VOL. VI.] NOTES. 125 



these birds has been under the observation of the Ornitho- 

 logical Research Committee of the North London Natural 

 History Society, of which I am a member, for some years. 



William E. Glegg. 



UNUSUAL FLOCKS OF GREEN SANDPIPERS. 



My experience of the Green Sandpiper {Tringa ocrophus) 

 is limited to the district of south Holderness, Yorkshire, 

 where it occurs fairly regularly in spring, though in far larger 

 numbers in autumn, being especially numerous from the 

 last week of July to the middle of September. It is most 

 commonly seen singly, some times in small parties, five or 

 six being mentioned {Birds of Yorks.) as an unusually large 

 number together. The following may therefore be of interest : 

 On August 6th, 1912, while driving along the bank of a 

 " drain " which usually holds one or more Green Sandpipers 

 at this season, I set up eight from a little mud island in the 

 middle of the drain ; these flew on about 100 yards and 

 apparently joined others, as there ajDpeared to be quite 

 twenty when the whole party rose again and disappeared 

 round a bend, a few of them flying right away. As I had 

 been too far off to count them, I made a slight circuit on 

 foot, in order to come up to the drain close to them, by which 

 means I was able to count thirteen go away. At the same 

 place I had previously seen flocks of eight (August 25th, 

 1907), and seven (x\ugust 29th, 1911). I paid another visit 

 on August 12th when there were only three in company 

 with a Greenshank. M. Winzar Compton. 



SNIPE'S AND YELLOW-WAGTAIL'S HASTY CHOICE 

 OF NESTING-SITES. 



A SMALL meadow, under two acres, occupied by my keeper 

 at Claughton-on-Brock, Lancashire, was mown in the course 

 of the previous week, and the mo\Mi grass was spread on 

 June 24th and 25th. Owing to the weather nothing further 

 was done to the hay imtil the 29th, ^\hen the nest of a 

 Snipe {Gallinago g. gaUinago), with its full complement of 

 four eggs, was found in a small depression on the top of 

 the mown grass. 



To have got its four eggs laid by the 29th the Snipe must 

 have started its proceedings on the evening of the 25th, 

 almost immediately after the haymakers left the field, and 

 quite regardless of the disturbance inseparable from mowing 

 and hay-making in such a small area. 



