VOL. IX.] NOTES. 27 



Ussher in Ussher and Warren's Birds of Ireland). But the 

 habit cannot be at all common. Macgillivray, whose British 

 Birds contains perhaps the best accoiuit of this species 

 ever published, after saying that " several individuals have 

 heard it sing when flying from one place to another," adds 

 " on such occasions I have only heard it utter its harsh 

 scream." A. Holte Macpherson. 



MISTLE-THRUSH AND BLACKBIRD SINGING 

 ON THE WING. 



I HAVE only once heard the Mistle-Thrush singing on the 

 wing and considering the occurrence unusual I made a note 

 of the date— 30th March, 1913. On April 30th, 1915, only a 

 few days before reading Mr. Nevin H. Foster's note, I heard 

 for the first time a Blackbird singing when in flight. He had 

 been in song at the top of a tree just previously and continued 

 his song as he flew to another close by. From my owii 

 experience I should say that these two instances are vagaries, 

 perhaps connected with exceptional excitement during the 

 breeding-season. Has anyone ever tried to explain why 

 some species, e.g. the Sky-Lark, Tree-Pipit, and Common 

 Whitethroat usually sing when in flight ? E. W. Hendy. 



WRENS LAYING IN YEAR-OLD NESTS. 



Referring to my note in British Birds, Vol. VIII. , p. 98, 

 concerning the probability of Wrens laying in nests built 

 in a previous year, the following record is interesting. I 

 marked seven " cocks' nests " last season as carefully as 

 I could with the intention of visiting them this year and 

 definitely proving or disproving my theory, and with very 

 fairly conclusive results. One nest I have, I regret to say, 

 been unable to find : one remains, as yet, as it was last 

 spring, compact and dry but unlined : two have met with 

 disaster, one having apparently fallen to pieces and the 

 other been pulled out entirely from an overgrown stump ; 

 of the remaining three, two now contain sets of six eggs 

 and the third young birds. This record goes some way 

 to prove that in at least a great nvimber of cases twelve- 

 months-old nests are lined and used. 



Lewis R. W. Loyd. 



CURIOUS POSITION OF DIPPER'S NEST. 



On April 6th, 1915, I found the nest of a Dipper [Cinclus 

 c. hritannicus) on the river Morda, near Oswestry, Shropshire, 

 completely out of sight in an old Sand-Martin's hole which 



