VOL. VI.] NOTES. 189 



I now have to record a similar event in south-east Sussex. 

 Until recently nothing was known of the species in this 

 district from nearer than Cranbrook in west Kent. On 

 September 8th and 17th, 1909, two immature birds were 

 sent to Mr. Catt of Iden for preservation, having been picked 

 up under the telegraph wires at East Guildford on the border 

 of Romney Marsh near Rye, and these are the first specimens 

 so far as I know ever obtained in this district. On May 22nd, 

 1912, Mr. Catt informs me he received an adult male that 

 had been shot by a keeper at Peasemarsh, where a second 

 bird was seen at the same time. I have since ascertained 

 from an independent source that this is quite correct, and I 

 have little doubt that the birds were nesting there. In 

 July I heard from Mr. R. P. Mair at Udimore (the adjoining 

 parish to Peasemarsh), who knew the species well in 

 Northamptonshire, that he had seen a pair on his farm 

 " some tAvo years ago " and that this year (1912) they or 

 another pair nested, in April, in his orchard and successfully 

 reared their young. It Avill be interesting now to trace with 

 what rapidity the spread of the Little Owl takes place in 

 this district. N. F. Ticehurst. 



KESTREL EATING A BAT. 

 About 5 p.m. on October 12th, 1912, Mr. W. D. Dovaston 

 of West Felton, Salop, while engaged in gathering apples 

 in his orchard, noticed a Kestrel {Falco t. tinnunculus) 

 hovering overhead. Presently it swooped downwards at 

 a Pipistrelle Bat which was flitting about amongst the trees. 

 The bat turned swiftly and avoided the hawk. The latter 

 pulled itself up as quickly as possible and again ascended 

 into the air. It swooped at the bat time after time, the 

 latter dodging it nimbly just at the critical moment ; the 

 Kestrel was not to be balked however, and eventually it 

 seized the bat just as it was taking refuge amongst the boughs 

 of an oak. The Kestrel then alighted on the tree and 

 proceeded to devour its prey. Although certain other 

 hawks are recorded as preying on bats, the Kestrel is not 

 known to do so ; at least, none of the standard authors that 

 I have consulted mention the fact. H. E. Forrest. 



[A similar instance of a Kestrel capturing a Pipistrelle was 

 recorded in the Glasgow Naturalist (Vol. II., p. 137), and 

 noticed in our Volume IV., p. 222. — Eds.] 



ABNORMAL BREEDING-HABITS OF SHELD-DUCK. 



To Mr. D. Munro Smith's interesting note on the above 

 .subject {supra, p. 157), I may be permitted to append a 



