
examined were immigrants, but I believed them to be—
with one or two exceptions—native English birds.

‘This year it has been proved, that flocks of Crossbills
have crossed the sea between Norway and Scotland, and
an invasion of Crossbills has been observed throughout
Central Europe as far south as Italy.

“Now, while I decidedly maintain my scotica—which
Scotch ornithologists also recognize, Mr. Eagle Clarke,
for example, having at once noticed that this year’s
immigrants were quite different from the native Scotch
Crossbills—I am quite willing to give up my anglica.”

As to the cause of the irruption, there seems no
evidence as yet upon which to base a conclusion, but it is
to be hoped that our fellow-ornithologists on the Continent
may discover if, for instance, Crossbills have been
unusually prolific this year, and if for some reason the food-
supply in their usual haunts subsequently failed.

' DIMORPHISM IN THE CROSSBILL.

So far as the material at my immediate command goes, the
upper mandible of the Common Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)

NOTES. 195

is sometimes to the right of the lower, and in some
individuals to the left. The muscles for opening and
closing the jaws, and those parts of the skull to which they
are attached, are far larger on the side to which the lower
mandible is twisted. The bird thus provides an instance of
pure dimorphism, which is a much rarer thing than dichroism
in British birds; indeed, it is probably the only case.

FREDK. J. STUBBS.

TWO-BARRED CROSSBILLS IN SCOTLAND.

Amoneé the flocks of Common Crossbills at Fair Isle and also
at the Flannan Islands ‘“‘adult males of the Two-barred
Crossbill (Lozxia bifasciata) were detected and obtained ”
(W. E. Clarke, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 217).

LATE NESTING OF THE CIRL BUNTING.

I can confirm Mr. Norman Gilroy’s note as to the late
breeding and abundance of the Cirl Bunting (E’mberiza cirlus) in
south Devon (antea, p. 125). In the course of a few weeks’
stay in south-east Devon in August on the coast, I found
five nests of this species up the various ‘‘ coombes”’ within a
radius of a few miles, besides seeing several broods of flown
young, fed by the parent birds. One nest contained—on
August 28th—three eggs, a few days incubated. The other
nests had young in various stages; two nests with four
young each, one with two young, and one with one young
bird. The latest date on which I saw young in the nest was
September 2nd.

All the nests were built in roadside hedges and—as I have
invariably found to be the case—placed on the fieldside of
the hedge and clear of the ground or bank. Green moss was
largely used in the construction of these nests, a material
rarely found in the nests of the Yellowhammer. One of the
reasons for the late nesting may be the prevalence of the
common grasshopper in August, which in this month I found
formed the chief food-supply of the young as noted by
Montagu in south Devon in his day. It is probable that the
bird in some seasons, like the Yellowhammer, is_ treble
brooded in the south-west counties.

The Cirl Bunting and Yellowhammer were the only birds
in song, the former being the most in evidence, often singing
when the hen bird was feeding young in the nest.

SIDNEY G. CUMMINGS.

196 BRITISH BIRDS.
ORTOLAN BUNTINGS IN NORFOLK.

AN unusual number of Ortolan Buntings (Hmberiza hortulana)
have appeared in Norfolk this autumn. I can vouch for
the following at Cley:—Sept. 11th, one; Sept. 13th, two;
Sept. 14th, one; Sept. 16th, one; Sept. 23rd, one. Three or
four more birds, believed to have been of this species, were seen
between these dates, but their identification was not so certain
as to warrant their being recorded.

FI. Rice

A LATE SWIFT IN NORFOLK.

On October 10th, at Sheringham, I saw a Swift (Cypselus
apus). There was only one flying about with some Martins,
and there could be no doubt about its identification for it
came once or twice quite close to me.

H. M. Urcuer.

NOTES ON THE BREEDING OF THE NIGHTJAR.

On June 15th last I found an egg of a Nightjar (Caprimulgus
europeus), on some charred remains at the bottom of a burnt
whin-bush. On June 19th there were two eggs of the usual
type. The first young bird was hatched on-July Srd, the
other on July 4th, so incubation lasted eighteen days. I have
noticed in this and other instances that the Nightjar does
not carry the empty egg-shells away from the nest but leaves
them where the young are hatched and often with one half
enclosed within the other. At first. the young are covered
with extremely fine long downy feathers, but the head is
practically bare of feathers. The beak has a knob-like
termination. The nostrils are conspicuous round openings,
raised considerably above the surface of the maxilla, and
surrounded with a double row of setaceous-like feathers.
The young are able to crawl from the nest when a day old.
The growth is rapid. They are about double their size
in a week, the feathers of the wing and tail being then
most distinct. They are timid creatures and show their
objection to intrusion by raising their heads up and down
and opening their mouths as wide as possible, at the same
time giving vent to a faint hissing sound.

Often they leave the nest and hide. When two weeks
old the parent birds removed the young fifteen yards
from where the eggs were laid to another burnt whin-bush,
though. there was plenty of green cover in the shape of

NOTES. 197

bracken and live whin near the original spot. At the
beginning of the third week the young and old birds were
gone and I failed to find them.

J. S. T. Watton.

COMMON SCOTER BREEDING IN IRELAND.

A parr of Common Scoters (Hdemia nigra) have again this
year nested on an island in an Irish lough, which they have
frequented for some months in each year since 1904 inclusive

Site of the Nest of the Common Scoter on an island in an, Irish
lough, June, 1909.

(cf. Vol. II., pp. 86-87). On June 13th I found a single egg
in a depression in coarse grass, which was under some oak-
scrub ; the egg was within three feet of the edge of it, and about
fifteen yards from the water. It was well concealed from view,
from all sides and from above. On re-visiting the spot on the
17th there was a nest ina rudimentary condition, and in it were
four Scoter’s eggs and one of a Tufted Duck. Being uncertain
as to the identity of the owner of the nest, I took one of the
former, unnecessarily as it turned out, for on the 22nd I put
a female Scoter off the nest, which contained six of her own
eggs and the one of a Tufted Duck.

My man found the Scoter still sitting on the 11th July but
did not disturb her. On the 18th he found the bird absent

198 BRITISH BIRDS.

and the eggs, five of her own and the one of the Tufted Duck,
cold and covered with grass (in 1906 when the Scoter
deserted, the eggs were also covered with grass). She did not
resume her sitting, but was apparently alive and well on
July 23rd, when I saw a female Scoter on the water a few
hundred yards from the nest. On the 26th I photographed
the nest and eggs, which latter were somewhat weathered.
On breaking the eggs I found that those which were fertile
appeared to be about half incubated. The 13th June is a
late date for the duck to have commenced laying, but I feel
pretty certain that a clutch of eggs I found on the 6th June,
which had disappeared by the 13th, was laid by the same
bird. ,
HERBERT TREVELYAN.

NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY TERNS.

I HAvE read with considerable interest the notes on the
number of eggs laid by Terns (antea, pp. 90 and 129), but I am
quite unable to accept Mr. Gilroy’s theory that the number
in the clutch is regulated or in any way influenced by the food-
supply, especially with birds that depend almost entirely on
fish, small fry being particularly abundant during the
breeding season within the feeding radius. I think it is
generally agreed that climatic conditions play a very important
part, and must regulate to a very great extent the size of the
clutch. I have frequently noticed during very favourable
seasons normal sets predominate and abnormal sets frequently
occur, and apparently when food must be scarcer and far
more difficult to obtain, we invariably find certain species
laying normally large clutches. In Scandinavia the Redwing,
Fieldfare, Brambling, Great Grey Shrike, Lapland Bunting,
Red-throated Pipit, Rough-legged Buzzard, European Hawk-
Owl, ete., all have large broods, while the following species
on the average all have larger broods than is the case with
the same species in this country :—Chaffinch, Reed-Bunting,
Lesser Whitethroat, Raven, Merlin, Moorhen, Coot, Grebes,
etc. Colonel Feilden called attention to the large clutches
of the Wheatear in the Faroes, while doubtless Mr. Gilroy
knows that the Skylark invariably lays five in North Uist,
where the food-supply cannot possibly be so plentiful as in
the fertile rural districts in the south of England, and where
the normal clutch is from three to four, five being exceedingly
rare. Age undoubtedly must play the most important part
in the egg-producing powers of all birds: the fully adult
birds, which would in all probability predominate in a large

NOTES. 199

colony of Terns, would lay the normal number, while the young
and very old birds would be responsible for the short clutches.

During my visit to the Faroes in 1905 I visited the small
island of Hoivig Holm, on which is, I believe, one of the largest
colonies of Arctic Terns known, roughly computed at 1000
pairs. Only a very few of the birds had commenced laying ;
a few nests contained three eggs, all of which proved incubated
on blowing, while all the sets of two taken were fresh, with one
exception. This small series, when compared with the eggs
of the Common Tern (which does not occur in these islands),
proved on the average smaller, and a recent acquisition of
an authenticated series from Scandinavia confirms my opinion
that they are not only smaller, but richer and more boldly
marked.

Regarding the Common and Lesser Tern, with which my
experience has been considerable, I must confirm Mr. Gilroy’s
notes, namely, that three is the normal clutch in each case.

My time with the Sandwich Tern has been limited to a
solitary visit in 1906 to one of the largest, but least known,
colonies, which at the time consisted of 400 nests. I only
saw three nests with three eggs, and some birds were sitting on
one egg only. It is quite easy to see in this colony which
birds have commenced to incubate by the complete ring of
excreta which encircles the nest. I have not noticed this
with the Common, Arctic and Lesser Tern. In this colony
this year, as the watcher informs me, there were 385 nests
and only three contained three eggs. The colony mentioned
by Mr. Gilroy as having 99 per cent. of nests with three eggs
must indeed be an exceedingly prolific one. In Holstein a
large percentage of Sandwich Terns apparently lay three eggs.
I have in my series ten sets from there, and, judging from the
evenness of each clutch, they are perfectly genuine.

Percy F. Bunyarp.

[Although it is obvious that in certain orders (such as the
Limicole and Tubinares) the number of eggs cannot be
affected by the food supply, it is a remarkable fact that those
naturalists who have had the best opportunities for observing
are unanimous in asserting that the Raptores of N. Scandinavia
have exceptionally large clutches in years when the food
supply is unusually plentiful. I need only refer to the works
of Professor Collett and Mr. H. J. Pearson for corroboration of
this statement. In our own country a parallel instance is that
of the Short-eared Owl, which, during the vole-plague of
1890-92 frequently laid clutches of ten, and occasionally as

200 BRITISH BIRDS.

many as 13 and 14 eggs, and reared two broods in the season
(see Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1892, p. 219).—F. C. R. J.]

DIMORPHISM IN YOUNG TERNS.

In his notes on Terns (supra, p. 169) Mr. H. W. Robinson
remarked on the dimorphism exhibited by the downy young
of the Common Tern. Some time ago my brother called my
attention to the possibility of this, but no opportunity has
since occurred to either of us to investigate the point, so that
I was glad to see Mr. Robinson’s observations, though it
would be of greater value if he could give us a more detailed
description of the two forms. During the last nesting
season, however, I was able to make an examination of a
large number of young Arctic Terns (Sterna macrura) up to
the age of four or five days, and I was not surprised therefore
to find that they were also dimorphic. In the light form
the general body-colour was a creamy white, in some almost
quite white, with a touch of rufous on the forehead. The
back was marked with spots and indistinct lines of black,
and there was a black band across the upper throat and
chin; breast and upper part of belly, white with a wash of
pale slate-colour on the flanks and vent. In the dark form
the lower parts and all the black markings were the same,
but the general colour of the upper parts was brownish or
rufous white, the rusty tint being most marked on the
shoulders and humerus; this varied in intensity a good deal
in different examples and in a few was almost absent, but
the two forms were always easily separable. In both forms
the legs and bill were coral-pink, but those of the pale form
were several shades lighter than those of the dark. In the
particular colony which I had under observation the dark
form was much the most numerous, in the proportion, I should
say, of quite three or four to one, and both were found in the

same nest. } N. F. TicEHuURST.

THE YOUNG OF TERNS.

I HAVE often remarked the swollen tarsi in young Terns
described in Mr. Robinson’s note (antea, p. 169). This pecu-
liarity is, I believe, found in a greater or lesser degree in the
the young of all Limicole. It is most conspicuous in the living
bird, but may be traced in some dried specimens ; in the Lap-
wing the thickening remains after the bird is able to fly.
I do not,remember seeing it except in Gulls and Plovers
and their allies, but the sight of the swollen ankle

NOTES. 201

of a young Snipe has reminded me of the curious pad on the
leg of the nestling Wryneck figured so long since by Nitzch.
The subject is certainly worth the attention of embryologists.*
Surely the white spot on the bill can be nothing but the
““egg-tooth ’’ so noticeable in the young chicken. I have
frequently observed it in both Terns and Gulls, and remember
that its connection with the rhampotheca is not very intimate ;
it falls off at the slightest touch, either in life or death, and

leaves no trace of its former presence.
FREDK. J. STUBBS.

DISEASES IN YOUNG BLACK-HEADED GULLS
AND, COMMON TERNS.t+

SEEING that my name is mentioned in Mr. Robinson’s
interesting notes on the breeding of the Common and Sandwich
Terns (antea, p. 169) and lest it should be taken for granted
that I am in entire accordance with 1egard to the statement
that “‘ starvation and the gape-worm are the main causes of
death amongst the young Black-headed Gulls,” I should
much prefer at present that it be recorded that certain small
red worms were found in the windpipes of certain of the
dead Gulls, and that I drew Mr. Robinson’s attention to them,
saying they appeared exactly similar to the gape-worm seen
in the windpipes of domestic poultry suffering from ‘“‘ gapes.”’
I should not like to go so far as to say definitely, that these
red worms found in the throats of some of the defunct Black-
headed Gulls were the same worm as is found in the throats
of domestic fowls, and which is known at present as Syngamus
trachealis.

The disease which Mr. Robinson mentions as destroying
the feet of some of the young Common Terns, is extremely
interesting and is, I think, worthy of further consideration.
The feet appear to be infested with open sores and in some
cases, to be gradually eaten away. The explanation which
seems most feasible at the moment is, that the young Terns,

* The conical, horny papillae which are found on the “heels” of
nestling Woodpeckers, Wrynecks, Barbets, and nearly related forms
are purely superficial, epidermal structures, and bear no relation to
the swollen proximal ends of the tarso-metatarsi in the young of
Terns and Plovers, notably the Norfolk Plover or “ Thick-knee,”’ for
this latter swelling is confined to the bony skeleton.—W. P. P.

+ Mr. Robinson sends us the following correction to his note on
this subject :—‘“ In line 10 from the bottom of page 169 (swpra), where
it is stated that ‘several blue and white eggs were seen,’ I should have
added, ‘ with dark markings’ and that those with a white ground were
much rarer than those with a blue one, only three of the former being
seen by myself.”’

202 BRITISH BIRDS.

during the time they are running on the ground, occasionally
get the soft membrane of the feet punctured by contact with
sharp thistles and bents, and that small fine grains of sand
work their way into these holes, causing inflammation and
sores, which gradually increase, owing to the constant irritation
caused by continual contact with the sand; as time goes on
the portions of the feet so affected gradually atrophy, and the
bird becomes partially or wholly lame.

F. W. SMALLEY.

GREAT CRESTED GREBE, DOUBLE-BROODED.

I was one of the competitors for the Bird Protection
Society’s Shield in this year’s competition, and I wrote an
essay on the Great Crested Grebe, having watched a pair of
these birds on one of the ponds in Woburn Park all the year.
This pair of birds had two broods, the second brood being
hatched the third week in July. As soon as the second
brood was hatched the old birds drove the first family off the
pond. I used to see the old birds feed the young ones on
feathers which they pulled out of their breasts, and the
young ones also pulled feathers out of the old birds for them-
selves.

W. RoBERTS.

MANX SHEARWATER IN WARWICKSHIRE.

A Manx Shearwater (Puffinus anglorum) was picked up at
Brownsover about two miles from Rugby, on the night of
September 7th, and brought next morning to Mr. H. Boughton
Leigh, with whom I was staying. The bird was a female in
good condition. Mr. Gunn, of Norwich, to whom it was sent
for preservation, mentions having received other examples
from Wolverhampton and Dennington (Suffolk) at about
the same time.

A. L. BUTLER.

* * *

Deatu oF Dr. E. Rey.—On August 30th, 1909, Dr. Eugene
Rey, of Leipzig, the well-known Oologist and specialist in
Cuckoo’s eggs, died at Leipzig in the seventy-second year of
his age. His most valuable work was the Altes und Neues
aus dem Haushalte des Kuckucks, published in 1892, and still
far too little known to English naturalists. In this work he
demonstrated for the first time that each female Cuckoo as a
rule deposits her eggs in the nests of one species of bird, and
makes use of a limited district for this purpose. All the eggs

NOTES. 203

laid by one hen are similar in appearance, and about seven-
teen to twenty-two are laid in a season on alternate days.
In comparing these results with those arrived at by English
observers it must be remembered that in the neighbourhood
of Leipzig over eighty per cent. of Cuckoos’ eggs are laid
in nests of the Red-backed Shrike. Moreover, the nature of
the country, which is arable, devoid of hedges, and only
sparsely wooded with small plantations, renders it possible
for an energetic bird’s-nester to make practically certain of
inspecting every Shrike’s nest in a given district. In a
country like England, with its innumerable hedgerows,
gardens, and woods, such systematic working of the ground
is not possible except to a very limited extent. But the
most convincing proof of the truth of Dr. Rey’s conclusions
is the sight of his wonderful collection of nearly one thousand
Cuckoos’ eggs, with long series of eggs obviously laid by the
same hen, in a single season, and in some cases in consecutive
years, all carefully marked by De Rey in the same painstaking
way in which all his scientific work was done. I cannot conclude
without paying a tribute to his kindliness of heart and
hospitable spirit ; and shall always retain pleasant recollec-
tions of my visit to the man who has done more than any
other to elucidate the breeding habits of this mysterious bird.

FF. C. R. JouRDAIN.

THE Use or Domep Nests.—Mr. R. J. Ussher (Irish
Naturalist, 1909, p. 223), commenting on Mr. C. B. Moffat’s
paper, suggests that one of the objects of the domed nest is
to provide warmth for the young, and that in every case
mentioned, with the exception of the Magpie, the eggs being
white or nearly white, are less conspicuous when covered by
a dome which closely resembles its surroundings. My own
experience of the Dipper’s nest is, that it is not uncommonly
found within range of the spray of a waterfall, and some nests
are literally soaked with dripping water, but Mr. Ussher
considers such sites unusual. Mr. D. Dewar points out that
the Indian species, which make covered nests, do not lay
unusually large clutches of eggs, and thinks that domed nests
have no particular significance.—F. C. R. J.

ADDITIONS TO THE SHROPSHIRE AVIFAUNA.—Correction.—
‘* Roche” (supra, page 165, lines 11 and 14) shoud be
“Rocke.” The reference is to John Rocke’s paper on Shrop-
shire birds in the ** Zoologist,” 1864-65.—H. E. Forrest.

204. BRITISH BIRDS.

WEIGHTS OF UNnBLown Eoas.—Mr. N. H. Foster (Irish
Naturalist, 1909, p. 216) gives a further instalment, in con-
tinuation of his previous papers on this subject, in which the
eggs of twenty species are dealt with.

Woop-WrEN AT LonponDERRY.—Mr. D. C. Campbell
records in the ‘Irish Naturalist ’’ (1909, p. 207) that on April
17th and 18th last he heard a small Warbler singing, which
from his description there can be little doubt was an example
of Phylloscopus sibilatrix which has an extremely local distri-
bution in Ireland and has not we believe previously been
recorded from Londonderry.

WHITE-THROATED SPARROW AT THE FLANNAN IsLANDS.—A
male of the White-throated Sparrow or Bunting (Zonotrichia
albicollis), an American species, was shot on May 18th, 1909, on
Eilean Mor, Flannan Islands (Ff. Smalley, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist.,
1909, p. 246). This species has occurred previously at
Aberdeen, as well as in Holderness, Yorks, and near Brighton,
but it is most probable to suppose that all these birds escaped
from ships coming from America.

Ruppy SwHELD-Duck at SuLE SKERRY, ORKNEY.—An
adult female Z7'adorna casarca was obtained on this remote
island on June 18th, 1909, and was forwarded in the flesh to
the Royal Scottish Museum. The species had not previously
been recorded from any of the northern isles of Scotland
(W. E. Clarke, Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 247).

BLACK-TAILED Gopwits IN ScoTLAND.—An example of
Limosa belgica was seen on April 23rd, May 3rd and 2lst,
June 4th, and August 30th, 1909, in company with Bar-tailed
Godwits in Cromarty Firth (Annie C. Jackson, Ann. Scot.
Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 247). One was shot at Morton Loch,
Tentsmuir, Fife, on August 20th, 1909 (W. Berry, loc. cit.).
One frequented the west side of Iona from September 21st
to 26th, 1908 (t.c., p. 212).

SABINE’S GULL IN SHETLAND.—Mr. J. S. Tulloch observed
a gull at Lerwick on July 25th, 1909, which from his
description (distinct black collar, dark grey cap, long forked
tail, about the size of a Black-headed Gull) must have been
an adult Xema sabinii (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1909, p. 248).

=)

HS)
a
a5

SRVIWSE

The Home-Life of a Golden Eagle. Photographed and des-
cribed by H. B. Macpherson. (Witherby & Co.) Crown 4to,
pp- 45, and 32 plates, 5s. net.

AFTER waiting three years Mr. H. B. Macpherson has been
able to carry out his determination of making an intimate
study of the home-life of a pair of Golden Eagles and their
young, and in the present artistic volame he has given us
a detailed account of his observations illustrated with a unique
series of photographs. The number of Eagles’ eyries must be
extremely small which are so situated as to afford an environ-
ment that can be turned to account by the naturalist-photo-
grapher, and Mr. Macpherson must be accounted a lucky man
to have found such an one. Fortune must ever be a factor in
this, as in most other ventures of the sportsman or naturalist,
but this does not in the least detract from the ability,
perseverance and endurance that is called for in making the
best use of such an opportunity when it occurs.

Situated in a gloomy corrie in the heart of the Grampians
at a height of close upon 3000 feet, this Eagles’ nest was on
a ledge that could be approached fairly easily from both
above and below. Ata convenient spot on the ledge some
200 feet above the brawling burn and close to the nest, the
author excavated a hole two feet deep and built up walls
of stones on three sides, roofing his hiding-place with canvas,
covered with grass and heather. For the best part of three
months he visited this almost daily, walking to and from the
nest, in the aggregate, as he tells us, well over a thousand
miles, and frequently remaining crouched beside his camera
for twelve or sixteen hours a day, frozen by the nipping cold
winds, often drenched to the skin, and exposed later on to the
attacks of biting insects with which the nest swarmed as the
young birds grew. Such persistence and endurance can really
be only fully appreciated by one who has (although in a milder
way) followed similar pursuits, and a full appreciation of the
difficulties renders our admiration of the results achieved all
the more enthusiastic. Mr. Macpherson is to be heartily con-
gratulated on the success of his undertaking, and British
ornithologists are indebted to him for a unique account of the
nesting habits and early life of our noblest British bird,
which after years of persecution has at length received, we
are glad to note, that measure of protection it so richly
deserves. Such investigations as those of the author, ac-

Q

(,9s0-q uapjoH v fo afi q-ewozy,, 24}; woly)
, HHHLVAH HAO HONDO V YALSONOOA GHLVIYOANT AHL GAYHHHO AHS ,,

REVIEWS. 207

companied by such telling examples of what the camera is

capable of recording, must go far towards promoting that
study of the wild life of our islands which is gaining such a
hold on the public of to-day. ‘To all those who are interested
in this study we can heartily recommend Mr. Macpherson’s
book.
The photographs are quite among the best of their kind
that we have seen.
NT:

VIII. Jahresbericht (1908) der Vogelwarte Rossitten der
Deutschen Ornithologischen Gesellschaft. By Dr. J. Thiene-
mann (reprinted from the Journal fir Ornithologie, July,
1909.)

‘THe chief interest that this report will have for readers of
British Birps lies in the pages (432-470) devoted to
the results of the bird-marking enquiry. During 1908,
31 “returns”? were got, including 11 Storks, some of them
from Africa. These African returns have been published,
however, in a separate paper, referred to already in these
pages (supra, p. 86, see also Vol. II, p. 366). More important
are the summaries of all the returns for Hooded Crows
(Corvus cornix) and Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridibundus)
since the beginning of the enquiry. Of the Crows we need

say little, the results having been already described in

British Brrps (Vol. II., p. 364-6), since which time the
returns have merely afforded confirmation of the facts
already ascertained. It may be mentioned that particulars
are given of 111 Crows re-obtained, out of a total of 909
marked, the percentage of returns now standing as high as
12.2, which is encouraging news to those who are taking up
this method of migrational study! The returns are also
marked on one of the maps, a glance at which should
convince the most sceptical person of the value of bird-
marking. 616 Black-headed Gulls have been marked at
their nesting place at Rossitten, and of these 40 (=6.4 per cent.)
have been heard of again and are recorded in this report.
On the strength of these, Dr. Thienemann now lays down
three routes :—(a) along the south coasts of the Baltic and
North Sea, and down the east coast of France as far as
Bordeaux; (b) the same as far as the Zuyder Zee, and then
crossing the continent by the Rhine and the Rhone; (c)
directly across the continent by the Vistula, Danube, Save,
etc., forking at the head of the Adriatic and going a little
distance down each side, and extended (not definitely marked)

208 BRITISH BIRDS.

to the south of Italy and to Tunis. This is less satisfactory
than the conclusion reached with regard to the Crows: the
records along these routes are few and far between, and do
not, in our opinion, justify any more definite statement than
that the Rossitten Gulls spread over Europe in southerly,
westerly, and intervening directions from that place, tending,
of course, to be found in the neighbourhood of the sea or of
large rivers and lakes. Some better proof of the existence
of such routes as are described-is wanting. Time and further
returns will certainly clear up this point, but in the meantime
too much stress should not be laid on such hypothetical
conclusions. Theorising at too early a stage of such an
enquiry is to be condemned as likely to prejudice the final
results. The report is an important addition to the literature
of bird-migration.

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BRITISH
BIRDS

~ ANTLUSTRATED’MAGAZINE
DEVOTEDTOTHEBIRDS ON
=. THEBRTISHIST

Vol. Hh.
No. 7.

DECEMBER 1,
1909.

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M.B.0.U., AND Norman F. TiceHurst, M.A., F.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

Contents oF NumBER 7, Vou. III.: DrecemsBer 1, 1909.

Sequences of Plumages in British Birds. I. igs nee

by H. F. Witherby 209
The Wood-Pigeon ‘* Diphtheria, ” by ©. B. Ticehur st, M.A.,

B:C.5) M-R-C-S:,0MB.O.U.) | ef: - 2
Manx Ornithological Notes, 1905- 1908, by P. ie Balte < 215
Notes:—Recovery of Marked Birds (H. F. W. and A.

Landsborough Thomson). Migration in the Mediter-

ranean (C. B. Ticehurst.) The Meaning of Birds’

Songs (F. W. Headley and Collingwood Ingram).

Number of Eggs laid by Terns (C. B. Ticehurst,

Norman Gilroy, Percy F. Bunyard and N. F. Tice-

hurst). Yellow - Browed Warbler in Lincolnshire

(G. H. Caton Haigh). Extraordinary Boldness of a

Grasshopper-Warbler (Miss E. L. Turner). Blue-headed

Wagtail in Essex (J. Beddall Smith. Red-breasted

Flycatcher in Lincolnshire (G. H. Caton Haigh).

Lesser Redpoll in Essex (D. H. Meares), The Irruption

of Crossbills, Plate XIII. Crossbills in the Ferées

C. B. Ticehurst). Rooks and Jackdaws—A Query

(F. B. Kirkman). American Bittern in Sussex

(Herbert Langton). Glossy Ibises in Yorkshire,

Nottinghamshire and Devonshire (Ernest Kempsey,

T. H. Nelson, E. Hall and J. Whitaker), Pintail and

Scaup-Ducks in Surrey (Howard Bentham). Wood-

Sandpiper in Sussex (E. C. Arnold). Black Terns in

North Wales (C. B. Ticehurst and C. Kingsley Siddall).

Puffins in Surrey (Miss C. M. Acland). Manx Shear-

water in Berkshire (Heatley Noble). Short Notes .. 219

SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES IN BRITISH BIRDS.

I.—INTRODUCTORY.

15256
H. F. WITHERBY.

Aw Editorial promise was given in the first number of
the present volume to make a beginning, at all events,
in describing the Sequence of Plumages which takes place

R

210 BRITISH BIRDS.

in our birds from the nestling to maturity, and from
season to season.

It is extraordinary how little we know, notwithstanding
all the present-day knowledge of British birds, of the
Sequence of Plumages and the methods whereby these
plumages are acquired in even our commonest species.
In his “‘ Dictionary of Birds” (p. 595) the late Professor
Newton deplored the neglect of this important work by
ornithologists, and remarked that there was little
advance in our knowledge of the subject since the
observations of Herr W. Meves were published in 1854.

In 1900, Dr. Jonathan Dwight, Jun., published an
important monograph on ‘“‘ The Sequence of Plumages
and Moults of the Passerine Birds. of New York ”
(Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci., Vol. XIII., pp. 73-360, October
31st, 1900). This, so far as I know, is the only con-
nected and complete account of the cycle of plumages
of any birds, though the extremely careful descriptions
of many of the plumages of our birds by William
Macgillivray, and the equally careful descriptions of
Naumann, must not pass unnoticed, since these re-
nowned ornithologists made a most diligent and pains-
taking beginning to what was in their time undoubtedly
an impossible task to complete, owing to insufficient
material.

The difficulties of obtaining material sufficiently com-
plete to work out the changes of plumage in any one
species are considerable. In most collections moulting
specimens are conspicuous by their absence ; few people
take the trouble to determine, by a simple examination of
the skull when an autumn bird is being skinned, whether
it is young or old; many skins bear no adequate
data regarding sex or date, and in describing plumages it
is above all necessary to know by some other guide than
the plumage itself, whether the bird is old or young,
male or female. In the case of summer migrants, again,
few African travellers seem to take the trouble to collect
the ‘“‘common”’ British species in their winter-quarters,

H. F. WITHERBY: PLUMAGES. 211

while it is also not easy to obtain examples of these and
other birds in their juvenile and summer-plumages in
this country owing to the close season. ‘These are some
of the difficulties which make it a lengthy task to
examine sufficient material to enable one to detail all
the plumages through which a bird passes, and this must
be our excuse for proceeding with the descriptions by
instalments as we are able to gather together the
necessary material.

To those who have not studied the subject the sequence
of plumages in various birds may seem to follow a fairly
general rule, whereas in fact the way in which different
birds change their plumage and the numbers of times
they change it are extremely varied.

The plan upon which we propose to proceed in
describing these changes is an adaptation of the excellent
model which Dr. Dwight, in the paper mentioned
above, has provided. Firstly, when the bird is hatched,
it is either entirely naked or has a

Down-PiumMaAcEe.—A beginning has already been made
in-our pages by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, Mr. W. -P.
Pycraft and others, to describe some of these plumages,
and we hope that these contributions will continue.

This plumage is succeeded by what we shall term the

JUVENILE PiLumace.*—This is acquired by a complete
moult. Possibly in a very few cases this plumage is
not to be distinguished from that of the adult, but if
there are such cases they must be very rare and the
Juvenile plumage is generally possible and often easy
to distinguish from that of the adult. In some cases
when the adult male and female differ the Juvenile
more nearly resembles the female, while in some cases
where the sexes of the adult are the same the
Juvenile resembles somewhat nearly the adult plumage.
But more often the Juvenile differs markedly from the
adult. It may be spotted or streaked, it may have

*Dr. Dwight has coined thé word “‘ Juvenal”’ to describe this plumage,
but this is an ** Americanism” which we feelit our duty to resist.

212 BRITISH BIRDS.

the feathers broadly edged with a light colour, giving
it a most distinctive appearance, it may be duller than
the adult, or it may be totally unlike it.
After discussing the Juvenile plumage our plan will be
to describe the succeeding plumages of the young bird
until it becomes indistinguishable from the adult. The
next plumage to consider in the great majority of birds
will be the

First WiInTER-PLUMAGE.—This is acquired by a moult—
in some species of a complete, and in others of a
partial nature. Many birds, for example, moult all
the body-feathers but not those of the wings and tail ;
others moult all except the remiges ; while others have
a complete moult. In some species the first winter
resembles the adult winter-plumage ; in others there are
slight points of difference ; while in others the plumage
is still markedly different. Continuing we shall proceed
to describe the

First SUMMER-PLUMAGE,
SEconD WINTER-PLUMAGE,
SECOND SUMMER-PLUMAGE,

and so on, until the bird becomes ie when we shall
proceed to the moults and plumages of the adult, begin-
ning with the

ApuLtt WINTER-PLUMAGE.—This is invariably acquired
by a complete moult and is succeeded by the

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE.—This in some cases has much
the same appearance as the previous plumage ; in others
it is different, and is acquired by a complete moult,
by a partial moult, or by abrasion and loss of certain
parts of the feathers—a process which sometimes
causes as striking a change in the bird’s appearance as
in cases where a complete moult has been undergone.

In the large majority of cases the Sequence of Plumages

will thus be complete, but in a few species it will be
necessary to discuss other and intermediate plumages.

( 218 )

THE WOOD-PIGEON “DIPHTHERIA.”
THE RESULTS OF THE SECOND: “BRITISH BIRDS’ ENQUIRY.*

BY
c. B. TICEHURST, M.aA., B.C., M.R.C.S., M.B.0.U.

Durine the winter of 1908-9 the readers of BritisH
BrIrDs were invited (see Vol. II., p. 199) to send in any
observations they were able to make on the presence or
absence of this disease in various parts of Britain; the
results (such as they are) of this enquiry I now set forth.

Only about forty schedules were received from seventeen
counties of England and Wales, three from Ireland, and
two from Scotland.

Twenty-five observers in districts scattered over
seventeen counties of England and Wales, one from
Scotland, and one from Ireland, were unanimous in
their report that—

(1) Wood-Pigeons were either far less numerous than
usual, particularly migratory birds, or (in a
few places only) up to the usual average.

(2) The acorn and beech-mast crop was very scanty
or non-existent, though in most places there
seemed to have been as usual a plentiful supply
of green food (turnip, clover, cabbage, etc.).

(3) There was no sign of Wood-Pigeon ‘ diphtheria.”

Four observers in England and Wales, two in Ireland,
and one in Scotland agreed that—

(1) There were more migratory Wood-Pigeons than
usual. .

(2) There was a plentiful supply of acorns, besides
the usual green crops, and only in one case a
plentiful supply of beech-mast.

(3) There was no sign of Wood-Pigeon ‘ diphtheria.”’

There were only eight places where the Wood-Pigeon
*‘ diphtheria’? was noted, and in all these the numbers

* For the results of the first enquiry, see Vol. II., pp. 69-77.

214 BRITISH BIRDS.

affected were comparatively few. In four of these places
the Wood-Pigeons were much above their usual numbers,
the acorn crop was heavier than the average, and the
numbers of birds affected were greatest.

In the other four places there were fewer Wood-Pigeons
than usual, the acorn crop was a poor one, and the numbers
of birds affected were fewest.

It is interesting to note that, though in many places
where the disease was prevalent in the winter 1907-8,
there is no record of any disease, yet in three districts (in
Surrey, Berkshire and Wiltshire) a few cases were again
recorded ; also that in two districts where the disease
occurred, apparently no migratory birds had put in an
appearance.

The prevalence of disease was greatest in two districts
in Warwickshire and in a district in Montgomeryshire ; a
fair number of diseased birds was recorded from a district
of Northamptonshire, and there were a few cases from
Shropshire. As in the previous year, some districts of the
same county in which the disease was prevalent were
unaffected.

As in many districts this winter (1909-10) there seems
to be an abundance of acorns and beech-mast, it seems
probable that there will be another invasion of Wood-
Pigeons ; in any case it would be interesting to have
enother series of observations on this subject.

[The importance of this enquiry cannot be too strongly
urged, and we would beg all our readers to keep accurate
record during the winter of the movements of Wood-
Pigeons and of the prevalence or otherwise of the disease
and of the nature and quantity of the food-supply.
Negative as well as positive evidence is particularly
desired. A schedule is affixed to the inside of the cover
of each copy of this number, and it is most particularly
requested that these schedules shall be filled in with all
the observations made from now up to the middle of
March. The schedules should then be posted to us.—EDs. ]

( 215 )
MANX ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES, 1905-1908.

BY
P. G. RALFE.

THE following information is additional to the ornitho-
logical record for the Isle of Man since the publication
of the author’s work on its birds at the end of 1905,
and up to the end of 1908. For the sake of com-
pleteness some occurrences already recorded in other
periodicals have also been included here.

During this period the breeding of the Short-eared
Owl and Woodcock in Man has been established.
Information regarding certain of its smaller birds is no
doubt still imperfect, and the observation of English
naturalists who may visit the island would be well
directed to the investigation of localities likely to
harbour species so familiar to them as, for instance, the
Garden-Warbler, Tree-Pipit and Yellow Wagtail. There
seems good reason to believe that the last-mentioned
visits, and even nests in Man, but so far it does not
seem to have been recorded with certainty.

MistLe-Turvuss (T'urdus viscivorus)—Many more nests have
now been found on ledges of rocks and in walls, and in
some treeless districts nesting in such situations must be
looked upon as the normal habit of the species. In 1906
there was a nest in a “crane” in the limestone quarry
at Scarlett ; in 1907 one on a beam which bridged over
a gap amidst the sheds and machinery of the same
quarry.

Wuincuat (Pratincola rubetra)—In May, 1907, another
example was seen by Mr. F. 8S. Graves and myself near
the farm on the Calf of Man. In 1908 a male specimen
(the second) from the Point of Ayre Lighthouse was
given by Mr. J. Bell to the Ramsey Museum.

Repstart (Ruticilla phenicurus).—On the night of May
12th-13th, 1906, a female was picked up at Langness
Lighthouse. In 1908 Mr. J. Bell gave to the Ramsey
Museum a male specimen which had been taken at the
Point of Ayre Light, and a female was killed at Langness
on September 23rd. This and the last species must both

216 BRITISH BIRDS.

now be looked upon as regular in Man on passage, but
we are still without record of them as summer residents.

Buack Repstart (Ruticilla titys)—About New Year’s day,
1907, a female was taken in the Mooragh Park, Ramsey,
by Mr. J. Gale, and ultimately given to the Ramsey
Museum.

SEpGE-WARBLER (Acrocephalus phragmitis)—On May 13th,
1906, several were killed out of large numbers which
appeared at Langness Light. I have seen a few on the
Calf during migration.

Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus).—The species continues to be seen
on several streams—Sulby, Silverburn and Laxey. In
1907 Mr. Graves found another nest, which also remained
unfinished, on Rhenass stream.

Lone-TaAILED Titmouse (Acredula caudata).— There are
occasional records, in winter, from various parts of the
island. Mr. J. Bell assures me that some twenty years
ago there was a nest at Kirby, near Douglas.

Coat-TitmousE (Parus ater).—In 1808 Mr. Graves found a
nest at Ballamoar, Patrick, the first record with which I
am acquainted.

Wuire Wacrtait (Motacilla alba) —Of regular passage at
Castletown in small numbers in the latter part of April
and in May. It frequents the shingle beaches of the
bay. Seen also at Jurby, by Mr. W. E. Teschemaker in
May, and by Mr. Graves, near Peel, in August.

Waxwina (Ampelis garrulus).—In the winter of 1906-7 an
example was taken alive by Mr. J. Gale, at the
Windmill, Ramsey. It died in 1908, and was given to
the Ramsey Museum.

GOLDFINCH (Carduelis elegans)—Further notices of broods in
summer and flocks in winter have come from various
parts of the island, and it is hoped that a substantial
increase is taking place.

TREE-SpARROw (Passer montanus)—In 1907 Mr. Graves got
eggs at Thornton, Douglas, and in the winter of the
ae year saw two or three birds at Sandhouse, near

eel.

SHORT-EARED Owl (Asio brachyotus).—In 1908 Mr. W. E.
Teschemaker found a nest in the Curragh,which contained
three young. He saw both the male and female birds.
Another, also in the north of the island, was found and
photographed in the same season by Mr. F. Harris.
Other nests are again reported from the Crown lands,

P. G RALFE: MANX NOTES. 217

both at Greeba and Archallagan. In November, 1906, a
specimen with a broken wing was taken at Langness
Light. In the autumn of 1907 the species seems to have
been very common in the Southern district.

Common Buzzarp (Buteo vulgaris).—In June, 1907, a female
specimen, now in the Ramsey Museum, was shot in
Glen Auldyn. In the same month another example was
caught by a Port Erin boatman asleep on the rocks on
the west side of the Calf, and died after about a fort-
night’s captivity. In November and December of 1907
Mr. Graves and others saw a Buzzard, easily recognised
by its lacking a tail, soaring and circling over Greeba,
Curragh. This bird is said to have been shot also, but I
have not been able to trace it further (Zool., August,
1907, p. 308; Naturalist, 1908, p. 169).

WHITE-TAILED EaauE (Haliaétus albicilla)—A young bird
of this species was obtained at Greeba on 12th
December, 1907. This bird, which had still a patch of
down on the breast, had been seen in the neighbourhood
for two or three weeks, and had already been pursued
and wounded. Its tail-feathers had been clipped when
it was set up, but were said to have been considerably
abraded, as if it had been in captivity.

Common BitrreRN (Botaurus_ stellaris)—In March, 1908, a
Bittern was shot by —— Corlett, of Ellanrhenny in
Ballaugh Curragh, and shortly after purchased for the
Ramsey Museum. In January, 1909, another was
obtained at Ellanbane, Lezayre, two or three miles
distant.

Common SHELD-Dvuck (Z'adorna cornuta).—In the neighbour-
hood of Castletown the species seems to be increasing,
and must nest numerously; a nest was found by the
lighthouse boys in a hole near ‘‘The Arches,’ and
another in a hole among the gorse on the brows between
Ronaldsway and Santon River. Sheld-Ducks have also
nested on the coast between Castletown and Poolvash.

QUAIL (Coturnix communis).—In 1908 Mr. W. B. Karran shot
two (out of four seen) at Ballaghaue, Andreas, on
September 15th and 19th (F. S. Graves, 7n lit.).

TURNSTONE (Strepsilas interpres).—In 1907 Mr. G. Storey, of
King William College, observed about nine on the shore
near Castletown on June 2nd.

Woopvcock (Scolopax rusticula)—Mr. F. 8. Graves learned
that in 1906 a brood had been hatched in the Crown

218 BRITISH BIRDS.

plantation at Greeba, and subsequently ascertained that
at least two pairs of Woodcock had nested there in that
year, the nests being placed among the bracken under
the young trees. The breeding of the species has now
become regular there and probably elsewhere.

Knorr (Tringa canutus)—On September 11th, 1908, I saw
two at Scarlett; the species must be very scarce, at
least on our southern shores.

SANDERLING (Calidris arenaria).—I regularly see small
numbers, associated with Ringed Plovers and Dunlins,
in Castletown Bay in May, and again on the return
migration in August and September. I have met with
some under the same circumstances in May on the Jurby

Sands.

KorrtwakeE (Rissa tridactyla).—A second small colony, as
already recorded (Zool., 1907, p. 309) exists on the south
end of the Manx mainland.

Leacu’s ForK-TAILED PETREL (Procellaria leucorrhoa).—On
December 5th, 1905, one was picked up in Well Road
Hill, Douglas (Zool., 1906, p. 194).

Manx SHEARWATER (Puffinus anglorum).—On July 2nd, 1906,
Mr. C. Oldham, crossing from Douglas to Barrow, counted
forty of this species during the voyage, scattered over the
route, the first about seventeen minutes after leaving
Man, the last, a small party, twenty minutes before
entering the Walney Channel (C. O., im lit.). In the
summer of 1907 Mr. F. 8. Graves saw this Shearwater
frequently between Liverpool and Douglas. In the
Zoologist for 1908 (p. 429) Mr. H. B. Booth describes
a migratory movement of some magnitude observed
between Heysham and Douglas on August 31st, 1907,
a flight five or six miles in width, making a S8.S8.W.
course. On August 22nd, 1908, Mr. Graves saw one
hundred close together half-way between Liverpool and
Douglas, and a week later two in Douglas Bay.

SLAVONIAN GREBE (Podicipes auritus).—In October, 1906, a
specimen was obtained near Ramsey (cf. J. C. Crellir,
I. of M. N. H. and A. Soc. Proceedings, 1907, p. 100).

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

Common TERN (Sterna fluviatilis) —B.B., No. 4308, marked
by Messrs. Robinson and Smalley at Ravenglass, Cumberland,
on July 30th, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered at Espiiia, in
Galicia, Spain, on September 21st, 1909.

This bird was caught by a boy, and was kept alive for two
days. The capture was heard of by a coastguard named
Inocente Dieguez, who reported the matter to the British
Vice-Consul at Coreubion, who in turn reported it to Mr.
Thomas Guyatt, the acting British Consul at Coruna. I
am deeply indebted to Sir Edward Grey for drawing my
attention to this case, and to Mr. Guyatt for very kindly
undertaking the strictest enquiries with regard to the matter,
and returning me the ring with full particulars of the
capture of the bird.

BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus ridibundus).—B.B., No. 3326,
marked by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, near Bala, Merionethshire, on
12th June, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered near Warrington,
Lancashire, on September 25th, 1909.

The bird was shot, and was kindly reported to me by
Mr. T. Daintith, on the information of Mr. W. A. Nicholson.

Hovusse-Martin (Chelidon urbica).—B.B., No. 4171, marked
by Messrs. Robinson and Smalley, at Stedday, near Lancaster,
on August 31st, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered at Ewell,
Surrey, on September 25th, 1909.

This bird was found stunned, and shortly afterwards died,
having apparently hit a telegraph wire. It was kindly re-
ported to me by Mr. T. O. Masters, who forwarded the ring.

MAtLuarpD (Anas boscas).—B.B., Nos. 563, 564, 567, marked
by Mr. J. H. Gurney at Keswick, Norfolk, in June, 1909, and
shot at same place on November 2nd and 25th, 1909.

Heron (Ardea cinerea).—B.B., No. 3529, marked by Mr.
J. R. B. Masefield, near Cheadle, Staffordshire, on the 19th
June, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered on Trafford Marsh, near
Chester, on the 16th November, 1909.

The bird was shot, and was kindly reported to me by Mr.
H. Henshall.

REpDBREAST (Hrithacus rubecula).—B.B., No. 1222, marked
by Mr. J. Bartholomew at Torrance, near Glasgow, on
June 16th, 1909, was picked up dead at the same place on
November 21st, 1909.

220 BRITISH BIRDS.

Arotic TERN (Sterna macrura).—‘‘ Country Life,” No. 516,
marked by Mr. Riley Fortune on the Farne Islands on July
17th, 1909. Recovered (caught) at the Barns Ness Light-
house near Dunbar, Scotland, on August 23rd, 1909 (Country
Life, Oct. 16th, 1909, p. 543).

BLACK-HEADED GuLL (Larus ridibundus).—Vogelwarte
Rossitten, No. 1289, marked by Dr. J. Thienemann at Ros-
sitten, Germany, on July 16th, 1908, as a_half-fledged
nestling. Recovered (shot) on Breydon Water, Norfolk, on
October 15th, 1909.

Mr. A. H. Patterson has kindly sent me this bird,
which was in adult plumage. Dr. Thienemann, of the
Rossitten Bird Observatory, to whom I communicated the
occurrence, kindly gave me the above details of the ringing
of the bird, and informs me that this is the first Black-headed
Gull to be recovered in England. One of the routes laid
down by Dr. Thienemann for this species is along the west
(not east, as printed swpra, p. 207) coast of France, but this
route is based apparently on only two recorded recoveries !

WicGEoN (Mareca penelope).—Aberdeen University, No. 2052,
one of a brood of five marked at the head of Loch Brora,
Strath Brora, east Sutherlandshire Scotland, on June 19th,
1909, by Mr. F. Gunnis, of Gordonbush, Brora. Recovered
at Westpolder (information through Mr. H. J. Louwes of that
place), Ulrum, Province Groningen, north-eastern Holland,
on September 3rd, 1909.

The bird had therefore borne the ring for two months and
a half, and had travelled about 500 miles in a south-easterly

direction. A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON.

MIGRATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

I was very interested to see Commander Lynes’ conclusions as
to migration routes across the Mediterranean (supra, pp. 136-9).
This spring I happened to be passing down the Mediterranean
during a part of the migration season and took particular note
of all birds which I saw. The weather was very calm and
fine, and remarkably few birds were met with, but curiously
enough the one place where any number was seen was in
35° 10’ N., 17° 40’ E., or right in the middle of Commander
Lynes’ sea-area IV., where he tells us only odd stragglers are
met with during abnormal weather conditions. Turtle-Doves
were the only birds in any number, and every twenty
minutes or so, all the morning on April 25th, when in about

NOTES. 221

this position, these birds passed in twos and threes. They
were flying about six to ten feet above water in a most
businesslike way, and did not seem at all lost, in fact none
settled on board and only one circled round the ship for a few
minutes until, being joined by two others, all three went
straight away due N. by E. out of sight. The weather at the
time was dead calm, hot, and cloudless. As near as I could
reckon we were 190 miles equidistant from Malta and the
nearest point on the African coast. I may also mention
that a Blue-headed Wagtail (IZ. flava flava) which came
aboard when in this position was still on board when we
sighted Alexandria ! C. B. TIcEHURST.

THE MEANING OF BIRDS’ SONGS.*

THE reptiles of to-day have little or no voice, and it is probable
that the particular reptiles that were the ancestors of birds
were almost voiceless. But as soon as the power of flight
was developed and long journeys became possible, some
special means of bringing the sexes together must have been
an urgent need, especially in the case of birds that haunt
woods and thickets.

It seems to me, therefore, that we must hold that the
call-note was the germ of the song, in fact that a bird’s song
is a glorified call-note, a call-note that has been elaborated
for sexual purposes, so as to be of service not only for
attracting the attention of one of the other sex, but for
exciting sexual emotion. That many birds sing in winter
when they have no thought of nesting is no objection to
this view, for when an organ has once been developed to
meet a definite need, the animal that owns this organ
may take a pleasure in its exercise even when there is
nothing to be gained by it. The power of flight is a
sine qua non, not a mere luxury to most birds: but many of
them, e.g., Gulls, perform gyrations in the air for pleasure
pure and simple, so strongly do they feel the ‘‘ mere joy of
living.” In the same way mere superabundance of vitality
drives a boy or man to play football, but the combative-
ness and the love of play, for which football is an outlet,
are essential to a virile race. F. W. HEADLEY.

Ir is perhaps not generally known that when a Skylark is
being closely pressed by a Merlin it will frequently—indeed,
almost always—utter a low, twittering song. ‘This is especially

* Dr. P. R. Lowe writes that in his note on page 183, line 14 from
bottom, “ or nestling stage ”’ should read “ or resting stage.”’

222 BRITISH BIRDS.

noticeable when the bird is first driven from the ground
and during the earlier stages of the flight. This song is
evidently an expression of fear and is quite distinct from its
usual melody. Mr. Guy Blaine, who has successfully flown
Merlins for a number of years, writes to me as follows :—
“ Late in September, when the Larks have completed their
moult and are confident of their powers of flight, I have
actually known them to rise up before a Merlin, singing all
the time and to continue their song into the sky.” In this
case, of course, the song is normal and _ is perhaps “the
ebullition of superfluous energy” described by Mr. Stubbs.
When fighting together many birds (Skylarks and Robins
are good examples) give vent to a series of angry twitterings :
these sounds very frequently develop into a defiant and well-
defined song.
CoLLINGWoop INGRAM.

NUMBER OF EGGS LAID BY TERNS,
AND THE EFFECT OF FOOD-SUPPLY ON FECUNDITY.

On July 2nd, 1904, I visited a large colony of Arctic Terns
(Sterna macrura) off the coast of co. Mayo, and here I found
that out of about 130 nests examined, only one had three eggs,
a few one egg only, and the rest two eggs.

C. B. TicEHURST.

I nore with interest Mr. Bunyard’s remarks in your last
issue, and appreciate what he says regarding the regulation of
the size of clutches by climatic conditions. I adhere absolutely
to my contention, however, that the food-supply is in most
cases responsible for the size of the clutch, and I should like
to point out that I support this by the fact that all my
observations are personal ones and taken on the spot.

Ravens on the coast almost invariably lay more eggs than
inland birds; where rabbits are abundant the Buzzard is more
prolific; where the Sparrow-Hawk is allowed to have its own
way, clutches are larger; and to go back to Terns, the fry
which forms the large proportion of the food-supply is
certainly more abundant on the east and north coasts than on
west and south. The Wood-Lark in the sandy districts of
Norfolk very frequently lays five and, occasionally, six eggs,
whereas in Wales, where the favourite food is not so abundant,
the clutch, does not often exceed three. I know that in the
Orkney Islands the Skylark frequently lays five eggs, but
although such occurrences are much rarer in the south I

NOTES. 223

have seen five eggs fairly often in clutches laid in late June
and early July, in Norfolk and Sussex, when food is very
abundant.

NorMAN GILROY.

FurtTHER to my note on this subject (antea pp. 198 and 199)
I am quite aware that some authors attribute the large
clutches of eggs laid by the Rough-legged Buzzard, Snowy
Owl, and other birds, to the abundance of food, more
especially to the lemming, but in the absence of any concrete
evidence to verify this suggestion, I am led to believe that an
error has been made. To my mind, it is obviously wrong and
contrary to the rule of nature. However, I am collecting
evidence, and, so far, the onus of proof is certainly against the
theory. On the return of my Scandinavian correspondent
from Siberia, I hope with his assistance to prove my point
conclusively.

Percy F. Bunyarp.

THE recent correspondence on the subject of the number of
eggs laid by the Arctic Tern has introduced the much wider
and more important subject of the relation between the food-
supply of a given species and its powers of reproduction. Mr.
Jourdain has referred to the well-known case of the Raptores
in Scandinavia having exceptionally large clutches of eggs in
the years when the food-supply is unusually plentiful, and
cites the writings of Professor Collett and Mr. H. J. Pearson
in corroboration. Of the facts there cannot be the least doubt,
they have been confirmed over and over again, and in the
case cited it may well be an instance of direct cause and effect.
After my personal experience of a ‘lemming year” in
Norway, I, for one, should be exceedingly reluctant to dis-
believe the direct relationship of food-supply and increased
fecundity. On the other hand I do not feel at all sure that
even in the case above-mentioned we have the whole explana-
tion, for regard must be given to the undoubted fact that this
increase of reproductive powers in certain years in Scandinavia
is not confined solely to the lemmings and the birds that
prey upon them, but affects simultaneously many other
species. I could quote several instances of this from my own
observations, and Professor Collett makes repeated reference
to it in his writings; thus in his monograph on the lemming,
he gives many instances of this simultaneous increase of
fecundity amongst not only other smali Mammalia, including
the hare, but such widely-separated forms as the Raptores,
the game-birds (Ptarmigan, Willow-Grouse, Blackgame and

224 BRITISH BIRDS.

Capercaillie), Mealy Redpoll, and Brambling, while not
infrequently the birch-woods are devastated at the same time
by countless hordes of the larve of a geometer moth (Cidaria
dilutata). It has even been recorded on the evidence of
native tradition that frogs and herrings are similarly affected
in these years of increased fertility.

Whatever influence food-supply may have there seems to
be without doubt some other cause, of which we as yet know
little or nothing, for this remarkable phenomenon.

N. F. TicEnurst.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER IN LINCOLNSHIRE.

On October 12th I shot a Yellow-browed Warbler
(Phylloscopus superciliosus) at North Cotes. It was a very
fine example and proved to be a male. There was very little
migration in progress, only a few Thrushes, Rock-Pipits, and
Grey Crows coming in. A fresh south wind was blowing and
there had been a gale from the same quarter on the previous

day. G. H. Caton Haiau.

EXTRAORDINARY BOLDNESS OF A
GRASSHOPPER-WARBLER.

OF all our small birds the Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella
nxvia) is perhaps the shyest; but a charming little incident,
which occurred to me on June 3rd, 1909, shows that in defence
of their young they can be curiously bold. I was hidden
within the shelter of three reed-thatched hurdles, covered
with an old khaki and green cloth, photographing adult
Grasshopper-Warblers feeding their young. Previously to
commencing operations I removed the oldest of the six young
birds to my coat-pocket for security, as he knew all that
was necessary for self-preservation, and would have quickly
imparted his knowledge to the rest. After an hour or so L
placed him in my hat which was on my knee. He climbed
to the hat-brim and ‘‘cheeped”’ loudly for food. Soon to my
intense astonishment I heard a mouse-like rustling in the reed-
screen; the mother, attracted by the voice of the nestling,
crept through the shelter with a caterpillar, but suddenly
withdrew on finding herself face to face witha horrid human.
The young bird complained loudly, while I remained motion-
less. Soon the mother returned, and this time climbed to the
top of the camera and called to the little one, which fluttered
up and was fed. I then replaced him within the screen, but
a few inches further from my face. It was not long before

NOTES. 225

the courageous little hen again returned and administered to
the youngster another green caterpillar, keeping one eye on
me meanwhile. I then put the young bird back into the nest
after first fastening a ringon one leg. This business occupied
some minutes, during which the mother crept round and round
me, now fluttering with apparently*broken wing, now creep-

ing in and out of the rough tangle of sedge and grass, all the
time uttering a curious cry which resembled that of a weasel.
The male bird, which diligently took his turn in feeding
the young, occasionally showed great displeasure at my
presence by displaying his tail-feathers as shown in the

accompanying photograph.
E. L. TuRNER.

BLUE-HEADED WAGTAIL IN ESSEX.

On September 12th, 1909, I saw six Blue-headed Wagtails
(Motacilla flava) in the neighbourhood of Southminster,
Essex. Two of them were adults and four were young birds.

Ss

226 BRITISH BIRDS.

I saw them at close quarters, and one of the old birds showed
very clearly the white eye-stripe and _ blue-grey crown.
Whether these were on migration or were bred locally I am
unable to say, but as the country in which they were seen
was marsh-land close to the sea it is possible that the former
supposition is the right one. J. BEDDALL SMITH.

|This, of course, suggests a family party, and the country
is no doubt suitable, but the date of observation is too late
to make it a certainty that they were bred locally.—N. F. T.]

RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER IN LINCOLNSHIRE.

On September 16th I shot an immature male of the Red-
breasted Flycatcher (Muscicapa parva) from a hedge near the
coast at North Cotes. There were not many birds passing at
this time, but the hedges contained Redstarts, Pied Flycatchers,
and Garden-Warblers, and there were many Wheatears along
the sea-beach. This is, I believe, the first occurrence of this
species in Lincolnshire. G. H. Caton Hatau.

LESSER REDPOLL IN ESSEX.

_ Iv may interest Mr. R. Hay Fenton, whose note under this
heading appeared in, your issue for October (p. 161), to know
that the Lesser Redpoll may annually be heard in Epping
Forest in May and June, and undoubtedly nests there, though
sparingly. The whole of last summer a pair of these birds
frequented the cottage gardens behind the Wake Arms Inn,
and I have frequently heard the unmistakable trilling of this
bird in the Theydon and Epping districts of the forest, though
I have never looked for the nest there.

In the neighbourhood of Brentwood and particularly Warley
this bird is of annual occurrence in the breeding season, and
some years, by no means uncommon, and it seems to be partial
to young birch-scrub.

Some further dates of the nesting of the Lesser Redpoll
may be of interest :—

Near Shrewsbury, Shropshire ; May 24th, 4 eggs, May 17th,
5 eggs, May 29th, 4 eggs, June 6th, 5 eggs, all fresh; June
7th, 5 eggs, incubation advanced; June Ist, 5 large young
ones. D. H. Mearzs.

THE IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS* (Piate XIII.).

Wiru this number we give a series of maps which has been
very kindly prepared for the purpose by Commander Lynes,

* For previous references to this subject, cf. pp. 82, 123, 162,
190-194,

NOTES. 227

and we feel sure that these cleverly drawn maps will be
much appreciated by our readers in that they give a com-
prehensive view of the Crossbill irruption in the British
Islands in 1909 so far as the records go. Commander Lynes
wishes to point out that he has drawn up the maps with a
view to showing graphically the records as they stand, and
that he has kept as closely as has been possible, considering
the frequent lack of precise details, to these records.

The irruption of the Crossbills this year has been an
important event, and it behoves us to make as complete a
record as possible of the movement so far as it affects the
British Islands. The wider question of a comprehensive
study of the whole great movement is not within our
province, and we are delighted to learn that Ritter von
Tschusi has undertaken this important work in the same way
that he has already investigated the invasion of Pallas’s
Sand-Grouse.

ScotLanp.—The only Crossbill I have heard of in this
district (Edinburgh) during the present year was seen
near Gifford, Haddingtonshire, in August (William
Evans).

WeEstTMORLAND.—A flock of about twenty (old and young),
three miles north of Windermere, on November 17th;
presumably same flock on November 20th; between
forty and fifty, two miles further east, on Novem-
ber 20th (H. B. Dunlop).

YORKSHIRE.—About forty seen near Whitby on September
10th, one picked up on the 14th, and about the 19th one
was shot from a flock of about a dozen frequenting for a
few days a garden on the outskirts of the town
(T’. Stephenson, Nat., 1909, p. 398).

SuFroLtk.—An adult male and female and several young at
Thurston, near Bury St. Edmunds, on September 27th
(D. H. Meares). One near Thetford on October 27th,
and a small flock (about six) on the Norfolk side of the
river near Croxton on October 29th (H. Noble).

CHESHIRE.—(Correction to supra, p. 191). The locality was
Alderley Edge, near, not at, Bowdon. A single bird was
seen there on July 11th (cf. p. 124). No others were seen
until October 3rd, when four were observed ; eight or
nine on October 6th; more plentiful on 9th ; on the
15th at least fifty was the estimated number. On
October 24th a small party was seen near Chelford,
about four miles from Alderley Edge (7’. A. Coward).

228 BRITISH BIRDS.

OxFoRDSHIRE.—A flock of fourteen at Shotover, near Oxford,
on November 5th (Ff. A. Monckton).

