NOTES. 189 



number of "British Birds, and the references to its breeding in 

 Nortliuuiberland, I may add though I have not seen any nests 

 myself, yet I have excellent authority for stating that more than 

 one pair are in the habit of breeding within seven miles from 

 here (Stocksfield-on-Tyne). Also old birds with young have 

 been seen in the neighbourhood of Chollerfield, North Tvne. 



J. S. T. Walton. 



SNOW-FINCH IN KENT. 



The spell of cold weather that swept across Europe at the end 

 of last year resulted in one of the most remarkable daylight 

 migi'ations that has ever been witnessed in the south of England. 

 Amongst other birds procured at this time was a specimen of 

 the Snow-Finch (il/o?i^i!y"/-m(/i!7Za«{y//?t.s), the second that has been 

 obtained in this country {ef. H. Saunders, supra, p. 13). It was 

 shot from a flock of four or five similar-looking birds (whether 

 of the same species or not, I do not know) at Paddock Wood, in 

 Kent, on December 28th, 1906. I examined the bird in the 

 flesh, and still in a quite fresh condition, on January 2nd. A 

 second was, I believe, procured at the same time, but as I have 

 no personal knowledge of it I do not venture to record it. 



N. F. TiCEHURST. 



ROLLER IN SUSSEX. 

 On July 31st, 1907, a gamekeeper in St. Leonard's Forest 

 observed one of these bii'ds, a fine male, flying in the forest 

 near Colgate. 



So conspicuous a bird can hardly escape notice, nor the desire 

 of man to capture it, and the specimen in Cjuestion met with 

 the usual fate. I saw it in the flesh on August 2nd, and it has 

 now been added to my collection. 



Formerly the Roller was a regular though scarce summer 

 visitor to this part of England, but now its appearance is 

 distinctly rare. As far as I can ascertain this is the only 

 example that has been killed during the past ten years in West 

 Sussex. The throat and crop) contained several small beetles. 



J. G. MiLLAIS. 



EARLY NESTING OF THE SHAG IN ORKNEY. 

 This year the Green Cormorants or Shags (Phalacrocorax 

 gracuhis) started nesting remarkably early in Orkney. They 

 commenced building their nests in January, and the first eggs 

 were found on February 24th on the. Island of Sules Skerry. 

 The weather during these months was very stormy but not cold, 

 and perhaps this latter fact had something to do with their 

 early nesting, which is much earlier than has ever been known 

 in Orkney before. H. W. Robinson. 



