NOTES. 341 



of Snipe, I may say that Snipe " drum " during every month 

 of the 3'ear. Mild weather has nothing to do with it. Many 

 times when waiting at " flight " during the winter-months 1 

 have heard Snipe " drum," in fact it seems a common practice 

 with Snipe every evening when they "come in " at " flight," 

 especially so if the evening be calm. F. W. Smalley. 



In reference to the note by Mr. Tom Smith on the early 

 "Drumming" of Snipe {supra, p. 318), I may mention that 

 in 1906 I heard a Snipe " drumming " on February 4th in the 

 Outer Hebrides. 



What is more remarkable, to my mind, is that I heard one 

 " drumming " in 1909, on August 1st. I was out shooting 

 wild-fowl and flushed a Snipe which I missed with both 

 barrels, when, to my astonishment, after flying a short distance, 

 it commenced to " drum," and continued to do so, wheeling 

 about in the air for upwards of ten minutes before alighting. 



Hugh S. Gladstone. 



With regard to Mr. T. Smith's letter on this subject, allow 

 me to say that I observed a Snipe " drumming " near Rivers- 

 town, CO. Shgo, on December 10th, 1910. Drawing my host's 

 attention to it, he assured me that he had frequently heard 

 Snipe " drumming " in this part of Ireland during the winter 

 months, and that the incident was not very unusual. 



The late Colonel Irby {Orn. Straits of Gib., 2nd Ed., p. 278) 

 writes as follows : — 



" I never heard the drumming noise of the Snipe in 

 Andalucia, though at home in England I have occasionally 

 heard them drumming of an evening in the New Forest as 

 early as the 20th of January." Collingwood Ingram. 



With reference to the note on tliis subject, I may record that 

 I have heard Snipe " drumming " in the Poole Harbour 

 district, Dorset, on the following dates : February 16th, 1908 ; 

 February 4th, 1909; March 3rd, 1910; 'March 5th, 1911. 



M. WnXIAM PORTMAN. 



EXTRAORDINARY NEST-BUILDING. 

 A FEW years ago I had under observation a somewhat similar 

 case to'^that given by Mr. C. W. Colthrup {supra, p. 308) in 

 my own grounds, except that in this case the two nests built 

 adjoining one another in the same shrub were thoss of a 

 Hedge-Sparrow and a Song-Thrush. Urxfortunately, both 

 nests were deserted before the eggs were hatched. 



John R. B. Masefield, 