Bucks.—A small party (seven or eight) at Chalfont St. Peter
on October 31st (J. Beddall Smith).

Berxs.—First flock seen near Henley-on-Thames in second
week in August and the last noticed on October 16th
(H. Noble).

Hampsutre,—A single bird near Hayling Island on Oc-
tober 29th. Feeding on grass-seeds: flew away west-
wards (H. Atkins). Asmall party first seen at Laverstoke,
Whitchurch, on July 18th, and at intervals parties have
been noticed up to the present—November 20th (P. W.
Munn).

SurrEY.—Fifteen to twenty (old and young) in a fir-tree in
Hampton Court Gardens, on October 25th (R. Godfrey,
Field, 30.x.’09, p. 802). Small flocks frequenting garden
at Purley on September 14th (M. C. Baily, Selborne Mag.,
1909, p. 205).

Co. Down, [RELAND.—‘ The Rev. R. H. Coote writes me that
a Crossbill, which appeared to be in a much exhausted
state, was shot by his gardener, Joseph Law, in the first
week of October last, at the Rectory, Donaghadee,
co. Down” (W. H. Workman).

CROSSBILLS IN THE FAROES.

I sEE in your last number that the Rev. Francis Turreff
records the Crossbill from the Feerdes, but he is in error in
supposing that this is the first record of the occurrence of this
species in those islands. As long ago as 1862 Herr H. C.
Miller (Fxréernes Fuglefauna) records that in September,
1861, they were numerous, and that he obtained two. I have
come across the following records of occurrences subsequent
to this date: a pair, July 10th, 1868, a pair, July 15th, 1868,
about six seen June 29th, 1882, two, July 9th, 1882, one, July,
1892 (communicated by Herr H. C. Miiller to Herr Knud
Andersen, Vidensk. Medd. fra den naturh. Foren. i Kbhwn.,
1901). ‘“*On the whole not uncommon .. . . I have many
times shot them . . . . the last time I saw them was in
1894 or 1895” (Herr P. F. Petersen in litt. to Herr Knud
Andersen, id., 1898). One, winter of 1901-2 (2d. 1905).
Colonel Feilden (Zool., 1872).

All the skins received at the Zoological Museum in Copen-
hagen from the Fries are Loxia curvirostra curvirostra.

Loxia bijasciata has also occurred once—an adult male in 1898
(Knud Andersen, Vidensk. Medd. fra den naturh. Foren. i Kbhvn.,
1899). C. B. TICEHURST.

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(Prepared and drawn by Commat ger 1. Lynes, R.N., MB.0.U.)

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NOTES. 229
ROOKS AND JACKDAWS—A QUERY.

May I ask if any of the readers of British Birps would
kindly supply me with information in reply to any or all of
the following questions :—

(1) Between what dates do Rooks and Jackdaws roost at
the nesting-trees and the winter sleeping-quarters respec-
tively ?

(2) Do the young Rooks (¢.e., those with feathered bills)
pair and breed ?

(3) Do the male and the female Jackdaw share in building

the nest ? F. B. Kirkman.

AMERICAN BITTERN IN SUSSEX.

Messrs. Brazenor Bros., the taxidermists, of Lewes Road,
Brighton, showed me, on October 26th, an American Bittern
(Botaurus lentiginosus) in the flesh, which was caught in an
exhausted and emaciated condition on the Downs to the north
of Brighton on Sunday, October 24th. It lived till the next
day. It was in splendid plumage and proved to be a female
on dissection ; the stomach contained a few small pellets of
hair, probably from a mouse or vole.

HERBERT LANGTON.

GLOSSY IBISES IN YORKSHIRE, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
AND DEVONSHIRE.

At Hornsea Mere, on the east coast of Yorkshire, I noticed
a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) on October 15th, 1909, and
again on the 16th, on which day I left the place, but my
friend Mr. Holmes informs me that the bird disappeared
a day or two after I left. I obtained a near view (about
twenty-five yards distance) of the bird while it was wading
in shallow water among the weeds along the shore of the mere.
It appeared rather smaller than a Whimbrel, but much of the
same shape, and its colour appeared black or nearly so. I
saw a similar bird in the same place in 1902.

ERNEST KEMPSEY.

THREE examples of the Glossy Ibis are reported as having
been seen near Hunmanby, between Scarborough and Brid-
lington, on October 15th, one being afterwards procured, an
event which is extremely interesting in view of the fact that,
hitherto, according to the information in my possession, there
are only five instances of the occurrence of this species on
record for the county. The companions of the specimen

230 BRITISH BIRDS.

taken at Hunmanby are, probably, to be accounted for in the
individuals shot near Whitby and Misson, as recorded below.
T. H. NELson.

A REMARKABLY fine specimen of the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis
falcinellus) was shot on the Old Hall Farm, Ruswarp, near
Whitby, in the North Riding of Yorkshire, on October 20th.
The place where it was obtained was a quiet sheltered marshy
spot, about a mile from the sea, which it had frequented for
some days. It was an adult bird in winter-plumage, the sex
unfortunately not being ascertained. The specimen was
secured by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society,
and the skin has been preserved and mounted for the
Whitby Museum. KE. Hatt.

Axpout the middle of October a Glossy [bis was shot at Misson,
in Nottinghamshire, by Fred Smith, a wild-fowl shooter, who
sold it to a game-dealer at Doncaster for a shilling. Dr.
Corbett, of Doncaster, saw it hanging in the shop and pur-
chased it for the Doncaster Museum. This is the first
occurrence of this species in the county.

J. WHITAKER.

A Glossy Ibis is reported from near the estuary of the
rivers Taw and Torridge in North Devon in the last week of
October (Field, Nov. 6th, 1909, p. 842.)

PINTAIL AND SCAUP-DUCKS IN SURREY.

On February 8th, 1908, there was an exceptionally large
assemblage of wild-duck on Frensham Great Pond, and I had
the good fortune to observe a drake Pintail (Dafila acuta)
associating with a small gathering of Mallard. The Pintail
is amongst the rarest of the Anatide which visit the Surrey
waters in winter, records of its occurrence during the past
decade being remarkably few.

When again in the neighbourhood on November 28th, 1908,
T had under observation two female or immature Scaup-Duck
(Fuligula marila) and was informed that a party of eight had
been noticed on the lake the day previous to my visit. The
Scaup, although of more frequent occurrence than the Pintail,
can only be regarded as a very irregular visitant to the county.

Howarp BENTHAM.

. WOOD-SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX.

JUNE 29th being an early date for the Wood-Sandpiper
(Totanus glareola) I may mention that I watched two on the

NOTES. 231

Crumbles, Eastbourne, on that day and the following. I got
quite close to them, near enough to see the bronze gleam on
their backs. The white rump when they flew was far less

conspicuous than it is in the Green Sandpiper.
BK. C. ARNOLD.

BLACK TERNS IN NORTH WALES.
As the records of the Black Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra) in
North Wales seem to be few, it may be worth noting that on
June Ist, 1909, when passing the South Stack, Holy Isle, I saw
a bird of this species amongst a flock of either Common or
Arctic Terns. C. B. TicEHURST.

Mr. H. E. Forrest mentions (swpra, p. 168) that the Black
Tern (Hydrochelidon nigra) was seen in Anglesey in May this
year. On September 8th I saw a Black Tern off the point
at Bull Bay, North Anglesey. I believe the bird has been
seen many times in the spring and autumn on the Anglesey
lakes, but I have never seen one off the coast before. After
losing sight of this bird I watched carefully for others, but
failed to see any. I was quite close to the Tern when it
passed, and had a good pair of glasses with me.

C. KinesLEyY SIDDALL.

PUFFINS IN SURREY. -

A Purrin (Fratercula arctica) settled in our garden on the
south side of Banstead Parish, Surrey, on November Ist, 1909,
and as it was unable to rise, I caught it without difficulty. It
is now in the Diving Birds’ House at the Zoological Gardens.

CLEMENCE M. ACLAND.

[In the ‘‘ Field’? (November 6th, 1909, p. 842) Mr. W. F.
Noakes reports that his dog retrieved from a field on October
29th, near Croydon, a Puffin, which had evidently been just
recently shot, and which died in Mr. Noakes’ hand. Puffins
have been rarely recorded from Surrey, and it is strange that
two should be found so near together and within a few days of
each other.—Eps. |

MANX SHEARWATER IN BERKSHIRE.

A youne female Manx Shearwater (Puffinus anglorum) in
good condition, was shot near Sindlesham on September 8th,
1909. HeatLey NoBLeE,

ScortTisH ORNITHOLOGY FOR 1908.—Mr. John Paterson
gives in the “ Annals of Scot. Nat. Hist.” (pp. 193-214) his

232 BRITISH BIRDS.

useful yearly Report on this subject. The spring-migration
presented unusual features owing to the extraordinary weather
which ended in the great snowstorm in England in April.
The result to Scotland, where the weather appears to have
been normal, was that for three weeks the stream of migration
was arrested, while a remarkable inrush of overdue migrants
took place in the last days of April and the first days of May ;
furthermore, a number of summer visitors were noted as being
scarce. Only ten Willow-Wrens were reported at all for April,
but they were generally reported from May Ist to 3rd.
Sedge-Warblers and Spotted Flycatchers, but especially the
former, were reported from several districts as very scarce.
Only two Swallows were reported before April 26th, while
the arrival of the Sand-Martin was chiefly observed from
April 27th to May 7th.

The autumn was remarkable for very large rushes of
Redwings during October and great movements of Goldcrests
from October 17th to 21st (cf. antea, Vol. IIL., pp. 232-3).

The following interesting facts may be quoted from the
Report :—At Beith a Blackbird reared two broods in the
same nest; at Scotscraig a Robin constantly fed a young
Blackbird just fledged ; a T'urtle- Dove appeared at the Flannan
Islands on October 3rd; an Eared Grebe (Podicipes nigricollis)
was got at Helensburgh in January.

MarsH - WARBLERS’ Nests witH Cuckoos’ E«aes IN
BuCKINGHAMSHIRE.—Mr. Graham W. Kerr records (Zool.,
1909, p. 397) that he found a nest of Acrocephalus palustris
on June 14th in a very dense nettle-bed, twelve yards from
the river near Magna Charta Island, in the parish of Wrays-
bury. The nest contained two well-marked eggs of the
Marsh-Warbler and one of a Cuckoo. On June 30th Mr. E.
Pettitt, of Wraysbury, found another nest in the same nettle-
bed. This contained four eggs of the Marsh-Warbler and one
of the Cuckoo, the latter being of a different type to that
found in the first nest (cf. supra, p. 185).

Rurr IN IrRELAND.—A:Reeve (Machetes pugnax) was shot
on August 30th near Daleybann Lough, Bellacorick, co. Mayo
(Robert Warren, Zool., 1909, p. 399), and a Ruff was shot on
September 23rd at Inch, co. Donegal (D. C. Campbell, Irish
Nat., 1909, p. 243).

SPpoonBiILL IN DEvon.—A specimen of Platalea leucorodia
is reported (Field, Nov. 6, 1909, p. 842) to have been shot near
the estuary of the Taw and Torridge, North Devon, in the
last week of October.

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“WOOD-PIGEON ENQUIRY No. 3.

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Contents oF NumsBer 8, Vou. III. January 1, 1910.

Ravens at the Nest, with some Notes on the Hooded Crow,
by Francis Heatherley, F.R.c.s._. be Y .. Page 234

Sequence of Plumages in British Birds. U.—The Mistle-
Thrush, Song-Thrush, Redwing and Fieldfare, by C. B
Ticehurst, M.A., B.C., M.R.C.S., M.B.O.U. .. ay LA 243

Notes :—Recovery of Marked Birds (H. F. W.). The Effect
of Food-supply upon Fecundity (J. A. Harvie-Brown
and Percy F. Bunyard). Migration across the Mediter-
ranean (F. W. Headley). Rare Birds in Sussex (J. B.
Nichols and C. B. Ticehurst). Rare Birds in Ireland
(W. J. Williams). The Irruption of Crossbills. Dimor-
phism in the Crossbill (C. B. Ticehurst). Snow-Bunting
in Dorset (M. William Portman). Rose-coloured
Starling in Northamptonshire (W. C. Cattell). Short-
toed Lark in Sussex (Herbert Langton). Swifts eating
Drones of the Hive Bee (Erick Lacey). Rapid re-
mating of the Peregrine Falcon (Gwynne Witherington).
Pintail in Sussex in August (N. F. Ticehurst). Long-
tailed Duck in Merioneth (H. E. Forrest). Velvet-
Seoters on the North Coast of Wales (R. W. Jones).
Female Black Grouse assuming Male Plumage (J. G.
Millais). Spotted Crake in Northamptonshire (W. C.
Cattell). Black-winged Pratincole in Yorkshire (H. F.
Witherby). Black Tern in Hampshire (H. Lynes).
Coloration of the soft parts of the Slavonian Grebe

(The Duchess of Bedford) . 251
Review :—Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents

in the Spring of 1908 ae a ae oe a: 270
Short Reviews ve 271

THE death of Dr. R. BowpiLerR SHARPE, which took
place at his residence in Barrowgate Road, Chiswick, on
Christmas Day, after a brief illness, will be deeply
deplored by all ornithologists, not only in this country
but in every country where our science is studied—for
his fame as an ornithologist was world-wide. Those of
us who knew Dr. Sharpe personally will keenly feel the
loss of one so genial and so kind. In the next issue we
hope to publish a memoir and a portrait.
au

( 284 )

RAVENS AT THE NEST, WITH SOME NOTES
ON THE HOODED CROW.

BY
FRANCIS HEATHERLEY, F.R.C.S.

Wuitst engaged from April 7th to May Ist, 1909, in
trying to get photographs of Ravens at the nest, I had,
owing to their extreme reluctance to face the camera,
abundant opportunities to watch their habits.

I shall not particularise the locality of the very
accessible nesting site beyond saying that it was in
Northumberland, and, accompanied by Messrs. E. Selous
and H. Earl, I arrived on the spot on April 7th. We
found that two chicks had been hatched out of four eggs
on March 20th, and that on April 4th some men had tried
to steal the young. They so broke up the nest with a
long pole that the young birds fell out during the night.
The shepherd on finding them next morning made a
nest for them on an old nesting site lower down. There
was plenty of material at hand, as the foot of the cliff is
littered, in places six inches deep, with dead heather-
stems. That the birds treated it as their natural nest
is, | think, shown by the fact that the mother Raven
carried away excrement after feeding the young, and —
that the young themselves generally backed to its edge to
defecate.

In estimating the value of these notes it must be
remembered that photography being the primary object
there was necessarily a good deal of disturbance owing
to the erection of the camera twelve feet from the nest,
worked from a hiding tent thirty yards off.

Compared with some Hooded Crows, which I had been
photographing under similar conditions, the Ravens
proved much more timid birds. The Hoodies, after
Karl had left me in the hiding tent, stalked him all over
the moor. So long as he lingered within half-a-mile or
so of the nest the male followed him about, occasionally

“ONQOA ONIGHHH NAVY

“ONNOA GHH ONIAVH YHLAVY NHAVA

F. HEATHERLEY: RAVENS AT THE NEST. 237

flying back and apparently reporting to the female,
which sat on a crag commanding a view of the nesting
site, and they did not return to the nest until my com-
panion had gone away in earnest. But once he had
cleared off they returned and fed the young freely,
although the disguised camera was only ten feet and the
tent about forty feet from the nest. The male several
times investigated the camera, showing great annoyance,
and, flying to the hiding tent, walked round it croaking
angrily.

The Ravens did not require Earl to go so far away
before they would come back to the nesting site, but
once there their behaviour was quite different from that of
the Hooded Crows. Each step in our procedure—the
erection of the hiding tent, the dummy camera, and the
real camera—resulted in such scares that, had the
young been of a less hardy race or newly hatched, I
think they would have starved.

The female proved bolder than the male, but on the
first occasion the young were not fed for twenty-four
hours, and on the others they had to scramble out of
the nest to be fed, and it was only on such an occasion
when the young were squatting in the grass at the foot
of the cliff that the male joined in feeding them.

The bird we took to be the female* was, as in the case
of the Hooded Crow, not only more assiduous in feeding,
but also, unlike the male, attended to the cleanliness of
the nest. But she carried the excrement away in her
bill, not pouching it as did the Hooded Crow. Both
species are extremely clean in their habits, the nest
being scrupulously clean and the young free from
vermin.

The Hoodies fed their young much more frequently,
sometimes every two or three minutes, with hardly ever
a longer interval than twenty minutes, but they had four
young. The Raven, even when apparently at her ease,

* The hen Raven is easily distinguishable at the nest by her note,
which is not nearly so deep as that of the cock.—F.C.R.J.

238 BRITISH BIRDS.

fed the young hurriedly five or six times in rapid
succession, until they no longer ‘“‘ shouted” for more,
and then left the nesting site, returning about once an
hour to have a look at them, but not feeding them or
going on to the nest unless they ‘“ shouted,” they
apparently not requiring more food for three or four
hours.

The Hoodies were fed entirely by regurgitation. I
was never able to see food passing, and, on dissection,
their crops contained nothing but the opercula of a few
winkles and remains of beetles ; probably their main diet
was gulls’ eggs.

In the case of the Ravens it was, except quite at the
beginning, easy to see what the young were fed on, as
the mother did not put her head quite so far into the
youngsters’ gapes, and the morsel was often visible in
her beak. Except once, when something like carrion-
fat was given, it was invariably the cotyledons of the
foetal membranes of sheep. As lambing was going on
from the time they were hatched until after they left the
nest there was a superabundance of food. The shep-
herds seemed to bear them no ill will, saying they only
attacked dead or dying lambs and sheep. The male did
nearly all the foraging, his range extending quite three
miles, to my knowledge. In the intervals between feed-
ing, the old birds spent most of their time watching the
nest from the opposite side of the valley, about two to
three hundred yards away. ‘There were two or three
favourite positions towards the top of the fell where,
when looking out of the tent, I could be nearly sure to
see the female watching. The male brought food and
transferred it to her there. When not thus engaged he
would be standing watching, often some distance from her.

Once when they were together I noticed both birds
standing face to face with the tips of their beaks
touching. They stood motionless in this position for
three or four minutes. On another occasion the male
facing the female jumped up into the air two or three

HOODED CROW. FEMALE FEEDING YOUNG.

240 BRITISH BIRDS.

times to the height of three or four feet, and another
time the female when alone did the same kind of dance.

When engaged in feeding the young, I at first thought
that she flew to the male each time for a fresh supply,
but came to the conclusion, later on, that she kept a
store of food just round the corner of the cliff. The

HOODED CROW. YOUNG BIRDS QUIET.

shepherds told us that when feeding off dead sheep,
Ravens hide away stores of meat which the collies
afterwards often nose out.

I have often wondered why the Raven nests so early ;
and although I do not know if the season would hold

F. HEATHERLEY: RAVENS AT THE NEST. 241

good for the deer that no doubt occupied the land in
prehistoric times, I do not doubt that at present the
hatching of the young during the lambing season is more
than a coincidence.

The shepherds told us that soon after the young are
hatched the old cease to cover them, and Selous, who

HOODED CROW. FEMALE PEERING ROUND AFTER FEEDING.

once watched them during the night, and on another
occasion from before the dawn, said that the old birds
roosted away from the nest. The large quantity of
sheep’s wool with which the nest is lined, as in the
Hoodies’ case, no doubt keeps the young warm.

242 BRITISH BIRDS.

The young on the first few occasions that we visited
the nest flattened themselves down, and each with its
head on one side looked up with wide open grey eye.
Later they sat and stared at us unconcernedly or at times
uneasily. They grew very rapidly, their beaks, at first
flesh-colour, became black at the base, and the patch
spread down to meet a similar patch from the tip of the
beak, and strong bristles developed. They gradually
spent more and more time in preening and less in sleep.
They seemed very hardy and took no notice of either
rain, hail or snow. One of the young was larger and
considerably more advanced than the other, and its voice
deeper pitched, so as to make me think that they were
male and female. The Raven language, like the Hoodies’,
is far simpler than the Rook’s. When annoyed they
uttered short, sharp, high-pitched barks. When all was
well the note was low and almost musical; there were
generally three notes in a series. ‘Towards the end of
their time on the nest each after preening would back
to the edge of the nest and then flap its wings vigorously
for a minute or two at a time.

The shepherds told us that the young generally leave
the nest from May Ist to May 12th, according to the
number of the brood, and that ours would probably fly
on the former date. They said six was the largest brood
they remembered.

Our young would probably have flown before May lst,
but for the fact that we had to take the precaution of
clipping their wings, for one, having been frightened off
the nest by Earl on April 26th, took us three hours to
recover. Nevertheless both took their flight on May Ist
escorted by their excited parents, which they nearly
equalled in size, only two of the central tail-feathers of
the young showing quill at this date.

@ 2487)

SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES IN BRITISH BIRDS.

II].—THE MISTLE-THRUSH, SONG-THRUSH, REDWING
AND FIELDFARE.*

BY
C. B. TICEHURST, m.a., B.c., M.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

MISTLE-THRUSH. Turdus viscivorus, L.

MALE and FEMALE.

Down-PiumAGE. Greyish-white, some pre-penne having
buffish-white tips. Distributton—Inner and outer supra-orbital,
occipital, humeral, spinal, and ulnar. In some there is a pre-
penna on the bastard-wing (cf. Vol. II., p. 188).

JUVENILE PLuMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Whole head, hind-neck and mantle greyish-brown to buffish-brown,
each feather having a brown-black edging, and a whitish cream-coloured
centre (larger and more wedge-shaped on the mantle, more elongated
on the scapulars) ; rwmp greyish-buff to ochreous-buff, with less distinct
pale centres to the feathers and indistinct dark tips ; wpper tail-coverts
greyish-brown with pale centres and margins; Jdores and indistinct
post-orbital streak buffish-white or cream; ear-coverts buffish with
black terminal markings ; cheeks whitish tipped with brown-black ;
moustachial stripes whitish with well marked brown-black tips ; chin and
upper-throat dull white ; lower-throat and breast buffish-white with dark
terminal markings, rounder and smaller on the breast than in the
First Winter-Plumage, triangular on the breast; belly and flanks dull
white or buffish-white with narrow dark tips to some of the feathers ;
under tail-coverts buffish-white with the basal brown markings not so
well defined as in First Winter-Plumage or almost absent ; tad/ greyish-
brown, lighter than the primaries, with indistinct barring, the outer
pair paler on the outer web with tips and terminal inch of inner webs
grey-white, the next two pairs tipped and edged with grey-white
on the inner webs; primaries and secondaries very dark brown, the
innermost primaries and all the secondaries edged and washed with
pale golden-buff to creamy buff, becoming ochreous on the inner two
or three secondaries ; primary-coverts very dark brown washed on the
outer webs with golden-buff ; greater coverts very dark brown with a
faint wash of golden-brown on the edges of the outer webs, and a mesial
terminal streak of ochreous to the inner three or four and ochreous tips
to all; median and lesser coverts brown with a mesial streak of ochreous
becoming broad at the tip ; avxillaries and under wing-coverts white.

N.B.—There is some individual variation in the intensity of the
coloration of the upper and under-parts and in the size of the markings,

* The descriptions of the plumages are taken from birds which have
just assumed that plumage or, if the plumage be acquired without a
moult, then from birds which are about to, or have just begun to nest.

244, BRITISH BIRDS.

and in the number of the greater coverts which have the mesial streak.
Before this plumage is moulted, the upper-parts become, by fading and
abrasion, greyer and the mesial markings dirty grey ; the lores, post-
orbital streak and under-parts lose most of the buffish tint and
become dull white, the ochreous edgings to the outer webs of the inner
two or three secondaries and the ochreous markings on the coverts
become greyish-white.

First WintTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectiices, remiges, primary-coverts
and outer four or five of the greater coverts.

Whole head, hind-neck and mantle greyish-brown ; rump greyish-
brown, edged with ochreous ; wpper tail-coverts greyish-brown with paler
tips and quills ; Jores, feathers behind the eyes and lower lids greyish-
white ; ear-coverts buffish-white tipped and edged with sepia; cheeks
dull buffish-white tipped with brownish-black ; chin and upper-throat
greyish-white, the latter sparsely streaked with small spear-shaped
dark markings ; Jlower-throat, breast and belly pale golden-buff with
very dark brown or brown-black terminal markings, triangular on
the lower throat, rounder on the breast, and terminal bars on belly,
(the centre of the belly has smaller and fewer markings); flanks
richer in colour with the same markings as the belly but larger ; wnder
tail-coverts buftish-white with broad brownish edges to the bases of the
feathers ; tazl as in the Juvenile Plumage, but slightly more worn ;
primaries, secondaries, primary-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage, but
the golden-buff on the outer webs is less conspicuous and_ paler
through wear, and the ochreous on the two innermost secondaries
grey-white ; greater coverts outer four or five as in the Juvenile
Plumage, but the tips worn and the edges of the outer webs whitish-
grey, the inner ones fresh and grey-brown with grey-white tips
and faint whitish edges to the outer webs; median coverts greyish-
brown tipped with greyish-white ; lesser coverts greyish-brown.

N.B.—There is some variation in the amount of ochreous on the rump,
in the purity and amount of the whitish colour in the tail, and in the
size of the markings of the under-parts, as well as in the number of
greater coverts which are renewed.

First SummeEr-Piumace. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

Upper-parts rather paler, especially the rwmp, which loses some of
its ochreous tint, some of the pale edges on the upper tail-coverts are
worn off. On the wnder-parts much of the golden-buff tint is lost and
the dark markings become rather browner and more sharply defined ;
tips and edges of the greater coverts and tips of the median coverts
nearly worn off ; the edging and wash of golden-buff on the primaries,
secondaries and primary-coverts have now entirely disappeared, and
the greyish-white on the inner two secondaries has gone.

ApuLt WintTER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

Only to be distinguished from the First Winter-Plumage by the
paler under-parts, there being less golden-buff colouring, and in freshly
moulted birds by all the greater coverts being fresh and not worn, while
in many individuals in First Winter-Plumage the mesial streak is
present on some of the greater coverts.

U

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 24

ApuLtT SuMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by the same pro-
cesses as the First Summer-Plumage, and as a rule is
indistinguishable from it.

BRITISH SONG-THRUSH.

Turdus musicus clarkei, Hartert.

MALE and FEMALE.

Down - Puumace. Buffish-white. Distribution — Inner
supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal and ulnar (cf. Vol.
i; p. 188).

JUVENILE PLUMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Whole head, hind-neck, mantle and scapulars clove-brown, each
feather with a darker tip and a mesial ochreous streak, small and faint
on the head and neck, larger and more distinct on the mantle and
largest on the scapulars (where in some it forms an elongated streak
or oval spot) ; rwmp rather paler and more ochreous ; wpper tail-coverts
clove-brown washed with ochreous; swperciliary (ending in a post-
orbital streak) buffish-white or ochreous-buff ; ear-coverts and cheeks
golden-buff, the feathers faintly tipped with brown-black ; mouwstachial
stripes are formed by creamy-buff feathers with well marked brown-
black tips; chin and throat dull white or buffish-white, tipped at the
sides and lower part with brown-black ; breast and flanks pale golden-
buff, each feather tipped with roundish brown-black spots ; belly dull
white sparsely splashed with pale golden-buff and with a variable
amount of small brown-black markings ; wnder tail-coverts very pale
golden-buff ; tail clove-brown ; primaries and secondaries dark brown
washed with golden-brown on the outer webs except towards the tips,
and the two innermost secondaries faintly tipped with pale ochreous,
inner margins of the underside of the remiges pale buff; primary-
coverts golden-brown with conspicuous brown-black ends forming a
““wing-spot ’’; greater coverts dark brown washed with golden-brown
on the outer webs and with golden-buff tips forming a wing-bar (the
inner four or five feathers usually having also mesial terminal streaks
of the same colour); median and lesser coverts golden-brown with a
mesial streak of golden-buff or ochreous ending in a broad tip to each
feather ; axillaries and under wing-coverts golden-buff.

N.B.—The intensity of the golden-buff coloration, the size of the
ochreous markings, and the number of feathers in the great coverts
having mesial streaks, vary in different individuals.

By the time the moult into the next plumage has started, the
ochreous and golden-buff colours of the superciliary, back, breast and
wing-coverts in many specimens become paler by wear and fading.

First WrintEer-PLumace. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary- and
a variable number of the greater wing-coverts (usually all
except the innermost three or four).

Whole head, hind-neck, mantle and scapulars clove-brown; rump

246 BRITISH BIRDS.

and wpper tail-coverts olive-brown ; lores and indistinct narrow swper-
ciliary dirty pale buff; ear-coverts golden-buff more heavily tipped
and edged with dark brown than in the Juvenile Plumage ; moustachial
stripes formed by pale buff feathers with triangular terminal markings
of brownish-black ; cheeks pale golden-buff tipped with small brown-
black spots ; chin cream ; wpper-throat pale buff with variable amount
of very dark brown triangular spotting ; lower-throat and upper-breast
pale golden-buff heavily marked with very dark brown fan-shaped
terminal spots ; lower-breast and belly dull white sparsely spotted with
smaller roundish or pear-shaped, very dark brown markings; flank
feathers with a buffish base and larger, less distinct and rather paler
brown, oval or pear-shaped spots (the edges of the feathers give the
whole a slightly olivaceous-buff tinge); under tadl-coverts white with
broad brown or buffish-brown edgings to the basal three-quarters of
the feathers ; tal, primaries and secondaries and the (unmoulted) outer
half of the greater coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage (but slightly worn),
the inner (new) half clove-brown, the outer webs washed with golden-
brown and with small pale tips; median coverts clove-brown, with
ochreous or golden-buff triangular tips; Jesser coverts clove-brown.

N.B.—As the season advances the golden-brown tinge on the wings
and the ochreous tips to the inner two secondaries and the golden-buff
tips to the greater coverts become partly worn off.

First SumMeErR-PLtuMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading of the feathers.

The whole of the wpper-surface, except the head, has a slightly
greyer tint, and the golden-buff of the wnder-parts becomes paler and
the spots more sharply defined and rather paler brown ; the golden-
brown tinge on the wings and the golden-buff tips to the median and
greater coverts, and the tips of the mner two secondaries become paler
and almost obsolete.

ADULT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult
and cannot always be distinguished from the First Winter-
Plumage, except where in some examples in First Winter-
Plumage there are some unmoulted greater coverts with mesial
streaks.

ApuLtT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired in the same manner
as the First Summer-Plumage and usually cannot be dis-
tinguished from it.

REDWING. Turdus iliacus, L.

MALE and FEMALE.

Down-PLumace. Pale buffish white. Dzstribution—Inner
supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal, ulnar.

JUVENILE PLuMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Whole head and hind-neck clove-brown ; mantle and scapulars brown
with an ochreous tint, the feathers having dark tips and cream-

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 247

coloured mesial streaks which are longer and more pronounced on the
scapulars ; rump and wpper tail-coverts greyish-brown with an ochreous
tint; line from base of bill passing into the swperciliary and post-
orbital streaks creamy-buff surmounted by rather darker feathers than
the rest of the head; lores and ear-coverts dark brown ; cheeks buffish-
white streaked with brownish-black ; moustachial streaks brownish-
black ; chin and wpper-throat buffish-white ; lower-throat and upper-
breast pale golden-buff heavily spotted with brownish-black at the
tips; Jlower-breast, belly and flanks whitish with terminal blackish
markings to the feathers, the markings being smaller and not so
profuse as on the upper-breast (some of the flank-feathers are of a
deeper golden-buff) ; wnder tail-coverts whitish-buff with dark brown
tips; tail clove-brown with an olivaceous tint to the outer webs;
primaries and secondaries dark brown, paler on the edges of the outer
webs, the two innermost secondaries with whitish tips ; primary-coverts
dark brown paler on the outer webs except at the tips; greater coverts
dark brown, the outer webs with a buffish-brown tint and tips of pale
golden-buff, and on a variable number (usually the inner half) a
faintish mesial terminal streak of the same colour; median coverts
dark brown with narrow mesial streaks of a pale golden-buff
broadening at the tips; lesser coverts dark brown with narrow mesial
streaks of pale golden-buff ; wnder wing-coverts pale orange-buff.

First WinTER-PLumaGE, Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-coverts,
and some of the greater coverts (usually the three or four
innermost only are moulted).

Whole of the head, hind-neck, mantle and scapulars clove-brown, the
feathers of the head having darker centres; rump and upper tail-
coverts olivaceous-brown ; line passing from base of bill into the
superciliary and the post-orbital streaks whitish, sprinkled with buff
especially anteriorly (this line is much better defined than in the
Juvenile Plumage); lores very dark brown; ear-coverts dark brown,
some of the feathers having pale buffish-white centres; cheeks and
sides of neck pale buffish-white or golden-buff sparsely tipped with
dark brown; chin dull white or buffish-white; the whole throat
buffish-white, the feathers with mesial longitudinal streaks and tips
of dark brown (the streaks being few or absent in the centre but well
marked at the sides of the throat); breast pale buffish-white or
dull white, the feathers with large central markings and tips of
olivaceous-brown, which often almost replace the lighter colour
especially at the sides; belly dull white; flanks rich rust-red, the
inner portion heavily streaked with olive, which markings in some
reach to the belly; wnder tail-coverts white with olive-brown bases ;
rectrices, remiges and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage (but
slightly worn) ; greater coverts, the innermost three or four (which are
new feathers) dark brown, the outer webs with a buffish-brown tinge,
and edges of rust or golden-buff, the rest of the greater coverts as in
the Juvenile Plumage, but the tips slightly worn; median coverts
clove-brown but the tips of the feathers paler, yellowish or rusty ;
lesser coverts clove-brown; awillaries and under wing-coverts paler
rusty-red than the flanks.

N.B. There is some variation in the general colour of the under-
parts and in the size and number of the dark markings, and in the
number of greater coverts which are renewed.

248 BRITISH BIRDS.

First SumMer-Piumace. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

The whole of the head darker, due to the dark centres being
brought into prominence ; upper-parts and tail rather greyer in tint:
superciliary stripes white; the under-parts dull white, all the buffish
tints having disappeared, the dark markings rather browner, bolder
and more prominent, and the sides of the breast much more
olivaceous; the outer webs of the remiges greyish-brown in tint; the
whitish tips to the innermost secondaries almost or entirely worn off
and those on the greater coverts smaller and whiter, or almost
disappeared.

ApuLT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but can generally be dis-
tinguished by the absence of the whitish tips to the two mnermost
secondaries, while there are no pale golden-buff tips or mesial streaks
to any of the greater coverts.

ApuLt SuMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired in the same manner
as the First Summer-Plumage.

Resembles the First Summer-Plumage, but there are no whitish tips
to the two innermost secondaries and no pale tips or mesial streaks to
any of the greater coverts. (Some birds in First Summer-Plumage have
lost these markings and cannot be distinguished with certainty from
birds in Adult Summer-Plumage. )

FIELDFARE. Turdus pilaris, L.

MALE and FEMALE.
Down-PLuMAGE. Not examined.

JUVENILE PLUMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Whole head and hind-neck greyish-brown, with a whitish shaft to
each feather; mantle and scapulars brown with mesial longitudinal
streaks of varying dimensions of dull white or yellowish-buff, and dark
terminal bars; rump smoky-grey with indistinct edgings and mesial
streaks of a paler colour ; wpper tail-coverts dark smoke-grey with pale
edgings and tips to the feathers; line from the base of the bill and
indistinct superciliary stripes dirty pale buff; chin and wpper-throat
pale buff ; lower-throat and breast pale buff tipped with roundish black
spots; belly and flanks greyish-white, the feathers tipped with
blackish ; under tatl-coverts dull white or buffish-white edged at the
bases of the feathers with dark-brown ; tail blackish, the central pair
having indistinct barring and the tips of the two outer pairs being
greyish on the inner webs; primaries and _ secondaries very dark
brown, the edges of the outer webs paler, the secondaries having also
a chestnut tinge and the two innermost with pale tips; greater coverts
dark brown \with a faint wash of pale chestnut on most of the inner
ones which also have terminal whitish shaft-lines, and all have whitish
tips ; median and lesser coverts brown with pale ochreous-buff or dull

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 249

white shaft-lines, ending in tips of the same colour; azillaries and
under wing-coverts white, underside of remiges greyish.

N.B.—There is some individual variation in the intensity of the
yellowish-buff colouring and in the size of the markings of the upper-
and under-parts and in the number of the feathers with pale shaft-
lines in the greater coverts.

Just before this plumage is moulted the contour-feathers are much
abraded and much of the yellowish-buff colouring has changed to
greyish-white.

First WintTER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-
coverts, and a variable number of the greater coverts
(usually the outer half are retained).

Whole head and hind-neck dark smoke-grey, the feathers of the head
having blackish centres ; mantle and scapulars chestnut-brown some-
times faintly tipped with yellowish-grey ; rwmp and upper tail-coverts
ash-grey, many specimens having a faint ochreous tint, especially on
the latter ; line from base of bill and suwperciliary indistinct and pale
grey or creamy-buff; lores blackish ; ear-coverts dark smoke-grey ;
cheeks pale buff streaked with very dark brown; chin pale buff ;
upper-throat, the feathers with dark centres and buff edges and tips ;
lower-throat warm buff with brownish-black central streaks of varying
shape running to the tips; wpper-breast warm buff with brown-
black markings of very varying shape; Jower-breast buffish-white ;
belly dull white with variable amount of dark brown markings
hidden by broad edgings; stdes of breast and flanks dark brown to
brown-black, the feathers with broad edges and tips—whitish on the
flanks, buffish on the breast, making the dark-coloured parts of the
feathers inconspicuous ; wnder tail-coverts white with blackish-grey
bases which extend up the margins of the feathers for a variable
distance (as in the flanks these dark markings are hidden) ; primaries,
secondaries and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile, but the edges of the
outer webs slightly paler through wear; greater coverts, the outer ones
as in the Juvenile Plumage but the tips slightly worn, the inner four
or five grey-brown washed with chestnut on the outer webs ; median
coverts dark brown with pale tips; Jesser coverts rather paler chestnut
than the mantle and with pale tips and edges; azillaries and under
wing-coverts white.

N.B. There is some variation in the number of greater coverts of
the Juvenile Plumage retained, and a great variation in the shape of
the dark markings on the under-parts.

First SumMMER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

Whole head darker, the blackish centres being more conspicuous and
edged with ashy-grey, giving the whole a mottled appearance ;_ hind-
neck ashy-grey ; mantle and scapulars rather paler ; rump and wpper
tail-coverts pure ashy-grey with no ochreous tinge ; on the wnder-parts
the buff tinge is paler and the dark brown _ spots, streaks, and
U-shaped markings now stand out boldly, especially on the sides of the
breast and flanks where they were in the First Winter-Plumage
obscured by broad edgings and tips; the chestnut tinge on the wings

Vv

250 BRITISH BIRDS.

is rather paler than in winter, and much of the pale edging and tips
on the coverts and two innermost secondaries is lost.

ApvuLtt WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but may be distinguished
by having the mantle and scapulars of a deeper chestnut and in some,
at any rate, the centres of the feathers of the mantle are very dark
(almost black); by having on the inner webs of the secondaries and
greater coverts and the median coverts a greater amount of chestnut
tinge ; by the greater coverts lacking the whitish tips and having no
pale shaft-lines.

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired in the same manner
as the First Summer-Plumage.

Resembles the First Summer-Plumage and can only be distinguished
by the greater amount of chestnut tinge on the inner webs of the
secondaries, greater and median coverts, and by the mantle and scapulars
being of a rather deeper tint.

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

Lapwine (Vanellus vulgaris)—B. B., No. 2282, marked
by Mr. J. Bartholomew at Glenorchard, Stirlingshire,
Scotland, on June 17th, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered
(shot) in the Commune of Aranjuzon, Canton of
Navarreux (about twenty miles west of Pau), Basses
Pyrénées, France, on November 17th, 1909.

This bird was very kindly reported with full particulars by

M. J. Béquerie of Oloron.

Woopvcock (Scolopax rusticula).—B. B., No. 524, marked by
Major H. Trevelyan at Castle Caldwell, co. Fermanagh,
Ireland, on July 12th, 1909, as a nestling. Recovered
(shot) near Belleek, co. Fermanagh, on November
27th, 1909.

This bird was very kindly reported by Mr. J. Sweeny, who
shot it. Mr. Sweeny remarks that it was in good condition
and weighed over one pound. It appears to have stayed
very near the place it was hatched.

BLACK-HEADED GuLLs (Larus ridibundus).—B. B., No. 3649,
marked by Mr. H. Gladstone at Penpont, Dumfriesshire,
on July 12th, 1909, as a young bird. Recovered at
Carluke, Lanarkshire, on November 27th, 1909.

This bird was very kindly reported by Mr. G. D. Fordyce,
who stated that it was one of a ‘‘number” feeding in a field.

B. B., No. 3210, marked as a nestling by Dr.C. B. Ticehurst
near Bala, Merionethshire, Wales, on June 12th, 1909.
Recovered at Malton, north Yorkshire, on December
5th, 1909.

The information regarding this Gull was sent by Mr.
Donald Walker to the editor of the ‘‘ Field,’ who very kindly
forwarded the letter. Mr. Walker remarks that the bird was
picked up in a wounded state.

TEAL (Nettion crecca).—Mortensen, No. 1030yY, marked by
Herr H.C. C. Mortensen on October 19th, 1909, in a
duck-decoy (where this bird was caught and liberated)
in the Isle of Fanoe, south Denmark. Recovered (shot)
on Hayling Island, Hants, on November 24th, 1909.

This bird was kindly reported by Mr. Howard Atkins, who
states that nine other Teal without rings were procured at
the same time.

BRITISH BIRDS.

Mortensen, No. 117, marked in the same place and manner
as above on September Ist, 1909. Recovered (shot) on
November 25th, 1909, in the Moray Firth, three miles
from Inverness, Scotland.
This Teal was kindly reported by Mr. R. H. W. Leach, who
saw it in the flesh.

Mortensen, No. 1040K, marked by Herr H. C. C. Mortensen
on October 19th, 1909, as No. 1030y above. Recovered
(caught) in Sir Savile Crossley’s duck-decoy, at Somer-
leyton Hall, Lowestoft, Suffolk, on December 5th, 1909.

This Teal was reported by Sir Savile Crossley to the editor
of the ‘* Field,’’ who very kindly forwarded the letter to me.

Herr H. C. C. Mortensen began marking birds with metal
rings in Denmark in 1899. In October, 1907,* he marked
102 Teal caught in the decoys on the Island of Fanoe,
south Denmark. Of them up to the end of 1908 twenty-two
had been recovered in the autumn and winter—seven in
western France from a little north of the Loire to a little
south of the Gironde, two from Holland, one from south
Spain, one from north Italy, and the following from the
British Isles :-—

1907 Dec. 10. Near Askeaton, co. Limerick, Ireland.

1907. Dec. 31. Junction of Rivers Feale and Cashen,
co. Kerry, Ireland.

1908. Jan. 5. Leominster, Herefordshire.

1908. Jan. 17. Tregothnan, near Truro, Cornwall.

1908. Jan. 30. Wareham, Dorset.

1908. Feb. 24. Enniskillen, co. Fermanagh, Ireland.

1908. Feb. 28. Near Maryborough, Queen’s Co., Ireland.

1908. Aug. 21. Woodlawn, co. Galway, Ireland.

1808. Dec. 30. Southampton.

Herr Mortensen informs me (7m litt) that he marked more
Teal captured in the same way in the autumn of 1909, and
that the birds recorded above are three of those marked in
1909.

i)
Or
bo

THE EFFECT OF FOOD-SUPPLY UPON FECUNDITY.

Ir will be interesting to follow the argument of Mr. Percy F.
Bunyard; also the additional cause, or causes, for the
‘‘remarkable phenomenon ”’ of the recurrent years of unusual
fecundity, which Dr. Ticehurst foreshadows as a subject
which will become more fully understood than at present.

* Vidensk. Medd. fra den Naturhist. Forening i K6benhavn, 1908,
pp. 127-139.

NOTES. 255

I thoroughly agree with the—as I consider—ascertained
facts, as to the direct action of food-supply upon fecundity.
And that makes it more interesting to me, to await the con-
clusions which may be arrived at by Mr. Bunyard, whose very
positive statement raises expectation to an unusual extent.

Regarding the observations upon the fecundity of such
species as the Rough-legged Buzzard, Snowy Owl and lemming
in Scandinavia; and the Short-eared Owl and vole in Scotland
(and Greece! /)—as ascertained by a ‘‘ Royal Commission ”’
appointed to examine and report on the ‘“ Vole-Plague in
Scotland”; such need not be here enlarged upon. Surely
indeed, they, at least, are common property !

As regards “‘some other cause ” foreshadowed, or suggested
by Dr. Ticehurst—so far, I believe that statement to be quite
legitimate and correct. As to what that is, may remain to
be ‘‘ plotted down” and actually ‘‘ pinned down” yet. So
far, I am inclined to the opinion that if ‘‘ some other cause ”’
be discovered, that cause will be found to be only a cause
dependent on the primary cause, or, in absolutely natural
sequence of causes and effects. Without going into a long
and perhaps needless proof or discussion, the sequence may
be something like the following :—

A. Recurrent abundance of food-supplies affecting fecundity
of say—plant-life, seeds, etc., due to exceptional or recurrent
climatic changes and conditions. Probably these will be found
to recur in cycles of shorter or greater extent and at intervals,
let us say—within knowledge—seven to ten years in some
cases.

B. Consequent recurrence of “abnormal” or “‘ cyclic”
fecundity of life dependent on such food-supplies, which have
been caused by recurrent cyclic periods of climatic conditions.

c. Consequent recurrence of other life again dependent on
the food-supplies under B.

p. Consequent recurrent increase of life affected by a, B
and oc.

E. Consequent congestion in any area or areas of whatever
magnitudes, caused by climatic conditions of cycles of extra
recurrent fecundity.

F. Consequent excess of population so produced in cycles
of say seven to ten years as has been demonstrated by large
sheaves of vermin schedules returned from most of the large
and extensive estates offices in Scotland and elsewhere, and by
the “chain of destruction” clearly traced by the Vole-Plague
investigations in Scotland (and Greece), and of lemmings
by Professor Collett of Christiania and others; and the

254 BRITISH BIRDS.

arrival of Short-eared Owls in one case, and their subsequent
disappearance ; and in the case of Rough-legged Buzzards
and Snowy Owls in Scandinavia, following upon great
lemming years, as shown by the writings principally of
Professor Robt. Collett.

a. Migration, or rather Dispersal forced by circumstances
as detailed under a—r. A phase which may be demonstrated
both under Dispersal and Increase of Distribution, and under
wider waves—so to speak—and more force during the _ bi-
annual ** Emigration ”’ and ‘‘ Immigration.”

The above conclusions may fitly be assigned to a simple
and plain Law in Nature, namely, that as Nature abhors
a vacuum so, during extension and expansion, does animal
life fill spaces which are suitable to requirements of life.

J. A. Harvirt-Brown.

I am naturally very reluctant to differ with so great an
authority as Professor Collett, but I should like to remind
the Rev. F. Jourdain and Dr. N. F.'Ticehurst that apparently
some doubt existed in Professor Collett’s mind in regard to
the effect of the abundance of the lemming on the fecundity
of the Rough- legged Buzzard, Snowy Owl, etc., for he
says, ‘“ Now it is a fact that many birds breed more
abundantly when food is plentiful than under ordinary
circumstances. This, for instance, has been shown to be the
case with several species of the Owls that prey principally on
small rodents, which, in certain years, are exceptionally
numerous, but whether such increase in the procreative
power is owing to the abundant supply of food, or is to be
traced rather to the cause (whatever it be) which renders the
small rodents in that very year so much more prolific than
common, is still an open question’ (Robert Collett, ‘‘ Orni-
thology of Northern Norway,” p. 38). JI am in entire accord
with the opening remark * of the above quotation, which is
supported by the following words of the late Professor Newton :
‘The lemming migrations . . . appear to draw all the birds of
prey in the north into one focus” (‘‘ Ootheca Wolleyana,” Part
I, p. 180). To my mind herein lies a possible explanation. If
I am to be guided by what I have read on the subject, it
would appear that the Raptores in the districts covered by the

* We think Mr. Bunyard has mistaken the meaning of the
passage quoted. By ‘“‘many birds breed more abundantly,”
Prof. Collett meant, we take it, that many individuals reared more
young and not that more individuals bred, since he refers later to
“such increase of procreative power ” [italics are ours] as an ascertained
fact.—EDs.

NOTES. 255

lemming have become practically parasitical on these animals,
and so far as Iam able to judge are generally to be found in
greater numbers wherever these rodents are concentrated,
the result being that many more nests are built in the area
covered than would be the case under normal conditions.
Consequently many more nests are found by collectors in that
area, with both large and small clutches ; incubated clutches
of two and three Rough-legged Buzzard have been found on
several occasions in a lemming year, and I do not consider
clutches of four and five are unusual, for it can be proved
that they are found every year; clutches of six must be
considered exceptionally rare, and are probably produced by
old birds in their prime.

The strongest evidence against food increasing the powers
of production is to be found in the fact that it does not
affect birds which normally lay a completed clutch of one,
two, or four eggs, though it is well known on rare occasions
that even those birds depart from the rule.

It may be of interest to note that though Buffon’s Skua
(S. parasiticus), which normally lays two eggs, also feeds
largely on the lemming,* no mention has been made of any
increase in the normal clutch of the species.

Mr. Gilroy is somewhat emphatic in his remarks (antea,
pp. 222 and 223), but his ‘‘ proofs”? are not very convincing.
In regard to the Sparrow-Hawk, surely if these birds were
allowed to have their own way they would naturally largely
increase, and consequently there would be a considerable
diminution in the food-supply if Mr. Gilroy’s theory is
correct, this would result in smaller clutches. I know the
sandy district in Norfolk to which he refers quite well, and
out of twenty clutches of Wood-Lark inspected, sixteen were
of four, three of five, and only one of six. In Devon and
Wales clutches of five and six occur in about the same
proportion. Mr. Gilroy does not say what favourite food
of this species is found in Norfolk that is not so plentiful
in Wales, nor what is the food found by the Raven on the
coast that is not found inland.

Percy F. Bunyarp.

MIGRATION ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN.

Wiru regard to migration routes across the Mediterranean I
obtained some evidence on the 4th and 5th April, 1909. We
were steaming for Port Said and were at the time south of
the Adriatic, in a region, therefore, which Commander Lynes

* Robert Collett, ‘‘ Birdlife in Arctic Norway,” p. 38.

256 BRITISH BIRDS.

has marked as being as a rule comparatively barren of
migrant birds. The morning of the 4th was cloudy ; at 9 a.m.
the clouds darkened ; at 10 it was raining, and the rain con-
tinued throughout the day. Finding themselves enveloped
in clouds and unable to see their way—so it seems best to
explain what happened—a number of birds came down from
the high level at which they had been travelling northward
and flew low over the sea, From 9 a.m. till 1 p.m. small
flocks of Swallows appeared at intervals, and I must in all
have seen over 150. I saw besides about 20 House-Martins,
two or three Sand-Martins, one Swift, a dozen Kestrels, two
Hoopoes, four Common Herons, four Nightingales, one Black-
throated Wheatear, one Common Redstart. Besides these, a
good number of small birds passed not far from the ship, yet
not near enough for me to identify them. About 5.30 p.m.
a flock of over 20 Herons appeared ; some of them circled
round the ship all night, and when the sun rose made for the
north ; some of the Swallows accompanied us for miles, flying
round the boat, thus going a very long distance out of their
way. A few passed the night on board, some travelling in
the Ist class saloon, some in the 2nd. The next morning was
fine and only a few Blue-headed Wagtails and Swallows
turned up.

The number of birds seems to me to show that we were
crossing what was at the time a real migration zone, not a
comparatively vacant interspace. But I have no observations
to supplement this, and it would be foolish to argue that an
isolated case can in any way invalidate Commander Lynes’
conclusions, based as they are on a number of observations.
But it is remarkable that my fragmentary evidence is
supported by what Dr. C. B. Ticehurst reports in the last
number of British Birps.

F. W. HEADLEY
RARE BIRDS IN SUSSEX.
if
BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL.

A fine male Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla flava melano-
cephala) was shot at Winchelsea. Sussex, on May 23rd, 1909.
It was examined in the flesh by Mr. W. Ruskin Butterfield.

RED-THROATED Prptt.

A female Red-throated Pipit*(Anthus cervinus) was shot near
Rye, Sussex, on April 29th, 1909. It was examined by me
in the flesh on the following day.

*See “(A History of the Birds of Kent,’ by N. F. Ticehurst, p. 104.

NOTES. 257

LEssER GREY SHRIKES.

A very fine pair of Lesser Grey Shrikes (Lanius minor) were
shot near Sidley, Bexhill, Sussex, on April 21st, 1909. I
examined them myself in the flesh on the following day.

BROAD-BILLED SANDPIPER.
A female Broad-billed Sandpiper (Limicola platyrhyncha)
was shot at Rye Harbour, Sussex, on September 38rd, 1909.
J. B. NicHoLs.
LT.
BLACK-HEADED WAGTAIL.

A male Black-headed Wagtail (17. flava melanocephala) was
shot in Romney Marsh (on the Sussex side) on May 26th,
1909. It is now in the Hastings Museum.

GREY HEADED WAGTAIL.

A male Grey-headed Wagtail (M/. flava viridis) was shot in
Romney Marsh (on the Sussex side) on May 31st, 1909.

Honey-BuzzarpD.

A male Honey-Buzzard (Pernis apivorus) was shot near
Northiam, Sussex, in the middle of October, 1909. It was
an extremely dark bird, being almost black all over. Another—
a female, and apparently an adult—was shot in September
near Battle, Sussex.

LirTLE GULLS.
A pair of Little Gulls*(Zarus minutus) in full summer-plumage
were shot in the early summer of 1909, on the coast of
Romney Marsh (on the Kent side).

For the above information, and for the opportunity to
examine these birds, I am indebted to Mr. G. Bristow,
taxidermist, of St. Leonards.

C. B. TIcEHURST.

RARE BIRDS IN IRELAND.
Snowy Ow. (Nyctea scandiaca).
A male was shot near Ennis, co. Clare, on Nov. Ist, 1909.
Osprey (Pandion haliactus).
An adult female was seen on Lough Erne for some days, and
at length was shot by a gamekeeper’s son on October 4th,

1909, while perched on a dead tree near Castle Archdale,
Irvinestown, co. Fermanagh.

* See «A History of the Birds of Kent,” p. 511.

258 BRITISH BIRDS.

Guossy Isis (Plegadis falcinellus).*

A male was caught in a trap near Banagher, King’s Co., on
November 14th, 1909. [About October 12th, 1909, one was
shot at Malin Head, co. Donegal; another at Straidarran,
co. Derry. ‘ Both specimens seemed to be immature.”
(D. C. Campbell, Irish Nat., 1909, p. 256).—Eps. |

Grey PHaLaRorEs (Phalaropus fulicarius).

One was found dead at Kilbeggan, West Meath, on October
26th, 1909. Another was killed at the lantern of the
North Arran Lighthouse on November 15th. Another
was shot at Tramore, co. Waterford, on October 27th.

Rurr (Machetes pugnax).t
An adult male was shot in the Bog of the Ring, Balbriggan,
co. Dublin, on November 18th, 1909, a late date for this
species in Ireland.

VARIETIES OF WOODCOCK AND SNIPE.

A ‘Sabine’s’’ Snipe very dark in colour and showing no
stripes on the back or head was shot near New Ross, co.
Wexford, on November 19th, 1909. The bird had been
seen during the previous season.

A Woodcock, profusely mottled over the back, wings and head,
with white, was shot at Ennis, co. Clare. Varieties of
Woodcock are exceedingly rare in Ireland, and I have not
met with more than six during a period of thirty years.

W. J. WILLIAMS.

THE IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.t

NOTWITHSTANDING our urgent requests for records of Cross-
bills, many correspondents had omitted to communicate their
observations until after the maps published in the last number
had been prepared. We shall be glad still to receive notes on
the subject, as we think that the progress of the irruption
cannot be too fully recorded.

It is of the utmost importance to trace, if possible, what
becomes of these birds. Will any of them remain to breed ?

* On October 10th, 1908, I was informed by the Earl of Kingston
that a Glossy Ibis had been seen during the previous week on the
Shannon, near Carrick-on-Shannon, for several days. This bird, like
the two recorded from co. Donegal and co. Derry, showed some traces
of white on the neck and was probably immature.—F. C. R. J.

+ Mr. R. Warren informs us that the Reeve reported in our last
number (p.. 232) was shot at Dahybaun Lough, the name being mis-
printed Daleybann in the “ Zoologist.’”,—Ebs.

{ For previous references to this subject cf. pp. 82, 123, 162, 190-194,
226-228.

NOTES. 259

Will they gradually lessen in numbers or will they suddenly
es Will they return to the region where they were
red ?

We hope that these questions may be answered by the
careful observations of our readers during the next few
months. It must be remembered that nesting operations
frequently commence in February, so that close watch on the
flocks should now be kept to ascertain whether they move off
together or break up into pairs, whether their numbers
fluctuate and whether they appear in places they have not
so far been recorded as visiting.

DurHAM.—First noticed in the east of the county in the last
week of June, 1909. By the middle of July they were
fairly frequent in the Wear valley near Durham and
Wolsingham, and in the last week of July were seen in
the Upper Browney valley and Derwent valley (J. W.
Fawcett, Nat., 1909, p. 441).

YoORKSHIRE.—Hight at Hornby Castle on December 2nd,
1909 (H. Noble).

LINCOLNSHIRE.—Six at Bourne on November 25th, 1909
(H. Noble).

DERBYSHIRE.—On December 21st, 1909, I examined fourteen
Crossbills at Mr. A. F. Adsett’s shop in Derby. They
were all of the continental form, seven being “ red”? and
seven ‘‘ green” birds. Four had been sexed, and in each
case the red proved to be a male and the green a female.
They were shot near Belper : the first three on November
19th, five more on November 23rd and the last six on the
27th. I have also been informed that four Crossbills
have been shot in the Melbourne district (F.C. R. Jourdain).

NortH WateEs.—The earliest recorded were at Llangollen
during the last week of September, 1909. They have
been seen repeatedly since in small parties and are
probably in considerable force along the Dee Valley.
Mr. T. Ruddy saw five at Dolgelly on November 18th,
1909 (they may have been there before, as it was only on
that date that Mr. Ruddy arrived) and noted them
several times subsequently (H. H. Forrest).

SHROPSHIRE.—Flock at Cressage on December 10th, 1909
(H. EF. Forrest). Small flock at Loynton Hall, near
Newport, on December 3rd, 1909, and a larger flock in
a different part of the grounds the following day (H. R.
Leach).

260 BRITISH BIRDS.

HEREFORDSHIRE.—Two (one red, the other yellowish-gieen)
at Hope End, near Ledbury, on October 3rd, 1909 (Harold
Hewitt).

WaARWICKSHIRE.—Flock (about 20) near Stratford-on-Avon
on December 4th, 1909 (R. Hudson).

NoRTHAMPTONSHIRE.—A male and female sent for preserva-
tion from Rushden on October 16th, 1909 (W. C. Cattell).
Mr. C. E. Wright (vm litt. Dec. 20) says that about a
hundred or more Crossbills were in the woods near
Kettering ‘last week,” feeding on the spruce-cones
(F.C. R. Jourdain).

BEDFORDSHIRE.—A single red male near Woburn on October
24th (C. Oldham). A flock of sixteen and a party of
eight to ten seen on December 24th, 1909, at Woburn
(The Duchess of Bedford).

NorFotk.—The Rev. E. T. Daubeny, writing from Swaff-
ham in August, says that ‘for some days half a dozen
or so [Crossbills] have frequented the trees round my
garden” (Nature Notes, 1909, p. 188).

SuFFoLK.—A small flock at Euston Hall on December 7th,
1909, and a much larger flock about three miles distant
on December 9th (H. Noble).

HERTFORDSHIRE.—Three flew over Cassiobury Park, Watford,
on October 17th, 1909. Four were in a larch-plantation
near Marseyatestreet on December 5th. A flock of 20-30
in a plantation of larches and firs at Aldbury, on
December 12th (C. Oldham).

BERKSHIRE.—Two near Easthampstead on October 25th,
1909 (B. G. Stilwell).

Hampsuire.—A flock (about 20) at Bramshill, near Winch-
field, on November 6th, 1909 (B. G. Stilwell).

Sussex.—First noticed in St. Leonard’s Forest, near Horsham,
in July, 1909 ; greatly increased in numbers in September ;
in October and November flocks have been present in the
fir-belts between Leonardslee, Peas Pottage, and Fay-
gate (J. G. Millais, Field, 4, xii., 1909, p. 1049). A flock
(12-15) at Muntham, Horsham, on August 5th, 1909.
A very large flock (estimated at fully 100) in Scotch firs
near Midhurst on November 18th (Captain E. S. Godman).

KEntT.—Many (some flocks nearly entirely consisting of red
birds) at Ashurst on November 6th, 1909. Many at
Hemsted, near Cranbrook, on November 16th and 17th.
Small flocks at Hever on December 2nd (EL. G. B. Meade-
Waldo).

NOTES. 261

IRELAND.—COo0. Waterford.—Crossbills were resident here at

Cappagh, co. Waterford, and bred regularly from 1888
to 1904, after which they were only observed on a few
occasions until this year, 1909. I give our observations
in this locality :—January 25th.—Two seen by John
Power on Scotch firs at Rockfield. June 5th.—The notes
as of a brood of Crossbills, flying over at Cappagh, heard
by John Power. October 12th.—I saw and heard a few.
October 17th.—Six feeding on Douglas fir. October
23rd.—John Power saw a Crossbill with a horse-chestnut
in its bill. October 24th.—Crossbills heard at Cappagh.
November 3rd.—One seen at Cappagh. I also saw four
Crossbills on the roof of Woodstock House, where they
had probably gone to drink out of the eave-gutters, as is
their frequent habit.
These few intermittent notices may betoken a fresh arrival
of Crossbills when taken in connection with the great
invasion of 1909 into western Europe, including the
British Isles, but the birds seen of late were few and far
between as compared with those that frequented the
Cappagh woods before 1904 (A. J. Ussher).

