22 Occasional JVotes. 



birds would under natural conditions live with two or more 

 males. According to the fertility of the female I should 

 think this was the case. This I hope to find out within the 

 next year or two. 



VII. Occasional JSotes. 



1. From Scotland to Orange Free State. 

 Wonderful flight of a Swallow. 



Sir, — 



In sending you the attached from ' British Birds/ 

 which I think cannot fail to prove of interest to your readers, 

 I may mention that the readers of 'British Birds ^ Magazine 

 have now placed over 32,000 rings on wild birds of many 

 kinds, and that this is leading to results of great interest and 

 importance in connection with the study of birds. 



Should ringed birds ever come into the hands of your 

 readers I hope they will notify me at once, stating the name 

 on the ring and the number, as well as the date and place 

 where the bird was found. I will then at once inform them 

 when and where the bird was ringed. 



Yours faithfully, 



H. F. WiTHERBY, 



{Editor, ' British Birds '). 



Swallow ringed in Ayrshire and recovered in 

 Orange Free State. 



In August I received a letter from Mr. A. C. Tlieron dated from the 

 "Riet Vallei, District Lindley, O.F.S.," stating that a Swallow liad been 

 captured bearing a ring with my name and address. As Mr. Tlieron 

 gave neither the number of the ring nor the date of capture I asked him 

 for these particulars and have just received his reply and the ring itself. 

 The ring is number E937, and Mr. Theron informs me that the bird was 

 captured at Riet Vallei on March 16th, 1913, and adds, " I do not know 

 when it arrived." This ring was placed on a nestling Swallow by Mr. R. 

 O. Blyth at Skelmorlie, Ayrshire, on July 27th, 1912. 



A few months ago an adult Swallow ringed in Staffordshire was re- 

 covered as Ji.aving been captured near Utrecht, Natal, in December, and 

 the present record is from about one hundred and fifty miles west of that 



