20 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



In this letter, dated August 6th, 1900, Mr. Milner states 

 that a Hobby nested in Vale Roj^al New Park in 1897. On 

 page 293 Ave give the date as 1895. Mr. Milner says that Mr. 

 Charles Hunifrey kept one of the young birds alive for over 

 two years, and adds that he saw it himself and that it was 

 " unmistakably a Hobby." 



On page 260 we say that " in July, 1901, the late Edward 

 Milner saw ' a Wryneck ' in his garden at Hartford Manor," 

 but this date is also incorrect, for in the letter, Avritten in 

 1900, Mr. Milner distinctly says : " Last September I noted a 

 Wryneck on a dying oak tree in front of my house, and watched 

 it for a long time on the dead branches." Our information 

 was received from Mr. C. E. Milner, after his father's death ; 

 no doubt he gave us the dates from memory. It is worth 

 noting that the most recent occurrence of the Wr\Tieck in 

 Cheshire that we know of was in September, 1906. Birds 

 appearing in this month would probably be on passage. 



T. A. Coward. 



Charles Oldham. 



HEN-HARRIER IN SOUTH-EAST NORTHUMBERLAND. 



An immature female Hen -Harrier (Circus cyaneus) was shot 

 on January 24th, 1912, in Holywell Dene, near Seaton Sluice, 

 Northumberland, by a Mr. Dixon, as it rose from some marshy 

 ground. It had the two feet of a Skylark and also those of 

 a finch in its stomach. 



On January 23rd there was a heavy gale from the north- 

 east lasting a short time and followed by much rain. The 

 Hen-Harrier has not previously been recorded for this dis- 

 trict, and it is, I believe, some years since it has appeared 

 in Northumberland. J. M. Charlton. 



RED-BREASTED MERGANSERS IN CARNARVON- 

 SHIRE IN APRIL AND MAY. 



I FIND on consulting the Fauna of North Wales that the Red- 

 breasted Merganser {Mergus serrator) has not apparently been 

 recorded from the north coast of Wales in spring ; it may 

 therefore be worth while to place on record the fact that on 

 April 30th, 1912, I saw four birds — two drakes and two ducks 

 — and again on May 3rd in the same year eight birds, of which 

 four were drakes, in ConAvay Bay at the extreme north-east 

 of Carnarvonshire. The behaviour of the drakes strongly 

 indicated symptoms of sexual anxiety, and the singular manner 

 in which they turned round suddenly on the Avater, faced one 

 another, instantly craned their necks forward and as erect 

 as possible, and together gave head, neck, and breast one 