Co. Down.—A flock (about a dozen) at Hillsborough on
July 12th, 1909. About six on November 30th, and
about a dozen on December 3rd (N. H. Foster).

Co. Kildare.—Six at Morristown Biller, Newbridge, on
November 16th, 1909, about twenty on the 20th. Heard
nearly every day since up to December 11th, 1909
(Major B. R. Horsbrugh).

ScoTtLanp.—A very large flock near Inverness on October
Ist, 1909 (H. R. Leach).

DIMORPHISM IN THE CROSSBILL.

SomE time ago I took the trouble to investigate with a large
series the question raised by Mr. Stubbs, viz., the relative
positions of the mandibles in the Crossbills, and I will here
give my results :—

Loxia curvirostra curvirostra, L.
Upper mandible to the right
9° 3° 9° left
Loxia curvirostra himalayensis (Blyth).
Upper mandible to the right
99 99 99 left
Loxia curvirostra americana (Wils.).
Upper mandible to the right
5 ES Pr left

—

ho bo
OWSwA
ID 5 WTO OMT

ISO, OW

262 BRITISH BIRDS.

Of the sub-species L. c. albiventris (Swin.), scotica (Hart.),
guillemardi (Mad.), and luzoniensis (Grant), I have only been
able to examine a small number, but in these this dimorphic
character of the bill was present in about equal numbers,
except in quillemardi, where, out of eight specimens, only in
one was the upper mandible to the right.

Loxia pytyopsittacus (Borkh.). 3} 2
Upper mandible to the right ae Wa vere 6
% if 3. left 112 10
Loxia leucoptera bifasciata (Brehm).

Lowia leucoptera elegans (Hom.). 3 Se
Upper mandible to the right A 4 4
eS ¥ 35 left 8 8
Loxia leucoptera leucoptera (Gmelin), raf 2
Upper mandible to thé right ie 8 at 7
50 1 3 left oi 21 Bie 9

Taking all the sub-species of Loaxia curvirostra together I
found that :— & 2
Upper mandible to the right ey 48 33 26
= 36 53 left Ae 48 9% 27

and taking all the sub-species of Lowxia leucoptera together
that :— 4 ?
Upper mandible to the right oe 12 a 11

Op 2D 3 left sis 29 ae 17
It would seem that in all the sub-species of Lowia curvi-
rostra the upper mandible is as often to the right as to the
left of the lower mandible, the apparent discrepancy in the
females of the typical form, and in himalayensis being, I
think, accidental. In the sub-species of leucoptera it would
appear that the upper mandible passes to the left of the
lower twice as frequently as it does to the right. If this is so
it is very curious, but I should like to have examined a larger
amount of material before saying definitely.
C. B. TicEHuRsT.

SNOW-BUNTING IN DORSET.

I was yesterday (December 9th, 1909) visiting a house in
Wareham, Dorset, and saw there a stuffed Snow-Bunting
(Plectrophenax nivalis). The owner did not know what the
bird was, but had shot it on the edge of Poole Harbour, in the
first week in October, 1908. I cannot find any record of
a Snow-Bunting in Dorset since 1846 (Mansel-Pleydell).

M. WILLIAM PoRTMAN.

ROSE-COLOURED STARLING IN
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.
A RosE-CoitourED Starling (Pastor rosews) was shot near
Thrapstone at the end of July, 1908, and is now in my
possession. W. C. CarrEL.

NOTES. 263

SHORT-TOED LARK IN SUSSEX.

Mr. BrazEnor, the taxidermist of Lewes Road, Brighton,
showed me in the flesh a Short-toed Lark (Alauda brachy-
dactyla). It was caught on the Downs to the north of
Brighton on November 16th, 1909, curiously enough within a
short distance of the place where the American Bittern was
taken at the end of October. On dissection the bird proved
to be a female.

HERBERT LANGTON.

[This bird is now in the possession of Mr. J. B. Nichols,
who very kindly showed it to me.—H.F.W.]

SWIFTS EATING DRONES OF THE HIVE BEE.

For several years I have noticed that Swifts (Cypselus apus)
regularly ‘“ hawk” for bees round my hives. Thinking that
they must be destroying a great many bees, I have from time
to time shot some eight Swifts thus employed. On opening
these birds I have found in every case that all the perfect
bees in their stomachs were drones, and in no case did I find
a single worker bee. A specimen which I sent to the editor of
this magazine has been examined by Mr. C. J. Gahan of the
British Museum, who kindly reports that the contents of the
stomach was as follows: Six drones of the common hive-bee,
remains of two other small Hymenoptera, about a dozen small
Diptera and Aphid and four small beetles. I at all events
am now quite satisfied that the Swifts are beneficial rather

than harmful to my hives. Erick LAcry.

RAPID RE-MATING OF THE PEREGRINE FALCON.

ALL writers on ornithology have commented on the
mysteriously rapid re-mating of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco
peregrinus), but the followmg incident may be worth
recording.

On March 21st, whilst rambling round an out-of-the-way
district in a northern shire, I located a pair of Peregrines on
_ a large inland crag, and sitting below I watched them for
over an hour, the observation being made _ particularly
interesting from the fact that they were waging warfare ona
pair of Ravens which were busily engaged making a new nest,
their first having been destroyed by the fall of a big snow-
cornice. From what I saw the Ravens were coming off a bad
second! At Easter I was in the district again, and on April 9th
I set off with a friend to see if the birds were still there. We

264. BRITISH BIRDS.

went over to the top of the crag, but to our surprise could see
no sign of the Peregrines, though on one pinnacle we found the
remains of a pigeon, evidently killed within twelve hours,
proving that the Falcons were still about, though their non-
appearance more than puzzled us. We knew that on this
rock there were only three possible nesting-sites, so down we
climbed, intending to visit each. On reaching the first we
found a perfect ‘‘ scrape,” and to all appearance the birds had
been there quite recently. We stood there discussing the
situation, when my friend happening to look over the ledge,
saw the female Peregrine lying dead on another ledge about
twenty feet below us. This ledge was perfectly inaccessible
without ropes, but I very much coveted that bird, and the
only course seemed to fasten sticks together and try and push
her over on to the “scree”? about 100 feet below us. My
friend volunteered to get some sticks from some small trees in
a gully close by, whilst I, lazily inclined, sat back on the ledge.
Quite suddenly there was a rush of wings and a tiercel
‘“«streaked ’’ in, and actually for a brief moment stood on the
ledge within a few feet of where I sat. Seeing me he dashed
off and began to wing up in wide circles, and then to my
surprise as I watched he was joined by another Peregrine,
which by the aid of glasses I made out to be a female, and
then for some minutes I was an interested spectator of the
tiercel trying to entice what was evidently his new partner to
venture nearer to the rock, but with evident shyness (or
perhaps coyness) she hung away always up at an immense
height. Once again the tiercel dashed in to within about
twenty feet of where I sat, but naturally enough he did
not repeat his former mistake, and quickly sheered off
and rejoined the Falcon, now higher up still, and after a
few wide circles they went off, leaving the valley altogether.
We then got to work, and after some little difficulty pushed
the dead Falcon on to the ‘scree’ below. From all
appearances she could not have been dead more than about
thirty-six hours. I sent her off at once to be set up, and
afterwards on my return home was told that she held an
egg almost ready for extrusion. On April 28th the second
eyrie on the rock contained a clutch of four exceptionally
fine eggs, but these were evidently taken, for on May 20th on
visiting the rock again we disturbed the Falcon off the first
nesting-site to which we climbed, and found two fresh eggs,
and on May 22nd there were three eggs, which subsequent
watching ‘proved to be the full clutch.

GWYNNE WITHERINGTON.

NOTES. 265

PINTAIL IN SUSSEX IN AUGUST.

WHILE shooting at the decoy-pond in the parish of Pease-
marsh in east Sussex on August 28th, 1909, one of the guns
shot a Pintail (Dafila acuta). On examination I found it to
be an adult drake in almost full eclipse plumage.

The Pintail is one of the least common of the surface-
feeding ducks in east Sussex, and is most usually obtained in
hard weather in winter, though I have seen examples on the
spring migration so late as April 21st in the adjoining parts
of Romney Marsh, and others have been recorded so late as
May 17th.

N. F. TicEnvurst.

LONG-TAILED DUCK IN MERIONETH.

On December 13th, 1909, an immature female Long-
tailed Duck (Harelda glacialis), shot at Towyn, was brought
to me for identification. As stated in my “ Vertebrate
Fauna of North Wales” the Long-tailed Duck has been
obtained several times on the estuaries at Portmadoc, and
- once or twice on the Mawddach and Dovey estuaries, but the
present example is the first recorded on the Dysynni estuary.

H. KE. Forrest.

VELVET-SCOTERS ON THE NORTH COAST OF
WALES.

As there appear to be only two records of the occurrence of
the Velvet-Scoter ((Hdemia fusca) on the North Coast of Wales
(cf. Forrest’s Vertebrate Fauna of North Wales, p. 293) I
think it is worth recording that I watched four examples of
this bird in Llandudno Bay on November 30th, 1909. They
were perhaps a quarter of a mile from me, but with my
binoculars and the direct light of the sun I saw them to
advantage. The white bar on each wing and the white
patches about their eyes could be distinctly seen, but from
the colour of their plumage—dark brown, with the exception
of their breasts which were dull white—it is evident that they
were either female or immature birds. They dived repeatedly
and were not consorting with the more abundant Common
Scoter. R. W. Jones.

FEMALE BLACK GROUSE ASSUMING MALE
PLUMAGE.

Amongst game-birds, examples of females exhibiting the
plumage of the males in varying degree are not rare in

WwW

266 BRITISH BIRDS.

certain species; but in the case of Black Grouse (T'etrao
tetrix) this phase of plumage is sufficiently uncommon to be
worthy of note. On November 15th, 1909, the Hon. Douglas
Cairns sent me a beautiful specimen of the dark variety in
which the whole of the plumage is a complete intermixture of
Greyhen and Blackcock feathers. The breast and flanks are
almost black, but the lower parts are edged with white,
whilst the scapulars, head, nape and neck are somewhat like
the Greyhen, only much darker and shot with purple. There
is a good deal of white on the cheeks and throat, as is
invariable in these ‘‘ hen-cocks,”’ whilst the rump is like the
Blackeock, the feathers being edged with a broad band of
metallic blue. Nearly all of the British varieties of this
dark phase which I have examined have possessed elongated
outer tail-feathers, which have been, with two exceptions,
uncurled ; whereas in the specimen sent by Mr. Cairns the
tail was beautifully lyrate, and similarto that of an adult Black-
cock. On dissection I found the ovary small, black, and
atrophied, and there were no marks of old shot wounds.
This bird was shot on November 15th at one of the drives of
the Duke of Buccleuch’s moors at Langholm, in Dumfries-
shire. Curiously enough a few days later Mr. Cairns, walking
upon the same moor, picked up the decomposed body of
another Greyhen, and his observant eye at once noticed that
the tail was most unusual. This he also sent to me, and it
it proved to be a female in normal plumage, but with a
complete lyrate tail, marked to the curled ends with the
irregular bars of black on rich brown.

J. G. MiLuats.

SPOTTED CRAKE IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE.

A Srorrep Crake (Porzana maruetta) was caught alive near
Wellingborough on October 10th, 1909, and was kept for some
time until killed by a cat. I saw the bird at the taxidermist’s
and he tells me that another was killed at the same place two
years ago.

W. C. CartTELu.

BLACK-WINGED PRATINCOLE IN YORKSHIRE.

In September, 1909, Mr. J. M. Charlton informed me that a
Pratincole had been shot on August 17th, 1909, by Mr. W. S.
Charlton, near Danby Wiske, near Northallerton, in the North
Riding of Yorkshire. The bird was feeding among a flock of
Lapwings. Mr. Charlton kindly had the bird examined at my
request, and informed me that the under-wing was _ black.

NOTES. 267

Hoping to see the specimen myself and to make quite certain
of its identity, I have delayed publication of the occurrence.
Meanwhile, however, the bird has been examined by Dr.
Steward and Mr. Riley Fortune, who identified it as the! Black-
winged Pratincole (Glareola melanoptera), and the latter has
published the following particulars of it in the ‘“‘ Naturalist ”
(1909, p. 372) :—“ It differs distinctly from Glareola pratincola

=

pe

cd

7S
ped
a, © we
we

Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola melanoptera) shot near Northallerton,
Yorkshire, on August 17th, 1909.

in the secondaries not being tipped with white, and. in having
the under wing-coverts and axillaries jet black instead of
chestnut. The specimen resembles the figure of the bird of
the year in Dresser’s ‘“ Birds of Europe,” with the exception
of having the dark bridle-like marking round the throat,
though this is not nearly so conspicuous as in the adult
plumage of G. pratincola.”
There seems no doubt therefore that this bird is an
example of Glareola melanoptera, a species nearly allied to
the Collared Pratincole and with a more eastern range. It

268 BRITISH BIRDS.

will be remembered that three of these birds were shot in
Kent in May and June. 1903, and these being the first occur-
rences in the British Isles the species was included by the late
Howard Saunders in his paper on ‘‘ Additions to the list of
British Birds since 1899” (cf. Vol. 1, p. 15). We are much
indebted to Mr. Charlton for the photograph which is repro-
duced in the accompanying figure.
H. F. WIrHERBY.

BLACK TERN IN HAMPSHIRE.

On August 3rd, 1909, I watched at close range a single Black
Tern (H. nigra) hawking over the Farlington Marsh near
Langston Harbour, in company with some Black-headed Gulls.
This Tern was either a full-grown young bird of the year or

an adult nearly in winter plumage.
H. Lynes.

COLORATION OF THE SOFT PARTS OF THE
SLAVONIAN GREBE.

As I read in Seebohm’s “ British Birds” that the irides of the
Slavonian Grebe (Podicipes auritus) are “crimson,” and as
they are illustrated thus in both Gould’s and Lilford’s books,
it may be worth recording that the iris of this Grebe in the
month of November is a bright rose-pink, as nearly as
possible the colour of pink blotting paper.

They are abundant where I am staying in the Western
Outer Hebrides, and I have shot three in the last few days, to
enable me to make an accurate record of the colour of the

eyes, bills and legs at this time of year.

In Gould’s “ Birds of Great Britain” the bird is shown with
a white tip to the bill. In Lord Lilford’s book it is red, which
may be correct in the breeding-plumage, but unfortunately
the artist has also given the bird in winter-plumage a red base
and tip to the bill. The bill at this season is a ‘‘ washed-out’
grey-blue, darker towards the base of the upper mandible.
There is not a trace of crimson on it.

The front of the legs and upper sides of the feet are the
same colour, the toes having yellow edges, but the backs and
under sides (uppermost when swimming) are almost black.
The throat and breast are pure white.

The Slavonian Grebe takes very readily to flight, sometimes
settling again within two or three hundred yards, but more
often flying quite out of sight.

NOTES. 269

On a calm day, as many as eight or ten may be seen at
one moment amongst these islands.
M. BEDFORD.

[The colouring is given in Saunders’ -“ Manual” (2nd ed., p.
722): bill—nearly black, except the tip, which is whitish;
irides—red (becoming paler after the autumn moult); legs and
toes—dark greenish-brown outside, yellower on the inner sur-
face. ‘ Yarrell”’ (4th ed., p. 131): b¢l/—black, both mandibles
of horn-coloured white at the tip ; irides—vermilion-red witha
narrow white ring ; legs and toes—dark greenish-brown outside,
varied with yellowish-green on the edges and inner surface.
Macgillivray (Vol. V., pp. 264-269), whose descriptions are
generally most careful, says that the bd//—in the adult is
bluish-black with yellow tips, and in the young in first
winter, dark bluish-grey, with basal half of lower mandible
basal margins of the upper, and tips of both. yellow ; feet—in
adult, dusky, tinged with grey externally, dull yellow inter-
nally and on both edges of the tarsus; in young, bluish-grey
externally, tinged with greenish-yellow internally.

Macgillivray’s description of the colours of the bill and feet
of what he describes as the young bird in first winter agrees
so closely with that of the Duchess of Bedford that I would
suggest that all the birds Her Grace has noted were possibly
in first winter-plumage.—H.F.W. |

AR
=)

I
au
Sey a

RIVES

Report on the Immigrations of Summer Residents in the Spring
of 1908: also Notes on the Migratory movements and
Records received from Lighthouses and Light-vessels during
the Autumn of 1907. By the Committee appointed by
the British Ornithologists’ Club. (Forming Vol. XXIV.,
Bull. B.O.C. Edited by W. R. Ogilvie-Grant.) 29 Maps.
Witherby & Co. 6s.

THE appearance of this the Fourth Report of the B.O.C.
Migration Committee, although not so punctual as that of the
birds of which it treats, will be welcomed by all those interested
in the subject. The Report takes the same form as the pre-
vious one, but an additional feature is the detailed account of
the observations recorded at the “ Lights ’’ during the autumn
of 1907. We may note that in reference to our criticisms of
the table of arrival areas in previous reports* the Committee
explain that it seemed to them of great importance to keep
the form of the Reports as uniform as possible. If the table
is really misleading, as we believe and as the Committee to
a certain extent agree, we cannot see that this explanation is
in any way a good one. In the present report, for instance,
the Ring-Ouzel is said (pages 10 and 11) to arrive solely on
the western half of the south coast and also on the south-
east coast. As both of these cannot he correct it is
explained that the earlier arrivals appeared first in the west
and later the birds arrived in the south-east, but that these
latter probably consisted of continental breeding birds.
But on turning to the account of the species (pages 41-44)
we find that for the last four years the Ring-Ouzel has
appeared first in Yorkshire, and there seems to be no
observation to show at what point these birds have entered
the country, unless the occurrence in Kent, on March 30th,
in this Report may be some indication of its entry through
the eastern side of the south coast

The wintry weather of the spring of 1908 is not likely to
be forgotten, and that this had a considerable effect in
retarding the northward progress of the immigrants has
already been mentioned (see supra, page 232) and is borne out
by this Report.

* For notices of the two previous Reports see Vol. I., p. 30, and
Vol. II., p. 247.

REVIEWS. 271

Interesting items in this report are the following: a Blue-
headed Wagtail (M. flava) at St. Catherine’s Light, Isle of
Wight on the night of April 27th-28th, and at Shipley, Yorks.,
on May 2nd and 3rd, 1908; Nightingales (D. luscinia) in
Cheshire (? locality) ; the Continental Robin (H. 7. rubecula) at
St. Catherine’s Light, on March 25th and April 23rd, 1908;
Woodchat ((L. pomeranus) in Cornwall, on May 12th, 1908;
two Montagu’s Harriers (C. cineraceus) in Surrey, on April
8th, 1908; Hobby (F. subbuteo), in Cornwall, on May 7th,
1908 ; Garganey (Q. circia), in Dorset, on April 27th, and in
Kent, on May 2nd, 1908; two Avocets (R. avocetta) in Kent,
on May 17th and 26th, 1908; Black Terns (H. nigra) in
Cheshire, on April 29th, in Yorkshire, on April 30th, and in
Kent (three pairs) on May 2nd, 1908; the nesting of a pair of
Lesser Black-backed Gulls (L. fuscus), in Kent, in the spring
of 1908.

The value of these reports is very high and is very
largely increased as each fresh one is added to the series.

We have received the Transactions of the Norfolk and
Norwich Naturalists’ Society (Vol. VIII., Part V.), in which
we note an article on ‘‘ Bird-life in the Meres,” by W.G. Clarke,
who observed two Ruddy Sheld-Ducks on Langmere, on
April 13th, 1906; the ‘‘ Additions to the Birds of Norfolk,” by
J. H. Gurney and T. Southwell, bring the total up to 317;
most of these have already been reported in our pages, but
we note the occurrence of a Blue-headed Wagtail (MV. f. flava),
on May 38rd, 1908, and the omission of one already recorded
(Vol. II., p. 237).

In Mr.Charles Whymper’s Egyptian Birds (A. & C. Black, 20s.
net), British ornithologists will find some charming coloured
pictures—a good many of the subjects being of birds on the
British list. Mr. Whymper has also made a few remarks on
the winter habits of migrants, such as the Bluethroat, which
he has heard “‘singing most enchantingly” in the end of
March, and the Reed-Warbler, which he has frequently heard
singing in the winter.

The well-known American ornithologist, Mr. Frank M.
Chapman, has much of special interest to bird-photographers
in his Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist (New York:
Appleton, 3 dollars). There are 250 photographic illus-
trations, and although the book is mainly devoted to

27% BRITISH BIRDS.

—_

American birds, a chapter giving Mr. Chapman’s impressions
of English bird-life, during his visit here in 1905, will be read
with interest by British ornithologists.

Baron Snouckaert van Schauburg has sent us his Avifauna
Neerlandica (Leeuwarden: Meijer & Schaafsma, 3.75 francs),
which, although written in Dutch, will prove useful to those
of us who are in the habit of visiting Holland and want a
handbook on its birds.

THREE TRAVEL BOOKS.

| Wanderings Among :
. South Sea Savages

By H. WILFRID WALKER, F.R.G.S. 48 Plates. Demy, 78. 6d. net,

Experiences of the most thrilling kind amongst ‘the wildest tribes in New
Guinea, Borneo, Fa &e,

The Globe says: “ This is that rare thing, a real book of Travel.”
Across Papua

By Colonel KENNETH MACKAY, C.B. 40 Plates and a Folding Map.
Demy 8vo., 78. 6d. net.

Recounts in a vivid and attractive style his experiences as chief of the
Royal Commission to Papua, with fine descriptions of the country and
natives, and many humorous as well as tragic\anecdotes,

Three Voyages of.
a Naturalist

By M. J. NICOLL, M.B.O.U., with an Introduction by the EARL OF
CRAWFORD, K.T., F.R.S. 56 Plates. Demy 8vo., 7s. 6d. net.

A new and revised edition of this interesting account’ of. little-known
ocean islands and the-life upon them.

WITHERBY & CQ., 326, HIGH HOLBORN, LONDON,

ADDITIONS SINCE 1899.

“The Publishers have available for Subscribers a
few Cloth-bound Separates (Price 2s. 6d.) of the series
of Articles in Vols. I. and II. “‘On the More Important
Additions to our Knowledge of British Birds since
1899,” by H. F. Witherby and N. F. Ticehurst.

WITHERBY & CO., 326, High Holborn, W.C.

WATKINS & DONCASTER,

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“And Mahintiters of CABINETS and APPARATUS for Entomology, Birds’ Eggs.
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MAMMALS, BIRDS, REPTILES, BATRACHIANS,

By T. A. Cowarp,. F.z.s., and: CHARLES OLDHAM, F.Z.S., M.B.O. U.
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FISHES OF CHESHIRE AND LIVERPOOL BAY, <
By JAMES JOHNSTONE, 8.Sc.(Lond.,).
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With a Chapter on THE. DEE AS A WILDFOWL. RESORT, hee
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The Home- Life ok a
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The letterpress describes the Author's observations and experiences.

Now Ready.

A’ HISTORY.

—_—— OF THE ————_

Birds. of Kent

NORMAN FE “TICEHURST,

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

With .24 plates depicting typical haunts and notable
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EDITED BY H. F. WITHERBY, F.Z.S., M.B.0.U.

=p)
ASSISTED BY
Rev. F.C. R. Jourpain, M.a., M.B.0.u., W. P. Pycrart, A.1.8.,
M.B.O.U., AND Norman F. Ticenurst, M.A., F.R.C.8., M.B.O.U.

Contents oF NumMBeER 9, Vou. III. Frsruary 1, 1910.

Memoir of Richard Bowdler Sharpe, by C. E Fagan

(Plate XIII.) Sif oe .. Page 273
The Black Wheatear (Sazxicola leucura (Gm.)) in Sussex.
A New British Bird, by N. F. Ticehurst a ae 289

Notes :—-Recovery of Marked Birds (H.F.W.) Additions
to the Booth Museum (N. F. Ticehurst). The Eastern
Pied Wheatear (Saxicola pleschanka (Lepech.)) in
Scotland... A New British Bird, (H.F.W.). The
Greenish Willow-Warbler as a British Bird (H.F.W.).
‘© Grey headed Wagtail”’ (Dr. Ernst Hartert). Water-
Pipit in Devon (J. B. Nichols). A Marked House-
Martin (A. Landsborough Thomson). Breeding-Habits
of the Siskin in Ireland (Rev. Allan Ellison). Cross-
bills Nesting in Norfolk (Heatley Noble). Irruption
of Crossbills (H.F.W.). An Overlooked Record
of the Two-barred Crossbill in Scotland (William
Evans). Snow-Bunting in Dorset (Hustace R. Bankes
and H. W. Mapleton). Little Owl in Staffordshire (A.
J. Leigh). Montagu’s Harrier in Kent (P. Vernon
Dodd). Greenland Falcon in Co. Antrim (Wm. C.
Wright). Red-footed Falcon in Cambridgeshire (Wm.
Farren). Bittern in Sussex (Col. H. P. Molineux). Glossy
Ibises in Huntingdonshire, Ireland and Yorkshire
(Wm Farren and Wm. C. Wright). The Longevity of
Birds ‘HsEsW.). Short’'Notes .. 4A £5 ae 293

Review :—A History of the Birds of Kent .. te 3 310

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE.
(Puare XIII.)

Tus great ornithologist passed away on Christmas Day,
1909, at his home at Chiswick, after a brief illness. The
news of his death must have come as a shock to his many
friends, who were unaware of his condition. Dr. Sharpe
was present at the meeting of the British Ornithologists’
Club on the evening of the 16th of December. He then

x

274. BRITISH BIRDS.

seemed to be in his usual health and cheerful mood.
Next day he took to his bed, pneumonia and _ other
complications supervened, and the end came early on the
morning of the 25th.

By his death the Zoological Department of the British
Museum has lost a remarkable personality and a dis-
tinguished member of its staff, whose kindness of heart
and genial nature had endeared him to all his colleagues.
Those of us who knew him intimately have lost a dear
friend and cheerful companion, whom we shall long miss
from our midst. His exuberance of spirits and in-
exhaustible fund of humour, which found vent even
a few hours before his death, have enlivened many an
hour passed in his company, for even the most melancholy
of his friends could not feel dull in the cheering presence
of the late Head of the Bird Room. But to a wider
circle of working ornithologists, both at home and abroad,
the death of Dr. Sharpe means the loss of a much respected
and esteemed fellow-worker, who for well nigh forty years
occupied a prominent position in their ranks, and who
was ever most kind to those seeking his help, and in
imparting information to his brother ornithologists less
learned than himself.

Richard Bowdler Sharpe was born in London on the
22nd of November, 1847. He was the eldest son of
Thomas Bowdler Sharpe, and grandson of the Revd.
Lancelot Sharpe, Rector of All Hallows Staining in the
City, and for many years Headmaster of St. Saviour’s
Grammar School in Southwark. Thomas Bowdler Sharpe,
the father of the subject of this memoir, was a publisher
in Skinner Street, Snow Hill, publishing among other
things Sharpe’s “ London Magazine.’ But, fortunately,
the boy was not brought up in London. At the age of
six he was placed under the care of his aunt, Mrs. Magdalen
Wallace, widow of the Revd. J. Wallace, Headmaster of
the Grammar School at Sevenoaks. This lady, who was
a good Latin and Greek scholar, kept a preparatory
school at Brighton, where young Richard passed three

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 275

years. At nine years of age he was transferred to Peter-
borough, where his cousin, the Revd. James Wallace, was
installed as Master of the Grammar School. Here the
youngster gained a King’s Scholarship, which not only
guaranteed his education but carried with it a small
amount of money, which he increased by his services as
a choir-boy in the Cathedral. His cousin, the Head-
master, having accepted a similar post at Loughborough
Grammar School, the boy followed thither, and was
again successful in carrying off the chief prizes of the
school.

At the age of sixteen young Sharpe came up to London,
and obtained a clerkship in the establishment of Messrs.
W. H. Smith & Son. But even at that early period
he was devoting every moment of his spare time to the
study of birds, with the determination to earn his living
as an ornithologist, and, as a matter of fact, he commenced
to write his “Monograph of the Kingfishers” at 186,
Strand. After being with Messrs. Smith & Son for nearly
two years, Sharpe, in 1865, entered the employment of
Mr. B. Quaritch, the well-known bookseller, where he
had good opportunities of seeing the finest books on birds.
It was at this stage of his life that he worked hard at his
first ‘‘ Monograph,” writing much of it in the small hours
of the morning, and applying every penny that could be
spared from his slender income to the purchase of
“specimens of Kingfishers.

In 1867, at the age of nineteen, Sharpe was appointed
first Librarian to the Zoological Society of London, a post
he held for more than five years. Commenced when he
was seventeen years of age and finished when he was
twenty-two, the ‘“ Monograph of the Kingfishers ”’ was
published during these years. It was issued in quarterly
parts, and illustrated by a hundred and twenty-one
coloured plates. The publishing price was eight guineas,
but the book speedily ran out of print, and now commands
a much higher figure in the market. Of this masterly
work a well-known naturalist said that it was ‘ destined

276 BRITISH BIRDS.

to inaugurate a new era in the history of ornithology.”
Now it can be affirmed that the prediction has been
verified.

Having successfully completed his work on Kingfishers,
Sharpe began a comprehensive history of the “ Birds
of Europe,” in collaboration with Mr. H. E. Dresser,
to which he contributed a large amount of matter.
He had, however, to abandon the project before it
was finished, when, on the death of Mr. George R.
Gray, in the year 1872, he was offered and accepted
the post of a Senior Assistant in the Department of
Zoology of the British Museum. Dr. J. E. Gray was
then the Keeper of the Department, and it was on
his strong recommendation of Sharpe as a _ rising
ornithologist of considerable merit that he was specially
appointed to a senior position in the Museum _ to
take charge of the collection of birds. It is of interest
to note that Sharpe’s appointment bears the signatures
of the Archbishop of Canterbury (Dr. Tait), the Lord
Chancellor (Roundell Palmer, Lord Selborne), and Mr.
Speaker Brand (afterwards Viscount Hampden), the three
Principal Trustees of the British Museum.

The high reputation he already enjoyed as a working
ornithologist was such that very soon after he had entered
on his new duties Dr. Gray, on the suggestion of Dr. A.
Giinther, the distinguished zoologist, who succeeded Gray
as Keeper, entrusted him with the preparation of the ~
first volume of that monumental work, the “ British
Museum Catalogue of Birds,” the most exhaustive under-
taking of the kind in existence. The Catalogue embraces
not only a list of the specimens contained in the Museum
itself, but it gives a full description of every bird in the
world known at the time of publication, whether in the
Museum or in any other collection; its changes of
plumage and the literature referring to its history and
determination, together with a _ brief record of the
geographical range of each species and an enumeration
of the specimens in the British Museum. The stupendous

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 277

character of the task may thus be realised, and it says
much for the extraordinary industry and power of work
possessed by Sharpe that he was able to write no fewer
than eleven of the twenty-seven volumes of which the
“Catalogue of Birds ”’ consists, while he was co-author
with his colleague, Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, of two others.
Some indication of Sharpe’s share in the whole work
may be gained by the statement that out of 11,548 species
described in the Catalogue, 5,181 are contained in his
portion, and 6,367 in those parts written by the ten other
authors. Volume I. was published in 1874, only two
years after Sharpe entered the Museum, and it would
probably be difficult to find in the annals of the Depart-
ment another instance of a book of this size and character
having been commenced and completed within two years
of the author’s appointment to the staff.

Another official publication for which Dr. Sharpe is
responsible is his “‘ Hand-List of the Genera and Species
of Birds,” in five volumes, the last volume having been
finished and issued within a few weeks of his death.
Although some disagreement with Dr. Sharpe’s system
of classification and arrangement as given in the Hand-List
has been expressed by some of his brother ornithologists,
the great value of the Hand-List has been widely
recognised, and its completion has been warmly welcomed
by ornithologists in all parts of the world.

Prodigious as was the labour involved in the writing
of these volumes, their preparation formed only a part
of Sharpe’s duties. It may here be said that much of his
private time was devoted to Museum affairs, in fact a
great portion of the Hand-List was written at his home
after the day’s toil at South Kensington.

From the day he entered the Museum in 1872 to the
last hour (literally) that he spent in his beloved Bird
Room in Cromwell Road, he never ceased to use every
effort to increase and enrich the collection under his
charge. No opportunity was missed, whether by per-
suasive supplication or seductive appeal to the generosity

278 BRITISH BIRDS.

and patriotism of some wealthy collector, which he could
press with irresistible force, or by interesting some
departing traveller or explorer in the birds of the regions
he proposed to visit, or by impressing on his chiefs the
absolute necessity of acquiring by purchase this or that
collection, he generally managed to have his way, and
thus gradually to absorb every bird that he considered
was a desirable acquisition for the national collection.
It was indeed a difficult thing for anyone to say no,
whether he happened to be the owner of some magnificent
collection which Sharpe coveted or some intrepid
explorer fresh from a remote region of the globe with
a series of specimens which he (the traveller) particularly
wished to keep as a memento of his journey, or the chiefs
of his Department from whom sanction to a purchase
had to be obtained, one and all were utterly unable
to resist the boundless enthusiasm, the fervour, the
intensity with which the Head of the Bird Room urged
his appeal for the enrichment of the national collection.
How successful were his efforts may be known when it
is stated that in 1872 the cabinets in the Department of
Zoology contained not more than 35,000 ornithological
specimens, whereas at the present time half-a-million
specimens would probably be under the mark—and this
increase has taken place notwithstanding the continual
weeding out of absolute duplicates.

Among the private collections of birds and eggs
which, owing to the munificence of their owners, were
incorporated in the national collection during Dr.
Sharpe’s curatorship, were those of Mr. Allan Hume
(Indian), Messrs. Salvin and Godman (General), Colonel
Wardlaw Ramsay (Tweeddale collection, Asiatic), Mr.
Henry Seebohm (General), Colonel Biddulph (Kashmir
and Turkestan), Mr. C. B. Rickett (Chinese), and Mr.
F. W. Styan (Chinese), while the acquisitions further
included the Wallace collection (Malayan), the Sclater
collection (American), the Shelley collection (African),
Sharpe’s own collection (African), the Gould collection

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 279

(General), and the Gould series of Humming-birds.
Sharpe’s personality and enthusiasm were, of course, an
important element in inducing the generous owners to
make their munificent donations—how largely responsible
he was for some of these gifts may be seen in the following
extract from a letter written by Mr. A. O. Hume in July,
1885, offering his splendid collection of Indian birds and
eggs as a present to the nation: ‘“ Should this collection
form as valuable an addition to the British Museum as
I hope it may, I trust that it may not be forgotten that
its acquisition by the Museum has been solely due to the
fact that Mr. Sharpe was at the head of the Ornithological
branch of that Institution.” The Hume collection
consisted of about 82,000 specimens, of which 75,577
skins and eggs, including 258 types, were placed in the
Museum cabinets.

On the request of Mr. Hume, Dr. Sharpe was deputed
by the Trustees to go to Simla to pack and bring home
the collection. He left England on the 24th of April,
reached Simla on the 19th of May,and was back in London
on the 10th of August, having packed and despatched
from India forty cases, weighing half-a-ton each, and
bringing with him thirty-eight cases more. He accom-
plished his mission within four months of leaving England,
and in a shorter space of time than had seemed possible
to Mr. Hume.

Dr. Sharpe has himself recorded that he considered
the gift of the Hume collection was one of the most
splendid donations of the kind ever made to the nation.

We may also quote from a letter written in May, 1888,
by Colonel Wardlaw Ramsay, in reference to his generous
donation of the magnificent collection of Asiatic birds
formed by the Marquess of Tweeddale. In writing to
Sharpe he says : ‘‘ I gave it [the collection] to the Museum
solely because you were there, and therefore I felt I might
have perfect confidence that it would be done justice to.”

That at this period of his life, after years of unswerving
labour, his services were meeting with some appreciation

280 BRITISH BIRDS.

in official quarters may be gathered from the following
letter sent to him in 1887 by Sir Edward Bond, then the
Principal Librarian of the British Museum : “ I do indeed
take an interest in your herculean task of forming and
arranging the Ornithological Collection, and I think
the: public conscience ought to be awakened to the
national indebtedness to you for what you have done and
are doing.”

In 1891 Dr. Sharpe attended, as President of Section A
(Zoology and Comparative Anatomy), the Second Inter-
national Ornithological Congress, which was held at
Budapest, and delivered an address on the “ Classification
of Birds.” He sent a copy to Professor Huxley, who
acknowledged it as follows: “‘I am very much obliged
for your ‘ Review,’ which will be extremely valuable to
present and future workers. I wish something like it
had existed a quarter of a century ago when I was trying
to find my way through the chaos of Ornithological
Classification. It would have saved me a world of labour,
which I am glad to find was not altogether in vain.”

In recognition of his eminence and of the prominent
part he had taken in the proceedings of the Budapest
Congress, the Emperor of Austria conferred upon Dr.
Sharpe the gold medal for Art and Science, a distinction
reserved exclusively for those who have contributed to
the advancement of science or art in Austria-Hungary.
In the same year he received an honorary degree of
LL.D. from the University of Aberdeen, and an address
from the leading American ornithologists congratulating
him on the completion of the thirteenth volume of the
“Catalogue of Birds,’ which practically concluded the
description of the Passerine Birds of the world. They
expressed the warmest appreciation of his labours as an
ornithologist, especially of his work in connection with
the classification and nomenclature of the Passeres.

The important services rendered by Dr. Sharpe to the
Museum and his distinguished career as an ornithologist
received well-merited recognition at the hands of the

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 281

Museum Trustees in 1895, when, on the reeommendation
of the late Sir William Flower, then Director of the
Museum, he was promoted to the newly-created post of

Assistant-Keeper of the Vertebrate Section of the Depart-
ment of Zoology, a position which greatly extended the
sphere of his duties, since the section of which he thus
became the Head embraced the Mammals, Reptiles, and
Fishes, as well as the Birds, and he was thus brought
into closer official relations with those of his colleagues
who were in immediate charge of these groups.

’ His astonishing powers of work were never more in
evidence than about the period when, in addition to his
multifarious duties in the Bird Room, involving among
other things constant personal attention to the many
inquiries addressed to him and to the numerous visitors
to the Department who daily go there seeking information,
he undertook the preparation of his “* Hand-List of Birds,”
giving the name of every known bird, while in his own
time he managed to edit Allen’s ‘‘ Naturalists’ Library,”
and to write and publish a number of books, including
his ‘“‘ Monograph of the Swallows,” a ‘‘ Monograph of the
- Birds of Paradise,’”’ and a work on the Birds of the
Yarkand Mission ; based upon the collection and notes of
the late Ferdinand Stoliczka. He was also responsible
for the ‘“‘ Aves ”’ portion of the “* Zoological Record ”—
a task which was entrusted to him to the end. Further,
he delivered a course of lectures at the Royal Institution
on the ‘“‘ Geographical Distribution of Birds,” and later
in the same year (1893) one on “ Ancient and Modern
Birds.”

The International Congress of Zoology met at Leyden
in the year 1895. Sharpe went to this gathering, and
he was honoured by receiving an invitation to give his
lecture on the “Curiosities of Bird-Life ” before the
Queen of Holland and her mother, the Queen-Regent.

One of the most useful pieces of work which he accom-
plished as a Museum official is his “‘ History of the Bird-
Collection in the British Museum,’’ which was published

282 BRITISH BIRDS.

in 1906. It is marked with that thoroughness and
mastery of detail which distinguishes all his work in
which he was keenly interested. While he was writing
the ‘“‘ History”? he threw himself into the subject to
the exclusion of almost all his other literary work, and
at the close of his days he was as fond of this production
as of anything he had done. The “ History ” is full of
interesting matter, and the biographies of ornithologists
are based on a knowledge derived in many cases from
personal acquaintance, which he alone possessed.

Another of his achievements, which he used to recall
with satisfaction, was his founding of the British Ornitho-
logists’ Club in 1892. He was proud, and legitimately
so, of the fact that the Club, which owes its origin to his
advocacy and effort, has developed into one of the most
important centres of ornithological activity in the world,
while at the same time the scheme of the Club and the
amenities surrounding it, which are largely the creation
of Sharpe, have made the meetings of the Club among
the most sociable and enjoyable scientific réunions in
London.

At the Paris Ornithological Congress of 1900, at which
he was present, he was nominated President of the
ensuing Congress, which was held with great success in
London in 1905. Sharpe, of course, presided over the
gathering, which was largely attended by ornithologists
from the Colonies and foreign countries, and in his
presidential address he gave an interesting account of the
origin and progress of the Bird Collection in the British
Museum. The Congress is to meet this year in Berlin,
under the presidency of Professor Reichenow, and it is sad
to think that the familiar figure of our friend, always one
of the most popular figures at these international
assemblies, will not be there to initiate his successor into
the Presidential Chair.

The world-wide distinction which Bowdler Sharpe
enjoyed as an ornithologist must, in the fitness of things,
always entitle him to a prominent place in the Temple of

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 283

Fame among the devotees of his own special science, and
his name will ever be honoured by his brother ornitho-
logists, but no memoir of him would be complete without
mention being made, however briefly, of the extra-
ordinarily wide range of his knowledge.

An instance of this may be noted in connection with
the editing of his “Gilbert White’s Selborne,” which
led him to make literary researches in the records of
churches in White’s country. He became interested in the
architecture and history of the churches, and in a few
months he became so devoted to archeology as to make
some of his friends seriously wonder whether the ornitho-
logist was not going to develop into an antiquarian of no
less renown. He occupied much of his annual vacation
in his later years in carrying out investigations into the
history of Basing Castle, and with the permission and
co-operation of Lord Bolton he spent many weeks in
conducting excavations on the site. He thus acquired
a store of knowledge on the subject, and collected con-
siderable fresh data connected with the great siege of
Basing Castle by the Parliamentarians with a view to
the publication of a book embodying many new facts
relating to the matter, a work on the writing of which
he was engaged at the time of his death.

Sharpe was a man of remarkably wide and varied
sympathies and interests. He was above all intensely
human, and enjoyed life to the full. His keen sense of
humour, his overflowing good nature, his love of pure fun,
almost boyish to the last, his buoyant spirits, all combined
to give him an irrepressible optimism that must have
often stood him in good stead in the stern battle of life
in which he had to take his full share, fighting against
heavy odds the greater part of his life. He was a delight-
ful companion for a holiday, prone to practical joking,
though always of a harmless and inoffensive sort. I
remember on one occasion we were driving in a hansom
in the neighbourhood of Knightsbridge, when he suddenly
stopped the cab and asked the driver whether he knew

284. BRITISH BIRDS.

where the desert was. ‘‘ Desert ? ” exclaimed the driver.
““ Yes,” said Sharpe. “The place where I can retire to
for prayer and meditation.” “Oh,” replied cabby,
‘““T can’t say as I knows where the desert is, but the
Oratory is close by and handy, sir.”

I could mention many other anecdotes of his love of
fun, but the space at my disposal will not allow. He was
blessed with a wonderfully retentive memory. His ability
to recite at length verses and quotations suitable to the
occasion, and his store of anecdotes and reminiscences
were truly amazing. He was a good sportsman, very
fond of a day’s fishing or shooting, played cricket up to
an age beyond that at which most men give up the game,
and for a man of his build possessed wonderful agility,
whether playing tennis or other games. In his early days
he used to be very fond of watching and collecting birds—
one of his favourite haunts being Pagham Harbour.

For many years Sharpe was a familiar figure at the
Savage Club, of which he was a very old and most popular
member, occasionally presiding at the Saturday house enter-
tainments, when the fact of his being in the chair always
attracted a large audience. He was also a member of
another well-known literary coterie—the Whitefriars
Club, which elected him to an honorary fellowship a few
years before his death.

It is, perhaps, not inappropriate to suggest here that
the many friends and co-workers of Dr. Sharpe may wish
to put on record in some simple yet permanent form the
high regard and affection they entertained for him.
A memorial bronze tablet, with suitable inscription, might
be placed, with the permission of the Trustees of the
British Museum in the Bird Room of the Natural History
Museum, where he spent so many hours of his life in
unremitting labour for the good of the Institution. But,
after all, the wonderful collection which he loved so well
and did so much to build up will remain for all posterity
the best monument to his life’s work, and his successors
may be trusted to see to it that nothing is done either

‘2

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 285

to impair its present pre-eminence among the collections
of the world, or to diminish the great reputation it enjoys
among scientists of every nationality. That such is the
case is largely owing to the unstinted labours, boundless
enthusiasm and love of his science of our deceased friend,
and assuredly no one deserves to be held in more grateful
remembrance by all those who are proud of, and interested
in the welfare, of our national Museum of Natural History
than does Richard Bowdler Sharpe.

Dr. Sharpe married, in 1867, Emily, youngest daughter
of the late James Walter Burrows, of Cookham, who
survives him, and he leaves a family of ten daughters.

A list of his numerous works and a summary of his
published papers, including his many contributions to
the journals and proceedings of scientific societies is
appended. This list is taken from the ‘“ Bulletin of the
British Ornithologists’ Club,” by the kind permission of
Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, the editor of the Bulletin.

C. E. FaGan.

LIST OF WORKS BY R. BOWDLER SHARPE.

Catalogue of the Accipitres, or Diurnal Birds of Prey, in the Collection of.
the British Museum. Vol. I., 1874, 8vo, pp. i.—vili., 1-479; pls.
i.—XIV.

Catalogue of the Striges, or Nocturnal Birds of Prey, in the Collection of
the British Museum. Vol. II., 1875, 8vo, pp. 1.—xi., 1-325; pls.
1.—X1V.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Coliomorphe, containing the Families Cor-
vide, Paradiseide, Oriolide, Dicruride, and Prionopide. Vol. III.,
1877, 8vo, pp. i.—xilil., 1-343; pls. i.—xiv.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Cichlomorphe. Part I. Containing the
Families Campophagide and Muscicapide. Vol. IV., 1879, 8vo
pp. i.-xvi., 1-494; pls. i.—xiv.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Cichlomorphe. Part III. Containing the
first portion of the Family Timeliide (Babbling-Thrushes). Vol.
VI., 1881, 8vo, pp. i.—xiii., 1-420; pls. i.—xviii.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Cichlomorphe. Part IV. Containing the
concluding portion of the Family Témeliide (Babbling-Thrushes).
Vol. VII., 1883, 8vo, pp. i.-xvi., 1-698 ; pls. i.—xv.

Catalogue of the Subfamily Zosteropine in the Collection of the British
Museum. Vol. IX., 1884, 8vo, pp. 146-203.

286 BRITISH BIRDS.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Fringilliformes. Part I. Containing the
Families Diceide, Hirundinide, Ampelide, Mniotiltide, and Mota-
cillide. Vol. X., 1885, 8vo, pp. i.—xili., 1-682; pls. i.—xil.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Fringilliformes. Part III. Containing the
Family Fringillide. Vol. XII., 1888, 8vo, pp.i.—xv., 1-871; pls.
i.—XvVi.

Catalogue of the Passeriformes, or Perching Birds, in the Collection of
the British Museum.—Sturniformes. Containing the Families
Artamide, Sturnide, Ploceide, Alaudide, Atrichiide, and Menuride.
Vol. XITI., 1890, 8vo, pp. i.—xvi., 1-701 ; pls. i.—xv.

Catalogue of the Picarize in the Collection of the British Museum.—
Coracie and Haleyones, with the Families Leptosomatide, Cora-
ciide, Meropide, Alcedinide, Momotide, Todide, and Coliide.
Vol. XVIL., 1892, 8vo, pp. 1-346; pls. 1.—xii.

Catalogue of the Fulicarie (Rallide and Heliornithide) and Alectorides
(Aramide, Eurypygide, Mesitide, Rhinochetide, Gruide, Psophiude,
and Otidide) in the Collection of the British Museum. Vol. XXIII,
1894, 8vo, pp. 1.—xil., 1-353 ;_ pls. 1.x.

Catalogue of the Limicole in the Collection of the British Museum.
Vol. XXIV., 1896, 8vo, pp. 1.—xii., 1-794; pls. i.—vil.

Catalogue of the Platalez (Ibises and Spoonbills) and Herodiones
(Herons and Storks) in the Collection of the British Museum.
Vol. XXVI., 1898, 8vo, pp. 1-328; pls. iv.

A Hand-list of the Genera and Species of Birds [Nomenclator Avium
tum fossilium tum viventium].

Vol. I. London: 1899, 8vo, pp. i-xxii., 1-304.
Vol. II. London: 1900, 8vo, pp. i-xv., 1-312.
Vol 1k fondon: 1901 Svos pps ioxdt.el-oon-
Vol. IV. London: 1903, 8vo, pp. 1-xii., 1-392.
Vol. V. London: 1909, 8vo, pp. i-xx., 1-694.

The History of the Collections contained in the Natural History Depart-
ments of the British Museum. Vol. II. London: 1906, S8vo,
Birds, pp. 79-515.

Monograph of the Alcedinide, or Family of Kingfishers. 1868-1871,
4to, pp. i.-Ixxi., 1-316; pls. 1-121.

A Catalogue of African Birds in the Collection of R. B. 8. London :
1871, 8vo, pp. 1-76.

A History of the Birds of Europe, including all the Species inhabiting
the Western Palearctic Region. [With H. E. Dresser.] London :
1871-1872, 4to. Parts 1.-—XV.

A History of the Birds of South Africa. By E. L. Layarp. New
Edition, thoroughly revised and augmented by R. BowpLEeR
SHarPe. London: 1875-84, 8vo, pp. i.-xvii., 1-890; pls. i—xii.

Zoology of the Voyage of H.M.S. ‘‘ Erebus’ and ‘‘ Terror ”’? under the
Command of Captain Sir James Clark Ross, R.N., F.R.S. Birds :
Appendix, by R. Bowp Ler SHARPE. 1875, 4to, pp. 1-39; pls.
1-37

Guide to the Gould Collection of Humming-Birds in the British Museum.
London: 1881, 8vo.

Matabele Land and the Victoria Falls. From the Journals of the late
Frank Oates. Appendix: Birds, pp. 294-328; pls. A & B
(1881).—2nd edition (1889). Appendix: Birds, pp. 298-335 ;
pls. i. & ii.

Cassell’s New Natural History. Edited by Martry Duncan. Aves
by R. BowptER SHarPrE. London: 1882.

RICHARD BOWDLER SHARPE. 287

Report on the Zoological Collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean
during the Voyage of H.M.S. “ Alert,’ 1881-1882. London:
1884, 8vo, Birds, pp. 11—28, 483-485.

Monograph of the Hirwndinide, or Family of Swallows. [With C. W.
Wyartt.] London: 1885-1894, 4to. . Parts I.—XX.

Birds in Nature. London: 1888, 4to, pp. 1-78; pls. 1-39.

Natural History Appendix to the late J. S. Jameson’s ‘‘ Story of the
Rear Column of the Emin Pasha Relief Expedition.’? London:
1890, 8vo, pp. 392-422.

A Review of Recent Attempts to Classify Birds: an Address delivered
before the Second Ornithological Congress. Budapest: 1891,
8vo, pp. 1-90; pls. i1.—xii.

Catalogue of the Specimens Illustrating the Osteology of Vertebrated
Animals, Recent and Extinct, contained in the Museum of the
Royal College of Surgeons. Part III. Class Aves. London :
1891, 8vo, pp. xix., 154; pls. i—xxiv.

Scientific Results of the 2nd Yarkand Mission : based upon the Collec-
tions and Notes of the late Ferdinand Stoliczka. Aves, pp. xix.,
154; pls. i.-xxiv. (1891).

Monograph of the Paradiseide, or Birds of Paradise, and Ptilonorhyn-
chide, or Bower-Birds. London: 1891-1898, folio. Parts I.—
WAU.

An Analytical Index to the Works of the late John Gould, F.R.S. ;
With a Biographical Memoir and Portrait. London: 1893, 4to,
pp. i-xlviii., 1-376.

A Handbook to the Birds of Great Britain. Vol. I. London: 1894,
8vo, pp. I-xu., 1-342; pls. xxxi.

Vol. If. London: 1895, 8vo, pp. 1-308; pls. xxxii.—lviii.
Vol. III. London : 1896, 8vo, pp. i-xiii., 1-338 ; pls. lix.—xciii.
Vol. IV. London: 1897, 8vo, pp. i-xviii., 1-314.

A Chapter on Birds. Rare British Visitors. With eighteen Coloured
Plates. London: 1895, 8vo, pp. i-xii., 1-124; pl. i-xviii.

Roya] Natural History. The Picarians. Vol. IV., pp. 1-90 (1896).

The Concise Knowledge Library. Natural History. London: 1897,
8vo, Aves, pp. 218-376.

Sketch-book of British Birds. London: 1898, 8vo, pp. i-xx., 1-256.

Wonders of the Bird-World. London: 1898, 8vo, pp. i-xvi., 1-400.

The Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne, and a Garden
Kalendar, by Gi~Bpert Wuitre. New Edition. Edited by
R. BowpierR SHARPE. Vol. I. London: 1900, 8vo, pp. i-xv.,
1-427. Vol. II. London: 1900, 8vo, pp. i-xv., 1-443.

A Monograph of Christmas Island (Indian Ocean). Aves: pp. 37-50;
pls. ili.—vi. (1900).

Report on the Collections of Natural History made in the Antarctic
Regions during the Voyage of the ‘‘ Southern Cross.” Aves:
pp. 106-173; pls. vil.—x. (1902).

Zoological Record. Part ‘‘ Aves’”’ for 1870-1874, 1883-1884, 1890-
1908.

FOLIO WORKS OF THE LATE JOHN GOULD, F.R.S.
Completed after Gould’s death by R. BowDLER SHARPE.

The Birds of Asia. Parts 26-35. 1875-1882.

The Birds of New Guinea and the Adjacent Papuan Islands, including
any new Species that may be discovered in Australia. Parts 13—
35. 1875-1888.

288 BRITISH BIRDS.

A Monograph of the Trogonide, or Family of Trogons. Concluding
Parts. 1875.
A Monograph of the Trochilide, or Family of Humming-Birds. Sup-
plement. Five Parts. 1880-1887.
A Monograph of the Pittide. PartI. 1881.

WORKS OF THE LATE HENRY SEEBOHM.
Completed after Seebohm’s death by R. BowpLER SHARPE.

Coloured Figures of the Eggs of British Birds, with Descriptive
Notices. Edited and Completed by R. BowpirerR SHaArpE.
Sheffield : 1896, 8vo, pp. xxiv., 304; pls. 59.

A Monograph of the Turdide, or Family of Thrushes. Edited and
Completed by R. BowpieR SHARPE. London: 1898-1902, 4to.
Parts I.—XIII.

SUMMARY OF PAPERS WRITTEN BY DR. SHARPE.*

1866 Naturalist (1); 1868 Proc. Zool. Soe. (2), Ibis (1) ; 1869 Proe.
Zool. Soe. (5), Ibis (4); 1870 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1), Proce. Zool. Soe. (7),
Ibis (5); 1871 Proe. Zool. Soe. (5) , Ibis (3), Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist.
(4); 1872 Proc. Zool. Soe. (1), Ibis (2), Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1);
1873 Proe. Zool. Soe. (5), Ibis (2), Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (3); 1874
Proe. Zool. Soe. (5), Ibis (1), Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (2), Stray
Feathers (2); 1875 Proc. Zool. Soe. (3), Ibis (4), Ann. & Mag. Nat.
Hist. (1), Stray Feathers (1); 1876 Proc. Zool. Soc. (1), Rowley’s
Ornithological Miscellany (2), Ibis (2), Stray Feathers (1), Bull. Soe.
Zool. France (1), Nature (2); 1877 Proce. Zool. Soe. (3), Ibis (2), Trans. &
Journ. Linn. Soe. (7) ; 1878 Proe. Zool. Soe. (3), Ibis (1), Rowley’s Orni-
thological Miscellany (1), Bull. Soe. Zool. France (1), Mittheil. k. Zool.
Museums zu Dresden (1) ; 1879 Proce. Zool. Soe. (5), Ibis (1), Ann. &
Mag. Nat. Hist. (1), Journ. Linn. Soe. (2), Notes Leyd. Mus. (7), Phil.
Trans. (1); 1880 Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (1) ; 1881 Proc. Zool. Soe. (5) ;
1882 Proce. Zool. Soe. (4), Ann. Nat. Hist. (1), Stray Feathers (2), Journ.
Linn. Soe. (3), Journ. f. Orn. (1); 1883 Proc. Zool. Soc. (1), Ibis (1) ;
1884 Proce. Zool. Soe. (3), Ibis (2), Journ. Linn. Soe. (2), Notes Leyd.
Mus. (2), Auk (1); 1885 Proce. Zool. Soe. (1), Ibis (1); 1886 Proe. Zool.
Soe. (5), Ibis (3) ; 1887 Proe. Zool. Soe. (4), Ibis (1): 1888 Proce. Zool.
Soe. (4), Ibis (2), Notes Leyd. Mus. (1); 1889 Ibis (1), Ann. & Mag. Nat.
Hist. (1), Trans. Linn. Soe. v. Aves (1), Compte-Rendu des Séances du
Congrés International de Zoologie (1) ; 1890 Ibis (3), Journ. Linn. Soe.
(1); 1891 Ibis (4), Nature (1) ; 1892 Proc. Zool. Soc. (1), Ibis (5), Ann.
& Mag. Nat. Hist. (1), Bull. B.O.C. (6); 1893 Ibis (5), Bull. B.O.C.
(17), Notes Leyd. Mus. (1}, Natural Science (1); 1894 Ibis (8), Bull.
B.O.C. (13); 1895 Proe. Zool. Soe. (1), Bull. B.O.C. (9), British Bird’s
Nests (1); 1896 Bull. B.O.C. (10); 1897 Ibis (1), Bull. B.O.C. (12);
1898 Bull. B.O.C. (9); 1899 Bull. B.O.C. (10) ; 1900 Proc. Zool. Soe.
(1), Ibis (2), Trans. Linn. Soe. (1), Bull. B.O.C. (138) ; 1901 Proce. Zool.
Soc. (2), Bull. B.O.C. (11), Compt. Rend. Congr. Orn. (2); 1902 Ibis
(2), Bull. B.O.C. (16); 1903 Bull. B.O.C. (9); 1904 Ibis (3), Bull.
B.O.C. (11); 1905 Ibis (1), Bull. B.O.C. (1); 1906 Bull. B.O.C. (4),
Ornis (1) ; 1907 Ibis (1), Bull. B.O.C. (3), Ornis (1), British Birds (1),
Journ. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. (1); 1908 Ibis (1), Bull. B.O.C. (3) ;
1909 Ibis (1), Bull. B.O.C. (3), Ornis (1).

* We regret that want of space prevents us from giving the full titles
and references of these papers, which will be found in the list in the
Bulletin B.O.C. The figure after each title in the following list refers to
the number of papers contributed to each publication during the year.

|
\

|

THE BLACK WHEATEAR (Sawvicola leucura (Gm.))
IN SUSSEX.

A NEw BritisH Birp.

THE presence of a pair of birds near Rye Harbour that
were described as “ Black Wheatears ” was first reported
to me on August 31st, 1909. On September 6th Mr.
Bristow informed me that he had been to the locality
on the 2nd and seen two birds which answered to this
description on the open grassland near the chemical works,
between the town of Rye and the Harbour, a tract of
land much frequented by migrating Wheatears, Wagtails,
Mistle-Thrushes and other birds. He chased them
unsuccessfully for some time, and they eventually flew
over the river. On the same day the male was shot by
one of the gunning fraternity at Rye Harbour, who are
always on the look-out for strange birds, and was received
by Mr. Bristow on the 3rd. It was seen in the flesh by
Mr. L. A. Curtis Edwards, and examined by me two days
later, after it had been stuffed. This bird is now in the
collection of Mr. J. B. Nichols, who has kindly lent it
for the purpose of producing the accompanying figure.

On the afternoon of September 9th I paid a short visit
to the neighbourhood, but failed to meet with the remain-
ing bird, which, however, evaded the attentions of the
gunners until the 16th, when it was shot. On examination
I found that it was a female, and owing to its having been
badly injured by large shot was not in such good condition
as the male. The rusty-black colour of its plumage was
also in strong contrast to the jet-black coloration of the
first bird.

Of the several species of chats that have a consider-
able amount of black in their plumage, the present species,
from its geographical range, is the one that is most likely
(or least unlikely) to wander to Britain. On August
11th, 1880, a bird, which Gatke considered without doubt

S

290 BRITISH BIRDS.

to have been an adult male Black Chat, was seen on
Heligoland, but was not obtained.

The range of the Black Wheatear or Chat is, roughly,
southern Europe and northern Africa. .Throughout the
Iberian peninsula, except in the extreme north, and at
Gibraltar, it is common; in southern France and Italy,
although rarer, it also occurs, but principally, if not

Male Black Wheatear, Saxicola leucwra (Gm.), shot on September
2nd, 1909, near Rye, Sussex. (About one-half natural size.)

entirely, as a migrant. A few breed in Sardinia and
possibly also in Sicily, but there is no evidence of its
occurrence in Corsica or Greece. In northern Africa it
is the most generally distributed chat in Tunisia, being
especially abundant in the central portion; it is also
common on the southern slopes of the Atlas in Algeria,
numerous in Morocco, and not uncommon in some districts

N. F. TICKHURST: THE BLACK WHEATEAR. 291

of Tripoli. Further east than this it does not occur.
Over a great part of its breeding-area this species is
a resident, though probably a number of those which
breed in southern Europe cross over to north Africa for
the winter.

The Black Wheatear is essentially a mountain and rock-
loving species, and is only abundant in the most arid
rock-strewn districts, and almost every rocky valley and
ravine in central Tunis is said to contain its pair of Black
Chats. In habits it much resembles the Rock-Thrushes,
and seems to form a_ connecting link between the two
genera Monticola and Saxicola. The nest is one which is
unusually hard to find, and is generally situated in a
cranny or hole amongst rocks or in the wall of a cave,
seldom at any considerable distance from the entrance,
though nests under a tuft of grass on the mountain-side
are not uncommon. The foundation is built of small
pebbles collected by the birds themselves, and when the
nest is situated in a more than usually open cranny,
a small protecting wall of pebbles is built across the open
side of the nest, from which peculiar habit the bird
derives its common Spanish name of “ Pedrero,” or
Stonemason. One such nest examined by Colonel
Willoughby Verner was defended by a wall 9 inches long
and 24 inches high, composed of no less than 282 stones
of all sizes, from a walnut to a pea; the foundation of the
nest was composed of 76 larger stones, the largest of
which weighed 2 ozs., the total weight of all the stones
being 44 lbs. The nest itself is. somewhat bulky, and is
composed of coarse grass, neatly and plentifully lined
with hair and wool.

