138 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. x. 



fledged and up to the 16th had not left the nest. The nest 

 was situated on a rafter in a hayloft, at Bredbury, Cheshire. 

 The old birds went in and out through an open window. 



Fred. W. Dewhurst. 

 I It is not unusual to find young Swallows still in the nest 

 up to the end of August, but instances of September broods 

 are much less common. Mr. W. E. Teschemaker has recorded 

 finding a brood of young in a nest in a cave on the Manx 

 coast on September 6tli (Zo-)l., 1 887, p. .373) and at Great 

 Thurlow, Suffolk, I watched young birds in a nest daily till 

 Se])tember 15, 1891, on which day they flev,'. The late 

 Robert Service noticed Swallows about their nests up to 

 October 17, 1882, and on examining the nests on the following 

 day, one had apparently been just vacated by the young, 

 while the other contained eggs on the point of hatching, 

 which Avere, however, subsequently deserted (Zool., 1883, 

 p. 124^. Mr. H. E. Forrest mentions a pair remaining at 

 Ironbridge with their young after the bulk had left till October 

 20, 1910 (Caradoc d- Sev. Valley F. C. Record for 1910, p. 18.) 



F. C. R. JOURDAIN.] 



NUMBERS OF YOUNG IN BROODS OF SWALLOWS 

 IN LANCASHIRE IN 1915 AND 1916. 



Having given the percentage for broods of Swallows near 

 Lancaster for several years (c/. Vol. IV., p. 249 ; Vol. V., 

 p. 135 ; Vol. VI., p. 254 ; Vol. VII., p. 172 and Vol. IX., p. 71), 

 I now append details for the two svnnmers of 1915 and 

 1916. The year 1915 was the best I ever remember for 

 Swallows, not only as far as actual numbers were concerned, 

 but also for large broods. In Vol. IX., p. 71, I mentioned 

 the large broods during the month of Jiuie, and now add that 

 during July, of thirteen nests visited, three contained five 

 young, and the remaining ten, four yoimg apiece. No nest 

 visited during these two months contained less than four 

 young. The average brood for these two months was 4.65, 

 50 per cent, having full broods. Comparing this with 1911, 

 which was a good year, we have 4.4 as the average brood, 

 with 45 per cent, of nests containing full broods. 



The summer of 1916 was a very bad one for Swallows, as 

 far as actual numbers were concerned, although the average 

 per brood of four was a very fair one. During June, of 

 fourteen nests visited, seven contained five young, five held 

 four apiece, and two had broods of three each. Of a like 

 number of nests visited in July, five held broods of five, six 

 contained four each, whilst three nests contained brood.s of 



