iNOTES. 193 



I thiiik it may safely be concluded that the birds were 

 passing migrants, as it is hardly to be conceived that a locality 

 exists in the immediate neighbourhood, where such a \\'oodland- 

 loving species is resident, and from \\hich the birds seen may 

 have temporarily wandered. I was travelling b^^ train at 

 the time of the occurrence, and was therefore unable to 

 ascertain in what direction the Jays took their departure. 



Howard Bentham. 



NIGHTJAR FREQUENTING A BEEHIVE. 



From the 16th to 30th September, 1911, a Nightjar {Capri- 

 mulgus europxus) took up its quarters in the garden of Mr. F. L. 

 Rawlins on the outskirts of Rhyl, a place where this bird is 

 hardly ever seen or heard. It was constantly to be found 

 squatting on the top of a wooden beehive in the full blaze 

 of the sun, frequenting the spot no d.oubt on account of the 

 warmth, for it did not seem to molest the bees or take any 

 notice of them. By careful stalking I was able to approach 

 within four feet and photograph it as it sat there, motionless 

 with closed eyes. 



The last occasion on which the Nightjar was seen was 

 September 30 th, when it spent the first few hours of the 

 morning on the ground almost under the hive ; as the day 

 got warmer it moved into its old position on the hive. 



H. E. Forrest. 



ON THE CLIMBING MOVEMENTS OF THE GREAT 

 SPOTTED WOODPECKER. 



In an early number of British Birds (Vol. II., p. 93 ; c/. 

 also p. 145) a note appeared on the climbing movements of 

 the Green Woodpecker, in which it was stated that "' on 

 reaching a sufficient elevation it (the male) would descend 

 backward with as great rapidity as in its ascension."' In this 

 connexion it may be of interest to record that on November 

 12th, 1911, I saw a Great Spotted Woodpecker {Dendrocopus 

 major) fly into a small oak, and after pausing a few seconds, 

 run rapidly up the trunk, stopi)ing to taj) occasionally ; after 

 a. rather more prolonged pause it suddenly descended the tree 

 backwards some eighteen inches, stopped, ascended again 

 a few inches and then flew out ; the descent was quite as 

 rapid as the ascent. I could not observe whether the tail- 

 feathers were kept away from the tree in the descent, as is 

 described in the article referred to, but I think this wa-; 

 probably the case, as otherwise they must inevitably have 

 •caught in the crevices of the bark. A second bird accompanied 

 this one, but I did not see it climb. A. Geoffrey Leigh. 