The eggs, which number four or five, vary in colouring
from a delicate white to light greenish, spotted sparsely
with lake-brown shell-markings and reddish surface-
spots, generally forming a zone at the blunt end. Average
measurements 24:2 by 17°6 mm.

The adult male is black and the female brownish-black
all over, with the exception of the upper and under tail-

292 BRITISH BIRDS.

coverts, which are pure white. The tail is also white,
with the exception of the terminal half of the central and
the tips of the remaining feathers, which are black. The
young bird is described as dull black, the under tail-
coverts tipped with dull white, the upper tail-coverts
pure white, and the tail black, tipped with white.
(References: J. I. 8S. Whitaker, The Birds of Tunisia, L.,
p. 56; Irby, Birds of Gibraltar, p. 41; Colonel Willoughby
Verner, My Life among the Wild Birds in Spain, p. 289;
Bree, Birds of Europe, I1., p. 89; H. E. Dresser, Birds
of Europe, II., p. 247; see also Konig, J. f. O., 1895,
Taf. vi. and p. 385.)

N. F. TicEHurst.

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.*

BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus ridibundus).—B.B., No. 527,
marked as a nestling by Major H. Trevelyan, on an
island in Lough Erne, co. Fermanagh, Ireland, on June
14th, 1909. Recovered (shot) on January 22nd, 1910,
at Athlone, co. Roscommon, Ireland.

The information of the recovery was very kindly sent to
me by Mr. E. Foy.

Dunun (Tringa alpina).—Vogelwarte, Rossitten, No. 462,
marked as an adult by Dr. J. Thienemann at Rossitten,
Germany, on August 3rd, 1909. Recovered (shot) by Mr.
H. Brown, Junr., on December 15th, 1909, near Southend,
Essex.

My attention to this was kindly drawn by Mr. T. Hepburn,
who forwarded me a newspaper cutting. I communicated
with the shooter and Dr. Thienemann, who kindly gave me
the above details.

LessER BLACK-BACKED GuLL (Larus fuscus).—‘‘ Country
Life,” No. 28, marked by the watcher on the Farne Islands
in June, 1909. Recovered (found dead) near the Light-
house Island near Olhao, Portugal. No date given.
(See Country Life, November 27th, p. 758, and December
11th, p. 857.)

The above record is unsatisfactory, since the dates and other
details are wanting. I fear that exact details are not always
kept of the rings placed by readers of ‘‘ Country Life,” since
““G. P.,” the marker of this bird, writes that the bird ‘“ would
be a Lesser Black-backed Gull. The other birds I put rings
on were Puffins.”” Unless such an inquiry is conducted with
strict accuracy it becomes useless and even misleading.

WicEon (Mareca penelope).—‘‘ 1909, R. G.,” marked by Sir
Richard Graham, Bart., at Netherby, near Carlisle,
Cumberland, at the end of February, 1909. Recovered

* For previous notes on this subject see swpra, pages 179-182, 219-
220, 251-2.

294. BRITISH BIRDS.

in Mr. W. E. de Winton’s duck-decoy at Orielton,
Pembrokeshire, on December 138th, 1909.

This ring was kindly forwarded to me by the Editor of the
“ Field,” to whom Mr. de Winton had sent it. On sending
the ring to Sir Richard Graham he identified it as one of his,
and gave me the above particulars. Sir Richard Graham
tells me that he rings each spring many ducks, and finds that
a large proportion reared at Netherby return there to breed.
Many of these birds must be shot in the winter, and I am
hopeful that Sir Richard Graham will in future use a ring
with a full address, so that really useful results may be
obtained from his marking. At present the want of address
has resulted in his hearing of only one other of his ringed
birds being obtained at a distance from Netherby, though
nearly a thousand have been ringed! It is practically
useless to mark birds with a ring bearing an insufficient address.
Few people will take the trouble to communicate to the papers
regarding such a ring, and even if the recovery is notified to
a newspaper the chances of the record being seen by anyone
who recognises the mark are slender. I have now information
regarding the recovery of the following birds insufficiently
marked, and should be greatly obliged if any reader can help
me in discovering. by whom they were marked :—ComMon
SnipE, marked (metal band) 112.1906; Woopcock, marked
(brass rmg) H.H., 1807.3; Rock-Dove, marked (aluminium
ring) W. B., 20.1908.

ADDITIONS TO THE BOOTH MUSEUM.

THE authorities in charge of the Booth Museum at Brighton
have recently issued, under the editorship of Mr. A. F. Griffith,
a supplement to the third edition of the ‘‘ Catalogue ” of the
collection. This consists of a description of a few of Booth’s
birds that were not included in that edition, together with a
considerable list of additions made to the collection during the
last fifteen years. Chief among these are the Borrer and Monk
collections purchased in 1901 and 1905 respectively, and the
collection of the late Bishop Wilberforce presented by his
son in 1903. These three collections are all rich in local
Sussex birds, and contain many of the rare and unique
Specimens recorded in Borrer’s ‘‘ Birds of Sussex.”” Several of
these specimens had already been mentioned in the
third edition of the ‘‘ Catalogue,” but others do not appear
to have been elsewhere recorded, and so were not
included in the serial paper of ‘“ Additions” published in

NOTES. 295

Vols. I. and Il. of our Magazine. The most important
appear to be as follows : —

GREAT REED-WARBLER (Acrocephalus turdoides). An adult
male, shot by George Bristow in a brickpit at St. Leonards
on September 12th, 1906.

OrTOLAN Buntine (Lmberiza hortulana). <A female at Castle
Hill, near Rottingdean, Sussex, on April 21st, 1896; and
a male near Eastbourne, on June 29th, 1898. Recorded
as obtained in 1896 in third edition (1901), and as 1898
in the supplement (1909).

Brr-Eater (Merops apiaster). An adult male, shot at
Burwash, Sussex, on June 5th, 1905. This is said to
have been one of three seen together. Another is re-
corded as having been shot at Dallington on May 31st
(cf. antea, vol. 1, p. 282); and another as having been seen
at Brightling about the same time.

CENTRAL EvropEAN Barn-Owt (Strix flammea flammea).
Three specimens of this form with the dark brown under-
parts are recorded, viz.:—One caught in a barn at
Shoreham, Sussex, on October 24th, 1893. A second
killed at Rottingdean in November, 1900; and the third
obtained at Shoreham in September, 1901. It will be
noticed that these were all obtained on the south coast
in autumn.

GosHAWK (Astur palumbarius). An immature female, shot by
G. Sargent at Hooe, Sussex, on November 19th, 1904.

REpD-FooTED Fatcon (Falco vespertinus). An immature male,
shot at Hooe, Sussex, by George Sargent, on April 15th,
1899.

LirvLe Crake (Porzana parva). An adult male, caught by a
dog at Pevensey, Sussex, on May 7th, 1904 (cf. vol. 2,
p-) 129):

Baituon’s Crake (Porzana bailloni). One caught in a net
on the Downs above Brighton on September 2nd, 1894.

Nicut-Hron (Nycticorax griseus). Animmature female, shot
near Lydd, Kent, on October 30th, 1906 (cf. vol. 1, p. 348).

LEVANTINE SHEARWATER (Puffinus yelkouanus). Shot by
Booth in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, on August 19th,
1874. This specimen apparently remained unrecognised
until recently when it was identified by the late Howard
Saunders.

N. F. Ticksursr.

296 BRITISH BIRDS.

THE EASTERN PIED WHEATEAR (Sazicola pleschanka
(Lepech.) ) IN SCOTLAND.

A NEw BritisH Brrep.

On October 19th, 1909, while the Misses Evelyn V. Baxter
and Leonora Jeffrey Rintoul were engaged in migration work
on the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth, they noticed a
Wheatear, which appeared ‘‘considerably darker than S.
enanthe, looked smaller and seemed to show less white patch
on the rump when it flew; it was restless and rather wild,”
but was eventually secured. Mr. W. Eagle Clarke and Dr. E.
Hartert have identified the bird, which is a female, as the
Eastern Pied Wheatear, Saxicola pleschanka (Lepech.)=S.morio,
Hemp. and Ehr. The wind was in the west at the time and
had been blowing previously lightly from the east, and there
was not much movement of birds in progress.

The above details of this most interesting discovery are
condensed from an article by the discoverers in the ‘‘ Annals
of Scottish Nat. Hist.” (1910, pp. 2-4), where a nice coloured
figure of the bird by Miss L. Medland is also given.

The range of the Eastern Pied Wheatear is given by Mr.
Dresser (Man. Pal. Birds, p. 32) as Cyprus, and from the
Crimea and lower valley of the Volga east to Kashmir, south-
eastern Siberia, Tibet, Mongolia, and northern China, win-
tering in N.W. India, Abyssinia and Arabia, and occasionally
in Gilgit. It has also occurred in Italy and Heligoland. The
bird occurring in Cyprus is, however, decidedly a distinct
form (S. pleschanka cypriaca, Hom.), and possibly in other
parts of its range distinct forms may be recognised, as a series
of specimens reveals much difference in plumage other than
seasonal, although Dr., Hartert, we are told (Ann. S.N.H.,
1910, p. 3), considers the white-throated form (S. vittata,
Hemp. and Ehr.), to which the specimen in question belongs,
to be merely a variety of S. pleschanka.

The Misses Rintoul and Baxter thus describe their capture,
which is a female :—

“Tt is 5.7 inches in length, wing 3.6 inches. Head dull greyish-
brown with faint indications of darker streaks; eye-streak buffish-
white ; ear-coverts brownish-black, much streaked with greyish-brown ;
mantle black, each feather broadly margined with greyish-brown,
lighter at the tips ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; central pair of
tail feathers black with basal third white, remaining tail-feathers white
broadly tipped with black, the outer ones more so than the inner ;
primaries, secondaries, and wing-coverts blackish-brown with narrow
pale brown margins ; sides of the neck white tinged with buff; throat
and centre of abdomen white; chest warm buff; flanks and under tail-
coverts pale buff; axillaries black; under wing-coverts black, with
paler edges ; eyes, bill, feet, and toes black.”

NOTES. 297

In summer-plumage the female is generally darker brown on the
upperside, the greyish-brown edgings having worn off, and in many
specimens the throat is buffish-brown in winter and mottled with black
in summer.

The male in fresh autumn-plumage has the smoky-white feathers of
the crown and nape fringed with greyish-black and the black
feathers of the mantle fringed with buffish-brown; the black wing-
feathers and coverts edged with buffish-white ; the chin, throat and ear-
coverts black, the feathers with small buff tips. In other respects the
plumage much resembles that of the female. In summer the male
becomes greyish-white on the crown and nape and an intense black on
the back, wings and throat, through the wearing off of the tips of

the feathers.
A. F. W:z

THE GREENISH WILLOW-WARBLER AS A BRITISH
BIRD.

Ir will be remembered that in Vol. II., p. 408, we quoted
Mr. W. Eagle Clarke’s verdict (cf. Ann. S.N.H., 1909, p. 114)
that the second recorded British example of the Greenish
Willow- Warbler (Phylloscopus viridanus), viz., the bird
obtained at the Suleskerry Lighthouse, on-September 5th,
1902) (c7, Bull. .B.0.C., X1I1., p. 12; Ann. S.N.H., 1903, p. 22),
had proved to be after all an example of Eversmann’s Warbler
(P. borealis). It seemed doubtful then whether the first
(and now only) British example of Phylloscopus viridanus,
viz., that obtained by Mr. G. H. Caton Haigh, on September
5th, 1896, had been correctly identified. In order to clear
up any doubt in the matter, Mr. Caton Haigh has very
kindly sent me this bird for examination, and I find that it
_ is an undoubted example of Phylloscopus viridanus.

If a Willow-Warbler with one or two wing-bars is found
in the British Isles it is certain to be a rare visitor, but the
species to which it belongs should not be decided by this
character. The wing-bar in the Greenish Willow-Warbler is
formed by the tips of the greater wing-coverts being yellowish-
white. Eversmann’s Warbler has a similar wing-bar, and
very often (but not always) an ill-defined second wing-bar
which is formed by the tips of some of the median wing-
coverts also being of a yellowish-white. It will be readily
understood that these tips to the feathers are liable to become
worn off when the plumage is abraded, and therefore they
would be an unreliable character in some stages of plumage,
even if they were not variable.

There need, however, be no more difficulty in distinguishing
the two species in question than the Chiffchaff and Willow-
Warbler, since their wing-formule (and especially the length

298 BRITISH BIRDS.

of the first primary) are perfectly different. As this is not
set out in Saunders’ “ Manual.” I give it below :—

GREENISH. WILLOW-WARBLER | EVERSMANN’S WARBLER
(Phylloscopus viridanus) (Phylloscopus borealis)
PRIMARIES. | PRIMARIES.

Ist (2.e., bastard) 7 to 8 mm. Ist (¢.e., bastard) seldom a shade
longer than primary-coverts. | longer, generally equal to, some-
times shorter than, primary-
coverts.
2nd equal to the 7th or between 2nd slightly longer than 6th, 7.e.,
the 7th and 8th (occasionally between 5th and 6th (very
shghtly shorter than the 8th occasionally slightly shorter
and rarely a shade longer than than 6th).
the 7th).
2nd to 5th inclusive sloped off on | 2nd to 5th inclusive sloped off on
the outer web, and the 6th | the outer web.

sloped off towards the tip. |
4th longest, 8rd and 5th slightly 3rd longest, 4th slightly shorter,
shorter. 5th shorter than 4th.

I should mention that Mr. Caton Haigh had noticed the
length of the bastard-primary and had always felt sure that
his bird was correctly identified.

H. F. WivHERBY.

“GREY-HEADED WAGTAIL.”

On page 257 of Vol. III. of Brrrisn Brrps I find recorded a
male of the “‘ Grey-headed Wagtail (7. flava viridis)” from
Romney Marsh.

This, nomenclature is incomprehensible and misleading.
Probably the Scandinavian form with a dark grey, almost and
often quite slate-coloured, head is meant, but the name
“ Grey-headed Wagtail”’ for this form is ill-chosen, because
it is much better applied to the Mediterranean Motacilla flava
cinereocapilla. Moreover, the name Motacilla viridis, Gmelin,
cannot be used. It is based on Fig. 2, Plate 23, of Brown’s
“ Zoology.” That figure depicts a bird from Ceylon. It is
not correct enough to say to which form of Wagtail it belongs ;
in fact, Sharpe (see Cat. B. Brit. Mus., X., p. 522) says it is

‘not recognisable as belonging to a Wagtail at all.” Though

I think a Wagtail is meant, I agree that it is an inexact figure,
and the Scandinavian, or better Northern, slate-headed
Wagtail must be called Motacilla flava thunbergi, Billberg,
1828. This name has been discovered by Lénnberg (see
Journ. f. Orn., 1906, p. 351) and antedates Sundevall’s borealis,
which has generally been adopted for the same.

Ernst HARTERT.

NOTES. 299

[The English name most often used by authorities for this
Wagtail has been, I believe, the Grey-headed. It may be
unsuitable, as are other English names, but I do not think it
should be altered for that reason; stability should be main-
tained in English names, it seems to me, as well as in scientific
ones. As to the name wiridis, I take full responsibility for the
use of this. The author of the note in question wished to call it
borealis, but I altered it to viridis, for the simple reason that
in nomenclature we must follow a standard authority in
British Birps, otherwise we should be calling the same bird
by half-a-dozen diferent names. The latest authoritative
list is that published by Howard Saunders in 1907 (viz., A
list of British Birds, revised to July, 1907), shortly before his
death. Until this list is supplanted the names there employed
must be used in these pages. As to M. f. thunbergi, I have
no sympathy with the resuscitation of unknown and unused
names, and those who ardently search for them could, I
consider, be much more profitably employed. A flexible law
of priority applied in conjunction with common sense is most
valuable, but when priority is insisted upon regardless of
every other consideration it becomes a fetish which should
be hewn down and destroyed. In 1905, in his ‘‘ Die Vogel der
paliarktischen Fauna’”’ (Heft. iii., p. 291), Dr. Hartert calls
this Wagtail Motacilla flava borealis, by which name and
M. f. viridis it has been equally well known. Now, in 1910,
Dr. Hartert says it must be called MW. f. thunbergi, of which
no one has ever heard; later we may expect some diligent
“antiquarian” to discover some older and equally unknown
name. Meanwhile the past history of the bird under the
names viridis or borealis will be lost in the vapour of these
unseemly ghosts.—H.F.W. |

WATER-PIPIT IN DEVON.

A Piprr was shot on August 25th, 1904, by Mr. Parr, a
gentleman staying at the Staghunters’ Hotel, Brenden,
Lynton, North Devon, and was sent to me as a Pipit—species
unknown. I recognised it as the Water-Pipit (Anthus
spipoletta), and that was confirmed by Dr. Bowdler Sharpe
when I showed it to him at the Natural History Museum on
July 13th, 1909.

J. B. NicHoLs.

A MARKED HOUSE-MARTIN.

On July 15th, 1906, Dr. Thienemann, of the Rossitten
Observatory, caught on its nest and marked a House-Martin
(Chelidon urbica : No. 711), which afterwards proved to be a

300 BRITISH BIRDS.

male. The nest was one of several on the wall of the old
Museum-shed at Rossitten. In 1907 these nests were swept
away by storm and rain and the colony abandoned. On July
19th, 1909, Dr. Thienemann visited, for marking purposes, a
colony which had established itself on a stable about 100
metres distant from the sight of the first. The first bird he
caught was this No. 711. Apart from the direct significance
of the record, this case is also interesting, because to Dr.
Thienemann’s knowledge this is the first instance of such a
small bird carrying a ring for so long a period as three years.
The bird was in no way injured and was in the best of
condition, and was going about its nesting duties in the
normal way at the time of its re-capture. This case is cited
in favour of the foot-rings as against indelible stamps on the
feathers of the wing, flat aluminium plates attached to the
tail-quills, and other such methods that have been put
forward as being less hard on the birds. Such marks are of
course lost at the first moult that occurs after marking, and
the percentage of returns would be reduced to an extent that
would not afford sufficient results to compensate for the
labour and expense of marking, and certain sorts of returns
would never occur at all. That an aluminium ring is not
sufficiently durable to give reliable records bearing on the
natural length of life of large birds especially, Dr. Thienemann
here admits, but for migration purposes it seems to meet all
requirements. ‘The longest time that a ring has been borne
by a Rossitten bird is five years seven months eight days
(Hooded Crow), and in this case the ring was very much
worn. In the case of Herring-Gulls, etc., the rings appear to
wear more quickly, probably owing to constant friction with
wet sand and soon. Dr. Thienemann remarks that a ring
fitting closely to the leg of a bird is less liable to friction and
therefore more durable than one which is free to slide up and
down (cf. Ornith. Monatsberichte, Oct., 1909, pp. 150-2).

A. LANDSBOROUGH THOMSON.

BREEDING-HABITS OF THE SISKIN IN IRELAND.

Havine had a very extensive acquaintance with the breeding-
habits of the Siskin (Chrysomitris spinus) in co. Wicklow for
ten years, commencing with 1886, as well as in other parts of
Ireland, the notes of Mr. Hamilton Hunter on this subject
(antea, pp. 188, 189) interested me very greatly. I have,
however, little doubt that a wider experience will prove that
the Siskin often nests much earlier than he supposes, as I have
found very many nests in April, and have proved beyond

NOTES. 501

doubt that the eggs are sometimes deposited before the end
of March. It is, in fact, the earliest of the finches to breed in
Treland. In 1886 I did not obtain eggs, although I found nests
in May, and in the following year was disappointed, if also
greatly interested, to find a Siskin’s nest with five young
several days old on April 29th. A short time after I was
compensated by finding several other nests, two of which I
took, with five eggs each. In 1889 I found two nests on April
9th, one of which contained three eggs, and was at a height
of twelve feet in a spruce, while the other was only partially
built, and was about fifteen feet from the ground in the end of
a lower branch of a big Scotch fir. The hen bird always
gathered her materials at some distance, and flew with them
direct to the nest, accompanied by her mate, which sang and
twittered gaily, but took no part in building or collecting
materials. These consisted of green moss from tree-trunks
or from the ground, and sometimes small twigs from the tree-
tops. On April 19th I took this nest, with four eggs, which
with the parent birds, forms one of the well-known series in
’ the Natural History Museum at South Kensington. Another
nest, taken two days later, was fifty feet from the ground in
a thick spruce-fir, and quite invisible from below. On April
15th, 1893, I found a Siskin’s nest near the top of a spruce,
with four young about three days old, leaving no doubt that
in this case the clutch was complete by the end of March.

In my experience clutches of five eggs are quite usual, and
more than one-third of those mentioned by Mr. H. Hunter
are of that number, so that it is difficult to understand why
he calls such clutches the exception. I consider five nearly
as common as four, but have never seen a completed clutch of
three. It is curious that I, too, have noticed antagonism
between this bird and the Chaffinch when building, though
I have observed the Siskin stealing materials from the Chaf-
finch’s nest, and not vice versé. I have found Siskins’ nests
in conifers exclusively, the following being the order of
frequency : spruce, Scotch fir, larch, Douglas fir, deodar,
silver fir. I have found the nests at various heights from ten
to fifty feet or more, generally near the end of a lateral branch,
but in several cases at the top of a tree, against the leader and
resting on the small side branches. Although the nest is often
quite invisible from the ground, the bird’s habit of flying
direct to it, twittering loudly meanwhile, often leads to its
discovery. In fine genial weather in the breeding-season the
Siskin is remarkably joyous and lively, its song and clear call-
notes forcing it on the observer's notice ; but if the weather be

302 BRITISH BIRDS.

cold or stormy very little will be seen of the bird. This may
partly account for Mr. Hunter’s want of success in finding the
early nests. Mr. Ussher’s observations agree closely with
my own. He mentions a case of a young brood which had
quitted the nest, being seen on April 29th.

ALLAN ELLISON.

CROSSBILLS NESTING IN NORFOLK.

On January 12th, 1910, a workman walking home along
the railway line near Thetford, Norfolk, saw a Crossbill
feeding young. He threw a stone at them, killing the old
bird and one of the nestlings; two other nestlings were taken
alive, and he is now trying to rear them; they were shown
to me last night in his cottage. The nest was in a Scotch
fir close to the line, and not more than 20 feet from the
ground. On January 18th I saw a flock of twelve within a
mile of the same spot, and to-day (January 14th) a pair some
two miles distant. I am sending the dead Crossbill.
HEATLEY NOBLE.

Since writing, the two young ones have died, and I now
enclose them too. ERNE

[The young birds were almost fully fledged, but traces of
down still adhered to the crown and rump-feathers, and only the
faintest traces of the crossing of the beak were to be noticed.
The breeding-season of this species is so extraordinarily
variable that it is scarcely surprising to find that a few birds
breed even in mid-December in a country where the winter
is open and mild as compared with Scandinavia. Thus in
Styria, Hanf found two nests with eggs on January 30th.
Brehm states that it has been recorded as having eggs or
young in every month of the year, even in December, and
that he has seen birds in full moult feeding young, laying and
pairmg! In Denmark eggs have been found from January
to May: Dr. Rey says the breeding-season extends from
December to June; while in Bavaria young have been found
in the nest in September. Mr. Noble tells us that a nest
with four eggs, far advanced in incubation, was found on
January 29th, 1907, in west Ross-shire. The usual breeding-
time in the British Isles is, however, from the end of February
to the beginning of April.—Eps. ]

NOTES. 303

IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.*

BEDFORDSHIRE.—A flock of over fifty on August Ist, 1909, at
Sandy (J. Steele Elliott). “Since writing to you in
December (cf. swpra, p. 260), I have seen Crossbills
almost every day that I have been in the large woods on
our estate (Woburn) ” (7’he Duchess of Bedford, in litt.,
January 16th, 1910).

BERKSHIRE.—Small flocks still (December 31st, 1909) at
Temple Combe (Heatley Noble).

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.—F lock of about thirty on December 30th,
1909, at Fawley Court (Heatley Noble).

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—Small flock (six or seven) on January 9th,
1910, near Cirencester (Collingwood Ingram). Twelve
seen on December 5th, 1909, amongst larches at Rod-
borough, Stroud (E. N. Witchell, Field, 25, xii., 1909,
p. 1173). They breed near Stroud every year (M. L.
Ridgway, t.c., 8.1.1910, p. 74). Flocks of fifteen to
twenty still (January 20th) to be seen at Mitcheldean
(N. F. Richardson).

HAmpPSHIRE.—Two on January 3rd, 1910, at Holmsley, near
Ringwood (H. F. Witherby). ‘Two or three on November
15th, 1909, and January Ist, 1910, at Airdridge,
near Botley (Lady Jenkyns). Two pairs on January 16th
on the Beaulieu Manor, near Brockenhurst (H. Noble).
Six or seven on July 19th-20th, 1909, at New Milton; the
same morning ‘“‘my neighbour Mr. C. C. Dallas, who
lives on the southern border of the New Forest, reported
a flock in his garden” ; two on October 9th and four on
October 25th, flymg over towards the Forest ; several
small flocks on November 16th, near Netley Hospital ;
four or five on November 17th, in Talbot Woods, near
Bournemouth ; flocks in varying numbers from November
18th to December 8th, at New Milton; two on December
29th, flying over Brockenhurst Park (R. H. Coles).

HEREFORDSHIRE.—About forty to fifty on January 19th, 1910,
at Ledbury (Heatley Noble).

Herts.—Flock of eighteen on January 2nd, 1910, feeding in
some tall pines at Broxbourne (M. Harris). Three
(two males, one female) on January 2nd in a larch tree
between Rickmansworth and Chorley Wood Common
(H.R. Leach). About a dozen on November 21st, 1909,
at Watton (Rev. Allan Ellison). Six or seven early in
October, 1909, and four or five more on December 18th,

* For previous references to this subject, cf., pp. 82, 123, 162, 190-
194, 226-228, 258-261.

504 BRITISH BIRDS.

and more since, near Welwyn (Katharine Acland). 'Three
on January 20th, 1910, several small parties on
January 22nd, fifteen to twenty on January 24th near
Berkhamstead (C. M. Dyer).

Kernt.—Nine seen on December 31st, 1909, flying in a
north-westerly direction, low down, between Langton
Green and Tunbridge Wells; a flock of eight at Langton
House on January 15th and 16th, 1910 (Miss
E. L. Turner). <A flock of about thirty since the early
part of July, 1909, until at all events December 17th,
near Boxley, near Maidstone (Rev. J. R. Hale).

Norrotk.—About six in August, 1909 (cf. swpra, p. 260), and
later increased to forty or fifty and now (January, 1910)
“they abound in all suitable spots in the immediate
neighbourhood ” of Swaffham (Rev. L. T. Daubeny).
About a dozen at the end of October, 1909, at
Pickenham, near Swaffham (B. B. Riviere). A large
flock during last week of July, 1909, at Castle Rising,
and another flock from about the beginning of October
to the middle of December at the same place (NV. Tracey).

NorTHUMBERLAND.—About fifty made their appearance on
December 24th, 1909, in Dipton Woods, near Corbridge-
on-Tyne. Nearly every winter Crossbills visit these
woods, but they are more numerous than usual this year
(J. 8S. T. Walton).

SHROPSHIRE.—KHight on August 6th, 1909, and small parties
on September 4th, 5th, 12th, 29th, October 1st, 2nd, 9th-
12th, 15th, 18th, 21st, November 7th, 11th, 12th, 16th,
28th, and December 5th at Dowles (J. Steele Elliott, MS.
note-book, per H. E. Forrest).

SuFFOLK.—I'wo on November 38rd and three on November
15th, 1909, at Icklngham. Small flocks near Herrings-
well since the end of October until the middle of
December (W. Farren). Quite a dozen have been
sent (January, 1910) for preservation to Bury St.
Edmunds from Lackford and Icklingham. Larch-cones
had been worked at, on January 11th, at Elmswell
(Rev. Julian G. Tuck).

SurREy.—Flock of about twenty on November 12th, 1909,
and some on November 15th, at Walton-on-Thames
(Rev. Allan Ellison).

SussEx.—After an absence of about two months they
reappeared in the Hastings district during the third
week in November, 1909, and were seen in large flocks at

NOTES. 305

Ore, and at Westfield, for about three weeks (N. F.
Ticehurst). A party, varying from six or eight to eighteen
or twenty, from November 4th to December 6th, 1909,
at Uckfield; three on January 13th, 1910, and four on
January 14th at same place (R. Morris). One on
December 5th, 1909, and two about a fortnight before
at Eastbourne (H.C. Arnold).

WILTSHIRE.—Small flock on December 17th, 1909, at Little-
cote, and another small flock three or four miles away,
on December 18th (Heatley Noble).

ScoTtanD.—With reference to the record from Inverness

(p. 261), Mr. R. H. W. Leach informs us that Crossbills
are present with them nearly all the year round, and breed.
Mr. Eagle Clarke gives the following information (Ann.
S.N.H., 1910, p. 54) additional to that which has
already been recorded (supra, p. 190): At Fair Isle the
Crossbills were in greatest abundance on July 10th, when
they were in large flocks. These flocks, however, appear
to have at once broken up, for after this date, though
plentiful, the visitors were in scattered parties, and were
abundant down to August 26th. Later they became
gradually scarcer; in September only two or three were
seen, and the last seen on the island was an immature
male on October 2nd. During their sojourn they
frequented all parts of the island: the faces of the great
cliffs, the cultivated land, the grassy slopes, and the
high bleak, heathery ground. On the latter they fed on
the unripe fruit of the crowberry; elsewhere on seeds
of grasses and other plants, and on the heads of
thistles. Very many of these visitors, however, perished,
for numerous dead or dying birds were found in the plots
of potatoes. At the Flannan Islands the last of the
invaders was observed on September 22nd. Mr.
Francis G. Gunnis has informed Mr. Clarke that they
were very plentiful at Gordonbush, in east Sutherland ;
and adds that many were caught in the nets protect-
ing strawberries.
Mr. Clarke remarks that the paucity of records from
the mainland of Scotland is to be explained by the fact
that the birds failed to attract notice in the Highland
forests, where there are great numbers of native Crossbills
(v.e., L. c. scotica).

Istx oF Man.—On August 14th, 1909, Mr. M. McWhannell
saw eight Crossbills feeding on larch-cones at Glenduff,
Z

306 BRITISH BIRDS.

between Ramsey and Sulby, Isle of Man. Mr. McWhannell
writes me that he judged them to be two adult birds
and six young. Some days later, Mr. McWhannell did
not find them, and has seen none since. Crossbills have
in various years been seen, and even suspected of
breeding, on the line of wooded hills where Glenduff is
situated (P. C. Ralfe).

IRELAND.—Many were seen near Fassaroe, Bray, in July and
early August, 1909 (R. M. Barrington, Irish Nat., 1910,
p. 13). About June 30th, 1909, one was captured on
the extreme west coast of Connaught (‘“G. W.,” Field,

Sel 1910} par).
Hs HAWe

AN OVERLOOKED RECORD OF THE TWO-BARRED
CROSSBILL IN SCOTLAND.

THE fact that Saunders in the second edition of his ‘“‘ Manual ”
(Pt. 6, April, 1898) makes definite mention of only one
occurrence of the Two-barred Crossbill (Loxia bifasciata) in
Scotland, namely, an adult male shot on North Ronaldshay,
in the Orkneys, on June 18th, 1894, has led to the supposition
that up to that time there was no other authentic record from
north of the Border (see BritisH Brrps, Vol. II., p. 423). It
may, therefore, be well to point out that Mr. George Bolam
recorded in the “ Annals of Scottish Natural History ”’ for
April, 1897, p. 86, that he had examined a specimen shot in
Staneshiel covert, Bunkle, Berwickshire, on December 19th,
1889. It was in the company of Common Crossbills, and was
originally recorded as a male of the American White-winged
Crossbill (J. Barrie, Proc. Berw. Nat. Club, XII., Pt. 3, 1890,
p-. 532).

It may, I think, be safely assumed that the ‘‘ White-winged
Crossbill ” (male) shot near Jedburgh, Roxburghshire, in
February, 1841, and recorded by Archibald Jerdon in the
first volume of the ‘“ Zoologist ” (p. 221), would also belong
to the European form ; and the same may be said of the two
shot by Saxby in Unst on September 4th, 1859, and described
in his “ Birds of Shetland,” 1874, p. 115.

Wittram Evans.

SNOW-BUNTING IN DORSET.

My friend, Captain Portman, records (supra, p. 262) the occur-
rence of a specimen of the Snow-Bunting (Plectrophenax
nivalis) on the edge of Poole Harbour in October, 1908, and

NOTES. 307

concludes his valuable note with the remark, ‘‘ I cannot find
any record of a Snow-Bunting in Dorset since 1846 (Mansel-
Pleydell).” A reference, however, to page 41 of the late Mr.
L. C. Mansel-Pleydell’s “‘ Birds of Dorsetshire,’ which was
published in 1888, though, unfortunately, not dated, shows
that the only years actually specified by him for the occurrence
of the Snow-Bunting in Dorset are 1844, 1868, and 1869,
the two last being long subsequent to ‘‘ 1846,” which, indeed,
he does not mention at all. Captain Portman, together with
others who study the birds of this county, will doubtless be
interested to learn that Mr. Mansel-Pleydell himself chronicled
the fact that a Snow-Bunting was shot at Kimmeridge, which
is in south-east Dorset, on November 29th, 1895 (cf. Proc.
Dors. N. H. and A. F. Club, xvii., 199 (1896)).

Eustace R. BANKEs.

In connection with this subject I may note that on December
2nd, 1891, I shot a solitary specimen—a male in autumn
plumage—of the Snow-Bunting on the shores of Poole

Harbour.
H. W. MAPLETON.

LITTLE OWL IN STAFFORDSHIRE.
In the article on the spread of the Little Owl (Athene
noctua) (Vol. I., p. 335) only one record of the species in
Staffordshire is given, and I am not aware of any subsequent
occurrence ; it may therefore be of interest to record an adult
Specimen (sex unknown) which was shot at Lichfield on
November 27th, 1909, and preserved by Messrs. Bettridge
and Son, of Birmingham, at whose shop I examined it.
A. J. LEIGH.
[There are also one or two records from Burton-on-Trent:
* on the borders of Staffordshire and Derbyshire ; one was shot
there on March 13th, 1909.—F.C.R.J.]

MONTAGU’S HARRIER IN KENT.

A Monraeu’s Harrier (Circus cineraceus) was shot on
November 18th, 1909, near Folkestone. Colonel Montagu
said he had never known of a Montagu’s Harrier in England
later than October. P. VERNON Dopp.

[A specimen is recorded as having been shot at Staplehurst
on November 10th, 1892. Cf. ‘‘ Birds of Kent,” p. 266.—Eps. |

GREENLAND FALCON IN CO. ANTRIM.

On December 16th, 1909, a male Greenland Falcon (Falco
candicans) was obtained near Larne, co. Antrim, and brought

308 BRITISH BIRDS.

alive to Messrs. Sheals, the local taxidermists, where I
had the pleasure of examining it. The bird, evidently
suffering, was mercifully chloroformed, and is now being
mounted. It is an immature ‘bird; its stomach con-
tained some feathers and bones of a Skylark. This
constitutes the third record for the county.

Wo. C. WricHT.

RED-FOOTED FALCON IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE.

A FINE adult male Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)
passed through my hands in May, 1909. It was shot in

Cambridgeshire. Wn. Farren.

BITTERN IN SUSSEX.

A BirrEerN (Botaurus stellaris) was put up by my son on the
Crumbles, Eastbourne, on December 21st, 1909. Though he
had his gun with him he wisely forebore to shoot the bird,
which I hope is still at large. H. P. Mouinevux.

GLOSSY IBISES IN HUNTINGDONSHIRE, IRELAND
AND YORKSHIRE.

On October 21st, 1909, I received a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis
falcinellus) in the flesh from Holywell, on the Ouse, near St.
Ives, where it was shot while flying very high a day or two
before. It was a male, in good condition, and as there were a
few dirty white feathers in the head and neck I presume it was
immature, although it had distinctly glossy plumage, which
Howard Saunders says immature birds have not. Possibly
this bird with glossy plumage, and light feathers in head and
neck, is an adult in winter-plumage.

Wn. Farren.

Dr. R. Archer Nesbitt writes me that a Glossy Ibis (Plegadis
falcinellus) was shot on the 15th of October, 1909, in a
swamp at Ballyfrenis, near Donaghadee; my correspondent
also states, ‘Sex unknown; the neck was more or less speckled
with grey feathers’’; it is presumed therefore that it was an
immature bird.

This constitutes the second record for the county, the first
having been obtained in September, 1906, near Belfast, on
the co. Down side of the Lough.

Wo. C. WRIGHT.

Two Glossy Ibises were shot on the Lambwath in Holderness,
Yorkshire, one (unsexed) on October 19th, and the other (male)
on November 10th, 1909; both were immature. Another was
seen but escaped. (EK. W. Wade, Nat., 1910, p. 28.)

NOTES. 509
THE LONGEVITY OF BIRDS.

In connection with this subject, which was discussed at some
length in our pages a little while ago (cf. antea, pp. 78-79,
115-117), Mr. Theed Pearse writes to me that he knows of a
Goldfinch which has been in captivity for thirteen years, and
of-a Common Buzzard (now in the possession of Mr. H. W.
Finlinson) which has been in captivity for eighteen years.
Mr. 8. E. Reffitt informs me of a Rough-legged Buzzard
which has recently escaped and been shot after having been
in captivity for fifteen years. H. F. WirHersy.

UNSEASONABLE NeEstina.—Mr. Stanley Pashouse informs
us that a Wood-Pigeon had young just fledged on November
25th, 1909, at Torquay, and Mr. A. L. Thomson informs us
that a perfectly fresh Starling’s egg, found on the ground at
Old Aberdeen, was brought to him on November 25th. Mr.
K. W. Wade reports (Nat., 1910, p. 28) that a Rook was
feeding young on November 27th at Leconfield, and that
Starlings were feeding a young one (four others were dead in
the nest) on November 29th at Sutton (Yorks).

SHORT-EARED OwLs BREEDING IN YoRKSHIRE.—In the
Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union Report for 1909, Mr. E. W.
Wade records (Nat., 1910, p. 41) that six nests of Asio
accipitrinus, containing from four to eight young each, were
discovered in June, 1909, on Broomfleet Island, in the
Humber saltings.

BLACK-TAILED GoDwItTs IN co. Cork.—Mr. Robert Warren
records (Zool., 1910, p. 34) that a small flock (nine or ten) of
Limosa belgica visited Cork Harbour in December, 1908, and
that ‘this season”? another small flock visited ‘our south
coast,’ one being shot near Youghal Harbour, and about a
dozen being seen several times in October off Blackrock.

GrREat SkuA IN IRELAND.—A male adult Megalestris
catarrhactes was shot near Portrush, co. Antrim, on October
24th, 1909, after a north-east gale (W. J. Williams, Irish Nat.,
1910, p. 13).

Lartanpd Buntines 1x Norrork.—Mr. B. Dye records
(Zool., 1910, p. 34) that a specimen of Calcarius lapponicus
was caught near Great Yarmouth, on October 15th, 1909, and
that two others have been reported. The bird is an annual
visitor to Norfolk (cf., vol. 1, pp. 249-250).

Honety-Buzzarp IN NorroLk.—A “specimen” of Pernis
apivorus is reported (B. Dye, Zool., 1910, p. 34) as having
been obtained in the second week of October, 1909, at
Haddiscoe, near Great Yarmouth.

fie

Gl cu ii
—

A History of the Birds of Kent. By Norman F. Ticehurst,
M.A., F.R.CS., F.Z.S., M.B.0.U. Livi. pp. -pes@eeiens
24 full-page illustrations and two maps. Witherby & Co.
21s. net.

CONSIDERING the importance of Kent from an ornithological
point of view, it is remarkable that no history of the avifauna
of the whole county should have been published until quite
recently. In 1907 two books dealing with this subject were
reviewed in these pages, but until the appearance of the present
volume we were still awaiting a really exhaustive history of
the birds of Kent. For the past sixteen years Dr. N. F.
Ticehurst has been working at this subject, and the volume
which he has just completed cannot fail to take a high place
among the published works on the avifauna of the counties
of England.

A county avifauna must necessarily be largely a work of
compilation, but the labour of collecting notes, great though
it undoubtedly is, cannot be compared with the task of sifting
these notes and verifying each individual record. In this
Dr. Ticehurst has been particularly successful. Great care
has been taken to trace specimens of rare birds as they passed
from collection to collection, and as an instance of this we
may call attention to the account of the first known British
example of the Icterme Warbler. Obtained at Eythorne,
near Dover, and recorded by Plomley in 1848, this bird passed
from one collection to another, until between the years 1872-74
it was partially destroyed by fire, but was carefully treasured
for another ten years, after which it unfortunately disappeared
(pp. 52, 53). Another of the many interesting results of Dr.
Ticehurst’s personal attention to local museums is the discovery
that Kent produced the earliest known British specimen of
the Levantine Shearwater (p. 552).

Kent will always be associated with three species of birds
first made known to science from specimens obtained within
its boundaries. These are the Dartford Warbler, Kentish
Plover, and Sandwich Tern, and of these three full and most
interesting accounts are given in the volume before us.
Although the Dartford Warbler has become extinct as a breed-
ing bird in the county, the Kentish Plover is holding its own,
and not only so, but of late years has steadily increased in

REVIEWS. 311

numbers as a breeding bird on Dungeness Beach. This increase
is entirely due to the protection afforded by the Royal Society
for the Protection of Birds and by Mr. Finn, of Lydd. In 1905
the Society provided a watcher and Mr. Finn a keeper to
patrol the beach during the breeding season, so that at the
present time, in spite of the cupidity of ‘collectors’ of
“ British taken” eggs of the Kentish Plover, this interesting
species is able to rear its young in safety, a state of things
previously impossible since it was first discovered just over
a hundred years ago. We are told (p. 421) that dogs were
trained to hunt for the eggs of this bird, and that Yarrell
knew of this fact in 1833. Such a custom seems to have been
followed so lately as 1901, for in that year the present writer
saw a small black spaniel used for the purpose on the Kent side
of the ‘“ Midrips.”

The account of Kentish Golden Orioles is most interesting
and satisfactory, and it is pleasant to read that the owners of
land on which the species occurs and breeds appreciate the
presence of this handsome bird and do their best to protect it.

Dr. Ticehurst tells us that the eggs of the Reed-Warbler
(Acrocephalus streperus) were first described from specimens
taken at Dartford (p. 55), and the fact that the Ring-Ouzel
has bred at least on one occasion in Kent is satisfactorily
proved (p. 15). We are glad to learn that the Bearded
Tit has been seen in Romney Marsh as recently as 1904 (p. 75),
though this is not altogether surprising, as there is little doubt
that from time to time a few pay an occasional visit to a certain
locality in Sussex. That Puffins formerly bred in the Dover
cliffs is not generally known we believe, but that such was
the case is fully substantiated (pp. 534, 535).

We are quite in agreement with the decision that records
of the nesting of the Arctic Tern based on a supposed difference
between the eggs of this species and those of the Common Tern,
and on birds seen on the wing, cannot be accepted.

The author is evidently unaware that a pair of adult Red-
necked Phalaropes was shot on the Hoppen pits in May, 1905,
and that Temminck’s Stint has occurred on the south coast of
Kent since 1899, an example having been obtained at Little-
stone on August Ist, 1906. We venture to think that some
reference to ‘‘ Godwit Day ” should have been made. Accord-
ing to the local fishermen and shoreshooters May 12th is
“Godwit Day,” for it is said that on this date the Godwits
first arrive on the coast.

Some fifteen species of birds first added to the “ British
List ” from specimens obtained in Kent are fully commented

312 BRITISH BIRDS.

on. The notes on the Anatide are full of interest, and the
author’s personal observations have resulted in the discovery
of the Garganey as.a breeding species in Kent. Did space
permit we should have liked to call attention to many more
most interesting points in this book.

We are glad to see that sub-species are fully recognised in
this volume and that the author designates them by
trinomials, but more uniformity in the headings would have
been desirable; for instance, both forms of Bluethroat and
all the sub-species of Blue-headed Wagtails are given capital
headings, whereas the Northern Willow-Warbler and the
Continental Redbreast and Goldcrest are given small headings
only.

As the author states in his preface that ‘it has been con-
sidered advisable to overstep the strict geographical boundary
of Kent in one particular, namely, by the inclusion of the
whole of Romney Marsh so far as the east bank of the river
Rother,” we do not see the necessity of square brackets for
the Tawny Pipit (p. 104). The actual boundary between
Kent and Sussex on the south coast is at or about the west
of the Midrips—near Jews Gut or Jewries Gap, which we
notice the author calls Jury’s Gap.

The reproduction—by photography—of the original plates
of the Dartford Warbler, Kentish Plover and Sandwich Tern,
all of which were originally drawn from the type specimens,
are of far more interest than coloured plates would have been,
and the photographs of typical haunts of Kentish birds are
of importance.

The copious notes on migration are a special feature in the
present work, and they are of the utmost importance, con-
sidering the position of the county.

A bibliography is printed at the beginning of the book,
and an excellent coloured map is bound in at the end.
Although containing just over six hundred pages, the volume
is very light and handy and the type throughout is excellent.

Having read every page of this book, we confidently recom-
mend it as a “last word” on the status of the Birds of Kent
up to the present time, and as such it adds considerably to
our knowledge of British birds. We feel sure that all those
who are interested in British birds—and they are many—
will join with us in congratulating Dr. Norman Ticehurst on
the result_of his many years of careful work.

Meese

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Notes :—The Wood-Pigeon ‘‘ Diphtheria ”’ (Eds.). Strictest
Priority in Nomenclature (Dr. Ernst Hartert). Rare
Birds in Ireland (W. J. Williams). Actions of the
Alpine Accentor (F. Russell). Breeding-Habits of the
Siskin in Ireland (R. Hamilton Hunter). Irruption
of Crossbills). Ceremonial Gatherings of the Magpie
(Fredk. J. Stubbs). Nesting of the Little Owl in
Hampshire (Commander H. lLynes, R.N.). Hen-
Harrier in the Isle of Man (Frank 8. Graves). Bittern
in Kent (J. H. Allehin). Glossy Ibis in Norfolk (J. H.
Gurney). Goosanders in Surrey (Howard Bentham).
Line of Migration of the Spotted Crake (H. W.
Robinson). Pectoral Sandpipers in Sussex (J. B.
Nichols). Black-tailed Godwits in co. Cork eae

J. W. H. Seppings). Short Notes : 327
Review :—Der Zug des Steppenhuhnes, Syrrhaptes para-
doxus (Pall.), nach dem Westen, 1908 .. 344

Letter :—‘‘ The Natural History of British Game Bir ds’ 347

TWO RACES PECULIAR TO THE BRITISH ISLES.

BY
ERNST HARTERT, Pu.D., M.B.0.U.

I. Accentor modularis occidentalis, subsp. nov.*
The British Hedge-Sparrow.

A coMPARISON of twenty English specimens of the
Hedge-Sparrow with thirty from the Continent of

* Prazak, ‘“‘ Ornith. Monatsschrift,” 1896, p. 189, proposes a name
for a supposed British race of the Hedge-Sparrow, making the following

A A

314. BRITISH BIRDS.

Europe shows that the two forms are easily distinguish-
able. As they lie on the table in two rows, one. sees
at a glance that the British race is darker in colour: the
throat and chest are of a somewhat darker grey, the
abdomen is less whitish, the flanks slightly darker, so
that the brown stripes are less evident. There is no
constant difference in the colour of the upper surface,
though generally it is not so bright, less rufescent than
in continental, especially Swedish, specimens. These
slight colour-differences are more marked in the males,
less apparent in the females. Besides these differences
in colour some structural ones are much more striking: the
bill is in most cases thicker, more powerful in the British
birds; the structure of the wing is different : the second
primary is only slightly longer than the seventh, 7.e.,
about 1 to 3 mm., mostly only 1 to 2mm., and sometimes
no longer, but equal to the seventh. This is obvious in
every specimen before me, with the exception of one from
Spurn Head, shot on September 7th, 1882, by the Rev.
H. H. Slater; this specimen also being rather pale on
the underside, there can be no doubt that it is a migrant,
probably from Scandinavia or Denmark.

In Accentor modularis modularis, on the other hand,
the second primary is much, ?.e., from 4 to 6mm. and even
7 mm., longer than the seventh, which is more obviously
shorter than the sixth. The wings of all the continental
Hedge-Sparrows which I have examined agree in this

remarks (translated) :—‘‘ Accentor modularis (L.). In the literature
I find very little about the rather interesting climatic variation of this
species, which becomes browner and browner proceeding eastwards
from England to Japan, so that the very light British birds might
perhaps be opposed as a special subspecies, which could be called
sclater?, to the more brownish continental, and especially the much more
rufous Japanese form rubidus.” Unfortunately, however, the British
form is not lighter, but darker in colour, and therefore it is very doubtful
if the late Dr. Prazak had ever seen a specimen, having made the
above remarks before his sojourn in Edinburgh. As his writings have
been proved to be full of inaccuracies—the unfortunate author in-
vented stories, persons, collections and species—this may account for
his erroneous statement, which is rendered worse by the assertion
that Bohemian Hedge-Sparrows often resemble almost completely the
picture of rwbidus in the “ Fauna Japonica.”

TWO RACES PECULIAR TO BRITISH ISLES. 315

respect, with the exception of one from the Pyrenees and
one from Sardinia. The latter is a winter bird and may
possibly have come from anywhere, but the Pyrenean
bird was shot in May, and must be a native of its place ;
it is also rather dark, but being in worn plumage and dirty,
the latter point is insignificant. Other Pyrenean ex-
amples agree with continental examples.

After these explanations I do not hesitate to separate
the British Hedge-Sparrow under the name Accentor
modularis occidentalis. It is probably restricted to the
British Isles, but it may also inhabit the western parts
of France, especially Normandy and Brittany, whence I
have not seen specimens, but an adult male which I ob-
tained eleven years ago on the rocks in the sea near Herm,
Channel Islands, though in somewhat worn plumage
and with damaged wings, appears to me to be a typical
occidentalis.

The type of A. m. occidentalis, from Tring, is preserved
in the Rothschild Museum.

The name ‘“Curruca Eliotae”’ Leach, “‘Syst., Cat. Indig.
Mamm. and Birds in the Brit. Mus.,” p. 24 (1816), though
used for an English specimen, is a nomen nudum without
any description whatever, and the only two other
synonyms of Accentor modularis refer to continental
specimens.

Il. Pratincola torquata hibernans.
The British Stonechat.

For years I have been aware of the fact that British
Stonechats have the edges to the feathers of the upperside
of a darker and more reddish rufous colour than con-
tinental examples, and I have occasionally discussed
this with some of my colleagues, but, not being fond of
naming new forms unless I have been able to study more
or less thoroughly all the allies, I have never troubled
about it. When working out the genus Pratincola for
my book on the Palearctic birds, however, I recognised

316 BRITISH BIRDS.

the necessity of separating the British form, and I have
done so in a review of the genus Pratincola, in the
“Journ. f. Orn.” (1910, pp. 171—182): Dheresi hae
named the British race, on p. 173, Pratincola torquata
hibernans. Why not P. rubicola hibernans? Because, -
as I have explained in the article mentioned above,
P. rubicola is nothing but a northern race, or geographical
form, of P. torquata from south and south-west Africa.
P. torquata was named by Linneus (Syst. Nat. Ed.,
XII., p. 328) first, P. rubscola (t.c., p. 332) afterwards.
Therefore, as I go by strict priority in nomenclature,
I must call the South African race P. torquata torquata,
the Central European one P. torquata rubicola, and not
the former P. rubicola torquata, and the latter P. rubicola
rubicola.

Our British bird thus becomes P. torquata hibernans.
It differs from P. torquata rubicola not only by the more
rufous look of the upperside, but also by the brighter,
more chestnut colour of the under-surface, especially
the breast. It is very strikingly different in fresh autumn-
plumage, but worn summer birds are not easy to recognise,
though, as a rule, much more of the rufous edging to the
feathers remains on the back, and the flanks are usually
darker.

P. torquata hibernans is, as every British ornithologist
knows, mainly a résident bird, while on the Continent
P. torquata rubicola is chiefly migratory.

I have not been able to find differences between British
and Central European examples of Pratincola rubetra.
This is not strange, because the latter is a strict migrant
and remains in Great Britain less than six months. With
the exception of the two Wagtails—and M. lugubris is
also often resident, only wandering short distances in
hard weather—all forms peculiar to the British Isles are
resident or chiefly resident.

(230%)

ON THE NESTING OF THE HOBBY IN
HAMPSHIRE.
BY
CoMMANDER H. LYNES, R.N., M.B.0.U.
In the south of Hampshire, there occur at intervals along
the base of the South Downs, concealed by the folds of

the hills, and beyond the ordinary rounds of the keeper
and woodman, small, uncared-for woods, solitudes where

THE HOBBY’S WOOD.

Green and Spotted Woodpeckers revel among the
whitened tree-trunks that intersperse the foliage of the
living beeches and conifers, where owls, hawks and Crows
hold sway-supreme over smaller fur and feather, and one
may hear the rippling cry of the Stone-Curlew on the
flint-strewn down above.

318 BRITISH BIRDS.

In one of these woods, on the 11th of July, 1909, we
flushed a Hobby. (Falco subbuteo) from the very ancient
nest of a Crow, about two-thirds of the way up a tall
silver-fir.

The nest, merely cleaned up a little and not added to,
now contained two Hobby’s eggs of a poorly-marked
Kestrel-type, evidently much incubated. It was pouring
with rain, which may have accounted for the fact that
during the two and a half hours we remained near the
nest there were no further signs of either of the owners.
The behaviour of the birds when we visited the nest on
subsequent occasions was very different, for when we

2

Diagram to show apparent sexual difference in size
and wing-contour of the Hobby.

approached the nesting-tree both birds would circle
high overhead, uttering their Wryneck-like cry, occa-
sionally descending to settle on a “ stag-horned ”’ tree-top
near by; but when one of us climbed the tree to the nest,
the female bird would make a series of terrific swoops
straight at the intruder’s head, swerving upwards at the
last moment to clear by a few feet only.

Some hours of observation of the two birds flying
overhead, on different occasions, convinced us_ that
besides the difference in size of the two sexes, there was
a decided difference in contour of wing between them :
that of the male was very pointed, the posterior edge
having an. apparently uninterrupted curve from the tip
of the outer primary inwards, whereas that of the female
presented a more rounded appearance, the four or five

NESTING OF THE HOBBY IN HAMPSHIRE. 319

outer primaries being separated at their tips and the
posterior contour then falling away rather abruptly to
the general curve of the remainder. The accompanying
diagrammatic sketch will explain.

BARS S4 rer
Gh/

-

The Hobby’s nest with two young a few days old,
as viewed from an adjacent tree.

(From a sketch by Commander Lynes.)

Whether sexual difference in wing-contour is a constant
feature in these falcons, such as has been stated of the
Lapwing, or was merely an individual peculiarity of this
particular pair of birds, is a question perhaps best referred

320 BRITISH BIRDS.

to those who keep trained falcons, or who have access
to a large number of specimens collected from the same
part of the world.

At our second visit, on July 18th, the nest contained
two downy, white young ones, barely two days out of the
shell ; a week later again they were still in the same garb,
and we placed migration-rings on their legs. Eight
days later (August 8th) the wing- and tail-feathers were
about two-thirds grown, the facial feathering nearly
complete, and the soft feathering of the ventral pteryla
had begun to appear through the white down with which
the nestlings were otherwise still clothed. Thirteen days
later, on August 21st, we found the nest empty, but it
was evident from the actions of the parent Hobbies that
the young were close at hand. It will thus be seen that
the time in the nest was approximately thirty days.

Remains of food at the nest, on various occasions were
few, they included several beetle-castings, the wing of a
Wheatear, and the leg and foot of an adult Swift; the
latter an eloquent tribute to the grand wing-power of
these attractive little falcons.

We have reasons for believing that these Hobbies
nested here the previous year also, and shall hope for
their return next summer.

(sate 5

SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES IN BRITISH BIRDS.

IIJ.—tTHE BLACK-THROATED THRUSH, BLACKBIRD
AND RING-OUZEL.

BY
C. B. TICKEHURST, M.a., B.c., M.R.C.S., M.B.O.U.

BLACK-THROATED THRUSH. Twurdus atrigularis, Temm.

Down-Piumace. Not examined.
JUVENILE PLuMAGE. Acquired whilst in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Whole head and hind-neck grey-brown ; mantle and scapulars grey-
brown, the feathers with dark terminal bars and mesial longitudinal
markings of greyish-white, broader on the scapulars ; lower-back, rump
and upper tail-coverts ochreous-grey, with terminal greyish-white
markings to the feathers ; line from base of bill and swperciliary buffish-
white ; chin dull white; lores very dark brown ; moustachial streaks
brownish-black and well defined ; cheeks dull white, the feathers tipped
with dark brown ; ear-coverts very dark brown, the feathers with pale
shaft-lines ; wpper-throat dull white, with very few small blackish spots ;
lower-throat and breast pale buffish-white. the feathers tipped with
roundish blackish spots, smaller on the breast; belly and flanks dull
white, with a few scattered dark terminal bars to some feathers; wnder
tail-coverts pale buffish-white, with dark bases, which are hidden ;
tail-feathers greyish clove-brown, with an olivaceous tint to the webs
of the central pair, and the outer pair browner than the rest,
especially noticeable on the undersurface; primaries and primary-
coverts sepia-brown, with paler edges to the outer webs ; secondaries
sepia-brown, with buffish edges to the outer webs and usually pale
tips to the two innermost; greater coverts greyish-brown, with
broad buffish edges to the outer webs and pale tips, and in some
specimens small mesial terminal streaks ; median coverts greyish-brown,
with terminal buffish triangular markings ; lesser coverts greyish-brown,
with mesial buffish streaks and tips ; wnder wing-coverts pale rust-colour ;
axillaries rather paler.

N.B.—Before this plumage is moulted the buff markings on the
coverts become greyish-white and the ear-coverts become paler brown.

First WInTER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-coverts
and a variable number of the greater coverts (usually the
innermost three or four are moulted).

MALE. Whole head dark smoke-grey, the feathers with darker
centres ; hind-neck, mantle, scapulars, rump and upper tail-coverts dark
smoke-grey ; an indistinct swperciliary of blackish feathers, with greyish
margins; lores blackish ; ear-coverts dark smoke-grey ; chin whitish ; cheeks
and whole throat brownish-black, the feathers with rather broad dull
white edges and tips, giving the whole a mottled appearance ; breast
black, the feathers tipped with greyish-white ; belly dull white streaked

322 BRITISH BIRDS.

with smoke-grey, sparsely in the centre, heavier at the sides; flanks
smoke-grey ; under tail-coverts with concealed dark bases to the
feathers and broad whitish margins and tips tinged with orange ; tail
as in the Juvenile Plumage, but the olivaceous tint is now greyish ;
remiges and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage, but much of the
buff edging on the secondaries is now greyish ; greater coverts as in the
Juv enile Plumage, but the margins paler and the new three or four
innermost feathers lacking the pale tips ; median and lesser coverts dark
smoke-grey ; under wing-coverts rusty-orange ; azillaries paler, with
greyish margins.

N.B.—There is some individual variation in the tint of the wpperparts,
in the pureness of the black of the breast and in the predominance of
black or white on the throat.

FEMALE. Whole of upperparts asin the male, but slightly browner ;
lores dark brown, surmounted by a dusky line passing into an indistinct
superciliary ; ear-coverts as mantle ; cheeks and whole throat dull white,
with mesial dark brown streaks ; upper-breast smoke-grey, with dark
brown mesial markings of varying dimensions (in some the dark brown
colour occupies most of the feather, in others it is merely a streak) ;
lower-breast and belly dull white, more streaked than in the male ;
rectrices, remiges and all their coverts as in the male.

N.B.—There is considerable variation in the amount and arrangement
of the dark markings on the throat and breast.

First SummMeErR-PLumMaGce. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

MALE. Whole of wpperparts a shade paler grey, especially on the
rump ; through the loss of the edgings of the feathers the black super-
ciliary is more pronounced, and the whole throat and breast is more
uniformly black, though in most the edgings on the throat are not
entirely lost and so the latter is still somewhat mottled ; the streaks
on the belly are less pronounced and some of the greyish edgings on the
secondaries and edgings and tips on the greater coverts are worn off.

N.B.—Before this plumage is moulted the black on the underparts
has become brownish-black.

FEMALE. Whole of upperparts paler grey; the dark markings
on the underparts are browner and more sharply defined ; some of the
greyish edgings on the secondaries and edgings and pale tips of the
greater coverts are worn off.

ApuLtt WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Differs from the First Winter-Plumage in having the wpper-
parts as a rule a shade paler, the superciliary more definite, lores
blacker, chin, whole throat and breast black, with narrower whitish
edgings, the greater coverts without pale tips to any of the feathers
and the grey margins of the outer webs not so broad.

FEMALE- So great is the variation in the females that it would
appear that there are no distinctive features between the First Winter-
and Adult Winter-Plumages, except that in the latter the greater coverts
have narrower grey margins to the outer webs and lack the pale tips.

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 323

ApuLtT SuMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

MALE. Differs from First Summer-Plumage by having the wpper-

parts slightly paler, the swperciliary more definitely marked, the chin,
whole throat and breast black, with, as a rule, no whitish margins left.

N.B.—Before this plumage is moulted the black of the wnderparts
has become brownish-black.

FEMALE. Cannot with certainty be distinguished from First
Summer-Plumage, except where a few specimens in the latter plumage
still have some of the pale tips to the greater coverts not yet worn off.

BLACKBIRD. TYurdus merula, L.

Down-PiuMAGE. Greyish-white. Distribution—Inner supra-
orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal and ulnar (cf. Vol. II., p. 189).

