nOTES 



LATE STAY OF YELLOW WAGTAIL IN CUMBERLAND. 



Anent Mr. J. Steele Elliott's record of a Motacillaf. rayi seen 

 in Bedfordshire on November 11th last (as quoted on p. 252, 

 antea), the date is so unusual that it may be as well to put on 

 record that I saw a single individual at Alston in Cumberland, 

 on October 31st, 1916, and again at the same spot on the 

 following morning. Both days were exceedingly stormy, 

 with south-westerly gales and heavy rain, and the bird was 

 seeking what shelter it could find in the lea of a small wood 

 close to the town. The wood was full of newly arrived Red- 

 wings and Fieldfares, and on November 1st the Wagtail had 

 for a companion a hen Redstart. Next day neither could be 

 found. The Yellow Wagtail is quite an unusual visitor here ; 

 this individual had apparentl}' received some slight damage 

 to one wing (quite likely from the storm) as it flew a little 

 lop-sided. 



It is interesting to note that in his Fauna of Lakeland 

 (p. 112), Macpherson referred to a Yellow Wagtail seen near 

 Carlisle on November 27th, 1890. George Bolam. 



BLACKBIRD'S NEST AND EGGS IN JANUARY IN 

 HERTFORDSHIRE. 



On January 8th, 1917, Dr. Arthur H. Foster discovered at 

 Holwell a nest with two fresh eggs of a Blackbird {Turdns m. 

 merula). W. Percival Westell. 



LATE NESTING OF SWALLOWS IN CHESHIRE. 



Adverting to the recent notes on this subject {antea., pp. 137 

 and 246), it may be of interest to record that at Grappenhall, 

 I ringed a brood of four Swallows on the evening of September 

 22nd, 1916. These birds left the nest while ringing was in 

 progress, but it is not improbable that they would not have 

 left luitil the next day or perhaps later, if they had not been 

 disturbed. Oswald Wilkinson. 



UNUSUAL BIRDS IN SHROPSHIRE. 



The recent frost brought into Shropshi^-e the following 

 locally uncommon waterfowl. 



Gadwall {Anas strepera). A female was shot on the mere 

 in Weston Park (Lord Bradford's seat) on February 5th, 

 1917 ; fifth record of this species in Shropshire. 



