360 BRITISH BIRDS. 



Christy on this subject appeared in the " Essex Naturahst " 

 (Part 1, Vol. XV., pp. 18-23). The claim for the Kite having 

 bred near Maldon in 1854, and for the Buzzard having nested 

 near Purleigh in 1865, is founded upon some eggs which were 

 sold at Stevens' in October, 1906. They were bought by 

 Mr. 0. V. Aphn, who not only supplied Mr. Christy with some 

 interesting notes, but generously allowed the eggs to go to 

 the Essex Museum of Natural History. Although the 

 evidence is by no means conclusive that these eggs were 

 correctly labelled, and that the birds really nested in Essex 

 in the years stated, we think that Mr. Christy's conclusion that 

 they may be taken as genuine is fair, especially as he points 

 out that the district in which they were said to have been 

 taken is very difficult of access. Incidentally Mr. Christy 

 points to the interesting fact that the Raven bred in the same 

 district as late as 1889. — Eds. 



East Sussex Heronries. — In number three of the "Hastings 

 and East Sussex Naturalist," which is the bright and useful 

 little Journal of the flourishing local Natural History Society, 

 Mr. T. Parkin, the President has an article on the Heronry 

 at Windmill Hill Place, Worthing. The author goes into the 

 history of this interesting old heronry, which now contains 

 annually from twenty-five to thirty-five occupied nests. We 

 note that a new colony of Herons was formed last year at 

 Plashett Park, near Lewes. The article is illustrated by 

 Plates, one being from Horsfield's " History of Sussex." 



Smew Reported from co. Donegal in Summer. — A pair 

 of Mergus alhellus are said to have been seen by Professor 

 Leebody at Inch, Lough Swilly, in May, 1907 (D. C. 

 Campbell, Irish Nat., 1908, p. 57). If the identification is 

 to be relied upon the occurrence at the time of year is certainly 

 remarkable. 



Great Crested Grebe Breeding in co. Donegal. — Two 

 pairs of Podicipes cristatus were found breeding at Port Lough, 

 in CO. Donegal, in 1906 and 1907. The bird does not appear to 

 have been previously recorded as breeding so far to the north- 

 west in Ireland (D. C. Campbell, Irish Nat., 1908, p. 57). 



Fork-tailed Petrel near Chester. — A specimen of 

 Oceanodroma leucorrhoa is recorded from Ellesmereport on 

 December 16th, 1907 (A. Newstead, Nat., 1908, p. 111). The 

 bird is apparently not uncommon in the Dee estuary at times 

 (c/. H. E. Forrest, Vert. Fauna N. Wales, p. 413). 