JUVENILE PLUMAGE. Acquired whilst in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE. Whole head, hind-neck and mantle very dark brown, the
feathers having rufescent centres and darker margins ; scapulars very
dark brown, with broader mesial rufescent streaks ; lower-back, rump
and upper tail-coverts dusky blackish brown, the latter having mesial
streaks and edges of rufous and the rwmp faint mesial rufous streaks ;
indistinct swperciliary formed by rather paler feathers than the rest
of head ; ear-coverts very dark brown, with whitish or rufescent shaft-
lines ; moustachial streak, chin and upper-throat rufescent or buffish-
white, with brown terminal markings, heavier on the first two ; lower-
throat and breast rufescent feathers, heavily tipped with brownish-
black ; belly pale rutescent to dirty white, the feathers faintly tipped
with brownish-black ; tail brownish-black ; primaries, secondaries and
primary-coverts brownish black ; greater coverts very dark brown, with
pale rufescent tips to all and mesial terminal streaks of rufescent on the
inner ones (these streaks are smaller or obsolete on the outer ones) ;
median and lesser coverts brownish-black, the feathers with a broader
rufescent streak ending in a tip of the same colour; under wing-
coverts pale rufescent.

N.B.—There is considerable variation in the amount of the mesial
streaks on the wpperparts and in the general colour and amount of
dark markings on the underparts.

FEMALE. Resembles the male, but has the feathers of the wpper-
parts rather browner, tail very dark brown, remiges sepia-brown, washed
on the outer webs with an olivaceous tint.

First Wrinter-Pirumace. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-coverts,
and a varying number (usually the outer half) of the greater
coverts.

MALE. Whole of upper and underparts brownish-black, some feathers
having, especially on the mantle and belly, faint brownish edgings ;

tail as in Juvenile Plumage ; primaries, secondaries and primary-coverts
as in Juvenile Plumage, but the outer webs browner, due to wear ; greater

~

324 BRITISH BIRDS.

coverts, outer half as in Juvenile Plumage, but the tips are slightly
worn; inner half brownish-black ; median and lesser coverts brownish-
black.

FEMALE. Whole of wpperparts dark umber-brown, there being an
olivaceous tint on the rwnp and wpper tail-coverts; lores dusky, and
above them a faint dusky line; ear-coverts dark brown with whitish
shafts ; chin dull white ; cheeks and upper-throat dull white, with mesial
streaks and broad tips of dark rufescent-brown to the feathers (heavily
marked on the former, more scanty on the latter); lower-throat and
breast rufescent-brown, the feathers with variable and not pronounced
dark tips shading off to dusky-grey towards the belly ; belly dusky-grey,
with pale edgings to the feathers, shading off to slate-brown on the
vent; flanks slate-brown, with a rufescent tint; wnder tail-coverts
slate-brown ; rectrices, remiges and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile
Plumage ; greater coverts, the outer ones (usually outer half) as in the
Juvenile, but the tips slightly worn ; the inner ones, which are new,
olivaceous-brown ; median and lesser coverts olivaceous-brown ; under
wing-coverts and axillaries dusky-grey, with a faint rufescent tinge.

N.B.—Great variation in the amount of rufescent and dark markings
on the underparts exists in the female.

First SumMMER-PLumMacsE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

MALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but the brown edgings
to the feathers where present on the woper and underparts is worn off,
and the remiges and coverts are a shade paler.

FEMALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but is a shade
paler on the wnderparts, remiges and coverts.

ApuLt WInTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Whole of wpper and undersurface glossy black; remiges,
all the coverts and rectrices blacker than in First Winter-Plumage.

FEMALE. Differs from First Winter-Plumage in having the whole
of the wpperparts darker, and the dark markings on the wpper-throat
mostly lacking the rufescent tinge ; the lower-throat and breast on the
whole darker and not so rufescent; the grey of the belly darker ;
flanks lacking the rufescent tinge and being dark slate-brown, with an
olivaceous tinge; the rectrices, remiges, median and lesser coverts
blacker, and all the greater coverts darker olivaceous-brown.

N.B.—There is very great variation in the markings on the under-
parts in shape, definition and number.

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by the same processes
as the First Summer-Plumage.

MALE. Differs only from the Adult Winter-Plumage by the edges
and tips of the feathers being worn and by the remiges and rectrices
having a browner tint. Differs from the First Summer-Plumage by
the darker remiges and rectrices and by all the coverts being black.

FEMALE. The breast is slightly less rufescent than in Winter-
Plumage and differs from the First Summer-Plumage in the same
points as Adult Winter-Plumage does from First Winter-Plumage.

C. B. TICEHURST : PLUMAGES. 525

RING-OUZEL. Turdus torquatus, L.

Down-PiumaAGce. Pale buffish-grey. Distribution—Inner
supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal and ulnar.

JUVENILE PLUMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the Down-
Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE. Whole head and hind-neck brown-black, the feathers with slight
ochreous-brown tint at the tips, some having a faint whitish mesial
streak ; mantle, lower-back, scapulars and rump brown-black, with a
whitish mesial streak to the feathers and faint ochreous-brown edgings,
narrow on mantle, broader and more pronounced on the scapulars,
faint on the rump; wpper tail-coverts brown-black tipped with faint
ochreous-brown ; ear-coverts brown-black, with central pale streaks ;
cheeks buffish-white, heavily tipped with brownish-black ; chin buffish-
white, the feathers tipped with brownish-black ; wpper-throat buffish-
white, the feathers flecked to a variable amount with brownish-black ;
lower-throat very dark brown feathers, tipped with ochreous-brown and
irregularly marked with whitish at the bases; breast, belly and flanks
barred with very dark brown and white or buffish-white ; wnder tail-
coverts brownish-black, with mesial whitish streaks, and tipped with
buffish-white ; tail brownish-black, with rather paler edges to the outer
pair ; primaries and secondaries grey-brown, paler on the margins of the
outer webs, especially on the secondaries, where these are greyish ; the
two innermost secondaries having also whitish tips to the outer webs ;
primary-coverts like the primaries; greater coverts grey-brown, with
pronounced greyish edges and tips to the outer webs, the innermost
three or four have a short subterminal mesial whitish streak (variable,
absent in some, faint trace in others) ; median and lesser coverts dark
brown, with prominent whitish mesial streak and tipped with buffish-
brown ; aaillaries dull white, mottled with grey; under wing-coverts
grey-brown, edged and mottled with white or buffish-white.

FEMALE. Resembles the male, but the whole wpperparts browner
in tint.
N.B.—There is considerable variation in the amount of buff or

whitish on the breast, and in the mesial streaks and ochreous-brown
edgings on the manile.

First WintTER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, the primary-
coverts and the outer four or five greater wing-coverts.

MALE. Whole of head, hind-neck, mantle, scapulars, back, rump
and upper tail-coverts brownish-black, with pale edges and tips of buffish-
grey to the feathers on the head, grey elsewhere ; ear-coverts brownish-
black, faintly edged with buffish-grey ; chin, wpper-throat and cheeks
blackish-brown, the feathers tipped and edged with greyish-white ;
feathers of the lower-throat and sides of throat form a broad gorget
of dull white tipped to a variable amount with smoky-brown ;
breast, belly and flanks brownish-black, the feathers edged and tipped
with greyish-white, the amount being slightly variable ; wnder tazl-
coverts brownish-black, with pronounced edges and tips of greyish-
white ; rectrices, remiges and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile
Plumage ; greater coverts, the inner three or four dark grey, with pale

326 BRITISH BIRDS.

grey edges to the outer webs, and there is no mesial streak, the outer
four or five are browner in tint than the inner ones and have slightly
worn tips, and some show a faint trace of a mesial streak, but this is
variable.

FEMALE. Like the male, but’ the wpperparts a shade browner, and
the edgings of the feathers as a rule rather broader ; the greyish-white
edges and tips of the feathers of the throat are broader, giving the whole
a more mottled appearance ; the narrower gorget is a dark smoky-grey,
more broadly tipped with smoky-brown than in the male, and so has
the appearance of being absent ; breast, belly and flanks slightly browner
and more broadly tipped and edged with greyish-white.

First SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and fading.

MALE. Whole uppersurface dark brown; chin, upper-throat, ear-
coverts and breast dark brown, gorget dull white; belly and flanks
dark brown, witha few traces of the grey-white margins of the feathers
still left ; under tail-coverts as in winter, but some of the grey-white
edges are worn off; tail browner ; wing-coverts browner, with most of
the grey edgings and tips worn off.

FEMALE. Whole of wpperparts are browner than in Winter and
most of the edgings are gone, as they also have from the feathers of the
throat, and so the latter has a less mottled appearance ; the gorget now
stands out, and is of a smoky-grey, but there are stillsome edgings of
smoky-brown left; belly, flanks and under tail-coverts browner, and the
grey-white edgings reduced in width or in places vanished.

ApuLt WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but in some the
gorget is whiter and the edgings to its feathers are narrower. All the
greater coverts are now dark grey, with greyish-white edges to the outer
webs, and so no trace of a mesial streak is seen on any of them.

FEMALE. Resembles the First Winter-Plumage, but the gorget is
more distinct, due to the feathers having narrower edges ; there is also
the same distinction in the greater coverts as there is in the male.

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired in the same way as
the First Summer-Plumage, and the majority of specimens
cannot with certainty be distinguished.

THE WOOD-PIGEON ‘“ DIPHTHERIA.”

In our issue for December last (p. 214) we asked our readers’
co-operation in a third enquiry into the Wood-Pigeon disease.
A schedule was affixed to the cover of each copy of that issue,
and it was asked that our readers would fill up the schedule
with all the observations made up to the middle of March.
We particularly request every reader to fill up the schedule,
whether Wood-Pigeons have been numerous or not, or whether
the disease has been present or not in his district.

Eps.

STRICTEST PRIORITY IN NOMENCLATURE.

In the last number of BritisH Birps (p. 299) the Editor
wrote a note against strict priority in nomenclature. Needless
to say I do not agree with him. For twenty years I have
earnestly considered the question of nomenclature in ornitho-
logy, and have discussed it at various annual meetings of the
German Ornithological Society and at two Congresses, and
I have, perhaps, written more long and short articles on the
question than any other living ornithologist, though most of
them may not have been read by British birdmen, being
written in German. The gratifying result of my endeavours
is that strictest priority is now generally adopted and followed
not only in America—where it was done before—but also in
Europe. ‘“ Nomenclature” is a necessary evil. Experience
has shown that only one way leads out of the present un-
certainty and instability (compare Seebohm’s, Saunders’,
Dresser’s, and Sharpe’s works on British and European
birds !), viz., strict priority. Nobody can deny that we must
once reach finality if the oldest name is used without
exception. That this end is speedily approached is evident
to all who want to see it, thanks to the exertions of those who
have the means and literary knowledge to examine the rights
of early names. The Editor of Bririsn Brrps considers
that their energy “‘ could be much more profitably employed,”
but I think that men like Professor Lonnberg, Hellmayr,
Richmond, Oberholser, myself and others know themselves
best how to employ their time. Mr. Witherby does not
do a good service to the memory of our deceased friend

328 BRITISH BIRDS.

Howard Saunders by commemorating his errors in names for
British birds. It is much better to help the advocates of
strict priority in their earnest endeavours to approach, and
finally reach, stability in nomenclature, than to make new rules,
such as following the names of “ latest lists of British birds.”
In this case Mr. Witherby’s proposal is particularly unfor-
tunate, as Saunders, although the foremost authority on
British birds, was not an authority in nomenclature, and this
is merely a technical nomenclatural question. I have no
objection to Mr. Witherby using the name ‘ Grey-headed
Wagtail’ for the Scandinavian Yellow Wagtail, if this is the
adopted English name, but he can never hope that he will
be followed in the use of the wrong name, “ Motacilla flava
viridis.” When I wrote the account of the palearctic Wagtails
in 1905, I was not aware of Billberg’s book, which was then
hardly known, though in 1906 Professor Lonnberg made it
sufficiently known to all ornithologists. It is only a clever
captatio benevolentie lectorum for his system that Mr. Witherby
suggests: “later we may expect some diligent antiquarian
to discover some older and equally unknown name.” If
there is a still older name it will doubtless soon be discovered,
but if there is none, such a thing can, of course, not happen.

If the rule is adopted, that the names of the latest list of
British birds are to be used in writings on British birds, the
same rule should apply to European, African, and American
birds. We would then have the result that in mentioning a
species in articles on British, European and African or
American birds perhaps three different names are adopted !
If, on the other hand, the oldest name at present known is
adopted we shall have one name instead of several for the
same bird, and if a still older one is discovered it will equally
be used in all writings. This example shows the impossibility
of following Mr. Witherby’s proposal. It would suffice if
only articles on British birds were written, but it is necessary
that the same bird should be called by the same name by
everyone at the same time, and not that a nomenclature
should be used which may take the fancy of this or that
writer on British birds.

Ernst HARTERT.
[Very little consideration will show that in this magazine it
is necessary to follow a standard in specific names which is
readily accessible to all our readers, the majority of whom are
not professed systematists. There is no such work, so far as
I know, which gives the specific names of all the birds on the
British list according to the system of strict priority, even

NOTES. 529

if we were disposed to adopt that system, and we are not in-
clined to give here the synonomy of each name used, as would
otherwise be necessary. Howard Saunders’ work is the latest
authoritative list known to the majority of our readers,
and the nomenclature there employed is based upon the

B.O.U. list (admittedly out of date).

In deciding which of two or more names often used for a
bird should be adopted the priority law is necessary and most
beneficial, but when such an obscure name as thunbergi is
adopted for a well-known bird simply and solely because it
was the first name proposed, and the other well-known names
under which the whole history of the bird has been recorded
are discarded, then in my opinion the law is unwisely
interpreted and becomes mischievous, in that the useful past
is disregarded or obscured for the sake of the useless past,
which it would have been far better to have left in its
obscurity. Although Dr. Hartert is seeking to safeguard the
future, the frequent effect of the rules he has adopted is to
have regard for nothing but the beginning of things. Thus it
seems tome that the history of the Song-Thrush has been
altogether obscured for the future because by Dr. Hartert’s
code we are to call the Redwing T'urdus musicus. If a “law”
must be interpreted in such a way as to cause in its application
such a mischievous result as this, is it worthy of being
upheld ?—H. F. WirHersy.]|

RARE BIRDS IN IRELAND.

Snowy Ow. (Nyctea scandiaca).

A female, in almost adult plumage, was shot at Belmullet,
co. Mayo, on January 4th, 1910.

GREENLAND Fatcons (Falco candicans).

A male and female were shot on Tory Island, co. Donegal,
on December 9th and December 30th, 1909. An immature
female was shot at Achill, co. Mayo, on November 29th,
1909; the stomach contained the remains of a Blackbird ;
another Falcon was seen but not obtained. A female was
shot at Belmullet, co. Mayo, on January 20th, 1910, and was
probably the bird seen on Achill. Its stomach contained
the remains of a Teal. The first recorded capture for the east
coast was a male shot, feeding on a Wood-Pigeon, near
Greystones, co. Wicklow, on January 12th, 1910. A female
was shot near Tralee, co. Kerry in the middle of February.

BB

330 BRITISH BIRDS.

SpoonsBiLu (Platalea leucorodia).
A specimen in dirty and abraded plumage was shot near
Dingle, co. Kerry, on December 22nd, 1909.

Hysrip Anas boscas x Anas strepera.
A beautiful male hybrid between a Mallard and a Gadwall
was shot near Kelis, co. Meath, on February 5th, 1910.

CorN-CRAKE (Crex pratensis).

An example shot at Malahide, co. Dublin, on January
20th, 1910, was probably one of a late brood. The dark brown
down showed conspicuously under the feathers ; the bird was
in good condition but small, its wings were perfect, and it
was flushed from the bank of a river.

Lirtte Auxs (Mergulus alle).

Several were picked up exhausted during the month of
January, 1910, in several counties: Queen’s Co., cos. Sligo,
Tipperary, Mayo and Galway.

W. J. WILLIAMS.

ACTIONS OF THE ALPINE ACCENTOR.

I RECENTLY watched an Alpine Accentor (Accentor collaris)
in Switzerland, and noticed particularly that it ran and did
not hop. My companion, a good observer, agreed with me.
I was therefore surprised on looking up the bird later in
Howard Saunders’ “ Manual” to see that he says: “.. . it
undoubtedly hops and does not run, as some writers have
asserted... .””

It is so rare to find an apparent inaccuracy, however slight,
in the ** Manual” that it would be interesting to know what
others who know the Alpine Accentor have observed.

F. RUssELL.

[The bird may possibly both walk and hop; the Hedge-
Sparrow certainly hops when it wishes to traverse any
considerable space, but it undoubtedly frequently moves short
distances by putting one leg before the other and progresses
by a walk rather than a run.—H. F. W.]

BREEDING-HABITS OF THE SISKIN IN IRELAND,

In reply to the Rev. Allan Ellison’s letter in the February
number of BritisH Brrps (p. 300) I wish to say that I never
questioned the fact that the Siskin bred in April; I have seen
Siskins feeding young early in May, for several years past,
near Dungarvan, co. Waterford ; all these were April layings.

NOTES. 331

I stated that my notes applied only to North Wicklow, and
it was this local and interesting fact that I was anxious to
record. ‘The editors omitted a sentence from my original
note in which I excepted the Coolattin and Powerscourt
districts. Mr. Ellison, I believe, collected Siskin data mainly
from Coolattin Woods, Shillelagh and Deer Park, Powerscourt
districts, and would naturally hasten to point out a seemingly
grave error on my part. My note applies only to north of
Rathdrum, through Lard, Annamoe, Roundwood, and Luggala;
and I am confident only a small percentage of Siskins had
full clutches in April for some years past in these localities,
whose elevated and exposed situations may account for later
breeding dates, and also for fewer clutches of five. Mr.
Ellison is right regarding the silence of the Siskin in stormy
and cold weather; but it would have been quite impossible
for close observers to have overlooked young broods follow-
ing their parents during the beautiful Mays of 1908-09.

In my former note I recorded five clutches of threes in
1909, three of these were undoubtedly full layings (nest con-
taining two young and one addled egg was inspected twice
when it contained three eggs). Mr. Ellison during his ten
years experience never found a completed laying of three.

R. Hamitton Hunter.

IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.*

THE observations from correspondents received up to the
date of going to press seem to show that the Crossbills are
becoming less numerous, though there appears to be no
evidence as to the route they are taking if they are leaving
the country. It is to be hoped that our readers will make
still closer observations, and I should like not only to have
all records of the presence of Crossbills and their numbers,
but also further evidence of their absence from or diminution
in districts where they were present, and the dates on which
they were last seen. Careful search will no doubt lead to the
finding of more nests, but it is of equal importance to

discover how and when the majority of the birds leave the
country. He EW:

BEDFORDSHIRE.—A flock of about a dozen “lately ” in the
Great Hayes Wood, near Wellingborough (Rouse Orlebar,
Field, 27. xi. 1909).

* For previous references to this subject, c/. pp. 82, 123, 162, 190-
194, 226-228, 258-261, 303-306.

?

332 BRITISH BIRDS.

BERKSHIRE.—Three small flocks on February 7th near Slough,
A flock of nine (very wild) on February 21st at
Henley-on-Thames (Heatley Noble).

CursHireE.—Not seen since January 9th at Alderley Edge
(F. S. Graves).

HampsHirE.—Two single birds during November, 1909, at
Langrish, near Petersfield (C. G. Talbot-Ponsonby).
Flock of sixteen early in January at Brockenhurst (Mrs.
Connell). One bird flying overhead, February 12th, and
two females, February 13th, near Ringwood (H. F.
Witherby). Five or six on February 13th at Beaulieu
(Heatley Noble). In considerable numbers from July
20th, 1909, onwards, near Hambledon, but after the
first week of August the parties began to get smaller ;
the birds have, however, been present throughout the
autumn and winter, and on February 13th two pairs
and two single birds were seen (Com. H. Lynes).

HEREFORDSHIRE. — Large flocks seen ‘‘ lately” in the
neighbourhood of Hereford by Mr. A. B. Farn and
others (H. EH. Forrest, February 19th).

H=RTFORDSHIRE.—A large flock in the beginning of December,
1909, at Gravel Hill, near Hitchin (C. G. T'albot-Ponsonby).
A pair on December 18th, 1909, at Welwyn, and a flock
of eight on December 28th (W. Athill). Five on February
6th at Solesbridge, near Rickmansworth (H. R. Leach).

Kent.—A pair on October 25th, 1909, and a flock of eight in
the second week of January, 1910, near Maidstone
(J. H. Allchin). One seen (and evidence of more) on
February 12th in north Kent (J. Beddall Smith).

MERIONETHSHIRE.—A flock of about twenty-five on June 29th
or 30th, 1909, seen by Miss Priestley at Cae Ddafydd,
near Penrhyndeudraeth (G. H. Caton Haigh).

MippLEsEx.—A small party on February 4th at Hampstead ;
they appeared to be birds “on the move ” (Lt.-Col. H.
Meyrick).

OxFORDSHIRE.—Flocks first seen at Cornwell on September
2nd, 1909, and onwards until January, 1910, when their
numbers appeared to decrease; the last time they were
seen was on February 16th (F. W. Stowe).

NOTES. 339

RutLtanp.—Flock of thirty during first week of February
near Uppingham (J. MW. Charlton).

SHROPSHIRE.—August 26th, flock of about fifty at Ludlow,
stayed eight weeks. Smaller numbers seen from time to
time up to end of January, 1910 (J. G. Lang). Parties
from October up to February about Broseley (G. Potts).
Many parties of about ten from end of October onwards
in woods around Wesson (Shifnal) (W. Marchant). Some
seen in December at Ellesmere (R. W. H. Hodges). Two
on October 8th at Ruyton, and one on December 27th at
the Clive (C. S. Meares).

STAFFORDSHIRE.—Still some on January 7th near Stretton
Hall, Stafford (J. R. B. Masefield).

SuFFOLK.—A pair in larch-trees on February 16th at Bury
St. Edmunds (Rev. J. G. Tuck). <A flock of ten on
January 15th near Bury St. Edmunds (B. van De Weyer).

Surrey.—A flock of ten on February 12th on Leith Hill
(J. G. Millais). About a dozen on October 9th, 1909,
at Lawbrook ; a few December 25th—3lst, and a small
flock on January 13th, near Shere (Flora Russell). One
on July 25th, 1909, near Tilford ; sixteen to twenty on
August Ist near Witley ; six on August 8th at Limpsfield,
and eight at Oxted ; two small flocks on August 21st in
the Leith Hill district ; six on August 29th at Oxted ;
two on November 13th at Frensham; twenty-five to
thirty on December 12th at Addington, and six at Shirley ;
eight on December 25th at Limpsfield, and twenty to
twenty-five the day following at Oxted (Howard Bentham).
Several flocks and small parties, forty to fifty birds
in all, on February 13th in the Weybridge district
(J. Beddall Smith).

Sussex.—Had I thought left the northern part of St. Leonard’s
Forest, but I saw a flock of six on January 18th near
Horsham (J. G. Millais).

WEsTMORLAND.—Flock of twenty on February 15th in a
larch-wood at Kendal (J. Watson). About a dozen on
January 13th at Windermere (D. G. Garnett).

IRELAND.—Some seen on December 31st, 1909, at Kilderry,
co. Donegal (W. E. Hart, Jrish Nat., 1910, p. 34).

304. BRITISH BIRDS.

CEREMONIAL GATHERINGS OF THE MAGPIE.

AurHouaH the fact that Magpies are gregarious in winter has
been often recorded—Macgillivray seems to be the only con-
siderable British author who omits to refer to the habit—the
significance of these gatherings is not well known. From
time to time several explanations have been advanced.

The first is that the birds are simply congregated in roosting
parties, after the manner of Rooks, Starlings, or Redwings.
I cannot think this explanation is a good one, for I have often
seen the flocks in the morning, and, what is more important,
at no other season than the first six weeks of the year. (It
may be remarked in passing that these winter-flocks have
little in common with the smaller and better known family-
parties of the late summer or early autumn.) Many of the
records of winter-flocks contain some mention of the extra-
ordinary noisiness of the birds on these occasions.

The second explanation, which is the one most generally
accepted, is that these gatherings are simply parties of
migratory birds ; but I have not been able to find any published ~
observations in support of this theory.

The true explanation of these remarkable gatherings,
although appearing in one of the most widely read, scientific
books in our language, seems quite to have escaped the
attention of ornithologists. Charles Darwin, in his “ Descent
of Man ” (2nd ed.., ii., p. 113), quotes the Rev. W. Darwin Fox
to the effect that in former years the birds used to congregate
from all parts of Delamere Forest to celebrate the “ great
Magpie marriage.” They assembled early in the spring at
particular spots, and could be seen chattering, fighting, and
bustling and flying about the trees. The whole affair was
evidently considered by the birds as of the highest importance.

I have had several excellent opportunities of observing at
close-quarters these strange and picturesque ceremonies, and
I think it will not be amiss to draw attention once more to this
interesting habit of the Magpie.

In February, 1895, in south-east Lancashire, I counted no
less than two hundred birds in one flock. I have never seen
anything approaching this number since, but in January, 1909,
Mr. J. Middleton counted eighty in a wood in Longdendale,
Cheshire, and considered the flock to contain at least one
hundred birds. In Longdendale, and in the surrounding
districts, I~have several times encountered gatherings of a
score or so in the early part of the year; and I have heard of
them so often that I am quite confident these assemblies are
annual affairs. In gomg through the many published

NOTES. 335

records of Magpie-flocks, a vagueness as to the exact time of
the year is noticeable. I have seen both November and
December mentioned, but there is the possibility of error due to
the observer being unaware of the import of the gatherings.

On January 24th, 1909, while with Messrs. Chadwick and
Milne in a small wooded valley in south-east Lancashire, we
came across a small party of eight birds, and decided to watch
them. They were in the branches of a sycamore, and were
jumping about and parading in a most ludicrous manner.
It would be impossible to describe in a few words the actions
of these birds, but there was no room for doubt as to the real
meaning of the function. Although crowded together they
were evidently in pairs ; one would “ show off” to its mate,
and when she (?) turned away, he (?) would promptly jump
round to be in front of her. Owing to the trim way in which
the birds carried themselves (with feathers pressed close to
the body) they seemed slimmer, and the legs showed more
of the tibiz, thanusual. Every few seconds the head-feathers
would be rapidly erected and depressed, and the tail uplifted
and opened and closed like a fan—an action that I remember
noticing in an amorous Jackdaw. The voices of the birds were
markedly different from those of other seasons. Sometimes one
of these Magpies would leave the others and take a course
through the trees in the wood, but it was always followed by
acompanion. On these journeys they approached within a
few feet of our heads; we were greatly struck by the
unexpected grace of flight displayed on their amatory
excursions.

An adequate account of the astonishing antics of these birds
would take up too much space, but one rather interesting item
must be mentioned. On February 7th, a few miles away,
I saw a party of ten “‘ holding a meeting ” on a low stone-wall
near a wood. Although their actions differed somewhat
from those of the others, the import was the same. As there
were no twigs to spring about in, some of the birds were
jumping about the field or the wall, or even hanging like
Kestrels a foot or so above the ground in front of their
prospective mates. There was a puzzling disparity of colour
amongst these birds, and about half of them (the males 7?) were
far whiter than the others. I soon found the reason for this.
In these lighter birds the wings were almost entirely hidden
by the white feathers of the flanks ; and the shoulder-patches,
and even the few feathers on the rump, were fanned out to
such an extent that the birds looked at first glance almost as
white as Gulls—or ‘‘ male Smews,” as I put in my note-book

396 BRITISH BIRDS.

at the time. Ineed not lay stress on the importance of this
eloquent action.

On February 14th, in Longdendale, I found the flocks
(which had been there very large) broken up into pairs or
odd birds, all very noisy. Unfortunately, I have been unable
to visit a Magpie country this year—such observations as the
above can only be carried out where the birds are common.
On December 28th and 3lst I was at Longdendale, but the
birds were not flocking. But Mr. Milne writes me to say that
on the 16th of January of the present year he came across
a flock in Longdendale, and watched them for a long time.
They were behaving in exactly the same way as those we
saw the previous year, but his description includes a hint as
to the ragged and trailing appearance of these flocks. The
birds were gathered in an isolated tree in a wood ; every few
minutes one would fly away, closely followed by a companion.
This went on for a long time, fresh birds constantly coming
in pairs to keep up the stock in the tree. The reader who
has met with one of these winter-gatherings will thus under-
stand why the flock is such a ragged one. On January 22nd
there was a flock of forty near Broadbottom, as another friend
informs me. I might add (in reference to Darwin’s note),
that so far as we know the birds do not quarrel nor fight.

Of course there is still need for a very great number of
observations in this interesting subject. It is quite without
known parallel amongst British birds, for it differs greatly
from the performances of the Ruff and the Blackcock. Iregret
that I have not done justice to these wonderful performances.
As “displays” they are quite equal to anything I have seen
of the Birds of Paradise now housed at the Zoological Gardens ;
and as the Magpie is a strikingly handsome bird, it can compete
with its not distant relatives even so far as plumes are
concerned.

FrREDK. J. STUBBS.

NESTING OF THE LITTLE OWL IN HAMPSHIRE.

Nor far from Portsmouth, in the side of a hill, there is a large
and little-used quarry, well sheltered on all sides, except to
the southward. Here, in 1900, a pair of Black Redstarts
spent the winter, and a number of commoner species annually
nest.

An inspection of the quarry on the evening of the 5th of
March, 1909, added a new visitor to the list—the Little Owl
(Athene noctua), a single bird, which when roused from a pile
of fallen boulders at the base of the cliff made off with the

NOTES. 337

whirring and dipping flight characteristic of the species, and
bobbed its disapproval of my intrusion from the top of a
neighbouring post. Several searches during April and May
failed to reveal the distinguished stranger again, but on June
22nd, after a month’s absence from Portsmouth, I again
found him near the same part of the quarry. Suspecting a
nest, I made a careful search, but could find nothing more than
a number of castings and remains of small birds in various
holes and corners, until July 3rd, when the single Owl was

hi * m4
Nee
. 4

LITTLE OWLS IN A QUARRY NEAR PORTSMOUTH.
(From a sketch by Commander Lynes.)

again seen, and I came upon what had obviously been the
nest, in a hole twenty feet above the floor of the quarry, and
usually occupied by Stock-Doves. Here was a_ perfect
golgotha of “remains,” principally those of Starlings,
Sparrows and mice, intermixed with fur- and feather-castings
—but empty, the bird was not there. On July 16th, for the
first time, two Owls were seen together, and a Stock-Dove
had placed a platform of twigs on top of the Owl’s nest

398 BRITISH BIRDS.

and was incubating two (of her own) eggs. On August 7th
there were no less than four Little Owls sitting together on
a ledge high up the cliff-face, on August 13th two were seen,
and on August 29th and September 17th only one. Sub-
sequent visits in September and onwards showed, not only
by the absence of the birds themselves, but also of their
castings, that the Little Owls had all migrated elsewhere.

The eggs would seem to have been laid during the first
half of May, and the young to have quitted the nest about
July Ist, z.e., just before I discovered it.

It was surprising never to hear a single note from these
Owls during the whole season, for in Andalusia a May
evening is hardly complete without the call of the
‘*mochuelo,” and even in the daytime I remember the olive-
groves on the banks of the Guadiana resounding with the
single flute-like notes when we disturbed Little Owls from

their sanctuaries.
H. Lynss.

HEN-HARRIER IN THE ISLE OF MAN.

Mr. C. Kay, of Peel, has a fine specimen of a male Hen-
Harrier (Circus cyaneus) in his possession; it is an adult in
good plumage, and was shot some time between January
and March, 1906, in Ballagaraghan Garey, a boggy hillside,
near Ballacraine. This species has not previously been noticed
in Man.

Frank S. GRAVES.

BITTERN IN KENT.

A Birrern (Botaurus stellaris) was shot at Newhythe, near
Aylesford, Kent, on November 25th, 1909. I am pleased to
say that a police prosecution followed, but the defendant,
who pleaded ignorance of the identity of the bird, was let off
with the payment of the costs of the hearing.

J. H. ALLCHIN.

GLOSSY IBIS IN NORFOLK.

On December 2nd, 1909, wind W.N.W., force 3, a Glossy
Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) was shot between the River Bure
and Breydon Broad, and has been added to the collection of
Mr. Benjamin Dye, of Yarmouth. Two were also seen at
Breydon on August 28th, 1909, by our watcher.

J. H. Gurney.

NOTES. 5339

GOOSANDERS IN SURREY.

ON February 14th, 1909, owing no doubt to the severe weather
which then prevailed, an adult female or immature Goosander
(Mergus merganser) appeared amongst the wild-duck frequent-
ing Frensham Ponds. I had an excellent view of this bird from
a distance of not more than one hundred yards, for although
the majority of duck rose on my approach, the Goosander
remained standing near the edge of the ice surrounding the
half-acre of water which was still unfrozen.

When again in the locality on March 13th, 1909, I observed
another example of this species, and this also was either an
adult female or immature bird. On this occasion, although
the weather was cold, the ponds were not frozen to any extent,
and the Goosander was so excessively wary that I experienced
the greatest difficulty in getting within observation distance.

The most recent previous record of the occurrence of
M. merganser in Surrey appears to be that of an example now
in the Frensham Pond Hotel, which was shot in that locality
about the year 1885 (cf. Bucknill’s Birds of Surrey, p. 245).

Howarp BENTHAM.

LINE OF MIGRATION OF THE SPOTTED CRAKE.

Your correspondent’s note (p. 266) on two Spotted Crakes
being picked up in the same place, presumably at the same
time of year, October 10th, within three years, is interesting,
in that it shows how well-defined is their line of migration,
which is verified in my own experience within a radius of
twenty yards on a railway line near Lancaster, as follows :—
On October 20th, 1906, an adult; on October 18th, 1899, a
complete wing ; and in mid-October in a year between 1899
and 1906, another adult bird.

H. W. RoBinson.

PECTORAL SANDPIPERS IN SUSSEX.

A MALE Pectoral Sandpiper (Tringa maculata) was shot near
the Ship Inn, Winchelsea, Sussex, on April 14th, 1909. i
examined it in the flesh two days afterwards. A female
example of the same species was shot on April 17th, 1909, at
the same place, and was seen in the flesh by Mr. L. A. Curtis
Edwards.

J. B. NIcHOLs.

540 BRITISH BIRDS.

BLACK-TAILED GODWITS IN CO. CORK.

I see in Bririsn Birps for February (p. 309) a note of Black-
tailed Godwits having been recorded by Mr. Robert Warren in
Cork Harbour in December, 1908. I have just left Cork,
where I was quartered for nearly two years. Godwits are
fairly plentiful in the harbour from September to May, or
later. Doubtless most of these are L. lapponica, but I think
myself that L. belgica occurs fairly often. I identified one
for certain on December 6th, 1908. Again, on January 31st,
1909, a flock of about twenty was observed close to Cross-
haven by two of my brother officers, and one bird was
obtained.

J. W. H. SEpPines.

Birps on Lunpy Istanp.—From some “Notes on the
Fauna of Lundy Island,” contributed to the ‘ Zoologist ”’
(1909, pp. 441-446) by Mr. B. F. Cummings, the following
items may be mentioned :—The Gannet (Sula bassana) has
become locally extinct ; the Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus
marinus) are reduced to some two pairs ; evidence is given to
show that the Whinchat (Pratincola rubetra) is a summer
visitant ; the House-Sparrow and Starling have established
themselves (the latter in very small numbers) during the last
twelve years ; and among other breeding species are Oyster-
catchers, Manx Shearwaters, and Storm-Petrels.

Birps or LovucH Switty.—Mr. D. C. Campbell, in a
paper on the “ Birds of Inch and Upper Lough Swilly ”
(Irish Nat., 1910, pp. 17-28), records a remarkable in-
stance of a nest of Motacilla lugubris which he found
built in an old nest of Pica rustica on the top of a high beech-
tree. Among the regular winter visitors to the upper part of
Lough Swilly and the lands reclaimed from it, Mr. Campbell
tells us that Bewick’s Swans, Brent Geese, Wigeon and Scaups
occur commonly in very large flocks, and that Sheld-Ducks
and Shovelers are residents and breed in increasing numbers.
Of less common occurrence, there are Grey Lag-Geese, Barnacle
Geese, Ruddy Sheld-Ducks, Gadwalls, Pintails, Pochards,
Golden-eyes, Scoters, Goosanders, Red-breasted Mergansers
and Smews. The Quail visited the district in some numbers
in 1893, and nests have been found in 1903 and subsequently.
The sloblands and reclaimed ground are largely frequented by
Limicole, the Dunlin breeds there, as well as the Common
and Lesser Terns, while among the winter visitors are the
Grey Phalarope, Little Stint, Ruff, Greenshank, and Black-
tailed Godwit, while the Bar-tailed Godwit is common in spring

NOTES. d41

and autumn and a few remain during winter. An unusual
instance is noticed of the Great Black-backed Gull nesting in
the grass on the centre of a low flat island formed by a sand-
bank. The Slavonian Grebe is a common winter-visitor, and
sometimes remains over summer. The storm that strewed
Ireland with Fork-tailed Petrels in October, 1891, brought
some numbers to Lough Swilly.

SPREADING OF THE JAy In ULsterR.—“‘ Jays have of late
years been extending their range, and have since 1901 been re-
peatedly obtained near Navan. Mr. 8. Scroope found a nest
on June 6th, 1909 . . . in that part of Meath. ... The
further spread of Jays into southern Ulster is evidenced by one
sent to Messrs. Williams & Son from Maguire’s Bridge, co.
Fermanagh, on the 7th November, 1906; while Major
Hamilton, of Castle Hamilton, Killeshandra, co. Cavan, writes
to me on November 13th, 1909: ‘For the first time Jays
have appeared in the county; one was shot to-day... .’”
(R. J. Ussher, Irish Nat., 1910, p. 13).

WRYNECKS IN YORKSHIRE.—/yna torquilla is an extremely
local bird in Yorkshire, being almost restricted as a breeder to
the south of the county. The record of one heard near
Ripon on June 8th, 1909 (W. Gyngell, Zool., 1909, p. 467),
may therefore be noted, although the bird has been observed
so near as Harrogate (Birds of Yorks., p. 270). I may mention
that on the Holderness coast, where this bird is said to be
an unusual migrant, I saw one on September 14th, 1909.—

LirrLte Owzs 1n Hertrorpsaire.—Mr. C. G. Talbot-
Ponsonby writes to us that Athene noctua is now very common
round Hitchin.

WHITE-TAILED EAGLE IN THE ScrLLy [stanps.—Mr. F. W.
F[rohawk] records (Field, 18. xii. 1909, p. 1100) the shooting
of a specimen of Haliaétus albicilla on one of the Scilly
Islands on November 11th, 1909. Another example is said to
be frequenting the islands.

NoTEs ON THE BREEDING OF THE SPARROW-HAwkK.—
Some interesting observations on the young of Accipiter nisus
by Mr. J. Steele Elliott (Zool., 1909, pp. 467-8) reveal the
facts that the young were in the nest for twenty-seven days,
and were in the vicinity for eight days more ; the parent birds
removed most of the feathers from the prey before bringing
it to the nest; the whole of a bird smaller than a Thrush
appears to be devoured, but in the case of such birds as
Thrushes the legs, and in larger birds the legs, head and part

342 BRITISH BIRDS.

of the skeleton, are left; the ‘“‘ kills” found during the time
the young were in or at the nest included seven Pheasants,
one fowl, one Woodcock, two Jays, five Thrushes, three
Blackbirds, one Bullfinch, one Robin, two Redstarts, one
Chaffinch, and several warblers.

GANNET INLAND.—A Gannet (Sula bassana), in first year’s
plumage, was picked up alive on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire,
on November 30th, 1909, by Captain Faith ic E. TL Hannett,
Selborne Mag., 1910, p. 14).

LirtLeE BITrERN in OXxFORDSHIRE.—A female Ardetta
minuta, with its wing shattered by contact with a telegraph
wire, was picked up at Somerton, in the Cherwell Valley, on
June 27th, 1909 (O. V. Aplin, Zool., 1909, p. 468).

ALBINO MALLaRD.—Mr. W. E. Suggitt writes to us that a
pure white Anas boscas was shot at Tetney Haven, Lincoln-
shire, on January 29th, 1910.

ERYTHRISM OF THE RED GrRousE.—A rufous variety of
Lagopus scoticus, similar to the variation of the Partridge
known as Perdix montana, was exhibited by Mr. J. G. Millais
at the December meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club
(Bull. B.O.C., XXV., p. 40). Such a variety is extremely
rare in the Red Grouse, but there is a male (Loch Sween,
Aug. C. C. 8. Parsons) in the British Museum which resembles
the example shown by Mr. Millais, who has examined another
specimen (a young female) shot by Sir Peter Walker in Arran
in September, 1907, from a covey which contained similar birds.
The bird shown is an adult male, shot at Carradale, Argyllshire,
in October, 1908, and may be thus described :—“‘ The chestnut-
red covered the front of the neck and extended to the nape,
chest, greater part of the back, scapulars, rump, and _ tail-
coverts. On the scapulars and rump a few curious feathers
were blood-red and black, edged with a rufous tint. The
primaries were normal, but the secondaries and other wing-
feathers were very singular, being rufous, edged with black
locps, instead of being barred. The crown of the head, lower
breast, flanks, and vent were of a deep burnt-sienna. A few
normal white feathers were to be seen on the bastard wing,
lower breast, and sides of the lower mandible. The feet and
legs were normal.”

PLUMAGE OF THE Woopcock.—Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant
has made a careful investigation into the plumage of young
and adult Woodcocks of both sexes, and is of opinion that it
is “impossible to distinguish between the plumage of the
male and female Woodcock, or between old birds and young

NOTES. 343
birds of the year, when once the latter have fully developed
their flight-feathers” (Bull. B.O.C., XXV., p. 36). The
fulvous “notches,” or tooth-like markings, often present on
the outer webs of the primaries and thought to be evidence of
immaturity (H. Saunders, Man. B.B., p. 570), Mr. Grant
clearly shows to be merely individual variation. The
differences in the spots on the uppersurface and in the barring
on the undersurface are also shown to be simply individual.
These observations were confirmed at the meeting of the
B.O.C. at which Mr. Grant made his remarks by Dr. C. B.
Ticehurst and Mr. J. L. Bonhote, who had also studied the
subject. Mr. Grant further made the suggestion that in the
Woodcock, as in the Cuckoo, males may be more numerous
than females, and that this might be proved by sacrificing
a few broods and ascertaining the sex of the four individuals
in each family party.

UNSEASONABLE Nestinac.—In a note under this heading in
the last number (p. 309) Mr. Stanley Pershouse’s name was
unfortunately spelt Pashouse. Miss E. L. Turner writes to
us that a Robin’s (Hrithacus rubecula) nest with three eggs
slightly incubated was found under the tiles of a roof of a
cart-shed on January 26th at Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

In the ‘ Field ” for February 5th, 1910 (p. 239), “ G. B.”
records irom Devonshire that he found a young Song-Thrush
(Turdus musicus) only just able to fly on January 25th ;
while Mr. W. Cecil Braybrooke writes in the same Journal
from Fairford that a pair of Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were
feeding young in the nest on January 26th; from co. Kildare
Mr. S. G. Williams notes that a Pheasant’s nest with two
eggs was found on January 30th.

RIVCWO

Der Zug des Steppenhuhnes, Syrrhaptes paradozus (Pall.), nach
dem Westen, 1908. Von V. Ritter von Tschusi zu Schmid-
hoffen, 1909 (pp. 1-41).

RirrER von Tscuusi’s pamphlet on the Westward Migration
of Pallas’s Sand Grouse in 1908, which originally appeared in
the “Verh. und Mitteil d. Siebenbirg. Vereins fir Natur-
wissenschaften,’’ Bd. LVIII. (1908), now lies before us. Besides
giving references to the literature of this latest movement,
and a detailed account of the recorded appearances arranged ~
under the various countries, he also contributes a chronological
record of the invasion. Another interesting feature of this
most useful paper is the series of notes (also in chronological
order) of the lesser movements and casual occurrences of this
species in Europe in addition to the three great invasions of
1863-4, 1888-9 and 1908. Previous writers on this subject
have concentrated their efforts on the more general move-
ments, to the neglect of this interesting branch of study.
We think, however, that the list given on pp. 8-13 and 35-36
might be rendered more complete by the inclusion of the
following records, which appear to have been overlooked.

[1860. H. Saunders (Yarrell, IV Ed., III., p. 33; cf. Nener
Naumann, VII., p. 31) states that one was obtained at
Sarepta in this year. |

1872. <A flock of four seen near Girvan, Ayrshire, on June
25th, and one bird on June 29th (R. Gray, Ibis, 1872,
p- 335).

1875. A flock of six met with and two obtained by Baron
Tiezenhausen in winter near Lenkoran (G. Radde, Ornis
Caucasica, p. 335).

1876. About 15 or 20 seen on May. 27th, by E. J. Boult
(T. Southwell, Birds of Norfolk, II1., Appendix, p. 392)
at Winterton, Norfolk. Three seen on the sands near
Teesmouth, Yorkshire, at the latter end of August, by
T. H. Nelson (Birds of Yorkshire II., p. 499). A male
and female shot near Kileock, co. Kildare, Ireland, on
October 4th, recorded by W. N. Coates (Field, October
14th; Yarrell, IV Kd. III., p. 38).

1878. Two specimens obtained near Lenkoran by A.
Maximovicz (Radde, Ornis Caucasica, p. 335).

REVIEWS. 345

1890. Three seen coming inland from Holkham Bay, Norfolk,
on April 22nd; while on May 9th, five were observed on
the beach at Lowestoft and another flock of nine on
the 10th. Mr. E. Neave also reported a flock of 14
off the Coast near Aldeburgh (Science Gossip, 1890,
p. 187, and Birds of Norfolk, |.c.) about May 15th. Six
seen on May 24th coming in from eastward, half a
mile at sea off the Spurn Light, Yorkshire, which
alighted on the sandhills (Nat., 1890, p. 202; Birds of
Yorkshire, II., p. 503). A flight of 30 reported near
Driffield, Yorkshire, about May 30th; and eight in North
Lincolnshire at the same time (J. Cordeaux, Birds of
Norfolk, I1I., Appendix B., p. 396, footnote).

1891. Six seen by Col. Haworth-Booth on the cliff tops at
Roulston, Yorkshire; two specimens subsequently ob-
tained (Nat., 1895, p. 327, and Birds of Yorkshire, I,
p- 503).

1899. A small flight seen by P. Loten at Easington, York-
shire, on May 13th (Nat., 1899, p. 175; Birds of Yorkshire,
II, p. 503).

1907. One seen at Hendon, Middlesex, on September 23rd,
by W. Wells Bladen (Britisu Birps, I, p. 190).

On the other hand we have to thank the author for bringing
to our notice a record contributed by the late Professor Newton
to the ‘‘Hauptber I. Offiz. Teil. II. Internat. orn. Kongr.”
(Budapest), p. 200,* of two pairs observed at Binsness (sic),
N. Scotland, between April 20th and 30th, 1891.

Reviewing the last invasion the author is of opinion that
it was on a much smaller scale than the two great movements
of 1863 and 1888, and that the main body of migrants became
divided into two branches, the northern division avoiding the
Carpathian Range and heading for the North Sea and the
British Isles in small flocks, while the southern stream so far
as is known did not penetrate further than S. Italy, although
large numbers were observed on passage in Rumania. The
Frisian Islands and the Dutch Coast, which were frequented
by large numbers during previous invasions, were almost
entirely avoided in 1908, while almost the only indication of
a return passage of any importance appears among the
Rumanian records, a large flock, numbering several hundreds,
having been observed near Sascut in November.

* There is little doubt that the two records from Cleveland,
Yorkshire, quoted on page 27 refer to the same occurrence,
cc

346 BRITISH BIRDS.

Another point of much interest is the fact that this species
has gradually established itself in the Ufa Government of
European Russia in considerable numbers during the last ten
or twelve years, as recorded by E. Remann in the ‘ Ornith.
Jahrbuch,” 1908, p. 232, where he ascribes their presence to
the fact that the virgin steppes are now being brought under
cultivation by the Mennonite (i.e. Moravian) colonists.
Flocks consisting of many hundred birds are now to be met
with in autumn after the harvest.

F. C. R. Jourpar.

MELET TERS af

To the Editors of Brrrisx Brrps.

«THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GAME
BIRDS.” By J. G. MILLAIS.

Strs,—In offering the following remarks on Mr. Millais’
work I should like it to be clearly understood that they are
not made in any spirit of carping criticism, but merely from
a desire to prevent important and interesting facts, which
have already been well ascertained and correctly described,
from being obscured or misrepresented.

On turning over the leaves of Mr. Millais’ imposing-looking
volume one had hoped to find that the life-history of the
few species included had been treated in such an exhaustive
manner that nothing of importance had been omitted or
could be added to throw further light on the subject. But,
unfortunately, this is by no means the case, and on reading
the letterpress we find many serious omissions, inaccuracies
and careless statements which seriously detract from the
work, and cannot be allowed to pass unchallenged. Mr.
Millais’ work will be widely read, and we learn on the best
authority that the first edition has already been sold out ; it
is therefore necessary to draw attention to certain important
points which require revision in a possible subsequent edition.

On page 37 one comes to the Red Grouse (Lagopus scoticus),
a species of unusual interest not only from an economic
point of view, but also on account of the complicated and
bewildering changes of plumage it undergoes. After devoting
many years to the study of these changes, I was the
first to discover exactly what takes place, and to explain the
laws which govern the apparently innumerable variations
in the plumage of both the male and the female.

In 1893 I published a brief summary of the results of my
investigations in the ‘‘ Catalogue of the Birds in the British
Museum ” (XXII., pp. 36-38); and later these were fully
described and illustrated in a paper by myself in the “ Annals
of Scottish Natural History ” (1894, pp. 129-140, pls. v.
and vi.), and in my “ Handbook to the Game-Birds ”
(i., pp. 27-34, pls. ii. and iii. (1895). Since that date I have
examined a very large number of Red Grouse and have found

348 BRITISH BIRDS.

no occasion to modify or alter the conclusions then arrived at,
which were based on incontestible evidence. The majority
of the birds I had for examination are preserved in the
Natural History Museum, and may be examined by any one
who is interested in the matter.

When I first began to make a serious study of the apparently
endless variation to be found in the plumage of this species
there was no material available for examination in the
Museum; but through the kindness of various landowners
in Scotland I was able to procure a large and very complete
series of birds killed twice a month during every month of
the year, and was thus able to examine in the flesh the plumage
of every individual. It was then that I discovered the
remarkable peculiarity of the moults of the Red Grouse,
one without parallel among birds, even of this genus, viz.,
that the changes of plumage of the male and female occur
at different seasons.

The facts ascertained may be briefly summed up as
follows :—

The male has no distinct spring-plumage, but has distinct
autumn- and winter-plumages, and retains the latter through-
out the breeding season.

The female has a distinct spring-plumage, which is complete
by the end of April or the beginning of May, also a distinct
autumn-plumage, which is retained till the following spring.

To put it more concisely, both male and female have two
distinct moults during the year, but in the male they occur
in autumn and winter, and in the female in spring and autumn,
the former having no distinct spring- and the latter no
distinct winter-plumage.

The Red Grouse is generally regarded as merely an insular
form of the Willow-Grouse, and it might naturally be supposed
that as the British species does not turn white in winter,
such protective plumage being unnecessary in the localities
it inhabits, the winter-moult had been gradually dropped.
But, as has been already shown, this is the case with the
female only, and the male, for some unknown reason, changes
all or the greater part of the newly-acquired buff-and-black
autumn-plumage for a winter-garb of chestnut and_ black,
which is retained till the following autumn.

During the past five years Dr. Edward A. Wilson, while
acting for-the “Grouse Commission,” has examined many
thousands of Red Grouse killed throughout the year, and he
confirms my observations and agrees that without doubt the
male breeds in his winter-plumage.

LETTERS. 549

In spite of my exhaustive papers on the plumage of the
Red Grouse published between 1893 and 1895, Mr. Millais
(p. 38) makes the following statement* :—

* Until 1909 naturalists do not seem to have devoted much time to
the study of the summer plumage of the Red Grouse, probably owing
to the difficulty of obtaining specimens. Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, in his
excellent little book on the Game Birds (p. 29), considers that the
Red Grouse, being an insular form, living in warmer latitudes where
a white winter dress is unnecessary, has gradually dropped the spring
moult necessary to his northern relation, the Willow Grouse, and in
the main he is right; but not completely so. He states definitely,
moreover, that the male breeds in the ‘ winter dress,’ suggesting that
there is no accession of new feathers similar to the summer dress of
the Willow Grouse, and in this he is incorrect’ [the italics are mine].

If before publishing the above extraordinary and entirely
misleading statement Mr. Millais had taken the trouble to
visit the Bird-Room at the Natural History Museum, he might
there have inspected a series of Red Grouse, both male and
female, killed in every month of the year, which must have
convinced him that it was he himself who was entirely in
error. Though I have not retained for the Museum the whole
material examined in the flesh (some 200. birds killed
throughout the year), he would have found a series of about
150 carefully selected specimens, which when laid out month
by month tell their own story.

I must most emphatically deny that ‘‘a considerable
pattern change’ takes place in the winter-plumage of the
male ; nothing of the kind occurs, though with the approach
of spring and the greater abundance of food the birds possibly
become more glossy, the secretions of the oil-gland, with
which the feathers are lubricated and polished being no doubt
more copious at that season. Males in winter-plumage vary
greatly ; in some individuals the upperparts are almost
entirely clad in the chestnut-and-black winter-plumage and
very few of the more coarsely-marked buff-and-black autumn-
feathers are retained, in others a greater or lesser number of
autumn-feathers are conspicuous among the new winter-
plumage. These differences are purely individual, as was
fully set forth in my “Handbook to the Game-Birds ”
(i., p. 30).

Probably these variously marked birds retaining a greater
or lesser number of autumn-feathers are what Mr. Millais
alludes to when he asserts (p. 38) that “a considerable
pattern change was also noticeable.”

* The same statement had previously been published by Mr. Millais
in the Supplement to the “ Field’ on the 7th of August, 1909, p. vii.,

headed ‘‘ The Summer Plumage of the Cock Grouse,”’ but had escaped
my attention.

350 BRITISH BIRDS.

On page 40 he sums up his involved and somewhat lengthy
remarks as follows :—

** Tn conclusion, it is the case that the summer or breeding plumage
of the cock grouse is achieved, for the most part, by repigmentation
and pattern change of most of the winter feathers below the neck, and
above that part by a gradual spring moult (differing considerably in
individuals as to date), whilst in the case of certain males these
ornamental feathers may extend in small numbers to the nape,
seapulars, chest, back and tail-coverts, thus partly forming an orna-
mental nuptial dress similar in character to that of the Willow Grouse.
It is also a new and curious fact that the male should moult the
feathers of the legs and feet at any period between March 30th and
June 17th, as the margin of time is so very wide.”

Mr. Millais has entirely misunderstood the meaning of
what he has seen. In the first place the “new richly marked
black and yellow feathers ” (see p. 39) which he found on the
head, neck, ete., of two birds killed on the Ist and 13th of
May respectively were, of course, the beginning of the
autumn-plumage, which every male assumes and which always
commences to appear on the head and neck. In some indi-
viduals a few of these feathers may be found even as early as
March and April, but this is by no means always the case,
for they generally begin to appear towards the end of May or
early in June. I can produce a male killed in December in
which a few black and yellow feathers can be found coming
in on the crown and nape. Such precocious birds are,
however, quite exceptional, and do not in any way alter the
certain fact that the male Red Grouse does breed in his
winter-plumage without undergoing any change in pattern
or otherwise.

In another place Mr. Millais appears. to have had a
glimmering of the truth, for he writes (p. 39) :—

“These summer-plumage features (sic) would doubtless form part
of the true autumn-plumage and would be cast somewhere about mid-
September, but that does not seem to detract from the fact that they
are a separate and ornamental attribute achieved by the bird for
decorative purposes during the time of brilliance, whilst in colour they
are in no way quite similar to the dull buff and black autumnal dress
assumed in June.”’

If these black and yellow feathers “doubtless form part
of the true autumn-plumage ” one may ask how can they
possibly be regarded as representing a breeding-plumage ?
Are we to believe that these feathers on the head and neck
which are ““in no way quite similar to the dull buff and black
autumnal dress’ are again replaced at the autumn moult?

I think if Mr. Millais will re-examine the feet of the birds
killed in April, etc., he will find that they are not moulting,

LETTERS. 351

but that what he has mistaken for growing feathers are
merely the worn down stumps of the old ones.

Speaking of the female Red Grouse Mr. Millais writes
(p. 38) :—

“Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, who has made a close study of the species,
asserts that every female attains the whole summer dress by means of
a moult, but though this may be regular, I am not at all convinced that
it is the invariable rule.”

This is entirely a misrepresentation. I never said that the
whole of the summer-plumage was attained in this way.
What I really wrote was: “So far as I have been able to
ascertain from examining a large number of specimens, the
summer-feathers of the wpperparts are always attained by
moult, and never by change of pattern.” I particularly
mentioned that the feathers of the chest, sides and flanks are
assumed partly by moult and partly by change of pattern
(see Handbook to the Game Birds, I., pp. 31-34).

It seems a pity that no coloured plate is given of the male
Red Grouse in his autumn-plumage ; three plates are devoted
to the different types in winter-plumage, but the former,
which is so interesting, so striking, and so little known to
sportsmen should surely have been figured.

The general remarks on Pheasants (p. 75) betray an entire
ignorance of the various species. One instance is sufficient.
The Japanese Pheasant (Phasianus versicolor), we are told,
is a sub-species of the Common Pheasant (P. colchicus)! It
would be difficult to imagine two more well-marked species,
one being confined to the islands of Japan, while the other is
found only in Western Trans-Caucasia and on the eastern and
south-eastern coasts of the Black Sea.

Mr. Millais says that he is quite unable to accept all the
local forms of the Common Pheasant scattered over an immense
area and differing only in trifling particulars from one another,
but in most cases they inhabit areas quite apart. I do not
think from reading what he has written that he can have
read Mr. Buturlin’s articles on the true Pheasants in the
“This” (1904, pp. 377-414, and 1908, pp. 570-592). Mr.
Buturlin enumerates a large number of forms, species and
sub-species, but although many naturalists will agree that
all these are not distinctive enough to be separated, some,
such as P. alpherakyi, appear to be well characterised. It
is this species Mr. Millais figures under the name P. hagenbeckt,
which is a very distinct species. The only example of
Hagenbeck’s Pheasant in this country is the type-specimen
in the Tring Museum, and this Mr. Millais has never seen.

352 BRITISH BIRDS.

He has made a mistake in supposing that the birds which were
sold in the Leadenhall Market were P. hagenbecki. They
were, as Mr. Buturlin informs us, P. alpherakyi, and came
from Kharbin near the Siberian railway, which does not pass
anywhere near the Kobdo Valley, in the Southern Altai, the
home of P. hagenbecki. This error was no doubt partly due
to Mr. Tegetmeier, who took it for granted that the Leadenhall
birds were P. hagenbecki, and he, like Mr. Millais, had never
seen the type-specimen at Tring. The mistake had, however,
been corrected by Mr. Buturlin in 1904.

| That the various species of Pheasant should interbreed
where their different geographical ranges meet is not surprising.
The Blackcock crosses with the Capercaillie, the Willow-
Grouse, the Red Grouse and the Hazel-Hen, which belong
to different genera, but even Mr. Millais does not suggest
that for this reason they are to be regarded as sub-species of
one another.

It is disappointing to find that no mention whatever is
made of the Red-legged Partridge in its first plumage, which
is so remarkable that young birds shot in early September
are constantly supposed to be hybrids between that species
and the Common Partridge. I have them sent or brought
to me nearly every year as such.

Lastly, the bird figured as the female of the Quail is not
that species, but the red-throated “Cape Quail,” a smaller
resident bird met with in South Africa and in some of the
islands off the African coast. Both this and the common
species occur in the Azores, and are easily distinguished when
on the wing. Typical examples of the Common Quail have
the cheeks and throat white, with the black anchor-shaped
mark well developed.

W. R. Ocitvie-GRanT.
British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, S.W.
January 22nd, 1910.

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CONTENTS OF NumsBer 11, Vot. BOE Ae 1, 1910.

The Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata) in Lincoln-
shire—a new British Bird, by G. H. Caton Haigh .. Page 353

The Marsh-Sandpiper (Yotanus stagnatilis, Bechst.) as a
British Bird, by M. J. Nicoll, m.z.o.v. ..

Sequence of Plumages in British Birds. IV.—The British
Stonechat, The British and Continental Redbreasts
and Red-spotted and White-spotted Bluethroats, by
H. F. Witherby .. ae 56 ay 360

Notes :—The Wood- Pigeon Diphtheria (Eds.). Recovery
of Marked Birds. Marking Birds (Eds.). Black
Redstart in Wiltshire (Dr. F. Penrose). Actions of
the Alpine Accentor (W. E. Teschemaker). Nuthatch
on the Great Orme’s Head, North Wales (R. W. Jones).

Corsican Woodchat in Kent, a new British Bird
(Claud B. Ticehurst). Field-Notes on the Corsican
Woodchat (F. C. R. Jourdain). Crossbills Nesting in
England—In Suffolk (E. Fraser Stanford) ; In Norfolk
and Berkshire (Norman Gilroy); In Norfolk (J.
Cunningham Ford). Irruption of Crossbills. Two-
Barred Crossbill in Scotland (Hugh §S. Gladstone).
Little Owl in Wiltshire (F. Reynolds). Lesser Kestrel
in Yorkshire (Claud B. Ticehurst). Nesting of the
Grey Lag-Goose in Orkney (H. W. Robinson). Red-
breasted Goose on the Severn (H.W. Robinson). Line
of Migration of the Spotted Crake (H. W. Robinson).
Spotted Sandpiper in Sussex (J. B. Nichols). Short

Notes : 367
Letter :—‘* The Natural: History of British ‘cane Birds ve

(J. G. Millais) wa : ‘ : : 381

THE LANCEOLATED WARBLER (Locustella lanceolata)
IN LINCOLNSHIRE.

A New BririsH Birp.
BY
G. H. CATON HAIGH.

