188 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. vi. 



nesting-box at Neustrelitz, in Mecklenburg, in 1910, by 

 Herr Gundlach. returned to the same box in 1911. Now 

 Dr. Thieneniann informs us in the Ormthologische Monats- 

 berichte, 1912. p. 156, that in 1912 the same two birds were 

 again found in the box, and that Herr Gundlach was able 

 to handle both specimens and check the numbers on their 

 ringS; Like Ritter von Tschusi's female Swift referred 

 to in mj^ previous note, these birds have successfully reared 

 young in three consecutive seasons without anj'' ill effect 

 from the presence of the rings. 



Dr. Thieneniann also mentions that a House-Martin {Hirundo 

 w. urhica) ringed by him as a breeding bird at the nest in 

 July, 1911, at Rossitten, in East Prussia, was again foimd 

 at the same spot in the same colony in 1912. 



F. C. R. JOURDAIX. 



A FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE BREEDING-RANGE 

 OF THE LITTLE OWL. 



A CURIOUS point in the spread of the Little Owl {Athene n. 

 nocttia) seems to be the apparenth^ slow extension that 

 seems to take place in some directions and the very rapid 

 spread that takes place in others from the same original 

 locality. It almost looks as though in some districts the 

 extension of range took place by the migration of one or 

 more pairs from a centre to a new locality at some consider- 

 able distance, and the subsequent formation of a subsidiary 

 centre there from which the spi-ead has taken place locally 

 with considerable rapidity. The early establishment of 

 the north Kent centre about Dartford, \\iih. very few 

 intermediate steps, would seem to be an instance of this, 

 and now the same thing appears to be happening in Sussex. 

 In Vol. I., p. .341, we pointed out how a considerable area 

 was then populated on the Kent and Surrey border with 

 extensions some distance into Surrey and north-east Sussex, 

 while on the other hand the extension eastward into the 

 Weald had been slow and not nearly so extensive. So 

 far as information is available the direct spread does not 

 seem to have yet reached further than Tonl)ridge and 

 Cranbrook {Birds of Kent, p. 258). On page 19 (supra) 

 Mr. S. V. Clark recorded an extension to south-west Sussex 

 and stated that the birds were getting numerous, so that it 

 seems probable that the pioneers must have arrived a year 

 or so previously, while there are no intervening records 

 between Worthing and the AshdoAin Forest district. 



