54 H. LEWIS — NOTES ON BIRDS 



aware of her deception, as I saw her young ones dodging hither 

 and thither to hide out of my way. 



Snipes, etc. — During the past year Mr. Spary has received both 

 the common snipe {Gallinago ccelestis) and jack snipe [Gallinago 

 gallinula)^ taken in our county ; and amongst other specimens 

 a dunlin {Tringa alpina) shot at Eedboum, a sanderling ( Cfl/<'f?m 

 arenaria) shot in December near St. Albans, and a green sandpiper 

 {Totanus ochropus). 



Common Tern {Sterna fluviatilis). — A common tern was brought 

 to Mr. Norman on the 19th of October; it was taken alive, quite 

 exhausted, within a stone's throw of Hertfordshire. 



Crested Grebe [Podiceps cristatus). — Mr. W. Norman also writes 

 to say : " A beautiful specimen of the crested grebe was brought 

 to me for preservation, and it proved to be a young male bird." 

 Unfortunately it was killed at Orwell, Cambridgeshire, and there- 

 fore its occurrence cannot appear on our register; but the bird 

 breeds abundantly at Tring Park, the residence of the Hon. Walter 

 Eothschild. 



Mimicking of Song. — I have before alluded to the mimicking 

 by certain birds of the song of others. I have frequently heard 

 the great tit in the spring utter the " wink -wink " of the handsome 

 chaffinch, and I once heard the chiff-chaif commence the willow- 

 wren's song, but it instantly ceased as if aware of its mistake 

 and commenced its chiff-chatf as merrily as ever. 



Albinism and Albino Sports. — Miss Ada Selby last August 

 informed me that Mr. Roffe, of Garston Farm, wrote to her to 

 say that he had seen a white sparrow on his premises. Mr. Spary 

 has received two blackbii'ds with white heads. Mr. Michael Kyder, 

 of Watford, shot in his garden a black and white rook ; and two 

 albino sparrows were seen near White Hall Farm, Bishop's 

 Stortford ; one was captured and lived but a short time, the other 

 was shot by Mr. Cutler soon afterwards. Mr. W. Norman received 

 an albino skylark for preservation ; also a hen chaffinch with a 

 mixture of white and grey, and sparrow-colour markings. 



I now give the usual list of dates on which the arrival and 

 departure of our summer and winter visitants have been reported, 

 with the names of the observers. Undoubtedly the lovely spring 

 favoured the exceptionally early arrival of many of our summer 

 migrants in this country. 



Summer Migrants. 

 Species. Locality. Date. Observer. 



Song-Thkush Watford Jan. 24 Mrs. Bishop. 



[Turdus musicus) Burklianisted ,, 29 Mrs. E. Mawley. 



St. Albans ,, 29 H. L. 



Eehstart St. Albans April 6 Arthur Lewis. 



{RtificiUa phcenicurus) 



Nightingale St. Albans ,, 9 Arthur Spary. 



{JJauHas luscinia) Bricket Wood ,, 12 H. Sexton. 



Sandridge ,, 14 Miss Chorler. 



Ilitchin ,, 14 J. E. Little. 



