164 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



THE 1912 " WRECK " OF THE LITTLE AUK. 

 Middlesex. — Dr. R. Main, of 24, Alexandra Villas, Fins- 

 bury Park, informs me that about the Ijeginning of February, 

 1912, a Little Auk (Alle alle) entered his surgery door. Dr. 

 Main states that the bird was not in the least emaciated, and 

 snapped at anyone who tried to handle it. It was sent to 

 the Zoo, but died a few days after admission to the Gardens. 



William E. Glegg. 



LAND-RAIL CALLING IN AUGUST. 

 At the end of July, and up to August 5th, 1910. I heard a 

 Land-Rail [Crex crex) craking daily at Halston, not far from 

 Oswestry. Such a late date seems worth putting on record. 

 This year 1 have not heard the bird anywhere, although it is 

 more plentiful here now than in August, 1910. J. H. Owen. 

 [Although the Land-Rail only calls up to about the end of 

 June as a rule, it may occasionally be heard till the end of 

 July and even in August. It is noted as still calling on August 

 6th at Glasgow, and in Ayi-shire [A7m. S.N.H., 1907, p. 200). 

 Exceptional cases are also on record of craking in Minter 

 (January). ^ — F. C. R. Jourdaln.] 



QUAILS IN SHROPSHIRE. 



It is interesting to note that Quails {Coturnix c. coturnix) are 

 more common in the Oswestry district than they have been 

 for many years. Specimens have been noted near Whittington, 

 Halston and at Sandford, among other places. 



J. H. Owen. 



Lesser Whitethroat in Solway. — Mr. G. Stout obser\ed 

 a Lesser Whitethroat {Sylvia c. currvca) on July 31st, 1912, 

 at Lockerbie, Dumfriesshire. The date seems to indicate 

 the probability of its having nested in the neighbourhood 

 {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. 210). 



Great Spotted Woodpecker breeding at Loch 

 Lomond.— Mr. C. Kirk records {Scot. Nat., 1912, p. LS5) that 

 a pair of Dryobates major anglicus nested and reared young in 

 1912 in a birch-tree on the side of Loch Lomond. 



Breeding-habits of the Tawny Owl. — Mr. J. Steele 

 Elliott gives an interesting description {ZooL, 1912, pp. 293-7) 

 of a particularly aggressive pair of Ta\\Tiy Owls {Strix a. aluco) 

 which appear to have attacked him with great violence almost 

 every time he went near their young in the nesting-hole. Mr. 

 Elliott was repeatedly struck l)y the birds both at night and 

 in daylight ; his face was torn open on one occasion and an 



