126 BRITISH BIRDS. 



are quite degenerate, being made up of a series of long, weak 

 barbs, which have quite lost the power of interlocking. 



In the matter of position with regard to the vertebrae, these 

 feathers show still further signs of degeneracy, since thej do not 

 hold their normal relationships with regard to the pygostyle, 

 but form, on the contrary, an irregular series arranged in a 

 U-shaped fashion. 



More work remains to be done on this subject. Not only do 

 we want to know exactly what obtains in all our British Grebes 

 when adult, but also whether the tail-feathers of the young in 

 their first plumage are relatively more perfectly developed than 

 in the adults. 



This investigation is by no means an easy one, for, in most 

 cases, some considerable d.ifficulty is found in distinguishing the 

 caudal feathers from the general plumage of the body, while no 

 I'eliable facts can be obtained as to the number and position of 

 these feathers except from freshly killed or spirit specimens. 

 Embryos would probably reveal some interesting facts in this 



connection. 



* ^ ^ 



Lesser Whitethkoat Nesting in Forfar. — Mr. T. F. 

 Dewar records the nesting of a pair of this species, the eggs of 

 which he identified, in his garden in the Burgh of Forfar, in 

 June, 1907. The bird is very rai*e in the north of Scotland 

 {Ann. Scot. Nat. Hist., 1907, p. 185). 



■X- ^ -Jf 



Lesser Whitethroat in Cornwall in Autumn. — Dr. J. 

 Clark gives i-ecords showing this species is a casual autumn bird 

 of passage in the north-east of Cornwall (ZooL, 1907, p 281). 



* -Jf -55- 



Garden Warbler in Shetland. — One found dead in a 

 tank on June 9th last, at Lerwick (J. A. Harvie-Brown, J.?m. 

 Scot. Nat. Hist., 1907, p. 184). 



^ ^ -x- 



Dartford Warbler in Cornw^all. — Dr. Clark says that 

 it was unrecorded after the hard Avinter of 1886-7 until May, 

 1889, when one was seen at Hayle. In April, 1904, a nest was 

 found near Penryn, and in 1905 one at Linkinhorne, and 

 another at St. Buryan (ZooL, 1907, p. 282). 



^ -K- -K- 



FiRECRESTS IN CORNWALL. — Firecrests have always favoured 

 Cornwall, and Dr. Clark records the following : 1900, October, 

 several at the Lizard ; November, two near Truro. 1901, Jan- 

 uary, about a dozen near Tregothnan; November, one at Kea. 

 1904, December, two near Culval and one at Helston. 1905, 



