NOTES. 195- 



\incing manner, lying absolutely inert in my hand with closed " 

 eyes and the previously ruffled feathers pressed close against 

 the body. After a little while I transferred the bird to the 

 other hand, whereupon it suddenly threw off its feigned 

 unconsciousness and, opening its eyes wide, struck out viciously 

 A\'ith its formidable talons, and with violently flapping wings 

 slipped out of my grasp and flew off, only to come to ground 

 again a few hundred yards away. On my coming up to it a 

 second time it no longer tried to feign death, but contented 

 itself with ruffling its plumage and snapping its mandibles, 

 and on my seizing it again only struck out with its talons. 

 Finally I let the bird go, whereupon it flew into a j^oung birch 

 tree not far away, and after surveying me intently for severs! 

 minutes began to call for its parents with a peculiar high 

 pitched, mewing note, but while I remained in the vicinity 

 the old Owls, which from the uneasy twittering of small birds 

 I knew not to be far away, did not put in an appearance. 



M. V. Wenner 



[In connection with the above it may be worth noting 

 that a particularly " tame " Tawny Owl which nested in 

 a hole in a beech- tree, allowed herself to be pushed off her 

 young with a stick and turned over on her back, in which 

 l^osition she remained motionless so long as she was being 

 watched.— H.F.W." 



LITTLE OWL IN HEREFORDSHIRE AND 

 WORCESTERSHIRE. 



During April and May, 1911, I not infrequently heard Little 

 Owls {Athene noctua) at night at Suckley (Worcestershire) ; 

 also once in the parish of Acton Beauchamp (Herefordshire), 

 when I happened to be over the border after dark. 



C. J. Alexander. 



W^HIMBREL IN WORCESTERSHIRE. 



I understand that the occurrence of the Whimbrel {Numenius 

 phcBopus) in the west-midland counties is somewhat uncommon. 

 It therefore seems worth while to record that on May 20th, 

 1911, I heard two near Suckley (Worcestershire), about 6.45 

 p.m. ; they were quite low down, apparently flying north, 

 but as I was in a wood, I did not see them. 



C. J. Alexander. 



