VOL. X.] NOTES. 295 



occurs, e.g., in the eggs of M. pugnax and N. arquata, but 

 which as far as I am aware has never been observed in 

 T. totanns.'' Pekcy F. Bunyard. 



MOOR-HENS P:ATING FRUIT. 



With reference to notes on Moor-Hens eating fruit {anfea, 

 pp. 251 and 275), I may say that in certain parts of the coast 

 of CO. Wexford. Ireland, the sea-buckthorn {flippophae 

 rhamnoides) has been Introduced. In spite of the acridness 

 of the berries, which are most unpalatable from a human 

 point of view, bushes are much visited b}' birds in November 

 and December ; and among them I have fiequently seen 

 Moor-Hens, which in some cases must have come from some 

 little distance, stripping the berries off the twigs. 



Maud jD. Haviland. 



Height at W'HICH Birds Fly. — " An Observer " writes 

 {Field, 20.1.17, p. 113) that when flying in France in the 

 middle of August, at about 9500 ft., he saw a large flock of 

 birds high above him and with the aid of binoculars he identi- 

 fied them as " Swallows." 



Red-breasted Flycatcher and Black Redstart at the 

 Isle of May.— Mr. S. Baigrie states {Scot. Nat., 1917, p. 6) 

 that a Muscicapa p. parva appeared at the Isle of May (Forth) 

 on September 28th, 1916. and a Phoenkurus o. gibrcdtaricnsis 

 on October 28th. 



LEITKUS. 



OCCURRENCES OF THE COMMON BUZZARD. 

 To the Ediior.'i of British Birds. 



Sirs, — The repeated notices of the CoiTimou Buzzard having been 

 seen in the east and south-east of England are very gratifying to tliose 

 who have taken mueh trouble in preserving the nesting ai-eas of this 

 bird in other parts of the British Islands. It points to a possible 

 extension of range and that at some futiue date the Common Buzzard 

 may again merit its designation of "Common." There is hardly a 

 bird that adds more to the beauty of the landscape than the Common 

 Buzzard " on the soar.'' I know two parks in ttie Home Counties in 

 which Buzzards have found asylum this winter, and whence they 

 might be seen daily. These are Common Buzzards, not Rough-legged, 

 which are in my experience by far the commoner species in the eastern 

 and south-eastern counties. I think it is to be regretted that localities 

 such as the New Forest should be mentioned as breeding ai-eas, and 

 thus drawing attention to the fact, especially as the New Forest 

 Bu/zards ha\e Ijeen most carefully preserved, or at least as cai-efully 

 as possible, duiing the last thirty-five yeais )'X H.Af. Office of Woods. 



E. G. B. Meade-Walpo. 

 Stonewall Park, Kent, April, 1917. 



