44 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. x. 



previously at Upton, Leicestershire, four miles from Ather- 

 stone, Warwickshire. It proved to be an adult male Marsh- 

 Harrier (Circus ceruginosus) , and is the only example from 

 any of the Midland counties that I have seen or heard of in 

 recent years. The date of occurrence — mid June — is worthy 

 of note. H. E. Forrest. 



GLOSSY IBIS IN OXFORDSHIRE. 



A FEMALE Glossy Ibis (Plegadis f. Jalcinellns) was obtained 

 on May 11th, 1916, on the Oxfordsliire side of the Thames 

 and within two miles of Reading. It had been observed in 

 the locality for about a fortnight previous to the date of its 

 capture. Examination of the bird gives no suggestion of its 

 being an escape from captivity, and the light feathers of the 

 neck make it appear probable that it is in its first year plumage. 

 The specimen is being set uj) and will be given to the Reading 

 Museum. W. Norman May. 



ON THE STATUS OF THE COMMON CURLEW AND 



THE BLACK GROUSE IN WILTSHIRE. 



I. The Common Curlew. 



Nearly every recent book on British birds mentions Wiltshire 

 as one of the comities in which the Common Curlew (Numenius 

 arqvata) breeds, but I am of opinion that this is one of those 

 errors which get copied from one work to another. I know 

 no part of the comity which is really suited to the requirements 

 of the bird, and very much doubt if it ever breeds here, and 

 I believe that all records are based on Stone-Curlews [BurhinuH 

 oedicnemus) which are fairly common. This view is shared by 

 Dr. Penrose. 



The mistake probably arose as follows. In 1870 Mr. 

 (now Sir Everard) im Thurn gave an instance (Birds of 

 Marlborough) of a nest on the Aldbourne Downs, but this 

 record was at once discredited by his reviewer in the Zoologist 

 (1870, p. 2178). In 1876 Mr. im Thurn, in liis Appendix to 

 the Birds of Marlborough (Report of Marlb. Coll. Nat. Hist. Soc), 

 gave a little additional, but still quite insufficient evidence 

 with regard to this nest, which was agam discredited (Zoologist, 

 1877, p. 637). The Rev. A. P. Morres thereupon wi'ote very 

 positively (Zoologist 1877, p. 106) that the bird bred regularly 

 within seven miles of Salisbury. Probably relying on this 

 record, Howard Saunders (4th edition Yarrell, Vol. III., p. 501) 

 wrote : "a few pairs may be scattered through Wilts in the 

 breeding-season. ' ' 



