1921.] Letters, Extracts, and Notes. 751 



do, as shown by more than one species, especially Lesser 

 Black-backed Gulls (^Larus fiiscus affinis\ bred in this 

 country, of which quite an encouraging percentage has been 

 recovered. 



Neither is any mention made of Pamien^s ducks marked 

 in the far north^ which show some wonderful results, two 

 Teal, for instance, being recovered in Spain and Italy 

 respectively. His Starling records are also intensely 

 interesting, showing, as they do, several recoveries in this 

 country. In the article three records only are given of 

 Swallows marked with 'Bi'itish Birds' rings being recovered 

 in South Africa, whereas the number should be five. Again, 

 no mention is made of the wonderful record of a Wigeon 

 marked with a 'British Birds' ring in England and recovered 

 in Asia. With regard to the supposed sedentary hahits of 

 the British Redbreast, I can quote at least two instances of 

 such marked birds being recovered abroad. 



Finally, it would be interesting to learn the total number 

 of birds marked by the American Bird Banding Association. 

 I might conclude by saying that Mr. F. W. Smalley and 

 myself once marked 720 birds of one species in the course 

 of one day. 



H. W. Robinson. 

 • The Patchetts, 



Caton, near Lancaster, 



1 August, 1921. 



Birds of Alderney. 

 Sir, — I notice that in Major W. R. Thompson's in- 

 teresting paper in the July number of "^The Ibis' on the 

 Birds of Alderney, he assigns the Goldfinch, Bullfinch, Tree- 

 Creeper, Great Tit, Blue '^J^it, Song-Thrush, Roi)in, and 

 Dipper to the Britisii forms without comment. Referring 

 to Mr. Witherby's ' Practical Handbook/ I find that all 

 these are said to l)e confined to the British Islands except 

 the Song-Thrush ami Robin. I do not know whether birds 

 of all these species from north-west France have been com- 

 pared with the British forms, or whether Channel Island 

 birds have been compared with either French or British ; 



any 



