122 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. x. 



Crossbills breeding in co. Tipperary. — In the course 

 of an article on the Crossbill in co. Tipperary {Irish Nat., 

 1916, pp. 69-72) Mr. C. J. Carroll states that during the 

 " invasion " of 1909 these birds appeared in the Galtee 

 Mountains and nested there the following year and have 

 done so ever since. 



Tree-Pipit off co. Wexford. — Prof. Patten discusses 

 (Irish Nat., 1916, pp. 85-93) at great length the remains of a 

 Tree-Pipit (Anthus trivialis) found on the Tuskar Rock on 

 October 16th, 1915, and gives many details of the wings, 

 but omits to mention the essential difference between the 

 wings of the Tree-Pipit and Meadow-Pipit, viz., the com- 

 paratively shorter fifth primary in the Tree-Pipit. 



Black-eared Wheatear in Ireland. — Prof. C. J. Patten 

 announces {Irish Nat., 1916, p. 100) that a Black-eared 

 Wheatear {Oermnthe hispanica), whether of the Eastern or 

 Western race he has not yet determined, was obtained on 

 Tuskar Rock, co. Wexford, on May 16th, 1916. The bird is 

 new to Ireland. 



Breeding of Hoopoe in Bucks. — The. Selborne Magazine, 

 1916, p. 93, contains a letter from Mr. C. E. J. Hannett, in 

 which it is stated that a pair of Hoopoes (Upupa e. epops) 

 nested near Taplow in 1916. They were noticed by Mr. and 

 Mrs. W. R. Dunstan frequently in a rather secluded garden, 

 and towards the end of the third week in May a single young 

 bird was seen accompanying its parents. It was actually 

 caught by Mr. Dunstan, who describes it as about the size 

 and weight of a good sized Thrush. The birds disappeared 

 a few days prior to June 25th, but the two parents were 

 again seen on the afternoon of July 5th. 



Snowy-Owl in Buckinghamshire.— Mr. A. H. Cocks 

 records (Zoo/. 1916, p. 313) that on July 31st, 1912, he saw 

 an example of Nyctea nyctea at Hambleden. The bird was 

 also seen by others on August 2nd, and again a few days later. 

 Mr. Cocks suggests that having regard to the time of year it 

 may have been an escaped bird, but he failed to hear of 

 anyone who had lost one. 



Courtship of Buffel-headed Duck. — In the coiu-se of 

 an interesting article on the courtship habits of certain ducks 

 {Auk, 1916, pp. 9-17) Dr. C. W. Townsend states of Bncephala 

 albeola that his observations do not bear out Mr. Millais's 

 supposition that the courtship of this duck is similar to that 

 of the Goldeneye. Dr. Townsend describes the actions of a 



