IGG Letters, Extracts, Xoticcs, is'c 



or Nortliani[)tonsliin', tliree of which arc w ithiu eight miles 

 of the pond on which tliese I)irds were sliot. On all these 

 reservoirs the Great (^rested Grebe has hi-ed for many years. 



I venture to think that this evidence in supjjort of a 

 probable case of the Eared Grebe breeding in this country 

 is of sufficient importance to be mentioned in 'The Ibis/ 

 since the British Islands lie within the geographical breeding- 

 range of the species, which is recorded to have been found 

 in summer as far north as Jutland and to nest commonly 

 in Southern Spain; while to the east as well as to the south 

 of us it is common. 



These two specimens are in my possession, and were seen 

 by me three days after they were shot. 



Yours &c., 



Bloxliaiii, Oxon, O. \. APLIN. 



loth November, 1901. 



Sirs, — August 9th, 1901, found 11. M.S. ' Diana/ in 

 company with other vessels of the Mediterranean fleet, 

 at anchor at one of the islands of the Levant. Having 

 previouly arranged with Capt. Ferris, of the ' Empress of 

 India/ to lend me his picket-boat, I reminded him of it 

 by making the pre-arranged signal, and he came to fetch 

 Commander Halsey, Dr. Stenhouse, and myself. Armed 

 with ropes, canvas sling, egg-blowers, guns, and plenty of 

 No. G's, we started at 1.10 p.m. and ran to a small island at 

 the entrance of the harbour some miles off : here, as we 

 passed in the ship the day before, we had made out several 

 Falcons skimming about. Luckily the wind was light and 

 off shore, and there was but little swell ; so we had no 

 trouble in landing in the galley and skiff, which we had 

 brought in tow. 



We had no difficulty in making out that our Falcons were 

 Falco -eleonorcB, and we were soon at the top of the island 

 endeavouring to find their breeding-places, as August is the 

 time, strangely enough, that this bird lays — no doubt with 

 the intention of feeding its young on the members of the 

 autumn migration. 



