NOTES. 191 



REDSHANK BREEDING IN WARWICKSHIRE. 



In the editorial note folloAvinor the remarks of Mr. A. H. Etches 

 on this subject (antea, p. 159), the Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain 

 observes that, to his knowledge, the Redshank has not been 

 recorded as previously breeding in Warwickshire. 



This reminds me that on May 20th, 1905, I found a nest of 

 the Redshank with four eggs, well concealed in coarse grass, in 

 Sutton Park. I had on several occasions in previous years met 

 with them during the breeding season in the Trent Valley, near 

 Armitage, but was not aware that as a nesting species they had 

 not been recorded in Warwickshii-e. 



I visited the nest again on May 22nd, and also on several 

 occasions afterwards. On my last visit I found the nest empty, 

 and saw iio trace of the birds, which made me rather suspicious 

 that someone had taken the eggs, but one of the park keej^ers, 

 to whom I showed the nest, was quite confident that they had 

 been hatched, and another of the keepers, who appeared well 

 acquainted with the birds, assured me that he had seen three at 

 least of the young birds, but at some considerable distance from 

 the nest. 



William Da.vies. 



During the years 1895-1898 I was in the habit of paying one 

 or two visits every week during May, June and July, to the 

 swampy ground lying behind the rifle butts at Rugby. 



I always saw a pair of Redshanks on every visit, never more 

 than one pair, and I never succeeded in locating the nest, but 

 that there was a nest I have little doubt from the behaviour of 

 the birds and the time of year. 



The Redshank here in the extreme north of Lancashire, and 

 on the Westmorland borders, are showing a marked tendency 

 to come further from the marshes on the coast-line, and are now 

 found breeding on certain low-lying cultivated moss- lands 

 where they were unknown to breed some two or three years ago. 

 I am inclined to believe that they are adopting these tactics to 

 avoid the constant persecution to which they are subjected on 

 the unpreserved and public marshes during the nesting season. 



Fred. Smalley. 



REPORT ON THE FOOD OP BLACK-HEADED GULL. 



At the request of the Cumberland County Council Messrs. 

 D. L. Thorpe and L. E. Hope undertook to investigate the 

 nature of the food of the Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) 

 for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not this species was 

 to be regarded as harmful from an economic point of view. 



