1921.] Birds of Aldevne;/. 431 



Riparia riparia. The ?^aii(]-Martin. 



A common birtl ot" passage. It never remains to breed ; 

 there are no suitable nesting-places for it. 



Dryobates sp. ? The Spottetl Woodpecker. 



L. tells me that a Spotted Woodpecker, either the Great 

 or Lesser, was shot here in Novend^er 1891, by a Mr. Levens, 

 who has left the island. Unfortunately it does not appear to 

 have been preserved. 



lynx torquilla. The Wryneck. 



A common summer visitor. As Mr. Cecil Smith says, its 

 numbers vary considerably in different years. It is particu- 

 larly numerous in Alderney this year, and at present (the 

 middle of July 1920) the young may be met with along 

 almost any wall or hedgerow. 



Cuculus canorus. The Cuckoo. 



A common summer visitor, more numerous than I have 

 anywhere seen it in England. Its numbers vary in different 

 years. In 1919 it was unusually numerous. 



Micropus apus. The Swift. 



A very common summer visitor, breeding numerously, not 

 only in the old forts and houses on the island, but also in 

 the cracks and crannies of the sea-cliffs. 



Caprimulgus europasus. The Nightjar. 



Occurs annually as a bird of passage in both spring and 

 autumn. I have not found its nest, but it probably breeds 

 here, as one or two may be seen at intervals throughout the 

 summer. 



Merops apiaster. The Bee-eater. 



L. has one in his collection. It is a male bird, and he 

 obtained it in his garden on the 18th of May, 1917. This 

 is, I think, the only record of it for Alderney. 



Upupa epops. The Hoopoe. 



Mr. Cecil Smith says of this bird : " I have one obtained 

 in Alderney in August, though I have not the exact date," 



