iNOTES. 251 



of Ludlow showed me a clutch of Jackdaw's eggs taken from 

 a hole in a tree, all of which were completely coated with mud 

 when found in the nest. A second clutch taken from the 

 same nest subsequently were daubed over in a similar way. 



The respective dates were April 29th, 1897, and April 30th, 

 1898. On May 4th, 1899, Mr. Palmer found in a colony of 

 Jackdaws, twenty miles away from the first site, two other 

 clutches of eggs partially coated with clay. In no case were 

 the eggs exposed to view, but were placed well within dark 

 holes in hollow trees, whilst the nests themselves were dry. 

 All four clutches are still in his collection. The second clutch 

 was subsequently cleaned, when three of the four eggs were 

 found to be of peculiar colouring, approaching in type those 

 of the Chough. H. E. Forrest. 



HOOPOE AND SPOONBILL IN MONTGOMERYSHIRE. 



On a recent visit to Newtown I saw at the house of Mr. Ford, 

 watchmaker, a case containing a Spoonbill {Platalea leucorodia) 

 and a Hoopoe {Upiipa epops). Both of them were obtained 

 at Aberhafesp, near Newtown, about 1870. The Spoonbill 

 was shot by a keeper at the edge of a large pool, and Mr. Ford 

 remembers its being brought in the flesh to his father, who was 

 known to take an interest in ornitliology. No note was 

 taken of the date, but from other circumstances it is known 

 that it was a little prior to 1873. Both birds are adults in 

 fine plumage. Neither species has been previously recorded 

 in the county of Montgomery, though both have occurred 

 near the western sea-board, the Spoonbill indeed being not 

 uncommon on the Dovey Estuary (c/. Vert. Fauna N. Wales. 

 pp. 203. 261). H. E. Forrest. 



ICELAND FALCONS IN SHROPSHIRE— AN EARLY 



RECORD. 



On a former page (British Birds, III., 165) I recorded two 

 of these birds obtained near Leebotwood, Salop, in Aj)ril, 

 1853. Recently, when turning over the pages of Pennant's 

 British Zoology (1776 edition) I came across a description and 

 plate of a species which he calls the " Spotted Falcon," but 

 which is, without a doubt, the bird now known as tlie Iceland 

 Falcon (F. islandus). The only discrepancy is as to the 

 colour of the irides, which he says were pale yellow ; but no 

 importance attaches to this, as he probably had only the 

 stuffed specimens before him, and in those days taxidermists 

 were not careful about such trifles as colour of eyes, feet, etc. ! 

 Pennant states that " Two of these birds have been shot near 

 Longnor, Shropshire." No date is mentioned ; but it would 



