1 56 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Zoologist, 1876, p. 4875, 1888, p. 393, and the Field, May 28th, 

 1898, and May 5th, 1900, so that in the case of the latter species 

 the normal clutch of two is, sometimes at any rate, exceeded. — 

 F.C.R.J.] 



UNEQUAL WING-STROKES IN FLIGHT. 



Mr. Headley's illustrations (a/i^ea, pp. 115, 116) of Pigeons 

 flying show the danger of judging from photographs. In Fig. 1 

 the bird may be parachuting, in which case the swaying from 

 side to side would account for the position of the wings, or it 

 may be turning and so be tilted dorsally towards the 

 spectator. In Fig. 3 the apparent slight inequality in the 

 height of the wings is due to perspective, and if a straight 

 edge be laid on the tips of the wings it will be found to 

 converge with the lines of the ledge, which we may assume 

 to be horizontal. 



Allen W. Seaby. 



QUAIL AT STORNOWAY, OUTER HEBRIDES. 



On August 3rd, 1910, our yacht was lying in Stornoway 

 Harbour, and when taking a walk up to Goat Hill farm at 

 about 8 o'clock one evening, I was surprised to hear a Quail 

 {Coturnix communis) calling quite close to me in an uncut 

 hay-field. Not being sufficiently familiar with Quail to be 

 absolutely certain of the note. I brought a friend with me 

 the next evening, who knew QuaU and their ways M'ell, as 

 they come round his place every summer. He at once 

 recognised the call, with which he was so familiar. I went 

 into the field, but, as I expected, was unable to flush them. 

 An old man cutting hay told me that the reaping machine 

 had killed some little birds about the size of young Corncrakes 

 a few days before. These Avere very probably not Corncrakes 

 at all, but young Quail. 



Mr. Bisshop, the Oban taxidermist, told me later that he 

 had never received any from Stornoway. 



Messrs. C. V. A. Peel and J. A. Harvie Brown record them 

 from Barra, where they seem to have been not uncommon in 

 1893. 



In the north of Ireland the call-note of this species is rendered 

 by the words " wet-my-foot," by which name the bird is 

 known amongst the country folk ; it is not a bad imitation 

 of the note. 



It would be interesting to hear if any of your readers have 

 noted the Quail in Lewis. 



W. H. Workman. 