Wuen walking along the sea-bank at North Cotes,
Lincolnshire, on November 18th, 1909, I shot an example
of the Lanceolated Warbler (Locustella lanceolata). I
first observed the bird in the long grass on the side of

DD

554 BRITISH BIRDS.

one of the marsh-drains, out of which it ran on to the
short grass of the adjoining field. I watched it for a short
time as it ran about the ground like a mouse, and I noticed
that it kept its tail depressed, and not erected over the
back, as is usually the case with the Grasshopper- Warbler
(Locustella nevia) when running over open ground.
At one time it flew up to a barbed-wire post close by,
up which it climbed with the facility of a Tree-Creeper.
It soon flew back to the ground, and I shot it just asit
reached the long grass again. Unfortunately the bird
was much shattered by the shot, and I had great difficulty
in making a skin of it. It proved to be a male, and
I think adult, and was excessively fat.

In appearance this bird is considerably smaller than
the Grasshopper-Warbler. (The wing measures 56 mm.
as against 60-66 in L. nevia.) In the colour of the
upperparts it closely resembles that bird, but the dark
centres of the feathers are larger and more clearly
defined, and the uppersurface of the wings is a trifle
more rufous. The underparts are thickly spotted with long-
shaped blackish spots or streaks on a nearly white ground ;
the spots on the middle of the breast being larger and
rounder than those on the throat and flanks. There
is a slight tinge of buff on the lower throat. The beak
had the base of the lower mandible pale yellow, the rest
horn-colour. The legs and feet were white, with a very
faint tinge of flesh-colour ; claws white.

The autumn migration was practically over, and the
only birds moving were a few Fieldfares, Redwings and
Blackbirds. The weather at the time was very coid,
with heavy showers, and a strong E.N.E. wind. There
had been sharp frosts every night for a week, as much as
nine degrees on the 15th and 16th, but only three degrees
on the night of the 17th. The whole of the summer
and autumn was characterised by the prevalence of
north-west winds, and the consequent almost complete
absence of visible migration.

The Lanceolated Warbler does not appear to have

LANCEO LATED WARBLER IN LINCOLNSHIRE. 355

occurred previously in any part of western Europe.* It
breeds in Kamchatka, Japan and Saghalien, through
Siberia, and seldom in Russia (Hartert, Vog. pal. Fauna,
p- 554). It passes through China on migration and winters
in India, as far west as Etawah, Burma, Pegu, Tenasserim
and the Andaman Islands (Oates, Birds of Brit. India,
Vol. 1, p. 354).

The skin was examined by Dr. E. Hartert, to whom it
was submitted by Mr. H. F. Witherby, and my thanks
are due to both for the trouble they took in the
identification of this very much-damaged specimen.

* We believe that there are only two recorded occurrences of the
bird in Europe, one in North Russia, the other near Cattaro, Dalmatia,
in November, 1907 (Grossmann, Orn. Jahr., 1908, p. 255).—Ebs.

THE MARSH-SANDPIPER (Totanus stagnatilis, Bechst.)
AS A BRITISH BIRD.

BY
M. J. NICOLL, m.3.0.v.

In his ‘‘ Manual of British Birds ” (2nd Edition, p. 620)
the late Howard Saunders calls attention to the fact that
the reputed Marsh-Sandpiper which was shot at Tring
Reservoir in October, 1887, ““ was not submitted to
competent authorities at the time, and has since been
burned.”* This being the only record of this species in
Great Britain up to the present time, its claims for
inclusion in the British list have been slender. In June,
1909, however, a pair of undoubted Totanus stagnatilis
was obtained in Sussex.

The female of the pair—an adult in summer-plumage—
was shot on June 16th, at a pool of water in the beach
on the west side of Rye Harbour. Two days later an
adult male was shot at the same place. Both of these
were examined by the writer, the first in the flesh and the
second when partly skinned.

These interesting birds are now in the collection of
Mr. J. B. Nichols, who has kindly lent them for the purpose
of reproducing the accompanying figure.

It is satisfactory, though not surprising, that the
Marsh-Sandpiper has at last been added to the British
list. It has occurred on Heligoland and in Northern
France, therefore it was only to be expected that sooner
or later it would put in an appearance on our coasts.
The occurrence of a rare straggler in England at a time

* The Hon. Walter Rothschild informs us that this specimen was
undoubtedly correctly identified at the time by himself and verified
by reference to Dresser’s ‘‘ Birds of Europe’”’ and other means,
Unfortunately, through a bad accident, some hundreds of Mr.
Rothschild’s~birds were burnt, and among them this specimen of the
Marsh-Sandpiper. Howard Saunders’ statement in the ‘ Manual ”’
is explained by the fact that he did not know Mr. Rothschild at all

at the time, and was unaware of his capability to identify the bird
correctly.—Eps.

MARSH-SANDPIPER AS A BRITISH BIRD. 357

when it should be in the midst of breeding operations
would seem remarkable, were it not for the fact that this
is by no means an unprecedented event. I know of
several instances of the appearance in England of birds,

MARSH-SANDPIPER—MALE SHOT NEAR RYE, SUSSEX, ON
JUNE 18TH, 1909.

not known to breed here, at a time when they should
have been engaged in rearing their young. The cause of
this is probably due to the fact that their eggs have been
destroyed, and it being too early to migrate southwards,

358 BRITISH BIRDS.

the birds have wandered aimlessly about until they
reached our coasts. Such a solution is frequently
suggested by Gaetke in his “ Birds of Heligoland.”

The breeding range of the Marsh-Sandpiper in Europe
appears to be confined to Austria-Hungary and Southern
Russia, but there is some evidence that it has bred in
the Camargue, and Dr. Cullen said he took one nest in
the Dobrudscha. It also extends right across Asia,
probably to the Sea of Okhotsk and north to Lat. 55
or 56 in Siberia. In winter the bird ranges to the Cape
in Africa, and to the Malay Archipelago, New Guinea and
Australia.

In Egypt, the only country in which I have met with
it, the Marsh-Sandpiper is not uncommon during the
autumn, winter, and early spring. It frequents marshy
ground and the shores of the lakes, such as Menzaleh,
usually singly, though sometimes in small flocks. It
is shy and difficult of approach.

In appearance the Marsh-Sandpiper somewhat resembles
a miniature Greenshank, but the call-note, general habits,
and flight are more like those of the Wood-Sandpiper
(7. glareola). So far as my limited experience goes, this
Sandpiper seldom consorts with other waders. It is
easily distinguished even at a distance from the Wood-
and Green Sandpipers by its pale coloration and long
legs. ji

Winter-plumage, adult male, November 6th, 1906,
Province of Giza, forehead, lores and whole of underparts
pure white; nape, grey; crown, mantle, scapulars and
mmner secondaries, greyish-brown ; lesser wing-coverts dull
brown ; greater wing-coverts greyish-brown, like the mantle,
each feather narrowly edged with white ; lower back and
rump white ; upper tarl-coverts white, barred with black ;
tail : outer pair of rectrices white, marbled with grey on
the outer web, remainder similar, but with irregular
black bars on the inner webs, central pair smoky-grey
with V-shaped bars of black ; remiges dull black, the first
primary having a white shaft, the others being brown.

MARSH-SANDPIPER AS A BRITISH BIRD. 359

In some specimens the feathers of the mantle are
narrowly edged with white, and the long inner secondaries
are faintly blotched with black, such examples are, I
fancy, birds of the year. Wing 132 mm ; culmen 47 mm.;
tarsus, 51 mm.

The summer-plumage is somewhat similar, but the
whole of the upperparts are mottled and streaked with
black, while the feathers of the cheeks, ear-coverts, and
the upper part of the breast have a broad dark mesial
mark which produces a spotted appearance.

The bill is very slender, and like that of the Green-
shank is slightly recurved towards the tip.

( 360. )

SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES IN BRITISH BIRDS.

IV.—THE BRITISH STONECHAT, THE BRITISH AND
CONTINENTAL REDBREASTS AND RED-SPOTTED AND WHITE-
SPOTTED BLUETHROATS.

BY
H. F. WITHERBY.

THE BRITISH STONECHAT.

Pratincola torquata hibernans, Hartert.*

Down-Piumace. Dark-grey, of moderate length. Dvzs-
tribution.—Inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and spinal
tracts, scanty on the two last (fide, C. B. Ticehurst, Vol. IIL.,
p. 151).

JUVENILE PLuMaAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the Down-
Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE. Top of head black, each feather with a narrow mesial
buff line; nape the same, but with broader wedge-shaped buff lines ;
mantle, scapulars and back the same, but with rufous markings on each
side of the buff wedge ; wpper tail-coverts with long rufous fringes ; chin,
throat and sides of neck greyish-buff speckled with black ; breast more
rufous-buff, with large black spots; belly and under tail-coverts buf ;
flanks the same, but sparsely spotted with black ; wnder wing-coverts
buff speckled with black; aillaries greyish-white, with black bases ;
tail-feathers brownish-black, with rufous-buff edgings and tips; wing-
feathers the same, but the edging very narrow in the primaries and
becoming broader as the innermost secondary is reached, the innermost
secondary with the basal half of the outer web white, and the two next
with the basal third white, all the wing-feathers narrowly edged with
buffish-white on the inner web; primary-coverts brownish-black,
with buff edges and tips; innermost greater wing-coverts white, with
buff tips, the next outwards partially black and white, and the rest
black, with rufous-buff edges and tips; median wing-coverts black,
with rufous-buff fringes, the innermost with buffish-white fringes ;
lesser wing-coverts black, with rufous-buff fringes.

FEMALE. Like that of the male, but- the three innermost
secondaries without any white, but with a small buff spot at the base of

* The SIBERIAN STONECHAT (Pratincola torquata maura), which has
been once obtained in England (vide antea, Vol. I., p. 7), may always
be distinguished in Winter- and Summer-Plumage : in the male by the
rump and upper tail-coverts having no black markings, the bases of
the tail-feathers being white, the bases of the outer webs of five of the
innermost secondaries being white, and by the inner webs of all the
wing-feathers having a much broader margin of pure white; the belly
being whiter and the neck-patches larger; in the female by the rump
and upper tail-coverts being white, with buff tips; the tail-feathers
having some greyish-white at the base; the innermost secondaries
having white at the base of the outer web.

PE. WITHERBY > PLUMAGES: 561

the outer web, and the innermost greater wing-coverts not white, but
like the other wing-coverts, except that the tips are whitish-buff and
broader. ;

Frrst WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
including the three innermost secondaries, but excluding the
rest of the remiges, the rectrices, and the primary-coverts.
The bird becomes practically indistinguishable from the adult
in winter, but the wing-feathers (except the three innermost
secondaries), tail-feathers and primary-coverts often have a
slightly more worn appearance.

MALE. Top of head, scapulars, mantle and back brown and black, the
feathers being jet-black, with long reddish-brown fringes ; rwmp more
uniform reddish brown ; wpper tail-coverts white, with black pear-shaped
centres and rufous tips (the bases of the feathers are black); chin, throat,
lores, ear-coverts and cheeks black, with buff fringes, sometimes almost
obscuring the black; on each side of the base of the neck a patch of white,
which extends towards the back of the neck and on to the shoulder, but
the white in these portions is covered by long fringes of black and
chestnut ; breast, sides of belly and flanks chestnut, with narrow buff
fringes ; centre of belly and wnder tail-coverts whitish-buff ; under wing-
coverts black, fringed with white; azillaries white, with basal half
black ; tail and wing-feathers and primary-coverts as in the Juvenile,
except that the three innermost secondaries have more white; greater
wing-coverts as in the Juvenile, but the innermost with much more
white and the others with narrower rufous-buff edges and tips ; median
wing-coverts black, with buff tips, the innermost white, or partially
white, as in the greater ; lesser wing-coverts the same, but the innermost
with white tips only.

FEMALE. The wpperside is much like that of the male, but the
black is less intense and the wpper tail-coverts have no white ; lores,
ear-coverts and cheeks brown speckled with black; chin buff; throat
buff, with the black of the lower portion of the feathers showing through ;
sides of neck whitish-buff, not white, as in the male; breast and belly
much the same as the male, but not so bright ; taz/- and wing-feathers
as in the male, but the three innermost secondaries with only a spot
of buff and no white at the base of the outer web; wing-coverts as in
the male, but with considerably less white on the inner ones.

First SUMMER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by abrasion.

MALE. Whole of the head, throat, mantle, scapulars, back and
rump jet-black, with just an indication of the brown edgings ;
upper tail-coverts black and white; patches on the szdes of neck
larger than in the First Winter and pure white; breast deeper
chestnut ; centre of belly and under tail-coverts almost white ; axillaries
almost black, the long white fringes having nearly worn off ; taz/ and
wing-feathers brownish-black ; wing-coverts jet-black, with the white
patch formed by the innermost ones showing larger.

N.B.—There is much variation in individuals owing to the amount
of abrasion which has taken place.
FEMALE. The upperside becomes more distinctly marked with

black owing to wear, but there is always much brown in_ the
plumage; the lower portion of the throat becomes partially black by

362 BRITISH BIRDS.

the wearing of the buff fringes, and the neck-patches become larger and
more whitish, but they are very small in extent as compared to those
of the male; the breast becomes brighter, but never so bright as in the
male; the belly remains buff, and not whitish, as in the male; the
white ‘‘ wing-patch ’’ becomes more distinct, but is much smaller than
in the male.

ApULT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.
The plumage is like that of the First Winter, but all the
remiges, the primary-coverts and tail-feathers are new.

ApuLt SummMER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by abrasion. The
plumage is like that of the First Summer.

THE BRITISH REDBREAST.
Erithacus rubecula melophilus, Hart.
MALE AND FEMALE.

Down-Piumace. Dull jet-black. Dvistribution.— Inner
supra-orbital, occipital, humeral, and spinal (short) (fide,
C. B. Ticehurst, Vol. II., p. 189).

JUVENILE PiLumMaGe. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

Feathers of the wpperside buff, with edgings and tips, varying in
width, of dark brown, giving the whole a spotted appearance ; feathers
of the rump and wpper tadl-coverts rufous-buff, with dark brown tips ;
chin and throat buff or greyish-buff, each feather narrowly edged with
brown ; breast and flanks rather more rufous and the edgings to the
feathers brown; belly greyish-white, faintly speckled with brown ;
under tail-coverts buff; tail-feathers dark brown, tinged with rufous,
especially on the outer webs; under wing-coverts buff; axillaries
buffish-white ; primaries and secondaries brownish-black, the outer
webs olive-brown and the inner webs edged with greyish-buff, the inner-
most secondaries olive-brown, with small wedge-shaped buff tips ;
primary-coverts as the primaries ; greater wing-coverts dark brown, with
wedge-shaped buff tips ; median and lesser wing-coverts with larger buff
tips and very narrow edgings of dark brown.

N.B.—Some examples are considerably more rufous-buff than others,
and the buff tips to the inner secondaries and greater wing-coverts vary
in size in different individuals.

First WintER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the remiges, primary-coverts, greater
wing-coverts and rectrices.

Upperside uniform dark olive-brown ; feathers of the rwmp with long
olive-brown fringes, concealing a band of silvery-grey ; upper tazl-
coverts rufous-brown ; forehead, lores, lower ear-coverts, chin, throat and
breast rich reddish-orange; upper ear-coverts olive-brown ; sides of
neck and breast blue-grey ; centre of belly white; flanks pale olive-
brown ; wnder tail-coverts buffish-white ; tail-feathers as in the Juvenile ;
under wing-coverts buff; awillaries buffish- and greyish-white ; wing-

H. F. WITHERBY : PLUMAGES. 363

feathers, primary-coverts and greater wing-coverts as in the Juvenile,
but*the buff tips to the innermost secondaries and greater wing-coverts
worn and smaller ; median and lesser wing-coverts uniform olive-brown
as the mantle.

First SumMMER-PLUuMacE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

As in the First Winter-Plumage, but paler, not so deep and rich in
colour on the upperside, the buff tips to the inner secondaries mostly

worn off and those to the greater wing-coverts much smaller through
wear.

ADULT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

The plumage is like that of the First Winter, but the innermost
secondaries, instead of having wedge-shaped buff tips, have very narrow
even fringes of buff or greyish-buff, and the buff tips to the greater
wing-coverts are much smaller.

ApuLTt SuMMER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and
fading.

The plumage is like that of the First Summer, with the same differences
as between the First Winter and Adult Winter, but not so marked, the
buff tips being more worn.

N.B.—I ean find no constant differences in the plumage of males
and females at any age. In size males average slightly larger than
females in length of wing, but the measurements of individuals of
each sex overlap: Male 77-73 mm., average 74.57 mm.; Female
77-70 mm., average 73.16 mm.

THE CONTINENTAL REDBREAST.
Hrithacus rubecula rubecula, L.

This form occurs regularly in autumn (and probably also
in spring) on the east and south-east coasts of England, and
has been taken both in autumn and spring at St. Catherine’s
Lighthouse, Isle of Wight, and probably occurs in many
other parts of the British Islands, as a bird of passage in
any case. The sequence of its plumages appears to be exactly
similar to that of the British Redbreast.

The buff tips to the greater wing-coverts are generally paler in colour
thaninthe British Redbreast, and in adults they are often entirely absent
and generally very small and inconspicuous. The wpperside in Winter-
Plumage has an olive-green tinge, and is much less brown than in
E. r. melophilus, while in summer it attains a distinctly greyish tinge
by abrasion and fading. Specimens of FE. r. melophilus in worn Summer-
Plumage approximate in the colour of the upperside to specimens of
E. r. rubecula in Winter-Plumage. The colour of the throat and breast
is always more yellowish-orange and not reddish-orange, as in the
British Redbreast, while the flanks are much less brown and the belly
whiter. The average measurements of HE. r. rubecula appear to be
smaller. Male wing 75-72 mm., average 73.57 mm.; Female wing
72-69 mm., average 70.2 mm.

364. BRITISH BIRDS.
THE RED-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT.

Cyanecula suecica suecica (L.).

Down-PLumMaAcE. Not examined.
JUVENILE Prumace. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE anp FEMALE. Feathers of the wpperside brownish-black, -
with a median line of buff which broadens towards the tips; wpper
tail-coverts rufous speckled with black ; feathers of the chin, throat and
breast pale buff, with black edgings and tips; belly whitish-grey
speckled with black ; wnder tail-coverts buff ; primaries and secondaries
dark brown, with narrow edgings and tips of pale buff ; primary-coverts
with rather broader edgings and tips of rufous-buff; innermost
secondaries and greater wing-coverts with much broader edgings and
tips of rufous-buff; median and lesser wing-coverts broadly tipped
with buff; aaillaries and wnder wing-coverts buff speckled with
black ; two central tail-feathers dark brown, edged and tipped with
buff, the rest the same, but with the basal half bright bay.

First WintER-PLumMAGeE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the remiges, primary-coverts and
greater wing-coverts and rectrices.

MALE. Head dark brown streaked with black, which forms a
dark line on each side of the crown; mantle, scapulars, back, rump
and upper tail-coverts dark brown, the latter with bay bases to the
feathers (when the plumage is fresh, the rump is often tinged
with rufous and the whole of the mantle and back are tinged with
buff owing to the feathers having a very narrow fringe of that
colour); superciliary stripe warm buff, becoming greyer behind the
eye; ear-coverts dark brown streaked with buff; moustachial stripe
metallic blue (in some specimens these blue feathers are very few,
and in some they are absent and are replaced by greyish-white
feathers); on each side of the chin and throat a brownish-black
line; chin whitish ; throat rufous or rufous-buff, the amount of rufous
varying ; wpper-breast metallic blue, forming a band, the feathers
when fresh being tipped with greyish-white (the feathers of the upper
part of the blue band have white and rufous bases and those of the lower
part black bases); below the blue band a black one, on the upper part
of which the feathers have narrow fringes of white; these become
broader on the lower part of the band and thus form a white band,
which is followed by a chestnut band formed by the distal half of the
feathers being of that colour (the width and the depth of colour of this
band varies); Jlower-breast and belly buftish-white; flanks greyish-
brown; under tail-coverts buff; tadl- and wing-feathers and primary-
and greater wing-coverts as in the Juvenile, but the buff edgings and
tips considerably worn; median and lesser wing-coverts dark brown
fringed with greyish.

FEMALE. Upperside, wings and tail like those of the male;
moustachial stripe, chin and throat buffish-white, sometimes flecked
with brownish-black ; lines on the sides of throat and the breast-band
brownish-black, the feathers being fringed with greyish-white ; breast
below the black band brownish-grey, the feathers having a narrow
median stripe of dark brown (occasionally there are a few rufous-buff
feathers on the breast) ; belly, under wing-coverts and axillaries brownish-
white, not buffish-white, as in the male.

H. F. WITHERBY: PLUMAGES. 365

Frrst SumMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired partially by moult,
which includes only the whole of the chin and throat and the
blue breast-band—and. by abrasion and fading.

MALE. The plumage generally is like that of the First Winter, but
the feathers of the whole of the chin and throat, including the black lines
on each side, are replaced by new feathers of metallic blue, with a
central spot on the lower part of the throat of bright bay feathers. All
these feathers are newly grown, the moult taking place in February,
March or early April. When freshly grown, they have faint grey tips,
which soon become worn off, thus intensifying the colours. The feathers
of the ear-coverts and the small feathers round the orbits are also included
in this moult, but the new feathers in these parts are coloured as in the
First Winter-Plumage. The rest of the plumage becomes slightly
modified by wear, the wpperside becoming darker; the whitish
edgings to the feathers of the black and chestnut breast-bands becoming
worn and the colours becoming more intense in consequence; the
buff-tips to the greater wing-coverts and innermost secondaries also
become much worn, but they may still be found even in July birds,
especially in the greater wing-coverts.

FEMALE. Generally like the First Winter-Plumage, but some

specimens have a blue moustachial stripe, a rufous-buff throat-spot, and
a blue breast-band, but the chin seems never to be blue.

ADULT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Like that of the First Winter-Plumage, but differing in the
following particulars :—The feathers of the chin and throat are bluish-
black, with greyish-buff tips, which wear nearly off towards December
(the chin occasionally has a few metallic blue feathers) ; the red throat-
spot and usually also the chestnut breast-band are of a deeper colour,
and the blue moustachial stripe is more pronounced ; the primary and
greater wing-coverts are edged and tipped narrowly with greyish-brown,
instead of with rufous-buff.

FEMALE. Like the First Winter-Plumage, but frequently with
a little blue on the moustachial stripes, a blue breast-band and some
rufous-buff and blue on the throat, occasionally with some chestnut
below the blue band. The greater wing-coverts without the buff tips.

Aputt SumMeER-PLtumaGe. Acquired by abrasion and by a
partial moult involving, as in the moult into First Summer-
Plumage, only the chin, throat and blue breast-band and ear-
coverts and orbits, and by abrasion and fading.

MALE. Like that of the First Summer-Plumage, but the primary
and greater wing-coverts without any rufous-buff tips.

FEMALE. Generally like the Adult Winter - Plumage, but in-
dividuals may have more colour on the throat; the chin, however,
does not seem to become blue.*

N.B.—Adult females, which have blue and red colouring on the throat
and breast, may be distinguished from males in First Winter-Plumage

* IT have examined two birds shot in June, and sexed by the
collectors as females, which had blue chins, but I think that both of
these had been wrongly sexed and were males. Both were in much
worn plumage, and one was undoubtedly in First Summer-Plumage.

366 BRITISH BIRDS.

by the chestnut breast-band being generally replaced by brownish-grey
feathers with brown centres, and by the belly being browner and darker
and by the absence of buff-tips to the primary and greater wing-coverts.

WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT.

Cyanecula suecica wolfi, Brehm.

The sequence of plumage of this form appears to be exactly
similar to that of the last, the moults are precisely the same,
and the plumages of the males might be described in exactly
similar terms with the following differences in regard to the
throat-spot.

First AND ADULT WINTER-PLUMAGES. Throat-spot silky-
white, with greyish-white and often rufous-buff fringes ; the
basal half of the feathers, especially on the lower part of the
spot, is of a more silky-white than in C. swecica.

First AND ADULT SuMMER-PLUMAGES. Throat-spot silky-
white, the feathers occasionally with red tips, but in such
cases there are always some entirely white feathers, and the
silky-white bases may easily be seen by turning up the
feathers. The white spot becomes more distinct as the
summer advances and the fringes of the feathers wear off,
but the area covered by the white spot varies in size,-and
exceptionally specimens have an entirely blue throat without
any white in the feathers at all.

N.B.—I can find no differences in the plumages of the
females and juveniles of the two forms, but I have not been
able to examine sufficient skins carefully collected at the
breeding-place with the males to make certain that there are
no differences.

THE WOOD-PIGEON DIPHTHERIA.

A DISAPPOINTING number of schedules concerning this enquiry
has been sent in. We had hoped that our readers would have
filled up and sent in their schedules (attached to the inside
cover of the December issue) since the trouble concerned is
so small, while the result of the information, whether
negative or positive, is certain to be useful.—Eps.

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

BuaCK-HEADED Guu (Larus ridibundus).—B. B., No. 3237,
marked as a nestling by Dr. C. B. Ticehurst at Llyn
Mynyddlod, near Bala, Merionethshire, on June 12th,
1909. Recovered at Rainhill, Lancashire, on January
26th, 1910.

The information was very kindly sent by Mr. J. Black.

Woopcock (Scolopax rusticula).—‘‘ Country Life,’ No. 15,
marked by Mr. T. Roose at Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire,
on May 19th, 1909. Recovered (picked up dead) at
Teir, Dunblane, N.B. No date is given (A. Stirling,
Country Life, December 4th, 1909).

MARKING BIRDS.

WE hope that our readers will mark a large number of birds
this season. Some of the best results are obtained by ringing
a great many birds of the same species, such as colonies of
Gulls, Terns, ete. We shall be glad to supply rings to all
readers who wish to help in the marking scheme, and we may
note that full instructions are given upon the schedules which
are sent out with the rings. The rings are kept in packets
of twenty each, in three sizes, large size for Gulls, Ducks, etc.,
medium size for Thrushes, Terns, etc., small size for Robins,
Warblers, etc. Requests for rmgs, should state the quantity
required of each size. Eps.

568 BRITISH BIRDS.

BLACK REDSTART IN WILTSHIRE.

A youne male Black Redstart (Ruticilla titys) was first seen
about midday on March 13th in my garden at Downton,
Salisbury. It was about all the afternoon until 5 p.m., which
was the last time at which it was seen. I see on referring to
the Rev. A. C. Smith’s “ Birds of Wiltshire” (1887, p. 148)
that it has twice been recorded in the county. As it is a
species whose migratory movements are of great interest, I
venture to report the occurrence.

FRANK PENROSE.

ACTIONS OF THE ALPINE ACCENTOR.

In reply to your correspondent, Miss F. Russell (p. 330), I
may say that I have observed this species closely in my
aviaries during the past year.

Altogether I have had six individuals, and at the present
time I have three. I have seen this Accentor walk, but only
on the rarest occasions, and then only for a very short distance.
Its usual means of progression is a hop; it never runs. It
is singular that other observers besides Mrs. Russell have stated
that it walks. The Snow-Finch (/. nivalis), a bird found in the
same districts and which also spends much of its time on the
ground, runs with some rapidity and very seldom hops.

W. E. TESCHEMAKER.

NUTHATCH ON THE GREAT ORME’S HEAD, NORTH
WALES.

THERE can be no loophole for doubt but that the bird which
a friend of mine saw on a southern slope of the Great Orme’s
Head in the spring of 1907 was a Nuthatch (Sitta cesia). His
description of the distribution of colours on the bird’s plumage,
and of its behaviour, particularly the peculiarity, all its
own, the bird has of applying its full strength into each stroke
and working as it does from the hip-joint, so that the whole
weight of its body is added to the blow delivered at the object
engaging its close attention, conclusively proves a correct
identification. Not only is the occurrence of the Nuthatch on
the Great Orme an unprecedented one, but it is also of great
interest, mainly, perhaps, because the bird is very rare through-
out the whole of North Wales but also from the fact that it
was in February, 1907, that I saw my first example of this
species in Creuddyn (of which the Great Orme forms a part),
prior to which it had not apparently been recorded from any-
where within a radius of twenty-seven miles. ;

R. W. JONES.

NOTES. 369

CORSICAN WOODCHAT IN KENT.
A New Britisu Birp.

On June 29th, 1909, a shepherd shot, in Romney Marsh,
Kent, a Woodchat Shrike, which he gave to Mr. G. Bristow,
of St. Leonards, on the following day, remarking that it was
a very fine “ Butcher-bird.” On July Ist I examined the
bird in the flesh in Mr. Bristow’s shop, and the absence of
any white speculum at the base of the primaries at once
attracted my attention. Having (through the kindness of
the authorities at the Tring Museum) compared this bird
with the examples of the Corsican Woodchat and Common
Woodchat, I had no doubt that it belonged to the former
subspecies (Lanius senator badius, Hartl.), the characteristic
distinctions—absence of white speculum, stouter bill and
rather longer wing—being well marked. The breeding
range, so far as is known at present, of this bird is confined to
Sardinia and. Corsica, while in winter it is found in north-west
Africa and has occurred in Madeira. .

The occurrence of the Corsican Woodchat in Great Britain
is very remarkable, especially in June, and it is possible,
though there is no proof, that these wanderers that are found
in the summer, hundreds of miles from their breeding range,
are birds which have either lost their mate or never found
one, and have been compelled by some instinct to migrate
further.

This bird is now in the collection of Mr. J. B. Nichols,
through whose kindness I was enabled to exhibit it before the
British Ornithologists’ Club on February 16th, 1910.

CrauD B. TIicEHURST.

Fietp-Notes ON THE Corsican Woopcuat.
Tuis fine and distinct race of the Woodchat is quite one of the
most characteristic birds of Corsica below the forest limits,
and one cannot travel far in any direction in the cultivated
districts without catching sight of the white breast of the cock
as he sits crouched on some “ coign of vantage.” As we
approach, he quietly flies down the hillside, followed a few
seconds after by his less conspicuous mate, and takes up a
similar position a hundred yards away. The usual time of
arrival in Corsica is about the third week in April, and gradually
the immigrants distribute themselves over the low-lying
plage, and up the valleys wherever there is open ground and
cultivation up to about 2,500 feet. Perhaps the most favoured
breeding-places are open hillsides, with a few trees here and
there, and big matted clumps of briars interspersed among

EE

370 BRITISH BIRDS.

the patches of cistus-scrub. Here two or three pairs may be
found nesting within a few hundred yards of one another,
but as a rule each pair has its own district, which it keeps
to itself. The best time for full clutches of eggs is about the
fourth week in May, but early nests may occasionally be met
with as early as May 12th—13th. It is difficult to lay down
general rules as to nesting-sites, for they show a wide range
of variation. Perhaps the first nest found may be about
15 feet up in a lichen-covered cork-oak, built to fit right on to
a horizontal bough, and not at all conspicuous from below.
The next may prove to be in a thick clump of brambles about
five feet from the ground, and not to be reached without sundry
scratches, while a third is placed far out among the pendant
outer branches on some spreading olive-tree, some eight feet
high, and a fourth is built among the slender boughs of a
sapling ilex, protected by a mass of creepers at its base. The
typical clutch consists of six eggs, but sometimes five only are
found and occasionally seven are met with. Asa rule, they do
not vary much in type, but are boldly marked with a zone of
leaden shell-markings and a few darker olive-brown spots, on
a pale blue, bluish-grey, or more rarely olive-grey ground.
There is, however, one extremely handsome type which has
been met with on three occasions at least, in which the ground-
colour is a warm salmon-pink and the markings are violet-
grey and rich sienna-brown. Whitehead found one clutch
of this character out of about twenty examined, and I was
fortunate to obtain two in 1908—9. ‘The only other Shrike
which breeds in Corsica is the Red-backed Shrike (L. collurio,
L.), and though eggs of the Corsican Woodchat might be
confused with some types of British Red-backed Shrikes,
they can hardly be mistaken for Corsican eggs of L. collurio,
which are much smaller than English eggs. Moreover the
nests of the two species are essentially different and can be
distinguished at a glance, for while L. senator badius builds
a big, substantial nest of twigs, lichens and flowering heads
of grasses, interwoven with roots and cudweed, lined with
fibres and some feathers, L. collurio in Corsica is content
to make a slighter and less compact edifice, generally placed
quite low down and composed chiefly of grasses and roots,
with a feather or two interwoven. On one occasion we met
with a particularly flimsy Woodchat’s nest, so badly built
that one could see through the bottom of the nest, but this
was quite exceptional, and the characteristic materials showed
the ownership at once, even without the presence of the
watchful parent birds. F. C. R. JouRDAIN.

NOTES. 371

CROSSBILLS NESTING IN ENGLAND.
In SUFFOLK.

Own February 27th I found seven Crossbills’ nests in a fir-wood
in the neighbourhood of Aldeburgh, Suffolk. In three cases
the birds had commenced to sit, while the other four nests
were not yet finished. The Crossbills were first seen in the
particular locality where the nests were found, about the
beginning of November, 1909. They were in four distinet
flocks of about eight or ten birds each. At the end of
December a bird with a stick in its beak was seen to go into
a fir tree, but was lost sight of, and we could find no nest or
sign of one at the time. One was, however, subsequently
found in this tree and was one of those reported above.
Crossbills have certainly not decreased in number, and I am
certain there were more nests than the seven I found, as I
watched a pair collecting nesting material, and they went
away with it in quite a different direction to any of the seven
nests I knew of, but I lost them in the tops of the fir trees ;
and there were certainly other pairs. I notice that they
always fly quite straight to the nest when they are building,
and seem to take no notice of anyone. All these nests were
very high up, and all quite in the tips of the boughs of the
Scotch firs. The lowest of the nests was about forty feet and
the highest nearer sixty feet from the ground. When the hen
is collecting nesting material, the cock bird takes up a position
on the highest point of some tree close by. The material
used in the present case was the dead bark off lime tree
branches, and the cock bird sat on the top of the tree while
the hen bird was down below stripping off the bark. As
. soon as she was ready she made straight for the nest with
the cock bird following. Some five or six years ago Crossbills
were seen feeding young ones that were able to fly in the
same locality, but otherwise, so far as I know, they have not

been observed in the neighbourhood.
E. Fraser STANFORD.

In NorFOLK AND BERKSHIRE.

On February 10th, near Thetford, Norfolk, I found a
Crossbill’s nest with four well incubated eggs and another
nest partially built. The birds were very tame and the
nests easy to find. On February 16th, near Aldermanton,
Berkshire, I found two Crossbills’ nests, one with four
eggs and the other with five. The latter were quite fresh,
but the former were much incubated. In both cases
the cock birds were singing in the trees in which the

572 BRITISH BIRDS.

nests were placed. One of the cock birds was a yellow
one. The trees were low, and the nests were well out on the
horizontal boughs and difficult to see.

NorMAN GILROY.

In NORFOLK.

Own February 26th, I observed a Crossbill carrying building
material near Thetford, Norfolk, and I saw her return three
times to the same branch of a Scotch fir growing by the
roadside. ‘There was nothing whatever to see of the nest,
nor was there on the following day, so she was evidently only
just commencing to build. I visited the site again on March
12th, when the nest was plainly visible from the ground. It
was placed close to the extreme end of a horizontal branch
some eighteen or twenty feet high. On my climbing the tree the
bird left the nest while I was still some feet from it. She was of
a dirty brown-green colour, not nearly so bright as many that I
have noticed. She kept twittering in the branches around
me for some time while I examined the nest, which contained.
three eggs already considerably incubated. I saw nothing of
the cock bird.

On March 20th I found another nest about 13 miles away
from the first one. It also was at the end of a horizontal branch
of a Scotch fir, and about twelve feet high. As soon as I
tapped a lower branch of the tree, the bird left the nest and
made loud cries, which immediately brought what I took to be
the cock bird. The pair of them flew round about me the whole
time that I was in the neighbourhood, making the same loud
incessant crying. Both these birds were green, but I saw a
red cock within twenty yards of this same nest. Is it possible
there were two hens? The nest contained young, apparently
four or five days old. The position of the nest prevented me
from counting them, but I was able to watch them from six feet
distance. I doubt if they were more than three in number.

The dead wood used by these birds in the construction of
their nests gives them the appearance of being old nests, and.
nobody unaware of this peculiarity would imagine that they
were new ones containing eggs or young.

My experience is exactly contrary to that of some ornith-
ologists that I know of, who assert that the cock bird readily
betrays the presence of the nest by-singing.in its Immediate
locality. I obtained no assistance whatever from the cock
bird, in either case, and in fact, as stated above, never saw it
at all in HD first instance.

J. CUNNINGHAM Forp.

NOTES. 373
IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.*

THERE are further indications from the observations of some
correspondents that the number of Crossbills in the country,
although still large, has lessened while Mr. J. S. Tulloch’s
interesting note from Shetland is direct evidence of some of
the birds having left the country. On the other hand, the
large number of birds still remaining are unlikely now to
leave, and many of them no doubt will be found nesting.
The history of previous irruptions (although none have
probably been so thoroughly recorded as the present one)
shows that the birds frequently settle down to breed here and
there in the spring following their arrival, but I know of no
authentic record of Crossbills having bred for two years
in succession in the same locality in England and Wales.

I hope that the readers of British Brrps will continue
to send in any note of (1) Nesting, (2) Increase or Decrease
in Numbers, (3) Arrival in New Localities or any evidence
connected with movements of the Crossbills.—H.F.W.

SHETLAND.—“I have not seen or heard of any being seen in
the islands since August 21st, 1909, until February 27th,
1910, when I saw a flock of about six near the Knab,
Lerwick. The day was bright, with a light southerly
breeze. The cries of the birds first attracted my attention,
and I saw them flying from a southerly direction and
settle in a field. One—a cock—sat on a fence, the

_ others rested upon the ground, but not for long, but long
enough for me to get a good look at them with my glasses.
They flew off in an easterly direction. I was told by a
friend of mine, Mr. Grierson, of Helendale, that he
saw a flock of about a dozen on the same afternoon”
(John S. Tulloch).

BEDFORDSHIRE.—* Whenever I go out purposely (at Woburn)
to look for Crossbills, I still (March 2nd) find them. On
February 10th I visited a small wood of only a few
acres, in which I found at least a dozen on one lot of
larches, and between thirty and forty farther on. On
the 18th, in a walk of about two hours, I saw flocks of
about a dozen, five, and thirty. Since then I have seen
one pair quite by themselves, which I hoped might bea
breeding pair, but I was unable to find them again.
Stewart Stout, Mr. Eagle Clarke’s late bird-collector in
Fair Isle, who is very well acquainted with them,

* For previous references to this subject, see pp. 82, 123, 162, 190-4,
226-8, 258-261, 303-6, 331-3.

374. BRITISH BIRDS.

constantly hears them passing over and sees them.”
“On March 16th I saw a flock of six and another of seven,
and on the 17th a flock of nine or ten. They appear to
be less numerous than they were, but it is difficult to be
certain, as they seem to have left the larch trees, where
they were easily seen, and to have taken to the Scotch
firs. One seen March 18th, about a dozen in a flock
on March 19th at Woburn, and satisfactory evidence of
two other flocks on March 19th at Ampthill” (The
Duchess of Bedford).

BERKSHIRE.—Five on February 26th at Henley-on-Thames.
A good many at Langley, near Slough, towards the end
of February. A pair at Henley on March 19th, but no
evidence of nesting (H. Noble).

GLOUCESTERSHIRE.—Still (March 11th) in fair numbers ;
appear to be less numerous (March 20th), but this may
be because they are in pairs, at Mitcheldean (N. F.
Richardson).

HampsHirE.—‘ They have been common at Hackwood,
Basingstoke, since the first week of July, 1909. About
October their numbers were increased, and in November
and December, 1909, and January, 1910, they were very
common, one could any day see from sixty to one
hundred. The majority disappeared about February Ist,
but one small lot were seen about February 15th, about
six on February 27th, not far away, and two on March 10th
at Hackwood”’ (W. S. Medlicott).

Kernt.—Very plentiful since the autumn at Cranbrook, and
were seen on March 13th (Rk. EL. Cheesman). Still (March
19th) at Edenbridge (£. G. B. Meade-Waldo). A male
singing in middle of March at Langton Green, Tunbridge
Wells (H. L. Turner).

MoONTGOMERYSHIRE.—A few all the winter, and still there on
March 16th near Churchstoke (H. E. Forrest).

Norroik.—Seven or eight on March 5th at Northrepps, near
Cromer. Seven on March 22nd, three on 23rd, at
Keswick, Norwich. First I have ever heard of in this
parish (J. H. Gurney).

NoRTHUMBERLAND.—A flock of about fifteen still (February
17th) in Dipton Woods, near Corbridge-on-Tyne (J. S.
T’. Walton).

SurroLk.—Four on February 19th, one on 23rd, none seen
since, at Bury St. Edmunds (Rev. Julian G. Tuck).

SurrEy.—A flock (eight) and a solitary bird on February
27th at Weybridge (H. R. Tutt), Two on January 22nd

NOTES. 375

at Tilford, a party of twelve on January 23rd near
Waverley Abbey, a pair on February 6th, near Godstone ;
none seen in south-east Surrey since. On March 5th
and 6th the majority had apparently left the fir-wood
country and the east of Farnham, as no flocks were
observed and only two pairs and one or two solitary
individuals (Howard Bentham).

SussEx.—A few on July 17th, 1909, in some of the Down
Plantations near Brighton (J. Walpole-Bond). A male
and two females on February 23rd at Cuckfield (Col.
Stephenson Rk. Clarke). Still near Horsham, five seen
on March Ist, and six on March 2nd (J. G. Millais).

YORKSHIRE.—A party about the middle of November and
ten on December 15th, 1909, near York (S. H. Smith,
Nat., 1910, p. 132).

IRELAND.—TIwo on March Ist at Morristown Biller, New-
bridge, co. Kildare (Major B. R. Horsbrugh).

TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL IN SCOTLAND.

In view of Mr. William Evans’ notes on this species on p. 306
(supra), I write to inform you that a pair of L. bifasciata
were shot at Dardarroch, Dunscore, Dumfriesshire, on
March Ist, 1890. Full details, with plate, will appear shortly
in my “ Birds of Dumfriesshire.”

A record of “a large flock” of L. leucoptera near Banff,
about 1809 (Zool., 1859, p. 6631), is not mentioned by Mr.
Evans, although referred to by Saxby (Birds of Shetland, 1874,
ip: 115).

4 Huau 8. GLADSTONE.

LITTLE OWL IN WILTSHIRE.

A MALE and female of the Little Owl (Athene noctua) were
shot on the Hampworth Estate, in the south-east corner
of Wiltshire, on January 8th, 1910.

F. REYNOLDS.

LESSER KESTREL IN YORKSHIRE.

On October 14th, 1909, I shot, on the Holderness coast, in
Yorkshire, a Lesser Kestrel (Falco cenchris, Naum.). This
bird, which was an immature male, was migrating south,
and was, when on the wing, noticeably snialler than the
Common Kestrel. The gizzard was full of grasshoppers,

5376 BRITISH BIRDS.

caterpillars and beetles. This is the tenth record in Great
Britain of this species and the third in Yorkshire. Of the nine
previous examples, six were obtained between February and »
May and three in October or November. Since this species is
a common spring-migrant to the south of Europe, where the
majority arrive in February and leave in October, it is not
surprising that it should occasionally wander to the British
Isles at the migration periods.

CiauD B. TIcEHURST.

NESTING OF THE GREY LAG-GOOSE IN ORKNEY.

Common throughout the winter in Orkney fifty or more
years ago, the Grey Lag-Goose (Anser cinereus), which appears
to be the only Grey Goose occurring in Orkney, seldom seems
to visit the islands now except on migration, so a record of a
pair nesting on the mainland of Orkney seems to me to be
most interesting. In the summer of 1904 a nest containing
six eggs was found at Kaileylang, in the parish of Firth, on
land belonging to Mr. Scarth of Binscarth. The nest was
situated in a deep depression in the ground, surrounded by
very long heather, and the eggs were not taken and in all
probability hatched off.

H. W. Rosrnson.

RED-BREASTED GOOSE ON THE SEVERN.

A FINE specimen of the Red-breasted Goose (Bernicla
ruficollis) was shot on the banks of the Severn on November
18th, 1909, and was set up by Mr. Lewis Hutton, Broad Quay,
Bristol. It is now in the possession of Mr. H. Knapp, of
Salmon Lodge, Oldbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, who
informs me that it is a splendid specimen in full plumage,
and was hardly marked at all by the shot. He presumes it
to be a male by the brightness of the plumage, but this is no
characteristic of its sex.

H. W. Rosrnson.

LINE OF MIGRATION OF THE SPOTTED CRAKE.

Wir regard to my note on this subject (p. 339), I may say
that since writing I have seen another Spotted Crake, which
was picked up in exactly the same place in the middle of
October, 1909, making four specimens in four different years.

H. W. Ropinson.

NOTES. 377
SPOTTED SANDPIPER IN SUSSEX.

A female Spotted Sandpiper (Totanus macularius) was shot
by Mr. Ayling, at Shoreham, Sussex,on November 27th, 1908.
It was seen in the flesh by Dr. H. Langton, Chairman. of the
Museum Committee, Brighton, and by the Curator. It is in

immature plumage.
J. B. NicHo.s.

By the kindness of Mr. Nichols we are enabled to give a
reproduction of a photograph of part of the wing of this bird.

It will be seen that the dark brown sub-terminal band on the
secondary wing-feathers is even and well marked on all the
feathers, whereas in the Common Sandpiper (V’otanus hypo-
leucus) the band in the eighth and ninth secondaries is broken,
and these feathers are usually irregularly marked with brown
and sometimes have scarcely any marking at all. The speci-
men above recorded is spotted on some of the ventral
feathers, but nowhere else on the underside.—H.F.W. |

Rare Bireps ON THE ISLE oF May (FirtH or FortH).—This

island was again visited (cf. Vol. I., p. 295, Vol. II., p. 346)
in the autumn of 1909 by the Misses L. J. Rintoul and E. V.

378 BRITISH BIRDS.

Baxter, with most interesting results, as the following summary
of their observations (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1910, pp. 4-10)
will show :—

EAsteRN Prep WHEATEAR (Sazicola pleschanka), cf. antea,

2296:

eee BLuEeTHROAT (Cyanecula suecica). A young
bird September 14th, one 17th.

LessER WHITETHROAT (Sylvia curruca). Several September
16th, one 17th, one 22nd, several 24th, two 26th, one
28th, one 29th, one 30th.

BARRED WARBLER (Sylvia nisoria). A male, September 13th.

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLER (Phylloscopus superciliosus). One
September 16th (uttered a loud ringing “ pee,” audible
a long way off), one 24th, one 25th, two 26th, three
27th, two 28th, one October 2nd, one October 24th.
The authors remark that they saw at least ten different
individuals.

Wuirrt WaartaiL (Motacilla alba). One September 14th,
several 25th, two 26th and 27th.

RED-BREASTED FLYCATCHER (Muscicapa parva). One
September 25th.

ScaRLeET GROSBEAK (Pyrrhula_ erythrina). <A _ female,
September 13th.

LirtLe Buntina (Emberiza pusilla). One September 25th,
one 26th.

GREAT SpotTEeED WooppPECKER (Dendrocopus major). One
September 16th, whether of the British or Continental
form is not stated.

Rare Brirps In SHEeTLAND.—Mr. E. Hamilton records
(Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1910, pp. 53-4) the following birds which
he obtained at Unst during various years. The want of
exact data is unfortunate.

GREENLAND ReEppoLL (Linota hornemannii).—One shot
between October 9th and 19th, 1905.

GREATER ReEppoLtt (Linota linaria rostrata). — Several
obtained from a flock during October and November,
1907.

TENGMALM’S Ow (Nyctala tengmalmi)—A female, appar-
ently uninjured, was captured on a_ stone-wall on
January 8th, 1908. “Its stomach contained the remains
of a sparrow.”

TurtLe-Dove (Turtur communis).—Two on October 21st,
LOOT. = i)

xREENLAND WHEATEARS IN SCOTLAND.—Specimens of
Saxicola cenanthe leucorrhoa are recorded (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist.,

NOTES. 379

1910), from Mull of Galloway Lighthouse on August 12th,
1909 (p. 55), East Lothian coast, September 25th, 1885
(p. 55) ; Isle of May, September 20th (p. 5); September 26th
(p. 6) ; October 22nd, 1909 (p. 9).

YELLOW-BROWED WARBLERS IN Ross-SHtIrE.—Miss Annie
C. Jackson records (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1910, p. 55), that
she procured a male Phylloscopus superciliosus on September
23rd, 1909, on the coast of east Ross-shire, and a female in the
same locality on September 27th.

GOLDEN ORIOLE IN DvumrriessHire.— Mr. Hugh S.
Gladstone records (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1910, p. 56) that an
adult male Oriolus galbula was caught alive on April 30th, 1909,
at Penton Lynns in the parish of Canonbie.

NESTING OF THE GREAT SporrED WoOoDPECKER IN WEST
Fire.—A pair of Dendrocopus major are reported by Mr.
J. J. Dalgleish (Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1910, p. 56) to have
hatched off a brood in 1909 on the Brucefield Estate, West
Fife. A specimen of D. major was obtained near this estate
on April 3rd, 1877, and another on January 25th, 1902.

UnusuaL NESTING-SITE OF THE Tawny Owt.—In his
“ Zoological Record for Derbyshire’ (Derby. Archeol. and
Nat. Hist. Soc. Journ., 1910), the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain states
that Mr. C. H. Wells found a Tawny Owl (Syrnium aluco)
“* sitting on three eggs on a little ledge in the side of a pinnacle
of rocky cliff in Dovedale. Except for a few leaves, the eggs
were laid on the rock and the nesting-place was quite exposed.”
Another Tawny Owl’s nest, in a similar site on a rocky ledge
near Ambergate, was subsequently found by the same
observer.

BLACK-TAILED GoDwITs IN co. CorK.—With reference to
this subject (cf. antea, pp. 309 and 340) Mr. R. Warren states
(Zool., 1910, p. 116) that a flock of eleven Limosa belgica
visited the mud-banks near Black Rock early in February,
1910, and he assumes that these birds were the same as those
seen in October, 1909, and had remained about the harbour
of Cork all through the winter.

BLACK-HEADED GuLLS NeEstiING IN TrEES.—Mr. Riley
Fortune has observed several pairs of Larus ridibundus
at the Twigmoor Gullery in Lincolnshire nesting in fir-trees.
The nests were of considerable size, and in each case the bird
was incubating (Nat., 1910, p. 95). The height from the
ground of the nests, an important point, is not given, but a
photograph accompanying the note shows a nest near the
top of a fir-tree. More suitable nesting-sites, Mr. Fortune

5380 BRITISH BIRDS.

says, were at hand. The allied LL. philadelphia, Ord.,
habitually nests in trees up to about twenty feet.

SLAVONIAN GREBE BREEDING IN ScoTLanp.—At the
meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club held on
February 16th, 1910, Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant made the
interesting announcement that the Slavonian Grebe (Podicipes
auritus) had been found nesting on a small highland loch in
Inverness-shire in 1908 and 1909 (cf. Bull. B.O.C., xxv., pp.
75-6). Mr. Hugh M. Warrand supplied Mr. Ogilvie- Grant
with the following particulars, and lent for exhibition one of the
birds which had most unfortunately been shot. Mr. Warrand
wrote :—

“The year before last, in the beginning of June, I obtained per-
mission for myself and a friend to fish on a small reedy sheet of
water in the hills of Inverness-shire. The day being very warm and
bright, few fish were rising,so we landed and lay down by a rock on
the shore. While waiting there | observed some bird moving among
the reeds near us, and presently noticed that it was swimming round
a pile of green reed-stalks like a Coot’s nest. At first I thought it
was a Coot, but when it came into full view I noticed the peculiar
head with its sweeping crests of buff, and knew that it was a bird that
I had not seen before. I called the attention of my friend and also of
the keeper to it, and we all observed it for some time swimming
restlessly about the nest among the reeds and evidently longing for
our departure. I regret to say that the next time I saw this Grebe it
was lying dead in a bird-stuffer’s shop, and I was told whence it had
come and who had brought it—facts which have since been fully
corroborated. JI had hoped that it would have been left in peace to
establish a family, and greatly deplored its death. I was cheered,
however, to learn the following year (1909) that one or two pairs had
appeared on the same loch, but soon afterwards heard that the nests
had been ruthlessly robbed by a private egg-collector.”’

This is a southward extension of the breeding range of the
Slavonian Grebe, which is an annual winter-visitor to Great
Britain. It has, however, been suspected of breeding near
Gairloch, in Ross-shire (cf. Saunders, p. 721, and Ann. S.N.H.,
1892, p. 171), and there is considerable, though not conclu-
sive, evidence of its having bred in Benbecula (Outer Hebrides)
in 1893, and two were shot in full summer-plumage in April,
1898, in Barra, and another on May 13th, 1907, at Arisaig
(Inverness), while others have been observed in Orkney in
April, May, and June (c/. antea, p. 31).

To the Editors of BririsH Brirps.

“THE NATURAL HISTORY OF BRITISH GAME
BIRDS.”

Strs,—In your issue for March Ist Mr. Ogilvie-Grant
criticises certain statements in my work bearing the above
title, and describes them as “inaccuracies,” ‘“‘ careless
statements,’ and “serious omissions.’ Under the two
first headings he states that he was the first to discover
exactly “what took place, and to explain the laws which
govern the apparently innumerable variations in the plumage
of both the male and the female ” Red Grouse.

With reference to this claim, I would point out that Mr.
Grant published his views respectively in 1893 and 1894,
whilst my book, ““Game Birds and Shooting Sketches,”
dealing with the subject, and describing in detail the main
forms, phases and intermediate types of the Red Grouse,
as well as giving illustrations of all these, was published in
1892. My views (pp. 55-58) he seems to have adopted
(“ Game Birds,” pp. 27-28) as his own, without any acknow-
ledgment of my previous work on the subject.

As “Game Birds and Shooting Sketches” was written
principally for sportsmen, I determined that at some future
date I would endeavour to collect the substance of certain
observations I had been making continuously since 1892,
and so published the results last year. During this period
I have been constantly shooting Grouse and examining speci-
mens at all seasons of the year. I may say that I have seen
tens of thousands of Grouse killed, and have been adding to
my,notes and collection of these birds, so that now I havea
‘collection that is in my estimation far superior to that in the
British Museum.

If Mr. Grant had read my recently published book carefully
he would have seen that I do not deny that to a great
extent the male Grouse breeds in its winter-plumage, but what
I have ascertained is that a large number of these winter
feathers are shed between February and June (in all cases
individual birds are most irregular), and that what he calls
an, autumn-plumage, and what I assert is a spring dress,
consisting of bright and ornamental feathers, comes into the
head, neck (and also to the scapulars and rump) before the

382 BRITISH BIRDS.

beginning of June. Mr. Grant states that I have quite mis-
taken the meaning of these new feathers, and that, properly
speaking, they are only the sombre autumnal dress, which
is, roughly speaking, assumed in the end of June. To this
I reply that a plumage must be named after the date at which
it exhibits itself. This ornamental dress is complete often
as early as the end of April (I enclose a few feathers taken
from a bird killed last year on April Ist, and these are more than
half developed). How then can Mr. Grant call this an
autumnal plumage ? Late in June the real autumn-plumage
appears, when the spring-feathers have faded, and together
they remain till the main moult in August-September.

Mr. Grant has suddenly discovered that he knew of this
spring ornamental plumage all the time, and which he now
calls the autumn-dress, and yet in his ‘“‘Game Birds” he
never mentions it, but says most distinctly (p. 30) with regard
to this so-called winter-summer plumage, “‘ When once the
winter moult is complete (7.e., November) no change whatever
takes place in the plumage of the male till the following autumn
moult, except that the feathers become bleached and worn
at the extremities.” This I have characterised as an
absolutely incorrect view of the case. I have shown by my
descriptions that as early as February and throughout March
and April, there is a large assumption of new spring-feathers,
which are often quite developed by the middle of April.
These are ornamental and become faded and worn before
the main flush of the autumn-plumage commences at the end
of June. Moreover, other changes are taking place by the
moulting of winter-feathers and a complete renewal of the
feathers of the legs and feet. If this is what Mr. Grant calls
“no change whatever,’ I am at a loss to understand how he
made his observations and on what grounds he bases his strange
views. According to such an argument, a Knot, which gets
its summer-plumage in March and April, is really in autumn-
plumage because it sheds its red summer-dress in August.
In fact, a male Grouse has to breed in its winter-autumn
dress because Mr. Grant says so. As a matter of fact, the
male Grouse sheds in September and August a plumage
which is a mixture of its winter, spring, and eclipse feathers.

Mr. Grant states that if I had visited the Bird-Room of
the Natural History Museum and seen the series of Grouse
there represented by 150 specimens, I would at once have
seen the error of my ways. In the first place it is nearly im-
possible to ascertain facts with regard to plumage-change
without examining and plucking freshly-killed birds, which
I did to the number of fifty between February and July of last

LETTERS. 383

year ; and, secondly, I decline to accept Mr. Grant’s views
on the subject of any of the ‘ Grouse Commission ”’ birds,
because apparently he did not himself examine them in the
flesh. I have closely examined as many specimens as were
necessary for determining what I consider to be the correct
summary of all the plumages of the Red Grouse at all seasons,
and maintain that my views are accurate. If other naturalists
are in doubt as to my conclusions let them begin at the begin-
ning and take a series of freshly-killed birds, not less than
ten a month, and publish a report of their observations.
On this point I regard Mr. Grant as a prejudiced witness.

With regard to Mr. Grant’s objections as to my treating the
various local races of P. colchicus throughout Central and
Northern Asia as sub-species when he himself has gone to
such trouble to enumerate them as good species, I can only
say that I am sorry that I, in company with a good many
other naturalists, dissent from his view. But that Mr. Grant
should draw a comparison between the various local races
of Pheasants and such widely different birds of separate
genera as Black Grouse and Capercaillie I fail to see, for I
have distinctly formulated a basis on which I claim that
the Colchian Pheasants should be regarded as I have placed
them, namely, that the various sub-species interbreed, and
that their progeny is again fertile, and so on inter se and ad
infinitum. If birds of such separate genera as Black Grouse,
Red Grouse, and Capercaillie do interbreed by chance the
results are invariably infertile, and prove their inability
to continue such unnatural alliances.

Because some Colchian Pheasants (for instance, P. c.
torquatus and P. c. decollatus) have wandered up a river-
system, crossed a mountain-range, and dropped or added
white necks owing to certain local conditions conducive
to variation, I do not see why they should be regarded as
new species. In fact, that is how a sub-specific race is formed.
To arguments as to what constitutes a good species and what
does not I have listened until I confess I am tired of the
subject, and because Mr. Grant differs from me on this point
I see no further need of discussion, as we shall not agree.

Lastly, with regard to omissions. Well! what author
ever did succeed in raising his work to the level of his ambi-
tions ? I should like to have given coloured figures of every
change of plumage in the Grouse and every hybrid variety,
and immature plumage of all species, as well as eggs and young
in down. That is what I should have liked to have done,
but has Mr. Grant considered that my book cost eight guineas

384 BRITISH BIRDS.

and that the buying public of such volumes is a small one,
whilst very few could afford a higher price. What I try to
do, however, is my best, and in doing so I take an infinity
of trouble to look at the various aspects of the bird and its
life, and to give facts as I have observed them.

J. G. Minais.
Compton’s Brow, Horsham.

March 8th, 1910.

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ASSISTED BY
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CoNTENTS OF NuMBER 12, Vou. III. May es 1910.

On a White-breasted Variety of the Common Cormorant,
by F. W. Frohawk, M.B.0.U., F.E.S. va bie .. Pace 385

Sequence of Plumages in British Birds. V.—The Common
Wheatear, Whinchat and Common Redstart, by C. B
Ticehurst, M.A., B.C., M.R.C.S., M.B.O.U. .. _ 5 391

Notes :—Recovery of Marked Birds. Recovery of a Marked
Swallow (Claud B. Ticehurst). Crossbills Nesting in
England—In Hampshire (Capt. Goland v. Clarke, Com-
mander Dayrell Davies, R.N., and H. F. Witherby) ;
In Kent (J. Beddall Smith); In Staffordshire (F. A.
Monckton) ; In Suffolk (Perey F. Bunyard) ; Probable,
in Suffolk (J. M. Wilkinson); In Surrey (Commander
H. Lynes, R.N., and H. R. Tutt); Probable, in Surrey
(Harold Russell); In Sussex (John Walpole-Bond).
Irruption of Crossbills. Birds Feeding on Fir-cones
(Claud B. Ticehurst and H. F. Witherby). Two-barred
Crossbill in Scotland (Hugh S. Gladstone). Black-
headed Bunting in Sussex (J. B. Nichols). Ravens in
Shropshire (H. E. Forrest). The White Markings on
the Head of the Young Cuckoo (Miss Frances Pitt).
Garganey and other Ducks in Cheshire (T. A. Coward).
Common Scoter and other Ducks in Hertfordshire and
Buckinghamshire (Chas. Oldham). Common Scoters
in Cheshire (M. V. Wenner). Ringed Plover nesting
in Surrey (Howard Bentham). Fulmar in Shropshire
and other Counties (H. E. Forrest). Short Notes .. 309

Review :—‘‘ A History of Birds ”’ ae ie Pe or 418

ON A WHITE-BREASTED VARIETY OF THE
COMMON CORMORANT.
BY
F. W. FROHAWK, M.B.0.U., F.E.S.

At the meeting of the British Ornithologists’ Club held
on March 16th, 1910, I exhibited a skin of a female
Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) with a white breast,
which I shot on June 30th, 1909, off the Scilly Isles.
I figured and described it in the “ Field ” of November

FF

386 BRITISH BIRDS.

13th, 1909, and then stated that, judging from the
descriptions given in the leading works on British birds,
some confusion appeared to exist respecting the changes
of plumage which young Cormorants undergo. Various
authors agree in stating that the young in first plumage
has the under-parts of a dirty-white, more or less speckled
with brown. This is undoubtedly correct, and after the
first autumn-moult the under-parts are considerably less
white.

When I took my specimen to the British Museum for
comparison with those in the collection, I showed it to
Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, who at once pronounced it to
be a young bird in its first plumage, notwithstanding the
fact that its iris was of a rich blue-green. But on looking
through the skins in the collection I was unable to find
a similar specimen, excepting a very much smaller bird
from India, which had previously been described as
a distinct species, but is now considered to be identical
with the Common Cormorant.

