46 SIISCELLANEOUS NOTICKS. 



" tack " of the Wlieatear or Whinchat. I have seen no account of the bird 

 wandering southward so late as tliis, by thi-ee or four weeks. — Geo. Sowden, 

 Newbottle, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham, Nov. 22nd, 1854. 



Nest of the Grasshopper Warbler. (Salicaria locustella.) — On the 2Cth of 

 May, this year, I found the nest of tliis bird, with six eggs, beside a well- 

 frequented footpath in a field in this parish. It was among the briers and 

 thick grass of the bank. The nest is usually described as placed so 

 cunningly, that it can with difficulty be found. But I had no diificulty, after 

 once my attention was attracted by both birds flying off in a suspicious Avaj'. 



Idem. 



Note on the Cuchoo. (Cuculus canonis.) — The last time I heard the Cuckoo 

 this year, was on the 24th of June, at tivo o'chck, a.m., near Harrogate. I had 

 heard their, to me, pleasing notes almost daily, up to that date. — B.R.M., 

 Driffield, September 30th, 1854. 



Departure of the Martin. (Hinindo urbica.) — On Monday morning, the 2nd 

 of October, whilst busy in my garden soon after sun-rise, ray attention was 

 drawn to the busy movements of the Martins ; and, looking towards a neigh- 

 bouring villa westward, the whole of its roof and chimneys appeared covered 

 with these birds. Turning towards my own house, the same was going on ; 

 and upon the roof of another house, southward, the same. Thousands upon 

 thousands of these pretty birds were in rapid gyration, their white breasts 

 showing in soft harmony in the clear blue of a cloudless sky; even the 

 weather-vane and its four cardinal pointers, upon my own house, were 

 literally covered. I withdrew from the busy scene to breakfast about eight, 

 with the intention of returning in as short a time as possible ; but the arrival 

 of the postman during that important meal, with a greater than usual supply 

 of letters, so diverted my attention, that it was nearly nine o'clock before I 

 got out; when, to my great disappointment, not one of my interesting friends 

 was to be seen. All had taken flight ; and the day, though very fine and 

 wai-m, closed without a single individual having been seen ; nor have I 

 observed one in this neighbourhood since. I regret extremely being absent 

 at the moment of their departure, as I should have much liked to have 

 obsei-ved the " order of their going." I was not aware until now, that the 

 migration of this portion of our feathered society was so sudden and simul- 

 taneous. Heretofore, I have understood their disappearance to be more 

 gradual ; but on this occasion there has appeared to me a movement more 

 demonstrative of instinct and prescience, than any in my previous knoAvledge. 

 — Thomas Fuller, Lansdown Villa, Charlcombe, near Bath, Oct. 6th, 1854. 



Tlie Ringdove. (Columba palumbus.) — A freshly laid egg of this bird I 

 found in this neighbourhood, on the 5th inst. Although well-known as a late 

 incubator, I believe the bird will rarely be found to breed after August, and 

 the present instance may reasonably be ascribed to the remarkable fineness 

 of the present season, and to the secluded position of the nest, viz., in a 



