252 BRITISH BIRDS. 



be about 1770. It is indeed a singular coincidence in the 

 case of so rare a species that the only known Shropshire 

 examples should have been obtained in the same place (Long- 

 nor and Leebotwood are in the same parish), and that on 

 each occasion there were two birds. H. E. Forrest. 



[Although nearly all the records of this species are from 

 maritime counties, it is interesting to note that James Pilking- 

 ton, in his View of the Present State of Derbyshire (1789) notes 

 the occurrence of a pair of " Spotted Falcons " at Spondon in 

 November [1788 ?]. From the description of the plumage 

 of one of these birds which was shot there is little doubt that 

 this was also Falco islandus. Pilkington was evidently 

 acquainted with Pennant's w^ork. — F.C.R.J.] 



SQUACCO HERON IN LINCOLNSHIRE. 



An immature example of the Squacco Heron {Ardea ralloides) 

 was shot on the Humber Bank, in the parish of Great Cotes, 

 on September 29th, 1910, by Mr. R. J. Pearson of Grimsby. 

 This is, I believe, only the second occurrence of this species 

 in the county. G. H. Caton Haigh. 



AMERICAN BLUE- WINGED TEAL IN IRELAND. 



An immature female of the American Blue-winged Teal 

 (Querquedula discors) shot by Mr. B. W. Wise on the bogs at 

 Ballycotton, co. Cork, Ireland, in September, 1910, and 

 presented to the Dublin Museum, was exhibited by 

 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant at the October meeting of the 

 British Ornithologists' Club (Bull. B.O.C., Vol. XXVII., 

 p. 15). Mr. Ogilvie-Grant stated that it was quite 

 possible that the bird had escaped from Woburn, but 

 the Duchess of Bedford very kindly informs me that there is 

 only the barest possibility of this, and Her Grace knows of 

 no one else who has this species in captivity. Sir Richard 

 Graham and Mr. W. H. St. Quintin also inform me that they 

 do not think there are any in captivity elsewhere in England. 

 Mr. R. J. Ussher tells me that it is extremely unlikely that 

 such a bird had escaped from captivity in Ireland. It 

 seems, therefore, very probable that this bird was a genuine 

 straggler. The only records for Europe appear to be : — one 

 in Dumfriesshire in 1858, one in Cheshire about fifty years 

 ago, and one in Denmark in 1886. H. F. Witherby. 



BLACK-WINGED STILT IN SUSSEX. 



At the beginning of October, 1910, a Stilt {Himantopus 

 candidus) arrived in the marshes on the western outskirts 

 of St. Leonards, locally knoAMi as " the Salts." On the 