At the meeting referred to Mr. Ogilvie-Grant stated
that he had not the slightest hesitation in saying that my
specimen was a young Cormorant still in the plumage of
the first year, and that the green colour of the eye did
not necessarily imply that the bird was adult, the eye
becoming green at the end of the first year. I do not
agree with Mr. Grant in either of these statements.

I will here quote Mr. Grant’s description of the young
and immature Cormorants in the British Museum “ Cata-
logue of Birds” (Vol. XXVI., pp. 346-7) :—Young in
first plumage (September), general colour above dull
brown, glossed on the head, neck and back with bluish-
green ; feathers of the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts
with wide dark margins; throat, front of neck, breast
and belly white; sides, flanks, thighs and under tail-
coverts dark brownish-black. As age advances the
fore-part of neck and chest become brown. In the
immature plumage of the second year (September) the
upper-parts are more like those of the adult, but less

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‘INVYOWYOO NOWNOO DHL JO ALUIUVA CGHLSVENE-ALIHM DHL JO MOVANOS-Uaddn GNV WOVaUOAS-"uTaNO

388 BRITISH BIRDS.

brilliant, and mixed here and there with feathers of the
first plumage. The feathers of the breast and _ belly
are all broadly tipped with brownish-black, giving these
parts a mottled appearance. Immature birds of the third
year (May), about twenty-six months old, are similar
to the adult, but less brilliant. No mention is made of
the colouring of the eyes of the young or immature birds.

The description of my white-breasted example is as
follows :—Upper-surface — head, hind-neck, back and
upper tail-coverts dusky-brown, glossed with bronze-
black; scapulars and most of the primaries and
secondaries ash-grey, the scapulars and secondary coverts
margined with bronze-black ; median and lesser wing-
coverts variegated with brown, grey, and whitish-buff,
the latter being old worn feathers. A few new feathers
scattered over the whole of the wings are of a purplish-
brown suffused with greenish-bronze and margined with
blackish. The tail-feathers are of two different ages.
The central pair are bronze-black with pale shafts; the
next pair, only two-thirds grown, are richer bronze-
black, with white tips and black shafts; the remaining
ten are old, with faded light buff outer webs and pale
shafts. The whole of the under-parts are white ; throat
and lower neck speckled with brown and buff, many new
feathers. The breast and belly to vent pure unspotted
white, mostly new feathers. Sides under the wings, flanks,
and thighs deep chocolate-brown, mottled with bronze-
black, forming a sharply defined line the whole way down
the sides just below the wings, appearing at a short distance
as if the entire under-parts were white, the bird looking
at a distance like a gigantic Guillemot. On the thighs
a patch of a few white elongated feathers, like those of
the full breeding-plumage. Bill horn-brown, lower edge
of upper mandible and the whole of the base and under-
surface of lower mandible pale flesh colour; the naked
skin round the eye dull lemon-yellow, below the eye
and surrounding base of bill and gular skin is all brilliant
chrome-yellow. Inrides of a beautiful rich and rather deep

WHITE-BREASTED COMMON CORMORANT, 389

blue-green ; feet and tarsi purplish-black. Immediately
after I shot the bird I made coloured drawings of the soft
parts before any possible change of colouring could take
place. Itis a large female, measuring in expanse 573 ins. ;
total length, 36} ins.; wing, 14? ins.; girth round
middle of body, 18 ins. ; culmen, 3} ins. ; tarsus, 23 ins. ;
outer toe, 44 ins.; weight, 6 lbs. 12 ozs. The stomach
was quite empty.

The chief features of the specimen are the colour of
the iris, the new white feathers of the under-parts, the
appearance of white thigh-feathers, and the different
ages of the tail-feathers.

It is quite certain that the bird is not a very young
one, and that it is, without the remotest doubt, over
a year old, being shot on June 30th, and should there-
fore have (according to the British Museum Catalogue)
all the breast- and belly-feathers broadly tipped with
brownish-black, and in the third year the under-parts
should be black, like the adult, but less rich.

In reply to my article in the “ Field,” Mr. J. L. Bonhote
contributed some interesting and valuable notes on the
subject, which appeared in the “ Field” for November
27th. He described the changes of the plumage of a
young Cormorant he had in captivity, which was only
two and a half months old when he received it, and it
was then of a dull brown colour above and white below,
flecked with darker feathers; in the course of a year
it moulted slowly between November and March, the
back became much darker and greener, and the under-
parts dark, but still showing considerable traces of white ;
the next year, that is when two years old, the under-parts
were entirely black, and the back much as in the adult,
but not quite so glossy. The eye, which had hitherto
been pale creamy blue, became much greener, although
it was not until the third year that the brilliant green eye
of the adult was fully assumed. During November and
December of the second year several white thigh-feathers
appeared... .

390 BRITISH BIRDS.

Although birds in captivity are liable to vary in respect
to changes of plumage from those in a wild state, yet
Mr. Bonhote’s bird appears to have undergone its changes
normally.

I subsequently wrote to the “‘ Field ” (December 11th),
stating that, judging by Mr. Bonhote’s description, my
white-breasted bird is not a young one, and, if not
fully adult, is at least three years old, and belongs to a
recurrent form of variation. .

This opinion I still hold, and it is strengthened I think
by the fact that there are several examples of similar
coloration now in the same locality where I obtained mine.
In December, 1907, I saw two or three (or possibly
more) very large Cormorants with pure white breasts.
One morning, when I had not my gun, one of these fine
birds flew so close to me that I distinctly saw its bright
green eye; its under-parts were of the purest white ;
and last June I saw several other precisely similar birds.

It is a curious fact that these large white-breasted
birds, so far as I can ascertain, escaped notice until
December, 1905, when Mr. C. J. King wrote me that he
had just seen a strange bird sitting on the rocks ; it was
black above and white below, the colouring being sharply
defined, and he would have taken it for a Great Northern
Diver but for the fact that it was sitting on a rock., Since
that time they have gradually increased. I should
mention that Mr. King has resided in the Scillies for the
past twenty years, during which period he has spent
much time in observing and photographing the birds
of the islands, so he is hardly likely to have escaped seeing
such large and very conspicuous birds.

In the accompanying figure of the under-surface the buff
and brown speckles have been accentuated in the process
of photographing and show up too strongly.

( 891 )

SEQUENCE OF PLUMAGES IN BRITISH BIRDS.

V.—THE COMMON WHEATEAR, WHINCHAT AND COMMON
REDSTART.

BY
C. B. TICEHURST, m.a., B.c., M.R.C.S., M.B.0.U.

COMMON WHEATEAR. Sazicola enanthe (Linn.).

Down-Piumace. Dark grey. Distribution—Inner supra-
orbital, occipital, humeral, spinal (confined to the middle of the
dorsum), and femoral. Moderate length (cf. Vol. IL., p.
189).

JUVENILE PLuMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the Down-
Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE anp FEMALE. Whole head greyish-brown, the feathers
with oval or triangular terminal whitish spots, which in the swper-
ciliary region form a faint stripe; mantle and scapulars brown, the
feathers with mesial pale streaks and faint, dark terminal bars;
rump and upper tail-coverts white, the feathers with faint, dark ter-
minal markings; ear-coverts greyish, the feathers with dark brown
edges and tips; chin and throat greyish-white, the feathers with faint,
dark terminal markings ; breast buffish-white, the feathers with slightly
larger and darker terminal markings; belly and under tazl-coverts
creamy-white, the feathers with faint, dark terminal markings; tazl-
feathers black, with pale tips, and the basal two-thirds of all white,
except the two central ones, which have the basal one-third white ;
remiges brownish-black, edged with buffish- or rufescent-brown on the
outer webs, broadly on the inner secondaries ; primary-coverts like the
primaries; greater wing-coverts brownish-black, with buffish- or rufescent-
brown broad edges on the outer webs ; median and lesser wing-coverts
brownish-black, with terminal pale buff or cream-coloured spots.

N.B.—There is some individual variation in the amount of the pale

markings in the uwpper- and dark markings in the wnder-parts; before
this plumage is moulted both parts become paler.

First WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary- and
greater wing-coverts.

MALE anp FEMALE. Whole head, nape, mantle and scapulars
brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts white ; superciliary stripe and line
from base of bill cream or creamy-buff; lores dusky; ear-coverts
brown, paler on the lower part ; chin whitish-buff ; throat creamy-buff ;
breast darker buff; belly, flanks and under tail-coverts creamy-buff to
creamy-white ; rectrices, remiges, primary- and greater wing-coverts as in

392 BRITISH BIRDS.

the Juvenile Plumage ; median and lesser wing-coverts brownish-black,
edged with buff, paler on the lesser series; wnder wing-coverts and
avillaries white, mottled with dark grey.

N.B.—There is some individual variation in the tint of the wpper-
parts, in the definition of the superciliary stripe and in the colour of the
lores and ear-coverts. There is no constant difference in plumage
between the sexes.

Frrst SumMER-PLtuMAGE. Acquired in February by moult,
which includes all the feathers except the rectrices, remiges,
and all the wing-coverts (sometimes the innermost of the
greater coverts and rarely also the innermost secondary are
moulted), and by abrasion and fading.

MALE. Whole head, nape, mantle and scapulars grey, the feathers
washed and edged with brown, and the outer scapulars with large
blackish centres; rwmp and upper tail-coverts white; forehead and
superciliary stripe white; lores and ear-coverts black, the latter with
brownish edges; chin whitish; throat and wpper-breast buff; lower-
breast and belly whitish ; under tail-coverts creamy-buff, sometimes with
a few dark markings ; tatl-feathers as in the Juvenile Plumage, but with
the pale tips worn off; the whole of the feathers of the wing as in
the First Winter-Plumage, but browner and with only a trace of the
edgings left; the new innermost greater covert and secondary (if
renewed) black, not brown, edged on the outer web with buff-brown ;
under wing-coverts and axillaries white, mottled with dark grey.

N.B.—The amount of the white on the forehead varies, and by the
time breeding commences much of the brown wash and edgings of the
upper-parts has gone, the ear-coverts lose the brown edging and the wnder-
parts become paler.

FEMALE. Whole head, nape, mantle and scapulars grey-brown ;
rump and upper tail-coverts white; swperciliary stripe and line from
base of bill whitish; lores dusky ; ear-coverts brown; frontal band
creamy-buff to buff-brown ; chin, throat and breast creamy-buff, rather
darker on the breast; belly, flanks and wnder tail-coverts whitish-buff ;
tail and wings almost as in the male, but the lesser coverts as a rule
not quite so dark; wnder wing-coverts and axillaries as in the male.

N.B.—The tints of the wpper-parts and breast vary, and by the time
breeding commences both upper- and wunder-parts become paler.
The innermost greater wing-covert and secondary are rarely renewed.

ADULT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Forehead greyish, the band over the base of the bill whitish,
but variable in size; rest of head, nape, mantle and scapulars greyish,
the feathers washed and edged with buff-brown; rump and wpper
tail-coverts white ; superciliary stripe and line from base of bill white ;
lores black; chin whitish; throat and upper-breast rich buff ; lower-
breast, belly, flanks and under tail-coverts whitish to creamy-buff ; tail
as in the First Winter-Plumage ; primaries, secondaries and primary-
coverts black, with broad creamy-buff edgings to the outer webs of the
innermost two or three secondaries (these are paler and more sharply
defined than in the First Winter-Plumage); narrow edgings to the
rest; greater wing-coverts black, bordered with grey and edged with pale

C25. TICRHURSP:-PLUMAGES: 393

buff on the outer webs ; median wing-coverts black, edged with buff, the
inner of the series bordered with grey ; lesser wing-coverts black, edged
with buffish-grey or grey.

N.B.—The shade of the brown on the wpper-parts varies ; later in
the winter much of this brown edging is lost.

FEMALE. Resembles that of the First Winter-Plumage, and can
hardly be differentiated from it, though in some the wing-coverts
appear to be slightly blacker and the edgings brighter.

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired at the same time of
year, and by the same processes as the First Summer-Plumage.

MALE. Differs from that of the First Summer-Plumage in the whole
wing being black, not brown, with only a trace of the edgings left; the
renewed innermost greater wing-covert black, bordered with grey, and
edged on the outer web with grey-buff; and the breast being as a rule
of a paler buff.

FEMALE. Differs from that of the First Summer-Plumage in the
whole of the wpper-parts being greyer, but not so grey as in the male ;
the lores darker, some almost black, and by the ear-coverts being of
a darker brown.

WHINCHAT. Pratincola rubetra (Linn.).

Down-PiumMace. Grey. Distribution—Inner supra-orbital,
occipital, humeral and spinal (fide, A. G. Leigh, swpra, p. 153).

JUVENILE PtuMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the Down-
Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE. Whole head blackish-brown, with central streaks of buff
to the feathers; mape mottled with brown and pale dirty buff;
mantle and scapulars dark brown and rufescent-brown, the feathers
with central streaks of pale buff; rump mottled with two shades of
brown, some feathers having pale central streaks ; wpper tail-coverts
rufous-brown, the feathers with a few dark spots or bars and rather paler
tips; swperciliary stripe and the line from base of bill dirty white ;
ear-coverts buffish, with dark edges and tips; chin dirty white ; wpper-
throat and sides of neck dirty white, with faint dark edges to the
feathers ; lower-throat and breast pale buff, with faint dark edges to the
feathers; belly and flanks buffish-white ; under tail-coverts buffish-
white ; tail-feathers dark brown, with the basal half white, except the
central pair, the outer webs of the outer pair whitish, and pale buffish
edges and tips to all; primaries and secondaries dark brown, with buffish
edges to the outer webs and tips, more marked on the inner two secon-
daries, which have also white bases; primary-coverts dark brown,
with sometimes a little white at the bases of the feathers and faint
buffish edges to the outer webs ; greater wing-coverts dark brown, with
well-marked buffish edges to the outer webs, and the innermost two
or three feathers with mesial pale streaks ; median and lesser wing-
coverts dark brown, with mesial pale streaks and tips; wnder wing-
coverts and axillaries very pale buffish-white.

FEMALE. Like the male, but as a rule with rather less white at the
bases of the inner two secondaries.

N.B.—The buffish streaks on the wpper-parts become greyish-white
and the coloration of the wnder-parts becomes paler before the next
plumage is acquired.

394 BRITISH BIRDS.

First WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the remiges, rectrices, primary-coverts
and the greater wing-coverts (two or three of the innermost
greater wing-coverts are moulted).

MALE. Whole head blackish, the feathers with pale rufous-brown
edgings and faint, pale tips; mantle and scapulars as the head, but
the feathers with broader edgings and more conspicuous tips ; rump
pale rufous, with mesial blackish streaks and faint, pale tips to the
feathers ; wpper tail-coverts rufous-brown, with a variable amount of
blackish markings and with pale tips; swperciliary stripe and line from
base of bill pale buffish-white; lores -buff-brown; ear-coverts pale
brown ; moustachial streak of dark brown, surmounting a small buffish-
white patch ; chin buffish-white ; wpper-throat pale buff; sides of neck
pale brown; lower-throat and breast deeper buff, with pale edges and
tips to the feathers and a few scattered dark spots; belly pale buff ;
flanks rather darker buff; wnder tail-coverts pale buff; tail, primaries and
secondaries as in the Juvenile Plumage, but with the edges of the
feathers slightly worn; primary-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage;
greater wing-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage, except the innermost
two or three, which are new and have white bases and buffish tips, the
innermost feather having more white than the others ; median and lesser
wing-coverts blackish, with buffish edgings, the innermost of the series
being paler on the edges, and usually showing a varying amount of
white.

FEMALE. Resembles the male, but may be distinguished by the
innermost two or three greater wing-coverts having no white and being
like the rest of the series, except that they have paler and broader tips
and edges, though sometimes the juvenile feathers are retained ;
by the median and lesser wing-coverts having no white in the feathers
of the inner series, these being instead blackish with pale greyish tips ;
and by the breast nearly always having more spots.

N.B.—The coloration of the throat and breast varies in both sexes.
By the end of January this plumage in both sexes is much worn, the
buff edgings of the feathers are partly worn off and partly faded to
greyish, and the dark part of the plumage is dark brown, and the
under-parts paler.

First SummeEr-PLumace. Acquired by moult (in
February), which includes all the feathers except the rectrices,
remiges, primary-coverts, and most of the greater wing-
coverts: the innermost two or three greater wing-coverts
with a variable number of the median and lesser coverts are
renewed.

MALE. The whole of the upperside does not materially differ from
that in the First Winter-Plumage, except that the edges of the feathers
are paler ; swperciliary stripe and the line from base of bill white and
very distinct; lores dusky; ear-coverts dark brown; a moustachial
streak of black surmounts a white streak running from the chin to
sides of neck; chin white; upper and lower-throat and breast rich
rufous-buff with no spots; flanks and under tail-coverts buffish-white ;
belly whitish ; rectrices, remiges and primary-coverts as in the First
Winter-Plumage, but paler, and with nearly all the edgings worn off ;
greater wing-coverts, the innermost two or three new and white, with a

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 395

varying amount of black on the inner webs, the innermost feather
pure white, the rest as in the First Winter-Plumage, but with the
edges and tips worn; median wing-coverts, a varying number, usually
the innermost. of the series, are renewed and are white with varying
amount of black, the rest as in the First Winter-Plumage, but with
the edges and tips worn ; lesser wing-coverts, usually the innermost of
the series (sometimes all) are renewed and are black and white, the
innermost pure white, the outer ones mostly black, making with the
inner greater and median wing-coverts a conspicuous white wing-patch.

ne aaa this plumage is moulted the wnder-parts become much
paler.

FEMALE. The upperside with the edgings of the feathers paler
than in fresh Winter-Plumage ; superciliary stripe and line from the
base of bill pale buffish-white, more distinct than in the First Winter-
Plumage, but not so white as in males or as in adults; moustachial
streak dark brown, surmounting a smaller white patch than in the
male ; chin buffish ; throat and breast as a rule less rich rufous-buff than
in the male, and usually with some dark spots ; rectrices, remiges, and
primary-coverts as in the First Winter-Plumage, but worn ; greater wing-
coverts, the innermost one or two renewed and showing white at the base,
the rest as in the First Winter-Plumage, but the edges worn; median
wing-coverts, some renewed and black with pale edges, the innermost
of the series showing broad white tips; lesser wing-coverts, variable
number, renewed and black with white tips, those not renewed brown.
The female therefore shows a white “‘ wing-patch,” but it is smaller
and less conspicuous than in the male.

N.B.—The amount of spotting on the breast varies, as does the white
‘*‘ wing-patch’’; in some females the moult in the wing-coverts is
confined to a few of the median series, and these consequently show a
smaller and less defined ‘ wing-patch.”

ApvuLT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. May be distinguished from that of the First Winter-
Plumage by the primary-coverts having the basal two-thirds of the
feathers white, making another white “ wing-patch’’; the outer
greater wing-coverts are blacker, and have the buffish edges to the outer
webs and tips paler and narrower, the innermost show more white,
as also do the innermost median wing-coverts, some feathers being pure
white ; the inner primaries have a greater amount of white at the base
than in the First Winter-Plumage.

FEMALE. May be distinguished from that of the First Winter-
Plumage by the primary-coverts being similar to those in the adult male,
as also are the outer greater wing-coverts, also the inner two or three
feathers are blackish with white bases, but less white than in the male,
by the median and lesser wing-coverts being blacker than in the First
Winter-Plumage and the edges narrower, the innermost of both series
having also some white in the feathers, but not so much as in the adult
male.

N.B.—By the end of January this plumage is much faded and worn
in both sexes, and where there are spots on the breast these become
more conspicuous.

ADULT SUMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by the same processes
as the First Summer-Plumage.

396 BRITISH BIRDS.

MALE. Resembles that of the First Summer-Plumage, but may be
distinguished by the basal two-thirds of the primary-coverts being
white ; the outer unmoulted feathers of the greater, median and lesser
wing-coverts being black, not brown, the edgings being almost entirely
worn off, and by the lores being usually blacker.

FEMALE. Resembles that of the First Summer-Plumage, but
all the dark wing-coverts are blacker and the basal halves of the primary-
coverts are white.

THE COMMON REDSTART. Ruticilla pheenicurus (Linn.).

Down-Piumace. Dark grey. Distribution—Outer and
inner supra-orbital, occipital, humeral and spinal, well
marked and long, except in spinal and humeral tracts, where
it is short and scanty (cf. swpra, p. 151).

JUVENILE PLUMAGE. Acquired while in the nest, the
Down-Plumage being completely moulted.

MALE ann FEMALE. Feathers of the whole head, nape, mantle
and scapulars dingy ochreous to ochreous-grey, edged and tipped with
brown-black, the bases being French grey; rwmp pale orange-rust,
the feathers tipped with brownish-black ; wpper tail-coverts pale rust ;
feathers of the chin, ear-coverts, sides of neck, upper and lower-throat and
breast pale buffish or dingy white, edged and tipped with dark brown ;
feathers of the belly and flanks whitish or creamy-white tipped with
dark brown, less so on the belly (on the breast the dark edges on the
feathers form a “‘ horse-shoe ”’ pattern) ; wnder tail-coverts pale buffish-
yellow ; tail-feathers chestnut, except the two central ones, which are
dark brown with chestnut edges to their outer webs at the base ;
primaries, secondaries, primary-coverts and greater wing-coverts, dark-
brown with rufous-brown edges and tips to the outer webs, more marked
on the inner secondaries and greater wing-coverts, faint in the rest ;
median wing-coverts dark brown with triangular terminal markings of
yellowish tipped with brown-black; lesser wing-coverts dark brown

with pale centres; wnder wing-coverts pale buff; azxillaries darker
buff.

Frrst WrintTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult,
with the exception of the rectrices, remiges, primary-coverts
and most of the greater wing-coverts (the innermost one or
two greater wing-coverts are renewed).

MALE. Feathers of the forehead and anterior part of crown pure
white at the base, the terminal halves being French grey tipped with
pale brown; feathers of the band at base of bill black with brown tips;
rest of crown, nape, mantle and scapulars French grey, the feathers
broadly tipped with brown, so that here as on the forehead the brown
tips hide the rest of the colours; rwmp pale orange-rust ; wpper tail-
coverts pale chestnut ; indistinct swperciliary stripe white, the feathers
tipped with brown and grey; feathers of the lores with black bases
masked by tips*of whitish ; ear-coverts black, tipped with pale buff-
brown ; chin white or buffish-white ; wpper- and lower-throat and sides
of neck black, masked by broad whitish or buffish-white edges to the
feathers ; breast and flanks pale chestnut, the feathers edged with white ;

C. B. TICEHURST: PLUMAGES. 397

belly white ; under tail-coverts pale buff; tail, primaries, secondaries,
primary-coverts and greater wing-coverts as in the Juvenile Plumage,
except for the innermost one or two greater wing-coverts, which are new
and dark brown, washed with French grey ; median and lesser wing-
coverts with a variable amount of dark brown and French grey, faintly

tipped with pale buff-brown or brown ; under wing-coverts and awillaries
pale orange-buff.

FEMALE. Whole head, nape, mantle and scapulars brown, with a
faint vinaceous tint; rwmp pale orange-rust; wpper tail-coverts pale
chestnut ; lores buffish-white ; ear-coverts buff-brown ; chin and whole
throat buffish-white mottled with brownish; sides of neck vinaceous
brown ; breast and flanks orange-buff, darker on the breast, and the
feathers with whitish tips ; belly whitish ; wnder tail-coverts pale buft ;
tail, primaries, secondaries, primary-coverts and greater wing-coverts as
in the Juvenile Plumage, but the inner one or two greater wing-coverts
renewed and with less defined edging; median wing-coverts brown,
faintly tipped with pale rufous; Jlesser wing-coverts grey-brown ;
under wing-coverts and axillaries pale buff.

N.B.—The coloration of the breast and throat is very variable, and the
inner greater wing-coverts are not always renewed, and sometimes the
bases of the feathers on the forehead are white.

First SuMMER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by abrasion and by
fading.

MALE. Forehead and anterior part of crown white, band across
base of bill black ; rest of head, nape, mantle and scapulars French grey,
the last two with the feathers tipped with brown ; rump and wpper tail-
coverts rather paler than in the Winter-Plumage ; lores black; swper-
ciliary stripe white, the feathers tipped with a varying amount of grey ;
ear-coverts black, with trace of brown tips to the feathers; chin,
whole throat and sides of neck black, with only a trace of the white
edgings to the feathers left ; breast rich chestnut, with only a trace of
the white edgings to the feathers left; remiges, primary- and greater
wing-coverts have their outer edges narrower and paler ; median wing-
coverts dark brown, washed with grey ; lesser wing-coverts French grey ;
rest of plumage much as in the First Winter-Plumage, but worn.

FEMALE. The upperside has lost the vinaceous tint; the rwmp and
upper tatl-coverts are paler; the wnderside has lost the white edges to
the feathers, and the buff has become dingy or a greyish-brown colour;
remiges and wing-coverts have lost much of their edgings, but those left
are narrower and paler.

ApuLT WINTER-PLUMAGE. Acquired by a complete moult.

MALE. Differs from that of the First Winter-Plumage in having the
feathers of the head, mantle and scapulars not so heavily tipped with
brown, and so showing more of the French grey colour; /ores and band
across the base of bill black, and in many an indication of the white
forehead and superciliary stripe is seen more clearly ; chin black ; throat
sparsely tipped with white, the edging to the inner secondaries paler and
narrower and washed with French grey; greater wing-coverts all washed
with French grey on the outer webs and with faint brown tips ; median
and lesser wing-coverts French grey, faintly tipped with brown, this grey
on all the wing-coverts being much purer than in the First Winter-
Plumage.

398 BRITISH BIRDS.

FEMALE. Resembles that of the First Winter-Plumage, but the
tint of the wpperside is usually slightly greyer including the lesser
wing-coverts, while the edging on the greater wing-coverts is not so
pronounced.

ApuLT SuMMER-PLuMAGE. Acquired by the same pro-
cesses as the First Summer-Plumage.

MALE. Differs from that of the First Summer-Plumage by the
greater wing-coverts having some French grey instead of being all brown ;
and by the mantle and scapulars having all the (narrow) brown tips
worn off, and so being of a purer grey.

N.B.—The amount of white on the forehead varies both in the First
and Adult Summer-Plumages.

FEMALE. Scarcely distinguishable from that of the First Summer-
Plumage, but the wing-coverts are often greyer.

N.B.—Some females in Winter-Plumage show more white on the
base of the feathers of the forehead than usual, and have in addition
a variable amount of blackish concealed markings on the feathers of
the throat, while the breast and flanks are of a much richer orange-buff
with whitish edgings. The under wing-coverts and azxillaries are also
usually of a darker buff. By the wearing of the edges of the feathers these
females have in the Summer-Plumage the white on the forehead
visible, as also the blackish markings on the throat, and the breast
and flanks are more or less uniform orange-buff; the colours of the
breast and throat, however, are never so intense as in the male, and the
white on the forehead is never so extensive or pure. This plumage
may be that of very old birds, as was suggested by Yarrell in his
‘*‘ British Birds” (first edition, Vol. I., p. 240), and is apparently the
same as that described by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., in the “‘ Transactions
of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society’ (January 26th,
1886) as a “ Female Redstart assuming the plumage of the male.”

RECOVERY OF MARKED BIRDS.

Lapwine (Vanellus vulgaris)—B.B., No. 2941, marked by
Mr. Stanley Duncan at Ferriby, Yorkshire, on J uly 15th,
1909. Recovered (shot) near Broomfleet Island, River
Humber, on December 27th, 1909.

This bird was very kindly reported by Mr. L. Charlton.

BLACK-HEADED GULL (Larus ridibundus). — Vogelwarte
Rossitten, marked as a_ half-grown nestling at
Rossitten, Germany, on July 5th, 1906. Recovered
(found dead) near the River Medina, between Newport
and Cowes, Isle of Wight, early in March, 1910.

The information of the recovery was very kindly sent to
me by Mr. H. G. Jeffery.

Hepa@e-Sparrow (Accentor modularis)—B.B., No. 991,
marked by Miss Annie C. Jackson at Swordale, Evanton,
Ross-shire, on November 4th, 1909. Recovered (caught
in a mouse-trap) at the same place on March 30th,

1910.

RECOVERY OF A MARKED SWALLOW.

On April 12th, 1910, the first Swallow (Hirundo rustica) was
seen at 4 p.m. passing the house at Huntbourne, High Halden,
Kent, which lies in the lne of a small migration-route ;
at 6 p.m. a small flight of Swallows passed over to the north,
and from it four birds separated, and after flying round the
house and settling on the chimney-pots, finally went to roost
in a shed where two pairs bred last year. Two days after-
wards I caught a Swallow at roost in this shed, almost certainly
one of those that arrived on the 12th, and found it was one
which my sister had caught and ringed as an adult bird on
May 8th, 1909, the bird having come down one of the chimneys
into one of the rooms. I may note that there was no mark

or injury of any kind on the leg which bore the ring.
Cxiaup B. TicEHURST.

4.00 BRITISH BIRDS.

CROSSBILLS NESTING IN ENGLAND.
In HAMPSHIRE.

A riock of fifty to sixty Crossbills arrived on July 5th,
1909, in my neighbourhood, midway between Romsey
and Southampton. This flock left and flew off due
north, but on July 8th small parties of about eight birds
each commenced arriving, and many of these have remained
in the neighbourhood during the winter. I left England
on January 19th, 1910, and gave instructions that a
search was to be made for nests. On my return on
April 3rd the Crossbills were in the garden, but I was
told that no nest had been found, and as the birds I saw
seemed to be in a small flock of five I thought probably they
had not nested. The birds have been daily in the garden,
and on April 9th I saw a female feeding a very young bird,
barely able to fly. I was attracted to them by the curious
note of the young bird, which was apparently only just out
of the nest. It was very much streaked underneath, and
the mandibles were apparently not crossed. It sat fluffed
up and shivering its wings while the hen fed it. The latter
operation lasted three or four minutes, the hen putting her
beak into the little one’s and feeding it from her crop. The
fir-woods in this neighbourhood are very extensive, and
many pairs of Crossbills may have bred without being
discovered. Out of the five or six old birds which visit the
garden daily I have only seen one cock.

GOLAND Vv. CLARKE.

Frocks of Crossbills frequented the broad belts of Scotch fir
all round Rookesbury Park, Wickham, during January and
February, 1910, and were still there in March, during which
month two nests were found. One of these was quite in-
accessible on a thin branch of a Scotch fir overhanging a road.
and about fifty feet from the ground. The other, which was
built some two feet from the crown of a Scotch fir some fifty
feet high, was empty when climbed to on April 13th, but it
had the appearance of young having been reared in it.
The Crossbills in this neighbourhood are being shot by the
fruit-farmers, who accuse them of attacking the buds of
fruit-trees.
DAYRELL DAVIEs.

Since February 13th, 1910, I have been watching Crossbills
from time to time in a corner of a “ thinned-out ” plan-
tation adjoining two roads near Burley (New Forest). The

NOTES. 401

birds have probably been there all the winter. On March
5th and 12th there were several pairs and several small flocks,
and although I strongly suspected nesting, I could get no
proof of it. On March 25th, however, I watched a cock
bird feeding three young, which were well able to fly, while
my wife saw another brood, and on that day and the next
I watched seven or eight cock birds, which were singing or
feeding alone, and evidently had hens sitting. On March
27th I noticed a third brood of three young, rather younger
than the first brood, and also saw a hen bird with a mouthful
of lichen. On April 2nd my wife found a nest, while on the
next day, when I had the pleasure of the company of Dr. F.
Penrose and Mr. Smith Whiting, we watched a pair of birds
building at this nest, and found another pair building. We
also made sure that there were now at least four broods of
young fledged, three of three each and one of four. On April
2nd and 3rd, besides the pairs and broods, there was a flock
of twenty to thirty “ non-breeding ” Crossbills, which I had not
noticed before, and I think they were undoubtedly new
arrivals, at all events to this particular wood. They seemed
to have disappeared the following week.

The cock birds frequently uttered their rambling, warbling
song, whether they were in a flock, or nest-building, or with
young ones, or alone.

The nests were placed in Scotch firs on the fork of horizontal
boughs some thirty feet from the ground and some twelve feet
from the trunk. The hen did most of the nest-building,
cutting off dead twigs even from the tree in which was the nest,
and visiting adjacent deciduous trees for lichen and moss.
She worked rapidly, and always flew straight to the nest,
although we were in full view. The cock sang or fed, but invari-
ably kept close to the hen and escorted her everywhere. Once,
when she was on the nest for some time, the cock was feeding
within a yard of her, and directly she left the nest he imme-
diately flew off, dropping the cone he had just plucked and was
about to feed upon. ‘Two or three times in the course of half
an hour we saw the cock carry stuff to the nest and work it in.

The young are easily distinguished, even without binoculars,
by their grey appearance when flying and by their striped
under-parts when perched, even at the tops of the trees.
Both parents feed the young—the cock being perhaps more
assiduous than the hen. The young shiver their wings when
being fed or when wanting food, and continually utter a note
similar to the ‘‘jip”’ of theold bird, but more feeble and of
a more ‘“‘squeaky”’ nature. It was a charming sight to see

GG

402 BRITISH BIRDS.

a cock standing on the upper-side of a twig and feeding two
young alternately as they hung back downwards, side by side,
immediately under him. The young were fed upon whole
seeds of the Scotch fir, and these must be regurgitated from
the crop of the old bird since they are only fed at intervals,
and evidently a number of seeds are given to them at one
feeding ; it is not likely that so many seeds could be kept in
the old bird’s mouth ; moreover, I have seen the young fed
a considerable time after the old ones have finished feeding
themselves. The young were about a month old, and the
tips of the mandibles had commenced to grow up and down
and overlap each other. They seemed to be insufficiently
strong to cut off a cone or to open a closed one, but the young
frequently pecked at the half-opened cones as they hung on
the trees and appeared to extract the seeds; they also eat
lichen, and cut off oak-galls and beechmast and held them
down with a foot and pecked at them.

Crossbills are very fond of drinking, and they come down
to a pond in a corner of this wood all through the day to
drink. Their sociability is very marked—a pair were building
within a few yards of a clump of trees in which was a con-
siderable flock of “‘ non-breeding’”’ birds, while already on
April 4th two broods of young had jomed company and were
flying about together, making, with their parents, a respectable
flock of eleven.

H. F. WirnHersy.

In KEntT.

CROSSBILLS were seen in the woods on Bostal Heath repeatedly
during February and March, and on March 19th a nest was
found at the end of a bough some thirty feet up a Scotch fir.
The nest was kept under observation by Mr. P. B. Smythe,
and on March 26th the bird was seen to be sitting. Another
nest had a bird incubating on the same date. There were
some twelve to fifteen pairs of birds in these woods at the time.

J. BEDDALL SMITH.

In STAFFORDSHIRE.

On March 14th, 1910, I found a Crossbill’s nest, nearly
completed, at Stretton Hall, Stafford. The nest was in an
isolated clump of Scotch firs, well away from the trunk,
about thirty feet from the ground, and easily seen from below.
The two Crossbills were in another tree close by, but as soon
as I began to climb to the nest one bird flew to the bough that
held the nest, chirping loudly, and then both flew right away.
The nest was composed of coarse grass and a little sheep’s

NOTES. 403

wool—the best materials at hand. I did not meddle with
it, but on coming again a week later I found it had not been
touched, and the birds had disappeared.

There have been flocks of Crossbills here since August, -
1909. There are considerably fewer now than there were in
January ; but flocks of about twenty individuals are still to
be seen, and many seem to have paired, but I cannot find
another nest or distinguish any young birds.

F. A. Moncxon.
In SUFFOLK.

On March 27th, 1910, I visited a locality in Suffolk from
which I had had reports of large numbers of Crossbills, and
judging from the quantity of-cones under the trees in every
belt of firs visited, they must have been there in hundreds.
There were still many birds about at the time of my visit,
mostly in pairs or single. I found three nests from which
the young had flown in the same belt of Scotch pines. A
fourth nest, only about fifteen feet up a Scotch pine, contained.
four young just hatched out. The female left the nest as I
climbed the tree, but was not in the least demonstrative, and
the male did not put in an appearance. I carefully examined
the mouths of the young; the coloration was very beautiful
and was of a pale claret, tinged with purple, or more of a
petunia-purple, some parts were fringed or margined with
purplish-white, the back of the tongue was orange-purple.
On the following day I found another nest containing four
young ; this was situated on a horizontal branch of a Scotch
pine, near the end and about forty feet up, a typical position.
During the day three more nests were located, and from their
condition must have contained young, a month or six weeks
previously. For the foundations of the nests a decided. prefer-
ence was shown, for twigs of Scotch pine, in only one of the
above nests larch was used; sheep’s wool, green moss, and
rye-grass were freely used in the construction of the nests,
while the lining consisted of very fine rootlets, sheep’s wool,
and feathers (no hair); measurements 5 inches diameter,
2 to 21 inches deep, cup 14 to 1? inch deep. All these nests
were quite close to a frequented road. In the same locality
a nest and four eggs were taken on April 3rd.

Percy F. BUNYARD.

PROBABLE NESTING IN SUFFOLK.

Smatt flocks of Crossbills were noticed from September
21st, 1909, to March 30th, 1910, at Brandon. They con-
tinually come to a roof-gutter to drink. Towards the end

404 BRITISH BIRDS.

of February they began to sing, and early in March we
noticed some in pairs, and on March 6th I saw a cock with
some duck’s feathers in its bill. Some nests in the tops of
the pines we take to be theirs, but have not actually seen the
birds visit them.

J. M. WILKINSON.

In SURREY.

As it is of interest to report all cases of the nesting of the
Crossbill, I give below an extract from a letter I have received
from Petty Officer E. Whibley—a very reliable field-
naturalist—regarding the nesting of a pair of Crossbills
near Witley, Surrey.

Mr. Whibley writes :—‘‘ You would like to know about
a Crossbill’s nest which I found on March 5th. The nest
was in a fir-tree growing on the steep bank of the railway-
cutting near Witley Station. It was resting on the fork
of the outer end of a branch about thirty feet from the ground,
and was composed of twigs outside, then coarse grass, and
lined with what appeared to be shredded sedgy grass.

“The hen bird was on the nest, and sat very close ; she
went off very quietly when I climbed along the branch, and
I heard no alarm-note, nor saw any more of her. There were
three eggs much like those of the Greenfinch in the nest.
The cock bird, which was of a dull red on the breast and lower
part of the back, I saw just before I got up to the nest.

‘The fir-cones of the tree in which was the nest were not
touched, but about twenty yards away the ground was
littered with cones which the Crossbills had been working
at.”

H. LyNgs.

On February 19th, 1910, my attention was attracted by the
large numbers of fir-cones (evidently ‘“‘ worked upon” by
Crossbills) scattered over the ground in a district where
coniferous trees abound, in Surrey, within fifteen miles of
London. On the 26th I observed a single pair of birds in
a small wood and from fifty to sixty in a “ toll” of fir-trees
a mile away. All were busy feeding at the cones of Scotch
pine and larch.

On March 5th the birds were equally numerous, but on
this occasion a pair were carrying dead pine-twigs to a lateral
branch at the top of a pine sixty feet high, and depositing them
on it some seven feet from the trunk. From below, even with
binoculars, it was impossible to distinguish the nest, which
must have been in the first stages of its construction. A

NOTES. 405

week later, when Mr. P. F. Bunyard accompanied me, the
nest was plainly visible and we saw the hen bird carry some
lining-material to it. I climbed the tree a fortnight after
the date of the commencement of the nest and found it
completed, but the lining had been pulled up into a heap
in the centre, and possibly this had been done by squirrels,
which here abound. No birds have since been seen near
this nest.

On March 12th and 13th we observed two pairs of birds
breaking off dead pine-twigs, and carrying them to nesting-
sites out on the branches, from thirty to forty feet from the
ground. At one of these the birds were not seen again and
the nest-foundation never assumed a definite form. The
other looked completed on the 19th, when, as we watched it,
both birds came into the tree. The female went straight
on to the nest and stayed there, but the male flew away.
Mr. Bunyard climbed to this nest on the 25th, and found
three eggs, incubation having just commenced. Whilst
he was examining the eggs both birds flew round his head,
uttering a chirping note imeessantly. The nest itself was
composed of dead pine-twigs on the outside, and a lining of
shreds of bast, or inner bark, of birch and other trees, together
with fine fibres and two or three feathers. It was rather
larger than a Greenfinch’s nest and the wall was about as
thick.

On March 19th two more pairs were seen with nesting-
materials. As in a previous case, one of the nests was only
partially completed, but the other seemed nearly finished
on the 25th when we saw one bird carry a white feather to it.
This nest was placed at the tip of a fifteen-feet branch, and
required a fifty-stave ladder to reach it when examined on
April 2nd. It was not quite fully lined. No birds were seen
near it before the ladder was brought, nor have any been
seen there since.

On the same date I discovered another nest, also placed
on a branch at a height of about thirty feet, and containing
two eggs, on which sat a green bird. She refused to move
till my hand almost touched her, and then flew round the
nest and over my head uttering the alarm-note. The male
also seemed much disturbed, chirping his alarm-note, as he
flew about the trees near by. On the 5th this nest contained
four eggs, and then the male did not once put in an appear-
ance during the time I was present.

All the nests found were composed of similar materials
to those used in the one already described.

406 BRITISH BIRDS.

Almost every visit we have paid to this district has revealed
more birds. On April 2nd and again on April 9th we saw
well over a hundred birds, though we did not visit more than
half the fir-woods. Throughout they have been in flocks
of from eight to twenty, but latterly there have been more
single birds and pairs.

I have noticed that when the scales of the cones dehisce,
which they often do on one side first, the birds extract the
seeds which have not fallen out, but do not trouble to obtain
those from the unopened portion. Consequently none of the
scales are frayed in these cones.

H. R. Pors
PROBABLE NESTING IN SURREY.

Durine February and March and up to April 12th, 1910
(since which I have had no opportunity of observing), small
parties of Crossbills have frequented the Scotch firs on Shere
Heath. Three or four pairs have been going about in couples ;
one pair frequent a small pond in our garden, which adjoins
the heath, and are constantly drinking there. There can
be little doubt that they have bred, or attempted to breed,
in the neighbourhood, though much watching has not led to
their nests being discovered. I have seen no obviously young
birds. My brother tells me that on March 20th he saw a
pair collecting nesting-material in the garden, and flying with
it to the heath. The song is softly modulated and not un-
pleasing, though it consists of a repetition of the sound
“ kree,” first uttered twice, “‘ kree-kree,”’ and then repeated
three times, “ kree-kree-kree.” I have news of other parties
of Crossbills frequenting a larch-wood at Burrows Cross,
a mile away, and Peaslake fir-woods, about three miles away.

HaARroupD RUSSELL.

In SUSSEX.

On April 9th, 1910, with Mr. Perey Smythe, who taught
me much concerning the nesting-habits of Crossbills, I
visited a certain area of St. Leonard’s Forest. Our first beat
was the edge—Crossbills, it seems, mainly patronize the
margin of a wood or spinney, or belts and rows of firs by the
roadside for nesting purposes—of a large wood of Scotch
firs bordering a by-way. We had not been there long before
we heard a song which was new to us. The ordinary
“ chuking”’ or “ chiking”’ ery of the Crossbill we were, of
course, familiar with, though neither of us had ever heard
one sing. Sixty paces on, following up the song, we came
up to a male Crossbill, sunning himself and singing at the very

NOTES. 407

end of a bough, some thirty feet from the ground, which
projected out and up from the main stem. As it so happened,
on the self-same branch, about four feet from the parent
stem, was the nest quite ready for eggs. As I climbed to
it the male (which had at first flown off) and female, as well
as a third Crossbill, were all very excited, and the owners
came very close to me indeed, attitudinising on the adjacent
branches and “‘chuking” their displeasure vehemently
and repeatedly. Visiting this nest on April 14th I was dis-
gusted to find that squirrels had preceded me; fragments of
eggs alone reposed in the cup of the nest. Externally this
nest had a quite marked but rather loose foundation of dead
Scotch fir-twigs with a few flakes of wool adhering to them,
then a little dried grass, then many thin strips of Scotch fir
bark; while the linmg was composed of tufts of wool, a few
Wood-Pigeon’s feathers and a piece or two of string.

Not 150 yards from this nest, Mr. Smythe found another
about fourteen feet from the ground and at the extreme
end of a dependent branch of a Scotch fir—one of a small
clump by the roadside. The lining in this nest was fluffed
up, and it never came to anything. It had far fewer twigs
than the first found, and was largely made of dried grass
with a dead leaf or so, and a few feathers, and was lined with
red and white cow-hair in tufts, and a piece or two of thin
cordage.

Half-a-mile on, perhaps, as we approached another way-
side clump of firs, we heard the voices of two Crossbills
“ chuking ” persistently. They both flew across a field and
alighted on the summit of a larch, and finally flew off to a big
wood. Mr. Smythe found this nest—also in a roadside
tree—near the top (about thirty feet up), but about six
feet out on a projecting branch. It contained four nestlings
some four or five days old. In any case their eyes were open,
and their dull, dark, flesh-tinted bodies were scantily clad
with tufts of softly-tinted greyish-brown down. The bill,
quite straight, was mainly yellow, 7.e., yellow round the
edges of the mandibles, fading into greyish-green on the upper
one, to flesh-tint on the lower. The interior of the mouth
was very noticeable ; it was a combination of vivid carmine
and purple, the tongue being flesh-coloured. The parents
never came near us as we examined them; and when on
the 14th I spent some time watching them being fed, I was
struck with the cunning, stealthy manner in which the old
birds came to the nest; not a note was heard and hardly a
flutter of wings as they slipped through the fir-branches to
the nest and out again.

408 BRITISH BIRDS.

On the 15th, working another part of the forest, I found
three more nests, two of which held four young, both lots
being under a week old, the third five eggs (an unusual clutch
with the Crossbill I believe) on the point of hatching. At
this last nest I stroked the sitting hen; and, more, after she
had hopped off the nest, and when I was examining the
eggs, she actually came and perched on my finger. The cock,
too, came very close.

All these three nests were in Scotch firs—out on projecting
branches near the summit, and on or near a roadside, and it
is significant that all six (those of the 9th and 15th) were near
a farm or cottage. One of the last three nests was, extern-
ally, largely composed of wool, felted into living and dead
fir-twigs ; in all cases moss and dried grass were used besides,
and the linmg—always rather scant—was of wool, hair, and
a few curly feathers.

During April 14th and 15th I saw some 150 Crossbills in
parties of from fifteen to thirty approximately. There seemed
to be an even proportion of males and females, and most of the
males were in good red plumage. The cock at one nest
was, however, of a dull brown with only a tinge of red on the
rump and breast. Will these flocks disband and breed later ;
or are they non-breeders ? It appears that but a small
percentage of them are nesting, though I have no doubt that
scattered pairs are breeding all over Sussex in suitable
districts.

A word or two on the Crossbill’s cries. The usual “ chuk ”
or “ chik ”’—a ticking, metallic note—is uttered either fairly
slowly or very fast ; a flock gives out a subdued sort of twitter,
difficult to describe, but possibly a modification of the
“chuk” note; and the male’s song (I have heard some
singing in flocks this April) may be rendered as “ chip-chip-
chip-gee-gee-gee-gee.””. It is by no means loud ; all the same
it is uttered distinctly and is quite characteristic ; in point
of time and number of notes it somewhat resembles the song
of the Reed-Bunting. The young, when nearly fledged, have
a sibilant chirp, which soon becomes a distinct ‘“ chik,”’ like

that of the adults. JOHN WALPOLE-BOND.

IRRUPTION OF CROSSBILLS.

I would ask correspondents to send in future, only notes
relating to (1) Nesting; (2) Definitely ascertained increase
or decrease in any locality ; (3) Arrival in a locality where it
is certain they were not present immediately previously.

BOW:

NOTES. 409

BEDFORDSHIRE.—On March 28th numbers (probably not less
than several hundred) in small flocks about Great
Wavendon Wood, near Woburn; only once were two
birds seen alone. On March 29th found them equally
numerous through Southill and Rowney warrens; one
male was in good song, and paying marked attention to
a female (J. Steele Elliott).

BERKSHIRE.—One flying over on April Ist near Reading.
Heard flying over on April 2nd at Wellington College
(NV. H. Joy). Two on March 28th and one flying over
on April 20th, at Henley-on-Thames (H. Noble).

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.—About six on March 20th at Drayton
Beauchamp (C. Oldham). Several at the end of March
at Langley (H. Noble).

DeEnBicH.—Flocks observed up to February 23rd, but not
since, at Llangollen (7. Ruddy).

DurxHam.—About forty from January to March at Darlington
(EK. E. Forder, Field, 9, iv., 1910).

Essex.—One shot on March 19th at Colchester (EK. Chichester,
Field, 26, iii., 1910). Two pairs (possibly breeding) on
March 27th, near Bradfield (J. Beddall Smith).

HampsHire.—A pair on April 11th at Woodhay (North Hants)
(NV. H. Joy).

HERTFORDSHIRE.—Varying numbers—sometimes as many as
fifty—from January 22nd to mid-April in Whippendell
Wood, Watford. Many on April 3rd in the plantations
near Berkhamsted (C. Oldham).

Kent.—About twelve on March 14th at Edenbridge.
‘Several in fairly good song, the notes somewhat
resembling those of the Robin, but more broken up”
(H. H. Farwig). Two on March 27th on Crockham Hill
(H. Bentham). Flocks of eight and six on March 26th
at Seal and one at Wrotham ; forty to fifty on March
29th and 30th near Ashford ; between fifty and a hundred
on March 28th near Maidstone, where a keeper told me
that a nest with two eggs was taken in the preceding
week ; six and two pairs on April 9th at Farnborough
(H. R. Tutt). Some on March 26th on Hayes Common
(W. N. Rushen, Field, 2, iv., 1910). Some about March
6th near Tenterden; three or four pairs about from 13th
to 23rd; twenty-four in one flock, besides the three or
four pairs, on 24th and until 27th; only three seen
(probably the three or four pairs still here) on 30th ;

410 BRITISH BIRDS.

at least three pairs on April 3rd; seventeen in a flock,
and, I think, the usual three or four pairs on the 9th ;
about a dozen from 15th to 17th (Claud B. Ticehurst).

LINCOLNSHIRE.—During the first fortnight in April I have
constantly seen parties of Crossbills in Hartsholme Wood,
near Lincoln. I have several times heard the males
singing, and have seen pairs apart from the flocks, but
have as yet no proof of nesting. I am informed that the
birds have been in these woods since the beginning of
the year (Rev. F. L. Blathwayt).

Monmovutu.—A small flock towards the end of February
near Abergavenny, and two Crossbills on March 27th
were observed fighting, and one (a cock) was picked
up damaged (W. Baker-Gabb).

MonTaGoMERY.—Small party passing over on April 16th at
Churehstoke (H. HE. Forrest).

Norrotk.—Twenty on March 6th at Castle Rising ; two
pairs on the 19th; twenty on the 20th; six on the
23rd (N. Tracy). Still a few at Northrepps on April
4th, and at Keswick on April 8th (J. H. Gurney). About
forty in Southacre Wood, Swaffham (G. Holden).

SHROPSHIRE.—On April 3rd théy seemed to have left
the neighbourhood of Wenlock, where they had been
numerous up to the early part of March, but a small
flock was observed passing over to the westward on April
10th (H. H. Forrest). February 6th was the last date they
were seen at Dowles (cf. supra, p. 304) (J. Steele Elliott).

SurreY.—About twenty on March 31st, 1910, at Windlesham,
on the borders of Windsor Forest. They had been there
some time (b. #. Stilwell). Six on March 25th on Leith
Hill (H. R. Tutt). Numerous flocks of sixty and twenty
to thirty, many smaller parties and one or two pairs
on March 28th on Leith Hill. Frequently heard the song,
which was short and feeble, not dissimilar to that of a
Bullfinch, but certainly inferior. A pair on March 27th
(male singing) and a few on April 3rd near Limpsfield.
Four on April 10th at Godstone (H. Bentham). Large
numbers on March 13th—20th near Weybridge (J. Beddall
Smith).

SussEx.—A pair on March 20th near East Grinstead (H.
Bentham). A pair on April 3rd at Groombridge (F.
Anderson, Field, 16, iv., 1910). Since January 14th to
April 22nd, in varying numbers up to a dozen at
Uckfield, Maresfield, Buxted and Framfield (R. Morris).

NOTES. 411
BIRDS FEEDING ON FIR-CONES.

BesipEs the Crossbill I have noticed this year Siskins, Chaf-
finches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Marsh-Tits, Coal-Tits,
and Blue Tits feeding on the seeds of the Scotch fir. These
birds, of course, only feed on those cones which are fully
ripeand have opened, and Goldfinches also were evidently pick-
ing up the fallen seeds under the trees. The few Lesser Red-
polls I have seen were not feeding on these seeds, but the
Hawfinch may possibly be added to the list, since I have
several times put them out of fir-trees, but have never actually
seen them feeding. Crossbills, besides opening the cones they
have nipped off, feed, like the other birds, on opened cones
without troubling to remove them; I have also noticed
that if the cone is not quite ripe, it is only opened down the
more convex side, on which side it is easiest to get the seeds out;
many small unripe cones have of late been nipped off and
dropped without being opened at all.

The question arises in connection with the Crossbill immigra-
tion as to whether the seeds of the Scotch fir are more abundant
this year or not; of course, one’s attention has been drawn
to searching these trees more closely this year on account of
the presence of Crossbills, and so one has noticed more of the
other birds ; yet, although Goldfinches pass through here every
spring, they usually stop a day only, and I have not seen them
feeding on the Scotch firs. This year they remained with
us nearly a month, and were very conspicuous, as they were
constantly to be seen feeding in these trees.

Ciaup B. TicEHuURST.

Like Dr. C. B. Ticehurst, I have this spring (early April)
seen (in Hampshire) considerable numbers of Greenfinches,
Chaffinches and Goldfinches, and a few Bramblings feeding
upon the seeds of the Scotch fir, which they can easily extract
at this time of year, when the cones are opening and allowing
the seeds to drop. Mr. Robert Newstead, to whom I wrote
on the subject, kindly informs me that the observation is
new to him, and I cannot find that the cones are unusually
prolific this year, as one might suspect. It may be, however,
that the habit is not unusual, but that it has neen noticed
through the constant watching of the fir-trees on account of
the Crossbills ! H. F. WiTHERBY.

TWO-BARRED CROSSBILL IN SCOTLAND.

As regards my note on p. 375 (supra), drawing attention to
‘“‘a record of ‘a large flock’ of L. lewcoptera near Banff about

412 BRITISH BIRDS.

1809,’ I am informed by Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown that
after full consideration and investigation he considered this
record as imperfect, and as such placed it in square brackets
in his “‘ Vertebrate Fauna of the Moray Basin ” (1895, Vol. I.,
p- 300). Hue 8. GLADSTONE.

BLACK-HEADED BUNTING IN SUSSEX.

A MALE Black-headed Bunting (Hmberiza melanocephala)
in full plumage was shot at Little Holm Farm, near Westfield,
Sussex, on May 5th, 1909. The bird was examined in the
flesh by Mr. W. Ruskin Butterfield. J. B. NiIcHOLs.

RAVENS IN SHROPSHIRE.

THE attachment of Ravens (Corvus corax) to an established
breeding-place is notorious, but it is a singular circumstance
that a pair of these birds has this year taken up quarters in
a certain valley on the Lougmynd, where the last recorded
Raven’s nest in Shropshire was destroyed in 1884. Whether
there be any connection between the original pair and the
new arrivals we have no means of deciding.

H. E. Forrest.

THE WHITE MARKINGS ON THE HEAD OF THE
YOUNG CUCKOO.

THE considerable amount of variation in the white markings
on the heads of young Cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) seems to

ines, 1h

NOTES. 413

me a point well worthy of the attention of ornithologists.
I have had opportunities of examining a good many young
Cuckoos in the neighbourhood of Bridgnorth during the last
few years. J have found that some have a single white spot
in the middle of the forehead near the base of the bill, while
others have one on the top of the head ; others, again, have
two spots, one on the forehead and the other on the nape,
while sometimes the spot is lengthened into the form of a
band-like marking. I have never seen a specimen in which
white feathers were absent, although some birds have very

414, BRITISH BIRDS.

few such feathers. The accompanying photographs of a
few of the young Cuckoos I have mentioned will perhaps,
make my meaning clearer. Fig. 1, with two white spots ;
Fig. 2, with a conspicuous spot on the forehead and two
smaller spots at the back of the head; Fig. 3, with a few
whitish feathers on the head and throat. Frances Prrt.

GARGANEY AND OTHER DUCKS IN CHESHIRE.

On April 9th, 1910, Mr. Travers Hadfield and I had an
excellent view of five Garganeys (Querquedula circia), two
of which were drakes, on the mere at Marbury near Northwich.
We first noticed the birds on the wing, when the greyish-
white pattern on the wings of the drakes, formed by the blue-
grey coverts and white bars, attracted our attention. Later,
sheltered by a duck-shooter’s reed-screen, we succeeded in
getting within ten yards of the birds when they were feeding
near the edge of the mere. The drakes repeatedly uttered
the curious clicking breeding note, which is likened by Saunders
to the sound made by a child’s rattle. The general colour of
the breast of the drake Garganey is variously described as
brown, pale brown, dark brown, sandy-buff, pale chestnut,
wood-brown, and pale yellowish-brown in descriptions I have
consulted, but we were particularly struck by its vinaceous
tinge ; Montagu speaks of the “purplish” neck, but this
tinge is, in some lights, noticeable on the breast. The
Garganey, though it has been obtained occasionally on the
Dee Estuary, has not to my knowledge been previously
observed on inland waters in Cheshire.

On the 9th, beyond a few Mallards, Pochards and Tufted
Ducks, there were no other ducks on Marbury, but on the
10th, when Mr. A. W. Boyd visited the mere to see the
Garganeys, he found four Wigeon, ten or more Shovelers,
a Sheld-Duck, and over thirty Teal. T. A. CowarpD

COMMON SCOTER AND OTHER DUCKS IN HERT-
FORDSHIRE AND BUCKINGHAMSHIRE.

On the morning of April 10th, 1910, there was a bunch of ten
Common Scoters (Wdemia nigra), comprising seven adult drakes
and three grey-cheeked birds, on one of the reservoirs at Tring
(Herts.). Five more—three of them adult drakes—were on
another reservoir, and at Weston Turville (Bucks.), some four
miles away, there were eleven, seven adult drakes and four
grey-cheeked birds. One may perhaps expect to see Common
Scoters, on passage, on our inland waters in April—I saw

NOTES. AL5

two on Ruislip Reservoir (Middlesex) on April 24th, 1909—
but the occurrence of such a considerable number of birds
in a limited area may be thought worth recording. The
wind, which had for some time previously been easterly,
shifted to the N.W. on the 9th, and was light from the S.W.
on the 10th. The advent of the Scoters was probably due
to this change. Not one of the birds was feeding while I
watched them, and their behaviour—dozing on the water or
at the most paddling idly—suggested that they were resting
after a prolonged flight. Their presence in the district was
possibly only a manifestation of an extensive migratory
movement in which other species of ducks were involved,
for at Tring there was an adult drake Goldeneye (Clangula
glaucion) accompanied by a brown-headed bird—obviously,
from its inferior size, a duck—three or four pairs of Teal
(Nettion crecca), several Shovelers (Spatula clypeata) and,
scattered over the waters, perhaps thirty Wigeon (Mareca
penelope); whilst at Weston Turville there was a flock of
eight restless Wigeon that were frequently on the wing.
I saw no birds of any of these species when I was passing
the reservoirs on April 3rd.

CuHas. OLDHAM.

COMMON SCOTERS IN CHESHIRE.

Ow April 10th, 1910, I saw six Common Scoters on Radnor
Mere in Alderley Park, Cheshire. These birds were evidently on
migration, and were already gone on the llth. The reports
of Scoters on inland waters in the south at about the same

time seem to indicate that a general movement was in progress.
M. V. WENNER.

RINGED- PLOVER NESTING IN SURREY.

WHEN at Frensham on May 30th, 1909, I was not a little
surprised on discovering that a pair of Ringed Plovers
(Zigialitis hiaticola) had remained to breed in the neigh-
bourhood, as there is no earlier record of the species having
nested in Surrey, and hitherto it appears only to have visited
the county as a somewhat casual spring and autumn migrant,
although doubtless known instances of its occurrence have
occasionally been allowed to pass unrecorded.

Adjoining Frensham Great Pond, a lake of some 100 acres
in extent, is a wide expanse of uncultivated land, thinly
covered with short grass and stunted heather. On this ground,
at a spot about 300 yards from the margin of the lake, the
bird had selected a site thickly strewn with small pieces of

416 BRITISH BIRDS.

burnt wood—bleached to an almost white colour—and chips
of bone, forming a circular patch some ten feet in circumference,
so that the environment of the nest corresponded in some
degree with that usually chosen in maritime localities.
The nest contained four eggs on May 30th, but as I was
prevented from visiting the district again until the middle

NEST OF RINGED PLOVER, FRENSHAM, SURREY,
May 30TH, 1909.
(Photographed by H. H. Farwig.)

of July, when no trace could be found of the Ringed Plovers,
I am unable to say whether they were successful in rearing
a brood. Howarp BENTHAM.

FULMAR IN SHROPSHIRE AND OTHER COUNTIES.

I HAVE just obtained for the county museum an example of
the Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), which was found in a dying
state two miles south of Shrewsbury about the middle of
March, 1909. It is an example of the light-coloured phase.
The plumage bears evidence of severe buffeting, so that the
bird had evidently been driven thus far inland by tempestuous
weather. This is the first occurrence in Shropshire, and it
is distinctly rare in the western counties, as will be seen by
the following summary of recorded occurrences :—Cumber-

NOTES. 417

land, 3; Lancashire, 4; Cheshire, 2; Denbigh, 1 ; Merioneth,
11; Cardigan, 2 or more; Pembroke, 1; Gloucester, 3;
Oxford, 2; Worcester, 1; Hereford, 2 or 3. None has been
recorded in Anglesey, Carnarvon, Flint, Montgomery, Radnor,
Brecon, Glamorgan, Carmarthen, Warwick, or Stafford.
It will be seen that nearly all occurrences have been either
along the seaboard or within sight of the Severn Estuary.
Mr. J. Steele Elliott tells me that an old man near Bewdley
has an ancient specimen, said to have been obtained on the
Severn between Bewdley and Arley. If correct, this bird
might be claimed by no less than three counties which meet
there—Worcester, Salop, and Stafford ! H. E. Forrest.

[THe Fulmar has once been recorded from Staffordshire
(Zoologist, 1863, p. 8448), and there is one recorded from
Derbyshire (Zoologist, 1850, p. 2951). Few birds are more
exclusively pelagic in their habits than the Fulmar, and its

presence inland appears to be due to stress of weather alone.
i chee, pas aspen [2

GREENLAND WHEATEARS IN ScoTLAND.—The date of the
example recorded from Mull of Galloway Lighthouse (ef.
supra, p. 379) should be September 12th, not August 12th
(Ann. S.N.H., 1910, p. 118).

WHITE-SPOTTED BLUETHROAT IN Farr Iste.—An adult
male Cyanecula wolfi, in full summer-plumage, is recorded
by Mr. Eagle Clarke (Ann. S.N.H., 1910, p. 67) as having
been obtained in Fair Isle in 1909. Unfortunately, Mr. Clarke
does not give the date of its capture—a curious omission.

MovutH-CoLoRATION OF THE NESTLING YELLOW BuNTING.—
Correction.—Mr. A. G. Leigh writes us that by a mistake in
transcribing his original notes he gave the coloration of the
inside of the mouth of this nestling (antea, p. 154) as lemon-
yellow instead of pink, which is the correct colour.

PuotocrapHic Exurpition.—Messrs. Sanders & Co. inform
us that the first of their series of Exhibitions in Natural
History Photography will be a collection of pictures by
Mr. Richard Kearton, to be opened on May 18th, at 71,
Shaftesbury Avenue. Admission on presentation of visiting
card. Amongst others who have promised their collections
for future exhibitions are Miss E. L. Turner, Mr. Oliver G.
Pike, and Mr. R. B. Lodge.

H H

RIVE

A History of Birds. By W. P. Pycraft. Illustrated. (Methuen
& Co.) 10s. 6d. net.

Mr. Pycrarr has produced an extremely interesting book,
and, besides this, one which throws new light on some
important questions. The plan which he has followed is
one which, unfortunately, has up till now but rarely com-
mended itself to writers of books on natural history. He
does not merely describe structure and habit, and call upon
us to wonder at what is curious, but: he asks perpetually
Whence ?: and Why ? And this gives to the book an excep-
tional interest. To Mr. Pycraft the bird is a metamorphosed
reptile. The acquisition of the power of flight has dominated
everything, so that variations have been confined within
narrower limits than is the case with mammals. The
necessity of flight has allowed none to deviate very far,
though some few species, after aspiring to the realms of air,
have lapsed to earth again. Hence the great difficulty of
the classification of birds: the number of forms is. vast
and the differences by the light of which they can be divided
and subdivided are small. However, the subject of classifica-
tion is well and clearly dealt with by Mr. Pycraft, and when
his account of it is read in connection with a later chapter
on convergent evolution, the interest becomes very great.
When the comparatively conservative muscles and viscera
are examined rather than the comparatively plastic bony
framework, new relationships come to light: the Owls, for
example, have to be severed from the Hawks and become the
kin of the Nightjars.

Mr. Pycraft writes of geographical distribution, the effect
of moisture and temperature, migration, the relation of birds
to the animate environment (they pollinate flowers, they
distribute seeds), peculiar inter-relations (e.g., between Bee-
eaters and Bustards), gregarious habits, nidification, care of
offspring, phases of plumage (a subject in which he has made
original investigations), natural selection (its methods of
working are well described), sexual selection, isolation, adapta-
tion. Since these are only some of the subjects treated of,

REVIEW. 419

and since in illustration of each a mass of facts is adduced,
it goes without saying that occasional slips have been made,
and that all critics will not assent to everything. Under the
former head we may mention that experiment has revealed
in the Apteryx a wonderful power of detecting earthworms,
and, apparently, by the use of its olfactory powers. By way
of criticism we may point out that Mr. Pycraft has not
explained with sufficient fulness all that inevitably follows
from the acquisition of the power of flight. For example,
the head had to be lightened. Hence the loss of teeth, for
strong teeth involve strong and heavy jaws. Hence, for
some species, the necessity of a strong-walled gizzard. With
the acquisition of great mobility came the need of a strong
voice to keep the flock in touch with one another or to bring
the sexes together. And so from silent reptiles have come
loud-voiced birds. After an admirable survey of the facts
comes a very inadequate theory of sexual selection. It is
true that for a species any display, poor or splendid, may do,
but as soon as variation in the direction of fine plumage has
begun, it will not do for an individual cock-bird to be dowdy.
Hence male finery must be definitely due to sexual selection,
and not merely to the absence of natural selection. Of
pairing and polygamy no explanation is offered. Surely
the constancy of mate to mate is due to the fact that in the
monogamous species the assistance of the male is required
for the rearing or defending of the young. Lastly, it may be
mentioned that the index is very far from complete. But,
summing up, we may describe the book as a vast collection
of facts illuminated by stimulating theory. The illustrations
are many and nearly all of them excellent.

He W sce

”

(4a =)

INDEX.

Aecentor, Alpine, Actions of, 330,

368.

——, Hedge-. See Sparrow,
Hedge-.

accupitrinus, Asio. See Owl, Short-
eared.

ACLAND, Miss CLEMENCE M., Note
on Puffin in Surrey, 231.

acuta, Dafila. See Pintail.

alba, Ciconia. See Stork, White.

-_—, Motacilla. See Wagtail,
White. jal
albicilla, Halia*tus. See Eagle,

White-tailed.
albicollis, Zonotrichia.
White-throated.

ALEXANDER, C. J., Note on Marsh-
Warbler in Kent, 159.

ALEXANDER, H. G., Note on Lesser
Redpoll in Sussex, 56.

AuicHin, J. H., Note on Bittern
in Kent, 338.

alle, Mergus. See Auk, Little.

ALLEN, J. A., An American’s Views
of Bird Migration, 12.

alpina, Tringa. See Dunlin.

aluco, Syrnium. See Owl, Tawny.

anglorum, Puffinus. See Shear-
water, Manx.

apiaster, Merops.
apivorus, Pernis.
Honey-.
apus, Cypselus. See Swift.
aquaticus, Cinclus. See Dipper.

——, Rallus. See Rail, Water-.

arborea, Alauda. See Lark, Wood-.

arctica, Fratercula. See Puffin.
arcticus, Colymbus. See Diver,
Black-throated.

arenaria, Calidris. See Sanderling.

ARNOLD, E. C., Note on Wood-
Sandpiper in Sussex in June,
230.

ATCHINSON, GEORGE T., Note on
Nesting dates of the Lesser
Redpoll, 161.

ater, Parus. See Titmouse, Coal-.

See Sparrow,

See Bee-eater.
See Buzzard,

atricapilla, Muscicapa.
catcher, Pied.

——, Sylvia. See Blackeap.

atriqularis, Turdus. See Thrush,
Black-throated.

Auk, Little, in Ireland, 330.

auritus, Podicipes. See Grebe,
Slavonian.

Avocet in Norfolk, 32;
271.

avocetta, Recurvirostra.

See Fly-

in Kent,

See Avocet.

badius, Lanius senator. See Shrike,
Corsican Woodchat.

Baur, P. H., On the supposed
Colour-change and the Spring
Moult of the Black-headed
Gull, 105; Note on Crossbills
in Surrey and Ireland, 163.

baillont, Porzana. See Crake,
Baillon’s.

bairdi, Tringa. See Sandpiper,
Baird’s.

Bankes, Eustace R., Note on

Snow-Bunting in Dorset, 306.

BARBER-STARKEY, F., Some Nest-
ing-habits of the Wood-Lark
as observed in North Devon, 7.

bassana, Sula. See Gannet.

BEDFORD, HER GRACE THE DUCHESS
or, Notes on the Longevity of
Birds, 78, 115; Black-tailed
Godwit in Wigtownshire, 129 ;
Red-backed Shrike returning
to Nest in same place, 160 ;
Woodcock removing its Eggs,
167; Coloration of the Soft
Parts of the Slavonian Grebe,
268.

Bee-eater in Sussex, 295.

belgica, Limosa. See Godwit, Black-
tailed.

422

BentTHAM, Howarp, Notes on Dart-
ford Warbler feigning Injury
at the Nest, 185; Pintail and

Scaup in Surrey, 230 ;
Goosanders in Surrey, 339;
Ringed Plover nesting im

Surrey, 415.
bifasciata, Lowxia.
Two-barred.

“‘ Birds, A History of,’ reviewed.

Bittern in Norfolk, 32; in the Isle
of Man, 217; in Sussex, 308 ;
in Kent, 338.

——, American, in Sussex, 229.

Little, im, Orkney,.)oeG » 1n
Oxfordshire, 342.

Blackbird rearing Two Broods in
same Nest, 232; Sequence of
Plumages of, 323.

Blackcap, Pairing Habits of, 62;

See Crossbill,

Winter Habits of, 79; (nest-
ling), 153.
BLADEN, W. WeEtts, Note on

Shoveler nesting in Stafford-
shire, 58.

Bluethroat, Red-spotted, Song of,
271; Sequence of Plumages of,
364; on the Isle of May, 378.

——, White-spotted, Sequence of
Plumages of, 366; in Fair
Isle, 417.

Bonnorte, J. Lewis, Note on Arrival
of Martins at their Breeding-
haunts, 81.

Booth Museum, Additions to the,
294,

borealis, Motacilla flava.
tail, Grey-headed.

——, Phylloscopus. See Warbler,
Eversmann’s.

boscas, Anas. See Mallard.

brachydactyla, Alauda. See Lark,
Short-toed.

Brambling feeding
411.

British Races or Forms :—British
Hedge-Sparrow, 313; British
Stonechat, 315. [Cf. British
Willow-Tit, I., 44, 214; British
Jay, I., 209; English Cross-

See Wag-

on Fir-cones,

jor, Js, PANE) 2 1MO(5. 1e}¢
Scottish Crossbill, I., 211;
British Goldfinch, I., 211;

Yellow Wagtail, I., 212; Pied
Wagtail, I., 212; British Great
Titmouse, I., 213; British Blue

BRITISH BIRDS.

Titmouse, I., 213; British
Coal-Titmouse, I., 213; British
Marsh-Titmouse, I., 214; Scot-
tish Crested Titmouse, I., 215 ;
British Long-tailed Titmouse,
I., 217; British Goldcrest, L.,
218; British Nuthatch, L.,
218; British Tree-Creeper, I.,
218; British Robin, I., 2195
St. Kalda Wren, e229
British Dipper, I., 220; British
Great Spotted Woodpecker,
I., 221; British Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker, I., 221; Red
Grouse, I., 222; British Bull-
finch, II., 130; British Song-
Thrush, II., 340; British Dart-
ford Warbler, II., 340.]

bruennicht, Uria. See Guillemot,
Briinnich’s.

Bunting, Black-headed, in Sussex,
412.

——., Cirl, Late Nesting of the, 125,
195.

——, Lapland, in Norfolk, 309.

——, Little, on the Isle of May, 378.

== —. Ortolan,, in Norfolk loon
in Sussex, 295.

——, Reed- (nestling), 152, 154.

——, Snow-, in Dorset, 262, 306,
307.

——, Yellow (nestling), 154, 417.

BunyvarpD, P. F., Notes on Marsh-
Warbler breeding in Kent and
Worcestershire, 185; Cross-
bills in Surrey, 192; Number
of Eggs laid by Terns and the

Effect of Food-supply on
Fecundity, 198, 2238, 254;
Crossbills nesting in Suffolk,
403.

Butter, A. L., Note on Manx
Shearwater in Warwickshire,
202.

Buzzard, Common, in Sussex, 127 ;
in the Isle of Man, 217.

——, Honey-, in Ireland, 164; in
Sussex, 257; in Norfolk, 309.

cesia, Sitta. See Nuthatch.

calidris, Totanus. See Redshank.

candicans, Falco. See Falcon,
Greenland.

candidus, Himantopus. See Stilt.

cannabina, Linota. See Linnet.

INDEX.

See Cuckoo.
See Tern, Sand-

canorus, Cuculus.
cantiaca, Sterna.

wich.

canutus, Tringa. See Knot.

carbo, Phalacrocorax. See Cor-
morant.

casarca, Tadorna. See Sheld-Duck,
Ruddy.

catarrhactes, Megalestris. See Skua,
Great.

CaTTELL, W. C., Notes on Rose-
coloured Starling in North-
amptonshire, 262; Spotted
Crake in Northamptonshire,
266.

caudata, Acredula.
Long-tailed.

cenchris, Falco. See Kestrel, Lesser.

cervinus, Anthus. See Pipit, Red-
throated.

Chaffinch feeding on Fir-cones, 411.

CHAapMAN, ABEL, Notes on Cross-
bills in Northumberland and
Spain, 190, 192.

** Cheshire, The Vertebrate Fauna
of,’ Note on, 114.

Chiffchaff, Winter Song of, 80.

chloris, Ligurinus. See Greenfinch.

cineraceus, Circus. See Harrier,

See Titmouse,

Montagu’s.

cinerea, Ardea. See Heron, Com-
mon.

cinereus, Anser. See Goose, Grey
Lag-.

circia, Querquedula. See Garganey.

cirlus, Emberiza. See Bunting, Cirl.

citrinella, Emberiza. See Bunting,
Yellow.

CLARKE, Capt. GOLAND v., Note on
Crossbills nesting in Hamp-
shire, 400.

CLARKE, W. Hacre, The Chicks of
the Sanderling, 33.

CLARKE, W. J., Note on the Pere-
grine Falcon on the Yorkshire
Cliffs, 85.

clypeata, Spatula. See Shoveler.

Cosurn, F., Notes on Black-tailed
Godwits in North Wales, 30;
Marsh-Warbler Breeding in
Worcestershire, 157.

Cocks, A. Hrnreace, Memoir of
Thomas Southwell, 173.

celebs, Fringilla. See Chaffinch.

celestis, Gallinago. See Snipe..
ceruleus, Parus. See Titmouse, Blue.

423
collaris, Accentor. See Accentor,
Alpine.
collurio, Lanius. See Shrike, Red-
backed.
communis, Coturnix. See Quail.
——, Turtur. See Dove, Turtle-.

corax, Corvus. See Raven.

Cormorant, A White-breasted
variety of the Common, 385.

cornix, Corvus. See Crow, Hooded.

cornuta, Tadorna. See Sheld-Duck,
Common.

Cowan, W., Note on Little Bittern
in Orkney, 58.

Cowarp, T. A., Notes on the Verte-
brate Fauna of Cheshire, 114 ;
Crossbills in Cheshire, 191 ;
Garganey and other Ducks in
Cheshire, 414. ;

Crake, Baillon’s, in Sussex, 295.

Crake, Corn-, in Winter in Ireland,
330.

——, Little, in Scotland, 132; in
Sussex, 295.

——, Spotted, in Northampton-
shire, 266; in Lancashire, 339,
376.

crecca, Nettion, See Teal.

cristatus, Podicipes. See Grebe,
Great Crested.

Crossbill Nesting, in Norfolk, 302; in
Suffolk, 371; in Norfolk and
Berkshire, 371; in Norfolk,
372; in Hampshire, 400; in
Kent, 402; in Staffordshire,
402; in Suffolk, 403; Probable,
in Suffolk, 403 ; in Surrey,
404; Probable, in Surrey, 406 ;
in Sussex, 406.

Crossbill, Irruption of the, 82, 123,
162) 190NR22 6. 2bees0as ool.
373, 408.

——, British forms of, 193.

——, Dimorphism in, 194, 261.

——, Food of, 193, 305.

in Feroe, 190, 228.

—— in Spain, 192.

——, Late Nest of, in Ireland, 162.

—— (Nestling), 403, 407.

——, Two-barred, in Scotland, 195,
306, 375, 411.

Croucu, L. W., Note on Large
Clutches of Eggs of the Great
Crested Grebe, 60.

Crow, Hooded, at the Nest, 234.

424.

Cuckoo’s Egg in Nest of Blackbird,
28; in Nest of Lesser Redpoll,
162 ; in Nest of Marsh-Warbler,
185, 232; Dr.. Rey’s Study of
the, 202.

Cuckoo, Two Young, fed by the
same Meadow-Pipit, 164; the
White Markings on the Head
of the Young, 412.

CUMMINGS, SIDNEY Note on
Late Nesting of the Cirl Bunt-
ing, 195.

curruca, Sylvia.
Lesser.

cyaneus, Circus.

Cie

See Whitethroat,

See Harrier, Hen.

Davipson, J., Note on Late Nesting
of the Woodcock, 129.

Davies, CoMMANDER DAYRELL,
Rr.N., Note on Crossbills nesting
in Hampshire, 400.

Davies, W., Note on Marsh-
Warbler breeding in Worcester-
shire, 157.

Dipper, Unusual Nesting-site of,
117, 203; in the Isle of Man,
216.

Diver, Black-throated, in Ireland,

32; on the Pterylosis of the,
93.
——, Great Northern, Spring-

moult of the Adult, 132.

Diving Birds, The use of Wings and
Feet by, 172.

Dopp, P. VERNON, Note on Mon-
tagu’s Harrier in Kent, 307.

domesticus, Passer. See Sparrow,
House-.

Dove, Rock- (nestling), 153.

, Stock- (nestling), 152.

——, Turtle-, in Scotland, 58, 232;
in co. Waterford, 131; in
Shetland, 378.

Duck, Long-tailed, in Merioneth,
26a.

Ducks. See Eider, Gadwall, Gold-
eneye, Mallard, Merganser, Pin-
tail, Seaup, Scoter, Sheld-
Dueck, Shoveler, Wigeon.

DUNCAN, STANLEY, Notes on Spoon-
bill in Yorkshire, 128; Black-
tailed Godwits in Yorkshire
and Lincolnshire, 167.

Dunlin, Recovery of Marked, 293.

BRITISH BIRDS.

* Eagle, The Home-Life of a
Golden,”’ reviewed, 205.

——, White-tailed, in the Isle of
Man, 217; in the Scilly Islands,
341. ]

Editorial, 1.

Eggs, Weight of Unblown, 204.

Eider Duck, Food of, 165,

elegans, Carduelis. See Goldfinch.

Etiort, J. SrEELE, Note on Cross-
bills in Bedfordshire, 191; in
Shropshire, 192.

Eitison, Rev. ALLAN, Notes on
Crossbills in Hertfordshire,
192; Breeding-habits of the
Siskin in Ireland, 300.

epops, Upupa. See Hoopoe.

erythrina, Pyrrhula. See Grosbeak,
Scarlet.

europeus, Caprimulgus. See Night-
jar.

Evans, WititaAm, Notes on Cross-
bills in the North Sea, 124;
the Food of the Common
Hider, 165; an Overlooked
Record of the Two-barred
Crossbill in Scotland, 306.

FaGan, C. E., Memoir of R. Bowdler
Sharpe, 273.

| falcinellus, Plegadis. See Ibis.
| Glossy.
Faleon, Greenland, in Ireland, 307,
209.

——,Iceland,in Shropshire, 165, 203,
——, Peregrine, on the Yorkshire

Cliffs, 52, 85, 127; Rapid re-
mating of, 263.
—-—, Red-footed, in Shropshire,

165; in Sussex, 295; in Cam-
bridgeshire, 308.

Farren, W., Notes on Red-footed
Falcon in Cambridgeshire, 308 ;
Glossy Ibis in Huntingdon-
shire, 308.

Fecundity, The Effect of Food-
supply on, 90, 129, 198, 199,
POS, APA,

FEILDEN, CoLONEL H. W., Notes
on some Sussex Ravens, 27 ;
Ravens as Scavengers, 57 ;

Fieldfare, Sequence of Plumages of,
248.

| Fir-cones, Birds feeding on, 411.

flammea, Strix. See Owl, Barn-.

INDEX. 425

flava, Motacilla. See Wagtail, Blue-
headed.

fluviatilis, Sterna.
mon.

Flycatcher, Brown, in Kent, 112.

——, Pied (nestling), 152

——, Red-breasted, in Lincolnshire,
226; on the Isle of May, 378.

-——, Spotted (nestling), 152, 154;
Searcity of, in Scotland, 232.

Food of Eider Duck, 165; of Com-
mon and Sandwich Tern, 169;
of Great Tit, 186; of Crossbill,
193, 305, 411; of Swift, 263;
of Finches, ete., 411.

Forp, J. CuNNINGHAM, Note on
Crossbills Nesting in Norfolk,
372.

Forrest, H. E., Notes on Cuckoo’s
Egg in Blackbird’s Nest, 28;
Black-tailed Godwit in North
Wales, 60; Crossbills off Sear-
borough and in Shropshire,
162, 163, 192; Additions to
the Shropshire Avifauna, 165,
203; Osprey in Shropshire,
165; Black Terns in North
Wales, 168: Long tailed Duck
in Merioneth, 265; Ravens in
Shropshire, 412; Fulmar in
Shropshire, 416.

FrRoHAWK, F. W., On a White-
breasted Variety of the Com-
mon Cormorant, 385.

fulicartus, Phalaropus. See Phala-
rope. Grey.

Fulmar in shropshire and other
inland Counties, 416.

fusca, @demia. See Scoter, Velvet-.

fuscus, Larus. See Gull, Lesser
Black backed.

Gadwall Nesting in Scotland, 131 ;
and Mallard Hybrid, 330.
galbula, Ortolus. See Oriole,

Golden.

«* Game-Birds, The Natural History
of British,’ by J. G. Millais,
Letters on, 347, 381.

Gannet extinct on Lundy Island,
340; inland in Wiltshire, 342.

Garganey in Dorset, 271; in
Cheshire, 414.

garrulus, Ampelis. See Waxwing.

See Tern, Com- |

Gitroy, Norman, Notes on Land-
birds Nesting in Holes, 118;
Late Nesting of the Cirl Bunt-
ing, 125; Number of Eggs
laid by Terns, 129, 222; Cross-
bills Nesting in Norfolk and
Berkshire, 371.

glacialis, Colymbus.
Great Northern.

——, Fulmarus. See Fulmar.

See Diver,

——., Harelda. See Duck, Long-
tailed.
GLADSTONE, Huex S., Notes on

Two-barred Crossbill in Scot-

land, 375, 411.
glandarius, Garrulus.
glareola, Totanus.

Wood-.
glaucion, Clangula. See Goldeneye.

Godwit, Back-tailed, in North
Wales, 30, 60; in Wigtown-
shire, 129; in Yorkshire and
Linconshire, 167.

Goldeneye in Herts., 415.

Goldfinch in the Isle of Man, 216 ;
feeding on Fir-cones, 411.

Goosanders in Surrey, 339.

Goose, Grey Lag-, Nesting in
Orkney, 376.

——, Red-breasted, on the Severn,
376.

Goshawk in Shropshire, 165; in
Sussex, 295.

Goutp, F. H. CarrutHEers, Note
on Crossbills off the Coast of
Norway, 123.

GrRaBHAM, OxtEy, Note on Briin-
nich’s Guillemot in Yorkshire,
91.

Graves, FRANK S., Note on Hen-
Harrier in the Isle of Man, 338.

Gray, Lronarp, Note on Lesser
Redpoll Nesting in Essex, 123.

Grebe, Eared, in Scotland in
January, 232.

——, Great Crested, Early Nesting
of the, 30; Large Clutches of
Eggs of the, 60; Double-
brooded, 171, 202.

——, Red-necked, in Orkney, 132.

——, Slavonian, in Summer in
Orkney, 31; in the Isle of
Man, 218; Coloration of the
Soft Parts of, 268; in Summer
on Lough Swilly, 341 ; Breed-
ing in Scotland, 380.

See Jay.
See Sandpiper,

4.26

Greenfinch feeding on Fir-cones,
411.
GRIFFITH, HERBERT C., Note on

Black Guillemot in Cornwall, 30.
griseigena, Podicipes. See Grebe,
Red-necked.
griseus, Nycticorax.

Night-.

grisola, Muscicapa. See
catcher, Spotted.

Grosbeak, Searlet, on the Isle of
May, 378.

Grouse, Black, Female assuming
Male Plumage, 265.

——, Red, Heather and Crowberry,
86; Erythrism of the, 342;
Plumages of, 347, 381.

——, Pallas’s Sand-. See Sand-
Grouse.

grylle, Uria. See Guillemot, Black.

Guillemot, Black, in Cornwall, 30.

——, Britinnich’s, in Yorkshire, 91.

Gull, Black-headed, On the Sup-
posed ‘ Colour-change’”’ and
the Spring Moult of the, 105;
Recovery of Marked, 181, 219,

See Heron,

Fly-

220; 251. 2935-367) 399;
Diseases in Young, 201;

Nesting in Trees, 379.

——, Great Black-backed, Nesting
on Flat Land, 341.

——., Lesser Black-backed, Nesting
in Kent, 271; Recovery of
Marked, 293.

———, Little, in Ireland, 32; in
Sussex, 257.

——, Sabine’s, in Shetland, 204.

GuRNEY, J. H., Notes on Crossbills
in Norfolk, 191; Glossy Ibis
in Norfolk, 338.

Haicu, G. H. Caton, The Lanceo-
lated Warbler in Lincolnshire,
a New British Bird, 353;
Notes on Yellow-browed War-
bler in Lincolnshire, 224;
Red-breasted Flycatcher in
Lincolnshire, 226.

haliaétus, Pandion. See Osprey.

Hatr, E., Note on Glossy Ibis in
Yorkshire, 230.

Hamitton-Hunter, R., Notes on
Late Nest of Crossbill in Ire-
land, 162; Early Breeding of
Nightjar in Ireland, 163; on

BRITISH BIRDS.

the Breeding of the Siskin in
North Wicklow, 188; Breed-
ing-habits of the Siskin in
Treland 330.

Harrier, Hen-, in the Isle of Man,
338.

——, Montagu’s, in Ireland, 164;
in Kent, 307.

Hartert, Dr. Ernst, Two Races
peculiar to the British Isles,
313; Notes on Crossbills in
Hertfordshire, 192; the
Correct Name for the Grey-
headed Wagtail and _ Strict
Priority in Nomenclature, 298,
Oe

Harting, J. E., Note on Ravens
as Scavengers, 84.

Harvie-Brown, J. A., Note on
the Effect of Food-Supply on
Fecundity, 252.

Hawfinch, Nesting of, in Scotland,
NBA

Hawk, Sparrow-, Notes on the
Breeding of, 341.

Hawkins, C., Note on Woodcock
Breeding in Surrey, 88.

Heaptey, F. W., Notes on Curious
Site for a Starling’s Nest, 83 ;
the Meaning of Birds’ Songs,
221; Migration across. the
Mediterranean, 255.

HEATHERLEY, FRANCIS, Ravens at
the Nest, with some Notes on
the Hooded Crow, 234.

Heron, Common, Recovery of
Marked, 219.

——, Night-, in Kent, 295.

hiaticola, Agialitis. See Plover,
Ringed.

hibernans, Pratincola torquata. See
Stonechat, The British.

Hobby in Cornwall, 271; Nesting
in Hampshire, 317.

Hoopoe in Scotland, 131.

hornemannii, Linota. See Redpoll,

Greenland.

hortulana, Emberiza. See Bunting,
Ortolan.

hyperboreus, Phalaropus. See

Phalarope, Red-necked.

Ibis, Glossy, in Yorkshire, 229,
308; in Nottinghamshire and
Devonshire, 229; in Ireland

INDEX. 4.27

258, 308; in Huntingdonshire,
308 ; in Norfolk, 338.
tliacus, Turdus. See Redwing.
Incubation Periods, 186, 196. —[Cf.
M925 291,325; I1., 64, 97:1
InGRAM, COLLINGWoopD, Note on
the Meaning of Birds’ Songs,

221.

interpres, Strepsilas. See Turn-
stone.

Ireland, Rare Birds in, 164, 257,
329.

Trish Birds—Corrections, 32.
islandus, Falco. See Falcon, Ice-
land.

Jackdaw (nestling), 154.

Jay, Spreading of, in Ulster, 341.

JonEs, R. W., Notes on Velvet-
Scoters on the North Coast of
Wales, 265; Nuthatch on the
Great Orme’s Head, North
Wales, 368.

JOURDAIN, Rev. F. C. R., Notes
on lLand-birds. Nesting in
Holes, 92; Little Owl in
Warwickshire, 126; Osprey
in co. Sligo, 128; the Death
of Dr. E. Rey, 202; Records
of Pallas’s Sand-Grouse in
Great Britain, 344; Field-
Notes on the Corsican Wood-
chat, 369.

Krmpsey, Ernest, Note on Glossy
Ibis in Yorkshire, 229.

«Kent, A History of the Birds of,”
reviewed, 310.

Kestrel, Lesser, in Yorkshire, 375.

Kirkman, F. B., Notes on the
Meaning of Birds’ Songs, 121,
184; Rooks and Jackdaws,
A Query, 229.

Kittiwake Nesting in the Isle of
Man, 218.

KIXnot in the Isle of Man, 218.

Lacey, Erick, Note on Swifts
Eating Drones of the Hive-
Bee, 263. |

| lanceolata, Locustella.

Lanceolated.

Lanetron, Hersert, Notes on
American Bittern in Sussex,

See Warbler,

229 ; Short-toed Lark in
Sussex, 263.
lapponicus, Calcarius. See Bunt-

ing, Lapland.

Lapwing, Recovery of Marked, 251,
399.

Lark, Wood-, Some Nesting Habits
of the, as Observed in North
Devon, 7 ; Nesting in a Rabbit-
scrape, 118.

——, Short-toed, in Sussex, 263.

latirostris, Muscicapa. See Fly-
eatcher, Brown.

Lracu, RicHarp H. W., Note on
Late Nesting of Woodcock, 58.

Leten, A. G., On the Down-
Plumage and Mouth-Colora-
tion: of Nestling Birds, 153 ;
Notes on Unusual Nests of
the Robin, 121; Little Owl
in Anglesey, 127; White-
winged Black Tern in Warwick-
shire, 168; Great Crested
Grebe, Double-Brooded, 171;
Little Owlin Staffordshire, 307.

lentiginosus, Botaurus. See Bit-
tern, American.

leucoptera, Hydrochelidon.
Tern, White-winged Black.

leucorodia, Platalea. See Spoon-
bill.

leucorrhoa, Procellaria.
Leach’s Fork-tailed.

——., Saxicola enanthe.
ear, Greenland.

leucura, Saxicola.
Black.

Linnet (nestling), 154.

livia, Columba. See Dove, Rock-

Longevity of Birds, 78, 115. 309.

Lowr, Dr. PErcy R., Notes on
Winter Habits of the Blackcap
and Mating for Life, 79; the
meaning of Birds’ Songs, 183.

lugubris, Motacilla. See Wagtail,
Pied.

Lundy Island, Birds on, 340.

Lynes, ComMMANDER H., R.N., Ob-
servations on the Migration of
Birds in the Mediterranean.
Introductory, 36; Autumn Mi-
gration at and around Port

See

See Petrel,
See Wheat-

See Wheatear,

4.28

i<¢ Said, 37, 69; Spring Migra-

~ tion at Crete, 99; Migration at
Sea, 133; On the Nesting of
the Hobby in Hampshire, 317 ;
Notes on Black Tern in Hamp-
shire, 268; Little Owl Nesting
in Hampshire, 336; Nesting
of Crossbill in Surrey, 404.

See Tern, Arctic.
See Sand-

macrura, Sterna.

maculartus, Totanus.
piper, Spotted.

maculata, Tringa.
Pectoral.

Magpie, Ceremonial Gatherings of
the, 334.

MaaratH, Magor H. A. F., Note
on Woodchat Shrike devouring
Swallow on Migration, 187.

‘major, Dendrocopus. See Wood-
pecker, Great Spotted.

——, Parus. See Tit, Great.

Mallard, Recovery of Marked, 219 ;
and Gadwall Hybrid, 330;
Albino, 342. .

Manx Ornithological Notes, 215.

Marrieton, H. W., Note on Snow-
Bunting in Dorset, 307.

maria, Fuligula. See Scaup.

marinus, Larus. See Gull, Great
Black-backed.

Marked Birds, Recovery of, 181
207, 219, 251, 293, 299, 367,
SEL Gian Ia 2s, Seine IL.
245, 246, 362.]

See Sandpiper,

Marking Birds—The “‘ British
Birds’? Scheme, 4, 56, 179,
367; in Scotland, 26. [Cf.
lhe Gy 20, Bis 105 B65 7.
362. ]

Martins, House-, Arrival of, at their
Breeding Haunts, 81; De-

parture of, 160;
Marked, 219, 299.
——, Sand-, Late arrival
Scotland, 232.
maruetta, Porzana.
Spotted.
MASEFIELD, J. R. B., Note on Cross-
bills in Staffordshire, 163.
Marnews, R. O., Note on Nesting
of the Snipe in Wiltshire, 28.
Mating for Life, Birds, 79.
maura, Pratincola torquata.
Stonechat, Siberian.

Recovery of
Olea!

See Crake,

See

BRITISH BIRDS.

May, Isle of, Rare Birds on, 377.

MeEADE-WAtLpo, E. G. B., Notes on
Crossbills in Scotland and Kent,
83; the Longevity of Birds,
116 ; Water-Rail carrying away
its Young, 128.

Meares, D. H., Notes on Large
Brood of Reed-Warblers, 81 ;
Lesser Redpoll in Essex, 226.

melanocephala, Emberiza. See
Bunting, Black-headed.

——, Motacilla flava. See Wagtail,
Black-headed.

melanoptera, Glareola.
cole, Black-winged.

melba, Cypselus. See Swift, Alpine.
melophilus, Hrithacus rubecula. See
Redbreast, British.

merganser, Mergus. See Goosander.

Merganser, Red-breasted, Flocking
ne, IMGT,

merula, Turdus. See Blackbird.

Meyrick, Cor. H., Note on Paper
used as Nesting Material by
Lesser Redpoll, 82.

Migration, An American’s Views of
Bird-, 12; of Birds. in the
Mediterranean, Observations on
the, Introductory, 36; Autumn
Migration at and around Port
Said, 37, 69; Spring Migra-
tion at Crete, 99; Migration

See Pratin-

at Sea, 133; Notes on, 187,
220, 255; ‘‘ Report on the

Immigrations of Summer Resi-
dents in the Spring of 1908,”
reviewed, 270.

Mituais, J. G., Note on Female
Black Grouse assuming Male
Plumage, 265 ; Letter on “‘ The
Natural History of British
Game Birds,”’ 381.

minor, Lanius. See Shrike, Lesser
Grey.

minuta, Ardetta.
Little.

minutus, Larus. See Gull, Little.

Moutervux, H. P., Note on Bittern
in Sussex, 308.

mollissima, Somateria.
Duck.

Moncr, E. F. B., Note on Redstart
in Sussex, 56.

Moncxton, F. A., Note on Cross-
bills nesting in Staffordshire,
402.

See Bittern,

See Eider

INDEX.

monedula, Corvus. See Jackdaw.

montanus, Passer. See Sparrow,
Tree-.

montifringilla, | Fringilla. See
Brambling.

Morris, R., Note on Crossbills in
Sussex, 192.

Mutiens, W. H., Note on Dart-
ford Warbler in Sussex, 27.
Musset-WuitE, D. W., Notes on
Nesting Dates of the Lesser
Redpoll, 161; Alpine Swift in

Norfolk, 163.

neevia, Locustella.
Grasshopper-.

Netson, T. H., Notes on Crossbills
in Yorkshire, 191; Glossy Ibis
in Yorkshire, 229.

Nesting yearly in the same place,
Wryneck, 63; Pied Wagtail,
81; House-Martin, 299; Swal-
low, 399.

in Holes, Land-birds, 92, 118.

—— -Sites, Unusual, 117, 118, 121,

379.

, Unseasonable, 309, 343.

Nestlings, The Down-Plumage and
Mouth Coloration of, 121, 151,
200; 4037-407. [Cf I, 102,
129, 130, 162, 186, 225, 258;
IT., 58, 186, 195.]

Nests, Domed, The Use of, 171, 203.

New British Birds—Brown Fly-
catcher, 112; Black Wheatear,
289; Eastern Pied Wheatear,
296; Lanceolated Warbler,
353; (Marsh-Sandpiper, 356) ;
Corsican Woodchat, 369. [Cf.
I., 4-16, and Sardinian Warbler,
I., 86; Southern Grey Shrike,
I., 124; Semi-palmated Sand-
piper, I., 223; Grey-backed
Warbler, I., 257; Schlegel’s
Petrel, II., 14; Greater Snow-
Goose, II., 27; Large-billed
Reed-Bunting, II., 88; Pallas’s
Grasshopper-Warbler, II., 230 ;
East European Chiff-chaff, IT.,

See Warbler,

233; Northern Willow-Wren,
Il., 234; Northern Marsh-
Titmouse, II., 277; Evers-

mann’s Warbler, II., 310.]

4.29

Nicuots, J. B., Notes on Rare
Birds in Sussex, 256; Water-
Pipit in Devon, 299; Pectoral
Sandpipers in Sussex, 339;
Spotted Sandpiper in Sussex,
377; Black-headed , Bunting
in Sussex, 412.4 @| syva

NicHoxson, W. A., Note on Turtle-
Dove in Scotland, 58.

Nicott, M. J., The Brown Fly-
catcher in Kent—A New
British Bird, 112; The Marsh
Sandpiper as a British Bird,
356; Note on the Red-rumped
Swallow in Kent, 122.

Nightjar, Early Breeding of, in
Ireland, 163; Notes on Breed-
ing of, 196.

nigra, Hydrochelidon. See Tern,
Black.

——, Gdemia. See Scoter, Com-
mon.

nigricollis, Podicipes. See Grebe,
Kared.

nisoria, Sylvia. See Warbler,
Barred.

nisus, Accipiter. See Hawk,
Sparrow-.

nivalis, Plectrophenax. See Bunt-

ing, Snow-.

Nosie, Hrattey, Notes on Late
Nesting of the Woodcock, 89 ;
Manx Shearwater in Berkshire;
231 ; Crossbill Nesting in
Norfolk, 302.

noctua, Athene. See Owl, Little.

Nomenclature, Arguments for and
against Strict Priority in, 298,

326.
«* Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’
Society, Transactions of,”

noticed, 271.
Norfolk, Birds in, in 1908, 32.
Nuthatch on the Great Orme’s
Head, North Wales, 368.

occidentalis, Accentor modularis. See
Sparrow, The British Hedge-.

enanthe, Saxicola. See Wheatear,
Common.

cenas, Columba. See Dove, Stock-.

430

OcILvVIE-GRANT, W. R., Letter on
J. G. Millais’ “ Natural His-
tory of British Game Birds,”
347.

OLDHAM, CHARLES, Notes on Early

Nesting of the Great Crested .

Grebe, 30; Crossbills in Herts.

and Bucks., 163; Common
Scoter and other Ducks in
Herts. and Bucks., 414.

Oriole, Golden, in Yorkshire, Scot-
land and Ireland, 131; in
Dumfriesshire, 379.

Osprey in co. Sligo, 128; in Shrop-
shire, 165; in co. Fermanagh,
257.

Ouzel, Ring-, Sequence of Plumages
of, 325.

Owl, Barn- (Luminous), in Norfolk,

ae

——, ——, Central European, in
Sussex, 295.

——, Little, Breeding in Derby-
shire, 84; in Anglesey and
Warwickshire, 126; in Staf-
fordshire, 307; Breeding in
Hampshire, 336; in Hert-
fordshire, 341; in Wiltshire,
oe

——, Short-eared, Breeding in Lan-
cashire, 126, 164; Breeding in
the Isle of Man, 216; Breed-
ing in Yorkshire, 309.

——, Snowy, in Ireland, 32, 257,
329.

——, Tawny, Unusual Nesting Site
of, 378.

——, Tengmalm’s, in Shetland, 378.

See Goshawk.
See Pigeon,

palumbarius, Astur.
palumbus, Columba.

Wood-.

palustris, Acrecephalus. See
Warbler, Marsh-.

——, Parus. See Titmouse, Marsh-.

paradoxus, Syrrhaptes. See Sand-
Grouse, Pallas’s.

ParKIN, THomAsS, Note on Common
Buzzard in Sussex, 127.

parva, Muscicapa. See Flycatcher,

Red-breasted.

, Porzana, See Crake, Little.

Parrerson, A., Note on Crossbills
in Norfolk, 191.

penelope, Mareca. See Wigeon.

BRITISH BIRDS.

PENROSE, Dr. FRANK, Note on
Black Redstart in Wiltshire,
368.

Perching, Limicole, 59, 89.

peregrinus, Falco. See Falcon,
Peregrine.

Petrel, Leach’s Fork-tailed, in the

Isle of Man, 218.
——, See Fuimar.
Phalarope, Grey, in Ireland, 258.
, Red-necked, in Kent, 311.
Pheasants, Forms of, 351, 383.

phenicurus, Ruticilla. See Red-
start.

Photographic Exhibition, Note on,
417.

phragmitis, Acrocephalus. See
Warbler, Sedge-.

Pigeon, Wood- (nestling), 154;

Nesting in Nov ember, 309.

‘* Diphtheria,”” Results
of the Second Inquiry, 213;
Third Inquiry, 327; Note on,
367. ([(Cf. Is, 243; 2888seer
IL, 69, 199; 309-]

pilaris, Turdus. See Fieldfare.

Pintail in Surrey, 230; in Sussex
in August, 265.

Pipit, Red-throated, in Sussex, 256,

——, Tree- (nestling), 153.

——, Water-, in Devon, 299.

Pirr, Miss Frances, Note on the
White Markings on the Head
of the Young Cuckoo, 412.

platyrhyncha, Limicola. See Sand-
piper. Broad-billed.

pleschanka, Saxicola. See Wheatear,
Eastern Pied.

Plover, Ringed, Nesting in Surrey,
415.

Plumages, Sequence of, In British
Birds—I., Introductory, 209;
II., The Mistle-Thrush, Song-
Thrush, Redwing and Field-
fare, 243; III., The Black-
throated Thrush, Blackbird
and Ring-Ouzel, 321; IV.,
The British Stonechat, The
British and Continental Red-
breasts and Red-spotted and
White-spotted Bluethroats,
360; V., The Common Wheat-
ear, Whinchat and Common
Redstart, 391.

pomeranus, Lanius.
Woodchat.

See Shrike,

INDEX.

M. Wiriiam, Note on {| Reryno.tps, F., Note on Little Owl

PoRTMAN,
Snow-Bunting in Dorset, 262.

pratensis, Crex. See Crake, Corn-

Pratinecole, Black-winged, in York-
shire, 266.

Protection in Norfolk, 130.

Puffin in Surrey, 231.

pugnax, Machetes. See Ruff.
pusilla, Emberiza. See Bunting,
Little.

Pycrart, W. P., On the Pterylosis
of the Black-throated Diver,
93; Note on the Colour of the
Mouth of the nestling Wax-
wing, 121.

Quail in the Isle of Man, 217.

Rail, Water-, A Remarkable In-
cident in the Life-history of,
Gdyal283

Rare, P. G., Manx Ornithological
Notes, 215.

Ravens, Some Sussex, 27; as
Scavengers, 57, 84; at the
Nest, 234; in Shropshire, 412.

Redbreast, Unusual Nests of the,
121; Recovery of Marked,
219; Feeding Young Black-
bird, 232; Nesting in January,
343 ; Sequence of Plumages of
the British, 362.

——. Continental, in the Isle of
Wight, 271; Sequence of
Plumages of the, 363.

Redpoll, Greater, in Shetland, 378.

——, Greenland, in Shetland, 378.

——, Lesser, in Sussex, 20, 56;
Paper used as Nesting Material
by, 82; Nesting in Essex, 123,
161, 226; Nesting Dates of
the, in Cambridgeshire, Bed-
fordshire and Wiltshire, 151.

Redshank, Increase of, in Clyde, 89.

Redstart, Black, in the Isle of Man,
216; in Wiltshire, 368.

—— in Sussex, 26,56; (nestling),
151; in the Isle of Man, 215;
Sequence of Plumages of, 396.

Redwing, Sequence of Plumages of,

Rees, AUGUSTINE, Note on the
Meaning of Birds’ Songs, 156.

Rey, Dr. E., The Death of, 202.

431

in Wiltshire, 375.

RicHarps, F. I., Notes on Crossbill
in Norfolk, 191 ; Ortolan Bunt-
ings in Norfolk, 196.

Ricuarpson, N. F., Note on Cross-
bills in Gloucestershire, 192.

ridibundus, Larus, See Gull, Black-

headed.

Rogserts, W., Note on Great
Crested Grebe, Double-
brooded, 202.

Robin. See Redbreast.

Roxsinson, H. W., Notes on

Slavonian Grebes in Summer in
Orkney, 31; The Longevity
of Birds, 116; Short-eared
Owl Breeding in Lancashire,
164; Black Tern in Cumber-
land, 168; Breeding of the
Common and Sandwich Terns,
169, 201; Line of Migration
of the Spotted Crake, 339, 376 ;
Nesting of the Grey Lag-
Goose in Orkney, 376; Red-
breasted Goose on the Severn,
376.

Rook nesting in November, 309.
Rooks and Jackdaws, Habits of,
229.
roseus, Pastor.

coloured.
«‘Rossitten, Jahresbericht (1908)
der Vogelwarte,”’ reviewed, 207.

See Starling, Rose-

rostrata, Linota linaria. See Red-
poll, Greater.

rubecula, Hrithacus. See Robin.
5 rubecula. See Red-

breast, Continental.
rubetra, Pratincola. See Whinchat.
rufescens, Linota. See Redpoll,
Lesser.
Ruffs in Norfolk, 29; in” Ireland,
232, 208s
ruficollis, Bernicla.
breasted.
rufula, Hirundo.
rumped.
rufus, Phylloscopus. See Chiffchaff.
RussELL, Miss Frora, Note on
Actions of Alpine Accentor, 330.
RussELL, Harotp, Note on Prob-
able Nesting of Crossbill in
Surrey, 406.
rustica, Pica. See Magpie.
rusticula, Scolopax. See Woodcock.

See Goose, Red-
See Swallow, Red-

432

sabinii, Xema. See Gull, Sabine’s.

Sanderling, The Chicks of the, 33;
in the Isle of Man, 218.

Sand-Grouse, Pallas’s, in York-
shire, 132 ; Rrtish Records of,
344.

Sandpiper,

——, Broad-billed,

——, Marsh-, in Sussex (and in
Hertfordshire), 356.

——, Pectoral, in Sussex,

——, Spotted, in Sussex,

——, Wood-, in Sussex
230.

SapswortH, A. D., The Peregrine
Faleon on the Yorkshire Cliffs,
By Ne

scandiaca, Nyctea. See Owl, Snowy.

Scaup in Surrey, 230.

scheniclus, Emberiza.
Reed-.

Scoter, Common, Breeding in Ire-
land; in Herts. and Bucks.,
414; in Cheshire, 415.

——., Velvet-, on the North Coast
of Wales, 265.

scoticus, Lagopus. See Grouse, Red.

SEPPINGS, Caprain J. W. H., Note
on Black-tailed Godwits in co.
Cork. 340.

serrator, Mergus.
Red-breasted.

SHARPE, RicHARD Bowp.LeEeR, Note
on his Death, 233; Memoir of,
213.

Shearwater, Levantine,
land, 295.

——, Manx, in Warwickshire, 202 ;
in the Isle of Man, 218; in
Berkshire, 231.

Sheld-Duck, Common, in the Isle
of Man, 217.

——, Ruddy, at Sule Skerry,
in Norfolk, 271.

Shetland, Rare Birds in, 378.

Shoveler Breeding in Cumberland,
32; Nesting in Staffordshire,
58; Increasing as a Nester on
Lough Swilly, 340; Shoveler
in Cheshire, 414; in Hertford-
shire, 415.

Shrike, Lesser Grey, in Sussex, 257.

Baird’s, in Norfolk, 29.
in Sussex, 257.

339.
377.

in June,

See Bunting,

See Merganser,

in Scot-

204 ;

——, Red-backed (nestling), 154;
Returning to Nest in same

place, 160.

BRITISH BIRDS.

Shrike, Woodchat, Devouring Swal-
low on board Ship, 187; in
Cornwall, 271.

—, ——, Corsican, in Kent, New
British Bird, 369 ; Field-Notes
on the. 369.

sibilatrix, Phylloscopus.
Wood.-.

SIDDALL, C. KinestEy, Notes on
Breeding of the Great Tit, 186 ;
Black Tern in North Wales,

See Wren,

231.

Siskin, On the Breeding and Eggs
of, in North Wicklow, 188;
Breeding-Habits in Ireland,
300, 330; feeding on Fir-
cones, 411.

Skua, Great, in Ireland, 309.

SMALLEY, F. W., Note on Diseases
in Young Black-headed Gulls
and Common Terns, 201.

SmitH, J. BEppDALL, Note on Blue-
headed Wagtail in Essex, 225;
Crossbills nesting in Kent, 402.

Snipe, Nesting of the, in Wiltshire,
28; Perching, 59, 89; Variety
of (Sabine’s), 258.

Songs, The Meaning of Birds’, 79,
121, 155, 156, 183, 221.

SouTHWELL, THomAS—A Memoir,
173.

Sparrow, Hedge-, The British, 313;
Recovery of a Marked, 399.
——, House-, Unusual Nesting-site

cont, Wilts}.
——., Tree-, in the Isle of Man, 216.
——, White-throated, at the Flan-
nan Islands, 204.

spinus, Chrysomitris. See Siskin.
sptpoletta, Anthus. See Pipit,
Water-.

Spoonbill in Norfolk, 32; in York-

shire, 128; in Devon, 2382;
in Ireland, 330.
stagnatilis, Totanus. See Sandpiper,

Marsh-.

STANFORD, E. FRASER, Note on
Crossbills Nesting in Suffolk,
371.

STAPLES-BROWNE, RicHArD, Note
on the Longevity of Birds, 117.

Starling, Curious Site for Nest of,
83, 118 ; Nesting in November,
309; on Lundy Island, 340;
Nesting in January, 343.

INDEX.

Starling, Rose-coloured, in Lincoln-
shire, 126; in Northampton-
shire, 262.

stellaris, Botaurus.

«« Steppenhuhnes,
noticed, 344.

STEWART, WALTER, Notes on In-
erease of the Redshank in
Clyde, 89; Unusual Nesting-
site of Dipper, Blue Titmouse,
and House-Sparrow, 117.

Stilt in Norfolk, 32.

Stint, Temminck’s, in Kent, 311.

Stonechat (nestling), 151; The
British, 315; Sequence of
Plumages of, 360; Distinc-
tions of Siberian form, 360.

Stork, White, Migration Routes of,
86; in Kent, 128; Migrating,
139.

strepera, Anas. See Gadwall.

streperus, Acrocephalus. See War-
bler, Reed-.

Stupss, FreD. J., Notes on Red
Grouse, Heather and Crow-
berry, 86; The Meaning of
Birds’ Songs, 155; Crossbills
in Berkshire, 192; Young of
Terns, 200 ; Ceremonial
Gatherings of Magpies, 334.

subbuteo, Falco. See Hobby.

suecica, Cyanecula. See Bluethroat,
Red-spotted.

Suceitt, W. E., Note on Rose-
coloured Starling in Lincoln-
shire, 126.

superciliosus, Phylloscopus.
Warbier, Yellow-browed.

Sussex, The Ornithology of, 114;
Rare Birds in, 256.

Swallow resting on board Ship,
140-4; Devoured by Wood-
chat on board Ship, 187; Late
Arrival of in Scotland, 232;
Recovery of a Marked, 399.

——, Red-rumped, in Kent, 122.

Swift, A Late, in Norfolk, 196;
Eating Drones of the Hive-
Bee, 263.

——., Alpine, in Norfolk, 163.

Swilly, Lough, Birds of, 340.

See Bittern.
Der Zug des,”

See

Teal, Recovery of Marked, 251.
temmincki, Tringa. See Stint,
Temminck’s.

455

tengmalmi, Nyctala. See Owl,
Tengmalm’s

Tern, Arctic, Feeding on Crane and
May Flies, 91; Recovery of
Marked, 220.

——., Black, in Cumberland, 168:
in North Wales, 168, 231; in
Hampshire, 268; in Cheshire,
Yorkshire and Kent, 271.

——, Common, on Holyhead Sker-
ries, 90 ; Notes on Breeding of,
169, 201 ; Recovery of Marked,
181, 219.

——.,, Sandwich, Notes on Breeding

of, 169; Recovery of Marked,

181.

, White-winged Black, in War-
wickshire, 168.

Terns, Number of Eggs laid by, 90,
129, 169, 198, 199, 222, 252:

——, Dimorphism in Young, 169,
200.

——, Diseases in Young, 201.

——, Structural Peculiarities in
Young, 201.
TESCHEMAKER, W. E., Note on

Actions of the Alpine Accentor,
368.

tetrix, Tetrao. See Grouse, Black.

THomson, A. LANDSBOROUGH, Notes
on Marking Birds in Scotland,
26; Migration Routes of the
White Stork, 86; Recovery
of Marked Wigeon, 220; A
Marked House-Martin, 299.

Thrush, Black-throated, Sequence

of Plumages of, 321.

, Mistle-, Nesting in Rocks and
Walls in the Isle of Man, 215;
Sequence of Plumages of, 243.

——, Song, Sequence of Plumages
of, 245; Nesting in January,
343.

TiceHuRST, C. B., On the Down
Plumage and Mouth-Coloration
of Nestling Birds, 151; The
Wood-Pigeon ‘ Diphtheria”
-——the Results of the Second
Inquiry, 213; Sequence of
Plumages in British Birds :—
IJ., The Mistle-Thrush, Song-
Thrush, Redwing and Field-
fare, 243; III., The Black-
throated Thrush, Blackbird and
Ring-Ouzel, 321; V., The
Common Wheatear, Whinchat

454.

and Common Redstart, 391;
Notes on the Longevity
of Birds, 117; White Stork
in Kent, 128; Nesting of
an apparently Mateless Sedge-
Warbler, 160 ; Migraticn
in the Mediterranean, 220;
Crossbills in the Fer6es, 228 ;
Black Terns in North Wales,
231; Rare Birds in Sussex, 257 ;
Dimorphism in the Crosshill,
261; Corsican Woodchat in
Kent, a New British Bird, 369 ;
Lesser Kestrel in Yorkshire,
375; Recovery of a Marked

Swallow, 399; Birds feeding |
on Fir-cones, 411.

TickHurst, N. F., The Biack
Wheatear in Sussex, 289;

Notes on Crossbills in Orkney,
82: Starlings’ Nesting-sites,
118; Dimorphism in Young
Terns, 200; The Effect of
Food-supply upon Fecundity,

223; Pintail in Sussex in
August, 265; Additions to

the Booth Museum, 294.

Titmouse, Blue, Unusual Nesting- |

site of, 118;
cones, 411.
———. Goal-, in the Isle of Man,
216; feeding on Fir-cones, 411.
——, Great, Notes on the Breeding
and Food of, 186.
—-~-, Long-tailed, in the Isle of
Man, 216.
-——, Marsh-, feeding on Fir-cones,

feeding on Fir-

411.

titys, Ruticilla. See Redstart,
Black.

torquatus, Turdus. See Ouzel.
Ring-.

torquilla, Iynx. See Wryneck.

TREVELYAN, Mayor HERBERT,

Notes on Flocking of the Red-
breasted Merganser, 167 ; Com-
mon Scoter Breeding in Ire-
land, 197.
tridactyla, Rissa.
trivialis, Anthus.

See Kittiwake.
See Pipit, Tree-.

trochilus, Phylloscopus. See Wren,
Willow-.
turdoides, Acrocephalus. See War-

bler, Great Reed-.
Turner, Miss HE. L., A Remarkable
Incident in the Life-history of

BRITISH BIRDS.

the Water-Rail, 65; Notes on
Ruffs in Norfolk, 29; Large
Clutches of Eggs of the Great
Crested Grebe, 60; Extra-
ordinary Boldness of a Grass-
hopper Warbler, 224.

Turnstone in the Isle of Man, 217.

TurREFF, Rey. F., Note on Cross-
bills in the Ferées, 190.

Tutt, H. R., Note on Crossbills
nesting in Surrey, 404.

undata, Sylvia. See Warbler,
Dartford.

UrcHer, H. M., Note on a Late
Swift in Norfolk, 196.

urbica, Chelidon. See Martin.

vespertinus, Falco. See Falcon,
Red-footed.

viridanus, Phylloscopus. See War-
bler, Greenish Willow-.

viridis, Gecinus. See Woodpecker,
Green.

——, Motacilla flava. See Wagtail,
Grey-headed.

viscivorus, Turdus. See Thrush,
Mistle-.

vulgaris, Buteo. See Buzzard,
Common.

——, Coccothraustes. See Haw-
finch.

——, Sturnus.
——, Vanellus.

See Starling.
See Lapwing.

Wanbr, E. W., Note on Peregrine
Falcon on the Yorkshire Cliffs,
85.

Wacgtail, Black-headed, in Sussex,
256s pile

——, Blue-headed, in Essex, 225;
in the Isle of Wight, 271; in
Yorkshire, 271; in Norfolk,
Paral

——, Grey-headed, in Sussex, 257 ;
Correct Name of, 298.

——, Pied, Nesting in Magpie’s
Nest, 340.

——, White, on the East Coast of
Ireland, 130; in the Isle of
Man, 216; on the Isle of May,
378.

INDEX.

Wats, EK. ARNo~D, Note on Two
Young Cuckoos Fed by the
same Meadow-Pipit, 164.

WaLPoLtE-Bonp, J., The Lesser
Redpoll in Sussex, 20; Notes
on Redstart in Sussex, 26;
The Ornithology of Sussex,
114; Nesting of Crossbills in
Sussex, 406.

Watton, J. 8. T., Notes on Depar-
ture of House-Martins, 160;
the Breeding of the Nightjar,
196.

Warbler, Barred, on the Isle of May,
378.

——, Dartford, in Sussex, 27;
Feigning Injury at the Nest,

85.

——, Eversmann’s, Distinctions of,
298.

——, Grasshopper-, Extraordinary
Boldness of, 224.

——, Great Reed-, in Sussex, 295.

——, Greenish Willow-, as a British
Bird, 297.

——, Lanceolated, in Lincolnshire,
a New British Bird, 353.

——, Marsh, Nesting in Worces-
tershire, 157, (with Cuckoo’s
Egg), 185; in Kent, 159, 185 ;
in Buckinghamshire (with
Cuckoo’s Egg), 232.

——, Reed-, Large Broods of, 81;
(nestling), 151, 153; Singing
in Winter, 271.

——, Sedge-, Nesting of an.
apparently Mateless, 160; in
the Isle of Man, 216; Scarcity
of in Scotland, 232.

——, Willow-. See Wren.

——, Wood-. See Wren.

——, Yellow-browed, in Scotland
in Spring, 130; in Lincoln-
shire, 224; on the Isle of May,
378 ; in Ross-shire, 379.

“Warblers, The British, A History
with Problems of their Lives,”’
Part III., reviewed, 62.

Waxwing, The Colour of the Mouth
of the Nestling, 121; im the
Isle of Man, 216.

We tts, C. H., Note on Little Owl
Breeding in Derbyshire, 84.
WENNER, M. V., Note on Common
Scoters in Cheshire, 415.
Wheatear, Black, in Sussex, 289.

435

Wheatear, Common, Sequence of
Plumages of, 391.

——., Eastern Pied, in Scotland, 296.

——, Greenland, in Scotland, 378,
417.

Whinchat (nestling), 153; in the
Isle of Man, 215;. on Lundy
Island, 340; Sequence of
Plumages of, 393.

WuiTakER, J., Note on Glossy
Ibis in Nottinghamshire, 230.

Whitethroat, Lesser, on the Isle
of May, 378.

Wigeon Breeding in Cumberland, 32;
Recovery of Marked, 220, 329.
293; in Cheshire, 414; in
Hertfordshire, 415.

Wiuxkinson, J. M., Note on Prob-
able nesting of Crossbill in
Suffolk, 403.

Witutams, W. J., Notes on Cross-
bills in Ireland, 163 ; Montagu’s
Harriers in Treland, 164;
Honey-Buzzard in Ireland, 164 ;
Rare Birds in Ireland, 257,
329.

WirHersy, H. F., Marking Birds-—
The “ British Birds’? Scheme,
4; Sequence of Plumages in
British Birds—I., Introduc-
tion, 209; IV., The British
Stonechat, the British and
Continental Redbreasts and
Red-spotted and White-spotted
Bluethroats, 360; Notes on
Baird’s Sandpiper in Norfolk,
29; Black-winged Pratincole
in Yorkshire, 266 ; Eastern
Pied Wheatear in Scotland,
296; Greenish Willow-War-
bler as a British Bird, 297;
Discussion on Strict Priority
in Nomenclature, 299, 328;
Crossbills nesting in Hamp-
shire, 400; Birds feeding on
Fir-cones, 411.

WITHERINGTON, GWYNNE, Notes on’
Snipe Perching, 59; Rapid
Re-mating of the Peregrine
Faleon, 263.

wolfi, Cyanecula suecica. See Blue-
throat, White-spotted.

Woop, W. Mackay; Notes on Short-

eared Owl Breeding in Lanca-

shire, 126.

4.36

Woodchat. See Shrike.

Woodcock, Late Nesting of, 58, 89,
129; Breeding in Surrey, 88;
Removing its Eggs, 167;
Breeding in the Isle of Man,
217; Recovery of Marked,
251, 367; Variety of, 258;
Plumage of, 342.

Woodpecker, Great Spotted, on the
Isle of May, 378; Nesting in
West Fife, 379.

—--, Green (nestling), 152.

Wren, Willow- (nestling), 151;
Late Arrival of, in Scotland,
Done

BRITISH BIRDS.

Wren, Wood- (nestling),
Londonderry, 204.

Wriacut, Wm. C., Notes on Arctic
Terns Feeding on Crane and
May Flies, 90; Greenland
Faicon in co. Antrim, 307;
Glossy Ibis in Ireland, 308.

Wryneck using same Nesting Site,
63; in Yorkshire, 341.

151; at

yelkouanus, Puffinus. See Shear-

water, Levantine.

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